The silence between us was unbearable. Lysander stood in the mist like a shadow cut from stone, watching me with those piercing gray eyes. His presence scraped at me like sandpaper. Even in the ashes of the world, he was still the same — cold, composed, untouchable. His school uniform was long gone, replaced by scavenged tactical gear that looked almost too perfect on him. His boots were clean. His posture was effortless. Meanwhile, I was bleeding, dirty, a crowbar clutched in my shaking hands.
Of course he would look like he had the apocalypse under control. Of course I would look like I'd barely crawled out alive.
"Put that toy down," he said, nodding at my crowbar. His tone was dismissive, like he was talking to a child. "You'll hurt yourself."
The anger hit me harder than fear ever could. "Screw you, Lysander." My voice came out hoarse, rough with exhaustion. "Stay the hell away from me."
He raised a brow, tilting his head slightly, as if amused. "Still got that fire, huh? I was wondering if the end of the world might've finally burned it out of you. Guess not."
I gripped the crowbar tighter. My muscles trembled, not just from fatigue but from rage. The System's notification pulsed in the corner of my vision, a reminder of the quest I couldn't ignore.
[ Quest: Form Alliance with Lysander Hale ]
Reward: Unknown.
Penalty: Death.
Death. Not failure. Not loss. Death.
I swallowed hard. The System wasn't a suggestion. It wasn't optional. If I ignored it, I would die — whether by Aberrations or something worse, I didn't know. But every instinct screamed against this. Teaming up with Lysander was like chaining myself to a predator and hoping it wouldn't bite.
"You don't get it," I said, forcing the words out. "I'd rather face those monsters alone than—"
A sound cut me off. Low. Guttural. From the ruins behind us.
My breath froze in my chest as shadows shifted in the mist. Not one. Not two. At least five Aberrations, their glowing veins like embers in the fog, crawling over the wreckage, drawn by our voices.
My heart slammed against my ribs. I backed up instinctively. Lysander didn't move. He watched them with that same maddening calm, like he'd expected this. His hand rested on the hilt of a blade at his waist, sleek and sharp, clearly scavenged from somewhere better than a broken convenience store.
"They're yours," he said simply, as though testing me.
"What?"
"You heard me. Show me you're not dead weight."
Fury surged in me again. He hadn't changed one bit. Always testing. Always pushing. Always making me feel like I was less. But I didn't have time to argue. The Aberrations screeched, charging through the mist, their claws tearing up the asphalt.
I swung my crowbar with everything I had, smashing into the first one's skull. Bone cracked, black blood spraying across my arm. The second lunged, and I ducked, driving the crowbar into its gut and shoving it back. My arms screamed with the effort, my lungs burning, my shoulder throbbing from the earlier wound that hadn't fully healed.
The third Aberration caught me off guard, claws raking across my side. Pain exploded, white-hot. I stumbled, nearly falling. It raised its claw again — and then a flash of silver cut through the air.
The Aberration's head flew clean off its shoulders. Its body crumpled, dissolving into ash.
I spun. Lysander stood behind me, his blade gleaming faintly in the dawn light, his expression unreadable. He didn't look winded. He didn't even look bothered. His movements were precise, practiced. Almost elegant.
"Pathetic," he muttered.
Rage and humiliation tangled inside me, choking me. "I didn't need your help."
"Sure," he said flatly, stepping past me to slice down another Aberration with effortless grace. "Keep telling yourself that."
I hated him. I hated him so much that my chest hurt with it. But as the last Aberration dissolved into ash, I also knew something else: I wouldn't survive long without him. Not if groups like that were roaming around. Not if the System had already decided our fates were tied.
The System chimed again.
[ Quest Complete: Form Alliance with Lysander Hale ]
Reward: Bond Status Unlocked.
A new menu flickered open in my vision.
[ Bond: Aria Vale & Lysander Hale ]
Synergy: 5% (Hostile)
Shared XP Pool: Active
Special Bonus: Locked
My blood ran cold. Shared XP pool? That meant our growth, our progress — even our power — was now linked. And synergy… five percent. Hostile.
I looked at Lysander, and for once, he actually looked at me directly, his eyes narrowing slightly as if he could see the same notification.
"So it's true," he said. "The System wants us bound together."
"Over my dead body," I snapped.
He smirked faintly. "That can be arranged."
I wanted to hit him. I wanted to drive the crowbar straight into his smug face. But then I thought of the notification. Penalty: Death. The words hung over me like a noose.
The tension between us stretched thin, ready to snap, until another sound cut through the air — not an Aberration this time. Human voices. Distant, but coming closer.
"Over here!" someone shouted.
Lysander's eyes flicked toward the noise. "Scavengers," he said quietly. "Or worse."
The mist shifted, and figures emerged from the ruins. Four of them, armed with pipes, knives, and makeshift armor. Their faces were hard, eyes sunken, movements desperate. Survivors. But not the kind you wanted to meet.
"Well, well," one of them said, grinning with rotten teeth. "Fresh meat."
My stomach dropped.
The man's gaze swept over me, lingering too long. "Pretty thing like you shouldn't be wandering around alone."
"She's not alone," Lysander said, his voice like steel. His blade gleamed as he stepped in front of me, casual but lethal. "And you're making a mistake."
The scavengers laughed, spreading out to surround us. My heart pounded as I lifted my crowbar again, though my hands trembled.
I didn't know if I was more afraid of them… or of what Lysander was about to do.
Because if there was one thing I knew, it was that Lysander Hale didn't make threats. He made promises.
And he always, always kept them.