[Aria's POV]
"Forty-eight hours," I whispered, staring at the system warning. "They'll all die in forty-eight hours."
Dr. Elena watched me carefully. "What does your system say?"
I showed her the screen. Her eyes widened as she read.
"A rival faction attack." She sat down heavily. "That's bad. Really bad. Those groups are organized. Armed. They don't just raid—they slaughter everyone and take everything."
My hands clenched into fists. "There are innocent people in that warehouse. Jade. The younger survivors. People who didn't vote to kick me out."
"There are also the people who did vote," Dr. Elena pointed out. "Marcus. Vivian. The ones who filmed you crying and threw you to the zombies."
"I know."
"So what will you do?"
I looked at my bandaged hands. Felt the power humming beneath my skin, still weak but growing stronger with every passing minute.
"I don't know yet," I admitted. "But I have forty-eight hours to decide."
"Then we don't waste time." Dr. Elena stood. "You need to understand your abilities. Master them. Because whether you save them or not, you need to be strong enough to protect yourself."
She led me to a training room—just an empty hospital ward with the beds pushed aside.
"Show me your system screen. Everything. Don't hide anything."
I pulled it up, and this time, it displayed the truth:
[ARIA CHEN - TRUE RANK: SSS][PRIMARY ABILITY: Restoration Goddess][Sub-Abilities Unlocked:]
Perfect Healing (heals any wound, disease, or corruption) Purifying Light (destroys undead) Power Drain/Transfer (absorbs and redistributes abilities) Death's Touch (reverse healing—causes decay and system corruption) [Sub-Abilities Locked: 4 remaining][Power Unsealing Progress: 25%]
Dr. Elena's jaw dropped. "Four abilities already, and you're only at twenty-five percent? Aria, when you reach one hundred percent..."
"What?"
"You'll be a god." She said it simply. Like a fact. "Life and death, creation and destruction, all in your hands. That's what Restoration Goddess means."
The weight of it crashed over me. "I don't want to be a god. I just want to survive."
"Too bad. The system chose you." Dr. Elena's voice turned sharp, commanding. "Now show me Perfect Healing. Heal yourself. Right now."
"But I'm already healing—"
"You're healing slowly. Using the hospital's supplies and medicine. But your power can do it instantly." She pulled out a knife. "Trust me."
Before I could protest, she cut her own palm. Blood dripped onto the floor.
"Heal me," she ordered. "Use your power. Not F-Rank healing. Your real power."
I hesitated. What if I couldn't? What if—
"Stop thinking. Just do it."
I reached for her bleeding hand. Closed my eyes. Felt for that golden light inside me—the one that had destroyed zombies, that had drained that man's power.
It was there. Burning. Waiting.
I let it flow.
Golden light poured from my hands into Dr. Elena's wound. The cut sealed instantly, not even leaving a scar. The blood on the floor evaporated into golden mist.
Dr. Elena flexed her hand, eyes wide. "That's perfect healing. Not just closing wounds but restoring tissue to pristine condition. Aria, do you understand what this means?"
"I can heal people?"
"You can cure ANYTHING." Dr. Elena grabbed my shoulders. "Zombie infection. Cancer. Lost limbs. System corruption. Anything that's wrong with a body, you can fix it. You're the most valuable person in the entire apocalypse."
The realization hit me like a truck. "That's why the system sealed me. Why it said my power was too dangerous."
"Because everyone would want you. Use you. Fight wars over you." Dr. Elena's expression turned grim. "Marcus threw you away thinking you were worthless. If he knew the truth..."
"He'd lock me up. Use me as a healing tool forever."
"Exactly. So here's rule number one: Never tell anyone your true rank. Never show your full power unless absolutely necessary."
I nodded, understanding. "What's rule number two?"
"Learn to fight. Because healing won't save you from a bullet to the head." Dr. Elena picked up the knife again. "Now show me Death's Touch. The reverse of healing."
"I don't want to hurt you—"
"You won't. I trust you to control it." She held out her hand. "Just a little. Make me feel it."
I touched her hand again, but this time, I pushed the power backward. Instead of giving life, I took it away.
Dr. Elena gasped. Her skin wrinkled, aging rapidly where I touched her. She jerked her hand back.
"Stop! That's enough!"
I released her immediately. "I'm so sorry—"
"Don't apologize. That was perfect." Dr. Elena stared at her hand, watching the wrinkles slowly fade as her natural healing kicked in. "With that power, you could age someone to dust in seconds. Make their bodies decay while they're still alive."
"That's horrible."
"That's survival." Dr. Elena's eyes were hard. "The people who betrayed you? They deserve to understand what it feels like to rot from the inside."
I wanted to disagree. Wanted to say I wasn't that person.
But remembering Marcus's cold eyes, Vivian's cruel laugh, I wasn't so sure anymore.
We trained for hours. Dr. Elena pushed me relentlessly, making me use each ability over and over until I could call them without thinking.
By evening, I was exhausted but stronger. My power reserves had nearly fully restored.
