“You can talk.” Marek narrowed his eyes, never rexing his stance. “An evolved survivor then… Who are you? What do you want from me?”

  Leo almost smiled. Out of everyone from his foster mother’s side of the family, his uncle had always been the most levelheaded. It didn’t surprise him one bit that the older man instantly realized he wasn’t a Voidling but just another survivor.

  “Like I said, it’s been a while, but it’s me, Leo,” he said, lowering his hands.

  “Leonardo?” The man’s eyes widened, only for him to shake his head a moment ter. “No! It’s impossible. Even if he’s alive, he should be in the UK, not here…”

  Leo snorted. “You could say I got lost on the way of life, uncle. Now I’m trying to get back home. Thought I would visit, check if mom and dad…”

  Marek stiffened, the fmes in his hands flickering out. “The first time you came to my home, something important happened. What was it?”

  Ah, now we’re getting somewhere. He smiled, recalling this one particur and embarrassing memory. “Your dog, Bnka, pounced on me in excitement. I wasn’t ready and fell back, hitting my head pretty hard. You all rushed me to the nearest doctor, only to find out I was perfectly fine.”

  The older man rexed a bit, lowering his sword. “So it’s you. Or I at least hope you’re not some kind of a skin walker, kiddo. What happened to you? You are…”

  Leo grimaced. “It’s a long story, one I will gdly share, but first… Uncle, where are mom and dad? Where are the others?”

  The older man didn’t even need to say anything. The answer was obvious in his eyes—the sadness and guilt swimming within them. There were more emotions there, but those two were the most prominent.

  “I’m sorry, Leonardo.” Marek bowed his head. “I’m the only one who’s left. I’m really, really sorry.”

  Leo swallowed hard, trying to push away the wave of sadness that threatened to overwhelm his mind. He had known this was the most likely outcome. The Void had already spared more of his family than the odds should have allowed.

  “It’s fine,” he found himself muttering. “It wasn’t your fault. It was nobody’s fault but the Void’s.”

  “Even then…” Marek trailed off, sighing. “No, you’re right. I accepted this a long time ago, but seeing you… It brings back the memories.”

  “I know the feeling,” he agreed, Nick’s and Ava’s faces fshing in front of his eyes.

  His uncle looked up. “Does that…”

  The man didn’t need him to finish to know what he meant. “No,” Leo said, shaking his head. “Lily is fine, doing well back in London. But Nick, Ava… they didn’t make it.”

  Marek squeezed his eyes shut. “What about little Adam?”

  Leo hesitated, choosing his words carefully. “It’s complicated. He’s alive, but… the Void doesn’t py nice with children.”

  “But he is alive—that’s all that matters.” Marek smiled, only for it to vanish when Leo stayed silent. “How bad is it? And don’t you dare say it is another long story.”

  He didn’t and gave the man what he wanted. His uncle had questions, but for the most part, he had no idea how to answer them. Adam’s condition was still a mystery to him. He was just guessing at this point.

  “Complicated indeed,” Marek muttered, his face twisting into a grimace. “Fucking hell, and here I thought our kids had it hard.”

  Leo had never turned so fast before. “Kids?”

  “Well, teenagers, but kids nonetheless,” the man eborated. “At first, they were fine, but after the first evolution, they became more aggressive, almost bloodthirsty. Thankfully, it only happens during battles. Making them follow orders, though? That’s been a real challenge.”

  “What did they evolve into?” Leo prodded, fishing for information.

  “Tainted Ascended Human. It was either that or a full Void evolution. They didn’t have any other choice, only those two. After the first kid evolved and we saw the results, nobody dared to try the other one.”

  Leo pinched his nose. Of course the evolution process worked differently for the children. What he wouldn’t give for a chance to speak with the System again right now. He still felt guilty about not asking more about Adam during their st conversation.

  “This sucks,” he mumbled.

