๐งก๐ ๐ฅ
(2026) - FULL ENGSUB | Reelshort Hot HD
Full Chinese Movie EngSub
Chinese Drama English Sub Full HD
#shortdrama #bestdrama #actionmovie #Drama #Film #Show #Anime #Movie #cdrama #Movies #BILLIONAIRE #shortdrama #dramashort #shortfilmdrama #minidrama #shortstorydrama #webdrama #indiedrama #shortfilmseries #shortdramaseries #dramashorts #englishmovie #cdrama #drama #movieshortfull
#BillionaireObsession #VirginAuction #MrDelaney #AlphaRomance #DarkDesire #SoldToHim #DailymotionDrama
#goodfilms romance #bestfilmromance #romance #filmromance #drama romance
#fullmovie2025 #Dramavideo #trending
(2026) - FULL ENGSUB | Reelshort Hot HD
Full Chinese Movie EngSub
Chinese Drama English Sub Full HD
#shortdrama #bestdrama #actionmovie #Drama #Film #Show #Anime #Movie #cdrama #Movies #BILLIONAIRE #shortdrama #dramashort #shortfilmdrama #minidrama #shortstorydrama #webdrama #indiedrama #shortfilmseries #shortdramaseries #dramashorts #englishmovie #cdrama #drama #movieshortfull
#BillionaireObsession #VirginAuction #MrDelaney #AlphaRomance #DarkDesire #SoldToHim #DailymotionDrama
#goodfilms romance #bestfilmromance #romance #filmromance #drama romance
#fullmovie2025 #Dramavideo #trending
Category
๐ฅ
Short filmTranscript
00:00On the first day of school, the teachers handed out magical animals based on grades.
00:05Valedictorian and class president Victoria didn't even hesitate.
00:08She walked straight up and grabbed the SSS tier white fox.
00:11I was dead last in the class rankings.
00:14I 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.
00:21Cold resistance.
00:22Victoria's white fox never had the chance to grow.
00:25On 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.
00:32They killed my bear.
00:33Then they roasted steaks right in front of me, while they ate.
00:36I was so overwhelmed with grief and died.
00:38When I opened my eyes again, I was back.
00:41Back to the day they handed out magical animals.
00:43As the dead last student of the werewolf academy, I was always picked last.
00:47And 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!
00:55She sprinted over, clutching a small white fox kit.
00:58And shoved it into my arms without a word.
01:00Then she picked up the brown bear from its crate.
01:02You take the white fox.
01:04I want the brown bear.
01:06The entire classroom went silent.
01:08Even Mr. Harris, our homeroom teacher, frowned.
01:11Everyone knew the white fox had the purest bloodline of any familiar in this batch.
01:15Its ancient lineage concentration was 80%.
01:17The brown bear's was barely 20% and it was considered a low-tier species.
01:21Mr. Harris leaned forward.
01:23Victoria.
01:24Choosing your bonded animal isn't something to joke about.
01:27This determines your ceiling for the rest of your life.
01:31Sir, Riley needs this white fox more than I do.
01:34My grades are strong.
01:36I can train fast no matter what magical animal I bond with.
01:39But Riley's talent for cultivation is average.
01:43If she's also stuck with a low-blood-blood brown bear, her future is basically over.
01:50The class erupted in applause.
01:52Mr. Harris nodded approvingly.
01:54You are kind.
01:55A pure and selfless heart will carry you further than any familiar ever could.
02:01Then he turned to me and frowned.
02:04Why are you just standing there?
02:05Thank Victoria.
02:06I blinked.
02:07I held the white fox kit out toward her.
02:11It'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.
02:21You don't have to test me.
02:23I genuinely want to trade.
02:26I'm serious.
02:28Keep it.
02:29Before I could finish, something sharp bit down on the web of my right hand.
02:34I looked down.
02:36The white fox kit had bitten me.
02:38Then the fox pressed its tiny tongue against my skin and licked it clean.
02:43The fox had initiated a blood pact with me.
02:46So Riley wasn't being noble after all.
02:49She said she didn't want the white fox, but she went and blood pasted it the second she got the
02:52chance.
02:53She was just scared Victoria would take it back.
02:55Never seen someone play both sides that hard before.
02:58After the blood pact locked in, the white fox went drowsy and fell asleep in my arms.
03:02I sat there, listening to the whispers and feeling my face go red.
03:06They didn't know the truth.
03:07I 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.
03:27She'd been reborn, just like me.
03:29I stared at the bear tucked against Victoria's chest.
03:32I'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.