My system pinged:
[Power Unsealing Progress: 30%][New training milestone reached][Time remaining until warehouse attack: 36 hours]
Thirty-six hours now. Time was running out.
"You're getting stronger," Dr. Elena said, handing me water. "But you're not ready for a full battle yet. If you go to that warehouse, you'll be walking into a war zone."
"What if I don't go? What if I just let them die?"
"Then innocent people die along with the guilty." Dr. Elena's voice softened. "And you'll have to live with that choice."
I closed my eyes, torn. Part of me wanted revenge. Wanted to watch Marcus and Vivian suffer for what they'd done.
But another part—the part that had spent five years loving Marcus, that had called Sophie her best friend—that part still hurt. Still cared.
"There's a third option," Dr. Elena said quietly.
"What?"
"You go. You save the innocent ones. And you let the guilty face consequences." Her smile was dark. "You don't have to save everyone, Aria. You get to choose who's worth saving."
Before I could respond, the hospital door exploded inward.
We both spun around.
Three people stumbled inside. Survivors. Two men and a woman, all bleeding and terrified.
"Please!" the woman sobbed. "We need help! Our camp was attacked—everyone's dead—we barely escaped—"
Dr. Elena moved immediately, assessing their wounds. "Aria, I need you. This one's losing too much blood."
I ran over. The younger man had a deep gash across his stomach, blood pumping out with each heartbeat. Without thinking, I placed my hands on the wound.
Golden light flowed. The gash sealed. The man gasped, his eyes wide with shock.
"You're... you're a healer? A real healer?"
"Yes," Dr. Elena answered for me. "The best one you'll ever meet. Now tell us what happened. Who attacked your camp?"
"The Red Claw faction," the woman said, shaking. "They're sweeping through the city, hitting every survivor camp. Taking all the supplies, killing anyone who resists."
My blood ran cold. "Red Claw? Are they hitting more camps?"
"All of them. They have a list. They're going camp by camp." The woman pulled out a crumpled paper. "Look. These are all their targets."
I grabbed the paper. Scanned the list.
And saw it. Third from the bottom:
Kent Street Warehouse - 32 survivors - Moderate supplies - Attack scheduled: Tomorrow dawn
Tomorrow dawn. Not thirty-six hours.
Eighteen hours.
"They moved up the schedule," I breathed.
Dr. Elena looked over my shoulder. "That's your warehouse."
"We barely escaped," the older man said. "Red Claw is ruthless. They have military weapons. Organized teams. And their leader..." He shuddered. "Their leader has an S-Rank power. Some kind of explosion ability. He levels entire buildings."
"How many people in Red Claw?" Dr. Elena asked sharply.
"At least fifty. Maybe more."
Fifty trained fighters with military weapons against thirty-two unprepared survivors in a warehouse.
It would be a massacre.
Marcus would die. Vivian would die. All of them.
Including Jade. Including the innocent ones who'd done nothing wrong.
"I have to warn them," I said.
"They threw you out to die," Dr. Elena reminded me. "Why should you help them?"
"Because I'm not them." I stood, my decision made. "I'm not cruel. I'm not heartless. And I won't let innocent people die just because I hate Marcus."
Dr. Elena studied me for a long moment. Then nodded with approval. "Okay. But you're not going alone."
"You'll come with me?"
"I'll do better than that." Dr. Elena walked to a supply closet and pulled out a radio. "I know people. Other survivors. Good ones. We can gather maybe ten fighters in the next few hours."
"That's not enough against fifty—"
"It will be with you." Dr. Elena's smile was fierce. "You're SSS-Rank, Aria. You're a one-woman army. You just don't know it yet."
My system screen flickered:
[QUEST UPDATED: Defend the Warehouse][Objective: Save at least 20 survivors from Red Claw attack][Bonus Objective: Defeat Red Claw leader][Reward: Power Unsealing +20%, New Ability Unlock][Failure: Death of innocents, Permanent guilt debuff]
The system was giving me a quest. Pushing me toward heroism.
Or maybe just pushing me toward my destiny.
"We have eighteen hours," I said. "Let's use them."
Dr. Elena started making calls on the radio. I healed the three survivors completely, preparing for war.
But as I worked, my system pinged with a private message:
[WARNING: Marcus Zhao has acquired information about "Sealed Ones"][He is actively searching for you][Threat level: EXTREME][He believes capturing you will make him unstoppable]
My blood turned to ice.
Marcus knew.
Somehow, he'd learned about Sealed Ones. About hidden SSS-Rank powers.
And he was hunting me.
Not to apologize. Not to beg forgiveness.
To capture me. Use me. Make my power his own.
I looked at Dr. Elena, who was still on the radio organizing fighters.
Should I tell her? Should I run? Should I—
Another message appeared:
[Marcus's search team approaching your location][ETA: 2 hours][They are tracking your power signature][DECISION REQUIRED: Fight or flee?]
Two hours until Marcus arrived.
Eighteen hours until Red Claw attacked the warehouse.
And I was standing in the middle, holding the power to save or destroy them all.
The real question was: What kind of person was I going to be?
The scared girl who ran?
Or the goddess who fought back?