The morning air inside the library was stale. Cold light filtered through the tall windows, illuminating rows of tired, hungry faces. No one had eaten properly in over a day, and the vending machines had been cleared out within hours.
People were starting to whisper.
Conner stood near the front as Joey addressed the room.
"We're not going far," Joey said, arms crossed. "Just to the cafeteria block. It's trashed, but if there's anything left—canned food, dry stuff—we bring it back."
Ten people volunteered. Most were there because they were scared of starving, not because they wanted to fight. Conner recognized a few faces, but most blurred together—nervous, pale, trying to look useful.
Two didn't.
One was the girl with the cracked glasses from the first day—the one who had screamed when her hand turned to bark. Now, the bark was gone. Replaced with frost.
Literally. Her left arm shimmered faintly with a layer of pale-blue ice. It didn't look forced or jagged. It looked controlled.
She stood calm, eyes sharp, the broken lens in her glasses replaced with a patch of ice so thin it was nearly transparent.
"Katie," Joey said, walking over. "Didn't expect to see you signing up."
She nodded once. "Someone has to. I'm not interested in waiting around while people get desperate."
Fair enough.
The girl next to her—slightly shorter, softer build, wide eyes that scanned everything—stood with her hands clasped tightly in front of her. She looked less confident, but not weak. Just thinking harder than the rest.
"Neive," she said when Conner introduced himself.
Her voice was calm. Measured.
Joey leaned in to Conner as they started moving. "Ice girl's sharp. Not sure about the quiet one."
"She signed up," Conner said. "That's more than most."
The ten left the library just after noon. The barrier still pulsed overhead, and the world beyond was quiet—but not dead. Strange distant shapes moved near the edge of the zone. They weren't alone.
They moved in pairs. Katie and Neive stayed near the front with Joey. Conner took rear guard.
The cafeteria was across the courtyard and through a collapsed walkway. Vines had overtaken parts of the pavement, some still pulsing faintly with light.
As they passed under a broken arch, something stirred in the overgrowth ahead.
Joey raised his wrench. Katie lifted her arm.
But it wasn't a monster. Not exactly.
A small, semi-transparent Rootcrawler—a much smaller one—skittered out and sat beside Neive.
No one moved.
"It's mine," Neive said quickly. "Summon."
"You can summon that?" Joey asked, eyes wide.
Neive nodded. "Only one at a time. I have to 'draft' them after seeing them in the field. Weaker versions. Not full strength. But it listens."
The Rootcrawler sat still, head twitching slightly as if waiting for orders.
"Useful," Katie said. That was all.
They moved on.
The cafeteria was a mess. Tables overturned. Windows smashed. But the storage rooms in the back were mostly intact. After some digging, they managed to find a haul: dry pasta, energy bars, powdered soup, sealed milk cartons. Not enough for a week—but enough for morale.
Conner stepped into the cold storage to check the corners.
That's when it hit.
A low snarl echoed from the hallway.
[System Alert: Threat Detected – Lv. 3 Forest Stray]
A beast, vaguely canine but with plant-like spines growing along its back, padded in through a broken service door. Its eyes glowed a sickly green. It was alone. Hungry.
Katie stepped forward before anyone else.
The air around her shimmered.
She raised her arm. Calm. Smooth.
And without a word, she released a wave of frost that arced toward the creature's legs, freezing it in place mid-step. Its body jerked violently, trying to break free.
Joey didn't wait. He sprinted in and crushed its skull with one clean swing.
[Enemy Defeated: EXP Gained]
Everyone watched, wide-eyed. No one said anything.
Katie lowered her arm and turned to the group. "We should move. The noise will draw more."
She didn't wait for praise. Just walked past the corpse like it didn't matter.
On the way back, Neive walked beside Conner, her summon skittering ahead a few paces.
"You're calm," she said.
Conner looked over. "So are you."
She gave a half-smile. "I'm not, actually. But I'm good at pretending."
They walked in silence a while longer.
"What's yours do?" she asked.
"My Trait?"
She nodded.
Conner tapped his scope eye. "Helps me see things."
That was all he offered.
She didn't press.
Back at the library, the food was split into careful rations. People clapped, cheered weakly, someone even cried. For a moment, the fear lifted.
Katie and Neive sat near the back, quietly eating. Joey was talking with a few other students, probably hyping up the next supply run. Conner stayed by the window.
The frost on the glass hadn't melted from Katie's hand.
The Rootcrawler summon faded into light as Neive dismissed it with a quiet breath.
Conner watched them both.
Different powers. Different styles. But something in their eyes looked like his own—people not trying to lead or impress, just survive the right way.
He respected that.
And for now, that was enough.