Sandwiches are tasty, but nothing compares to homemade food, Leia thought as slurped the noodles and drank the soup. Content, she burped and stood up, grabbing a second bowl in one hand as she waved at Soren.

“I got you a bowl,” she said, offering it to him with both hands.

“Thank you. Got any spoons?”

Leia cringed. She’d forgot. Soren took off his jacket and sat down next to her.

“Don’t worry. Tell me what you learnt,” he reassured her, her shoulders visibly relaxing as he slurped his food. His gaze prompted her to talk.

“They aren’t bad guys, you know,” she began. “Eric was very forthcoming with his explanations, although Peter was more on edge.” Soren titled his head.

“Oh right, I forgot,” she scratched her wrist. “Eric’s the last member of the hunters. Peter’s the distrustful one, and Lee’s the leader,” she explained.

“Since Peter didn’t want to share, I asked Eric, and he told me about what happened. Lee and Eric work—worked—at the police station. That’s where the portal opened, and the first wave came out. They said that the portal hovered in the air pitch black like the abyss. At first, they thought it was some kind of realistic hologram, but then it began birthing monsters. They tried shooting them down, but there were just too many of them. They were overwhelmed within minutes, and by the time they brought out some of the heavier weapons, the zombies were already immune to bullets, so they run away. The shelter’s close to their department, so they arrived here right after the hospital workers,” she paused.

“Then, skeletons filled the roads, reaping lives like wheat,” she whispered. It was late in the night and the children had gone to sleep, yet the camp brimmed with sound. Soft sobs and involuntary twitches served as a constant reminder of the world’s transformation.

“Who’s the leader?” asked Soren between slurps, and Leia snapped back to reality. She sighed and rested her chin on her knees.

“There isn’t one. Things are pretty chaotic right now. But if anyone's stepping up it's probably a doctor named Samantha. Eric mentioned she's been working tirelessly to save lives all day.”

“Yeah, I’ve met her. She’s a good one,” he said, lifting his shirt to reveal the parallel gashes sealed with staples.

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Leia shuddered. “I-I don’t know if I can handle this. I've seen my fair share of awful things, but this...this is something else. I’ve had time to contemplate inside this place.”

Soren remained silent as he slurped his noodles, so Leia continued.

“We’re safe here. We can hold out until the military arrives. They will take care of things. Sure, we are stuck inside here, but we are alive,” she murmured. She hugged her knees tighter, swaying back and forth with a vacant gaze.

“It is not safe here,” Soren said, scraping the last bits of food from the plastic walls with his tongue. “It’s impossible to siphon attributes from the same species forever. Sooner or later, they will come for us. It's inevitable.” His tone was eerily calm, as if discussing the weather. He set the bowl aside.

“The military will come,” Leia protested, shaking her head.

“A portal appeared inside a police station. Another in the prison. That’s not a coincidence,” his eyes met hers. “But let’s say they’ll come. Will they arrive in time? In less than a day, I’ve gained the ability to use fire. What will they get in a week? What if these creatures we're facing are just the weakest of their kind? What if a level 10 monster emerges? What about level 20, 50, 100?” Each question weighed heavy in the air like an unseen force pressing down on Leia, suffocating her, and closing in with every heartbeat. Her chest pounded, her ears rang.

“The system does not communicate overtly, yet its intentions are crystal clear,” Soren toyed with an essence crystal. “In time, something will reach a bottleneck in its power, and when it does, it won’t be satisfied—none of us ever are. What do you think will happen then?” he murmured, leaning closer. Leia felt herself sinking deep inside a blood ocean, drowning in his eyes. She had to breathe his words to stay alive.

“Our only hope is to outpace it, be more ruthless than it. We have to forge ahead, or accept death.” Solid turned to mist, futilely trying to infiltrate Soren’s skin as he denied the inferior essence; it would only dilute his path.

“Delay, and you will fade to mist, dispersing on the winds,” he blew the mist away, and kindled a candleflame on his fingertip, casting a flickering light. “Kill, and you’ll discover a sky beyond the skies. Truth beyond truth.” The flame shifted through hues before dwindling down to a cold, crimson ember—the hue of blood. Leia was entranced by its dance, fixated upon its dwindling glow.

“Will you save them?” she asked out of the blue.

“I cannot resurrect the dead,” replied Soren.

“Hmm?” she hummed perplexed.

“Look at them,” he gestured. “They’ve denied the system. They refuse to tread the path, and shiver in place, unmoving,” he paused. “Stillness is death. As far as I’m concerned, they have already perished. They just don’t know it yet.”

“Will you save me?” Leia asked.

Soren responded with a grin. “Of course. Didn’t I already save you once?”

Leia's expression was inscrutable, her stillness unnerving.

“Sleep well. Every second of rest is precious,” he said. “Also if Lee asks, we met after I asked for a demotion to the upper levels of the prison.”

Leia nodded her understanding. Soren patted her gently on the head and slipped into sleep with practiced ease.