- 9 hours ago
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Short filmTranscript
00:26On the first day of school,
00:28the teachers handed out magical animals based on grades.
00:31Valedictorian and class president Victoria didn't even hesitate.
00:34She walked straight up and grabbed the SSS tier white fox.
00:37I was dead last in the class rankings.
00:40I got assigned a single F tier brown bear.
00:43Then the ice apocalypse hit.
00:44Because I'd bonded with the brown bear,
00:46I shared its innate ability, cold resistance.
00:49Victoria's white fox never had the chance to grow.
00:51On day one of the apocalypse, it froze to death.
00:53That wasn't the worst part.
00:55Fueled by jealousy, Victoria rallied the others and jumped me.
00:58They killed my bear.
00:59Then they roasted steaks right in front of me while they ate.
01:02I was so overwhelmed with grief and died.
01:05When I opened my eyes again, I was back.
01:07Back to the day they handed out magical animals.
01:09As the dead last student of the werewolf academy,
01:12I was always picked last.
01:13And sure enough, the only magical animal left was the brown bear.
01:16I was reaching for it when Victoria suddenly shouted from across the room.
01:20Wait!
01:21She sprinted over, clutching a small white fox kit,
01:24and shoved it into my arms without a word.
01:26Then she picked up the brown bear from its crate.
01:28You take the white fox.
01:30I want the brown bear.
01:32The entire classroom went silent.
01:34Even Mr. Harris, our homeroom teacher, frowned.
01:37Everyone knew the white fox had the purest bloodline of any familiar in this batch.
01:41Its ancient lineage concentration was 80%.
01:43The brown bear's was barely 20, and it was considered a low-tier species.
01:47Mr. Harris leaned forward.
01:49Victoria, choosing your bonded animal isn't something to joke about.
01:53This determines your ceiling for the rest of your life.
01:57Sir, Riley needs this white fox more than I do.
02:00My grades are strong.
02:02I can train fast no matter what magical animal I bond with.
02:05But Riley's talent for cultivation is average.
02:09If she's also stuck with a low-blood-blood brown bear, her future is basically over.
02:16The class erupted in applause.
02:18Mr. Harris nodded approvingly.
02:20You are kind.
02:21A pure and selfless heart will carry you further than any familiar ever could.
02:27Then he turned to me and frowned.
02:30Why are you just standing there? Thank Victoria.
02:33I blinked.
02:34I held the white fox kit out toward her.
02:36It's fine.
02:37You don't have to swap.
02:39I actually kind of like the bear.
02:40Victoria pulled the brown bear closer to her chest.
02:43She looked at me the way someone looks when they've been wronged.
02:47You don't have to test me.
02:49I genuinely want to trade.
02:52I'm serious.
02:54Keep it.
02:55Before I could finish, something sharp bit down on the web of my right hand.
03:00I looked down.
03:02The white fox kit had bitten me.
03:05Then the fox pressed its tiny tongue against my skin and licked it clean.
03:09The fox had initiated a blood pact with me.
03:12So Riley wasn't being noble after all.
03:15She said she didn't want the white fox, but she went and blood pasted it the second she got the
03:18chance.
03:19She was just scared Victoria would take it back.
03:21Never seen someone play both sides that hard before.
03:23After the blood pact locked in, the white fox went drowsy and fell asleep in my arms.
03:28I sat there, listening to the whispers and feeling my face go red.
03:32They didn't know the truth.
03:33I genuinely did not want this fox.
03:36Because I knew something none of them did.
03:39In two weeks, this beautiful high bloodline white fox was going to be completely useless.
03:45Well, almost none of them knew.
03:47Victoria knew too.
03:48The moment she gave up the white fox and fought me for the brown bear, I understood.
03:53She'd been reborn, just like me.
03:55I stared at the bear tucked against Victoria's chest.
03:58I'd been so close to it in my past life.
04:00We'd trusted each other completely.
04:03Now, Victoria had taken it.
04:04I could deal with losing the cold resistance.
04:06What I couldn't stand was thinking about whether the bear would be fed properly.
04:10Whether it would be treated well.
04:12I was staring at it when the bear slowly turned its head and met my eyes.
04:16Then it blinked.
04:17Once.
04:18Twice.
04:19Not once.
04:21Not three times.
04:22Twice.
04:23My chest lit up.
04:25Two blinks was a signal.
04:26A code we'd created together in our past life.
04:29The bear was using it now to tell me…
04:31It remembered.
