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00:30On day one of the apocalypse, it froze to death.
00:32That wasn't the worst part.
00:33Fueled by jealousy, Victoria rallied the others and jumped me.
00:37They killed my bear.
00:38Then they roasted steaks right in front of me, while they ate.
00:41I was so overwhelmed with grief and died.
00:43When I opened my eyes again, I was back.
00:46Back to the day they handed out magical animals.
00:48As the dead last student of the werewolf academy, I was always picked last.
00:52And sure enough, the only magical animal left was the brown bear.
00:55I was reaching for it when Victoria suddenly shouted from across the room,
00:59Wait!
01:00She sprinted over, clutching a small white fox kit, and shoved it into my arms without a word.
01:05Then she picked up the brown bear from its crate.
01:07You take the white fox.
01:09I want the brown bear.
01:11The entire classroom went silent.
01:13Even Mr. Harris, our homeroom teacher, frowned.
01:16Everyone knew the white fox had the purest bloodline of any familiar in this batch.
01:20Its ancient lineage concentration was 80%.
01:22The brown bear's was barely 20, and it was considered a low-tier species.
01:26Mr. Harris leaned forward.
01:29Victoria, choosing your bonded animal isn't something to joke about.
01:32This determines your ceiling for the rest of your life.
01:36Sir, Riley needs this white fox more than I do.
01:40My grades are strong.
01:41I can train fast no matter what magical animal I bond with.
01:45But Riley's talent for cultivation is average.
01:49If she's also stuck with a low-blood-blood brown bear, her future is basically over.
01:55The class erupted in applause.
01:58Mr. Harris nodded approvingly.
02:00You are kind.
02:01A pure and selfless heart will carry you further than any familiar ever could.
02:07Then he turned to me and frowned.
02:10Why are you just standing there?
02:12Thank Victoria.
02:13I blinked.
02:14I held the white fox kit out toward her.
02:17It's fine.
02:18You don't have to swap.
02:19I actually kind of like the bear.
02:20Victoria pulled the brown bear closer to her chest.
02:23She looked at me the way someone looks when they've been wronged.
02:27You don't have to test me.
02:30I genuinely want to trade.
02:32I'm serious.
02:34Keep it.
02:36Before I could finish, something sharp bit down on the web of my right hand.
02:41I looked down.
02:42The white fox kit had bitten me.
02:45Then the fox pressed its tiny tongue against my skin and licked it clean.
02:50The fox had initiated a blood pact with me.
02:53So Riley wasn't being noble after all.
02:55She said she didn't want the white fox, but she went and blood-pasted it the second she got the
02:59chance.
02:59She was just scared Victoria would take it back.
03:02Never seen someone play both sides that hard before.
03:04After the blood pact locked in, the white fox went drowsy and fell asleep in my arms.
03:09I sat there, listening to the whispers and feeling my face go red.
03:13They didn't know the truth.
03:14I genuinely did not want this fox.
03:17Because I knew something none of them did.
03:20In two weeks, this beautiful, high-bloodline white fox was going to be completely useless.
03:27Well, almost none of them knew.
03:29Victoria knew, too.
03:30The moment she gave up the white fox and fought me for the brown bear, I understood.
03:34She'd been reborn, just like me.
03:36I stared at the bear tucked against Victoria's chest.
03:39I'd been so close to it in my past life.
03:42We'd trusted each other completely.
03:44Now, Victoria had taken it.
03:46I could deal with losing the cold resistance.
03:48What I couldn't stand was thinking about whether the bear would be fed properly.
03:52Whether it would be treated well.
03:54I was staring at it when the bear slowly turned its head and met my eyes.
03:58Then it blinked.
03:59Once.
04:00Twice.
04:01Not once.
04:02Not three times.
04:04Twice.
04:05My chest lit up.
04:06Two blinks was a signal.
04:08A code we'd created together in our past life.
04:11The bear was using it now to tell me...
04:13It remembered.
04:14It had been reborn, too.
04:16I was still exchanging glances with the bear when something warm and soft wrapped around
04:21my fingertip.
04:21I looked down.
04:23My white fox had woken up.
04:25I'm not useless.
04:26The voice was haughty.
04:28Also undeniably baby soft.
04:30And stop staring at that chunky little lowlife.
04:33I poked the fox gently.
04:35Are you talking?
04:36The white fox gave an imperious little sniff and rolled over in my arms.
04:40I thought about what to call it.
04:42White fox felt too generic.
04:44Little fox felt too soft.
04:45I was going to call it...
04:47Your Highness.
04:49My name is Leo.
04:50It announced.
04:51You can call me Your Highnesses if you want.
04:54I flicked its forehead.
04:55Who taught you to be this dramatic?
04:58Up front, Mr. Harris was explaining how to draw binding circles on the board.
05:03Most bonds were initiated by humans since magical animals were naturally proud creatures.
05:08Young kits were gentler than adults.
05:10But it was still extremely rare for a familiar to seek out a bond on its own.
05:15Everyone began attempting their bonds.
05:18Everyone except me.
05:20Since I'd already been forcibly claimed by a fox.
05:24Leo, I said quietly.
05:25Why did you bond with me?
05:27I didn't like that other girl.
05:30She smells.
05:31Smells?
05:32I kept my voice low.
05:35Victoria is literally the most popular girl in school.
05:38Half the guys here would say she smells amazing.
05:41Those guys are blind.
05:44Leo said flatly.
05:45Achoo!
05:46They can't see the rod underneath.
05:49And me?
05:50Leo buried its nose in my sleeve.
05:53Its voice came out slightly strangled.
05:55You're fine.
05:57You're kind of sweet.
05:59I started scratching under Leo's chin while the class droned on.
06:03White fox fur had a reputation, and it delivered.
06:07Impossibly soft, dense like a cloud.
06:09I scratched its ears, squeezed its belly, and eventually couldn't help reaching for its tail.
06:16They say you should never touch a fox's tail.
06:19But Leo was basically a kid, so the usual rules didn't apply.
06:24The moment my hands settled on the tail, Leo went completely rigid.
06:29Through the white fur, I could see its skin flush faintly pink.
06:33Stop it! What is wrong with you?
06:35It sounded exactly like someone who'd just been caught off guard, and was deeply, mortifyingly flustered.
06:42I pulled my hand back, keeping my expression neutral.
06:46Calm down. You've got a very active imagination.
06:49Leo's eyes welled up immediately.
06:51It snapped its head away and refused to look at me.
06:55Across the room, Victoria successfully completed her binding circle.
06:58A flash of pleasure crossed her face.
07:01She directed it toward the bear.
07:03The circle activated, spinning fast around the bear.
07:07Inside the light, the bear quietly reached out and made two small adjustments to the formation.
07:12The standard equal bond shifted, without a sound, into a master-servant bond.
07:18The bear was the master.
07:20Victoria was the servant.
07:22It was a technique we'd discovered together in a ruin, years ago in another life.
07:27The bear was now using it to put a leash on Victoria.
07:30The bear caught my eye across the room, satisfied, proud of itself.
07:36Under the table, I gave it a thumbs up.
07:39You are so manipulative.
