A low, guttural shriek tore through the oppressive silence, followed by the distant sound of breaking glass. From his perch on the old oak tree's broad limb, Lin Kai was a silent, grim spectator to the end of the world as he knew it.
Below, the once-bustling streets were a mosaic of chaos and horror. Twisted, screaming figures clawed at their own flesh, their bodies contorting into a sickening parody of humanity.
The Aether, once a peaceful, nourishing energy he had been taught to wield in his past life, was now a poison to the weak-willed, corrupting them from the inside out.
His jaw was clenched tight, a single, clear thought burning in his mind: Shanghai. He had to go to Shanghai. He had to get to his family.
He had already resolved to travel by night, avoiding the masses and using his Aether-enhanced senses to stay one step ahead of the transforming humans. He was prepared to leave everything behind in his single-minded quest to reach his mother and sisters.
But then, he saw them.
Tucked behind a concrete planter near the entrance of a boutique shop, a young girl, no older than eight, whimpered, her face buried in the back of a woman's long-sleeved shirt.
The woman, trembling violently, held her close, her body a frail shield as she stared in wide-eyed terror at the three corrupted beings shambling slowly toward them.
One of them had a jaw that was grotesquely unhinged, its black eyes fixed on the scent of fresh blood. The woman had no weapon.
She was simply a mother trying to protect her child with nothing but her own body.
Lin Kai's heart pounded, a frantic drumbeat against his ribs. He had already chosen his path. He had to be ruthless.
He had to be cold. He had to get to Shanghai. His mind screamed at him to stay hidden, to let the world consume itself while he focused on his one true goal.
What's the use of this power if you don't use it?
The thought was a sharp, biting cold. A memory flashed in his mind: he himself teaching his disciple the Path of the Righteous Sword. "Power is not for the strong," his previous self voice echoed in his mind. "It is a weapon given to those with a will to protect."
He bit down on his lip, drawing a bit of blood. He knew what he had to do. His own life, his family's safety, all of it depended on him leaving now. But to walk away… to leave that woman and her child to die a horrifying death… He couldn't. He closed his eyes, took a single, calming breath, and made his decision.
He would save them.
He unfolded from the tree branch with the grace of a phantom, dropping silently onto the pavement below. The Corrupted shambling toward the woman and child didn't even sense him. Their senses were dulled, their minds lost in a haze of hunger.
With a whisper of steel, he drew both of his twin katanas, the blades singing as they left their sheaths. He moved with a speed that defied the laws of physics, a blur of deadly motion.
He spun on his heel, his body a whirlwind of steel, and the first corrupted being lost its head with a wet shluck before it even knew what hit it. He pivoted, his other blade carving a diagonal path through the neck of the second monster.
The third had just raised a grotesque, clawed hand when Lin Kai's foot connected with its chest, sending it stumbling backward, his sword flashing forward to sever its head from its shoulders in a final, swift motion.
The entire event lasted less than a minute. The terrified woman had tried to shield the girl's eyes, but she was too late. The girl saw the man in the dark cloak move like a ghost, her terrified expression turning into one of silent awe as he moved too fast for her to follow.
Lin Kai looked at the woman and offered a brief, curt nod. The woman's lips trembled, a word of thanks forming on her lips, but he didn't wait. He was already gone, a shadow flitting through the streets.
He didn't stop at just the woman and the girl. He moved through the area near his house, responding to every scream he heard. He was a silent, relentless angel of death, his blades flashing in a terrifying dance. Corrupted beings fell by the dozens, their heads, arms, and legs severed from their bodies with shocking precision.
He was not a savior; he was a reaper. His moves were not driven by emotion but by efficiency, his blades striking at vital points without a moment's hesitation.
After an hour of non-stop combat, the area around his home was eerily silent, the only sound being the distant wails of sirens and the quiet sobs of the living.
He looked around. There were dozens of bodies scattered on the ground, a macabre monument to the day the world ended.
The air was thick with the coppery scent of blood and a faint, acrid smell of burnt ozone from the aetheric release. The people he had saved—a mix of families, office workers, and students—were huddled together, some crying hysterically over loved ones who had been too slow, or too unfortunate, to escape.
He felt a wave of helplessness wash over him. He had saved them, but he couldn't bring their loved ones back. He sighed, the sound a gust of wind in the silence.
He folded his hands in a silent prayer, his heart a prayer in itself, hoping the lost souls would find peace in their next life.
Just as he finished his silent prayer, he felt a familiar mental buzz. The voice of the Primal Decree hummed in his mind, not a booming decree but a quiet message.
"Zero Order (High) attained. Souls Reclaimed: 58."
The number felt cold and chilling. He had killed 58 people. Yet, his power felt even more stable, even more controllable. He also noticed something else.
The corrupted beings outside the boundaries of his protected area were not approaching. They were just shambling in circles, a primal, guttural growl rumbling in their chests as if they knew something they couldn't comprehend.
He realized that they were terrified. They had a primal instinct telling them to stay away.
Lin Kai felt a slight headache from the mental strain of absorbing so many souls. He sighed again. What was he to do with these people? If he left, they would be immediately devoured by the thousands of corrupted beings that would inevitably flood the area. He couldn't just leave them to die. He had saved their lives; now he felt responsible for them.
Just then, he heard a new sound. The rhythmic tramp of feet, not a shambling gait, but a purposeful march. He immediately put his katanas back in his hands, his body tightening, ready for another fight.
But as the group drew closer, he felt a wave of relief wash over him. They were not corrupted. They were human. Leading the group were two familiar faces: Han Zhe and Jing Lie. They were a couple who lived on his street and both worked under his mother. He knew their faces. He knew their names.
Han Zhe, a stout man with a kind, determined face, was in front, holding a big knife in his hand. He looked at the bodies strewn on the ground and then at Lin Kai.
"Lin Kai! Thank goodness you are here! Are you all right? You didn't get bitten by any of them, did you?"
Lin Kai put his swords away and gave a slight nod. "I'm fine, Uncle Han. I've taken care of them." The other people in the group, over thirty of them, looked at Lin Kai with a mix of awe and terror. They were scared, but they could also see that this young man was their only chance at survival.
Jing Lie came forward, her eyes wide with relief. "We saw what was happening and decided to find safety in your family's house. It was the safest place we could think of. We saw a few others and decided to group together."
Lin Kai explained what had happened, and they exchanged information on their families, their voices strained with a mix of relief and terror.