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Hot drama 2026
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00:00On the first day of school, the teachers handed out magical animals based on grades.
00:04Valedictorian and class president Victoria didn't even hesitate.
00:07She walked straight up and grabbed the SSS tier white fox.
00:11I was dead last in the class rankings.
00:13I got assigned a single F tier brown bear.
00:16Then the ice apocalypse hit.
00:18Because I'd bonded with the brown bear, I shared its innate ability.
00:20Cold resistance.
00:22Victoria's white fox never had the chance to grow.
00:24On day one of the apocalypse, it froze to death.
00:27That wasn't the worst part.
00:28Fueled by jealousy, Victoria rallied the others and jumped me.
00:31They killed my bear.
00:33Then they roasted steaks right in front of me, while they ate.
00:35I was so overwhelmed with grief and died.
00:38When I opened my eyes again, I was back.
00:40Back to the day they handed out magical animals.
00:43As the dead last student of the werewolf academy, I was always picked last.
00:46And sure enough, the only magical animal left was the brown bear.
00:50I was reaching for it when Victoria suddenly shouted from across the room.
00:54Wait!
00:54She sprinted over, clutching a small white fox kit,
00:57and shoved it into my arms without a word.
00:59Then she picked up the brown bear from its crate.
01:02You take the white fox.
01:04I want the brown bear.
01:05The entire classroom went silent.
01:08Even Mr. Harris, our homeroom teacher, frowned.
01:10Everyone knew the white fox had the purest bloodline of any familiar in this batch.
01:14Its ancient lineage concentration was 80%.
01:16The brown bear's was barely 20, and it was considered a low-tier species.
01:21Mr. Harris leaned forward.
01:23Victoria, choosing your bonded animal isn't something to joke about.
01:26This determines your ceiling for the rest of your life.
01:30Sir, Riley needs this white fox more than I do.
01:34My grades are strong.
01:35I can train fast no matter what magical animal I bond with.
01:39But Riley's talent for cultivation is average.
01:42If she's also stuck with a low-blood-blood brown bear, her future is basically over.
01:49The class erupted in applause.
01:52Mr. Harris nodded approvingly.
01:53You are kind.
01:55A pure and selfless heart will carry you further than any familiar ever could.
02:00Then he turned to me, and frowned.
02:03Why are you just standing there, thank Victoria?
02:06I blinked.
02:07I held the white fox kit out toward her.
02:10It's fine.
02:11You don't have to swap.
02:12I actually kind of like the bear.
02:14Victoria pulled the brown bear closer to her chest.
02:17She looked at me the way someone looks when they've been wronged.
02:20You don't have to test me.
02:23I genuinely want to trade.
02:25I'm serious.
02:27Keep it.
02:29Before I could finish, something sharp bit down on the web of my right hand.
02:34I looked down.
02:35The white fox kit had bitten me.
02:38Then the fox pressed its tiny tongue against my skin and licked it clean.
02:42The fox had initiated a blood pact with me.
02:46So Riley wasn't being noble after all.
02:48She said she didn't want the white fox, but she went and blood-pasted it the second she got the
02:52chance.
02:52She was just scared Victoria would take it back.
02:54Never seen someone play both sides that hard before.
02:57After the blood pact locked in, the white fox went drowsy and fell asleep in my arms.
03:01I sat there, listening to the whispers and feeling my face go red.
03:05They didn't know the truth.
03:06I genuinely did not want this fox.
03:10Because I knew something none of them did.
03:12In two weeks, this beautiful, high-bloodline white fox was going to be completely useless.
03:19Well, almost none of them knew.
03:21Victoria knew too.
03:22The moment she gave up the white fox and fought me for the brown bear, I understood.
03:26She'd been reborn, just like me.
03:28I stared at the bear tucked against Victoria's chest.
03:31I'd been so close to it in my past life.
03:34We'd trusted each other completely.
03:36Now, Victoria had taken it.
03:38I could deal with losing the cold resistance.
03:40What I couldn't stand was thinking about whether the bear would be fed properly.
03:44Whether it would be treated well.
03:45I was staring at it when the bear slowly turned its head and met my eyes.
03:49Then it blinked.
03:51Once.
03:52Twice.
03:53Not once.
03:54Not three times.
03:55Twice.
03:56My chest lit up.
03:58Two blinks was a signal.
04:00A code we'd created together in our past life.
04:02The bear was using it now to tell me...
04:05It remembered.
04:06It had been reborn, too.
04:08I was still exchanging glances with the bear when something warm and soft wrapped around my fingertip.
04:13I looked down.
04:14My white fox had woken up.
04:16I'm not useless.
04:17The voice was haughty.
04:19Also undeniably baby soft.
04:21And stop staring at that chunky little lowlife.