07:41Leo muttered into my ribs.
07:43I was pinching its soft, borderline boneless little cheek.
07:47Me? How?
07:49You touched my tail, and then stared at that chunky low-light for five whole minutes.
07:56You were making eyes at it.
07:57Leo's voice was escalating toward genuine grievance.
08:01I added another item to my mental description of it.
08:04Prone to completely unhinged jealousy.
08:07After class ended, Mr. Harris handed out cultivation supplies.
08:11One week's worth per student.
08:14I kept a single mana crystal for myself.
08:16I fed everything else to Leo.
08:19Nineteen crystals.
08:21Leo crunched through them like chips.
08:23We hadn't even left the classroom.
08:25The class watched in disbelief.
08:28Is she serious?
08:29That's a week's worth of cultivation resources, and she just fed all of it to the fox?
08:34Did she even listen in class?
08:35Magic animals have slow growth cycles.
08:37You're not supposed to rush them.
08:39The mana crystals are supposed to be for her own cultivation.
08:41The white fox bonded with her for nothing.
08:44Some students should note,
08:46mana crystal applications are limited.
08:50The school won't give you more if you waste them.
08:52He was clearly talking about me.
08:54I smiled pleasantly.
08:56Understood, sir.
08:57Honestly, in my past life, I'd always been generous with the bear.
09:00Most students kept a 4 to 1 ratio for themselves.
09:03I split everything 50-50.
09:06Equals deserved equal shares.
09:07But this?
09:08Nineteen for Leo.
09:10One for me.
09:11This was something else entirely.
09:13It wasn't generosity.
09:15It was self-preservation.
09:17Because Leo and I had a blood pact.
09:19A standard equal bond meant one partner's death didn't affect the other.
09:22A blood pact was different.
09:24If Leo froze to death on day one of the apocalypse,
09:26the same way the white fox died in my past life,
09:28I died too.
09:29Leo's survival wasn't kindness.
09:31It was my only chance to live.
09:34The mana crystals were an investment in not dying.
09:37After class, students scattered to train on their own.
09:40I carried Leo toward the exit,
09:42and Victoria stepped half in front of me.
09:44I know you've been reborn too, she said.
09:47This time, the cold resistance belongs to me.
09:51Then I hope you enjoy it.
09:53You and your useless little fox can look forward to freezing on day one.
09:57I gave you a chance to be useful to me.
09:59You threw it away.
10:00Leo peeled open one eye from inside my arms,
10:03completely unimpressed.
10:08Victoria's composure shattered instantly.
10:10She stumbled backward.
10:14What is wrong with you?
10:15Get that disgusting thing away from me!
10:18I turned and walked away, barely holding in a laugh.
10:20The mana crystal problem was serious, though.
10:23I needed a massive supply, and I needed it fast.
10:26I was thinking about it,
10:27absently pulling at Leo's fur,
10:29when I remembered.
10:30Before the ice apocalypse hit in my past life,
10:33a news outlet had exposed a small mana vein.
10:35Based on timing, nobody should have found it yet.
10:39When I reached the rough coordinates I'd memorized,
10:43Victoria was already there.
10:47She'd brought 20-plus workers,
10:49and they were already mining the vein.
10:51I stood at the outer edge and watched them haul out crystal after crystal.
10:56Leo pressed its nose to the window.
10:59I covered Leo's eyes.
11:00Low-quality crystals here.
11:02Let's go find something better.
11:04Then, from somewhere inside my head,
11:07a voice crackled to life.
11:08I stopped walking.
11:09Sis, is that you?
11:12You can do telepathy now.
11:15Victoria spent serious resources on me.
11:18I can project thoughts directly.
11:21Sis, take Leo and find somewhere to rest.
11:24Once they're done mining and clear out,
11:27I'll call you back.
11:27I finished the mental exchange and came back to the present moment.
11:31A very large, very imperious fox face
11:34was approximately two inches from my nose.
11:37Leo had both front paws planted on my shoulders.
11:42What were you doing just now?
11:44You were mentally cheating on me.
11:46I grabbed it by the scruff
11:48and I squeezed one soft cheek by way of reprimand.
11:51Leo, watch your voculary.
11:53I'm not wrong.
11:55I can smell the bear on your thorns.
11:57Was that the chunky low knife?
11:59I raised an eyebrow.
12:00Sharp nose.
12:01For your information,
12:03Leo continued voice climbing.
12:04When a white fox makes a blood pact with someone,
12:07that person is their bonded maid.
12:08For life.
12:10You can't have secret meetings with a brown bear.
12:14Yeah, you're a child.
12:15Do you even know what to partner means?
12:17Leo's eyes immediately filled with tears
12:19that refused to actually fall.
12:20It waved its tiny paws
12:22in what appeared to be an angry, thrashing, swimming motion.
12:25I leaned forward and stuck my tongue out at it.
12:28A small, damp nose pressed against my cheek.
12:31Before I could react,
12:32the culprit had already retreated.
12:34Voice very small.
12:36I kissed you.
12:37That means you're mine now.
12:38Nobody else is allowed to kiss you there.
12:40Leo had just made a move on me.
12:42A very small, very smug, very baby-toothed move.
12:46I pulled myself together and went to find somewhere to wait.
12:49I reclined in the car with the air conditioning running,
12:52watching a nature documentary on the center screen.
12:54The documentary put me to sleep almost immediately.
12:58When I woke up, it was dark.
13:02Right on cue, the bear's voice appeared in my head.
13:05Sis, come now.
13:07They're gone.
13:08Leo was staring up at me, suspicious and accusatory.
13:12My conscience flickered.
13:14This was exactly the energy of someone who'd just been caught.
13:17We were just talking.
13:19I'm not listening.
13:20I'm not talking to you for the rest of the day.
13:22Just as the bear had said, the area was empty.
13:25All that remained was a concealment formation
13:27to hide the vein's location.
13:29The bear deactivated it from inside
13:31and poked its head out.
13:33Sis, over here.
13:35It had grown enough to speak clearly.
13:37The white fox in my arms took one look at the bear
13:40and immediately bared its teeth.
13:42Leo's going through a phase.
13:44The bear took the lead.
13:46That thing is a fake, nice snake in the grass.
13:49Get your hand off me.
13:50I'm going to bite it.
13:52I am biting it today.
13:53Riley, don't hold me back.
13:56It went on like that for a while.
13:58I didn't address it.
13:59I looked at the bear.
14:01Its aura drifted quietly around it, steady and calm.
14:05I released Leo and let it jump to the ground.
14:07Leo hit the dirt, spun around, and stared at me.
14:11Its expression said it had not expected me to actually let go.
14:14It shuffled forward at approximately the speed
14:17of a very indignant caterpillar.
14:19Every few steps, it looked back at me.
14:21On its fourth look back, it hesitated.
14:24You're not stopping me?
14:26What if your little buddy gets actually hurt?
14:30I glanced at the bear's aura.
14:32After absorbing a solid hall of mana crystals,
14:35it was running at easily 50 times Leo's current output.
14:39Whether Leo would be the one doing the hurting
14:41was very much an overmatch.
