The survivors from the buses hadn't moved. They'd watched everything, the monstrous battle, the desperate clash with Hollow Tusk, and the way Zayden had cut down their leader when negotiations failed. Now, as silence fell, hundreds of eyes turned toward him.
Zayden stood at the centre, his sword in his hand. His chest rose and fell heavily, but his expression was steady. He looked across the faces of the five hundred who had followed him out of the college, across his companions who had bled with him here.
This place was no longer just another ruined street. They had fought for it, bled for it, and claimed it.
It was time to turn it into something more.
He stepped forward, voice firm, carrying easily across the silent crowd.
"It's done. The aberration is dead. The Cascading Starlight Pond belongs to us now."
The survivors stirred, some whispering in disbelief. They had seen the beast, seen its strength. The thought that it was truly dead was almost unreal.
"But listen well," Zayden continued, his dark eyes sharp. "This victory means nothing if all we do is keep running. You've seen it yourselves. Beasts are evolving. Factions are rising. The strong devour the weak. If we keep wandering, sooner or later, we'll be swallowed whole."
He raised his hand. A faint glow pulsed between his fingers, a crystalline token etched with shifting runes. The Faction Creation Token.
"With this," Zayden said, "we stop running. We build. We form a faction, a shelter, a home. A place where none of us have to wake up wondering if we'll see tomorrow."
The survivors fell into tense silence. They wanted it, desperately. But it felt too good to believe.
Zayden turned first to his team. "But a faction isn't built on one person. Leadership has to be shared."
His gaze settled on Aiden. The Heavenly Crow's cloak rustled softly in the night breeze, his posture calm even after the battle.
"Aiden," Zayden said, "I want you as Vice Leader."
The crowd erupted in murmurs.
"Vice Leader? Him?"
"Wasn't he in the council at school?"
"He was the Vice President…"
Aiden stepped forward, unshaken by the whispers. His purple eyes glinted faintly beneath the starlight. "I accept. I have experience in organisation, in keeping people together when tempers clash. If we're building something, we need structure, and I'll make sure this shelter doesn't collapse from the inside."
The crowd settled, reassured by his words.
Zayden nodded. "Good. Next, we'll need Generals. People who can lead in battle, protect our people, and guide us in the chaos outside." He looked across the group. "Isara. Tyrel. Amara. Dare."
The Ice Maiden met his gaze first, her pale hair matted with blood, but her expression composed. "I'll take it. If it means the weak will be safe here, then I'll carry the burden."
Tyrel grinned, sparks crackling faintly along his arms. "Finally, a title that sounds as good as my lightning. Count me in."
Amara's shadows coiled behind her like living smoke. She inclined her head, voice calm. "I'll accept. Better to use my strength here than waste it wandering."
Dare tapped his drone controller, smirking. "You already know my answer. General Dare has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"
Laughter rippled lightly through the weary crowd.
Then Zayden turned to Darian, Soren, and Valeria. "What about you?"
Darian shook his head immediately. "Not me. I'm no leader. I'll fight, I'll bleed, but don't chain me to responsibility."
Soren gave a lazy shrug. "Same. I'll smash skulls when you need it, but I don't want the title."
Valeria sheathed her blade with a quiet click. "I fight my own way. I'll stand for this place, but I don't want to be called anyone's general."
Zayden accepted their choices with a nod. "Then it's decided."
The survivors leaned forward, anticipation thick in the air.
"What do we call ourselves?" someone asked.
Zayden held the token in both hands, feeling its weight. "A name matters. It's what the world will know us by. It's what others will remember long after we're gone."
He paused, then spoke. "Our faction will be called… Myth."
The word hung in the air. Whispers spread again, not with doubt, but with growing energy.
"Myth…"
"Sounds strong."
"Sounds… right."
Tyrel raised an eyebrow. "Why Myth?"
Zayden gave a faint smile. "Because it sounds cool." Then, more seriously, "Because we'll become a story worth telling. A myth of survival in this ruined world."
The survivors nodded, murmurs turning into agreement.
