Half an hour passed quickly. In that time, they installed radios on all five floors. Kain and Amelia had two. They made the decision that one would be used to speak to Marcus directly, and the other would search for information.

Both sat down, searching for the right frequency. It cycled through static before it stopped.

"Marcus," Kain said.

"You’ve actually contacted me," Marcus replied.

Kain chuckled, "A necessary risk. You’ve seen us, but you’ve also exposed your location."

Marcus hummed, then he echoed, "A necessary risk." He turned to the sleeping youth, face filled with disgust.

"So, who are you?"

"A man who needs a place to rest."

"So, you’ve contacted us for a place to rest? Is your own living space an issue?"

"Not an issue, just...unnecessary." He sighed. "You don’t trust me, I understand that. I don’t trust you either. The main reason I’ve taken an interest is that you seem prepared. For now, we can exchange information. Consider our first contact as an introduction.

My name is Marcus Gellerman. I’m currently...I was the bodyguard of Lucius Nightingale."

Oh, Kain thought, he’s willing to give his name. And he’s a bodyguard. He should be strong.

Lucius Nightingale, one of the richest families in the city. Nowhere near the Hartwell’s but still wealthy in their own right.

As for Lucius, he’s the typical spoiled youngest. In his parents’ eyes, he can do no wrong. How did he end up here with just one bodyguard?

It wasn’t any of his business.

Kain did notice one thing. Marcus changed the words he used. From currently to was. It means he has had a change of heart, or he acknowledges that order no longer exists.

That’s a good thing if he proves to be someone they can work with.

"Kain Nightfall, Nightfall faction. We welcome the right people."

The right people. Who are the right people? Marcus thought to himself.

"Faction?" he asked.

"It’s the end of the world. You don’t believe everyone is twiddling their thumbs, waiting for rescue?"

Marcus couldn’t help the wry laugh that left him. Yes, people were planning, and he was here protecting an overgrown child.

"Let’s end here for now. Introductions are fine. Next time, well, let’s hope there’s a next time."

Kain disconnected before Marcus could respond.

"Well, that was fun." Amelia stretched and leaned on Kain’s shoulder. "So, he hates the person he used to work for and wants a way out."

"Pretty much," Kain pulled her onto his lap.

"Are you planning to take him?"

"I haven’t decided yet." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Amelia said nothing. She knew what Kain was doing. The people now are more of a ragtag team than anything else. Not all of them share the same ideals.

He wanted to find people he could command, who would be willing to listen to orders. He needed people who could, with a simple look, understand what he needed them to do.

The system placed everyone in the sanctuary under the faction profile. The oath is active for every member of the faction.

One good thing is that he had the option to remove them. So they can technically leave.

Another good thing is that all members, new and old, under the faction are susceptible to the oath. Even if they didn’t say it, by joining, they have agreed to the terms and conditions.

"Whatever you decide, I will stand by you," Amelia replied.

And just like that, another week passed. They had no further conversations with Marcus. After the conversation, they also didn’t see the drones.

One thing they got was information. While not necessarily helpful, it was mildly entertaining.

People would complain about not having food. Some remarked that the military was taking its time to rescue people.

There were a few cases of people encountering sightings of monsters near their locations. Some sent messages saying the monsters had left. For others, there was no more contact.

The people were interacting with each other, but it was obvious that a divide had occurred.

Take, for example, Jaylin and her group. Being Awakened, they spent most of their time on Floor Three. Their topics revolved around what they had seen and heard outside.

Verdana, who also lives on Floor Three, appeared to have found her calling. She would occasionally go out with them. She found she was an excellent scout.

She could perceive sounds and movements much more sensitively than others.

Those living on Floor Two and Floor One are all ordinary people, except for Matthew and Claire.

These were the people who spent the most time together. So the divide was obvious: Awakened vs Ordinary. This was within Kain’s expectations, especially because he asked them not to say anything to those who weren’t practicing.

One night, they sat watching the monitoring, "Why don’t we take Claire from Floor One?"

Kain shook his head, "If she leaves, Matthew will want to leave. Plus, our son has been checking Matthew’s numbers. It’s declined again. Can’t risk moving him and end up letting it grow. He’s curious to see what will happen when it gets to zero."

"His powers are growing," Amelia said.

"All their powers are growing. It’s obvious for Dom because he uses it most often around us. He doesn’t understand it, so he is trying to figure it out."

She turned to the screen. She watched Claire moving. "She’s much better than when we first saw her. She is moving around and talking."

"Well, the better she gets, the worse Matthew gets. Look at him, he looks like shit."

Her eyes caught the slow-moving Matthew. He didn’t appear ill. But there was something about him that felt gloomy. They could feel, though they weren’t in the room. The dark circles under his eyes and his shifty gaze did nothing to help.

He looked like a man who had fallen into paranoia.

Amelia pursed her lips, "Then, shouldn’t we...?

Kain’s lips fell on hers, sealing them before she could speak her suggestion.

"Mrs Nightfall, are you thinking about helping another man when I’m right here?"

She shook her head and looked at him innocently. "I would never."

"Good. Now, let’s go find those naughty kids. They’re supposed to be future rulers, but I’m the one taking care of everything. If they start early, I can retire early."

Then they disappeared into the nurturing station.