14:43It's fine.
14:45Show me what you've got.
14:47If you win, you'll have my full and undivided attention forever.
14:51Leo glanced at the bear, felt the weight of that aura,
14:55thought about it very carefully.
14:58Slowly, reluctantly, it walked back and sat down next to my feet.
15:02Fine.
15:03You showed good remorse this time.
15:06I'll let the secret meeting go.
15:08But don't let it happen again.
15:09Inside the vein, the bear had divided the crystal stockpile into three piles.
15:15One very small pile for itself,
15:17a medium small pile,
15:19and a pile roughly the size of a small hill.
15:22Leo's eyes went green, literally luminous.
15:25This is all I need, sis.
15:27A voice in my head.
15:29Okay, that chunky thing is definitely not in two.
15:33Sis, this one's for your cultivation.
15:36And that one's for my little sibling.
15:38The bear pointed to the medium pile and the mountain.
15:40Riley, it does not have feelings for you.
15:43I have been worried for nothing.
15:45Run everything through the romance filter, don't you?
15:48I do not.
15:49I flicked Leo on the forehead.
15:50I said simply,
15:52mana crystals.
15:53Leo went quiet and well-behaved immediately.
15:56If we take all of this,
15:58won't Victoria figure out it was you?
16:00She does everything I say right now.
16:04Full compliance.
16:06Victoria stared at the hollowed-out vein
16:08with all the color drained from her face.
16:10You used all of it?
16:12You used every single crystal?
16:14The bear sat on its haunches,
16:16eyes wide and guileless.
16:17Under the rules of its master-servant bond,
16:20it only had to give basic responses.
16:22The truth was not required.
16:24I don't know.
16:25I was asleep all night.
16:26Maybe the vein just ran dry on its own?
16:28Victoria shook with rage.
16:30She brought her entire crew back
16:32and tore the cave apart.
16:34Not a single crystal shard remained.
16:36She stared at the bear for a long time.
16:39Something felt wrong.
16:40She could tell.
16:41But the bond formation read completely normal.
16:43The bear's cultivation aura showed no irregularity.
16:46She had no choice but to swallow it.
16:49Useless, she snapped.
16:50I just left you for a moment
16:52and you couldn't even hold off a bunch of stones.
16:54The bear let its ears droop.
16:56Internally, it was ecstatic.
16:58It sent a message to me.
16:59Sis, she tried to hit me just now.
17:02The bonds punished her for it.
17:04Hidden in the brush nearby,
17:06I pressed my face into Leo's fur to muffle my laughter.
17:10Good.
17:10She tried to steal from us.
17:12The traitor earned it.
17:13I tugged one of its ears.
17:14Don't call the bear that.
17:16It's our teammate.
17:17It looked away,
17:18but its tail quietly curled around my wrist,
17:21warm and soft and completely involuntary.
17:24Once Victoria and her crew were gone,
17:26we slipped into the cave.
17:28The bear had already bundled the crystal stockpile with vines.
17:31Multiple bundles.
17:32Organized and ready.
17:34Sis, these should keep the little one fed for a while.
17:38Leo's eyes locked on the pile and did not move
17:40and started crunching.
17:42The sound echoed through the cave like someone eating gravel.
17:45We loaded the crystals into the car.
17:47They filled most of the trunk.
17:48The bear couldn't come with us.
17:50It had to stay and keep up the performance.
17:52Before we left, it said,
17:53Sis, the apocalypse is ten days out.
17:55Stock up on supplies.
17:57Be careful.
17:58Don't let her spot the cracks in your act.
18:02The bear grinned in its easy, unbothered way.
18:05She does whatever I tell her.
18:06We're fine.
18:07We drove back.
18:08Leo sat in the passenger seat with a crystal in both paws,
18:11crunching contentedly.
18:13Like a squirrel that had found an entire winter's worth of food in one afternoon.
18:19Watching it, I thought about the bear in my past life,
18:23always saving the best of everything for me.
18:25The shape of that care was different now,
18:28but the feeling was the same.
18:29Back in the city,
18:30I skipped my apartment and went straight to the largest supermarket.
18:33I loaded two carts with everything useful.
18:37Compressed ration bars,
18:38canned goods,
18:39bottled water,
18:42instant food.
18:43Leo rode in the cart,
18:45pointing,
18:45More of those chocolate ones.
18:47And the meat jerky.
18:48The spiced kind.
18:49I loaded both.
18:51The store staff watched me with visible unease.
18:53I didn't slow down.
18:55In ten days,
18:55none of this would matter to them anyway.
18:57Beyond food and water,
18:58I grabbed thermal underlayers,
19:01sleeping bags,
19:01flashlights,
19:02batteries,
19:03lighters,
19:04a few sharp kitchen knives,
19:05a hand axe,
19:06anything with practical value in sustained sub-zero conditions.
19:10Two full cart.
19:11I drove home to my apartment and spent an hour hauling everything upstairs.
19:15The living room,
19:16the bedroom,
19:16the balcony.
19:17All of it stacked floor to ceiling.
19:19Leo sprawled across a pile of chocolate bars.
19:21Its tail swayed slowly.
19:23I collapsed onto the couch,
19:25completely winded.
19:28Not bad.
19:29You actually know how to shop.
19:33These are retina phone-ly.
19:35Our survival supplies.
19:37The next several days,
19:38I took Leo to different locations every day
19:40and kept stocking up.
19:42The pharmacy.
19:43Cold medicine.
19:44Fever reducers.
19:45Antibiotics.
19:46Bandages.
19:46Antiseptic.
19:47The outdoor supply store.
19:49A tent,
19:50climbing rope,
19:51anti-slip boots.
19:52A hardware store for gas canisters and basic tools.
19:55My apartment ran out of space.
19:57I rented the unit next door and the one upstairs.
20:00Both became storage.
20:02Victoria texted a few times,
20:04cheerful and fake,
20:05asking how I was doing,
20:07casually mentioning that her brown bear
20:09had broken through to tier two.
20:11I sent her three-word replies.
20:13I already knew.
20:15Everything the bear showed her was deliberate.
20:18Every breakthrough was calculated theater,
20:20designed to keep her compliant.
20:23Leo's growth was outpacing everything I'd projected.
20:26It ate crystals, slept,
20:28and woke up noticeably larger each time.
20:31It had started out the size of a kitten.
20:33Now it was halfway to the size of a medium dog.
20:35Its fur had deepened to a white so pure,
20:39it was almost blinding.
20:41And its eyes had shifted from pale
20:43to a vivid, saturated crimson.
20:45The kind of beauty that made it hard to look away.
20:49Its cultivation aura was also deepening fast.
20:52Something close to tier three was stirring at the edges.
20:55I was combing through Leo's fur when it went still.
20:58Something's happening.
21:02In my bloodline, there's pressure building.
21:05My pulse jumped.
21:07The white fox in my past life
21:09had never awakened any ability at all.
21:11It died before it had the chance.
21:14Was this what happened when you gave a white fox
21:16proper resources and a blood pact?
21:19An early awakening?
21:20Don't force it, I said quietly.
21:23Let it come on its own.