04:32It had been reborn too.
04:34I was still exchanging glances with the bear when something warm and soft wrapped around
04:39my fingertip.
04:39I looked down.
04:41My white fox had woken up.
04:42I'm not useless.
04:44The voice was haughty.
04:46Also undeniably baby soft.
04:48And stop staring at that chunky little lowlife.
04:51I poked the fox gently.
04:52Are you talking?
04:54The white fox gave an imperious little sniff and rolled over in my arms.
04:58I thought about what to call it.
05:00White fox felt too generic.
05:02Little fox felt too soft.
05:03I was going to call it…
05:05Your Highness.
05:06My name is Leo.
05:08It announced.
05:09You can call me your highnesses if you want.
05:11I flicked its forehead.
05:13Who taught you to be this dramatic?
05:15Up front, Mr. Harris was explaining how to draw binding circles on the board.
05:20Most bonds were initiated by humans, since magical animals were naturally proud creatures.
05:26Young kits were gentler than adults, but it was still extremely rare for a familiar to
05:31seek out a bond on its own.
05:33Everyone began attempting their bonds.
05:35Everyone except me, since I'd already been forcibly claimed by a fox.
05:40Leo, I said quietly.
05:42Why did you bond with me?
05:44I didn't like that other girl.
05:47She smells.
05:48Smells?
05:49I kept my voice low.
05:51Victoria is literally the most popular girl in school.
05:55Half the guys here would say she smells amazing.
05:58Those guys are blind.
06:00Leo said flatly.
06:02Achoo!
06:03They can't see the rod underneath.
06:05And me?
06:07Leo buried its nose in my sleeve.
06:09Its voice came out slightly strangled.
06:12You're fine.
06:13You're kind of sweet.
06:15I started scratching under Leo's chin while the class droned on.
06:19White fox fur had a reputation, and it delivered.
06:23Impossibly soft, dense like a cloud.
06:26I scratched its ears, squeezed its belly, and eventually couldn't help reaching for its tail.
06:32They say you should never touch a fox's tail.
06:36But Leo was basically a kid, so the usual rules didn't apply.
06:40The moment my hand settled on the tail, Leo went completely rigid.
06:45Through the white fur, I could see its skin flush faintly pink.
06:49Stop it!
06:50What is wrong with you?
06:51It sounded exactly like someone who'd just been caught off guard, and was deeply, mortifyingly
06:57flustered.
06:58I pulled my hand back, keeping my expression neutral.
07:01Calm down.
07:03You've got a very active imagination.
07:05Leo's eyes welled up immediately.
07:07It snapped its head away and refused to look at me.
07:10Across the room, Victoria successfully completed her binding circle.
07:14A flash of pleasure crossed her face.
07:17She directed it toward the bear.
07:19The circle activated, spinning fast around the bear.
07:22Inside the light, the bear quietly reached out and made two small adjustments to the formation.
07:27The standard equal bond shifted, without a sound, into a master-servant bond.
07:33The bear was the master.
07:35Victoria was the servant.
07:37It was a technique we'd discovered together in a ruin, years ago in another life.
07:42The bear was now using it to put a leash on Victoria.
07:46The bear caught my eye across the room.
07:48Satisfied.
07:49Proud of itself.
07:51Under the table, I gave it a thumbs up.
07:54You are so manipulative!
07:56Leo muttered into my ribs.
07:58I was pinching its soft, borderline boneless little cheek.
08:02Me?
08:03How?
08:04You touched my tail, and then stared at that chunky lowlife for five whole minutes.
08:10You were making eyes at it.
08:12Leo's voice was escalating toward genuine grievance.
08:15I added another item to my mental description of it.
08:18Prone to completely unhinged jealousy.
08:22After class ended, Mr. Harris handed out cultivation supplies.
08:26One week's worth per student.
08:28I kept a single mana crystal for myself.
08:31I fed everything else to Leo.
08:33Nineteen crystals.
08:35Leo crunched through them like chips.
08:38We hadn't even left the classroom.
08:40The class watched in disbelief.
08:42Is she serious?
08:43That's a week's worth of cultivation resources?
08:46And she just fed all of it to the fox?
08:48Did she even listen in class?
08:49Magic animals have slow growth cycles.
08:51You're not supposed to rush them.
08:52The mana crystals are supposed to be for her own cultivation.
08:55The white fox bonded with her for nothing.
08:58Some students should note, mana crystal applications are limited.
09:03The school won't give you more if you waste them.
