War God of the Apocalypse

Chapter 4: Pretty little lie.

 Will had no intention of saving Isolde, but he had not expected his first decision to leave her behind to carry consequences so quickly.

 She stood near the dining table, watching him with growing frustration, while the silence between them stretched longer than she seemed willing to tolerate. Her bag rested beside her chair, and her phone lay in her hand, its screen lighting up whenever another message arrived. She had clearly made plans for their future, and she still expected him to fall into place as he always had.

 "Will, why are you looking at me like that?" Isolde asked, her brows drawing together. "I've explained the situation several times, and you're still acting as if I'm asking for something unreasonable."

 He studied her face without answering. The woman standing before him looked exactly as he remembered, from the familiar curve of her lips to the impatient way she tapped her fingers against her phone, yet the sight stirred none of the affection he had once felt. He remembered the poison burning through his body, the weakness in his limbs, and the cold certainty that settled over him when he realized she had chosen Jason over him.

 "I'm asking you to think beyond yourself for once," Isolde continued, mistaking his silence for hesitation. "Things are getting worse, and I refuse to wait until everyone starts fighting over scraps before making arrangements."

 "I've made my arrangements," Will replied. "You should make yours."

 Her expression changed, and she stared at him as though she had misheard. "So you're abandoning me now?"

 The accusation almost made him laugh. In his previous life, he had sacrificed his security, his resources, and eventually his life to protect her, believing that her dependence on him meant she cared. He had given her every reason to expect his support, and she had repaid him by leaving him to die.

 This time, he would not make the same mistake.

 "I'm not responsible for every decision you make, Isolde," he said evenly. "You want to go to Sector B, Zone 2, so go if you believe that's where you'll survive."

 She folded her arms, but her eyes remained fixed on him. "You know people with influence there, and you understand how these things work. If we go together, we have a better chance of getting protection from an Elite faction."

 Will knew better than to believe that protection would be enough. In his previous life, Sector B had become a graveyard during the first extreme cold wave, when the temperature plunged far earlier than anyone expected. Vehicles had been trapped on the roads, shelters had frozen from the inside, and people who trusted the official forecasts had discovered too late that they had waited too long to escape.

 He had no intention of returning there.

 "Sector B isn't the only place with resources," he replied.

 "Then where are you planning to go?"

 Will hesitated briefly, noticing the way her attention sharpened at once. He could not tell her the truth about his memories, and he certainly would not give her access to the plans that might keep him alive.

 "Sector D, Zone 3."

 Isolde stared at him in disbelief. "Why would you choose that place when better opportunities are available elsewhere?"

 "Because I have my reasons."

 "Your reasons?" She gave a short laugh and stepped closer. "You expect me to believe you're choosing Sector D over Sector B without some hidden advantage?"

 Her suspicion was reasonable, but that did not make him any more willing to explain himself. He had returned with knowledge that could change his future, and he would not risk losing that advantage because Isolde demanded answers.

 "I have somewhere to go," he said. "If the situation becomes dangerous, I can meet you in Sector B later."

 The promise came easily, and he watched her shoulders relax as she accepted it. For a moment, he saw how much she wanted to believe that he would still be there when she needed him, and he understood that his words had given her exactly the reassurance she wanted.

 "You're serious about meeting me there?" she asked.

 "If circumstances allow it."

 "That's not what you said before."

 "It's the best answer I can give you."

 She studied him before finally nodding. "Fine. I'll hold you to that promise, Will, because I won't forgive you if you leave me to deal with everything alone."

 He said nothing, and the brief relief on her face disappeared.

 "You've changed," she muttered. "I don't know what happened to you, but you're not acting like the man I know."

 Will wondered whether the Herem System had anything to do with his second chance, but he had no evidence that it had altered Isolde or their relationship. Before he could consider the question further, a notification appeared in his vision.

 [Herem System: Current Points — 100.]

 [Current Ability: Spatial Storage.]

 [System Objective: Establish and develop meaningful connections.]

 [Potential Connection Identified: Isolde Bells.]

 [Connection Status: Unstable.]

 [Potential Development: Trust, deterioration, or severance.]

 Will's expression tightened as he read the final line. The system had identified Isolde as a potential connection despite everything he remembered, but it had not promised that she would become trustworthy or that preserving their relationship would benefit him.

 "You're still evaluating her?" he murmured.

 [Herem System: A potential connection is not a guarantee of compatibility, loyalty, or survival.]

 [Clarification: The host's decisions may influence the development or termination of a connection.]

 The message offered no solution, and Will had no intention of letting an unknown system decide whom he should trust. If meaningful connections required him to surrender the advantage his second life had given him, then he needed to understand the price before accepting any such arrangement.

 "Will, are you listening to me?" Isolde demanded.

 He dismissed the interface and met her gaze. "Yes."

 "Then tell me what you're hiding."

 He could have warned her that Sector B might become a death trap when the first disaster wave arrived. He could have explained that the roads would become impassable and that the cold would kill people who remained exposed for too long, but he had no intention of revealing knowledge that could compromise his plans.

 "I'm hiding nothing that would change your decision," he replied.

 Isolde's mouth tightened. "You used to tell me everything, even when you thought I wouldn't understand. You would still try to explain it to me."

 Will remembered doing exactly that, remembering how often he had defended her when others questioned her intentions. He had accepted her excuses because he wanted to believe she cared about him, and that belief had nearly cost him everything.

 "Maybe I told you too much," he said.

 She flinched before lifting her chin. "If that's how you feel, then perhaps we really should go our separate ways."

 Will did not argue. He had no interest in repairing a relationship that had ended with his death in another life, and he refused to confuse familiarity with trust simply because the woman before him had not yet committed the same betrayal in this timeline.