03:46I was staring at it when the bear slowly turned its head and met my eyes.
03:50Then it blinked.
03:51Once.
03:52Twice.
03:53Not once.
03:55Not three times.
03:56Twice.
03:57My chest lit up.
03:59Two blinks was a signal.
04:00A code we'd created together in our past life.
04:03The 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
04:12my fingertip.
04:13I looked down.
04:14My white fox had woken up.
04:16I'm not useless.
04:18The voice was haughty.
04:20Also undeniably baby soft.
04:22And stop staring at that chunky little lowlife.
04:25I poked the fox gently.
04:26Are you talking?
04:28The white fox gave an imperious little sniff and rolled over in my arms.
04:32I 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...
04:39Your Highness.
04:40My name is Leo.
04:41It announced.
04:43You can call me Your Highnesses if you want.
04:45I flicked its forehead.
04:46Who taught you to be this dramatic?
04:49Up front, Mr. Harris was explaining how to draw binding circles on the board.
04:54Most bonds were initiated by humans, since magical animals were naturally proud creatures.
04:59Young kids were gentler than adults, but it was still extremely rare for a familiar to seek
05:05out a bond on its own.
05:06Everyone began attempting their bonds.
05:09Everyone 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.
05:21She smells.
05:22Smells?
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.
05:32Those guys are blind.
05:34Leo said flatly.
05:36Achoo!
05:37They can't see the rod underneath.
05:38And me?
05:41Leo buried its nose in my sleeve.
05:43Its voice came out slightly strangled.
05:46You're fine.
05:47You're kind of sweet.
05:49I 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.
06:00I 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.
06:14The moment my hand settled on the tail, Leo went completely rigid.
06:19Through the white fur, I could see its skin flush faintly pink.
06:23Stop it!
06:24What is wrong with you?
06:25It sounded exactly like someone who'd just been caught off guard, and was deeply, mortifyingly flustered.
06:32I pulled my hand back, keeping my expression neutral.
06:35Calm down.
06:37You've got a very active imagination.
06:39Leo's eyes welled up immediately.
06:41It snapped its head away and refused to look at me.
06:44Across the room, Victoria successfully completed her binding circle.
06:48A flash of pleasure crossed her face.
06:50She directed it toward the bear.
06:52The circle activated, spinning fast around the bear.
06:56Inside 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.
07:11It was a technique we'd discovered together in a ruin, years ago in another life.
07:16The bear was now using it to put a leash on Victoria.
07:19The bear caught my eye across the room, satisfied, proud of itself.
07:25Under the table, I gave it a thumbs up.
07:28You are so manipulative, Leo muttered into my ribs.
07:32I was pinching its soft, borderline boneless little cheek.
07:36Me?
07:37How?
07:38You touched my tail and then stared at that chunky lowlife for five whole minutes.
07:44You were making eyes at it.
07:46Leo's voice was escalating toward genuine grievance.
07:49I added another item to my mental description of it, prone to completely unhinged jealousy.
07:55After class ended, Mr. Harris handed out cultivation supplies.
08:00One week's worth per student.
08:02I kept a single mana crystal for myself.
08:05I fed everything else to Leo.
08:07Nineteen crystals.
08:09Leo crunched through them like chips.
08:11We hadn't even left the classroom.
08:13The class watched in disbelief.
08:16Is she serious?
08:17That's a week's worth of cultivation resources?
08:20And she just fed all of it to the fox?
08:22Did she even listen in class?
08:23Magic 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.
08:32Some students should note.
08:34Mana crystal applications are limited.
08:37The school won't give you more if you waste them.
08:40He was clearly talking about me.
08:42I smiled pleasantly.
08:43Understood, sir.
08:44Honestly, in my past life, I'd always been generous with the bear.
08:48Most students kept a 4 to 1 ratio for themselves.
08:51I split everything 50-50.
08:53Equals deserved equal shares.
08:55But this?
08:56Nineteen for Leo.
08:57One for me.
08:58This was something else entirely.
09:01It 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.
09:11If Leo froze to death on day one of the apocalypse, the same way the white fox died in my
09:15past life, I died too.
09:16Leo's survival wasn't kindness.
09:18It was my only chance to live.
09:21The mana crystals were an investment in not dying.
09:24After class, students scattered to train on their own.
09:27I carried Leo toward the exit, and Victoria stepped half in front of me.
09:31I know you've been reborn too, she said.
09:34This 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.
09:46You threw it away.
09:47Leo peeled open one eye from inside my arms, completely unimpressed.
09:54Victoria's composure shattered instantly.