09:06He was clearly talking about me.
09:08I smiled pleasantly.
09:09Understood, sir.
09:10Honestly, in my past life, I'd always been generous with the bear.
09:14Most students kept a 4 to 1 ratio for themselves.
09:17I split everything 50-50.
09:19Equals deserved equal shares.
09:21But this?
09:22Nineteen for Leo.
09:23One for me.
09:24This was something else entirely.
09:27It wasn't generosity.
09:28It was self-preservation.
09:30Because Leo and I had a blood pact.
09:32A standard equal bond meant one partner's death didn't affect the other.
09:35A blood pact was different.
09:37If Leo froze to death on day one of the apocalypse, the same way the white fox died in my
09:41past life, I died too.
09:43Leo's survival wasn't kindness.
09:45It was my only chance to live.
09:47The mana crystals were an investment in not dying.
09:50After class, students scattered to train on their own.
09:53I carried Leo toward the exit, and Victoria stepped half in front of me.
09:57I know you've been reborn too, she said.
10:00This time, the cold resistance belongs to me.
10:03Then I hope you enjoy it.
10:06You and your useless little fox can look forward to freezing on day one.
10:09I gave you a chance to be useful to me.
10:12You threw it away.
10:13Leo peeled open one eye from inside my arms, completely unimpressed.
10:20Victoria's composure shattered instantly.
10:22She stumbled backward.
10:26What is wrong with you?
10:28Get that disgusting thing away from me!
10:30I turned and walked away, barely holding in a laugh.
10:33The mana crystal problem was serious, though.
10:35I needed a massive supply, and I needed it fast.
10:38I was thinking about it, absently pulling at Leo's fur, when I remembered.
10:42Before the ice apocalypse hit in my past life, a news outlet had exposed a small mana vein.
10:48Based on timing, nobody should have found it yet.
10:52When I reached the rough coordinates I'd memorized, Victoria was already there.
10:59She'd brought twenty-plus workers, and they were already mining the vein.
11:03I stood at the outer edge and watched them haul out crystal after crystal.
11:08Leo pressed its nose to the window.
11:11I covered Leo's eyes.
11:12Low quality crystals here.
11:14Let's go find something better.
11:16Then, from somewhere inside my head, a voice crackled to life.
11:20I stopped walking.
11:22Sis, is that you?
11:24You can do telepathy now.
11:26Victoria spent serious resources on me.
11:29I can project thoughts directly.
11:32Sis, take Leo and find somewhere to rest.
11:35Once they're done mining and clear out, I'll call you back.
11:39I finished the mental exchange and came back to the present moment.
11:42A very large, very imperious fox face was approximately two inches from my nose.
11:48Leo had both front paws planted on my shoulders.
11:53What were you doing just now?
11:55You were mentally cheating on me.
11:57I grabbed it by the scruff and I squeezed one soft cheek by way of reprimand.
12:02Leo, watch your voculary.
12:04I'm not wrong.
12:06I can smell the bear on your thorns.
12:08Was that the chunky low knife?
12:10I raised an eyebrow.
12:11Sharp nose.
12:12For your information, Leo continued voice climbing.
12:15When a white fox makes a blood pact with someone, that person is their bonded maid.
12:19For life.
12:20You can't have secret meetings with a brown bear.
12:24Yeah, you're a child.
12:26Do you even know what to partner means?
12:28Leo's eyes immediately filled with tears that refused to actually fall.
12:31It waved its tiny paws in what appeared to be an angry, thrashing, swimming motion.
12:35I leaned forward and stuck my tongue out at it.
12:38A small, damp nose pressed against my cheek.
12:41Before I could react, the culprit had already retreated.
12:44Voice very small.
12:46I kissed you.
12:47That means you're mine now.
12:49Nobody else is allowed to kiss you there.
12:51Leo had just made a move on me.
12:52A very small, very smug, very baby-toothed move.
12:56I pulled myself together and went to find somewhere to wait.
12:59I reclined in the car with the air conditioning running, watching a nature documentary on the
13:03center screen.
13:04The documentary put me to sleep almost immediately.
13:08When I woke up, it was dark.
13:12Right on cue, the bear's voice appeared in my head.
13:15Sis, come now.
13:17They're gone.
13:18Leo was staring up at me, suspicious and accusatory.
13:22My conscience flickered.
13:23This was exactly the energy of someone who'd just been caught.
13:27We were just talking.
13:28I'm not listening.
