The morning sun, a gentle, golden light, filtered through the shattered windows of the high school hall.
It fell on a sea of sleeping bodies, each one a testament to the exhaustion of a day spent fighting and surviving.
Lin Kai woke first, the ache in his body now a dull, manageable throb where the bullets had pierced his skin.
The searing agony from the fight earlier was gone, replaced by a deep sense of well-being that settled in his bones.
He felt the pull of the Aether, a quiet hum inside him as it continued its tireless work, knitting his muscles and skin back together.
It felt like a small, comforting fire burning in his core, a testament to his strange, otherworldly vitality. He had slept for hours, a deep, dreamless rest that had healed him faster than any medical aid.
He moved quietly, a shadow among the sleeping forms. His bare feet made no sound on the dusty floor as he slipped outside the hall, needing to get out, to breathe the cool, morning air.
His gaze fell upon his twin blades, still resting against the wall where he had left them.
As he slipped them into their sheaths, the familiar weight felt like an extension of his arms. He needed to practice. He had a lifetime of combat experience locked inside his mind, but his body was still getting used to it.
He needed to test its limits, to see what it could do and what it could not. Previously, during the intense fight, he had felt like he was fighting with one arm tied behind his back. The memories were a blueprint, but he still had to build the house.
He walked outside the school, a feeling of deep solitude settling over him. The air was cool and crisp, a stark contrast to the oppressive heat of the previous days.
The morning was silent, and the only sound was the distant caw of a bird circling high above the city's ruins. He walked slowly, his eyes scanning the rooftops and alleys, his senses on high alert.
He was a sentinel in the wasteland, a lone figure in a world that had forgotten what peace was.
He thought about Jing Yu, a high-level awakened one with a skill and power that rivaled his own. Lin Kai had seen the speed and precision with which the boy had taken down that corrupted.
It made his blood boil. It was a good thing, though, that he had a rival to keep him in check and make him improve himself.
He swore to himself that he would be better than his past life. He wouldn't be a copy; he would be an evolution. He had the advantage of his past life's memories, but Jing Yu had a raw, powerful talent that was unburdened by the past.
That was a challenge that Lin Kai was more than willing to face. His muscles were itching for a fight. He wanted to feel the thrill of a kill and see how much his own power had increased.
He wanted to know how many more corrupted he would have to kill to advance to the First Order.
He had a theory that every kill granted him a small amount of aether, and a certain amount of aether would let him advance to the next level. In this unforeseen calamity, strength was the only thing that mattered.
As he walked, his thoughts swirled. He felt a deep sense of calm, a peace that came from knowing his purpose. His mission was to find his family, but to do so, he had to get stronger.
His mind raced with a thousand possibilities. He could try to know about runes, more knowledge, or he could focus on what he knew—combat. The latter was the only thing that would keep him and his people alive.
He turned a corner and saw something that made him freeze in his tracks. In the distance, a large, hulking shape moved with an unsettling speed.
It was a beast, but not a normal one. Its fur was a dark, mottled color, and its eyes glowed with a strange, feral light. It was shaped like a bear, but it was far too large and far too fast. It was chasing a group of corrupted.
Lin Kai was filled with a sudden, overwhelming curiosity. He had only seen corrupted hunting humans and each other. Why would a beast hunt them? He slipped into the bushes, his heart thumping against his ribs, and followed the creature from a safe distance.
The mutated bear was a whirlwind of claws and teeth. It caught up to the corrupted and tore them apart, one by one.
The sight was gruesome, but Lin Kai kept watching, his curiosity overpowering his disgust. The air grew heavy, thick with the scent of ozone and something rotten.
The bear roared, a deep, wild sound that shook the ground. Then, something incredible happened.
Lin Kai saw a flash of light around the bear, and a pulse of pure, unadulterated energy shot out from it. The bear's eyes glowed brighter, and its body seemed to swell, its muscles becoming more defined, its claws and teeth growing sharper.
It had advanced. It was now a First Order beast. Lin Kai was stunned. He thought that only humans could evolve by killing, that the process would be different for beasts. His mind reeled.
Could the same principles apply to both species? The thought was both terrifying and exciting.
The fact that a beast could also evolve and become so powerful meant that the world was even more dangerous than he had first thought.
The bear, now in a wild, excited state, roared loudly and beat its chest, its victory a violent celebration.
"Did Spark also evolve like this?" Lin Kai thought to himself, his mind reeling. He had been so focused on his own journey that he hadn't considered the possibility that the creatures around him were also on a similar path.
The school was a long way from this area, so he knew the sound wouldn't reach the survivors, and that was a good thing. A roar like that would have sent them into a panic.
He was silently watching from the bushes, his thoughts a jumble, when he felt it. The bear's head snapped in his direction. Its wild, glowing eyes locked onto him. His blood ran cold. He had been so focused on his thoughts that he had let his guard down.
The bear took a step towards him, and then another. It was coming for him. Lin Kai's heart hammered against his ribs. He felt a moment of pure panic, but then a cold calm washed over him.