09:56She stumbled backward.
10:00What is wrong with you?
10:02Get that disgusting thing away from me!
10:04I turned and walked away, barely holding in a laugh.
10:07The 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,
10:19a news outlet had exposed a small mana vein.
10:22Based on timing, nobody should have found it yet.
10:26When I reached the rough coordinates I'd memorized,
10:29Victoria was already there.
10:33She'd brought 20-plus workers, and they were already my main 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.
10:48Let's go find something better.
10:50Then, from somewhere inside my head, a voice crackled to life.
10:54I stopped walking.
10:56Sis, is that you?
10:58You can do telepathy now.
11:00Victoria spent serious resources on me.
11:03I can project thoughts directly.
11:06Sis, take Leo and find somewhere to rest.
11:09Once they're done mining and clear out, I'll call you back.
11:13I finished the mental exchange and came back to the present moment.
11:16A very large, very imperious fox face was approximately two inches from my nose.
11:22Leo had both front paws planted on my shoulders.
11:26What were you doing just now?
11:29You were mentally cheating on me.
11:31I grabbed it by the scruff and I squeezed one soft cheek by way of reprimand.
11:36Leo, watch your voculary.
11:38I'm not wrong.
11:39I can smell the bear on your thorns.
11:42Was that the chunky low knife?
11:43I raised an eyebrow.
11:45Sharp nose.
11:46For your information, Leo 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.
12:00Do you even know what partner means?
12:02Leo's eyes immediately filled with tears that refused to actually fall.
12:05It 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.
12:18Voice, very small.
12:20I kissed you.
12:21That means you're mine now.
12:22Nobody else is allowed to kiss you there.
12:25Leo had just made a move on me.
12:26A very small, very smug, very baby-toothed move.
12:30I pulled myself together and went to find somewhere to wait.
12:33I reclined in the car with the air conditioning running,
12:35watching a nature documentary on the center screen.
12:38The documentary put me to sleep almost immediately.
12:42When 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.
12:56My conscience flickered.
12:57This was exactly the energy of someone who'd just been caught.
13:01We were just talking.
13:02I'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.
13:09All that remained was a concealment formation to hide the vein's location.
13:13The bear deactivated it from inside and poked its head out.
13:17Sis, over here.
13:18It had grown enough to speak clearly.
13:20The 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.
13:35I am biting it today.
13:36Riley, don't hold me back.
13:39It went on like that for a while.
13:41I didn't address it.
13:42I looked at the bear.
13:44Its 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.
13:57It shuffled forward at approximately the speed of a very indignant caterpillar.
14:02Every few steps, it looked back at me.
14:04On 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,
14:17it was running at easily 50 times the accelerant output.
14:21Whether Leo would be the one doing the hurting was very much an over-the-question.
14:26It's fine.
14:27Show me what you've got.
14:29If 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.
14:40Slowly, reluctantly, it walked back and sat down next to my feet.
14:44Fine.
14:45You showed good remorse this time.
14:47I'll let the secret meeting go.
14:50But don't let it happen again.
14:52Inside the vein, the bear had divided the crystal stockpile into three piles.
14:56One very small pile for itself,
14:59a medium small pile,
15:00and a pile roughly the size of a small hill.
15:04Leo's eyes went green, literally luminous.
15:07This is all I need, sis.
15:09A voice in my head.
15:10Okay, that chunky thing is definitely not in two.
15:14Sis, this one's for your cultivation.
15:17And that one's for my little sibling.
15:19The 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.
15:26Run everything through the romance filter, don't you?
15:29I do not.
15:30I flicked Leo on the forehead.
15:32I said simply,
15:33Mana crystals.
15:34Leo went quiet and well-behaved immediately.
15:37We take all of this.
15:39Won't Victoria figure out it was you?
15:41She does everything I say right now.
15:45Full compliance.
15:46Victoria stared at the hollowed-out vein
15:49with all the color drained from her face.
15:51You used all of it?
15:52You used every single crystal?
15:55The bear sat on its haunches,
15:57eyes wide and guileless.
15:58Under 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?
16:09Victoria shook with rage.
16:11She brought her entire crew back
16:13and tore the cave apart.
16:14Not a single crystal shard remained.
16:17She stared at the bear for a long time.
16:19Something felt wrong.
16:20She could tell.
16:21But the bond formation read completely normal.
16:24The 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
16:32and you couldn't even hold off a bunch of stones.
16:34The bear let its ears droop.
16:36Internally, it was ecstatic.