04:24I poked the fox gently.
04:26Are you talking?
04:27The white fox gave an imperious little sniff and rolled over in my arms.
04:31I thought about what to call it.
04:33White fox felt too generic.
04:35Little fox felt too soft.
04:37I was going to call it...
04:38Your Highness.
04:39My name is Leo.
04:41It announced.
04:42You can call me your highnesses if you want.
04:44I flicked its forehead.
04:46Who taught you to be this dramatic?
04:48Up front, Mr. Harris was explaining how to draw binding circles on the board.
04:53Most bonds were initiated by humans, since magical animals were naturally proud creatures.
04:58Young kids were gentler than adults, but it was still extremely rare for a familiar to seek out a bond
05:05on its own.
05:06Everyone began attempting their bonds.
05:08Everyone except me, since I'd already been forcibly claimed by a fox.
05:14Leo, I said quietly, why did you bond with me?
05:18I didn't like that other girl.
05:20She smells.
05:21Smells?
05:23I kept my voice low.
05:25Victoria is literally the most popular girl in school.
05:29Half the guys here would say she smells amazing.
05:31Those guys are blind, Leo said flatly.
05:35Achoo!
05:36They can't see the rod underneath.
05:39And me?
05:40Leo buried its nose in my sleeve.
05:43Its voice came out slightly strangled.
05:45You're fine.
05:46You're kind of sweet.
05:48I started scratching under Leo's chin while the class droned on.
05:53White fox fur had a reputation, and it delivered.
05:57Impossibly soft, dense like a cloud.
05:59I scratched its ears, squeezed its belly, and eventually couldn't help reaching for its tail.
06:06They say you should never touch a fox's tail.
06:09But Leo was basically a kid, so the usual rules didn't apply.
06:13The moment my hand settled on the tail, Leo went completely rigid.
06:18Through the white fur, I could see its skin flush faintly pink.
06:22Stop it!
06:23What is wrong with you?
06:25It sounded exactly like someone who'd just been caught off guard, and was deeply, mortifyingly flustered.
06:31I pulled my hand back, keeping my expression neutral.
06:35Calm down.
06:36You've got a very active imagination.
06:38Leo's eyes welled up immediately.
06:40It snapped its head away and refused to look at me.
06:43Across the room, Victoria successfully completed her binding circle.
06:47A flash of pleasure crossed her face.
06:50She directed it toward the bear.
06:52The circle activated, spinning fast around the bear.
06:55Inside the light, the bear quietly reached out and made two small adjustments to the formation.
07:01The standard equal bond shifted, without a sound, into a master-servant bond.
07:07The bear was the master.
07:09Victoria was the servant.
07:10It was a technique we'd discovered together in a ruin, years ago, in another life.
07:15The bear was now using it to put a leash on Victoria.
07:19The bear caught my eye across the room, satisfied, proud of itself.
07:24Under the table, I gave it a thumbs up.
07:27You are so manipulative, Leo muttered into my ribs.
07:31I was pinching its soft, borderline boneless little cheek.
07:35Me?
07:36How?
07:37You touched my tail and then stared at that chunky lowlife for five whole minutes.
07:43You were making eyes at it.
07:45Leo's voice was escalating toward genuine grievance.
07:48I added another item to my mental description of it, prone to completely unhinged jealousy.
07:55After class ended, Mr. Harris handed out cultivation supplies.
07:59One week's worth per student.
08:01I kept a single mana crystal for myself.
08:04I fed everything else to Leo.
08:07Nineteen crystals.
08:08Leo crunched through them like chips.
08:11We hadn't even left the classroom.
08:13The class watched in disbelief.
08:15Is she serious?
08:17That's a week's worth of cultivation resources?
08:19And she just fed all of it to the fox?
08:21Did she even listen in class?
08:22Magic animals have slow growth cycles.
08:25You're not supposed to rush them.
08:26The mana crystals are supposed to be for her own cultivation.
08:29The white fox bonded with her for nothing.
08:31Some students should note.
08:34Mana crystal applications are limited.
08:37The school won't give you more if you waste them.
08:39He was clearly talking about me.
08:41I smiled pleasantly.
08:43Understood, sir.
08:44Honestly, in my past life, I'd always been generous with the bear.
08:47Most students kept a 4 to 1 ratio for themselves.
08:51I split everything 50-50.
08:52Equals deserved equal shares.
08:54But this?
08:55Nineteen for Leo.
08:57One for me.
08:58This was something else entirely.
09:00It wasn't generosity.
09:02It was self-preservation.
09:04Because Leo and I had a blood pact.
09:06A standard equal bond meant one partner's death didn't affect the other.
09:09A blood pact was different.
