2025-10-26 21:00:20
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11. The Price of Survival
“What is this?” Kael muttered. “Some kind of… system message?” Glowing words floated in front of his eyes. They didn’t fade like the faces of the people he’d lost. That night, Kael lay on the rooftop beside a small fire, keeping him warm from the cold wind. Thessa had made it clear to him that he wasn’t leaving until he shattered the rock. Only then would she consider him worthy to be her student. He sighed deeply, staring at the stone resting a few feet away. Kael had thought about cheating, maybe breaking the rock with something hard and pretending he did it himself. It would be easy, and none would be the wiser. But the thought made his stomach turn. If he lied now, that would mean betraying his own promise of attaining strength. And ultimately, dying again, only this one he might not come back from. Rubbing his aching forehead, Kael turned his attention back to the glowing text. The more he stared, the more his curiosity grew. “This still doesn’t make sense,” he murm
10. Anima
The next morning, Kael followed Madam Kaname up to the rooftop. He carried a small metal plate of food in one hand, eating as he walked behind her. The food wasn’t much. Just cold rice and something that might have been fish, but he ate it like it was a feast. “We lost water pressure about three weeks ago,” Kaname said, pushing open the rooftop door. “For a while, I thought we’d be fine living off the water left in the tanks. But it vanished so fast you wouldn’t believe.” The door opened with a loud creak. The rooftop was covered with buckets and containers of all shapes and sizes, each filled with rainwater from the night before. Kaname sighed, brushing back a few loose strands of hair. “This is what we’ve come to. You drink it, it evaporates. You store it, and it goes bad. It’s like we’re trapped in some cruel version of the water cycle.” She crouched to scoop some dirt out of one of the buckets. Kael pointed to some plastic sheets stacked in the corner. “What about those?
09. Tea, Blood, and Shotguns
Kael froze. He didn't even move an inch. He just raised his hands like someone trying not to spook a dog that might bite. What was that saying again? Out of the frying pan and into the fire, he thought bitterly. Yeah, that sounds about right. His heart pounded so loud he could almost hear it echo in the room. From running through monster-infested streets… to nearly getting blown away by a woman four times his age. Not the kind of ending he’d imagined. “Don’t move,” the old lady warned. “Else you’ll end up painting my floor red.” Then, to his surprise, she lowered the gun. “Now that's better,” she said, her tone softening. “I’m Madam Kaname, but you can just call me Kaname.” She extended her hand as if she hadn’t just threatened to shoot him. Kael lowered his trembling arms slowly. “Kael,” he said, cautiously taking her hand. “Kael.” Kaname nodded approvingly. “Good name.” That caught him off guard. He blinked, unsure what to say. “Uh… sure, I guess,” he muttered.
08. Flat 204
Kael ran as fast as he could through the rain. His shoes splashed through puddles, and his heart pounded so hard it hurt. Behind him, the creatures screeched, getting closer. He turned sharply into a narrow alley. The smell of trash and wet metal filled the air. Kael crouched behind a broken trash bin, trying to stay quiet. One of the creatures stopped at the alley entrance. Its head twitched from side to side, like it was sniffing for him. It looked like it suspected it's prey was near. ’Think, Kael. Think.’ His eyes landed on a crushed soda can in the mud. He grabbed it, hesitated, then tossed it down the opposite end of the alley. The can clattered loudly. The creature’s head turned toward the noise. Then, with a shriek, it lunged that way. Kael didn't waste the opportunity. He ran in the opposite direction as fast as he could, splashing through puddles. He ran between parked cars, moving low and using every bit of cover he could find. A sharp growl behind
07. For the Wish
Rain fell cold and heavy on Kael’s body. He felt it first as drops on his face, then the chill that ran through him.Groaning, he opened his eyes. The world was blurry at first. Then, he saw the ruined shop in the distance but to his surprise, it was getting smaller and farther away with each passing second.He blinked, confused. ‘Why am I moving?’When his vision cleared, he realized the truth. He was slung over someone’s shoulder.Kael twisted weakly, glancing down. He was being carried—by Tucker, of all people.With a burst of panic, Kael threw himself off his shoulder and hit the muddy ground below. Rain splashed around him as he scrambled up, coughing.Tucker only glanced back. He didn’t say a word. He just kept walking forward through the rain, carrying Selena limp in one arm.Kael’s heart pounded. “Tucker!” he yelled, but the man gave no answer.Then he heard those awful, familiar screams. Shadows began to emerge from the darkness one after the other and before he knew it, doze
06. Trust No One
The monster struck, sending Kael and itself tumbling off the rooftop. Kael managed to grab the ledge in time, the sudden jerk nearly dislocating his shoulder. He hung on for dear life as rain poured around him.Rain fell heavily, soaking the metal beneath Kael’s hand. His grip slipped for a moment, then tightened again as the monster below grabbed his ankles and yanked him down.“Let go of me!” Kael yelled, his voice cracking with panic.The creature’s claws sank deeper, tearing into his skin. Kael yelled in pain and kicked wildly with his free leg until a final hard strike knocked the monster away.It fell, crashing to the ground below with a horrible thud.Gasping for breath, Kael hauled himself up over the ledge and collapsed onto the rooftop. He lay there for a long moment, catching his breath and trying to calm the pounding in his chest.“Still alive…” he muttered between ragged breaths, almost in disbelief.Suddenly, glowing words appeared again in front of him.【 Countdown Init
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