21:25Leo closed its eyes.
21:27A soft, white light kindled across its fur.
21:30The mana crystals around it began losing their glow,
21:33all that energy pouring steadily into Leo's body.
21:36A small spiral of concentrated mana formed around it,
21:40rotating slowly.
21:42Its fur stood up along its spine.
21:45Its tail filled out further,
21:46the individual hairs catching the light
21:49like fiber-optic threads.
21:51An hour passed.
21:52The light faded.
21:54Leo opened its eyes,
21:55and there was something new in them.
21:57I awakened.
21:59What did you get?
22:00Leo tilted its chin up,
22:02tail flicking with casual superiority.
22:04A small, perfectly formed spike of ice
22:07materialized from empty air
22:09and dropped to the floor
22:11with a clean, crystalline tap.
22:13Ice manipulation and void storage.
22:16I stared.
22:18Ice manipulation.
22:19In an ice apocalypse,
22:21an ice affinity ability wasn't just useful.
22:24It was like being native to the environment
22:26everyone else was trying to survive.
22:28And void storage.
22:30One of the rarest abilities in existence.
22:33In my past life,
22:35people with spatial abilities
22:36could name their price at any base.
22:39Every faction wanted them.
22:41Leo, I said,
22:43and pulled it into a hug.
22:44I kissed the top of its head without thinking.
22:47Leo's ears went crimson.
22:49Its entire body locked up for half a second.
22:52Then it twisted away,
22:53deeply offended.
22:55Stop doing that.
22:57Its tail, however,
22:59had already wrapped around my wrist again.
23:01The same involuntary habit.
23:03I 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
23:13and climbed back into my lap
23:15to resume eating crystals.
23:17Three days out from the apocalypse,
23:19the temperature had already started dropping.
23:22Daytime lows were hitting negative 15.
23:25People on the street moved fast,
23:27buried in their puffer coats.
23:29News coverage was starting to pick up
23:31on 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.
23:45Victoria called.
23:46She sounded casual
23:47and then deliberately didn't.
23:49Riley,
23:50my bear just hit tier three peak,
23:52almost to tier four.
23:53I'll be able to take care of myself
23:55once things get rough.
23:57A pause,
23:58pointed.
23:59How about you?
24:00Has your little fox
24:01even hit tier one yet?
24:04It's fine,
24:05tier three,
24:06roughly.
24:08Silence on the other end,
24:09then a short,
24:10dismissive laugh.
24:12Riley,
24:12you don't have to make things up.
24:14White fox maturation timelines are long.
24:17There's no world
24:18where it's already tier three.
24:20Another pause.
24:21Look,
24:22if things get too hard,
24:23you can come to me.
24:24You can work for me.
24:25I'll keep you alive.
24:27I hung up.
24:29Leo was lying next to me,
24:31expression flat.
24:32She thinks tier three peak
24:34is impressive.
24:35It said.
24:36When I hit tier four,
24:37I could end her
24:38or one.
24:40I scratched behind its ear.
24:42Don't get careless.
24:43Victoria is reckless,
24:45but her family has real reach.
24:46When the apocalypse hits,
24:48she'll have numbers.
24:49We play it smart.
24:50Leo pressed its nose down
24:52onto its paws,
24:53still eating crystals.
24:54Those last three days,
24:56I didn't go out.
24:57I stayed home with Leo,
24:59and we trained together.
25:00Leo had already gotten
25:01a solid handle
25:02on his boy's storage.
25:03The space inside
25:04wasn't enormous,
25:06roughly the size
25:06of a basketball court,
25:08but more than sufficient
25:09for supplies.
25:10We loaded the majority
25:11of what I'd stockpiled
25:12into the board.
25:13My own cultivation
25:14was moving faster
25:15than I'd expected.
25:16The blood pack
25:17shared mana flow
25:18between us,
25:19and with the crystals
25:20on top of that,
25:21I'd pushed to tier 2
25:22mid-level.
25:23Not close to Leo
25:24or the bear,
25:25but solidly mid-range
25:27for a human practitioner.
25:28The night before
25:29the apocalypse,
25:30the temperature
25:31had already dropped
25:32to negative 30.
25:33Outside,
25:34the snow came
25:35in heavy diagonal sheets,
25:36and the wind
25:37sounded like
25:38something screaming.
25:39I stood at the window
25:40and looked at the city
25:41disappearing under white.
25:43In my past life,
25:44I had been so afraid,
25:45so completely alone.
25:47This time,
25:48I had the bear,
25:49and I had Leo.
25:51That was enough.
25:52Leo came and pressed
25:53against my leg.
25:55Its head reached
25:55my hip now.
25:56Stop stressing.
25:58It said.
25:59I'm here.
26:00Nobody touches you.
26:01I crouched down
26:02and pulled it close.
26:03I know.
26:04We're going to make it.
26:06The bear checked in
26:06through telepathy.
26:07Sis,
26:08Victoria and her people
26:09have retreated
26:10to her family's
26:11underground facility.
26:13Good supplies,
26:14good infrastructure.
26:15I've already made
26:16some adjustments.
26:18We'll figure out
26:18what that means
26:19once the apocalypse hits.
26:21Good work.
26:22Stay safe.
26:23I didn't sleep.
26:24When morning came,
26:25the world outside
26:26had ended.
26:27Negative 50 degrees.
26:29The window panes
26:29had cracked from the cold,
26:31ice flowers blooming
26:32across the glass.
26:33Outside,
26:34cars had frozen
26:35into sculptures.
26:36People who had been
26:37caught in the streets
26:37were down and still.
26:39The power grid was gone.
26:40Communication networks
26:41were gone.
26:42The city was silent.
26:43The ice apocalypse
26:44had arrived.
26:45I layered on
26:46everything I had,
26:47pulled on my hat and gloves,
26:48held Leo against my chest,
26:50and walked out of the apartment.
26:52The wind hit my face
26:53like something solid,
26:54a burning cold
26:55that cut through
26:56even the layers.
26:57But Leo and I
26:57both had cultivation auras
26:59as a buffer.
26:59Leo's ice manipulation
27:01shaved off
27:01another layer of the cold
27:03on top of that.
27:04We could bear it.
27:05The streets were a wreck.
27:06Abandoned vehicles everywhere,
27:08frozen bodies
27:08half buried in the drifts.
27:10Mutant beasts
27:11prowled the snow
27:12between the cars,
27:13eyes sharp and predatory,
27:15tracking us as we passed.
27:16The apocalypse
27:17had done something
27:18to the wildlife.
27:19The extreme cold
27:20triggered genetic shifts,
27:21and what came out
27:22the other side
27:23was faster,
27:24meaner,
27:25and far more adapted
27:26to the temperature
27:26than anything
27:27that had existed before.
27:28Leo dropped out
27:29of my arms.
27:30Its body expanded
27:31in one smooth motion,
27:33doubling in size.
27:34The white fur settled,
27:35dense and wind-resistant.
27:37Its eyes locked
27:38onto the nearest creature
27:39with the calm
27:40of something
27:40that had already
27:41decided the outcome.
27:42You're looking
27:42at my person.
27:44Bad call.