09:10If Leo froze to death on day one of the apocalypse,
09:13the same way the white fox died in my past life, I died too.
09:16Leo's survival wasn't kindness.
09:18It was my only chance to live.
09:20The mana crystals were an investment in not dying.
09:24After class, students scattered to train on their own.
09:26I carried Leo toward the exit, and Victoria stepped half in front of me.
09:31I know you've been reborn too, she said.
09:33This time, the cold resistance belongs to me.
09:37Then I hope you enjoy it.
09:39You and your useless little fox can look forward to freezing on day one.
09:43I gave you a chance to be useful to me.
09:45You threw it away.
09:46Leo peeled open one eye from inside my arms, completely unimpressed.
09:53Victoria's composure shattered instantly.
09:56She stumbled backward.
10:00What is wrong with you?
10:01Get that disgusting thing away from me!
10:03I turned and walked away, barely holding in a laugh.
10:06The mana crystal problem was serious, though.
10:09I needed a massive supply, and I needed it fast.
10:12I was thinking about it, absently pulling at Leo's fur, when I remembered.
10:16Before the ice apocalypse hit in my past life,
10:18a news outlet had exposed a small mana vein.
10:21Based on timing, nobody should have found it yet.
10:25When I reached the rough coordinates I'd memorized,
10:29Victoria was already there.
10:32She'd brought 20-plus workers, and they were already mine in the vein.
10:37I stood at the outer edge and watched them haul out crystal after crystal.
10:42Leo pressed its nose to the window.
10:44I covered Leo's eyes.
10:46Low-quality crystals here.
10:47Let's go find something better.
10:49Then, from somewhere inside my head, a voice crackled to life.
10:53I stopped walking.
10:55Sis, is that you?
10:57You can do telepathy now.
11:00Victoria spent serious resources on me.
11:02I can project thoughts directly.
11:05Sis, take Leo and find somewhere to rest.
11:09Once they're done mining and clear out, I'll call you back.
11:12I finished the mental exchange and came back to the present moment.
11:15A very large, very imperious fox face was approximately two inches from my nose.
11:21Leo had both front paws planted on my shoulders.
11:26What were you doing just now?
11:28You were mentally cheating on me.
11:31I grabbed it by the scruff and I squeezed one soft cheek by way of reprimand.
11:35Leo, watch your voculary.
11:38I'm not wrong.
11:39I can smell the bear on your thorns.
11:41Was that the chunky low knife?
11:43I raised an eyebrow.
11:44Sharp nose.
11:45For your information.
11:47Leo continued, voice climbing.
11:49When a white fox makes a blood pact with someone, that person is their bonded maid.
11:53For life.
11:54You can't have secret meetings with a brown bear.
11:58Yeah, you're a child.
11:59Do you even know what partner means?
12:01Leo's eyes immediately filled with tears that refused to actually fall.
12:04It waved its tiny paws in what appeared to be an angry, thrashing, swimming motion.
12:09I leaned forward and stuck my tongue out at it.
12:12A small, damp nose pressed against my cheek.
12:15Before I could react, the culprit had already retreated.
12:17Voice very small.
12:19I kissed you.
12:20That means you're mine now.
12:22Nobody else is allowed to kiss you there.
12:24Leo had just made a move on me.
12:26A very small, very smug, very baby-toothed move.
12:29I pulled myself together and went to find somewhere to wait.
12:32I reclined in the car with the air conditioning running, watching a nature documentary on the
12:37center screen.
12:38The documentary put me to sleep almost immediately.
12:41When I woke up, it was dark.
12:45Right on cue, the bear's voice appeared in my head.
12:49Sis, come now.
12:51They're gone.
12:52Leo was staring up at me, suspicious and accusatory.
12:55My conscience flickered.
12:56This was exactly the energy of someone who'd just been caught.
13:00We were just talking.
13:01I'm not listening.
13:03I'm not talking to you for the rest of the day.
13:05Just as the bear had said, the area was empty.
13:08All that remained was a concealment formation to hide the vein's location.
13:12The bear deactivated it from inside and poked its head out.
13:16Sis, over here.
13:18It had grown enough to speak clearly.
13:19The white fox in my arms took one look at the bear and immediately bared its teeth.
13:25Leo's going through a phase.
13:27The bear took the lead.
13:29That thing is a fake, nice snake in the grass.
13:32Get your hand off me.
13:33I'm going to bite it.
13:34I am biting it today.
13:36Riley, don't hold me back.
13:38It went on like that for a while.
13:40I didn't address it.
13:42I looked at the bear.
13:43Its aura drifted quietly around it, steady and calm.
13:47I released Leo and let it jump to the ground.
13:50Leo hit the dirt, spun around, and stared at me.
13:53Its expression said it had not expected me to actually let go.