13:29I'm not talking to you for the rest of the day.
13:32Just as the bear had said, the area was empty.
13:35All that remained was a concealment formation to hide the vein's location.
13:39The bear deactivated it from inside and poked its head out.
13:43Sis, over here.
13:44It had grown enough to speak clearly enough.
13:47The white fox in my arms took one look at the bear and immediately bared its teeth.
13:51Leo's going through a phase.
13:54The bear took the lead.
13:55That thing is a fake, nice snake in the grass.
13:58Get your hand off me.
14:00I'm going to bite it.
14:01I am biting it today.
14:03Riley, don't hold me back.
14:05It went on like that for a while.
14:07I didn't address it.
14:08I looked at the bear.
14:10Its aura drifted quietly around it, steady and calm.
14:14I released Leo and let it jump to the ground.
14:16Leo hit the dirt, spun around and stared at me.
14:20Its expression said it had not expected me to actually let go.
14:23It shuffled forward at approximately the speed of a very indignant caterpillar.
14:28Every few steps, it looked back at me.
14:30On its fourth look back, it hesitated.
14:33You're not stopping me?
14:34What if your little buddy gets actually hurt?
14:38I glanced at the bear's aura.
14:41After absorbing a solid hall of mana crystals, it was running at easily 50 times Leo's current output.
14:47Whether Leo would be the one doing the hurting was very much an over question.
14:52It's fine.
14:53Show me what you've got.
14:55If you win, you'll have my full and undivided attention forever.
15:00Leo glanced at the bear, felt the weight of that aura, thought about it very carefully.
15:06Slowly, reluctantly, it walked back and sat down next to my feet.
15:10Fine.
15:11You showed good remorse this time.
15:13I'll let the secret meeting go.
15:16But don't let it happen again.
15:17Inside the vein, the bear had divided the crystal stockpile into three piles.
15:22One very small pile for itself, a medium small pile, and a pile roughly the size of a small hill.
15:30Leo's eyes went green, literally luminous.
15:33This is all I need, sis.
15:35A voice in my head.
15:36Okay, that chunky thing is definitely not in two.
15:40Sis, this one's for your cultivation.
15:43And that one's for my little sibling.
15:45The bear pointed to the medium pile and the mountain.
15:47Riley, it does not have feelings for you.
15:50I have been worried for nothing.
15:52Run everything through the romance filter, don't you?
15:55I do not.
15:56I flicked Leo on the forehead.
15:58I said simply,
15:59Mana crystals.
16:00Leo went quiet and well-behaved immediately.
16:03If we take all of this, won't Victoria figure out it was you?
16:08She does everything I say right now.
16:11Full compliance.
16:13Victoria stared at the hollowed out vein with all the color drained from her face.
16:17You used all of it?
16:19You used every single crystal?
16:21The bear sat on its haunches, eyes wide and guileless.
16:24Under the rules of its master-servant bond, it only had to give basic responses.
16:29The truth was not required.
16:30I don't know.
16:31I was asleep all night.
16:32Maybe the vein just ran dry on its own?
16:35Victoria shook with rage.
16:37She brought her entire crew back and tore the cave apart.
16:40Not a single crystal shard remained.
16:43She stared at the bear for a long time.
16:45Something felt wrong.
16:46She could tell.
16:47But the bond formation read completely normal.
16:50The bear's cultivation aura showed no irregularity.
16:53She had no choice but to swallow it.
16:54Useless, she snapped.
16:56I just left you for a moment and you couldn't even hold off a bunch of stones.
17:01The bear let its ears droop.
17:02Internally, it was ecstatic.
17:04It sent a message to me.
17:06Sis, she tried to hit me just now.
17:08The bonds punished her for it.
17:10Hidden in the brush nearby, I pressed my face into Leo's fur to muffle my laughter.
17:16Good.
17:16She tried to steal from us.
17:18The traitor earned it.
17:19I tugged one of its ears.
17:20Don't call the bear that.
17:21It's our teammate.
17:23It looked away.
17:24But its tail quietly curled around my wrist.
17:27Warm and soft and completely involuntary.
17:30Once Victoria and her crew were gone, we slipped into the cave.
17:33The bear had already bundled the crystal stockpile with vines.
17:37Multiple bundles.
17:38Organized and ready.
17:39Sis, these should keep the little one fed for a while.
17:43Leo's eyes locked on the pile and did not move.
17:46And started crunching.
17:47The sound echoed through the cave like someone eating gravel.
