“If there is ohing to fear, it is the darkhat es after day. Hide as fast as you , because if you don’t, Nightmares will e. To tear you apart and harvest the Essence you have left. Some are brave to fight them, risking their lives to advance faster. But is it really worth it?”

  ~Thoughts of a Warrior, 26th Outbreak

  “I just ’t catch a break, I? And Nightmares? Really?” Leo growled out as the message faded away. “Must be one of those threats that the e fot to mention…”

  Just great.

  Fist ched, Leo left the hall and moved inte living room, his shovel left fotten by the entrance door. A quick round around the house showed that nothing had disappeared since he was st here to water the pnts just a few days ago. At least some good news…

  Leo pced his backpa a table in the middle of the room and approached one of the windows, curiosity getting the better of him.

  The red sun still hung low in the sky, bathing this side of the world with its st rays as it he horizon. The wind that just a moment ago barely rustled through the bushes and leaves, now picked up the pace, the trees in the distance dang to its tune.

  Something's definitely ing.

  The weather just didn’t ge like that without a reason. There was always some kind of build-up before a disaster struck. Besides, with the System’s notification, Leo had to be mad to ighe possibility of the approag danger.

  Although I could use a bit more info…

  Cursing under his breath, Leo took a step bad tugged the curtains together, shielding the house from the outside world. He did the same thing to the other two windows, plunging the living room into plete darkness. opping, Leo dashed through every single room, taking away their only source of light.

  He returo the living room, sweat dreng his forehead as he leaned against the table. Secure shelter my ass, he snorted, unc a bottle of water. As if a few curtains and bookshelves blog the entrances could be called secure.

  The only good thing that came from the rearra of the furniture, was Leo’s decision to definitely assign a few more points to Might. Soul could wait. His empty lungs and burning muscles? Not so muot when this definitely wasn't the st time when he had to move some heavy objects.

  Shaking his head, Leo threw the empty bottle away and moved upstairs, right into his old room.

  Unlike every other window in the house, the one in Leo’s room had a small gap iween the curtains. The lone ray of the sun became dimmer and dimmer with every minute, letting Leo know just how little time he had left before the night came.

  Leo locked the door behind him and sat on the small bed lying in the er, fists g as a burst of anger rushed filled his veins.

  Hour after hour, this day was being more and more fucked up. First, he awakened with abilities that a week ago were reserved for movies. Then he had to kill the remnants of his own father and a man he knew for over ten years.

  And now?

  Leo might die in the ing hours, because what even ted as a "secure shelter" in this damnd world? By hiding ihis closed ay house, he could be signing a death senteh a timer on it. And the less said about other survivors — his family — who probably had simir thoughts running through their minds, the better.

  Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Leo growled, furious punches desding on the bed’s mattress.

  This damned Outbreak just had to happen in Leo’s Universe. Destroying his life. Destroying the lives of everyone in this bloody world.

  Stop. Leo squeezed his eyes shut, trying to force those thoughts away. Thinking like that won’t help anyone.

  It wasn't healthy, Leo knew. Pushing problems away only hurt a person in the long run. But what else could he do? Break down g just because life once again decided to shit on him? To wallow in pity ahe world swallow him?

  I ’t, I won’t.

  When Leo lost his mother, and after his father decided to just up and leave one day, Leo almost threw away any future he had. He raged like a maniatil the people he now called family, rescued him. That day Leo promised himself to never fall that low again. And If that meant pushing his problems to the deepest ers of his mind, then so be it.

  Taking a few deep breaths, Leo fell ba the bed, eyes closed. He would deal with all of this pain and anger one day. Just not now…

  Minutes passed as he just id there, miy of any thoughts as the howls of the wind outside tio echo around him. Then as if someone flipped a switch, the world turned silent. Even the rare screams and screeches of Voidlings died out.

  Eyes snapping open, Leo sat up, his gaze going to the window.

  Darkness. plete and utter darkness. No more light ehe room through the small gap and Leo’s taint became the only source of lighting. Even then his veins seemed to dim a bit. Cursing, Leo moved to stand.

  Boom!

  The entire world shook. Wind like no other crashed into the house. The building groaned, almost shaking as Leo fell ba the bed. The pressure in the air thied. Doubling, tripling or even quadrupling as the powerful Essen the air almost pushed Leo into the mattress.

  That wasn’t how I wao learn more about Essence… He groaned, crawling towards the window.

  The wind was relentless, howling and pushing against anything that stood in its way. The roof and walls of the house tio scream in protest. Leo’s heart thundered in his chest, hoping that the house was at least half as sturdy as it looked.

  Then, human screams and guttural screeches pierced the air. Joined by the wind, they created a symphony of death that pierced straight through Leo’s soul as he settled into a er and shielded his ears.

  The Night is here. Good luck.

  The words echoed through Leo’s mind as he shut his eyes and tried to focus on anything but the events happening outside. He sat there fod knew how long, taking in deep breaths to calm the heart that threateo burst from his chest.

  Leo gasped when the house shook o time, the pressure lessening just a bit. He could still feel the Essen the air ahe howling of the wind, but they no longer seemed like a threat to his life.

  A chuckle left Leo's lips, a single word that perfectly summed up this situation leaving his mouth.

  “Shit.”

  Even the screams quieted down, leaving only the bone-chilling screeches eg through the neighborhood. Those sounds weren't normal and definitely didn’t belong to Cursed Humans. There must be something different, stronger outside, traversing the area of the city as the darkness ed the world.

  Leo shuddered. He almost didn’t want to know what made those sounds, but as they said, “knowledge is power”.

