A Universe of Bloody Evolution

“If there is one thing to fear, it is the darkness that comes after day. Hide as fast as you can, because if you don’t, Nightmares will come. To tear you apart and harvest the Essence you have left. Some are brave to fight them, risking their lives to advance faster. But is it really worth it?”

~Thoughts of a Warrior, 26th Outbreak

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“I just can’t catch a break, can I? And Nightmares? Really?” Leo growled out as the message faded away. “Must be one of those threats that the clone forgot to mention…”

Just great.

Fist clenched, Leo left the hall and moved into a large living room, his shovel left forgotten by the entrance door. A quick round around the house showed that nothing had disappeared since he was last here to water the plants just a few days ago. At least some good news…

Leo placed his backpack on a table in the middle of the room and approached one of the windows, curiosity getting the better of him.

The red sun still hung low in the sky, bathing this side of the world with its last rays as it neared the horizon. The wind that just a moment ago barely rustled through the bushes and leaves, now picked up the pace, the trees in the distance dancing to its tune.

Something's definitely coming.

The weather just didn’t change like that without a reason. There was always some kind of build-up before a disaster struck. Besides, with the System’s notification, Leo had to be mad to ignore the possibility of the approaching danger.

Although I could use a bit more info…

Cursing under his breath, Leo took a step back and tugged the curtains together, shielding the house from the outside world. He did the same thing to the other two windows, plunging the living room into complete darkness. Never stopping, Leo dashed through every single room, taking away their only source of light.

He returned to the living room, sweat drenching his forehead as he leaned against the table. Secure shelter my ass, he snorted, uncorking a bottle of water. As if a few curtains and bookshelves blocking the entrances could be called secure.

The only good thing that came from the rearrangement of the furniture, was Leo’s decision to definitely assign a few more points to Might. Soul could wait. His empty lungs and burning muscles? Not so much. Not when this definitely wasn't the last time when he had to move some heavy objects.

Shaking his head, Leo threw the empty bottle away and moved upstairs, right into his old room.

Unlike every other window in the house, the one in Leo’s room had a small gap in between the curtains. The lone ray of the sun became dimmer and dimmer with every minute, letting Leo know just how little time he had left before the night came.

Leo locked the door behind him and sat on the small bed lying in the corner, fists clenching as a burst of anger rushed filled his veins.

Hour after hour, this day was becoming more and more fucked up. First, he awakened with abilities that a week ago were reserved for movies. Then he had to kill the remnants of his own father and a man he knew for over ten years.

And now?

Leo might die in the coming hours, because what even counted as a "secure shelter" in this damnd world? By hiding inside this closed and empty house, he could be signing a death sentence with a timer on it. And the less said about other survivors — his family — who probably had similar thoughts running through their minds, the better.

Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Leo growled, furious punches descending on the bed’s mattress.

This damned Outbreak just had to happen in Leo’s Universe. Destroying his life. Destroying the lives of everyone in this bloody world.

Stop. Leo squeezed his eyes shut, trying to force those thoughts away. Thinking like that won’t help anyone.

It wasn't healthy, Leo knew. Pushing problems away only hurt a person in the long run. But what else could he do? Break down crying just because life once again decided to shit on him? To wallow in pity and let the world swallow him?

I can’t, I won’t.

When Leo lost his mother, and after his father decided to just up and leave one day, Leo almost threw away any future he had. He raged like a maniac until the people he now called family, rescued him. That day Leo promised himself to never fall that low again. And If that meant pushing his problems to the deepest corners of his mind, then so be it.

Taking a few deep breaths, Leo fell back on the bed, eyes closed. He would deal with all of this pain and anger one day. Just not now…

Minutes passed as he just laid there, mind empty of any thoughts as the howls of the wind outside continued to echo around him. Then as if someone flipped a switch, the world turned silent. Even the rare screams and screeches of Voidlings died out.

Eyes snapping open, Leo sat up, his gaze going to the window.

Darkness. Complete and utter darkness. No more light entered the room through the small gap and Leo’s taint became the only source of lighting. Even then his veins seemed to dim a bit. Cursing, Leo moved to stand.

Boom!

The entire world shook. Wind like no other crashed into the house. The building groaned, almost shaking as Leo fell back on the bed. The pressure in the air thickened. Doubling, tripling or even quadrupling as the powerful Essence in the air almost pushed Leo into the mattress.

That wasn’t how I wanted to learn more about Essence… He groaned, crawling towards the window.

The wind was relentless, howling and pushing against anything that stood in its way. The roof and walls of the house continued to scream in protest. Leo’s heart thundered in his chest, hoping that the house was at least half as sturdy as it looked.

Then, human screams and guttural screeches pierced the air. Joined by the wind, they created a symphony of death that pierced straight through Leo’s soul as he settled into a corner and shielded his ears.

The Night is here. Good luck.

The words echoed through Leo’s mind as he shut his eyes and tried to focus on anything but the events happening outside. He sat there for god knew how long, taking in deep breaths to calm the heart that threatened to burst from his chest.

Leo gasped when the house shook one last time, the pressure lessening just a bit. He could still feel the Essence in the air and hear the howling of the wind, but they no longer seemed like a threat to his life.

A chuckle left Leo's lips, a single word that perfectly summed up this situation leaving his mouth.

“Shit.”

Even the screams quieted down, leaving only the bone-chilling screeches echoing through the neighborhood. Those sounds weren't normal and definitely didn’t belong to Cursed Humans. There must be something different, stronger outside, traversing the area of the city as the darkness consumed the world.

