Damn it—did Kael Voss really dump this military truck on her and vanish?
Reno Stark's hands shook as he scrambled into the cab, fumbling to start the engine and floor the gas pedal.
Watching the truck disappear into the distance, Elara Voss twisted her lips into a bitter smile.
Without Kael Voss, this apocalypse would truly be hell on earth.
She slid into Reno Stark's off-road, pulled out her phone, and called her parents.
"Something came up—I'll meet you in X City with Kael in a couple days," she said flatly. "He sent Reno to look after you, so stick to the hotel's entertainment area and rest up."
After hanging up, she called the hotel front desk to order enough food and drinks to stock her parents' room.
Then she rang nearby supermarkets, piling up non-perishables for delivery—no sense leaving them shorthanded.
Elara drove slowly around the outer ring, clinging to a thread of hope.
Maybe she'd spot Kael's modified off-road, or any clue to his whereabouts.
But the empty streets only turned her heart colder.
By the time she stumbled back to the villa, night had fallen.
She collapsed onto the sofa, numbly flipping on the TV, her eyes hollow and unfocused.
She drifted through the night in a daze.
When she finally roused, the electronic calendar read 8:00 AM on July 13th.
Elara stared at the date for ages before dragging herself to the bathroom for a cold shower.
The chill seeped into her bones, clearing her muddled thoughts as she towel-dried and dressed in stiff denim.
Downstairs, she raided the kitchen: biscuits, ham, vacuum-sealed meats, canned beef, and chocolate stuffed into a 361° hiking backpack.
She added two packs of salt, gauze, disinfectant, and painkillers, then tucked a 1.5L water bottle beside them.
With mechanical movements, she cooked a simple meal.
The huge room was silent—she could hear every chew.
Her gaze fixed on the plates, but it was empty, seeing nothing.
After eating, she stored the leftovers and froze as her phone blared.
An unknown number. She answered.
"Miss Voss!" Reno's excited voice exploded through the speaker.
"We found Mr. Voss!"
Elara's brain went blank.
She clutched the phone so hard her knuckles whitened, trembling uncontrollably.
"I just drove into X City, and—bam!—Mr. Voss appeared in the car out of nowhere!" Reno's tone gushed, then dropped to a whisper.
"He's furious we're here without you. He's with your parents now, arguing about going back to pick you up."
Elara bit her lip until it hurt, tears pouring down.
Her once dull eyes blazed to life.
She rushed to the balcony, yanking open the window—only to freeze.
A faint red mist hung in the air.
Visibility was still over 100 meters, but it screamed danger, unbidden.
"Reno—are you seeing this fog?" Her voice was icy with tension.
"Fog?" Reno paused.
"It was sunny a second ago… Wait, when did this happen? And it's red?"
Elara's heart plummeted.
"Get Kael on the phone. Now."
"What? You're going back for Elara?" Mother Voss's voice held surprise and frustration.
"What are you two playing at? She said she'd come with you!"
"She knows the way—let her travel alone!" Father Voss glanced up from his newspaper, eyeing his dark-faced son.
"Or are you hiding something? Elara's been acting strange, rambling warnings and hoarding supplies like we're fleeing for our lives."
Kael Voss seethed.
The situation had spiraled beyond his control.
He'd never imagined Elara would rush back for him—or that he'd get blindsided by this accident!
The thought of Elara, his elegant, delicate Elara, facing rampaging Mutated Beasts alone tomorrow made his blood run cold.
But with his parents here, he couldn't leave—not without explaining why, which he couldn't.
Just as he was about to snap, the door knocked.
Reno poked his head in, holding the phone like a lifeline, cowering under Kael's glare.
"Miss Voss… wants you."
Kael frowned, snatching the phone and storming into the bedroom, slamming the door.
Elara's breath hitched.
When his voice came through, she broke down sobbing.
"Elara? Don't panic—I'm coming for you!"
She choked out, "No. Don't you dare."
Kael's brows knitted.
"Why? Tomorrow's the 14th—you're alone!"
"Look outside."
Kael froze at the window.
The red mist had thickened drastically.
"It's too late, Kael. Listen to me," she gasped.
"You have to protect Mom and Dad. I'll come to X City—I promise. Just stay alive for me."
"No!" His voice shook.