27:45Its tail swept sideways.
27:47Six ice spikes
27:48launched simultaneously.
27:50They punched
27:50through the throats
27:51of the closest mutants
27:52before any of them
27:53could react.
27:54The bodies dropped
27:55and were still
27:56completely ridiculous,
27:57completely dramatic,
27:58completely reliable.
27:59We moved
28:00toward the city center.
28:01That was where
28:01the survivor base was.
28:02In my past life,
28:03the government
28:04had organized
28:05several large-scale shelters
28:06in the weeks
28:07after the apocalypse hit.
28:08The central base
28:09was the biggest
28:10and the safest.
28:11Two hours on foot.
28:13Then the base
28:14appeared through the blizzard.
28:15A ring of steel walls
28:16rising over ten meters.
28:18Soldiers posted
28:19on the upper walkways
28:20with rifles,
28:21scanning the perimeter.
28:23A crowd of survivors
28:24was already queued
28:25at the gate.
28:26We joined the line.
28:27The couple ahead of us
28:28had a baby pressed
28:29to the woman's chest.
28:30The baby was crying.
28:32The woman's face
28:33was hollow.
28:34The man looked like
28:34he hadn't slept in days,
28:36the woman said
28:37to the soldier
28:37at the checkpoint.
28:38She hasn't eaten
28:39in three days.
28:40The soldier's expression
28:41didn't move.
28:43Entry requires
28:43a resource payment.
28:45Ten pounds of food,
28:46five bottles of water,
28:47or one warm garment.
28:49No exceptions.
28:50The man's voice cracked.
28:52Everything we had
28:53was taken by a mutant pack.
28:55We have nothing left.
28:58Please.
28:59Policy is policy.
29:01The woman started crying.
29:03The baby cried laughing.
29:04I'd been there before.
29:06I knew what it felt like
29:07when every door was shut
29:08and there was nothing left
29:09to bargain with.
29:11I reached into my pack
29:12and pulled out two cans
29:13and a water bottle.
29:14I held them out to the couple.
29:16Use these for your entry fee.
29:18They turned around.
29:20The woman looked at me.
29:21You're a good person.
29:23You're a good...
29:23I smiled and didn't say anything.
29:26Leo made an irritated noise
29:27beside me.
29:28You're going to keep doing this,
29:30aren't you?
29:31Helping complete strangers.
29:33We might need a stranger's help
29:34someday too.
29:35Leo said nothing more.
29:37But it didn't argue.
29:39When we reached the checkpoint,
29:41the soldier looked at Leo
29:42and went wary.
29:43Handed over five pounds
29:44of rations.
29:46Is that enough?
29:47The soldier checked it.
29:49Nodded.
29:49You can go in.
29:50We were almost through the gate
29:52when a familiar voice
29:53called from behind us.
29:55Riley!
29:57I turned.
29:58Victoria was pushing
29:58through the crowd,
29:59surrounded by a cluster of people,
30:01with the brown bear
30:02walking calmly at her side.
30:04She was wearing
30:04an expensive puffer coat,
30:06her face perfectly composed
30:07and confident.
30:08Her group had weapons.
30:10I didn't expect you
30:11to make it this far.
30:12She looked me over
30:12with a slow,
30:13deliberate appraisal.
30:14I guess that fox of yours
30:16isn't completely decorative.
30:18Leo's fur went electric.
30:19Its body expanded,
30:21hackles lifting,
30:22lips pulling back.
30:23Say that again.
30:24Victoria took a step back
30:25without meaning to.
30:26Then she collected herself
30:28and shifted behind the bear.
30:29The bear stepped forward
30:31and positioned itself
30:32between them.
30:32It glanced at me.
30:33Its expression said,
30:34I know.
30:35I tried to stop her.
30:36She wouldn't listen.
30:38I looked back at it
30:39and gave a small signal.
30:40Not now.
30:41Too many people.
30:42What happens to us in there
30:43has nothing to do with you.
30:45I said,
30:45and pulled Leo
30:46toward the gate.
30:47Hold on.
30:48Victoria's voice sharpened.
30:49Riley,
30:50you think a tier 3 fox
30:51is enough to hold
30:52any ground in there?
30:53This base runs on strength.
30:55My bear is tier 4.
30:56That makes me
30:56the top of the food chain here.
30:58You have two options.
30:59Fall in line
31:00and work under me
31:01or I make sure
31:02you can't move in this base
31:03without running into a wall.
31:04The crowd around the gate
31:05had started paying attention.
31:06Tier 4 was rare
31:07in the early apocalypse.
31:09People recognized
31:10what that meant.
31:11I let the moment sit
31:12for exactly one breath.
31:14Then,
31:14I looked at Leo.
31:15Leo understood
31:16without being told.
31:17Its cultivation aura
31:19detonated outward.
31:20Tier 4 pressure
31:21rolled across the gate plaza
31:23like a physical force.
31:24The snowflakes
31:25still drifting in the air
31:26simply stopped moving.
31:28The cold deepened
31:29noticeably.
31:30Several people
31:30stumbled back.
31:31Victoria's face
31:33lost its color.
31:34That's not possible.
31:36How is your fox
31:37already tier 4?
31:39Leo tilted its chin up
31:40to a frankly insufferable angle.
31:42You assumed
31:43your bear was the ceiling
31:44embarrassing the stake.
31:46The bear chose
31:47that moment
31:47to release its own
31:48tier 4 aura
31:49alongside Leo's.
31:51Two tier 4 signatures
31:52layered together.
31:53The crowd scattered
31:54back from the gate.
31:55Half of them
31:56barely staying upright.
31:58Victoria stood there
31:59mouth open
32:00staring between Leo
32:01and the bear.
32:02The bear
32:03which was supposed
32:03to be hers
32:04aligned with the girl
32:06she'd been trying
32:06to humiliate.
32:08She tried to form words
32:09couldn't find them.
32:10I walked through the gate
32:11with Leo
32:11and the bear
32:12on either side of me
32:13and left Victoria
32:15and her group
32:15at the entrance
32:16with whatever was left
32:17of the impression
32:18she'd tried to make.
32:19Inside
32:19we were brought
32:20to a registration desk.
32:22Name
32:22cultivation tier
32:23magical animal.
32:24The soldier processing
32:25our forms
32:25looked at Leo's
32:26tier 4 listing
32:27then at the bear's
32:28and spent a long moment
32:29saying nothing.
32:31Then the professionalism
32:32kicked back in
32:32somewhat overcorrected.
32:35Ms. Riley
32:35with two tier 4
32:37familities
32:37you qualify
32:38for our highest tier
32:38accommodations.
32:39We'd like to offer you
32:40a room in the VIP wing.
32:41Independent room
32:42heating system
32:43full resource allocation.
32:44That works.
32:45Can I get an additional
32:46room for my companion?
32:47Of course.
32:48Absolutely.
32:49Right away.
32:50A soldier escorted us
32:50to the VIP wing.
32:52It was its own building
32:53near the center
32:53of the base.
32:54Inside
32:55functioning radiators
32:56hot water
32:57a private bathroom
32:58a small kitchen
32:59a sitting area.
