Day 5 Post-Impact
Five days since the world ended.
Sarnav stood on the courthouse roof, watching the sun rise over the ruins of Kuala Lumpur. The Petronas Towers were gone, reduced to jagged stumps on the horizon. Smoke still rose from scattered fires across the city. The Bangsar crater was visible in the distance, a permanent scar where his father had died.
The Harmony Sect had grown. One hundred and seventy-five survivors now, nineteen awakened among them. They'd established trade with two nearby groups, fortified the courthouse perimeter, and created something resembling a functional community.
All without Sarnav micromanaging every detail.
He'd learned to delegate. His mother handled civilian organization and Coalition relations. Tan managed construction and logistics. Marcus ran security and the awakened fighters. Madam Chen coordinated between all three.
It freed Sarnav to focus on what mattered. Cultivation. Recruitment. Getting stronger.
Status.
[STATUS]
NAME: Sarnav Kish
REALM: Foundation (D-Rank)
CULTIVATION PROGRESS: 15,200 / 50,000 Essence to Core Formation
HARMONY POINTS: 312
BONDED PARTNERS: 0 / 32
DAILY ESSENCE CAP: 25,000
CURRENT DAILY ESSENCE: 0 / 25,000
The numbers were frustrating. His essence gains had slowed to a crawl. Leadership bonuses, minor combat encounters, faction management. Maybe 500-800 essence per day. At this rate, Core Formation was months away.
The system had been increasingly pointed about the solution.
[NOTE: HOST HAS NOT ENGAGED IN ANY INTIMATE BONDING ACTIVITIES]
[CULTIVATION EFFICIENCY IS SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED WITHOUT DUAL CULTIVATION]
[RECOMMEND PURSUING ROMANTIC CONNECTIONS]
Sarnav dismissed the notification. He knew what the system wanted. He just wasn't sure how to get there without being a creep about it.
The women in the Sect were survivors, not dating prospects. They were dealing with trauma, loss, the end of everything they knew. Hitting on them felt wrong.
But the system didn't care about his moral qualms. It cared about bonds. About intimacy. About building the harem that would fuel his ascension.
Later, he told himself. Focus on what's in front of you.
What was in front of him was a scouting mission.
"The eastern districts are less damaged," Marcus reported during the morning briefing. "More intact buildings, more survivor groups. But also more competition for resources."
"Any contact with those groups?" Sarnav asked.
"Limited. A few trading caravans, some information exchange. Nothing formal."
"What about awakened?"
"Several confirmed. At least three groups have organized awakened defenders. D-rank at minimum."
Sarnav nodded slowly. The eastern suburbs were promising territory. More survivors meant more potential recruits. More awakened meant more potential allies.
Or enemies.
"I'm going to scout personally," he decided. "See what's out there, make contact with the larger groups."
"Take backup," Marcus said. "At least two fighters."
"I'll take Hafiz and one other. Light team, fast movement."
The meeting continued with logistics and supply discussions, but Sarnav's mind was elsewhere.
The eastern suburbs. That was where Nisha had lived before the impact.
Nisha Ramachandran. His childhood friend. The girl he'd grown up with, gone to school with, spent countless hours talking and laughing with. They'd drifted apart after university, life pulling them in different directions.
He didn't know if she was alive.
The thought had been gnawing at him for days. Every time he sent scouts east, part of him wanted to ask them to look for her. But he didn't even know where to start. Her family's house could be rubble. She could have evacuated. She could be dead.
Today, he'd find out for himself.
The journey east took most of the morning.
Sarnav traveled with Hafiz and a baseline human named Rajan who knew the eastern districts well. They moved carefully, avoiding open streets where possible, using Sarnav's enhanced senses to detect threats before they became problems.
The destruction was less severe here, just as Marcus had reported. Buildings were damaged but standing. Streets were cluttered with debris but passable. Signs of habitation were everywhere. Boarded windows, makeshift barricades, the smell of cooking fires.
"Lots of small groups," Rajan observed. "Families, mostly. Holed up in their homes, waiting for things to get better."
"They'll need to organize eventually," Hafiz said. "Can't survive alone forever."
"That's why we're here." Sarnav scanned the streets ahead with his enhanced vision. "To offer them an alternative."