"I'll arrange guards for them! I can drive back—"
"Kael Voss!" She cut him off sharply.
"Flights are grounded, trains shut down. Even by car, it's 20 hours. Mutated Beasts will be here in 12. If you get stuck, we'll never see each other again."
Kael's eyes blazed.
"I'll drive through—"
"Do you want to lose me forever?" Elara's tone turned frigid.
"After the apocalypse, people turn on each other for a crumb of food. Can you trust your men not to hurt Mom and Dad when push comes to shove?"
Kael gritted his teeth, veins bulging.
"Promise me you'll stay. Protect them. And yourself," she added softly.
"Mom and Dad are getting older—they'll feel sorry for strangers. Keep them in the dark if you have to. People are crueler than any beast without laws."
When he stayed silent, she knew he'd caved.
She understood his agony—he'd shielded her from everything, and now he had to let her fight alone.
"And Reno said you appeared in the car out of nowhere?" She changed the subject to keep him from backtracking.
"Do you remember Lila's pendant?" Kael's voice softened.
He told her the whole story—snatching the ink jade pendant from her, cutting his finger, discovering its space, and passing out after eating a peach from the ancient peach tree inside.
"How do you feel now?" Elara asked, confused.
She'd plotted to swap her bracelet for that pendant on purpose, only to find it useless—so why had it bonded to Kael?
"Twice as strong, faster. My eyesight's sharper," Kael admitted.
"That's good," she sighed in relief.
"But keep the space secret. Say you're a space Superpower later—no one has them yet, and you don't want to end up as a lab rat."
He grunted in agreement.
"Stay out of the mist. Find a weapon while you can," she urged.
"Communications will cut soon. Just wait—I'll be there."
She hung up before he could argue, striding to the kitchen.
She mixed flour with minced meat, steamed buns, then cleared the living room.
With a flick of her wrist, a golden longsword materialized in her hand.
She practiced slashes and stabs until sweat soaked her clothes.
Then she showered and checked the villa's security.
By 3 PM, the red mist had thinned visibility to 20 meters.
This apocalypse's mist came a day early and spread twice as fast.
Who knew what other surprises lay ahead?
But Elara felt calm—Kael was safe.
That's all that mattered.
The TV blared updates, dismissing the mist as a "natural phenomenon."
She ignored it, focusing on her powers—she'd neglected them for days, consumed with Kael.
At 10 PM, she encased herself in a large air bubble with air holes and climbed into bed.
No way she'd let Mutated Rats snack on her in her sleep.
Thankfully, she slept through the night.
At 5:44 AM, a howl—half wolf, half dog—shattered the silence.
Elara's eyes flew open.
The apocalypse had begun.
Elara grabbed thick denim, a white T-shirt, and a denim jacket, lacing up sturdy boots.
She pulled her hair into a ponytail, securing it with a golden hairpin she'd forged with her powers the night before.
She showered with stored water, ate breakfast, and avoided tap water—who knew what contaminants lingered.
With the power still on, she stashed perishables in the fridge, grabbed a watermelon knife, and reinforced its blade with her Superpower.
Locking the door, she stepped outside.
The apocalypse's early days belonged to mutated pets—dogs, cats, anything once domesticated.
She needed supplies, so she wasn't leaving the neighborhood yet.
Across the street sat a hardware and electronics mall—her target.
She needed weapons.
The villa complex's streets were lined with bloodstains.
One door hung off its hinges, silent inside.
Elara didn't spare it a glance—time was precious, and mercy was a luxury.
Her air bubbles spread 20 meters around her, relaying every creak and growl.
Suddenly, she swerved toward a villa.
Inside, low growls and chewing sounds echoed.
These rich folks had all kept expensive pets—now those pets feasted on their owners.
Jaxon Hale pressed his back against a bedroom door, furniture piled behind him.
He clutched a kitchen knife, trembling as a once-docile dog—now twice its size—snarled outside.
His parents were dead—his mom's spine snapped, his dad's throat torn out.
He'd scrambled into the bedroom, but the beast's jaws were inches from the door.
"Bang!" The door splintered.
The dog crashed through, sending the bed flying.
"Aaah! Stay away!" Jaxon waved the knife blindly.
The dog lunged—then froze.