33:00The soldier handed me
33:01a key card
33:02and stepped back
33:03with the careful
33:03deference usually
33:04reserved for people
33:05who could level buildings.
33:07I opened my room
33:07and started pulling supplies
33:09out of Leo's void storage.
33:10Organized the space
33:12stacked what we needed.
33:13Leo jumped onto the couch
33:14and stretched its full length
33:16tail hanging off the edge.
33:18Finally
33:18that walk
33:19was miserable.
33:20The bear appeared
33:21in the doorway
33:22eyes warm.
33:23Victoria and her group
33:24got assigned
33:25to general housing.
33:26Leave her alone.
33:28Let's rest
33:28and get our bearings.
33:30Over the following days
33:30we mapped the base.
33:32Around 5,000 survivors.
33:34The majority were civilians
33:35with no cultivation ability
33:36and no magical animal.
33:38A small fraction
33:39had some level of training
33:40and bonded mates.
33:41The base ran
33:42a strict allocation system.
33:44Resources distributed
33:45by contribution level
33:46and cultivation tier.
33:47Victoria established
33:48herself quickly.
33:49The tier 4 bear
33:50was enough
33:51to pull in followers
33:52and she assembled
33:53a decent sized crew
33:54within the first week.
33:55She used them
33:55to push people around.
33:57The kind of entitlement
33:58that survives context
33:59changes because
34:00it was never really
34:01about context.
34:02One afternoon
34:03in the base cafeteria
34:04she walked in
34:05with her group
34:05and found us eating.
34:07You have some nerve.
34:08These rations are for people
34:09who actually contribute
34:10not passengers
34:11who coast on the strength
34:12of their magic animal.
34:13Leo sat down
34:14its jerky strip.
34:15Its eyes went flat.
34:16Repeat that.
34:17Victoria was visibly
34:18unnerved
34:19but committed.
34:20I called you a passenger.
34:21Your fox got lucky
34:22hitting tier 4.
34:23That doesn't make
34:24you anything special.
34:24I set my chopsticks down,
34:26stood up,
34:26and said,
34:27Then let's settle it.
34:28If you win,
34:29I don't set foot
34:30in this cafeteria again.
34:31If I win,
34:32you leave the base
34:33and stop terrorizing
34:34everyone in it.
34:35Victoria's expression
34:36lit up.
34:37She'd wanted this
34:39for days.
34:40Deal!
34:41Don't cry
34:41when you lose.
34:42People crowded in
34:43from three directions.
34:45We moved
34:45to the training yard.
34:46Victoria summoned
34:47the bear in front
34:48of the arms crossed,
34:49smiling.
34:50You go first.
34:51I'll be generous.
34:52I looked at Leo.
34:54Show her,
34:55little highness.
34:55Leo expanded
34:56to full size.
34:58The tier 4 aura
34:59hit the yard
35:00and lost weight.
35:01It launched itself
35:02at the door.
35:03The bear
35:04rucked
35:05and met it
35:06head on.
35:07Ice spikes
35:07against bear claws.
35:09The impact
35:09sounds concussive.
35:11The training yard floor,
35:13spider webbing,
35:14cracks from the force.
35:15But Victoria's bear
35:17had no real
35:18lumbat head.
35:19Leo did.
35:20And beyond experience,
35:21Leo's ice affinity
35:23directly countered
35:24the bear's earth.
35:26Crossed against
35:27terror.
35:28Leo controlled
35:29the pace
35:29of the entire fight
35:30on the first exchange.
35:32Victoria screamed
35:33from the sidelines.
35:35Hit harder!
35:36Kill it!
35:37The bear tried.
35:38It was already
35:39falling back.
35:40Leo moved
35:41faster than it
35:42could track.
35:43The ice in the air
35:44responding to Leo
35:45like an extension
35:46of its own body.
35:47One massive tail strike
35:49caught the bear's square
35:50and launched it
35:51across the ground.
35:52It landed
35:53off.
35:54It was blood
35:54in the snow.
35:55It didn't
35:56get back up.
35:57Leo landed,
35:58turned,
35:59and looked at Victoria
36:00with no expression.
36:02Anything else?
36:03Victoria stared
36:04at the bear
36:04on the ground.
36:05Her composure
36:06had completely
36:07disintegrated.
36:08It's possible!
36:09My bear can't lose!
36:12I walked up to her.
36:13You made a bet.
36:14Honor it.
36:15Take your people
36:16and go.
36:18Victoria looked
36:19at the crowd
36:19around her,
36:20at every face
36:21watching,
36:22at every person
36:23she'd pushed around
36:24for the past week.
36:25Her expression
36:26went through
36:27several colors.
36:28Then,
36:29she grabbed
36:29the injured bear
36:30and walked.
36:31The base
36:32watched her leave.
36:33That night,
36:34the bear came back
36:35on its own.
36:36It stopped
36:36at the edge
36:37of our shelter
36:38and looked at me.
36:39Victoria hadn't
36:40wanted it.
36:41She'd only ever
36:42wanted to win.
36:43I let it.
36:44With Victoria gone,
36:45things settled quickly.
36:46Our position
36:47in the base
36:48became something
36:48people organized
36:49around instead
36:50of something
36:50they resented.
36:51Survivors approached
36:52us, a lot of them.
36:54I didn't take everyone.
36:55I looked for people
36:56with usable skills
36:57and genuine character.
36:59Eventually,
36:59we had a small,
37:01functional team.
37:01We ran daily operations.
37:03Resource runs
37:04outside the walls,
37:05mutant beast hunts.
37:06Leo's ice control
37:07and void swords
37:08were decisive in both.
37:10The bear handled
37:10direct engagement.
37:12I coordinated
37:12and covered flanks.
37:14The team filled in
37:15around us
37:15and learned fast.
37:17Mutant beasts
37:17had energy cores
37:18in their bodies.
37:19Dense,
37:20crystallized power.
37:21Both the cultivation
37:22resource
37:23and the base's
37:24functional currency.
37:25We found supply
37:26caches that others
37:27had missed.
37:28Brought back more cores
37:29than any other team.
37:30Leo's tiered
37:31had a line for me.
37:32Tier 5
37:33came quickly.
37:34Its ice domain
37:34expanded,
37:35able to suppress
37:36an entire zone
37:37slowing enemy movement
37:39and attacks
37:39inside of me.
37:41The void storage
37:42grew larger.
37:43The bear in tier 5 too.
37:44My own cultivation
37:45reached tier 4 mid-level.
37:47Then,
37:48the temperature
37:49dropped again.
37:50Negative 8.
37:51More moves.
37:51Stronger moves.
37:53Reports from other bases.
37:54Some had been overrun.
37:55Others had collapsed
37:57from starvation.
37:58The pressure on our base
37:59was cold.
38:00The mutant waves
38:01at the walls
38:01were really hard.
38:03Our team
38:04became the base's
38:05first line of the night.
38:06During one of the
38:07large-scale defense operations,
38:09something came out
38:10of the storm
38:10that stopped
38:11everyone cold.
