The school gym had gone eerily quiet in the aftermath of battle. Only the faint crackle of the fire and the smell of roasted meat broke the silence—an almost surreal combination that spoke to how strange the world had become.
Elric leaned back against a concrete pillar, his eyes half-closed as his breathing slowed to normal after the exertion. He'd burned through half his energy in the last fight with Henry's gang, using his ROOM ability multiple times in quick succession to dismember and disable threats.
Across from him, Natasha and Jenna were sorting through the salvaged food with practiced efficiency, organizing items by type and shelf life.
The moment Elric had promised Natasha "permanent access to roasted lamb" as her reward for recruiting Grace successfully, her expression had lit up like she'd just won the lottery in the old world.
To her, it wasn't just food. It meant something far more valuable.
It meant status. Recognition. Favor.
The others followed Elric out of fear, out of necessity for survival. But Natasha? She wanted to be seen—as someone trusted, someone valuable. Someone above Jenna in the hierarchy.
She turned to smirk at her blonde rival, her tone sharp but playful, laced with that particular cruelty that came from small victories.
"Careful with that bag, Jenna. Wouldn't want you to drop something my husband asked us to keep safe."
Jenna spun around instantly, cheeks flushing red with indignation. "He's not your husband, Natasha. You just like calling him that to annoy me!"
"Uh-huh. Keep telling yourself that." Natasha's grin widened, showing teeth. "Maybe if you say it enough times, it'll become true."
Elric didn't even bother opening his eyes from where he rested. "Enough. Pack the supplies, both of you."
The authority in that simple command was absolute.
The two women fell silent immediately, though Natasha's satisfied grin stayed plastered on her face—a small victory claimed.
After a while, once his breathing had fully stabilized and he felt his energy reserves beginning to refill, Elric stood up. He brushed the dust from his jacket with casual gestures.
"You two stay here. Guard the supplies. I have something to take care of."
"Where are you going?" Natasha asked immediately, worry creeping into her voice. She didn't like being separated from him—partly because of genuine concern, partly because Jenna might gain advantage in her absence.
"There's something on the rooftop I need," he said simply, offering no further explanation. "It'll help all of us survive what's coming."
Before either woman could reply, before they could protest or ask to come along, Elric's [ROOM] expanded in an instant.
The air around him shimmered with that distinctive blue glow, reality bending. And in the blink of an eye—he was gone, leaving only the faint scent of ozone.
The Rooftop
The fog on the rooftop was thick and cold, pressing in from all sides like a living thing. Wind howled across the cityscape with primal fury, pushing aside loose debris and sending shards of broken glass skittering across the concrete floor in rhythmic patterns.
Elric appeared near the center of the roof, his boots scraping against the cracked concrete as he materialized. The teleportation was disorienting for just a moment before his equilibrium returned.
He immediately activated [Thousand Eyes]—and his vision sharpened dramatically, like the lens of a drone camera zooming in with perfect clarity.
What he saw made him grin with satisfaction.
An entire section of the rooftop was covered in thick green vines—abnormally thick, pulsing faintly with bioluminescent veins that ran through them like circulatory systems. The plants clearly weren't natural, weren't from Earth's original biology.
And at the heart of that tangled growth hung a single fruit—white and translucent, like glowing marble, radiating faint mist into the surrounding air. It looked almost holy in the darkness.
"Energy Fruit," he murmured to himself. "So Henry wasn't lying after all."
He raised his hand to exchange it through the System—to simply swap positions with it or pull it directly into him self.
But a red message flashed before his eyes, appearing in his vision with unfortunate clarity:
[Exchange Failed]
Item is still rooted in an organic mass. Manual retrieval required.
"Tch. Figures." He clicked his tongue in annoyance.
Nothing could be simple in this world.
He crouched low, scanning the vines' structure with enhanced perception, planning his approach carefully. Then he picked up a small rock from the floor, testing its weight, and tossed it toward the vines just to gauge their reaction.
The moment the stone hit the vegetation—
The entire rooftop shook violently.
A booming sound split the air like thunder at close range.
Elric instantly took cover behind a ventilation duct, his body moving on pure combat instinct. His eyes narrowed as something massive landed in front of him with earth-shaking force—sending dust and shards of concrete flying in all directions.
When the air cleared enough to see, his pulse quickened despite his usual calm.
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