13:56It shuffled forward at approximately the speed of a very indignant caterpillar.
14:01Every few steps, it looked back at me.
14:03On its fourth look back, it hesitated.
14:06You're not stopping me?
14:08What if your little buddy gets actually hurt?
14:12I glanced at the bear's aura.
14:14After absorbing a solid hall of mana crystals, it was running at easily 50 times Leo's current output.
14:20Whether Leo would be the one doing the herding was very much an overbust.
14:25It's fine.
14:26Show me what you've got.
14:28If you win, you'll have my full and undivided attention forever.
14:33Leo glanced at the bear, felt the weight of that aura, thought about it very carefully.
14:39Slowly, reluctantly, it walked back and sat down next to my feet.
14:43Fine.
14:44You showed good remorse this time.
14:47I'll let the secret meeting go.
14:49But don't let it happen again.
14:51Inside the vein, the bear had divided the crystal stockpile into three piles.
14:56One very small pile for itself,
14:58a medium small pile,
15:00and a pile roughly the size of a small hill.
15:03Leo's eyes went green, literally luminous.
15:06This is all I need, sis.
15:08A voice in my head.
15:10Okay, that chunky thing is definitely not in two.
15:13Sis, this one's for your cultivation.
15:16And that one's for my little sibling.
15:18The bear pointed to the medium pile and the mountain.
15:21Riley, it does not have feelings for you.
15:24I have been worried for nothing.
15:25Run everything through the romance filter, don't you?
15:28I do not.
15:29I flicked Leo on the forehead.
15:31I said simply,
15:33Mana crystals.
15:34Leo went quiet and well-behaved immediately.
15:36If we take all of this,
15:38won't Victoria figure out it was you?
15:41She does everything I say right now.
15:44Full compliance.
15:46Victoria stared at the hollowed-out vein
15:48with all the color drained from her face.
15:51You used all of it?
15:52You used every single crystal?
15:54The bear sat on its haunches,
15:56eyes wide and guileless,
15:57under the rules of its master-servant bond,
16:00it only had to give basic responses.
16:02The truth was not required.
16:04I don't know.
16:05I was asleep all night.
16:06Maybe the vein just ran dry on its own?
16:08Victoria shook with rage.
16:10She brought her entire crew back
16:12and tore the cave apart.
16:14Not a single crystal shard remained.
16:16She stared at the bear for a long time.
16:18Something felt wrong.
16:19She could tell.
16:20But the bond formation read completely normal.
16:23The bear's cultivation aura showed no irregularity.
16:26She had no choice but to swallow it.
16:28Useless, she snapped.
16:30I just left you for a moment,
16:31and you couldn't even hold off a bunch of stones.
16:34The bear let its ears droop.
16:36Internally, it was ecstatic.
16:37It sent a message to me.
16:39Sis, she tried to hit me just now.
16:42The bonds punished her for it.
16:44Hidden in the brush nearby,
16:45I pressed my face into Leo's fur
16:47to muffle my laughter.
16:49Good.
16:50She tried to steal from us.
16:51The traitor earned it.
16:52I tugged one of its ears.
16:53Don't call the bear that.
16:55It's our teammate.
16:56It looked away,
16:57but its tail quietly curled around my wrist,
17:00warm and soft and completely involuntary.
17:03Once Victoria and her crew were gone,
17:05we slipped into the cave.
17:07The bear had already bundled
17:08the crystal stockpile with vines.
17:10Multiple bundles.
17:11Organized and ready.
17:13Sis,
17:13these should keep the little one fed for a while.
17:17Leo's eyes locked on the pile
17:18and did not move,
17:19and started crunching.
17:20The sound echoed through the cave
17:22like someone eating gravel.
17:24We loaded the crystals into the car.
17:25They filled most of the trunk.
17:27The bear couldn't come with us.
17:28It had to stay and keep up the performance.
17:30Before we left, it said,
17:32Sis, the apocalypse is ten days out.
17:34Stock up on supplies.
17:35Be careful.
17:37Don't let her spot the cracks in your act.
17:40The bear grinned in its easy, unbothered way.
17:43She does whatever I tell her.
17:45We're fine.
17:45We drove back.
17:46Leo sat in the passenger seat
17:48with a crystal in both paws,
17:49crunching contentedly,
17:51like a squirrel that had found
17:52an entire winter's worth of food
17:54in one afternoon.
17:57Watching it,
17:58I thought about the bear in my past life,
18:01always saving the best of everything for me.
18:03The shape of that care was different now,
18:06but the feeling was the same.
18:07Back in the city,
18:08I skipped my apartment
18:09and went straight to the largest supermarket in the room.
18:12I loaded two carts with everything useful.
