Kain looked at the girl who was starfished and breathing heavily on top of the giant fish. He looked behind him at his hand. The ice he had conjured was slowly melting.

Having used his powers to ensure they weren’t dragged to who knows where, he sat, watching them celebrate. There was no need for them to know of his good deeds. He would let them have this chance.

"Alright, we need to go," his deep voice cut through their reverie. "There’s blood in the water. Unless you plan on attracting more...whatever this is."

He still wasn’t sure what kind of fish it was. What mattered was that they could use it to craft weapons. These bone weapons would be many times more powerful than what they had now.

He still remembered that although he cut through the flesh of the swordfish, he was unable to cut through the bone.

Quickly, they packed up. Their spirits were high. The tension that existed when they first came to the area no longer existed. They chatted like old friends.

Kain didn’t join the conversation.

It took an hour and a half to get back to the Nightfall building. There, the next phase would begin. But before that...

"How do we get the fish into the building?" Vincent asked, scratching the back of his head.

Kain himself was dumbfounded. He had grown accustomed to using the storage and never really thought about whether something was too big or too small.

’Shit, shit shit...’

He spoke with a feigned indifference, "I’ll take care of it. Go to Floor One, I’ll be right there."

He watched them walk in. He looked at the giant fish tied to a rope, then at his hands. He brought out a machete, covered it with Source Energy, and, with all his strength, split the fish in half.

The strike reverberated through his body, and he thanked his lucky stars that he was a level 4 Awakened.

In Kain’s heart, he thought being an Awakened was pretty useless, but he knew it was fundamental. It was all about feeling the flow of the energy, not controlling the energy.

He stared at the water briefly, then sighed. He tied the raft to the wall and jumped into the water. When he reached the gate, he had the system open it for him, and he walked in with the two very large pieces of fish.

It wouldn’t fit in the living area, so the hallway was the safest bet.

After the massive struggle, all the Floors were aware of the large fish stinking up the place. Everyone came down to take a look.

"K, you’re back," Amelia’s melodious voice cut through the chatter.

They looked at the woman who was pretending to be a shy little girl.

Some couldn’t help mumbling to themselves that she wasn’t like this when she came down to Floor One earlier this morning. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

The lilting tone, the teasing eyes, it was clearly meant to seduce the man in front of her.

They were already together; there was no reason to be acting like this. The single people in the room are envious.

Then they looked at the man, soaked from head to toe. When he just stepped in, the cold that radiated off him made people unwilling to come close, but as soon as Amelia stepped in, the pressure around him lessened. The gentleness in his eyes becomes obvious.

While the jealous people were thinking to themselves, Kain greeted Amelia.

"Hmm, I’m back," he said softly. He stepped back, seeing Amelia step closer. "I’m dirty."

She rolled her eyes but didn’t approach.

"Someone, find me a table. Who are the ones working in the processing plant? Step forward."

Two men in their early thirties stepped forward. Kain nodded.

It took some time for them to maneuver the table around the fish and the people present. When everything was done, Kain spoke again.

"Two weeks, that’s all it took for this to grow." He made the statement knowing they knew nothing. "This is what the outside world is like now. You only saw the waters, but you have never seen the depths."

"Many of you are afraid of the oath. I don’t need your fear; what I need is your loyalty. I need people who will work towards making their lives and the lives of the people around them better. People who are willing to protect their own."

"I’m saying this so you can understand that I want us to be a community. This is the first step. We need to rebuild. The world is no longer what it once was. This is a completely new world.

People will die if they aren’t careful. I am willing to help you learn. All you need to do is work well for Nightfall."

The crowd stared at the giant fish. It filled the hallway, leaving them with little maneuverability.

What Kain said was true. None of them had left Paradise Gates since the tsunami. They were all hoping that the government would come and save them.

Even with the time that had passed, it was their firm belief that things would go back to normal sooner or later.

But what if it didn’t?

What if this was the reality they had to face now?

The thought left them trembling, more than the oath had. If this were the new reality, if no one came to save them. They would need to adapt. Because if they couldn’t adapt, they would die.

The crowd sank into contemplations of their future and what it would look like.

The nine who had gone out with Kain had already come to their own conclusion on their way back. If there was another time, they would go out again.

Not because they wanted to die. But because they realized the world had truly changed. If at any point it did go back to what it once was, at least they can say they tried their best to survive.

As for Jaylin, she was still feeling complex emotions, but one thing was certain. She would hone her own craft. She would forge her own way.

If there comes a day she could stand by Kain’s side, she would do it. Because, under all the madness, she could finally see a man who earned her respect.

Her eyes drifted to his left. He hadn’t known she had seen it, but when he turned his head to look at his hand, she saw the ice melting, and she knew he was part of the reason they could deal with the massive creature.

At the front, Kain turned to Amelia, "I have to deal with this first. What do you plan to do?"

She pouted, "I don’t have anything to do. I’ll watch you work."

The smallest smile appeared, and Kain gave her a quick kiss.

Looking back at the group in front of him, he said icily, "Don’t you all have work to do?"

The group nearly got whiplash from the show of affection, then the cold retort.

Not caring if they left, he gestured to the two men, "I’ll teach you what to do. Look and listen carefully. In the future, this skill might be invaluable."