He was a survivor, a dual-blade master. He had faced down far worse than this. He gripped his twin blades tightly, drew them from their sheaths, and took a battle stance. "If it's come to this," he muttered, "I'll just have to fight."
The bear charged, its massive form a blur of dark fur and claws, and Lin Kai met it head on, his body alive with the thrum of Aether. The battle for his survival, and a new kind of knowledge, was just beginning.
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Meanwhile, far across the city in the ruins of Shanghai University, a different kind of survival story was unfolding.
The sun rays was a bright, hopeful beacon, but the campus was still a quiet, haunted place.
Lin Ming and her group were walking outside the building they had taken shelter in. After she had healed them all the night before, they had decided that they needed to find more people and save them.
Her group had a high level of trust in her. They had seen her power, her kindness, and her dedication. They were armed with whatever they could find—rods, clips, broken sticks—anything that could be used as a weapon.
Lin Ming was leading them toward the chemical lab. She had a strange feeling that her sister would be there. She had to take a few moments to convince her group to leave the safety of their room.
"We can't stay here forever," she told them, her voice calm and firm. "We'll run out of food, and the corrupted will find us eventually. We have to go out and find more people."
She also shared her theory, something she had only told her sister Lin Ling before. "It is possible to get stronger. I believe that by killing the corrupted, we can evolve and become more powerful. We can become like me."
Her words, full of quiet power and hope, were enough to make them relent. They all knew that staying still meant a slow death.
They walked for a while, the university campus a strange mix of familiar buildings and terrifying silence.
They finally reached the chemical lab building. The sight that greeted them stopped them in their tracks.
In front of the building, a beautiful girl with long, silver hair and a cold, focused expression was fighting a group of corrupted.
She was using her ice powers, and with a single stick in her hand, she was a graceful whirlwind of death. Her movements were fluid and powerful, a perfect dance of destruction.
Behind her, a small group of people were huddled together. Some were cowering, their faces pale with fear. Others had been bitten and were slowly transforming into the very monsters they feared. A few were lying on the ground, unconscious. It was a chaotic, horrifying sight.
Lin Ming didn't hesitate. "Now!" she shouted to her group. "Attack them!" Her group, fueled by her command and a sudden sense of purpose, rushed forward.
They didn't have powers like Lin Ming, but they were determined to help. They attacked the corrupted from the back, using their makeshift weapons to stab and hack.
The corrupted, caught off guard, were easy to take down. Lin Ming herself moved with incredible speed, her hands glowing as she sent waves of healing Aether to the wounded, but her focus was on the corrupted.
Her own Aether surged, and she moved with a purpose she had never felt before.
After a few minutes, the area was cleared. The corrupted were gone, and the survivors were safe.
The group of people from the chemical lab were stunned, staring at the new group. All of them sat down, their bodies weak from the fight and their emotions high.
Lin Yu, her face a mask of exhaustion and relief, looked at Lin Ming and a great sigh escaped her lips.
The cold expression on her face broke, and she began to cry. Lin Ming, seeing her sister, rushed forward. The two sisters, long separated, hugged each other tightly.
Lin Yu cried a little, her body shaking, and Lin Ming held her close, stroking her silver hair and whispering comforting words. "It's okay now. I'm here. We're together."
The sun was starting to set, casting a deep orange glow over the campus. The light was fading, and with it, the day was coming to an end. It was too risky to stay outside.
They all decided to go to the canteen, as it was a large building with plenty of food and a good place to rest.
They were also closer to other buildings on campus, which meant they could find more people the next day.
As they walked, Lin Ming used her healing powers to treat the wounds of those who had been bitten. She then after some time healed twelve person and remove the corrupted energy using her rune that was spreading inside their body. She heard the voice as usual.
Souls Purified : 12
Lin Ming was surprised that she didn't advance and thought, Hmm it can be like i need to heal or kill more, and was little amused on this. She checked her mental interference which was as usual.
Vitality: 120/160
Aether: 300/500
Order: Zero Order (Mid)
Rune: Hearthlight
Seeing this about her sister healing powers, Lin Yu and the others who are new were surprised. Lin Yu began asking her sister about this power and also want to share her story.
The two sisters then spoke, their voices low and soft. They talked about how they had been surviving and how they were both surprised they had lived.
They talked about their other sister, Lin Ling and mother Lin Mei, and most of all, they talked about Lin Kai. They wondered where he was and if he was safe.
They talked about what they would do tomorrow and how they would find others. They were a team again, a family in a broken world.
They reached the canteen, a large, spacious building. They found canned food, snacks, and water, all of which had been left behind by students.
They ate together, a quiet, grateful meal. As the darkness fell, they all settled down, their bodies weary but their hearts hopeful.
All of them in group had survived, and they were together. The first day of the apocalypse in Shanghai University had ended, and with it, the first day of the Lin sisters' survival had just begun.
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Author's Note:
Dear Readers, if u like this chapter then support me as your support is the motivation for writing more chapters for u. This chapter has taken some time to write as I want to use different scenarios that u can feel.