They made contact with three small groups over the next few hours. Families, as Rajan had said. Scared, suspicious, but willing to listen. Sarnav offered them the same deal he offered everyone. Join the Harmony Sect, contribute what you can, receive protection and community in return.
Two groups said they'd think about it. One agreed on the spot, a family of five whose patriarch had been injured and couldn't protect them anymore.
Progress, but not what Sarnav was really looking for.
"There's a larger camp further east," Rajan said as they took a break in an abandoned convenience store. "Set up in a school. Maybe two, three hundred people. Well organized from what I've heard."
"Awakened?"
"At least a dozen. They've been defending the area, keeping the monsters out."
A school. Large survivor group. Eastern suburbs.
"Which school?" Sarnav asked, trying to keep his voice casual.
"SMK Taman Melati. Secondary school, maybe three kilometers from here."
Sarnav's heart skipped.
SMK Taman Melati. Nisha's school. The one she'd attended before transferring to his international school in Form 3. She'd always talked about it fondly, about the friends she'd left behind, the teachers who'd encouraged her.
If she'd survived, if she was anywhere in this area, that's where she'd go.
"That's our next stop," Sarnav said.
The school was impressive.
Someone had turned it into a proper fortress. The perimeter was reinforced with overturned vehicles, sandbags, and debris walls. Guards patrolled the entrances, a mix of awakened and armed baseline humans. The Malaysian flag flew from the main building, tattered but defiant.
"Organized," Hafiz said approvingly. "Someone knows what they're doing."
They approached the main gate with hands visible, moving slowly to avoid triggering any defensive responses. The guards watched them warily, weapons ready but not raised.
"State your business," one of them called out.
"Sarnav Kish, leader of the Harmony Sect. We're here to establish contact with your group."
The name meant nothing to them, but the mention of another organized faction got their attention. After a brief discussion, one guard left to fetch someone in charge.
Sarnav waited, his heart pounding harder than it should. This was just a diplomatic mission. Just first contact with a potential ally. There was no guarantee Nisha was here, no guarantee she was even alive.
But he couldn't shake the feeling that something important was about to happen.
The gate opened.
A young woman emerged. Dark hair pulled back in a practical ponytail, clothes dirty but intact, a clipboard in her hands like she'd been in the middle of administrative work. She was pretty in a girl-next-door way, with soft features and warm brown eyes that widened as she saw Sarnav.
Those eyes. He'd know them anywhere.
"Sarnav?"
His heart stopped.
"Nisha?"
She stared at him like she was seeing a ghost. The clipboard slipped from her fingers, clattering to the ground unnoticed. Her face crumpled, tears welling, and then she was running toward him.
Sarnav caught her as she crashed into him, her arms wrapping around his neck, her face burying against his chest. She was shaking, sobbing, clinging to him like he might disappear if she let go.
"You're alive," she gasped between sobs. "Oh god, Sarnav, you're alive. When the asteroid hit, I thought everyone in the city... I thought you were..."
"I'm here." He held her tightly, breathing in the familiar scent of her hair. Even after the apocalypse, even unwashed and exhausted, she still smelled like home. Like childhood. Like everything good from before the world ended. "I'm here, Nisha. I've got you."
They stood like that for a long moment. Sarnav was dimly aware of the guards watching, of Hafiz and Rajan exchanging looks, of the spectacle they were making. He didn't care.
She was alive. Nisha was alive.
[EMOTIONAL EVENT DETECTED]
[NISHA RAMACHANDRAN - CHILDHOOD FRIEND]
[BOND RESONANCE: EXTREMELY HIGH]
[YEARS OF UNDERLYING ROMANTIC FEELINGS DETECTED (MUTUAL)]
[COMPATIBILITY RATING: 97%]
[BOND POTENTIAL: WIFE #10]
Ninety-seven percent compatibility. Mutual underlying feelings. The system was confirming what some part of Sarnav had always known but never acknowledged.
He'd been in love with Nisha for years. He'd just been too stupid to do anything about it.
Finally, Nisha pulled back, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. Her smile was watery but genuine.
"Sorry," she said, laughing shakily. "I'm a mess. I just never thought I'd see you again."
