Finn woke slowly, his mind fuzzy with the remnants of sleep. He blinked up at the pale dome of the Safe Zone, listening to the quiet bustle of the camp coming to life around him.

Nyx was already awake, her crimson eyes alert as she scanned their surroundings. She glanced down at him as he stirred, a small smile playing about her lips.

"Sleep well, Bearer?"

Finn sat up with a groan, rolling his stiff shoulders. "As well as can be expected on concrete, I guess."

He looked out over the car park, taking in the Marshals at their posts, the civilians huddled in small clusters. His gaze settled on the little girl, Lucy, clutching her mended rabbit.

A thought that had been growing since yesterday solidified in his mind.

"We can’t stay here," he said quietly.

Nyx cocked her head. "Oh?"

"The system message shows that we have six days until the first trial. Six days left to prepare." Finn shook his head. "We won’t get stronger sitting around in a Safe Zone. We need to be out there, leveling up, gathering resources."

Nyx considered him for a long moment. Then, slowly, she nodded. "I agree. The challenges ahead will require strength we do not yet possess."

Finn pushed himself to his feet, wincing as his bruised muscles protested. "Then let’s not waste any more time. We’ll grab our gear and slip out before the camp fully wakes."

They moved quickly and quietly, packing their meager belongings. Finn hefted his rucksack, settling it on his shoulders. The weight was reassuring to say the least.

As they approached the trolley barricade, Finn caught sight of Marcus across the car park. The Marshal leader was deep in conversation with his men, his brow furrowed.

For a moment, Finn considered going over, to give his regards. But he dismissed the thought just as quickly. Marcus had made his stance clear yesterday—he wanted Finn and Nyx under his thumb, contributing to his little fiefdom.

He wouldn’t understand their need to strike out on their own.

It was better to just leave, clean and simple.

They were nearly at the Safe Zone boundary when a small voice piped up behind them.

"You’re leaving?"

Finn turned. Lucy stood there, Bun-bun dangling from one hand, her wide eyes fixed on Finn.

He crouched down to her level, aware of Nyx watching silently. "Yeah, we are. We have to."

"Why?"

Finn smiled sadly, unsure of how to explain the cruel realities of this changing world to a child. "We need to go and get stronger so that we can... well protect ourselves."

Lucy considered this, her small face scrunched in thought. Then, solemnly, she held out Bun-bun. "Take him with you. He’ll keep you safe." 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Finn’s throat tightened. Gently, he closed her hands back around the rabbit. "That’s very kind of you, Lucy. But Bun-bun needs to stay here with you. He’d miss you too much otherwise."

Lucy nodded, clutching the toy back to her chest. "Will you come back?"

Finn hesitated. He wanted to reassure her. But he knew all too well the emptiness of false promises. "I...I hope so, I’ll try my very best."

It would have to be enough.

He straightened, meeting Nyx’s eyes. She inclined her head, something soft and sad in her expression.

Together, they stepped through the barrier and out into the uncertain world beyond.

The Safe Zone fell away behind them, the bustle of the camp fading to a distant hum. Finn kept a wary eye on their surroundings as they walked, his hand never straying far from his shortsword.

"That child," Nyx said, after a stretch of walking. "You seemed to have grown a little attached to her."

"...She reminded me of someone."

It came out flatter than he meant. Nyx made a small considering sound and let it lie.

"And where do we point ourselves, then?"

Finn considered the question. The city was a labyrinth of potential dangers and opportunities, the very landscape altered by the Integration. They needed a plan, a direction.

His mind flashed to the beta, to the countless hours he’d spent poring over every scrap of information. If the game’s geography held true...

"There should be a starter-dungeon across the map," he said slowly. "Starter dungeons were a popular farming spot in the beta, lots of low-level mobs to grind. Seems as good a place as any to start."

Nyx grinned, sharp and fierce. "To a starter dungeon it is, then. Lead on, Bearer."

Finn took a deep breath, squaring his shoulders under the weight of his pack.

"Sounds like a good plan."

With that, they kept moving.

The ruined city stretched out before them, a landscape of shattered glass and twisting roots. Finn and Nyx picked their way carefully through the debris, senses straining for any hint of danger.

"How far to this starter dungeon of yours?" Nyx asked, nimbly sidestepping a grasping tendril of ashwood. Her rebar was held loosely at her side, ready to be brought to bear at a moment’s notice.

Finn consulted his foggy memories of the beta. "Hard to say. Unlike in the beta which took place in Ashenmere, this here is taking place in London. I don’t really know where anything is. But if we keep looking around, we should find one eventually."

It was a vague plan at best, forged from half-remembered forum posts and desperation. But it was all they had.

As they walked, Finn found his thoughts drifting back to the Safe Zone, leaving so soon felt like a waste, even though he knew it was necessary. They couldn’t afford to stagnate, not with the first trial looming.

Lost in his musings, he almost missed the flicker of movement in the shadows ahead. But Nyx didn’t.

’Bearer, eyes up.’

Finn snapped to attention, his hand flying to his sword. He scanned the street, heart pounding. There, in the gloom of a collapsed storefront, was a shape, hulking and inhuman.

[Fractured Ghoul — lvl 7]

The creature shuffled into the light, its movements jerky and unnatural. It might have been human once, before the Integration twisted it into this shambling horror.

Now, mottled green flesh hung in tatters from its frame, and soulless white eyes stared out from sunken sockets.

"Will you do the honours, Bearer?" Nyx murmured, shifting into a combat stance. "He’s well within your means."

The ghoul lurched forward, a wet snarl bubbling up from its ruined throat. Finn met its charge with a clumsy slash, his sword biting into the meat of its shoulder. Brackish fluid sprayed from the wound.

The creature barely seemed to notice. It lashed out with a flailing arm, forcing Finn to duck and roll. He came up panting, adrenaline singing in his veins.

Nyx darted in from the side, her rebar a dark blur. She aimed a precise strike at the ghoul’s knee, the impact shattering bone. The creature stumbled, its snarl pitching into a keen of pain.

Finn pressed the advantage. He lunged forward, driving his blade up under the ghoul’s chin. He felt the tip grate against bone, then punch through into the softness beyond.

[CRITICAL HIT!]

The ghoul shuddered, its growl cutting off into a wet gurgle. Then it sagged, the life leaving it in a rush.

Finn wrenched his sword free, panting. He stared at the corpse, hardly daring to believe it. They’d won.

[ENTITY DEFEATED: [Fractured Ghoul — lvl 7]

[Experience Gained. (Bonus experience earned for killing an enemy above your level.)]

[Experience Gained. (Bonus experience earned for killing an enemy above your level.)] (Bond Share)]

"Untidy," Nyx said, "but effective. Markedly better than yesterday."

Finn huffed a laugh, giddy with relief and ebbing fear. "It’s because of the level up. And I knew the moveset, watched it a hundred times in beta clips."

They lingered just long enough to catch their breath and examine the ghoul’s remains. All they found was a few tattered scraps of cloth and a shard of bone, still warm from the heat of Nyx’s blow.

Then they moved on, deeper into the changed city.

After a while, she said, "You speak often of these ’beta videos.’ Forums. Games. I confess my curiosity has outlasted my politeness — what is it you mean by it?"

"Right." Finn rubbed the back of his neck. "I keep forgetting I never actually explained. Okay. So..."