CHAPTER 7 — First Light
ALEXIY — POV
Sunlight woke me.
Soft, warm, almost gentle—the kind of morning light that would've made my mom open the curtains and say rise and shine in her overly cheerful voice. For a second, just one blessed second, I could pretend everything was normal.
Then the ache in my arm reminded me.
Then the throbbing in my thigh.
Then the silence—too still, too empty.
I blinked sleep from my eyes and pushed myself upright. Dust clung to my hair. The blanket Elion had given me was draped around my shoulders like a cocoon.
My heart squeezed.
He really… left me to rest.
Quietly, carefully, I stood. My leg screamed, but I swallowed the sound and pushed through it. I reached for the string light, slipped past the office door, and stepped into the main station—
—and froze.
Elion was floating.
Suspended in the air, legs crossed like he was meditating, maybe eight inches off the ground. The rising sun poured through the shattered storefront glass and broke around him in soft golden beams, turning the dust motes into glitter.
His eyes were closed.His hair lifted faintly, like touched by a breeze only he could feel.His expression was calm—focused—almost serene.
If the zombies outside were nightmares pulled from horror movies…
This was something out of fantasy.
My breath caught.
"Elion…?"
His eyes snapped open.
And he fell—just a short drop, light as if gravity remembered him late—landing on his feet without stumbling. He exhaled sharply and flexed his fingers as if shaking off static.
"Oh. Morning," he said casually, as though he hadn't been levitating like some zen warlock.
I opened my mouth. Closed it. Tried again.
"You were—floating."
"Yeah," he said. "Working on control. I can only stay in the air for like… a minute? And barely a foot. But it's something."
Something?
It was insane. Impossible. Terrifying.
And…
Beautiful.
He stretched once, cracking his neck.
"Alright. Morning routine's done. Time for the plan."
My heart tightened.
"Plan?"
ELION — POV
I dusted off my hands and stepped away from the counter where I'd been practicing. My head still hummed from telekinesis—like I had a new muscle I kept accidentally flexing.
I check my stats before responding
"Nothing," I said. "Just a good skill."
I pulled up my stats.
[STATISTICS] — UPDATED
Name: Elion
Level: 1
Physique: 8 —> 10
Mind: 14
Spirit: 9 —>10
Will: 20
Perception: 7 —> 8
Free Points Remaining: 0
[SKILLS]
Passive: Crimson Pulse, Danger Sense
Active: Shadow Veil, Telekinesis
Extra: Inventory
[BLOODLINE] Dormant — ?
I looked at the new skill.
Danger Sense (Passive)
You gain a faint instinctive warning when immediate harm is present.
Provides a subtle alert when life threatening
Does not predict the future or show visions
Trigger sensitivity scales with Perception
I smiled. Perfect.
While it may not be an attack or defensive skill. I can't deny that it increased my survivability and survival is only the first step to be coming strong enough to be free.
"I'm going hunting," I said. "I need to kill more zombies. I need to get more orbs and stats."
Her eyes widened.
"You're… going out there? On purpose?"
"Yes," I said simply. "If I want to survive long-term, I need more power. More skills. More points. The world isn't slowing down, and I'm not staying weak."
She opened her mouth slowly—lips trembling with something deeper, something she held back last night.
"Elion… can I ask what I asked before?" she murmured. "Can you help me get to my family?"
I stiffened.
Not because I didn't expect it—but because I wasn't ready to answer.
"Where?" I asked automatically.
"Sunridge Apartments," she whispered. "About forty-five minutes from here. On foot."
Forty-five minutes.
In the apocalypse.
With her injuries.
With zombies everywhere.
No wonder she's so desperate enough to say what she said last night. She's all alone in the apocalypse.
I hesitated, jaw tightening.
Before I could speak, she continued.
"You can have all the skill orbs," she said quickly, desperately. "And anything we find. I just… I just want to see if my family is alive."
That hit harder than she knew.
Because I wasn't heartless. I just didn't want to say yes to something that could get me killed.
Her voice cracked. as tears pooled in her pink eyes.
"I don't care if I have nothing. I already said I would be your servant last night and I mean it! I just… I can't leave them without knowing. Please... I'll follow your orders and do anything you say..."
I stared at her.
She had a skill now. I don't know if it's an attack skill, but I still have one more red orb if needed.
If she could use it well, if she wasn't dead weight—she could be some backup. A second reactor. A second sensor. A second fighter, even if she didn't believe it yet.
And… I remembered what she said last night. about being my servant doing the chores. While I don't care if she want's to be a servant, for some reason a image popped into my head.
A maid outfit flashed through my mind.
Black ribbons. White frills. Pink hair. Loyal eyes. calling me 'Master~'
My brain short-circuited for a moment—then I mentally slapped myself.
Focus, idiot.
But the idea of someone cooking, cleaning, organizing, helping… wasn't bad. And she had literally sworn herself to follow my orders.
And if her family was alive, more people meant more information, maybe more strength.
I exhaled.
"…Fine," I said. "I'll take you there."
Her expression broke. Relief, shock, disbelief—all tangled together.
"You… you really—?"
"Yes," I said. "But we prepare first. We're take everything we can carry."
"Everything?" she repeated softly.
I grinned.
"Yes. Everything we can't carry."
I opened my hand.
A dark ripple in the air spiraled open beside my palm—like reality was peeling back. A black void, silent and impossibly deep.
Her jaw dropped.
"E-Elion… what is that!?"
"Inventory," I said. "Storage skill."
Her hands flew to her mouth."You… you really have a skill for that…?"
"Yup. Now help me fill it."
We moved fast.
She couldn't carry much with her arm, so she pointed things out while I grabbed and tossed them into the invisible space.
Water bottles—dozenshundredspiling into weightless nothing.
Sodas. Energy drinks.
Chips. Candy. Protein bars.
All of it flowed into the void, vanishing like swallowed by darkness.
Then the more useful things:
Batteries, Lighters, Matches, Super glue, Utility knives, Painkillers, Bandages, Tape
Then the weird things:
Gum, A pack of dice, Birthday candles, Toilet paper rolls
Then cigarettes—mostly because other survivors will trade anything for nicotine.
Then—
I grabbed a pack of condoms from behind the counter.
I wasn't even thinking about it—just taking everything that might have value.
She stared.
Her entire face went pink. She spun around so fast she nearly fell.
"I—I'll just get the gum!"
I blinked.
Then smirked.
Not saying a word.
Who knows...
By the time the storage was full—well, full of 10,000-items empty-space capacity—we stood shoulder-to-shoulder at the front door.
Sunlight streamed in.
Dust floated like tiny ghosts.
Outside, the world waited.
Alexiy swallowed hard.
"…Ready?"
I looked at her.Pink hair messy.Eyes tired but determined.Arm wrapped to her torso.Leg wounded but steady.
She was scared…but not running away.
"Yeah," I said. "Let's go see your family."
I pushed open the doors.
The apocalypse breathed on us.
We stepped out together.
Into the day. Into danger. Into whatever came next.