Before making camp, Jose stood on the highest dune he could find, and in the distance, he could make out shapes. They were not clear even to his newly enhanced vision, but they seemed geometric enough to appear man-made. “Has to be a city,” he said to himself. “Likely, the city that woman headed to and where the smoke that originally drew me out here came from.”

  Judging distances in a desert was… difficult at best. From where he stood, the shapes seemed like they would be an hour or two of walking away. But in reality, it would likely be a whole day of walking before he reached them. Either way, his time was up, and he refused to move any closer to civilization before protecting his mind.

  With a sigh, both excited and burdened with the thought of being around other people again, he returned to the forest, searching for a water source and a safe space to set up camp.

  ***

  After setting up camp and satiating his hunger, Jose began working on his mind protection. His plan was simple: he wanted to recreate a Faraday shield for magical energies.

  He began by wrapping his brain in a cage of his red ether. As he concentrated, he was surprised at the ease with which he could move his ether now. It was almost intuitive, ready to receive commands and implement them.

  “I wonder,” he said as he became excited and distracted. He tried to manifest his ether outside his body and recreate the skill that had been taken from him. But he frowned as it quickly became evident that controlling the ether once it left his body would require much more work. Not wanting to become too sidetracked again, he returned to creating his mind protection.

  This first layer would be crucial as it would actually be his last line of defense. He weaved his red ether around his brain in a crisscross pattern, connecting each line individually while crisscrossing every other line, interweaving them like a chain-linked fence.

  Next, he wrapped his brain in his white ether in a counter pattern to the red. This would serve to both defend and heal any damage done to the shield.

  Finally, he used his black ether, he still wasn’t sure whether to categorize this as a corrosion or void type. But he did know it was destructive, and that is what he needed it to do, destroy any foreign energy aiming to control him.

  A system message appeared once he was done. It had taken him days, but he hadn’t minded it since it had been the most tranquil week he’d had since the start of this apocalypse.

  [You have learned a new skill, Phrenic-Limiter.

  Phrenic-Limiter - Shields and protects against energies that may affect the mind.

  Note: This skill is passive and is always active.]

  Jose smiled, ‘Good, it’s time to go see a woman about a skill.’ He picked up his little camp and headed for what he thought might be a desert city.

  ***

  After hours of walking, Jose could only see sand in all directions. The geometric shapes he’d seen in the distance had disappeared after a while; it had been nothing more than a mirage he had discovered. Which is why he was so surprised to find an oasis after cresting a high dune.

  He’d thought it was another mirage at first since he hadn’t gotten a whiff of any of the vegetation. But as he made his way down the dune, he could see why. The oasis sat in a huge blowout; it was a large area that sat extra low. He could tell the dune he’d come over was twice, if not three times, as high on the oasis side. Looking around, he could see that all of the other dunes surrounding it sat just as high above the oasis.

  As he crested the dune and made his way down, he could smell the crystal clear water's freshness and the flora's succulent scents. A cool, refreshing wind caressed him as he approached.

  Something about the oasis had bothered him when he saw it, but he wasn’t sure what it was till he reached the bottom of the dune. It was the entire setup he’d realized. Jose was no expert in desert landscapes, but he knew that there had been different types of deserts around the world before the blackout.

  ‘Shouldn’t this be a hot and dry desert? Meaning that the landscape should be mostly sand, and even in the oasis, there should be cacti-type plants and a few palms? How come this has such a different variety?’ He wondered.

  At the very edges of the oasis, there were many different varieties of cacti, followed by a rocky ground interspersed by large rocks here and there. Beyond that was a grassy area leading into dense foliage and plenty of different palms and trees. He could see palms laden with fruits, as well as many of the trees. In the very center was a large lake with crystal clear water.

  To make sure he wasn’t just seeing a very realistic mirage as he had earlier, Jose touched every rock, plant, and tree he passed by.

  When he reached the water, Jose made a startling discovery. His most pronounced change since choosing his genus had been to his eyes. Where before he’d had regular brown eyes, his eyes were now mesmerizing.

  His sclera were a smoky grey color, like dark clouds on an overcast day, with white lightning flashing and arcing throughout. The irises were red lightning, arcing and flashing in a tight circle around the pupils, which were black lightning, arcing and flashing in a dense circle.

  Jose stood admiring his reflection in the water. The person looking back was nearly unrecognizable. His body was lean and densely packed with corded muscles, hardly an ounce of fat on him. Veins were noticeable, sparcely spread out, looking like lightning under the skin.

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  His skin was a few shades darker than it would usually be under the summer suns. Yet, he could hardly look away from his mesmerizing eyes. The three different colors of lightning took turns flashing and arcing, creating a hypnotizing dance of lightning as they flashed in the clouds of gray that his sclera had become.

  Finally ripping his sight away from the scene, Jose realized he’d been standing transfixed and unguraded in the open. “Thank the heavens that nothing came to snatch me up. I wonder how long I’ve been standing here like an idiot admiring myself?”

  Recovering from his momentary lapse, Jose approached the water and knelt before it. He dipped a finger into the lake, and the water was cool to the touch. He cautiously put his hand in and scooped up some water. There was no particular smell he could detect as he brought it close to his face. Taking a small sip, he smiled as the water was cool and refreshing, almost sweet.

  Jose quickly refilled all of the bottles and jugs he carried in his duffle bag. He stood looking around afterward; he was sweaty and sandy and wanted to take a dip, but night was swiftly approaching.