"Neither did I." Sarnav cupped her face in his hands, studying her. She'd lost weight since he'd last seen her. The roundness of her cheeks was gone, replaced by sharper angles. There were dark circles under her eyes, evidence of too many sleepless nights. But her eyes were the same. Warm, kind, achingly familiar. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine. I awakened on Day Two. Some kind of plant ability." She held up her hand, and green energy flickered around her fingers. Small vines sprouted from her palm, curling in the air before dissolving. "It's not much, but it's helped keep people safe."
[AWAKENED DETECTED]
[NISHA RAMACHANDRAN - AGE 23 - E-RANK]
[ABILITY: NATURE MAGIC]
[PHYSICAL PROFILE: 5'4" | 33D-24-34]
[PERSONALITY: KIND, LOYAL, NURTURING, SECRETLY PASSIONATE]
[CURRENT EMOTIONAL STATE: OVERWHELMING JOY, RELIEF, LOVE]
"You're leading this place," Sarnav said, glancing at the fortified school.
"Someone had to. The teachers helped at first, but most of them didn't make it past the first week." She shrugged, a tired gesture. "I just did what needed to be done."
"You built a fortress. Organized three hundred people. Defended an entire district." Sarnav shook his head. "That's not 'just doing what needed to be done.' That's incredible."
Nisha flushed at the praise. "I had help. And honestly, I've been barely holding things together. Resources are running low, monsters keep probing our defenses, and I haven't slept properly in days."
"Then let me help." Sarnav took her hands in his. "The Harmony Sect has resources, fighters, organization. We can support each other."
"The Harmony Sect? You're a leader too?"
"It's a long story. A lot has changed since the world ended."
Nisha looked at him. Really looked at him, taking in his enhanced physique, the way he carried himself, the confidence that hadn't been there before.
"You're different," she said softly. "Stronger. More... certain."
"D-rank cultivator. Broke through to Foundation realm a few days ago."
Her eyes went wide. "D-rank? In less than a week? Sarnav, that's amazing."
"I had advantages." He squeezed her hands gently. "Can we talk? Privately? I want to hear everything that happened to you. And I want to tell you about... about what I've become."
"Yes. Of course." She glanced back at the school. "Let me hand off my duties for a bit. My office is private enough."
She led him inside, and Sarnav followed, leaving Hafiz and Rajan to wait at the gate.
There was so much to say. So much to explain. So much history between them that had never been properly addressed.
This was the beginning of something. He could feel it.
Nisha's office was a converted teacher's lounge.
A desk covered in papers, a couch that looked like it doubled as a bed, personal items scattered around in organized chaos. Signs of someone who'd been living and working in the same space for days on end.
She closed the door behind them, and suddenly the room felt very small.
"So," Nisha said, leaning against her desk. "Tell me everything."
Sarnav told her. Not everything, not the explicit details about dual cultivation and harems, but enough. The system awakening. The cultivation path. His rapid advancement. The Harmony Sect and what he was building.
She listened intently, asking questions, her sharp mind processing the implications.
"So you have a unique ability," she said when he finished. "Something that lets you grow faster than normal cultivators."
"Something like that. It's complicated."
"Most things are these days." She was quiet for a moment. "What about your family? Your parents?"
Sarnav's expression tightened. "My father died on Day Zero. He was in Bangsar when the asteroid hit."
"Oh god, Sarnav. I'm so sorry."
"It's... complicated. We weren't close. He wasn't a good man." Sarnav shook his head. "My mother survived. She's with me at the Sect, helping run things."
"Aunty Mythili is okay? That's good. She was always so kind to me."
"She asks about you sometimes. Wondered if you'd made it."
Nisha's eyes glistened. "I thought about calling, those first few days. When the phones still sort of worked. But I didn't have your number anymore, and by the time I thought to try your house..."
"The networks were gone."
"Yeah."
Silence stretched between them. Comfortable, but heavy with unspoken things.
"What about your family?" Sarnav asked gently.
The light in Nisha's eyes dimmed.
"Gone," she said quietly. "My parents were visiting my aunt in Bangsar. Same as your father."
The crater. Of course. How many people had lost loved ones to that same patch of glassed earth?
"I'm sorry, Nisha."
"Me too." She blinked back tears. "I can't fall apart, though. Too many people depending on me."
"You don't have to carry everything alone. Not anymore."
