Trust was a fragile thing in the ruins.
It wasn't something you gave. It was something that leaked out of you slowly, usually without permission, and once it was gone, you noticed the cold immediately.
Kael and I moved in silence for a long time after meeting the stranger. Not the comfortable silence of people who understood each other, but the careful kind—each of us processing what had just happened, measuring the other without meaning to.
The ruins didn't mind.
They stretched wider here, opening into a fractured hall supported by massive pillars, many of them cracked or partially collapsed. Light filtered in from above through jagged openings, illuminating drifting dust that shimmered like dying stars.
The system map updated.
ZONE: INNER RUINS – MID RING
ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS: STRUCTURAL INSTABILITY
ENEMY ACTIVITY: INTERMITTENT
Kael finally broke the silence. "You didn't tell him much."
"Neither did he," I replied.
He nodded. "Still. Most people would've tried to bargain harder."
"Trusting too fast gets you killed," I said.
Kael glanced at me, then back to the path ahead. "Funny. I was thinking the opposite."
We paused near a fallen pillar, using it as cover while Kael scanned the hall. His eyes were sharp, always moving. He was better at this than I was—reading spaces, predicting threats.
"I followed a group once," he said suddenly. "Before this place. Twelve people."
I waited.
"They trusted each other. Shared food. Watched each other sleep." He snorted quietly. "When supplies ran low, trust didn't mean much."
"What happened?" I asked.
"They voted," he said flatly. "Decided who was weakest. Who slowed us down."
The whispers stirred.
They chose…
They always choose…
I clenched my jaw. "You survived."
"Barely," Kael said. "I ran when the shouting started."
The system chimed softly, unhelpfully.
SYSTEM NOTE:
SOCIAL DYNAMICS IMPACT SURVIVAL OUTCOMES
We moved again, slower now. The hall narrowed into branching corridors, each marked by faded sigils carved into the stone. Some glowed faintly, others were dark and cracked.
"Which way?" Kael asked.
The system hesitated.
Then it highlighted the left path.
RECOMMENDED ROUTE: LEFT
RISK ASSESSMENT: UNKNOWN
Kael frowned. "That's reassuring."
"Since when has the system cared about reassurance?" I said.
We took the left corridor.
Halfway through, the air changed. It grew colder, heavier, pressing against my skin like damp cloth. My instincts screamed, but not in panic—more like anticipation.
Kael stopped again, raising his hand.
I felt it too.
Movement.
Not ahead.
Behind us.
I spun, sword raised.
Three figures stepped out of the shadows—human silhouettes, but wrong somehow. Their movements were stiff, eyes glowing faintly blue.
The system reacted late.
ENTITY IDENTIFIED: BOUND SURVIVOR
LEVEL: 3–4
STATUS: CORRUPTED
"They're people," Kael said quietly.
"Were," I replied.
The bound survivors didn't speak. They just advanced, movements jerky, mouths hanging open as if mid-scream frozen in time.
One lunged.
Kael fired, the bolt piercing its chest—but it didn't stop. I slashed, cutting deep into its shoulder. Blue light spilled out like mist instead of blood.
The thing collapsed, twitching.
The others rushed us.
The fight was messy. Unpredictable. These weren't monsters following patterns—they were broken echoes of people who had failed somewhere along the way.
When it was over, the corridor was silent again.
Kael stared at the bodies. "That could've been us."
"Still could be," I said.
The system chimed, colder than usual.
KILLS CONFIRMED
XP DISTRIBUTED
NOTE: HUMAN-ADJACENT ENTITIES PROVIDE REDUCED REWARDS
Kael laughed bitterly. "Even the system doesn't think they're worth much."
We searched the bodies anyway. Old gear. Cracked tokens. One carried a journal, pages smeared and barely readable.
I didn't open it.
Some things were better left unread.
Further down the corridor, we found a chamber that looked almost… intact. Stone benches lined the walls, and a cracked fountain stood at the center, dry but clean.
"A rest spot," Kael said. "Relatively speaking."
We sat, backs against the stone, weapons within reach.
Minutes passed.
Then the system chimed again.
SYSTEM EVENT:
SHARED DOWNTIME DETECTED
SOCIAL SYNERGY POSSIBLE
Kael stared at the notification. "It's encouraging conversation now?"
"Seems like it," I said. "World's ending, might as well chat."
He smirked despite himself. "Alright. Question, then. Why are you really here?"
I considered lying.
Then I didn't.
"I woke up after the fracture," I said. "No grand goal. No revenge. Just… refusal. I didn't want to die confused."
Kael nodded slowly. "Fair."
"What about you?" I asked.
He hesitated. "I want to get out."
I raised an eyebrow. "Out?"
"Surface. Beyond the fractures. Somewhere the system hasn't sunk its claws into everything yet." He looked at me. "I don't know if that place exists. But I need to believe it does."
The whispers softened.
Hope lasts longer than fear…
The system flickered, then displayed something unexpected.
PARTY STATUS UPDATE
COMPATIBILITY: MODERATE
BETRAYAL PROBABILITY: NON-ZERO
Kael stared at it. "That's… comforting."
"At least it's honest," I said.
We stood to leave, but as we did, footsteps echoed from the corridor ahead.
Multiple.
Kael cursed softly. "Company."
Figures emerged—five of them. Armed. Organized. Their gear was better than ours, and their eyes were sharp with calculation.
One stepped forward, smiling.
"Relax," he said. "We're friendly."
The system screamed.
WARNING
PLAYER GROUP DETECTED
INTENT: UNDETERMINED
Kael leaned close to me. "This is where trust gets expensive."
I tightened my grip on my sword.
In the ruins, monsters were honest.
People?
People made choices.
And choices were where things usually broke.