Sanctuary of the River
The shimmer of the safe zone rippled across the river like heat off asphalt, barely visible until they were almost on top of it. A ruined square lay beyond, hemmed in by leaning buildings and broken lamps. Within that faint, wavering haze, the air felt cleaner—warmer somehow.
For the first time in days, Ethan dared to breathe without fear. A sanctuary. Not just another ruin. Not just another escape.
"Empty doesn't mean safe," Keith warned, his voice low. The lion at his side sniffed the air while the tiger prowled the edge of the water, tail twitching. "If no one's claimed this place, there's a reason."
Marcus grunted. "Then we clear it." His hammer rested across his shoulder like a promise.
Ethan glanced down at Ellie. The girl held tightly to the two dogs they'd coaxed out of the ruins—a husky and an Alsatian, both ragged and wary. Their eyes glimmered faintly now, golden threads connecting them to her small frame. The bonds were new, fragile, but real.
"They'll fight for her," Keith murmured. "Question is, can she fight for them?"
Ellie's chin lifted, though her voice was quiet. "I can try."
Ethan put a hand on her shoulder, steadying. "That's enough for now."
And together, they stepped through the shimmer.
---
The square was larger than they expected—quiet, open, and almost peaceful. But peace never lasted long.
The first mutant came from a doorway to the left, half its face hanging in strips, eyes glowing faintly orange. It shrieked and charged.
Marcus met it head-on. The hammer's impact cracked through the air, bone and pavement splintering. He pinned it down with a boot and glanced back.
"Tina!"
She hesitated, knife trembling.
"Now!" Marcus barked. "For Jamie!"
Her breath shuddered out, but she moved—driving the blade down hard. The mutant went still. A faint shimmer rippled before her eyes, and she gasped, stepping back.
Marcus caught her shoulders. "Good. You did it right."
Another shriek cut through the air. A second mutant lunged from an alley. Marcus swung again, catching it across the ribs. "Jamie!" he shouted.
The boy stood frozen for a heartbeat, clutching his hatchet. Then he ran forward and buried it in the creature's skull. It spasmed once, then went limp. Jamie's chest heaved, eyes wide—but when Marcus pulled him close, he nodded against his father's chest.
"You're strong," Marcus said softly. "But you strike when I say. Got it?"
Jamie nodded again, trembling but proud.
---
The quiet shattered all at once.
From the surrounding streets came the pounding of feet and the chorus of screams—more mutants, pouring from every doorway.
"Here they come!" Kira shouted, vanishing into shadow. She reappeared behind one of them, blades flashing, cutting deep before slipping away again. Darren stepped forward, his spear steady, finishing the wounded with a clean thrust.
Keith's beasts roared. The lion slammed into two at once, claws raking flesh, while the tiger leapt in silence, its weight snapping a spine.
"Hold them—don't finish!" Keith called. The lion snarled but obeyed, pinning its prey. The tiger crippled the next with one swipe.
Ethan's silver-blue threads lashed out, binding another creature's limbs. "Maya—now!"
She froze. "I can't—"
"Yes, you can!" Ethan shouted.
Her scream tore loose—high, shaking, raw. But it wasn't just sound. The air rippled, vibrations distorting the space ahead. The mutants staggered, clutching their heads. Ravi darted through the shimmer and drove his blade home.
Maya stared at her hands. "I… did that?"
Ravi, panting, grinned. "Vibrational disorientation. Controlled. Do it again."
---
Ellie's dogs barked—a sound that cut through the chaos. The husky lunged, icy mist curling from its muzzle. The Alsatian followed, slamming a mutant to the ground, teeth sinking deep.
Ellie gasped as the system shimmered faintly before her eyes.
> [Kill confirmed via bonded beasts.]
[Ellie — Level 4 → Level 5.]
She blinked, startled. "They leveled. Through me."
"Then let them fight," Ethan said, voice hard but proud. "Guide them. You're their heart now."
---
The fight turned ugly fast. Mutants poured in from rooftops and shattered windows. Marcus fought like a storm, hammer clearing space around Tina and Jamie. Kira blinked in and out, carving paths through the mob. Ravi's echoes shouted warnings seconds before danger struck, steering the group like a conductor.
Keith's lion and tiger worked in tandem, dragging the biggest threats down but holding back to let others finish them. Maya's voice pulsed like a weapon, disorienting whole clusters at a time.
Ethan moved through it all, threads binding wounds, redirecting blows, pulling the dying back from the brink. Every pulse of essence left him weaker, but he didn't stop.
And then the system shimmered again—bright and cold.
> [Darren — Level 10 reached.]
[Evolution available.]
Darren stood in the midst of the carnage, spear dripping, breath steady. "Guess I'm not useless after all."
Marcus barked a laugh. "About damn time."
Keith's lion roared again, a sound that made Ethan's bones vibrate. A shimmer pulsed across Keith's skin.
> [Keith — Level 10 reached.]
[Evolution available.]
The old zookeeper chuckled grimly. "Finally."
Moments later, Maya's next scream rippled through the square, toppling two mutants outright.
> [Maya — Level 10 reached.]
[Evolution available.]
Her breath came fast, but her eyes burned brighter. Ethan caught her shoulder. "You did it."
She nodded, dazed. "I didn't think I could."
---
The last mutant came crashing from the far side—larger, faster, veins glowing black. It hit Marcus like a truck, but he braced, caught it, and shoved back. Ethan's threads whipped tight around its limbs. Keith's beasts lunged from both sides.
"Tina!" Ethan yelled.
She darted in, knife flashing. The blade sank deep. The creature spasmed, then collapsed in a heap.
> [Tina — Level 10 reached.]
[Evolution available.]
Marcus swept her into his arms, laughing and crying all at once. "You did it. You're ready."
---
When the last echo of the fight faded, the square was still. Blood steamed on the stones. The stench of death was everywhere, but for the first time since the world fell apart—they stood in a place that was theirs.
A faint pulse shimmered through the air.
> [Safe Zone secured: Riverside Sanctuary.]
[Claim established: Group of 12.]
[Bonus: Beast Master bond stabilized.]
Ethan dropped to one knee, exhaustion hitting him all at once. "We did it," he murmured.
Keith looked up at the night sky, the lion and tiger flanking him in silence. "Don't relax yet. The system doesn't give without taking back."
Right on cue, the voice came—deep, cold, and final.
> [Announcement: Attention survivors.]
[In 12 hours, beasts will begin to mutate.]
[Prepare yourselves.]
The words rolled through the square like thunder, leaving silence in their wake.
Ethan's gaze swept over his people—Marcus, Tina, Jamie, Darren, Kira, Ravi,Caleb, Maya, Keith, Lena, Ellie—and the two dogs that watched with bright, loyal eyes. Half the group glowed faintly with pending evolutions. The rest just looked exhausted.
"This wasn't luck," Ethan said quietly. "It was us."
He straightened, silver threads flickering faintly under his skin.
"We've got twelve hours before everything changes again. So tonight—we choose who we're going to become."