They were in Seren, a country on the East Continent.
Before the apocalypse, Seren had been an economically powerful and technologically advanced country. However, it was also densely populated, which resulted in one of the highest concentrations of undead after the apocalypse, especially in the capital city, Alder, where they were currently living.
When Realmfall began, the Beast Realm invaded Alder City.
Trees grew into colossal forms that pierced the sky, their roots spreading through entire districts while ordinary plants expanded to five times their original size. Powerful earthquakes shook the entire city, collapsing buildings and tearing apart roads. Different types of bloodthirsty beasts appeared throughout the city, some moving in packs while others hunted alone.
Destruction and death could be found almost everywhere.
In the villa district surrounding the Arden mansion, no beasts initially appeared.
However, that did not mean the area was safe.
Several buildings collapsed during the earthquakes, while the gardens rapidly grew into miniature forests. Some animals mutated almost instantly and began attacking and killing the inhabitants.
Nyx had been on her way back from a business trip when the apocalypse began. By the time Realmfall descended, she had already entered the city but was nowhere near the Arden mansion.
At the time, she had been horrified.
Terrified.
She remembered driving as fast as she could, desperately trying to escape with thousands of people screaming and fleeing. She remembered the roads disappearing beneath twisted vegetation and collapsed buildings. Beasts tearing through crowds and the smell of blood clinging to the air.
However, it didn’t take long before her car was destroyed.
After that...
Nyx paused.
Honestly, she didn’t remember exactly how she had survived.
She remembered getting out of the car.
She remembered seeing a beast tear through a human right in front of her.
After that, everything became fragmented.
What she did remember was fleeing alongside hundreds of other people. They had desperately tried to escape the city together, but most of them were killed along the way.
Nyx herself had nearly died several times before they finally reached an area with no mutated vegetation or signs of beasts.
It was a depot.
By then, Nyx had been terribly injured, disheveled, and exhausted.
The moment she found an empty corner inside one of the storehouse buildings, she curled up and immediately passed out.
Looking back now, Nyx understood that her survival during those first few months had been nothing more than a series of accidents and impossible strokes of luck.
Fortunately, the survivors who reached the depot discovered that some food had been stored there.
More and more people eventually arrived.
During those first few months, leaving had been more dangerous than staying. The roads surrounding the depot were blocked by collapsed vehicles and mutated vegetation, while every group that attempted to travel too far either returned with fewer people or failed to return at all.
The depot had food.
For a time, that was enough.
But as the number of survivors increased, their presence eventually attracted the attention of a pack of wolf-like beasts.
By that point, three months had already passed.
When the beasts attacked, people scattered in different directions, desperately hoping to escape.
Many of them still died in the jaws of the beasts.
Nyx had almost managed to slip away when two men suddenly appeared and used her as a shield.
Her injuries had never fully healed, and the constant shortage of food had left her weak. She had been no match for the two men.
Just as the beast closed in and despair filled Nyx’s heart, her unwillingness to die triggered the sudden awakening of her ability.
Nyx’s fingers paused above the screen.
She could still remember that moment.
The beast had struck. She had expected to die. Instead, something else happened.
The moment its claws hit her, the force of the attack surged through her body like a violent current accompanied by hot, searing, pain.
Nyx felt something crack inside her, and her body was thrown backward. But before she hit the ground, a strange sensation spread through her. The force hadn’t disappeared; it was still there, raging beneath her skin. Instinctively, Nyx pushed forward and the accumulated force exploded outward.
The beast was thrown away.
At that time, she hadn’t understood what had happened. She only knew one thing: she had a chance to survive.
Seeing that chance, Nyx fought desperately. She eventually killed the beast and ran for her life.
After awakening her ’Assimilation’ ability, she had gained enough strength to finally set off toward the newly established survivor base in Alder City.
The journey took another two months.
After enduring countless dangers and hardships, Nyx finally reached the base.
Looking back now, she realized it had been nothing special.