16:38It 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,
16:46I pressed my face into Leo's fur
16:48to muffle my laughter.
16:50She tried to steal from us.
16:51The traitor earned it.
16:53I tugged one of its ears.
16:54Don't call the bear that.
16:55It's our teammate.
16:57It looked away,
16:58but its tail quietly curled around my wrist,
17:01warm and soft and completely involuntary.
17:04Once Victoria and her crew were gone,
17:06we slipped into the cave.
17:07The bear had already bundled
17:08the crystal stockpile with vines.
17:10Multiple bundles.
17:12Organized and ready.
17:13Sis,
17:14these should keep the little one fed for a while.
17:17Leo's eyes locked on the pile
17:19and did not move
17:20and started crunching.
17:21The sound echoed through the cave
17:23like someone eating gravel.
17:24We loaded the crystals into the car.
17:26They filled most of the trunk.
17:28The bear couldn't come with us.
17:29It had to stay and keep up the performance.
17:31Before we left, it said,
17:32Sis, the apocalypse is ten days out.
17:34Stock up on supplies.
17:36Be careful.
17:37Don't let her spot the cracks in your act.
17:41The bear grinned in its easy, unbothered way.
17:44She does whatever I tell her.
17:45We're fine.
17:46We drove back.
17:47Leo sat in the passenger seat
17:48with a crystal in both paws,
17:50crunching contentedly
17:51like a squirrel
17:52that had found an entire winter's worth of food
17:55in one afternoon.
17:58Watching it,
17:59I thought about the bear in my past life,
18:01always saving the best of everything for me.
18:04The shape of that care was different now,
18:06but the feeling was the same.
18:08Back in the city,
18:09I skipped my apartment
18:10and went straight to the largest supermarket.
18:12I loaded two carts with everything useful.
18:15Compressed ration bars,
18:17canned goods,
18:18bottled water,
18:20instant food.
18:22Leo rode in the cart,
18:23pointing,
18:24More of those chocolate ones
18:25and the meat jerky,
18:27the spiced kind.
18:28I loaded both.
18:29The store staff watched me with visible unease.
18:32I didn't slow down.
18:33In ten days,
18:34none of this would matter to them anyway.
18:35Beyond food and water,
18:36I grabbed thermal underlayers,
18:39sleeping bags,
18:40flashlights,
18:40batteries,
18:41lighters,
18:42a few sharp kitchen knives,
18:43a hand axe,
18:44anything with practical value
18:45in sustained sub-zero conditions.
18:48Two full cart.
18:49I drove home to my apartment
18:50and spent an hour
18:51hauling everything upstairs.
18:52The living room,
18:53the bedroom,
18:54the balcony.
18:55All of it stacked floor to ceiling.
18:57Leo sprawled across a pile of chocolate bars.
18:59Its tail swayed slowly.
19:01I collapsed onto the couch,
19:03completely winded.
19:06Not bad.
19:07You actually know how to shop.
19:10These are retinive only.
19:12Our survival supplies.
19:14The next several days,
19:15I took Leo to different locations every day
19:17and kept stocking up.
19:19The pharmacy,
19:20cold medicine,
19:21fever reducers,
19:22antibiotics,
19:23bandages,
19:24antiseptic,
19:25the outdoor supply store,
19:26a tent,
19:27climbing rope,
19:28anti-slip boots,
19:29a hardware store
19:30for gas canisters
19:31and basic tools.
19:33My apartment ran out of space.
19:34I rented the unit next door
19:36and the one upstairs.
19:37Both became storage.
19:39Victoria texted a few times,
19:41cheerful and fake,
19:42asking how I was doing,
19:44casually mentioning
19:45that her brown bear
19:46had broken through to tier two.
19:48I sent her three word replies.
19:50I already knew.
19:52Everything the bear showed her
19:53was deliberate.
19:54Every breakthrough
19:56was calculated theater,
19:57designed to keep her compliant.
19:59Leo's growth
20:00was outpacing
20:01everything I'd projected.
20:03It ate crystals,
20:04slept,
20:04and woke up
20:05noticeably larger each time.
20:07It had started out
20:08the size of a kitten.
20:10Now it was halfway
20:11to the size of a medium dog.
20:13Its fur had deepened
20:14to a white so pure
20:16it was almost blinding.
20:17And its eyes had shifted
20:19from pale
20:19to a vivid,
20:20saturated crimson.
20:22The kind of beauty
20:23that made it hard
20:24to look away.
20:25Its cultivation aura
20:26was also deepening fast.
20:28Something close to tier three
20:30was stirring at the edges.