Leo shuddered. He almost didn’t want to know what made those sounds, but as they said, “knowledge is power”.

Crouching, Leo once again approached the window and peeked through the small gap. His eyes widened, mouth opening as instead of pure darkness, a much different sight lay in front of his eyes.

While most of the world was still shrouded by darkness. Small parts of grass, leaves of bushes, and trees, — the same ones that absorbed the Sun’s hue — now illuminated the entire neighborhood with a dim crimson glow.

The grass, along with the fallen leaves, created carpets of blood on the ground, while the forest in the distance could make Christmas lights seethe in hatred. As unnatural as it was, this sight easily became one of the most beautiful things Leo saw in his life.

Although Leo had to wonder if the entire world would one day look like this. The whole Earth, covered in glowing flora. Only a day passed, and so much had already changed. What more could happen in a week or a month? An interesting picture indeed. It gave Leo some hope that maybe the darkness of the Night would at least have some light to guide lost survivors.

Not that Leo had any plans to go outside during the night in the near future. He wasn’t suicidal… at least not yet.

Leo shook his head as his thoughts began to wander. Focus. Once again, his gaze fell on the glowing grass, and his eyebrow rose, an idea appearing in his mind.

Why not.

Bloody Vein (Common):
A grass-like plant naturally found in Void realms. It was born thanks to the radiation of a Cursed Star. Possesses natural healing properties if used correctly. Often utilized as a basic ingredient in alchemy, smithing, and enchanting. Can be used in upgrades.

Healing properties if used correctly… Leo’s eyes widened just a bit. He expected the System to give him some bullshit explanation of how useless red grass was, and yet he received something more.

While the description provided Leo with a lot of terms he didn’t understand at all, he hoped that with time — and more Identified objects — he could learn all about this new reality. And the correct way to use this for healing. No way in hell I’m experimenting on myself.

His dagger also mentioned something about upgrades, and anyone who ever read some fantasy knew what alchemy and enchanting were. At least to some degree… The System might as well have something completely different in mind when mentioning those two things.

At least you can’t mess up with smith… What is this?!

Any thoughts about the red plant flew out of Leo’s mind when some movement caught his attention.

It appeared at the end of the street, coming from the direction of the city. From so far, Leo only noticed a smudge of deep violet glow, moving in the direction of the houses.

Leo didn’t move an inch, heart beginning to thunder like a drum of war.

The Essence in his body came alive, and Leo wrestled it under control in record time. The familiar blanket settled over his skin, a short sigh leaving his lips.

Minutes dragged on as the creature came closer to the houses right next to Leo’s. With every single second passing, he could make out more and more of the now-identified monster.

Collector (Nightmare Voidling) | Rank: E+ | LVL: N/A

Leo shuddered. He might have broken into rank F himself after the advancement to the second level, but this creature had more than an entire rank over him. Hell, even its level wasn’t available. And its body… Leo almost wished that the glow of its skin wasn’t there. To save him another heart attack.

I’m dead if it finds me.

When it stopped, the monster stood proud and tall, almost like a human. Its body was a pack of muscles covered in deformed skin similar to Leo’s taint. Like a Cursed Human, the Collector's skin broke in hundreds of places, releasing a deep purple glow from within.

Leo watched with bated breath as the monster traversed on all four, only to pause before the Gibson household. It raised its head, bald and ugly, as if it was searching for something.

The protective barrier around his body tightened, and Leo gulped when the creature jumped inside Gibson’s house, shattering a window in the process.

Leo still didn’t move, fear and curiosity freezing his bones.

Why did you go there? He had to know. What if Leo’s current hideout would be the monster’s next destination just because it was searching for something obvious? ‘Collector’ had to mean something, and hopefully, it wasn't just another name for a hunter.

The Collector appeared not even a minute later — Leo counted —, jumping out through the same broken window with the massacred body of Mrs. Gibson slung over its shoulders.

Leo held his breath, only resuming when the creature disappeared into the night, going back towards the city. Now he definitely understood why the monster was named Collector. Though the question still remained. Did it want only dead bodies of humans, or was there other stuff the monster was interested in?

Leo hoped to never find out.

Slumping, he leaned against the wall, the mind still trying to process what it had just witnessed. Another type of Voidlings. Much stronger than the two Cursed Humans according to the rank system.

How is anyone supposed to survive against it?

Death awaited survivors that met this creature face to face. Especially when only a day passed since this entire bullshit began. Leo doubted that anyone reached E- rank, not to mention E+.

“Only the strong survive indeed,” Leo snorted, a bitter laugh bubbling in his chest.

Everything the clone said was true, only very understated. Not that words could prepare anyone for this new bloody reality. You have to experience this shit for yourself to even believe half of it.

Leo shook his head, standing up. He grabbed the backpack and sat by a desk, another object of the past. A finger ran along the wooden surface, and Leo coughed, dust filling the air.

Whatever. He scowled, solving the problem with a single swipe of his sleeve.

Reaching within his backpack, Leo took out a few candy bars. Not the best type of food to survive the apocalypse, but this was no place for complaining.

Absently biting into the candy, Leo opened one of the drawers in the desk, checking if maybe he left something useful inside. His claws touched a stack of books, and Leo tilted his head, delicately grabbing the papers.

The veins of his arm bathed the two books in a warm glow, and Leo’s eyes widened by just a fracture. Who would have thought that it was still here… He mused, a hand running along the cover of Leo’s first and only journal.

Leo covered the rest of the candy bar and flipped the old leather book open. The uneven scrawl of his younger self greeted him, and in spite of the events happening across the entire world, Leo smiled lightly.

How the times had changed.