  A rustle in the bushes caught his ears, and he snapped around swiftly, drawing his rapier and a dagger. He activated Strike as he got ready for a fight. A few tense seconds later, a tinny fennec fox with an overlong tail sauntered out of the bushes, holding an oversized fig in its mouth.

  “Hahahaha!” Jose burst out in raucious laughter, scaring the little fella away. “Fuck! I’m all wound up… I guess I have been going almost nonstop, fighting, moving, and training for months now. Maybe I should take a break and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere before moving on to the city?”

  “Still, it is getting dark, and I don’t know if this place is safe or not,” he muttered as he searched for a place to lay low for the night. After a bit of searching, he’d found himself a dense olive tree, of all things. He got up on the tree as high as possible before night fell and settled in to watch the oasis and rest.

  The sun dipped beyond the horizon, and a gentle breeze wafted through the oasis. The breeze was soft and warm, caressing his weary skin, a reprieve from the hot sun of the day. The sounds of the grass, trees, and other foliage swaying in the breeze were like a lullaby beckoning him to sleep.

  As darkness fell, he nearly fell asleep with its arrival. Before he could completely close his eyes, a soft, turquoise glow emanated from the lake, bathing the oasis in a faint, tranquil light. “Some kind of algae, maybe?” He wondered in a whisper as he witnessed the beautiful sight.

  Weary and tired as he was, Jose could not pull his eyes from the beauty of it all. A rustle down below grabbed his attention, and another fennec fox, or maybe the same one, ran around chasing bugs, squeaking and chattering in a cute voice as it did.

  He’d found that many of the trees in the area had fruit and was fortunate to grab a few before finding his hiding spot. There were apricots, figs, pomegranates, olives, and even quinces. Jose pulled a fig from his bag and began eating the sweet fruit, enjoying the peace and tranquility, smiling at the antics of the little fox below.

  ***

  The next morning, Jose noticed the little fox was curled up at the foot of the tree, having fallen asleep after chasing bugs around all night.

  “Cute little furball,” he mumbled with a smile. It woke up and scampered off into the bush, apparently having heard him.

  He climbed down the tree and had a breakfast of fruits near the water. More than once, he caught sight of the fox watching him from around a bush or tree. Jose left a couple of fruits in a small pile for the little furball before removing his tattered clothing and jumping into the lake to bathe.

  The fox slowly and cautiously made its way over to the pile of food, grabbed one, and darted into the bushes once more while Jose bathed.

  “I wonder where your family is, little guy,” Jose wondered out loud as he observed it.

  Having taken an interest in the cute fox, Jose began paying more attention to what direction it came and went from.

  He continued to leave fruits out for it throughout the day, watching its movements from tree branches. This allowed him to track it back to its burrow. It was situated in a clump of olive trees, dug into the roots of the largest one.

  Jose waited for some time and snuck over to take a look inside, hoping the fox was asleep, as it often took naps after eating. It was a large space for the little fox. The space was mostly empty, except for a pile of bones in one of the corners.

  The bones were in the shape of a larger fox, and the little one was laid next to the skull. ‘Poor little guys is all alone,’ Jose thought. ‘Maybe we can become friends and keep each other company,’ he hoped. Like many introverts, Jose was fond of furry little animals.

  Jose had been thinking the fox was a baby just by looking at its tiny size, but he was now sure that it had to be as he compared it to the bones of the larger one, likely one of its parents.

  In the passing days, Jose continued to feed the fox as he meditated, leaving the food closer and closer to himself to build trust and comfort. He’d also moved closer to the spot where the fox drank water each time it went to the lake.

  On the third day, he even began softly speaking to the little fox. “How would you like to go on a journey with me, little one?”

  The fox regarded him with a measure of intelligence and curiosity as he spoke.

  After a week of this, Jose woke up to a tickle on his nose. Something soft and fluffy caresed his face and envolped his cheeks like a down pillow. Jose opened his eyes to find the fox lying on his neck with its long, fluffy tail curled around his face.

  “Hey, little guy. Made up your mind, did you?” He whispered as he petted the fox. It made a contented purring sound, similar to a cat, as it nuzzled up closer to him.

  Jose stayed in the oasis for a few more days as he continued working on his meditation and cultivation. The fox followed him everywhere he went like a shadow, not leaving his side for a second.

  “So, what do we call you, little guy? You are quite sly as a fox should be, and you do follow me around like my shadow. Maybe shadow?” The little fox whined and growled, letting him know it didn’t care much for the name.

  “Yeah, you’re right, it's a bit on the nose, no?… Hmm, let me think. Sly?” Another growl and whine.

  “Okay, how about shade?” The fox whined and flicked its tail.

  “Fine, fine, I get it. Jeez, didn’t know you were so particular about this,” Jose said good-naturedly. “Oh! I know. How about veil, since you’re quite slippery when you want to be?”

  The fox barked and licked his toes, seemingly happy with that name. “Veil it is, then.”

  [You have bonded to a Phantasm Fox.

  You have named the Phantasm Fox Veil.

  You may now view Veil’s status.

  Veil has inherited the skill “Bolt” from your bond.]

  “What the fuck?” Jose blurted out.

  “I didn’t know that would happen. Did you know Veil?” He asked.

  To his surprise, he received a mental image of the word no from Veild as he made a shrugging movement.

  “… Was that you just now? Did you send me a telepathic message?”

  This time, he received a mental image of the word yes. It was weird to explain; it wasn’t exactly the word written out but more of a feeling.

  Jose picked up Veil, who was jumping around barking excitedly, and Veil began licking Jose’s face as he hugged and petted him.