20:31I was combing through
20:33Leo's fur
20:33when it went still.
20:35Something's happening.
20:38In my bloodline,
20:40there's pressure building.
20:41My pulse jumped.
20:43The white fox
20:44in my past life
20:45had never awakened
20:46any ability at all.
20:48It died
20:48before it had the chance.
20:50Was this what happened
20:51when you gave
20:52a white fox
20:52proper resources
20:53and a blood pact?
20:55An early awakening?
20:56Don't force it,
20:58I said quietly.
20:59Let it come on its own.
21:01Leo closed its eyes.
21:02A soft white light
21:04kindled across its fur.
21:06The mana crystals
21:07around it
21:07began losing their glow,
21:09all that energy
21:10pouring steadily
21:11into Leo's body.
21:12A small spiral
21:13of concentrated mana
21:15formed around it,
21:16rotating slowly.
21:18Its fur stood up
21:19along its spine.
21:20Its tail filled out further,
21:22the individual hairs
21:23catching the light
21:24like fiber optic threads.
21:26An hour passed.
21:27The light faded.
21:29Leo opened its eyes
21:30and there was
21:31something new in them.
21:33I awakened.
21:34What did you get?
21:35Leo tilted its chin up,
21:37tail flicking
21:37with casual superiority.
21:39A small, perfectly formed
21:41spike of ice
21:42materialized from empty air
21:44and dropped to the floor
21:46with a clean, crystalline tap.
21:48Ice manipulation
21:49and void storage.
21:51I stared.
21:53Ice manipulation.
21:54In an ice apocalypse,
21:56an ice affinity ability
21:57wasn't just useful.
21:59It was like being native
22:00to the environment
22:01everyone else was trying
22:02to survive.
22:03And void storage.
22:05One of the rarest abilities
22:07in existence.
22:08In my past life,
22:10people with spatial abilities
22:11could name their price
22:12at any base.
22:13Every faction wanted them.
22:16Leo, I said
22:17and pulled it into a hug.
22:19I kissed the top of its head
22:20without thinking.
22:21Leo's ears went crimson.
22:23Its entire body locked up
22:25for half a second.
22:26Then it twisted away,
22:28deeply offended.
22:29Stop doing that.
22:32Its tail, however,
22:33had already wrapped
22:34around my wrist again.
22:35The same involuntary habit.
22:38I smiled and squeezed
22:39its cheek.
22:40My little highness
22:41is absolutely terrifying.
22:44We're going to be fine
22:45out there.
22:46Leo made a dismissive sound
22:47and climbed back
22:49into my lap
22:49to resume eating crystals.
22:52Three days out
22:52from the apocalypse,
22:53the temperature
22:54had already started dropping.
22:56Daytime lows
22:57were hitting negative 15.
22:59People on the street
23:00moved fast,
23:01buried in their puffer coats.
23:02News coverage
23:04was starting to pick up
23:05on the anomalous cold snaps.
23:07Experts offered
23:08competing theories.
23:09Extreme weather pattern,
23:11greenhouse rebound effect.
23:13Nobody said
23:14what was actually happening.
23:16Nobody saw
23:17what was coming.
23:18Victoria called.
23:20She sounded casual
23:21and then deliberately didn't.
23:23Riley,
23:24my bear just hit
23:25tier three peak,
23:26almost to tier four.
23:27I'll be able to take care
23:28of myself once things get rough.
23:30A pause,
23:31pointed.
23:32How about you?
23:33Has your little fox
23:35even hit tier one yet?
23:37It's fine,
23:38tier three,
23:39roughly.
23:41Silence on the other end,
23:42then a short,
23:43dismissive laugh.
23:45Riley,
23:46you don't have to
23:46make things up.
23:47White fox maturation
23:49timelines are long.
23:50There's no world
23:51where it's already
23:52tier three.
23:53Another pause.
23:54Look,
23:55if things get too hard,
23:56you can come to me.
23:57You can work for me.
23:59I'll keep you alive.
24:00I hung up.
24:02Leo was lying next to me,
24:03expression flat.
24:05She thinks tier three peak
24:06is impressive.
24:08It said.
24:08When I hit tier four,
24:10I could end her
24:11or one thing.
24:12I scratched behind its ear.
24:14Don't get careless.
24:16Victoria is reckless,
24:17but her family
24:18has real reach.
24:19When the apocalypse hits,
24:20she'll have numbers.
24:22We play it smart.
24:23Leo pressed its nose
24:24down onto its paws,
24:25still eating crystals.
