Ryan studied Alice's face for a moment after she answered.
"I would love to come with you."
The words lingered.
Echoed.
For a brief moment—
Something warm stirred in his chest.
Relief.
In his previous life…
He had failed her.
This time—
That wouldn't happen.
Ryan nodded slowly.
"Good."
His voice softened, just slightly.
"Then we leave... Now."
Alice's gaze shifted downward.
Toward the floor.
Toward Charl.
His body lay twisted where it had fallen.
Face swollen.
Blood pooling beneath him.
Her brows furrowed.
"What about him?"
Ryan followed her gaze.
For a second—
His expression hardened.
"He'll live."
Alice let out a small breath.
Relief.
Ryan didn't say the rest.
For now.
Ryan didn't look at him again.
"Come on."
He took her hand again.
Firm.
Grounding.
"We don't have much time."
Alice grabbed her bag quickly.
Ryan opened the office door.
The hallway—
Had changed.
What had once been orderly—
Predictable—
Controlled—
Was gone.
People stumbled through the corridor.
Disoriented.
Some clutched their heads, faces twisted in pain or confusion.
Others stood completely still.
One person laughed.
Too loudly.
Too suddenly.
Another slammed their fist into the wall—
Over and over.
Eyes unfocused.
Breathing uneven.
A few whispered to themselves.
Fragments of panic.
"What is happening to everyone?" Alice asked quietly.
Ryan moved forward, guiding her with him.
"They're receiving their skills."
"Skills?"
Ryan nodded.
"When the Awakening begins, information is forced into your mind."
He glanced at a man leaning against the wall, trembling.
"Most people aren't ready for it."
Alice looked down at her hands again.
Flexed her fingers slightly.
"So… that feeling…"
"That was real."
Ryan didn't slow.
"It was."
Then—
A scream.
Sharp.
Sudden.
Echoing from deeper in the building.
Both of them froze.
Alice's grip tightened around his arm.
"What was that?"
Ryan's expression darkened.
"I was hoping we had more time."
He turned immediately.
Toward the stairwell.
"Move."
They descended quickly.
One floor.
Two.
Three.
The deeper they went—
The worse it became.
Voices shouting.
Panicked.
Uncontrolled.
Something heavy crashing.
Glass breaking.
By the time they reached the lobby—
The world had already changed.
Alice stopped.
Frozen.
"Oh my god…"
The front entrance—
Was gone.
Glass doors shattered.
Fragments scattered across the floor.
Several bodies lay nearby.
Some unmoving.
Some—
Not.
One of them twitched.
Ryan's eyes narrowed.
"…Too early."
The body jerked.
Then—
It rose.
But not like a human.
Its limbs bent wrong.
Too far.
Too sharply.
Dark veins pulsed beneath pale skin.
Spreading.
Crawling.
It twitched again.
Once.
Twice.
Then—
Its head snapped upward.
Eyes—
Gone.
Replaced by something hollow.
Black.
"What… is that?" Alice whispered.
Ryan stepped forward.
Just enough to block her view.
"A failed Awakening."
The creature shrieked.
A sound that didn't belong to anything human.
Then—
It lunged.
Fast.
Violent.
Uncontrolled.
Alice gasped.
But Ryan was already moving.
One step.
Forward.
His fist drove straight into its throat.
Crack.
The sound echoed.
Sharp.
Final.
The creature collapsed instantly.
Its body hit the ground hard.
Twitched.
Convulsed.
Then—
Went still.
Alice took a step back.
Her hand tightening around his sleeve.
Silence followed.
A faint red message flickered in Ryan's vision.
[Enemy defeated]
[Absorption activated]
A subtle warmth spread through his body.
Small.
But noticeable.
His muscles tightened slightly.
Strength.
Gained.
Ryan exhaled softly.
Already working.
Behind him—
Alice hadn't moved.
Her eyes were locked on the body.
"You…"
Her voice trembled.
"…you killed him."
Ryan turned.
Calm.
Steady.
"He was already gone."
Alice's hands trembled faintly.
Not from fear alone.
From understanding.
Ryan stepped closer.
Placed his hands gently on her shoulders.
Grounding her.
"This is the world now."
His voice didn't waver.
"People who can't handle mana…"
"They become that."
Alice swallowed.
Hard.
"And the others?"
Ryan's gaze shifted.
Toward the shattered entrance.
Toward the city beyond.
Distant screams echoed.
Car alarms blared.
Smoke curled into the sky.
"The others…"
His voice lowered.
Colder now.
"They'll fight."
A pause.
"For power."
Ryan took her hand again.
"Which means we move."
Alice nodded slowly.
Still processing.
Still adjusting.
"Where are we going?"
Ryan stepped forward.
Through the broken entrance.
Into the open air.
The city—
Was collapsing.
People ran through the streets.
Shouting.
Crying.
Fighting.
Some already using abilities they didn't understand.
Others—
Running from things they couldn't escape.
Ryan looked toward the skyline.
Eyes sharp.
Focused.
"I have an advantage this time."
His grip tightened slightly around her hand.
"First…"
A faint smile appeared.
Not warm.
Not soft.
Determined.
"We get stronger."
And somewhere in the distance—
A roar echoed.
Deep.
Inhuman.
Not the last.
Not even close.
Ryan didn't look toward it.
Didn't hesitate.
Because this time—
He wasn't reacting to the end of the world.
He was stepping into it.
Sirens wailed somewhere in the distance.
And they weren't stopping.