18:15Compressed ration bars,
18:16canned goods,
18:17bottled water,
18:20instant food.
18:21Leo rode in the cart,
18:22pointing,
18:23More of those chocolate ones
18:25and the meat jerky,
18:26the spiced kind.
18:27I loaded both.
18:28The store staff watched me with visible unease.
18:31I didn't slow down.
18:32In ten days,
18:33none of this would matter to them anyway.
18:35Beyond food and water,
18:36I grabbed thermal underlayers,
18:38sleeping bags,
18:39flashlights,
18:40batteries,
18:41lighters,
18:41a few sharp kitchen knives,
18:43a hand axe,
18:43anything with practical value
18:45in sustained sub-zero conditions.
18:47Two full cartons.
18:48I drove home to my apartment
18:50and spent an hour
18:50hauling everything upstairs.
18:52The living room,
18:53the bedroom,
18:53the balcony.
18:54All of it stacked floor to ceiling.
18:56Leo sprawled across a pile of chocolate bars.
18:59Its tail swayed slowly.
19:00I collapsed onto the couch,
19:02completely winded.
19:05Not bad.
19:06You actually know how to shop.
19:10These are retinif only.
19:12Our survival supplies.
19:14The next several days,
19:15I took Leo to different locations every day
19:17and kept stocking up.
19:18The pharmacy.
19:19Cold medicine.
19:20Fever reducers.
19:22Antibiotics.
19:22Bandages.
19:23Antiseptic.
19:24The outdoor supply store.
19:26A tent.
19:27Climbing rope.
19:27Anti-slip boots.
19:28A hardware store for gas canisters
19:31and basic tools.
19:32My apartment ran out of space.
19:34I rented the unit next door
19:35and the one upstairs.
19:37Both became storage.
19:39Victoria texted a few times,
19:40cheerful and fake,
19:42asking how I was doing,
19:43casually mentioning
19:44that her brown bear
19:45had broken through to tier two.
19:47I sent her three-word replies.
19:50I already knew.
19:51Everything the bear showed her
19:53was deliberate.
19:54Every breakthrough
19:55was calculated theater,
19:56designed to keep her compliant.
19:59Leo's growth
20:00was outpacing everything
20:01I'd projected.
20:02It ate crystals,
20:04slept,
20:04and woke up noticeably larger
20:06each time.
20:07It had started out
20:08the size of a kitten.
20:09Now it was halfway
20:10to the size of a medium dog.
20:12Its fur had deepened
20:14to a white so pure
20:15it was almost blinding.
20:17And its eyes had shifted
20:18from pale
20:19to a vivid,
20:20saturated crimson.
20:21The kind of beauty
20:22that made it hard
20:23to look away.
20:24Its cultivation aura
20:26was also deepening fast.
20:28Something close to tier three
20:29was stirring at the edges.
20:31I was combing through
20:32Leo's fur
20:33when it went still.
20:34Something's happening.
20:37In my bloodline,
20:39there's pressure building.
20:41My pulse jumped.
20:43The white fox
20:44in my past life
20:44had never awakened
20:46any ability at all.
20:47It died before
20:48it had the chance.
20:49Was this what happened
20:50when you gave a white fox
20:52proper resources
20:53and a blood pact?
20:54An early awakening?
20:55Don't force it,
20:57I said quietly.
20:58Let it come on its own.
21:00Leo closed its eyes.
21:02A soft, white light
21:03kindled across its fur.
21:05The mana crystals
21:06around it began
21:07losing their glow,
21:08all that energy
21:09pouring steadily
21:10into Leo's body.
21:11A small spiral
21:13of concentrated mana
21:14formed around it,
21:15rotating slowly.
21:17Its fur stood up
21:18along its spine.
21:19Its tail filled out further,
21:22the individual hairs
21:23catching the light
21:23like fiber-optic threads.
21:25An hour passed.
21:27The light faded.
21:28Leo opened its eyes
21:30and there was
21:31something new in them.
21:32I awakened.
21:33What did you get?
21:34Leo tilted its chin up,
21:36tail flicking
21:37with casual superiority.
21:39A small,
21:40perfectly formed
21:41spike of ice
21:42materialized
21:43from empty air
21:44and dropped to the floor
21:45with a clean,
21:46crystalline tap.
21:47Ice manipulation
21:49and void storage.
21:50I stared.
21:52Ice manipulation.
21:54In an ice apocalypse,
21:55an ice affinity ability
21:57wasn't just useful.
21:58It was like being native
22:00to the environment
22:00everyone else was trying
22:01to survive.
22:02And void storage,
22:04one of the rarest abilities
22:06in existence.
22:07In my past life,
22:09people with spatial abilities
22:10could name their price
22:12at any base.
22:13every faction wanted them.