24:27Those last three days,
24:29I didn't go out.
24:30I stayed home with Leo,
24:31and we trained together.
24:33Leo had already gotten
24:33a solid handle
24:34in the void storage.
24:36The space inside
24:37wasn't enormous,
24:38roughly the size
24:39of a basketball board,
24:40but more than
24:41sufficient for supplies.
24:42We loaded the majority
24:43of what I'd stockpiled
24:45into the void.
24:45My own cultivation
24:47was moving faster
24:47than I'd expected.
24:49The blood pack
24:49shared mana flow
24:50between us,
24:51and with the crystals
24:52on top of that,
24:53I'd pushed to
24:54tier two mid-level.
24:55Not close to Leo
24:57or the bear,
24:57but solidly mid-range
24:59for a human practitioner.
25:00The night before
25:01the apocalypse,
25:02the temperature
25:03had already dropped
25:04to negative 30.
25:05Outside,
25:06the snow came
25:07in heavy diagonal sheets,
25:08and the wind sounded
25:09like something screaming.
25:11I stood at the window
25:12and looked at the city
25:13disappearing under white.
25:14In my past life,
25:15I had been so afraid,
25:17so completely alone.
25:19This time,
25:20I had the bear,
25:21and I had Leo.
25:23That was enough.
25:23Leo came and pressed
25:25against my leg.
25:26Its head reached
25:27my hip now.
25:28Stop stressing.
25:29It said,
25:30I'm here.
25:32Nobody touches you.
25:33I crouched down
25:34and pulled it close.
25:35I know.
25:36We're going to make it.
25:37The bear checked in
25:38through telepathy.
25:39Sis,
25:39Victoria and her people
25:41have retreated
25:42to her family's
25:43underground facility.
25:44Good supplies,
25:45good infrastructure.
25:46I've already made
25:47some adjustments now,
25:49We'll figure out
25:49what that means
25:50once the apocalypse hits.
25:52Good work.
25:53Stay safe.
25:54I didn't sleep.
25:55When morning came,
25:56the world outside
25:57had ended.
25:58Negative 50 degrees.
26:00The window panes
26:00had cracked from the cold,
26:02ice flowers blooming
26:03across the glass.
26:04Outside,
26:05cars had frozen
26:06into sculptures.
26:07People who had been
26:07caught in the streets
26:08were down and still.
26:10The power grid was gone.
26:11Communication networks
26:12were gone.
26:13The city was silent.
26:14The ice apocalypse
26:15had arrived.
26:16I layered on
26:17everything I had,
26:18pulled on my hat
26:19and gloves,
26:19held Leo against my chest,
26:21and walked out
26:21of the apartment.
26:22The wind hit my face
26:23like something solid,
26:24a burning cold
26:25that cut through
26:26even the layers.
26:27But Leo and I
26:28both had cultivation auras
26:29as a buffer.
26:30Leo's ice manipulation
26:31shaved off another layer
26:33of the cold
26:33on top of that.
26:34We could bear it.
26:35The streets were a wreck.
26:36Abandoned vehicles everywhere,
26:38frozen bodies
26:39half buried in the drifts.
26:40Mutant beasts
26:41prowled the snow
26:42between the cars,
26:43eyes sharp and predatory,
26:45tracking us as we passed.
26:47The apocalypse
26:47had done something
26:48to the wildlife.
26:49The extreme cold
26:50triggered genetic shifts,
26:51and what came out
26:52the other side
26:53was faster,
26:54meaner,
26:55and far more adapted
26:56to the temperature
26:56than anything
26:57that had existed before.
26:59Leo dropped out
26:59of my arms.
27:00Its body expanded
27:01in one smooth motion,
27:03doubling in size.
27:04The white fur settled,
27:05dense and wind-resistant.
27:07Its eyes locked
27:08onto the nearest creature
27:09with the calm
27:10of something
27:10that had already
27:11decided the outcome.
27:12You're looking at my person.
27:14Bad call.
27:15Its tail swept sideways.
27:17Six ice spikes
27:18launched simultaneously.
27:20They punched
27:20through the throats
27:21of the closest mutants
27:22before any of them
27:23could react.
27:24The bodies dropped
27:24and were still.
27:25Completely ridiculous,
27:27completely dramatic,
27:28completely reliable.
27:29We moved
27:29toward the city center.
27:30That was where
27:31the survivor base was.
27:32In my past life,
27:33the government
27:33had organized
27:34several large-scale shelters
27:36in the weeks
27:37after the apocalypse hit.
27:38The central base
27:39was the biggest
27:39and the safest.