As if answering, the token glowed brighter. Light twisted into the air, forming an image above them: an eye, within which gleamed a nine-pointed star. Each point shone like a blade of light, symbolising the nine who had fought together to shape this faction.
Gasps rose from the crowd.
"This… this is ours?"
"It's beautiful…"
System Announcement
The token dissolved into radiance. A mechanical voice rang in every survivor's mind, cold but powerful.
[System Notice: Faction has been created.]
[Name: Myth]
[Leader: Zayden]
[Vice Leader: Aiden]
[Generals: Isara, Tyrel, Amara, Dare]
[First Faction Bonus: +10% Combat Efficiency, +5% Resource Gathering when within Faction Territory.]
[Protection Dome: 1,000 meters. Duration: 30 days. Nulls cannot enter. Humans may pass freely.]
Light burst outward. A dome of shimmering energy expanded across the ruins, swallowing the entire street and stretching far beyond. Within its glow, the world felt different — safer, warmer.
Survivors collapsed to their knees, some crying, some laughing, all overwhelmed with relief. For the first time since the apocalypse began, they could breathe without fear clawing at their throats.
But the system wasn't finished.
[Special Notice: Rare Resource Detected.]
[Cascading Starlight Pond has been mutated into: Cascading Starlight Fountain.]
The earth trembled. The pond's water surged upward, streams of starlight rising into the air. They twisted, coiling like serpents, before spiralling together into a radiant fountain. Silver-blue water cascaded endlessly, glowing with the brilliance of the night sky. Each drop shimmered with constellations, falling back into the basin in waves of light.
The survivors gasped, awe striking they were silent.
"It's… a miracle…" someone whispered.
Isara's breath caught. "No. It's power. The system just gave us something priceless."
The fountain's glow spread outward, its light dancing across broken walls and shattered stone. It was no longer just a pond; it was a beacon. A source of strength that would draw eyes from across the land.
Zayden watched it, his expression unreadable. In his past life, he had never seen something like this. Even with his memories, the fountain was new. But also the chance he'd been waiting for.
Building the Shelter
The dome gave them safety. The fountain gave them hope. But the rest of their shelter was still rubble.
Zayden turned back to the crowd. "Look around you. This fountain is a blessing, but it won't keep us alive alone. We need walls, roofs, kitchens, and defences. We need to build."
Aiden stepped forward immediately, taking control with practised ease. "We'll split into groups. Scavengers, builders, defenders. The scavengers will salvage materials from nearby buildings. Builders will start with walls and basic shelters. Defenders will rotate shifts to keep watch. No one rests idle."
The survivors responded with nods and shouts. For once, they had direction.
Work began at once.
Even though it was nighttime, without shelter, they would have nowhere to stay, and if it meant working into the night, they could manage.
Tyrel and Soren led teams to haul heavy beams and broken concrete, their strength invaluable. Darian threw himself into clearing rubble, grunting as he tossed aside cracked stone like toys. Amara's shadows helped lift twisted metal safely. Isara froze unstable walls into place, reinforcing them with ice until they could be properly rebuilt.
Some of the evolved could control the earth, and with their help, setting up walls became a whole lot easier.
Zayden worked alongside them, his presence steadying. He cleared debris with his blades, guided teams with calm words, and never stood apart as if above them. He was their Leader, but he was also one of them.
By the time the moon dipped low, the first walls of their new shelter stood tall. Crude, uneven, but real.
When dawn broke, golden light spilt through the shimmering dome. The Cascading Starlight Fountain glittered like liquid silver, its waters flowing endlessly, promising strength to all who drank from it. Around it, rough walls and makeshift homes had begun to rise.
Five hundred survivors stood together, exhausted but proud.
Zayden stepped forward, facing them. His voice was firm, resolute.
"This is the beginning. The world outside will not forgive us. More aberrations will rise. More factions will come. But within this dome, we are no longer prey. We are no longer runners. We are Myth."
The survivors raised their voices, shouting the name as one.
"Myth! Myth! Myth!"
And under the light of the Cascading Starlight Fountain, the first true shelter of the new world was born.