Dawn approached. The storm gradually calmed.
Only light rain fell.
A man stood outside, his gaze directed into the distance.
Marek.
A woman with glasses and short red hair stood beside him, holding an umbrella to shield him from the rain.
"Soon they'll arrive,"
The man whispered.
He didn't take his gaze off, but darkness ruled the night. It was uncertain what he was looking at.
"Commander, it's confirmed."
Vivian spoke.
"The scouts returned. Military bases 1 and 2 are destroyed. They have not survived this disaster."
The commander closed his eyes in regret, taking a second to accept the reality.
"How long ago?"
"Judging by the remains, shortly after the apocalypse started,"
"I see…"
A sigh escaped his lips.
He stood dazed.
His pupils trembled. Memories played before his eyes.
Tears welled in his eyes.
But in the end, no tear escaped his eyes.
His brows furrowed.
"Loot the bases,"
Determination flashed in his eyes. Determination to survive.
"Already on it,"
Vivian replied.
"What do we do with the corpses of the deceased commanders?"
The commander's eyes widened for a second.
"Burn them," His face darkened. "At least don't let their remains witness what this world has become."
"Yes,"
Vivian then directed her gaze into the distance.
"They should arrive at the foot of the mountain soon." The commander spoke. "I hope everything goes well,"
"Commander, we send an elite team of 72 people. It's a team built by awakeners with powerful abilities, covering every aspect. They should be able to complete the mission," she reassured.
"I hope everything goes well…"
But only pure uncertainty remained in the commander's eyes.
…
Vincent's eyes snapped open.
His pupils blood red.
[You consumed human blood]
A blood red system window appeared before his eyes.
[Your feral instincts awoke]
[Your hunger grows]
"Ughhh…"
Vincent's pupils trembled in pain.
Hunger assaulted him. Insatiable hunger.
He felt as if his insides twisted. As if something ate him from the inside.
"Aghh…"
Vincent collapsed to his knees, gripping his throat.
His mouth drooled.
The canines elongated.
[Time remaining: 4days 7:03:07]
"Noo…"
Vincent grabbed at the status window. But in vain. His hand passed through.
His time shortened. It shortened by half.
And he could do nothing.
He remained on the ground, left to deal with the pain, his heart full of unwillingness and regret.
…
Gradually, his pain calmed.
But he still knelt on the ground, his shoulders dropped, and his head lowered. Completely still. He looked almost lifeless.
"W-What have I done?"
A whisper escaped his lips.
THUD!
He slammed his fists on the floor.
"What do I do now?"
His eyes trembled in fear.
The dreadful timer still hung before his eyes, counting down.
"Why? Why? WHY!"
He slammed his fists into his head.
BAM!
He slammed his forehead against the floor.
"Why, you bastard? Why did you wait this long?!"
His voice pleaded, as if wanting answers from a person within himself.
But he knew all too well why.
He was scared. He wanted to avoid it as much as possible.
He hesitated.
But hesitation only brought despair.
Such was this new world.
"NO!"
His eyes flashed.
"It worked once. It must work."
Denial.
Madness overtook him.
He grabbed the blood bags.
Gulp! Gulp!
Cold blood flowed down his throat.
The metallic taste filled his mouth.
But he didn't care.
He only wanted his time back.
Pictures of human flesh flashed before his mind.
His desire to consume human flesh grew.
But in the end, nothing happened.
"No…"
Three empty blood packs lay around him, and an inhuman hunger in him.
He regretted not consuming blood earlier.
Had he done so, he would've had more itme ot figure things out.
But now, he could do nothing.
…
Time passed.
The crushing reality settled in.
"Why did this happen? Why didn't it work?"
Rationality slowly returned to him, and he questioned the outcome.
Slowly, he started replaying all his memories of consuming human flesh.
The minutes passed.
The night slowly brightened.
"Don't tell me…"
Suddenly, his eyes widened.
An image flashed in his mind. The chunk of flesh from Marin's neck.
'Last time, consuming the chunk of flesh from Marin was enough. And then when Livia found me and transfused blood to me, my time increased.' He analyzed.
'But last time I transformed, I consumed a lot of human flesh. Far more than the other two times combined.' 'Could it be…'
His eyes trembled.
A realization dawned upon him.
'The more I transform into the Progenitor, the more human flesh I'll need to consume?'
'Could the blood have worked previously because I have not transformed fully?''Am I losing my humanity?'
Vincent's face darkened.
This theory of his, he never wanted it to be true. But everything pointed to it.
And a question lingered in his mind.
What was he to do now?
Will he have to consume human flesh?
.
.
.
Vroom!
Engines roared.
The night slowly brightened, and the rain stopped.
Twelve vehicles arrived at the foot of the mountain.
Thud!
The soldiers jumped out of the vehicles, their heavy boots striking the wet soil and grass beneath.
"What…is this?"
All 72 soldiers exited the vehicles.
And all stared at the sight before them, eyes wide in disbelief.
The road forward was blocked. And the view.
They couldn't see the mountain at all.
Massive trees blocked their path.
Trees at least a dozen meters tall.
Vines climbed up their massive trunks and interconnected from tree to tree, forming a vine wall all around.
It blocked all entrances and visibility to the mountains.
"What are those vines?"
"It's creepy,"
Whispers spread in the air, for those were no ordinary vines.
Each vine had the thickness of an arm.
"I have never seen anything like this."
A man walked up to the vines, a smile on his face and a rifle on his back.
He touched the vine wall.
"It feels strange,"
He spoke, turning to look at the group.
But he met their horrified gazes.
"Almost as if it's alive…"
Too late.
SHLUCK!
Vines pierced his chest.