38:12A tier 6
38:13mutant snow
38:14mass
38:15white fur
38:16and yellow eyes
38:18perfectly
38:18balanced
38:19in a way
38:20that suggested
38:21the cold
38:22was no longer
38:23its environment
38:23but its element.
38:25It hit the outer wall
38:26in steam
38:27and punched
38:28straight through
38:29the fence line.
38:30Soldiers scattered.
38:31The walkway section
38:32nearest the bridge
38:33was cleared
38:33in seconds.
38:34This is bad.
38:36My stomach dropped.
38:37A tier 6
38:38in the
38:38was something
38:40we hadn't planned for.
38:42Leo and the bear
38:43exchanged one look.
38:44Both moved
38:45at the same time.
38:46Leo drove ice spikes
38:47into the wolf's pack
38:48and froze its legs
38:49to the ground.
38:50The bear closed the gap
38:52and dropped
38:52both forefights
38:53down hard.
38:54The wolf broke
38:55the ice restraints
38:56faster than either
38:57of them had anticipated,
38:58lunged sideways
38:59and locked its jaws
39:01on the bear's shoulder.
39:02The bear's blood
39:03hit the snow.
39:05Bear!
39:05My voice came out louder
39:07than I meant it to.
39:08Leo saw the blood
39:09and something shifted.
39:10The temperature around it
39:11dropped independently
39:12from the ambient cold.
39:14It called up
39:15a full ice sword,
39:16the biggest construct
39:18I'd seen it produce.
39:19It brought it down
39:20directly on it.
39:21The wolf released
39:22the bear
39:22and came up to
39:23the bear's sword
39:24head only,
39:25a defensive line
39:26bearing the white
39:27around a trotter.
39:28a collision detonated.
39:30The shockwave
39:30threw every soldier
39:32within 20 meters
39:33off their feet.
39:34The wolf had taken
39:35a serious wound,
39:36deep enough that
39:37blood was running
39:38steadily into the snow,
39:39but it was still moving.
39:41And now,
39:42it was furious.
39:43It wheeled
39:44and drove at Leo.
39:46I made the call.
39:47Letting this drag on
39:47wasn't an option.
39:49Every additional
39:49exchange cost a drop.
39:51I reached into my pack,
39:53pulled out the hand axe.
39:54I ran my cultivation
39:55through my arms
39:56until I could feel
39:57it pushing at my joint
39:58and I threw the axe
40:00directly at the wolf's
40:01left eye.
40:02It hadn't expected
40:03a human to engage
40:04in that room.
40:05It turned too late.
40:06The axe connected.
40:08The wolf screamed,
40:09a sound that rolled
40:10across the base walls
40:11and thrashed
40:12its head violently.
40:13Leo took the opening.
40:15Ice sword,
40:15straight down.
40:16Clean.
40:17The wolf's body
40:18settled into the snow
40:19and went still.
40:20We stood there
40:21for a moment,
40:22breathing.
40:22The bear's shoulder
40:23wound was deep.
40:24I had the antiseptic
40:26and bandages out
40:27before anyone else moved.
40:28Leo was on the ground,
40:30sides heaving.
40:31Cultivation reserves
40:32nearly empty.
40:33Fist?
40:34Leo said,
40:35lifting its head
40:35toward the wolf's remains.
40:37That core
40:38is going to be
40:38something.
40:39I extracted it.
40:41It was the size
40:41of a closed fist.
40:43Tier 6.
40:44Enough concentrated
40:45energy inside
40:46to push Leo's cultivation
40:48to a level
40:48we hadn't projected
40:49for months.
40:50Back at the base gate,
40:52the facility director
40:52was waiting
40:53to receive us personally.
40:55Without us,
40:55the wolf would have
40:56been through the walls
40:57and into the civilian sectors.
40:58Leo spent the next
40:59several days
41:00absorbing the tier 6 core.
41:01Tier 6 came steadily
41:03and with it,
41:03Leo's isomane
41:04became something else entirely.
41:06Inside the field,
41:07it could now project.
41:09Every enemy was running
41:10at a fraction
41:10of normal capacity.
41:12Movement slowed.
41:13Attack force
41:13dropped sharply.
41:15The cold inside the field
41:16was a different kind of cold
41:17from the ambient
41:18apocalypse temperature.
41:19It had intent
41:20behind it.
41:21The bear's wound closed
41:22and its cultivation
41:23pushed to tier 6 as well.
41:25Its defensive strength
41:26reached a point
41:27where smaller mutants
41:28couldn't break through
41:28even without active effort.
41:30My own cultivation
41:31crossed into tier 4 peak
41:32during that same stretch.
41:34Not comparable
41:35to either of them,
41:36but functional enough
41:37to contribute real value
41:38in a fight.
41:39We were the strongest team
41:40in the base.
41:41People came looking
41:42for us constantly.
41:43I kept filtering.
41:44The ones I added
41:45were worth adding.
41:46The mutant incursions
41:47kept escalating.
41:48Tier 6 became
41:49the new baseline
41:50outside the walls
41:51instead of the exception.
41:52Other survivor bases
41:53sent messages
41:54when they still could,
41:55and those messages
41:56grew more desperate.
41:57Some stopped coming
41:58altogether.
41:58We started ranging
41:59further out on our
42:00supply runs,
42:01into the deeper city
42:02where higher tier mutants
42:03had settled
42:03and where the ruins
42:04held things worth finding.
42:06That was how we found
42:07the ancient ruin.
42:09The structure
42:09shouldn't have been there.
42:10It predated everything
42:12around it by what
42:12felt like centuries.
42:14The architecture
42:15didn't match anything
42:15currently in use.
42:17The interior was layered
42:18with old formation arrays,
42:19pressure-sensitive trap zones,
42:21and guardian beasts
42:22that hadn't been active
42:23in a long time,
42:24but had woken up
42:25when we came in.
42:26We moved carefully.
42:27Some of the traps
42:28caught us anyway.
42:29The guardians were tough,
42:31a different kind of tough
42:32from the mutants outside.
42:33Older,
42:34more deliberate,
42:35less wild.
42:36We took losses
42:37in terms of supplies
42:38and time,
42:38and a few team members
42:40needed serious recovery
42:41afterward,
42:41but we came out
42:42the other side.
42:43Deep in the ruin,
42:44past the densest section
42:46of guardian formations,
42:47we found two things.
42:48A cultivation manual,
42:50ice system,
42:51high grade,
42:52title,
42:53Frost God Codex,
42:54and a sword.
42:55Ice forged,
42:56single-edged,
42:57the blade holding
42:58a sustained cold
42:59that made the air
43:00around it visible.
43:01Bound to an ice practitioner,
43:03both were meant for Leo.
43:04After Leo absorbed
43:06the Frost God Codex
43:07and bonded the ice sword,
43:08its cultivation moved
43:09faster than I could track.
43:11Tier 7 came within days.
43:13Its ice manipulation
43:14had crossed from skilled
43:15into something that felt
43:16more like fluency
43:17with a fundamental force.
43:19It could project
43:20a full glacier construct now,
43:22hold it,
43:23shape it,
43:23move it.
