Log: Day 94 after the Revival.Draven Ashford had one goal today: find food and stay alive.That was it. Nothing heroic. Nothing stupid.He stepped around a burned-out car then froze.Something huge walked into the street ahead of him.“Oh no… not today,” he whispered.A Gravelback Bear lumbered out from behind a broken bus. It wasn’t a normal bear anymore. The Aura had twisted it into a monster massive, nine feet tall, its fur replaced by thick black stone plates that locked together like armor.Each step made the ground tremble.Draven stared. “Yeah… definitely avoiding that.”The creature dragged its claws across the cracked road. They were long, curved, and sharp enough to cut through metal. Deep scratches followed every step.Draven slowly backed away, hardly breathing.“Food can wait,” he muttered. “Staying alive comes first.”His heart thudded so loud he was sure the bear could hear it. He slipped under a rusted school bus, pressing his body flat against the cold metal.The gro

The creatures didn’t care. They rushed the man and his family, claws scraping across broken concrete, teeth flashing. “No!” the man screamed, thrusting his hand forward without thinking. The air exploded. A shockwave burst out from him silent, invisible, but powerful enough to knock the entire swarm flat. Dust and gravel flew everywhere like a storm. Draven threw his arms over his face. “What the…?” The sound faded. The dust settled. The mutated squirrels lay scattered across the ground, broken and unmoving. The man stared at his own hand, wide-eyed and shaking. “I… I didn’t mean to…” he stammered. “I just… did I do that?” The people around him whispered the same word, voices trembling: “Awakened…” Draven swallowed hard. “Awakening,” he whispered. The word carried fear and awe. Someone normal, someone weak, suddenly gaining power. It changed everything. A survivor nearby shook her head. Her voice was low and worried. “Most people can’t handle it. They lose themselves… or

He stayed at the Serpent Mound for a full week, doing nothing but training and absorbing Aura. With Aura Sight active, the world around him glowed in smooth streams of color, like a moving painting. “This… this is incredible,” he whispered. The mound pulsed with strong green and brown energy. He could see the small, flickering auras of tiny animals and the bright, dangerous cores of the larger beasts hiding deeper in the woods. “No more guessing,” he said with a grin. “I can see it all now.” One morning, while meditating at the base of the serpent’s stone head, something new appeared in his mind. [New Mission: The Unbroken Gate] Objective: Travel to Columbus, Ohio, and sneak into the territory controlled by the ‘Unbroken’ Faction. Sub-Objective: Reach Marrow Refining Level 1. Reward: Unlock System Map + 200 Aura Points. Warning: The faction is highly organized. Your current cultivation is only Militia-Grade. Proceed carefully. Draven’s lips curled into a slow, excited smile.

Draven met Corbin’s eyes, calm and steady. The new System messages glimmered faintly in his mind, each one sharp and clear. “You think you’re safe behind these walls,” he said quietly, almost to himself. “But you have no idea what’s growing right under your noses.” He brushed the dust off his clothes, straightened his back, and let a small, controlled smile form. “My name’s Draven,” he said. “Just a scout… for now.” From the perimeter, Hendricks lowered his binoculars. His face was pale, almost ghostly. He looked over at Lena, who could only shake her head in stunned silence. “You crazy son of a gun,” Hendricks breathed, a reluctant grin spreading across his face. “You actually did it.” The warehouse around them was anything but celebratory. The roof had collapsed in places, piles of rubble littered the floor, and water dripped somewhere in the shadows. The soft crackle of fading earth-Aura added an eerie soundtrack to the scene. Draven stood in the middle of the debris,

The maintenance tunnel suddenly felt smaller, tighter, like the walls were closing in. The air had turned cold, damp, and heavy, carrying the faint metallic scent of rust and electricity. Shadows stretched long and moved strangely, flickering in the weak, dying lights above. Draven kept his hand on the hilt of his knife, eyes fixed on two glowing pinpoints in the darkness. The broker swallowed, his face pale. “Th...that… that’s not one of my men,” he stammered, voice shaking. “No kidding,” Draven muttered, his gaze never leaving the shadows. A low growl rolled through the tunnel, wet, rough, and hungry. The creature stepped forward, and its body came into view. Long, spindly limbs that seemed to bend in impossible ways. Skin black as ink, shining faintly under the flickering lights. Its face was stretched too wide, teeth sharp and dripping with thick saliva. A Shadow Stalker. Draven’s voice dropped. “In the Citadel? Inside the walls? How?” The broker shook his head violently,