17:50We loaded the crystals into the car.
17:52They filled most of the trunk.
17:54The bear couldn't come with us.
17:55It had to stay and keep up the performance.
17:57Before we left, it said,
17:58Sis, the apocalypse is ten days out.
18:00Stock up on supplies.
18:02Be careful.
18:03Don't let her spot the cracks in your act.
18:07The bear grinned in its easy, unbothered way.
18:10She does whatever I tell her.
18:11We're fine.
18:12We drove back.
18:13Leo sat in the passenger seat with a crystal in both paws.
18:16Crunching contentedly.
18:18Like a squirrel that had found an entire winter's worth of food in one afternoon.
18:24Watching it, I thought about the bear in my past life.
18:27Always saving the best of everything for me.
18:30The shape of that care was different now.
18:32But the feeling was the same.
18:34Back in the city, I skipped my apartment and went straight to the largest supermarket.
18:38I loaded two carts with everything useful.
18:41Compressed ration bars, canned goods, bottled water, instant food.
18:48Leo rode in the cart, pointing.
18:50More of those chocolate ones.
18:51And the meat jerky.
18:53The spiced kind.
18:54I loaded both.
18:55The store staff watched me with visible unease.
18:58I didn't slow down.
18:58In ten days, none of this would matter to them anyway.
19:01Beyond food and water, I grabbed thermal underlayers.
19:05Sleeping bags.
19:06Flashlights.
19:07Batteries.
19:07Lighters.
19:08A few sharp kitchen knives.
19:09A hand axe.
19:10Anything with practical value in sustained sub-zero conditions.
19:14Two full carts.
19:15I drove home to my apartment and spent an hour hauling everything upstairs.
19:19The living room.
19:19The bedroom.
19:20The balcony.
19:21All of it stacked floor to ceiling.
19:23Leo sprawled across a pile of chocolate bars.
19:25Its tail swayed slowly.
19:27I collapsed onto the couch, completely winded.
19:32Not bad.
19:33You actually know how to shop.
19:37These are retinif only.
19:39Our survival supplies.
19:40The next several days, I took Leo to different locations every day and kept stocking up.
19:45The pharmacy.
19:46Cold medicine.
19:47Fever reducers.
19:48Antibiotics.
19:49Bandages.
19:50Antiseptic.
19:51The outdoor supply store.
19:52A tent.
19:53Climbing rope.
19:54Anti-slip boots.
19:55A hardware store for gas canisters and basic tools.
19:59My apartment ran out of space.
20:01I rented the unit next door and the one upstairs.
20:04Both became storage.
20:05Victoria texted a few times, cheerful and fake, asking how I was doing.
20:10Casually mentioning that her brown bear had broken through to tier 2.
20:14I sent her three word replies.
20:16I already knew.
20:18Everything the bear showed her was deliberate.
20:21Every breakthrough was calculated theater, designed to keep her compliant.
20:26Leo's growth was outpacing everything I'd projected.
20:29It ate crystals, slept, and woke up noticeably larger each time.
20:33It had started out the size of a kitten.
20:36Now it was halfway to the size of a medium dog.
20:39Its fur had deepened to a white so pure it was almost blinding.
20:43And its eyes had shifted from pale to a vivid, saturated crimson.
20:48The kind of beauty that made it hard to look away.
20:51Its cultivation aura was also deepening fast.
20:54Something close to tier 3 was stirring at the edges.
20:57I was combing through Leo's fur when it went still.
21:01Something's happening.
21:04In my bloodline, there's pressure building.
21:08My pulse jumped.
21:09The white fox in my past life had never awakened any ability at all.
21:14It died before it had the chance.
21:16Was this what happened when you gave a white fox proper resources and a blood pact?
21:21An early awakening?
21:22Don't force it.
21:24I said quietly.
21:25Let it come on its own.
21:27Leo closed its eyes.
21:29A soft white light kindled across its fur.
21:32The mana crystals around it began losing their glow.
21:35All that energy pouring steadily into Leo's body.
21:38A small spiral of concentrated mana formed around it, rotating slowly.
21:44Its fur stood up along its spine.
21:46Its tail filled out further.
21:48The individual hairs catching the light like fiber optic threads.
21:51An hour passed.
21:53The light faded.
21:55Leo opened its eyes and there was something new in them.
21:59I awakened.
22:00What did you get?
22:01Leo tilted its chin up, tail flicking with casual superiority.