Alder City Base hadn’t even survived for two years before it was eventually overrun by a massive beast horde.
However, for Nyx at the time, it had been her only hope.
That was where she met the Ardens again.
They were worlds apart from the polished and beautiful appearance they had maintained before the apocalypse, but they were still in much better shape than Nyx.
A few weeks after fleeing the villa district, the Ardens had encountered the military and managed to travel under their protection. As a result, they had been spared much of the suffering that ordinary survivors endured.
Lucian, however, was another story.
Nyx’s fingers tightened around her phone.
When she saw him again, he was nothing more than skin and bones. His face was pale and sickly, and his entire body looked weak and frail.
She knew he must have suffered greatly.
The realization filled her with fury.
She ended up getting into a fight with the family of three. However, Nyx had nowhere else to go, so she eventually stayed with them.
A few weeks later, the Ardens discovered that she had awakened an ability.
They immediately began looking for ways to make use of her.
Even though Nyx took on missions, she had not earned enough points to afford a room for herself and Lucian. Because of that, she had no choice but to remain with the Arden family for a little longer.
She agreed to some of their demands.
She took missions for them.
She let them use her.
She did it all so that Lucian could have a better life.
But it was all for nothing.
Nyx stared at the words she had written.
Then she continued.
There were other survivor bases scattered throughout Seren, including Westbridge Base, Blackridge Base, and Haven Base.
Among them, Haven Base eventually became one of the strongest. Its influence spread beyond Seren, and even other countries on the East Continent recognized its strength.
After Alder City Base was destroyed, Nyx and the other survivors fled south.
They eventually reached Bellmont Base.
Nyx’s fingers suddenly froze.
Bellmont.
She stared at the name on her screen.
That was where Lucian had died.
It was also where she self-destructed.
Nyx slowly lowered her phone.
In her previous life, she had been trapped in Alder City when the apocalypse began.
She had spent months desperately trying to escape.
This time, she had thirty days.
Thirty days was enough to make sure Lucian never experienced the beginning of the apocalypse the way he had before.
Nyx had no intention of repeating a single decision she had made in her previous life.
When Realmfall arrived, Alder City would descend into chaos, and she and Lucian would be long gone before then.
[Current Synchronization: 25%.]
The translucent notification appeared before Nyx’s eyes.
She blinked and glanced at the time.
More than an hour had passed.
Nyx frowned slightly.
She had become so absorbed in recording everything she remembered that she hadn’t noticed how much time had passed.
When she looked up, her gaze immediately landed on Lucian.
He was asleep.
Lucian remained seated on the couch across from her, his head tilted at an uncomfortable angle against the backrest. One arm was loosely folded across his stomach while the other hung limply at his side.
Nyx stared at him and her expression softened.
In her previous life, she had seen Lucian sleep in far worse places.
Once, they had spent an entire night sitting inside an overturned vehicle because something had been hunting outside.
At the time, Nyx had accepted it as normal.
There had been no other choice.
Now, seeing him sleeping in such an uncomfortable position on a hospital couch made her feel terrible.
Nyx carefully placed her phone on the bed.
She pushed the blanket aside and slowly stood.
Her legs were still weak, and the moment she moved too quickly, pain shot through her injured arm.
Nyx immediately went still.
Then she glanced toward Lucian.
Fortunately, he hadn’t woken up.
She made her way toward him.
When she reached the couch, Nyx hesitated.
She couldn’t carry him.
Lucian was fourteen now. Although the apocalypse had made him frighteningly thin in her memories, the Lucian sitting before her was still healthy.
Nyx looked at him for several seconds.
Then she quietly sighed.
"You’re going to wake up with a terrible neck."
Lucian didn’t respond.
Nyx carefully reached for the blanket folded over the back of the couch and pulled it free.
Using one hand was awkward, but she eventually managed to drape it over him.
Lucian stirred slightly.
Nyx froze.
A few seconds passed.
Then he settled again.
Only then did she allow herself to sigh in relief.