22:15Leo,
22:16I said
22:17and pulled it into a hug.
22:18I kissed the top of its head
22:20without thinking.
22:21Leo's ears went crimson,
22:23its entire body
22:24locked up for half a second.
22:26Then it twisted away,
22:27deeply offended.
22:29Stop doing that.
22:31Its tail, however,
22:33had already wrapped
22:34around my wrist again,
22:35the same involuntary habit.
22:37I smiled and squeezed its cheek.
22:40My Little Highness
22:41is absolutely terrifying.
22:43We're going to be fine out there.
22:45Leo made a dismissive sound
22:47and climbed back into my lap
22:49to resume eating crystals.
22:51Three days out from the apocalypse,
22:53the temperature had already
22:54started dropping.
22:55Daytime lows were hitting
22:57negative 15.
22:58People on the street moved fast,
23:01buried in their puffer coats.
23:02News coverage was starting
23:04to pick up
23:04on the anomalous cold snaps.
23:07Experts offered competing theories.
23:09Extreme weather pattern,
23:11greenhouse rebound effect.
23:13Nobody said
23:13what was actually happening.
23:15Nobody saw what was coming.
23:18Victoria called.
23:19She sounded casual
23:20and then deliberately didn't.
23:22Riley,
23:23my bear just hit tier 3 peak,
23:25almost to tier 4.
23:26I'll be able to take care of myself
23:28once things get rough.
23:30A pause pointed.
23:31How about you?
23:33Has your little fox
23:34even hit tier 1 yet?
23:37It's fine, tier 3, roughly.
23:40Silence on the other end,
23:42then a short, dismissive laugh.
23:44Riley,
23:45you don't have to make things up.
23:47White fox maturation timelines are long.
23:50There's no world
23:50where it's already tier 3.
23:52Another pause.
23:54Look,
23:54if things get too hard,
23:56you can come to me.
23:57You can work for me.
23:58I'll keep you alive.
23:59I hung up.
24:01Leo was lying next to me,
24:03expression flat.
24:04She thinks tier 3 peak
24:06is impressive.
24:07It said.
24:08When I hit tier 4,
24:09I could end her or
24:11I scratched behind its ear.
24:14Don't get careless.
24:15Victoria is reckless,
24:16but her family has real reach.
24:18When the apocalypse hits,
24:20she'll have numbers.
24:21We play it smart.
24:22Leo pressed its nose down
24:23onto its paws,
24:25still eating crystals.
24:26Those last three days,
24:28I didn't go out.
24:29I stayed home with Leo,
24:30and we trained together.
24:32Leo had already gotten a solid handle
24:34of everyone's void storage.
24:35The space inside wasn't enormous,
24:37roughly the size of a basketball board,
24:39but more than sufficient for supplies.
24:42We loaded the majority of what I'd stockpiled
24:44into the board.
24:45My own cultivation was moving faster
24:47than I'd expected.
24:48The blood pack shared mana flow between us,
24:50and with the crystals on top of that,
24:52I'd pushed to tier 2 mid-level.
24:55Not close to Leo or the bear,
24:57but solidly mid-range
24:58for a human practitioner.
24:59The night before the apocalypse,
25:02the temperature had already dropped
25:03to negative 30.
25:05Outside,
25:05the snow came in heavy diagonal sheets,
25:08and the wind sounded like something screaming.
25:10I stood at the window
25:11and looked at the city disappearing under white.
25:14In my past life,
25:15I had been so afraid,
25:16so completely alone.
25:19This time,
25:19I had the bear,
25:20and I had Leo.
25:22That was enough.
25:23Leo came and pressed against my leg.
25:26Its head reached my hip now.
25:27Stop stressing.
25:29It's head.
25:30I'm here.
25:31Nobody touches you.
25:32I crouched down and pulled it close.
25:34I know.
25:35We're going to make it.
25:36The bear checked in through telepathy.
25:38Sis,
25:39Victoria and her people
25:40have retreated
25:41to her family's underground facility.
25:44Good supplies,
25:44good infrastructure.
25:45I've already made some adjustments down here.
25:48We'll figure out what that means
25:50once the apocalypse hits.
25:51Good work.
25:52Stay safe.
25:54I didn't sleep.
25:55When morning came,
25:56the world outside had ended.
25:58Negative 50 degrees.
25:59The window panes had cracked from the cold.
26:01Ice flowers blooming across the glass.
26:04Outside,
26:04cars had frozen into sculptures.
26:06People who had been caught in the streets
26:08were down and still.
26:09The power grid was gone.
26:11Communication networks were gone.
26:12The city was silent.
26:14The ice apocalypse had arrived.
26:15I layered on everything I had,
26:17pulled on my hat and gloves,
26:19held Leo against my chest,
26:20and walked out of the apartment.