 Isolde picked up her bag and headed for the door. "I'm leaving. Jason is expecting me, and unlike you, he understands that we need to work together if we're going to survive."

 The name tightened Will's grip on the edge of the table. Jason had been his closest friend, the man who had shared his meals and stood beside him during battles, only to help Isolde poison him when his resources became valuable enough.

 "Then you should go to him," Will replied.

 She paused with her hand on the doorknob, apparently waiting for him to take back his words. When he remained silent, she pulled the door open and stepped into the corridor.

 "You'll regret treating me this way," she said before leaving.

 The door slammed, and Will listened to her footsteps fade without moving. He felt no urge to chase after her, only irritation that the argument had consumed time he could have spent getting closer to Sector D.

 As he gathered his belongings, another system notification appeared.

 [Herem System: Potential Connection — Isolde Bells.]

 [Connection Status: Deteriorating.]

 [Critical Warning: The host's recent deception may expose this potential connection to a foreseeable threat.]

 Will glanced at the message and dismissed it.

 "So what?" he muttered.

 The system had not been there when Jason held him down, and it had not watched Isolde stand beside him while the poison destroyed his body. Whatever value it saw in their connection, it could not erase what they had done, and Will had no intention of becoming their guardian simply because the system had identified a possibility.

 His phone vibrated as he reached the door.

 Isolde had sent him a message.

 Jason has found a way into Sector B. We're leaving now. You promised you'd meet me there, so don't make me regret trusting you.

 A photograph followed, showing Isolde in the passenger seat of Jason's vehicle. Beyond the windshield, a road sign marked the turn toward the northern expressway, a route Will remembered becoming impassable during the first extreme cold wave.

 He recognized the location immediately. In his previous life, vehicles had become trapped there when the temperature plunged without warning, leaving hundreds of people stranded without adequate shelter. Some had abandoned their cars and collapsed in the open, while others had remained inside until the cold penetrated every layer of clothing they wore.

 Isolde was heading toward the same road.

 The Herem System flashed again.

 [Herem System: Warning — A potential connection may face imminent danger.]

 [Recommendation: Reconsider the host's recent decision.]

 Will dismissed the message without a second glance. Isolde had chosen to leave with Jason, and he would not expose his plans or sacrifice his advantage to protect someone who had once helped murder him.

 His phone rang, and Isolde's name appeared on the screen. He answered, already impatient with the interruption.

 "Will, we're on the road now," she said over the noise of traffic. "Jason says the northern expressway is the fastest route, so we'll reach Sector B before the roads become too crowded."

 "Then enjoy the journey," he replied.

 A brief silence followed. "What is that supposed to mean?"

 "It means you've made your decision, Isolde. You don't need my approval."

 Her voice sharpened. "You promised we'd meet in Sector B. Are you still coming or not?"

 Will looked through his windshield at the vehicles packed along the road. His route toward Sector D was already becoming congested, and he could not afford to waste more time on a conversation that had already reached its conclusion.

 "I'll go where I planned to go," he said. "You should do the same."

 "Will, stop playing games with me. If you know something, tell me."

 He almost laughed at the demand. She wanted his knowledge, resources, and protection, yet she had never questioned whether she deserved any of them. In his previous life, he had given her everything until there was nothing left to take, and she had still decided that his death was an acceptable price.

 "I'm not playing games," he replied. "I'm simply no longer responsible for you."

 Before she could answer, he ended the call and blocked her number.

 [Herem System: Connection Status — Severance Risk Increased.]

 [Notice: The host's decision may permanently alter the development of this potential connection.]

 Will closed the interface and started his vehicle. If the system wanted meaningful connections, it would have to find him someone worth trusting. Isolde had already proven what her affection was worth, and he had no intention of learning the same lesson twice.

 Traffic crawled forward, and he followed the movement of the vehicles until a sharp scream erupted several rows ahead. A van lurched sideways and struck the car beside it, while people scrambled out of their vehicles and ran between the bumpers.

 Something had attacked them.

 Will caught sight of a distorted body moving low against the asphalt, its limbs bent at unnatural angles and its mouth opening wider than any human jaw should allow. The creature slammed into another vehicle, crushing part of its door before dragging a screaming man through the opening.

 His pulse quickened, but he forced himself to assess the creature's position and the gaps between the cars. He had survived the apocalypse once, and panic would not make him repeat the mistakes of those who had died around him.

 Then his phone vibrated with a message from an unknown number.

 The northern expressway is blocked. Something is attacking the cars. We can't turn around.

 A short video followed, showing vehicles trapped beneath a darkening sky as frost spread across their windshields. People pounded against windows and shouted for help, while a shadow moved between the cars before the recording ended with a scream and the sound of metal being crushed.

 Will recognized the road immediately.

 Isolde was trapped.

 He watched the video to the end, locked his phone, and placed it face down on the passenger seat. He could have searched for another route or tried to contact her through someone else's phone, but neither option interested him.

 He had warned no one about the apocalypse because he had no obligation to save people who had never saved him. Isolde had made her choice, Jason had made his, and whatever happened on that road would be the consequence of their decisions.

 The Herem System issued one final warning.

 [Herem System: Potential Connection — Isolde Bells.]

 [Connection Status: Critical.]

 [Survival Outcome: Increasingly Uncertain.]

 Will closed the interface.

 "Then let it be uncertain,"

he muttered, turning his attention back to the road ahead. "Her life is no longer my problem."

 He shifted the vehicle into gear and searched for a narrow opening between the stalled cars. Behind him, the screams grew louder as the creature moved closer, but he did not look back or reconsider his destination.

 .