22:05A small, perfectly formed spike of ice materialized from empty air and dropped to the floor with a clean, crystalline
22:14tap.
22:14Ice manipulation and void storage.
22:17I stared.
22:19Ice manipulation.
22:20In an ice apocalypse, an ice affinity ability wasn't just useful.
22:25It was like being native to the environment everyone else was trying to survive.
22:29And void storage.
22:31One of the rarest abilities in existence.
22:34In my past life, people with spatial abilities could name their price at any base.
22:40Every faction wanted them.
22:42Leo, I said and pulled it into a hug.
22:45I kissed the top of its head without thinking.
22:48Leo's ears went crimson.
22:49Its entire body locked up for half a second.
22:52Then it twisted away, deeply offended.
22:55Stop.
22:56Doing.
22:57That.
22:58Its tail, however, had already wrapped around my wrist again.
23:02The same involuntary habit.
23:04I smiled and squeezed its cheek.
23:06My little highness is absolutely terrifying.
23:10We're going to be fine out there.
23:12Leo made a dismissive sound and climbed back into my lap to resume eating crystals.
23:17Three days out from the apocalypse, the temperature had already started dropping.
23:22Daytime lows were hitting negative 15.
23:25People on the street moved fast, buried in their puffer coats.
23:29News coverage was starting to pick up on the anomalous cold snaps.
23:33Experts offered competing theories.
23:36Extreme weather pattern.
23:37Greenhouse rebound effect.
23:39Nobody said what was actually happening.
23:42Nobody saw what was coming.
23:44Victoria called.
23:46She sounded casual and then deliberately didn't.
23:49Riley, my bear just hit tier 3 peak.
23:52Almost to tier 4.
23:53I'll be able to take care of myself once things get rough.
23:57A pause pointed.
23:58How about you?
23:59Has your little fox even hit tier 1 yet?
24:03It's fine.
24:04Tier 3, roughly.
24:07Silence on the other end.
24:08Then a short, dismissive laugh.
24:11Riley, you don't have to make things up.
24:13White fox maturation timelines are long.
24:16There's no world where it's already tier 3.
24:19Another pause.
24:20Look, if things get too hard, you can come to me.
24:23You can work for me.
24:25I'll keep you alive.
24:26I hung up.
24:28Leo was lying next to me, expression flat.
24:31She thinks tier 3 peak is impressive.
24:34It said.
24:35When I hit tier 4, I could end her or it won't be.
24:38I scratched behind its ear.
24:40Don't get careless.
24:42Victoria is reckless, but her family has real reach.
24:45When the apocalypse hits, she'll have numbers.
24:48We play it smart.
24:49Leo pressed its nose down onto its paws, still eating crystals.
24:53Those last 3 days, I didn't go out.
24:56I stayed home with Leo, and we trained together.
24:58Leo had already gotten a solid handle on his void storage.
25:01The space inside wasn't enormous, roughly the size of a basketball court, but more than sufficient for supplies.
25:08We loaded the majority of what I'd stockpiled into the board.
25:12My own cultivation was moving faster than I'd expected.
25:15The blood pack shared mana flow between us, and with the crystals on top of that, I'd pushed to tier
25:202 mid-level.
25:21Not close to Leo or the bear, but solidly mid-range for a human practitioner.
25:26The night before the apocalypse, the temperature had already dropped to negative 30.
25:31Outside, the snow came in heavy, diagonal sheets, and the wind sounded like something screaming.
25:37I stood at the window and looked at the city disappearing under white.
25:40In my past life, I had been so afraid, so completely alone.
25:45This time, I had the bear.
25:47And I had Leo.
25:49That was enough.
25:50Leo came and pressed against my leg.
25:52Its head reached my hip now.
25:54Stop stressing.
25:55It said.
25:56I'm here.
25:58Nobody touches you.
25:59I crouched down and pulled it close.
26:01I know.
26:02We're going to make it.
26:03The bear checked in through telepathy.
26:05Sis, Victoria and her people have retreated to her family's underground facility.
26:10Good supplies.
26:11Good infrastructure.
26:12I've already made some adjustments now.
26:14We'll figure out what that means once the apocalypse hits.
26:18Good work.
26:19Stay safe.
26:20I didn't sleep.
26:22When morning came, the world outside had ended.
26:24Negative 50 degrees.
26:26The window panes had cracked from the cold.
26:28Ice flowers blooming across the glass.
26:30Outside, cars had frozen into sculptures.