Their eyes met, and something passed between them. The same connection they'd always had, but deeper now. Sharpened by loss and survival and the knowledge of how close they'd come to never seeing each other again.
"I missed you," Nisha whispered. "These past few years, I kept thinking about you. Wondering what would have happened if we'd stayed close. If we'd ever..."
She trailed off, but Sarnav knew what she meant.
"I thought about it too," he admitted. "More than I should have."
"Really?"
"Really. I was just too stupid to do anything about it."
Nisha laughed, a small, wet sound. "We were both stupid. All that time wasted."
"We have time now. If you want."
The words hung in the air between them. An offer. A possibility.
Nisha looked at him for a long moment. Then she stepped closer, close enough that he could feel the warmth of her body.
"I want," she said softly. "I've always wanted."
Sarnav's heart was pounding. Every instinct screamed at him to kiss her, to close the distance, to finally act on feelings he'd suppressed for years.
But this wasn't a one-night stand. This wasn't casual attraction. This was Nisha. His childhood friend. The girl who'd been there for every important moment of his adolescence. If they did this, it had to mean something.
"I should tell you more about my abilities," he said, forcing himself to slow down. "About what being with me would actually mean."
"Later." Nisha reached up, her fingers brushing his cheek. "Right now, I just want to look at you. I spent so many nights wondering if you were alive or dead. Just let me... let me have this moment."
So he let her look. Let her touch his face, trace the line of his jaw, rest her palm against his chest where his heart was beating too fast.
"Your heart's racing," she observed.
"Can you blame me?"
"No." She smiled, that familiar warm smile he'd missed so much. "Mine is too."
They stood like that, close but not quite touching, neither willing to break the spell.
"Come back with me," Sarnav said finally. "To the Sect. We can merge our groups, share resources. You don't have to do this alone anymore."
"What about my people? I can't just abandon them."
"Bring them. Everyone who wants to come. We'll make room."
Nisha considered this. "It's a big decision. I need to talk to the others, make sure everyone's on board."
"Take whatever time you need. But I'm not leaving without you." He took her hands again. "I lost you once to distance and stupidity. I'm not losing you again."
Her breath caught. "Sarnav..."
"I mean it, Nisha. Whatever's between us, whatever this could become, I want to find out. Properly. No more wasted time."
Tears were streaming down her face now, but she was smiling.
"Okay," she whispered. "Okay."
She hugged him again, and this time there was no desperation in it. Just warmth. Just coming home.
Sarnav stayed at the school for the rest of the day.
He met with Nisha's leadership team, discussed logistics and integration, laid groundwork for merging the two groups. It would take time to organize properly, but the framework was in place.
More importantly, he spent time with Nisha.
They walked the school grounds together, pointing out changes since they'd last seen each other. They ate dinner in the cafeteria, surrounded by her people, catching up on years of missed conversations. They talked until their voices were hoarse, filling in the gaps that distance had created.
It wasn't romantic. Not yet. There were too many logistics to handle, too many people around, too much practical work to do. But the foundation was there. The connection, dormant for years, was waking up.
"I should head back," Sarnav said as evening approached. "My people will worry if I don't return before dark."
"I understand." Nisha walked him to the gate, their shoulders brushing with each step. "When will you come back?"
"Tomorrow. We can start the integration process."
"I'll have everyone ready." She paused at the gate, looking up at him with those warm brown eyes. "Thank you, Sarnav. For coming. For finding me."
"I'd have searched every corner of the city if I had to."
She rose on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. A soft, brief press of lips that sent electricity through his entire body.
"Tomorrow," she said.
"Tomorrow."
He walked away, resisting the urge to look back. Behind him, he could feel her watching until he turned the corner and disappeared from view.
[BOND DEVELOPMENT: NISHA RAMACHANDRAN]
[STATUS: REKINDLING]
[ROMANTIC TENSION: HIGH]
[ESTIMATED TIME TO BOND INITIATION: DEVELOPING]
[NOTE: THIS CONNECTION HAS YEARS OF EMOTIONAL FOUNDATION]
[RECOMMEND PATIENCE. THE PAYOFF WILL BE SIGNIFICANT.]
For once, Sarnav agreed with the system completely.
Some things were worth waiting for.