The fire crackled between them. Beyond the circle of light, the camp faded into shadow.
The crystal walls shimred tall and protective under the night sky. Inside, people laughed, ate, and spoke like an ordinary neighbour. Outside, the world waited.
Michael’s words lingered in the air.
Annihilate them.
Myles stared into the flas.
The world had beco sothing cruel. Like a jungle stripped of illusion. A simple law governed everything now, only the strong survived.
Strength ant victory. Victory ant breathing another day.
The lines between good and evil had thinned until they barely existed. Morality had beco a luxury. Power decided what was right and decided who lived.
In an apocalypse like this, ideals collapsed faster than buildings. Hunger, fear, and survival carved away everything unnecessary.
Compassion still existed of course, but it depended on strength. Without power, kindness died first. It was useless.
Myles should have expected this shift. When society fell, the vacuum would not stay empty. It would be filled by those who dared to seize control by being the strongest and the most ruthless.
He had been too focused on fighting monsters, clearing zones, adapting to Ether and skills earlier, that he had not truly considered what humans would beco once the law disappeared.
"You’ve t this group?" Myles asked quietly.
"Yes."
Michael’s voice deepened. He kept his eyes on the fire, but the hatred inside them beca visible. It was not simple anger. It was sothing hardened and personal.
Sothing bad had happened to him because of this group.
Myles could tell.
"Tell about them," he said, taking another bite of at.
Michael ate as well, though more chanically.
Around them, voices rose and fell in conversation. Firewood cracked sharply. No one worried about attracting monsters.
The crystal barrier stood tall, refracting faint light into the mist beyond.
"Their leader is a man nad Red," Michael began. "He’s a psychopath who enjoys blood. He tortures his victims before killing them."
His tone remained steady, but tension tightened his jaw.
"His strength is high. He never hesitated to kill from the start of this apocalypse. Humans or monsters make no difference to him. That’s why people gather around him. In this world, people move toward strength. They believe it guarantees survival."
Myles listened without interrupting.
"This man..." Michael paused briefly. "He killed my girlfriend. After keeping her for days and raping her."
The last words ca out rigid.
His fist clenched. Muscles in his forearm trembled. The hatred radiating from him felt almost tangible like heat.
Myles remained silent.
For a mont, an old mory surfaced. Nadine... the helplessness he felt... the hollow rage at that mont.
But what Michael described felt far worse. It was prolonged, deliberate, and cruel beyond impulse.
"If we don’t kill them soon," Michael continued, turning his face toward Myles, "they’ll co for us. They’ll do the sa thing here."
The firelight reflected in his eyes.
"You must help kill him. I’ve seen how strong you are."
Myles t his gaze calmly.
"How do you know him?" he asked.
Michael exhaled slowly. "My girlfriend and I... and so people here... we used to be part of his group."
He looked back at the flas.
"Like I said. When the world changed, people gathered around whoever looked strongest. At that ti, Red was that person."
Myles stayed silent for a few monts.
The firelight moved across his face, casting shifting shadows over his eyes. He weighed the situation carefully, not emotionally.
Then he nodded once.
"I think you’re right," he said calmly. "For the safety of our groups, we should eliminate Red and his people."
He took another bite of at as if discussing patrol routes instead of executions.
This Red... he will be a threat to his group as well. And he didn’t want that. Because of that, he needs to eliminate them as soon as possible. As simple as that.
"What else do you know about him?" Myles asked.
Michael studied him for a few seconds in silence.
There was no hesitation. No visible anger. No impulsive reaction. Myles spoke the way a commander would evaluate terrain.
He was calm, asured, and certain.
It made sothing inside Michael settle. His determination was rising.
"How did you beco this strong?" Michael asked suddenly instead of answering his questions. He really wanted to know this. "You and your group. How can you beco this strong?"
Myles glanced at him briefly before looking back at the fire.
"I think we were lucky," he replied. "We encountered strong monsters early. We fought them together. We survived, and leveled up step by step."
It was not a lie.
But it was not the full truth either.
He did not ntion Lilian. He did not ntion her teaching about refined Ether control. So advantages were not ant to be shared. At least for now.
Michael let out a sad sigh.
"I wish I had been that lucky," he said. "When Red took her... I wasn’t strong enough to do anything. I was so helpless and it makes regret it till now."
The regret in his voice ran deep. Not loud or dramatic. Just heavy.
They ate in silence for a few minutes.
Wood snapped in the fire. Sparks rose and vanished into the dark. Laughter from the others drifted faintly across the camp.
A few ters behind them, Rafe watched them.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
What are they talking about?
They looked serious and focused. It was not a casual conversation.
"Are they already planning sothing together?"
Rafe knew Michael’s hatred for Red better than anyone. He had seen it grow day by day. He knew revenge drove him forward.
And now there was an opportunity.
Myles’ group was strong. Abnormally strong.
They all wielded magical weapons. Their coordination was precise. Their skills were terrifyingly effective.
If they joined forces with Michael fully...
Red’s position would be threatened.
Rafe’s jaw tightened slightly.
This could beco a turning point for Red, for Michael’s group, and most likely for everyone in this area.
—
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