Night came without ceremony.
The sun dipped behind the trees, light draining from the valley in slow, measured steps. Shadows stretched across the clearing, and the air cooled enough that Rook could feel it through his jacket.
He finished reinforcing the cabin door and stepped back, evaluating the work.
Crude.
Functional.
Enough.
The System chimed softly.
[Daily Fatigue Threshold Reached.]
[Rest Recommended.]
Rook didn't argue.
He washed his hands in the stream, the water numbing against his skin, and returned to the cabin. Inside, the space was small but clean. A rough wooden cot. A table. His pack hung from a nail near the door.
He set his crowbar within arm's reach before lying down.
Habit.
He opened his status window one last time, not to obsess over numbers, but to confirm something simple.
HP: Full
Stamina: Low
Territory Status: Stable
Outside, something howled in the distance.
It wasn't close.
Rook closed his eyes anyway.
Sleep came faster than he expected.
For the first time since the sky had cracked open, he wasn't listening for screams. He wasn't bracing for impact. The walls held. The land was quiet.
The System did not interrupt.
Hours later, he woke to a soft chime.
[Rest Complete.]
[HP Fully Restored.]
[Stamina Fully Restored.]
No penalty.
No nightmares flagged.
Rook sat up slowly, listening.
Nothing.
Just the stream.Just the wind.Just the sound of a world that hadn't noticed it ended.
He stood and stepped outside.
The valley was shrouded in pale dawn light, mist rising from the water. The watchtower loomed above, unchanged. The boundary string glowed faintly, steady and unbroken.
Beyond it, the forest waited.
Rook breathed in and out once, grounding himself.
Today, he would build again.