  Croug, Leo once again approached the windoeeked through the small gap. His eyes widened, mouth opening as instead of pure darkness, a much different sight y in front of his eyes.

  While most of the world was still shrouded by darkness. Small parts of grass, leaves of bushes, and trees, — the same ohat absorbed the Sun’s hue — now illumihe entire neighborhood with a dim crimson glow.

  The grass, along with the fallen leaves, created carpets of blood on the ground, while the forest in the distance could make Christmas lights seethe in hatred. As unnatural as it was, this sight easily became one of the most beautiful things Leo saw in his life.

  Although Leo had to wonder if the entire world would one day look like this. The whole Earth, covered in glowing flora. Only a day passed, and so much had already ged. What more could happen in a week or a month? An iing picture indeed. It gave Leo some hope that maybe the darkness of the Night would at least have some light to guide lost survivors.

  Not that Leo had any pns to go outside during the night in the near future. He wasn’t suicidal… at least not yet.

  Leo shook his head as his thoughts began to wander. Focus. Once again, his gaze fell on the glowing grass, and his eyebrow rose, an idea appearing in his mind.

  Why not.

  Bloody Vein (on):A grass-like pnt naturally found in Void realms. It was born thanks to the radiation of a Cursed Star. Possesses natural healing properties if used correctly. Often utilized as a basigredient in alchemy, smithing, and enting. be used in upgrades.

  Healing properties if used correctly… Leo’s eyes widened just a bit. He expected the System to give him some bullshit expnation of how useless red grass was, a he received something more.

  While the description provided Leo with a lot of terms he didn’t uand at all, he hoped that with time — and more Identified objects — he could learn all about this new reality. And the correct way to use this for healing. No way in hell I’m experimenting on myself.

  His dagger also mentioned something about upgrades, and anyone who ever read some fantasy knew what alchemy and enting were. At least to some degree… The System might as well have something pletely different in mind wheioning those two things.

  At least you ’t mess up with smith… What is this?!

  Any thoughts about the red pnt flew out of Leo’s mind when some movement caught his attention.

  It appeared at the end of the street, ing from the dire of the city. From so far, Leo only noticed a smudge of deep violet glow, moving in the dire of the houses.

  Leo didn’t move an inch, heart beginning to thunder like a drum of war.

  The Essen his body came alive, and Leo wrestled it under trol in record time. The familiar b settled over his skin, a short sigh leaving his lips.

  Minutes dragged on as the creature came closer to the houses right o Leo’s. With every single sed passing, he could make out more and more of the now-identified monster.

  Collector (Nightmare Voidling) | Rank: E+ | LVL: N/A

  Leo shuddered. He might have broken into rank F himself after the advao the sed level, but this creature had more than aire rank over him. Hell, even its level wasn’t avaible. And its body… Leo almost wished that the glow of its skin wasn’t there. To save him another heart attack.

  I’m dead if it finds me.

  When it stopped, the moood proud and tall, almost like a human. Its body auscles covered in deformed skin simir to Leo’s taint. Like a Cursed Human, the Collector's skin broke in hundreds of pces, releasing a deep purple glow from within.

  Leo watched with bated breath as the moraversed on all four, only to pause before the Gibson household. It raised its head, bald and ugly, as if it was searg for something.

  The protective barrier around his body tightened, and Leo gulped when the creature jumped inside Gibson’s house, shattering a window in the process.

  Leo still didn’t move, fear and curiosity freezing his bones.

  Why did you go there? He had to know. What if Leo’s current hideout would be the monster’s destination just because it was searg for something obvious? ‘Collector’ had to mean something, and hopefully, it wasn't just another name for a hunter.

  The Collector appeared not even a mier — Leo ted —, jumping out through the same broken window with the massacred body ibson slung over its shoulders.

  Leo held his breath, only resuming when the creature disappeared into the night, going back towards the city. Now he definitely uood why the monster was named Collector. Though the question still remained. Did it want only dead bodies of humans, or was there other stuff the monster was ied in?

  Leo hoped to never find out.

  Slumping, he leaned against the wall, the mind still trying to process what it had just witnessed. Aype of Voidlings. Much strohawo Cursed Humans acc to the rank system.

  How is anyone supposed to survive against it?

  Death awaited survivors that met this creature face to face. Especially when only a day passed sihis entire bullshit began. Leo doubted that anyone reached E- rank, not to mention E+.

  “Only the strong survive indeed,” Leo snorted, a bitter ugh bubbling in his chest.

  Everything the e said was true, only very uated. Not that words could prepare anyone for this new bloody reality. You have to experiehis shit for yourself to even believe half of it.

  Leo shook his head, standing up. He grabbed the backpad sat by a desk, another object of the past. A finger ran along the wooden surface, and Leo coughed, dust filling the air.

  Whatever. He scowled, solving the problem with a single swipe of his sleeve.

  Reag within his backpack, Leo took out a few dy bars. Not the best type of food to survive the apocalypse, but this was no pce for pining.

  Absently biting into the dy, Leo opened one of the drawers in the desk, cheg if maybe he left something useful inside. His cws touched a stack of books, ailted his head, delicately grabbing the papers.

  The veins of his arm bathed the two books in a warm glow, and Leo’s eyes widened by just a fracture. Who would have thought that it was still here… He mused, a hand running along the cover of Leo’s first and only journal.

  Leo covered the rest of the dy bar and flipped the old leather book open. The uneven scrawl of his younger self greeted him, and in spite of the events happening across the entire world, Leo smiled lightly.

  How the times had ged.