43:24In combat,
43:25it summoned a faint reflection
43:26of something vast
43:27and cold above itself,
43:29a presence that made enemies
43:30hesitate before they
43:31understood why.
43:32The bear found a high-grade
43:34earth system manual
43:35in the same chamber,
43:36Earth Warden Codex.
43:38Tier 7 followed shortly after.
43:40Its defensive capability
43:41became nearly absolute
43:42at close range.
43:43The ground responded to it
43:45in ways that were useful
43:46in ways we were still discovering.
43:48My own cultivation,
43:49drawing on the dense
43:50ambient energy
43:51inside the ruin,
43:52broke through
43:53to Tier 5 mid-level.
43:54We left the ruin
43:55carrying more than
43:56we'd expected to find
43:57and returned to the base
43:58to prepare for the next phase.
44:00Because we had decided,
44:02we were done
44:02staying in one place.
44:04Before we left,
44:05we distributed the bases
44:06stored supplies
44:07to the civilians,
44:08the ones who couldn't fight,
44:09who had no familiar,
44:10who had survived this far
44:12by nothing except luck
44:13and stubbornness.
44:15We left them what we could.
44:16Then,
44:17we loaded our team
44:17into a convoy
44:18of modified SUVs,
44:20every vehicle
44:20packed with supplies
44:21and equipment,
44:22and drove out.
44:23The road was what
44:24the apocalypse had made of it.
44:26Stripped vehicles,
44:27frozen terrain,
44:28weather that shifted
44:29from brutal to catastrophic
44:30and back without warning.
44:32Mutants on every major route,
44:34survivors
44:34in varying states
44:36of desperation
44:36allowed them to live.
44:37We didn't run from anything.
44:39Leo's ice domain
44:40covered a wide enough radius
44:41to make a convoy
44:42defensible on the move.
44:43The bear took point
44:44in the lead vehicle's cargo bed.
44:46Our team had developed
44:47into something cohesive.
44:49People knew their roles,
44:50executed them,
44:51adjusted without needing
44:52to be managed.
44:53The enemies that came at us
44:54found out quickly
44:55that the cost wasn't worth it.
44:57We drove through city
44:58after city.
44:59In each one,
44:59we looked for survivors.
45:01We pulled out the ones
45:02who could be helped,
45:03assessed the ones
45:03who wanted to join us,
45:05turned away the ones
45:06who were dangerous.
45:07The convoy grew.
45:08Dozens became hundreds.
45:10We found our location
45:11in a valley
45:11that sat inside a mountain green.
45:13Flat ground in the center,
45:14multiple resource nodes
45:16within range,
45:17defensible perimeter
45:18with natural geographic support
45:19on three sides.
45:21We built steel and stone
45:23for the outer wall,
45:24formation arrays
45:25adapted from techniques
45:26we found across our travels,
45:27running along every section.
45:29Armories,
45:30a cultivation training area,
45:32a medical facility,
45:33storage warehouses
45:34with rotation schedules,
45:36a residential district
45:37laid out for actual
45:38human habitation,
45:40not just survival stacking.
45:42The system we ran,
45:43you contributed,
45:44you received.
45:45Roles were assigned
45:46based on skill
45:47and inclination.
45:48Resources were distributed
45:49based on what you did
45:50with your time.
45:51The ratio was transparent
45:53and applied to everyone equally,
45:55including us.
45:56We formed a dedicated
45:57hunting team
45:57and a dedicated
45:58exploration team.
46:00The hunters ran operations
46:01against the mutant populations
46:03in our range,
46:03bringing back cores
46:05and raw materials.
46:06The explorers ranged out
46:07to ruins,
46:08dead city blocks
46:09and resource points,
46:10returning with supplies
46:11and occasionally
46:12something significant.
46:14As the base grew,
46:15so did its reach.
46:17The name spread outward
46:18through whatever communication network
46:20still existed in the apocalypse.
46:21Survivor channels,
46:22word of mouth,
46:23other bases making contact.
46:25People arrived in groups,
46:27sometimes in large groups.
46:29We took the ones worth taking
46:30and built the capacity
46:32to house and integrate them.
46:33The base became something
46:35that people talked about
46:36in terms of whether it was real.
46:38A place in the ice apocalypse
46:40where the structure
46:40didn't collapse under pressure.
46:42Where you ate
46:43if you contributed.
46:44Where the walls held.
46:46Victoria dropped off the map
46:48entirely after leaving
46:49her house space.
46:50Some accounts said
46:51she hadn't survived
46:52the weeks that had followed.
46:53Others said she'd found
46:54another faction
46:55to attach herself to
46:56and was someone else's problem.
46:58Neither version
46:59concerned us particularly.
47:01Whatever happened to her
47:02happened somewhere
47:03that wasn't our business anymore.
47:05I stood on the wall
47:06one evening,
47:07looking down over the base.
47:09The light was wrong
47:09for the apocalypse.
47:11Too warm.
47:11Coming from the fires
47:13and the lanterns
47:14and the lit windows
47:14of the residential block.
47:16People were moving
47:17in the streets,
47:18talking, working.
47:20A few were laughing,
47:22which still felt strange
47:23every time I heard it out here.
47:25Leo pressed its flank
47:27against my leg.
47:28It had grown into something
47:29that came up past my waist now
47:31and its fur in the firelight
47:33looked less white
47:34than a little.
47:35The way fresh snow
47:36looks in the dark.
47:38The bear stood a few meters
47:39down the wall,
47:40watching the same scene.
47:42Ears relaxed,
47:43posture easy.
47:44In my past life,
47:45I had lost everything.
47:47I had survived
47:48the early apocalypse alone,
47:50holding onto a bear I loved
47:51and even that had been taken
47:53from me before the end.
47:54This time,
47:56I had come back
47:57with the memory
47:57of all of it.
47:58Every mistake.
48:00Every moment I had been
48:01too slow
48:01or too trusting
48:02or too unprepared.
48:04I had used all of it
48:05and what I had now,
48:07I had built from it.
48:08There was Leo,
48:09who had crashed into my life
48:10by biting my hand
48:11and never really let go.
48:13Who was absurd
48:14and dramatic
48:14and thin-skinned
48:15about everything
48:16and completely,
48:18unflinchingly there
48:19when it mattered.
48:19There was the bear,
48:21who had recognized me
48:22across a classroom
48:23in another life
48:23and blinked twice
48:24to tell me it remembered
48:26and had then spent
48:27the next month
48:28doing what it always did,
48:29watching my back
48:30without being asked.
48:31There was a base
48:32full of people
48:33who were alive
48:34because we had gotten
48:34to them in time
48:35or because we'd built
48:37something worth
48:37surviving inside.
48:39The ice apocalypse
48:40was still out there.
48:41The cold hadn't broken.
48:42The mutants kept evolving.
48:44There were still ruins
48:45we hadn't opened
48:46and threats
48:47we hadn't identified
48:48and territory
48:49we hadn't mapped.
48:50But I had stopped
48:51counting the days
48:52until things got better
48:53and started measuring
48:54what we were building.
48:56The world was still frozen.
48:57We were still standing in it
48:59and we were going
49:00to keep standing.
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