A streak of gold flashed, and its neck gaped open, blood gushing.
Jaxon stared.
A teenage girl stood in the doorway, clad in denim, her eyes cold as ice.
She held the bloodied watermelon knife, her posture graceful yet deadly.
Elara didn't spare him a second look.
She knelt, pried the Beast Core from the dog's skull, and slipped it into her pocket.
As she turned to leave, Jaxon stumbled after her.
He kept 5 meters back—something about her made him fear she'd slit his throat without blinking.
Elara didn't care.
Surviving the apocalypse alone was impossible.
Maybe building a team wasn't such a bad idea—for Kael's sake, if nothing else.
"Meow!" A snow-white cat—now the size of a sheepdog—lunged from the shadows.
Jaxon yelled, but Elara flipped backward, slashing the knife.
The cat twisted mid-air, landing with a snarl, its claws glinting like steel.
"Stay back—one swipe and it'll tear you apart," Elara said flatly, never taking her eyes off the beast.
Jaxon's jaw tightened.
"You saved me. I'm not leaving you."
Elara raised an eyebrow.
"I don't need dead weight—especially not from a man."
"I get it." His voice was hoarse.
"But I'm not dead weight."
"Elara Voss," she said.
"Jaxon Hale."
They nodded, locking eyes with the cat.
"Hit its belly, neck, eyes. Avoid the claws and jaws."
Elara charged first.
Jaxon followed, screaming as he swung the knife.
The cat ignored Jaxon, fixated on Elara.
She ducked, slashing its throat.
The cat yowled, crashing into Jaxon—who drove the knife into its eyes.
It dropped, twitching.
Jaxon stared at his bloodied hands, then at Elara as she pried out the Beast Core.
Relief washed over him—he wasn't useless.
"Check that house," Elara said, sending him to loot while she collected the core.
By dusk, they'd raided half the villas, gathering food, water, gold, and jewelry.
Jaxon found a Land Rover key, and they loaded everything inside.
Every mutated pet they encountered fell to Elara's blade—Jaxon charged in anyway, targeting weak spots.
He learned fast.
When they reached the mall, Elara's bubbles detected no signs of life—just silence.
"Stick to the plan: grab steel nails, then go." She said.
"And Jaxon—keep your eyes open. Rats, roaches, spiders—anything could be mutated. They're deadlier than pets."
Jaxon paled.
"Right. No heroes today."
They entered cautiously.
The mall was empty, the security guard's body nowhere to be found.
Elara headed for the fifth floor—nails.
On the third floor, a crash echoed.
Jaxon tensed. "Who's there?"
Elara's bubbles zeroed in on a counter.
"Come out. Or I'll make you."
A woman stumbled out, trembling.
"Jaxon? Is that really you?"
It was Chen Na—Jaxon's ex-girlfriend.
She threw herself at him, sobbing. "I'm so scared! That rat— it bit through my uncle's neck!"
Elara's gaze flicked to the hickeys on Chen Na's neck.
She smiled coldly. "Rats did that? Must've taken a fancy to you. Your uncle's dead, but you're unscathed."
Chen Na paled, covering her neck.
Jaxon yanked her shirt down, revealing more marks.
"You lying bitch!" He backhanded her.
"It's not rats—you're a cheat!"
Elara turned and walked away.
Jaxon followed, spitting in disgust.
By nightfall, they reached the mall's fifth floor.
Jaxon stuffed a burlap sack with steel nails—top-grade, sharp as razors.
"Enough?" he asked.
Elara shook her head, grabbing another sack.
"We'll need more."
As they headed down, Chen Na was gone.
Good—one less problem.
Outside, the Land Rover roared to life.
Elara stared at the road ahead, her resolve hardening.
Kael was waiting.
And she'd fight through hell to get to him.
Next Chapter Teaser
Elara's space pendant secret unravels—turns out the peach pit she lost is a hidden floral dimension! But Kael's space has a deadly surprise too—his Superpower awakens, but it's not just fire… it's black flames that burn through everything, including his sanity. When Elara's team stumbles into a mutated plant nest, Kael's rage explodes—will he choose to save her, or let the flames consume them both? Plus: Jaxon uncovers Chen Na's twisted plan, and a new Superpowered ally emerges… but whose side are they really on?