27:41Two hours on foot.
27:42Then the base
27:43appeared through the blizzard.
27:44A ring of steel walls
27:46rising over ten meters.
27:48Soldiers posted
27:49on the upper walkways
27:50with rifles
27:50scanning the perimeter.
27:52A crowd of survivors
27:53was already queued
27:54at the gate.
27:55We joined the line.
27:56The couple ahead of us
27:57had a baby pressed
27:58to the woman's chest.
27:59The baby was crying.
28:01The woman's face
28:02was hollow.
28:03The man looked like
28:04he hadn't slept in days.
28:05The woman said
28:06to the soldier
28:06at the checkpoint,
28:07She hasn't eaten
28:08in three days.
28:09The soldier's expression
28:10didn't move.
28:11Entry requires
28:12a resource payment.
28:13Ten pounds of food,
28:15five bottles of water,
28:16or one warm garment.
28:18No exceptions.
28:19The man's voice cracked.
28:21Everything we had
28:22was taken by a mutant pack.
28:24We have nothing left.
28:27Please.
28:28Policy is policy.
28:30The woman started crying.
28:31The baby cried laughing.
28:33I'd been there before.
28:34I knew what it felt like
28:35when every door was shut
28:37and there was nothing
28:37left to bargain with.
28:39I reached into my pack
28:41and pulled out two cans
28:42and a water bottle.
28:43I held them out
28:44to the couple.
28:45Use these for your entropy.
28:47They turned around.
28:48The woman looked at me.
28:49You're a good person.
28:51You're a good...
28:52I smiled and didn't say anything.
28:54Leo made an irritated
28:55noise beside me.
28:56You're going to keep
28:57doing this, aren't you?
28:59Helping complete strangers.
29:01We might need a stranger's
29:02help someday too.
29:04Leo said nothing more.
29:05But it didn't argue.
29:07When we reached the checkpoint,
29:09the soldier looked at Leo
29:10and went wary.
29:11Handed over five pounds
29:12of rations.
29:14Is that enough?
29:15The soldier checked it.
29:17Nodded.
29:17You can go in.
29:18We were almost through the gate
29:20when a familiar voice
29:21called from behind us.
29:23Riley!
29:24I turned.
29:25Victoria was pushing
29:26through the crowd,
29:27surrounded by a cluster of people,
29:29with the brown bear
29:30walking calmly at her side.
29:31She was wearing
29:32an expensive puffer coat,
29:34her face perfectly composed
29:35and confident.
29:35Her group had weapons.
29:37I didn't expect you
29:38to make it this far.
29:39She looked me over
29:40with a slow,
29:41deliberate appraisal.
29:42I guess that fox of yours
29:43isn't completely decorative.
29:45Leo's fur went alexig.
29:47Its body expanded,
29:48hackles lifting,
29:49lips pulling back.
29:50Say that again.
29:51Victoria took a step back
29:53without meaning to,
29:54then collected herself
29:55and shifted behind the bear.
29:57The bear stepped forward
29:58and positioned itself
29:59between them.
30:00It glanced at me.
30:01Its expression said,
30:02I know.
30:02I tried to stop her.
30:04She wouldn't listen.
30:05I looked back at it
30:06and gave a small signal.
30:07Not now.
30:08Too many people.
30:09What happens to us in there
30:10has nothing to do with you,
30:12I said,
30:12and pulled Leo toward the gate.
30:14Hold on.
30:15Victoria's voice sharpened.
30:16Riley,
30:17you think a tier three fox
30:18is enough to hold
30:19any ground in there?
30:20This base runs on strength.
30:22My bear is tier four.
30:23That makes me
30:23the top of the food chain here.
30:25You have two options.
30:26Fall in line
30:27and work under me,
30:28or I make sure
30:29you can't move in this base
30:30without running into a wall.
30:31The crowd around the gate
30:32had started paying attention.
30:33Tier four was rare
30:34in the early apocalypse.
30:36People recognized
30:36what that meant.
30:38I let the moment sit
30:39for exactly one breath.
30:41Then,
30:41I looked at Leo.
30:42Leo understood
30:43without being told.
30:44Its cultivation aura
30:45detonated outward.
30:46Tier four pressure
30:47rolled across the gate plaza
30:49like a physical force.
30:50The snowflakes
30:51still drifting in the air
30:52simply stopped moving.
30:54The cold deepened
30:55noticeably.
30:56Several people
30:57stumbled back.
30:58Victoria's face
30:59lost its color.
31:00That's...