26:22The wind hit my face like something solid.
26:24A burning cold that cut through even the layers.
26:27But Leo and I both had cultivation auras as a buffer.
26:29Leo's ice manipulation shaved off another layer of the cold on top of that.
26:34We could bear it.
26:35The streets were a wreck.
26:36Abandoned vehicles everywhere.
26:38Frozen bodies half buried in the drifts.
26:40Mutant beasts prowled the snow between the cars.
26:43Eyes sharp and predatory,
26:44tracking us as we passed.
26:46The apocalypse had done something to the wildlife.
26:48The extreme cold triggered genetic shifts,
26:51and what came out the other side was faster,
26:54meaner,
26:54and far more adapted to the temperature
26:56than anything that had existed before.
26:58Leo dropped out of my arms.
27:00Its body expanded in one smooth motion,
27:02doubling in size.
27:03The white fur settled,
27:05dense and wind-resistant.
27:06Its eyes locked onto the nearest creature
27:08with the calm of something
27:09that had already decided the outcome.
27:11You're looking at my person.
27:13Bad call.
27:14Its tail swept sideways.
27:16Six ice spikes launched simultaneously.
27:19They punched through the throats of the closest mutants
27:21before any of them could react.
27:23The bodies dropped and were still.
27:25Completely ridiculous,
27:26completely dramatic,
27:27completely reliable.
27:28We moved toward the city center.
27:30That was where the survivor base was.
27:31In my past life,
27:32the government had organized
27:33several large-scale shelters
27:35in the weeks after the apocalypse hit.
27:37The central base was the biggest and the safest.
27:40Two hours on foot.
27:41Then the base appeared through the blizzard.
27:44A ring of steel walls rising over ten meters.
27:47Soldiers posted on the upper walkways with rifles,
27:50scanning the perimeter.
27:51A crowd of survivors was already queued at the gate.
27:54We joined the line.
27:55The couple ahead of us
27:57had a baby pressed to the woman's chest.
27:59The baby was crying.
28:00The woman's face was hollow.
28:02The man looked like he hadn't slept in days.
28:04The woman said to the soldier at the checkpoint,
28:07She hasn't eaten in three days.
28:09The soldier's expression didn't move.
28:11Entry requires a resource payment.
28:13Ten pounds of food,
28:15five bottles of water,
28:16or one warm garment.
28:17No exceptions.
28:19The man's voice cracked.
28:20Everything we had was taken by a mutant pack.
28:23We have nothing left.
28:28The woman started crying.
28:31The baby cried loud.
28:32I'd been there before.
28:34I knew what it felt like
28:35when every door was shut
28:36and there was nothing left to bargain with.
28:39I reached into my pack
28:40and pulled out two cans and a water bottle.
28:42I held them out to the couple.
28:44Use these for your entry fee.
28:46They turned around.
28:48The woman looked at me.
28:49You're a good person.
28:50You're a good...
28:51I smiled and didn't say anything.
28:53Leo made an irritated noise beside me.
28:55You're going to keep doing this, aren't you?
28:59Helping complete strangers.
29:00We might need a stranger's help someday too.
29:03Leo said nothing more.
29:05But it didn't argue.
29:06When we reached the checkpoint,
29:08the soldier looked at Leo and went wary.
29:10Handed over five pounds of rations.
29:13Is that enough?
29:15The soldier checked it.
29:16Nodded.
29:17You can go in.
29:18We were almost through the gate
29:19when a familiar voice called from behind us.
29:22Riley!
29:23Riley!
29:24I turned.
29:24Victoria was pushing through the crowd,
29:26surrounded by a cluster of people,
29:28with the brown bear walking calmly at her side.
29:31She was wearing an expensive puffer coat,
29:33her face perfectly composed and confident.
29:35Her group had weapons.
29:37I didn't expect you to make it this far.
29:39She looked me over with a slow, deliberate appraisal.
29:41I guess that fox of yours isn't completely decorative.
29:44Leo's fur went electric.
29:46Its body expanded,
29:48hackles lifting,
29:48lips pulling back.
29:50Say that again.
29:51Victoria took a step back without meaning to,
29:53then collected herself and shifted behind the bear.
29:56The bear stepped forward and positioned itself between them.
29:59It glanced at me.
30:00Its expression said,
30:01I know.
30:02I tried to stop her.
30:03She wouldn't listen.
30:04I looked back at it and gave a small signal.
30:07Not now.
30:07Too many people.
30:08What happens to us in there has nothing to do with you.
30:11I said,
30:12and pulled Leo toward the gate.
30:14Hold on.
30:14Victoria's voice sharpened.
30:15Riley,
30:16You think a tier 3 fox is enough to hold any ground in there?
