Only one day had passed since Luo and Mia reunited.
Yet the world had already forced them to change more than years ever could.
The ruined library was cold and damp, the air thick with dust and decay. Luo sat near a small fire made from broken furniture, carefully dividing what little food they had left—half a can of beans, a crushed energy bar, and a bottle of cloudy water.
Mia watched silently.
She wanted to say something—anything—but every time she looked at Luo, guilt tightened around her chest. He had come back for her. Risked his life. And yet… she still felt like she didn't deserve to sit beside him.
"We move today," Luo said calmly. "If we stay, we starve."
Mia nodded. "There's an old shopping district nearby. Maybe something was missed."
Luo stood—and froze.
Footsteps echoed from the upper floor.
Mia's heart jumped. "Zombies?"
"No," Luo said quietly. "Lighter. Faster."
A figure emerged from the shadows.
"Luo."
The sound of that voice hit him harder than any blow.
"Lily…?"
She stepped into the light, dirt-streaked, exhausted—but alive.
For a moment, no one moved.
Then Lily ran forward and wrapped her arms around Luo's neck, burying her face against his chest.
"I thought I lost you," she whispered, her voice shaking.
Luo's body reacted before his mind. His arms closed around her instinctively, pulling her close, his forehead resting against hers.
"I looked everywhere," he said softly. "I thought…"
Lily pulled back just enough to look into his eyes. Tears streamed down her face.
Without hesitation, she kissed him.
It wasn't desperate.
It was real.
Behind them, Mia felt something crack inside her.
Her fingers curled tightly into her sleeves as she looked away, her chest burning with emotions she didn't want to admit.
Jealousy.
Lily noticed her a second later.
She pulled back, confusion flickering across her face. "Who…?"
"Mia," Luo said. "Family."
The word hurt more than Mia expected.
They didn't have time to talk.
A growl echoed from outside.
Then another.
Then shouting.
"They're here," Luo said sharply. "Both kinds."
They moved quickly, exiting through the back of the library.
Outside, the shopping district was a nightmare.
Zombies roamed the streets—some slow, others disturbingly aware. Worse still, humans had claimed the area. Armed scavengers guarded entrances, killing anything that approached.
Food crates sat behind barricades.
"We need that," Lily whispered.
"Careful," Mia said. "They shoot first."
A zombie suddenly charged from the alley.
Luo moved.
Too fast.
He stepped in front of Lily, his hand snapping out—grabbing the zombie's head and slamming it into the pavement with brutal force.
The skull shattered.
Everyone froze.
Lily stared at him. "Luo… how did you—?"
"I don't know," he replied, breathing hard.
Gunfire erupted.
Humans noticed them.
"Targets!" someone yelled.
Zombies and bullets collided in chaos.
Luo felt it again.
That clarity.
He saw paths. Movements. Weak points.
He pulled Lily close, guiding her without looking, dodging shots that should have hit him. A bullet grazed his arm—but the pain vanished almost instantly.
Mia saw it.
The wound closed.
Her breath caught.
What are you becoming…?
They escaped with stolen food—rice, protein bars, bottled water.
Enough for days.
But the cost was clear.
Nothing about Luo felt normal anymore.
---
Far from the city, Aria stood atop a destroyed military transport.
Her presence bent the air around her.
Her body was no longer human—yet her mind remained terrifyingly clear. She could alter her form at will: claws, hardened skin, heightened speed. Her cells adapted instantly to threats.
Behind her stood three survivors—her chosen team.
Jin Tae, enhanced reflexes and combat instincts.
Hana Seo, healer, burning her own life to save others.
Kade, shadow-born, silent and lethal.
An evolved zombie king emerged from the ruins.
Aria didn't hesitate.
Her body transformed mid-stride.
She tore through it effortlessly.
When the dust settled, she turned toward Seoul.
"I felt you again," she whispered. "You're changing, Luo."
Her team watched her with quiet reverence.
She wasn't just surviving.
She was becoming something else.
---
That night, Luo sat between Lily and Mia.
The fire flickered.
Lily leaned against his shoulder naturally.
Mia looked away.
The world outside howled.
And fate tightened its grip on all of them.