  Marek let out a bitter chuckle. “No need to tell me that. It’s a shame, really. Kids always adapt better than adults. This could have been their pyground, a chance to shine, if the Void didn’t cut off their wings preemptively…”

  Images of the sughtered bodies inside ReachHope fshed in Leo’s mind. He blinked, looking away. “Yeah… maybe…”

  “But enough of that depressing stuff,” Marek said, trying to smile, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “I want to hear what you and Lily have been up to all this time. Come on, Leo. Drop your skill, and let me introduce you to my team. Then we can talk.”

  In the end, Leo didn’t stay in Warsaw for too long after finding his uncle. He offered to take the older man to London but was refused. According to Marek, the UK already had him and Lily, so it didn’t need another grumpy old man—at least not now.

  And so, after a few hours of talking and awkward introductions, they separated for the time being. Maybe one day, after the situation on Earth stabilized, they would meet again. But until then, they both had their own jobs to do.

  Leo didn’t argue with that. His uncle could make his own choices. Besides, he had gotten what he wanted from his visit to Pond.

  Closure.

  “So this is it? We’re alone?” Lily’s voice was quiet, and even through the transmitter, Leo could tell she was fighting back tears.

  “So it seems,” he replied, his eyes fixed on yet another sunset. It was becoming a habit of his—a moment of normalcy in the age of madness.

  “At least Uncle Marek is safe.” He heard her sigh. “When will you be back?”

  “Three days? Maybe two if I really push it.”

  “Don’t,” Lily snapped. “I know you are strong, but take your time. Get here safely.”

  He grinned. “As you wish, sis. Three days then.”

  “Three days,” she agreed. “See you then, and let me know if there will be any deys.”

  “I will,” Leo promised and allowed the call to disconnect. He then stood up, stretched, and gnced at the feline next to him. “Final part of the road, Nyx. Let’s fly.”

  And so, in an explosion of lightning, they shot into the sky, leaving Warsaw behind them.

  London was waiting.

  “I think this should be it,” Leo muttered, gncing from the distant city to the map in his hands. His gaze zeroed in on a particur location—a retively rge city on the French coast.

  Cais.

  He had done his best to follow road signs, but the Void had been particurly brutal in this region. Some towns on the way simply didn’t exist anymore or became indistinguishable from the surrounding ndscape, while quite a few roads vanished from the face of the Earth.

  He had lost count of how many times he and Nyx had to fly in circles, searching for any recognizable ndmarks. At one point, they even considered asking other survivors for directions, but there were none around. Hell, they hadn’t seen a single safe zone since they entered Belgium.

  Leo shook his head. This wasn’t the time for that. He turned to Nyx. “Let’s split up. Search for any signs that we are in the right pce.”

  The feline nodded and leaped into the air, her wings carrying her toward the distant city. He followed a moment ter, heading in a different direction.

  As he flew, Leo continued maniputing his Essence, filling his muscles, skin, scales, and even organs to the brim. Afterward, he slowly worked on hardening the energy, forcing it to become a shield against any potential damage. He had been at it for a few days now and could feel he was getting close to a breakthrough.

  A System notification confirmed it.

  Steel Body learned.

  Steel Body (Uncommon)An advanced form of the Harden skill that pushes the protection of your body to another level. May you never fall to a rusty bde in the back.Effects:By infusing your entire body with Essence hardened to its limit, you become at least twice as durable and resistant to physical damage. Effects are reduced against elemental techniques.

  Huh. Leo’s eyebrows shot up. I think I skipped a step somewhere. I was pnning to learn Harden first, not this advanced version… I knew Lily’s expnation sounded too complicated for a common skill. Oh well…

  Even though it had taken longer than expected, he couldn’t compin. He got what he wanted and now just had to combine the new skill with Reinforcement.

  Later.

  For now, he focused on the city below—or what was left of it. If not for the hundreds of Voidlings walking around and the Vetilim-covered ruins, this pce wouldn’t be any different from the wilderness. The second Cataclysm almost erased it from the map.

  Thankfully, after two rounds of scouting, Nyx called out to him through their link.

  ‘Leo, we’re in the right pce. I found some signs mentioning the Channel Tunnel.’

  Good job. I will be there in a minute.

  Chaos65