30:20This base runs on strength.
30:21My bear is tier 4.
30:22That makes me the top of the food chain here.
30:24You have two options.
30:26Fall in line and work under me,
30:27or I make sure you can't move in this base without running into a wall.
30:30The crowd around the gate had started paying attention.
30:33Tier 4 was rare in the early apocalypse.
30:35People recognized what that meant.
30:37I let the moment sit for exactly one breath.
30:40Then,
30:40I looked at Leo.
30:41Leo understood without being told.
30:43Its cultivation aura detonated outward.
30:46Tier 4 pressure rolled across the gate plaza like a physical force.
30:50The snowflakes still drifting in the air simply stopped moving.
30:54The cold deepened noticeably.
30:55Several people stumbled back.
30:58Victoria's face lost its color.
31:00That's,
31:00that's not possible.
31:02How is your fox already tier 4?
31:04Leo tilted its chin up to a frankly insufferable angle.
31:08You assumed your bear was the ceiling,
31:10embarrassing the stake.
31:11The bear chose that moment to release its own tier 4 aura alongside Leo's.
31:16Two tier 4 signatures layered together.
31:19The crowd scattered back from the gate,
31:21half of them barely staying upright.
31:23Victoria stood there,
31:24mouth open,
31:25staring between Leo and the bear.
31:27The bear,
31:28which was supposed to be hers,
31:30aligned with the girl she'd been trying to humiliate.
31:33She tried to form words,
31:34couldn't find them.
31:35I walked through the gate with Leo and the bear on either side of me,
31:39and left Victoria and her group at the entrance with whatever was left of the impression she'd
31:43tried to make.
31:44Inside,
31:45we were brought to a registration desk.
31:47Name,
31:47cultivation tier,
31:48magical animal.
31:49The soldier processing our forms looked at Leo's tier 4 listing,
31:52then at the bear's,
31:53and spent a long moment saying nothing.
31:55Then the professionalism kicked back in,
31:57somewhat overcorrected.
32:00Ms. Riley,
32:01with two tier 4 familities,
32:02you qualify for our highest tier accommodations.
32:04We'd like to offer you a room in the VIP wing.
32:06Independent room,
32:07heating system,
32:08full resource allocation.
32:09That works.
32:10Can I get an additional room for my companion?
32:12Of course.
32:13Absolutely.
32:13Right away.
32:14A soldier escorted us to the VIP wing.
32:16It was its own building,
32:17near the center of the base.
32:19Inside,
32:19functioning radiators,
32:21hot water,
32:22a private bathroom,
32:23a small kitchen,
32:24a sitting area.
32:25The soldier handed me a keycard,
32:26and stepped back with the careful deference usually reserved for people who could level buildings.
32:31I opened my room,
32:32and started pulling supplies out of Leo's void storage.
32:35Organized the space,
32:36stacked what we needed.
32:37Leo jumped onto the couch,
32:39and stretched its full length,
32:40tail hanging off the edge.
32:41Finally,
32:43that walk was miserable.
32:44The bear appeared in the doorway,
32:46eyes warm.
32:47Victoria and her group,
32:48got assigned to general housing.
32:51Leave her alone.
32:52Let's rest and get our bearings.
32:54Over the following days,
32:55we mapped the base.
32:56Around 5,000 survivors.
32:58The majority were civilians,
32:59with no cultivation ability,
33:01and no magical animal.
33:02A small fraction had some level of training,
33:04and bonded mates.
33:05The base ran a strict allocation system.
33:07Resources distributed by contribution level,
33:10and cultivation tier.
33:11Victoria established herself quickly.
33:13The tier 4 bear was enough to pull in followers,
33:15and she assembled a decent-sized crew within the first week.
33:18She used them to push people around.
33:20The kind of entitlement that survives context changes,
33:23because it was never really about context.
33:26One afternoon in the base cafeteria,
33:28she walked in with her group,
33:29and found us eating.
33:30You have some nerve.
33:32These rations are for people who actually contribute,
33:34not passengers who coast on the strength of their magic animal.
33:37Leo set down its jerky strip.
33:38Its eyes went flat.
33:39Repeat that.
33:40Victoria was visibly unnerved, but committed.
33:43I called you a passenger.
33:44Your fox got lucky hitting tier 4.
33:46That doesn't make you anything special.
33:48I set my chopsticks down, stood up, and said,
33:50Then let's settle it.
33:51If you win, I don't set foot in this cafeteria again.
33:54If I win, you leave the base,
33:56and stop terrorizing everyone in it.
33:58Victoria's expression lit up.
34:00She'd wanted this for days.
34:02Deal!
34:03Don't cry when you lose.
34:05People crowded in from three directions.
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