26:33People who had been caught in the streets were down and still.
26:36The power grid was gone.
26:37Communication networks were gone.
26:39The city was silent.
26:40The ice apocalypse had arrived.
26:42I layered on everything I had,
26:44pulled on my hat and gloves,
26:45held Leo against my chest,
26:47and walked out of the apartment.
26:48The wind hit my face like something solid.
26:51A burning cold that cut through even the layers.
26:53But Leo and I both had cultivation auras as a buffer.
26:56Leo's ice manipulation shaved off another layer of the cold on top of that.
27:00We could bear it.
27:01The streets were a wreck.
27:03Abandoned vehicles everywhere.
27:04Frozen bodies half buried in the drifts.
27:06Mutant beasts prowled the snow between the cars,
27:09eyes sharp and predatory,
27:11tracking us as we passed.
27:13The apocalypse had done something to the wildlife.
27:15The extreme cold triggered genetic shifts,
27:17and what came out the other side was faster, meaner,
27:21and far more adapted to the temperature than anything that had existed before.
27:25Leo dropped out of my arms.
27:26Its body expanded in one smooth motion, doubling in size.
27:30The white fur settled, dense and wind resistant.
27:33Its eyes locked onto the nearest creature
27:35with the calm of something that had already decided the outcome.
27:38You're looking at my person.
27:40Bad call.
27:41Its tail swept sideways.
27:43Six ice spikes launched simultaneously.
27:46They punched through the throats of the closest mutants
27:48before any of them could react.
27:50The bodies dropped and were still.
27:51Completely ridiculous, completely dramatic, completely reliable.
27:55We moved toward the city center.
27:56That was where the survivor base was.
27:58In my past life, the government had organized several large-scale shelters
28:02in the weeks after the apocalypse hit.
28:04The central base was the biggest and the safest.
28:07Two hours on foot.
28:08Then the base appeared through the blizzard.
28:10A ring of steel walls rising over ten meters.
28:14Soldiers posted on the upper walkways with rifles, scanning the perimeter.
28:18A crowd of survivors was already queued at the gate.
28:21We joined the line.
28:22The couple ahead of us had a baby pressed to the woman's chest.
28:25The baby was crying.
28:27The woman's face was hollow.
28:29The man looked like he hadn't slept in days.
28:31The woman said to the soldier at the checkpoint.
28:33She hasn't eaten in three days.
28:35The soldier's expression didn't move.
28:37Entry requires a resource payment.
28:40Ten pounds of food, five bottles of water, or one warm garment.
28:44No exceptions.
28:45The man's voice cracked.
28:47Everything we had was taken by a mutant pack.
28:50We have nothing left.
28:53Please.
28:54Policy is policy.
28:56The woman started crying.
28:57The baby cried loud.
28:59I'd been there before.
29:00I knew what it felt like when every door was shut and there was nothing left to bargain with.
29:05I reached into my pack and pulled out two cans and a water bottle.
29:09I held them out to the couple.
29:11Use these for your entry fee.
29:13They turned around.
29:14The woman looked at me.
29:16You're a good person.
29:17You're a good-
29:18I smiled and didn't say anything.
29:20Leo made an irritated noise beside me.
29:22You're going to keep doing this, aren't you?
29:25Helping complete strangers.
29:27We might need a stranger's help someday too.
29:30Leo said nothing more.
29:31But it didn't argue.
29:33When we reached the checkpoint, the soldier looked at Leo and went wary.
29:37Handed over five pounds of rations.
29:40Is that enough?
29:41The soldier checked it.
29:43Nodded.
29:43You can go in.
29:44We were almost through the gate when a familiar voice called from behind us.
29:49Riley!
29:50I turned.
29:51Victoria was pushing through the crowd, surrounded by a cluster of people.
29:55With the brown bear walking calmly at her side.
29:57She was wearing an expensive puffer coat, her face perfectly composed and confident.
30:02Her group had weapons.
30:03I didn't expect you to make it this far.
30:05She looked me over with a slow, deliberate appraisal.
30:08I guess that fox of yours isn't completely decorative.
30:11Leo's fur went electric.
30:13Its body expanded, hackles lifting, lips pulling back.
30:16Say that again.
30:17Victoria took a step back without meaning to.
30:20Then collected herself and shifted behind the bear.
30:23The bear stepped forward and positioned itself between them.
30:26It glanced at me.
30:27Its expression said,
30:28I know.
30:28I tried to stop her.
30:30She wouldn't listen.