31:01That's not possible.
31:02How is your fox
31:03already tier four?
31:05Leo tilted its chin up
31:06to a frankly insufferable angle.
31:08You assumed your bear
31:10was the ceiling
31:10embarrassing the stake.
31:12The bear chose that moment
31:13to release its own tier four aura
31:15alongside Leo's.
31:17Two tier four signatures
31:18layered together.
31:19The crowd scattered
31:20back from the gate,
31:21half of them
31:22barely staying upright.
31:24Victoria stood there,
31:25mouth open,
31:26staring between Leo
31:27and the bear.
31:28The bear,
31:29which was supposed
31:29to be hers,
31:31aligned with the girl
31:32she'd been trying
31:32to humiliate.
31:33She tried to form words,
31:35couldn't find them.
31:36I walked through the gate
31:37with Leo
31:37and the bear
31:38on either side of me
31:39and left Victoria
31:40and her group
31:41at the entrance
31:42with whatever was left
31:43of the impression
31:43she'd tried to make.
31:45Inside,
31:45we were brought
31:46to a registration desk.
31:47Name,
31:48cultivation tier,
31:49magical animal.
31:50The soldier processing
31:50our forms
31:51looked at Leo's
31:52tier four listing,
31:53then at the bears
31:53and spent a long moment
31:55saying nothing.
31:56Then the professionalism
31:57kicked back in,
31:58somewhat overcorrected.
32:00Ms. Riley,
32:01with two tier four
32:02familities,
32:03you qualify for
32:03our highest tier
32:04accommodations.
32:04We'd like to offer you
32:05a room in the VIP wing.
32:07Independent room,
32:07heating system,
32:08full resource allocation.
32:10That works.
32:11Can I get an additional
32:11room for my companion?
32:12Of course.
32:13Absolutely.
32:14Right away.
32:15The soldier escorted us
32:16to the VIP wing.
32:17It was its own building
32:18near the center of the base.
32:19Inside,
32:20functioning radiators,
32:21hot water,
32:22a private bathroom,
32:24a small kitchen,
32:25a sitting area.
32:25The soldier handed me
32:26a key card and stepped
32:27back with the careful
32:28deference usually reserved
32:30for people who could
32:31level buildings.
32:31I opened my room
32:32and started pulling supplies
32:34out of Leo's void storage,
32:35organized the space,
32:37stacked what we needed.
32:38Leo jumped onto the couch
32:39and stretched its full length,
32:41tail hanging off the edge.
32:43Finally,
32:43that walk was miserable.
32:45The bear appeared
32:46in the doorway,
32:46eyes warm.
32:48The Toya and her group
32:49got assigned
32:50to general housing.
32:51Leave her alone.
32:52Let's rest
32:53and 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.
33:03A small fraction
33:03had some level of training
33:05and bonded mates.
33:06The base ran
33:06a strict allocation system.
33:08Resources distributed
33:09by contribution level
33:10and cultivation tier.
33:12Victoria established
33:13herself quickly.
33:14The tier 4 bear
33:14was enough to pull in followers
33:16and she assembled
33:17a decent sized crew
33:18within the first week.
33:19She used them
33:20to push people around.
33:21The kind of entitlement
33:22that survives context
33:23changes because
33:24it was never really
33:25about context.
33:27One afternoon
33:27in the base cafeteria,
33:28she walked in with her group
33:29and found us eating.
33:31You have some nerve.
33:32These rations are for people
33:33who actually contribute,
33:35not passengers who coast
33:36on the strength
33:36of their magic animal.
33:37Leo set down
33:38its jerky strip.
33:39Its eyes went flat.
33:40Repeat that.
33:41Victoria was visibly unnerved,
33:43but committed.
33:44I called you a passenger.
33:45Your fox got lucky
33:46hitting tier 4.
33:47That doesn't make you
33:47anything special.
33:48I set my chopsticks down,
33:50stood up, and said,
33:50Then let's settle it.
33:51If you win,
33:52I don't set foot
33:53in this cafeteria again.
33:55If I win,
33:56you leave the base
33:57and stop terrorizing
33:58everyone in it.
33:59Victoria's expression lit up.
34:01She'd wanted this for days.
34:03Deal!
34:04Don't cry when you lose.
34:06People crowded in
34:07from three directions.
34:08Don't cry when you lose high five
34:08Don't cry when you lose.
34:08What I am.
34:08Person the fuck
34:08Don't cry when you lose.
34:08In that Countyใง
34:08go. convince
34:08Hey cards.
34:08Oh, that's
Comments