30:31I looked back at it and gave a small signal.
30:33Not now.
30:34Too many people.
30:35What happens to us in there has nothing to do with you.
30:38I said, and pulled Leo toward the gate.
30:40Hold on.
30:41Victoria's voice sharpened.
30:42Riley, you think a tier three fox is enough to hold any ground in there?
30:46This base runs on strength.
30:48My bear is tier four.
30:49That makes me the top of the food chain here.
30:51You have two options.
30:52Fall in line and work under me.
30:54Or I make sure you can't move in this base without running into a wall.
30:57The crowd around the gate had started paying attention.
30:59Tier four was rare in the early apocalypse.
31:02People recognized what that meant.
31:04I let the moment sit for exactly one breath.
31:07Then I looked at Leo.
31:08Leo understood without being told.
31:10Its cultivation aura detonated outward.
31:13Tier four pressure rolled across the gate plaza like a physical force.
31:16The snowflakes still drifting in the air simply stopped moving.
31:20The cold deepened noticeably.
31:22Several people stumbled back.
31:24Victoria's face lost its color.
31:26That's not possible.
31:28How is your fox already tier four?
31:31Leo tilted its chin up to a frankly insufferable angle.
31:34You assumed your bear was the ceiling embarrassing the stake.
31:38The bear chose that moment to release its own tier four aura alongside Leo's.
31:43Two tier four signatures layered together.
31:45The crowd scattered back from the gate, half of them barely staying upright.
31:50Victoria stood there, mouth open, staring between Leo and the bear.
31:54The bear, which was supposed to be hers, aligned with the girl she'd been trying to humiliate.
32:00She tried to form words, couldn't find them.
32:02I walked through the gate with Leo and the bear on either side of me and left Victoria and her
32:07group at the entrance with whatever was left of the impression she'd tried to make.
32:10Inside, we were brought to a registration desk. Name, cultivation tier, magical animal.
32:16The soldier processing our forms looked at Leo's tier four listing, then at the bears, and spent a long moment
32:21saying nothing.
32:22Then the professionalism kicked back in, somewhat overcorrected.
32:26Ms. Riley, with two tier four familities you qualify for our highest tier accommodations.
32:31We'd like to offer you a room in the VIP wing.
32:33Independent room, heating system, full resource allocation.
32:36That works. Can I get an additional room for my companion?
32:38Of course. Absolutely. Right away.
32:41The soldier escorted us to the VIP wing.
32:43It was its own building, near the center of the base.
32:45Inside, functioning radiators, hot water, a private bathroom, a small kitchen, a sitting area.
32:51The soldier handed me a keycard and stepped back with the careful deference usually reserved for people who could level
32:57buildings.
32:58I opened my room and started pulling supplies out of Leo's void storage.
33:01Organized the space, stacked what we needed.
33:04Leo jumped onto the couch and stretched its full length, tail hanging off the edge.
33:09Finally, that walk was miserable.
33:11The bear appeared in the doorway, eyes warm.
33:14The Toya and her group got assigned to general housing.
33:17Leave her alone. Let's rest and get our bearings.
33:20Over the following days, we mapped the base.
33:22Around 5,000 survivors.
33:24The majority were civilians with no cultivation ability and no magical animal.
33:29A small fraction had some level of training and bonded mates.
33:32The base ran a strict allocation system.
33:34Resources distributed by contribution level and cultivation tier.
33:38Victoria established herself quickly.
33:40The tier 4 bear was enough to pull in followers, and she assembled a decent sized crew within the first
33:45week.
33:45She used them to push people around.
33:47The kind of entitlement that survives context changes, because it was never really about context.
33:53One afternoon in the base cafeteria, she walked in with her group and found us eating.
33:57You have some nerve.
33:58These rations are for people who actually contribute, not passengers who coast on the strength of their magic animal.
34:03Leo set down its jerky strip. Its eyes went flat.
34:06Repeat that.
34:07Victoria was visibly unnerved, but committed.
34:10I called you a passenger.
34:11Your fox got lucky hitting tier 4. That doesn't make you anything special.
34:14I set my chopsticks down, stood up, and said,
34:17Then let's settle it.
34:18If you win, I don't set foot in this cafeteria again.
34:21If I win, you leave the base and stop terrorizing everyone in it.
34:25Victoria's expression lit up.
34:27She'd wanted this for days.
34:29Deal!
34:30Don't cry when you lose.
34:32People crowded in from three directions.
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