The convoy moved steadily along the highway.
The rhythm had settled.
Engines.
Wheels.
Distance.
Ryan's SUV led.
Unwavering.
Behind him—
Marcus's pickup.
Then the van.
Each vehicle holding position.
Not drifting.
Not breaking formation.
They were learning.
Even without being told.
Ryan's hand rested lightly on the steering wheel.
Loose.
But controlled.
His eyes moved constantly.
Road.
Mirrors.
Tree line.
The forest stretched endlessly along the roadside.
Blackwood.
Even from here—
He could feel it.
Mana drifting through the trees.
Not stagnant.
Moving.
Spreading.
Like something breathing.
It's accelerating.
[I noticed.]
Iris's voice echoed softly in his mind.
Ryan's gaze flicked briefly to the rearview mirror.
Marcus.
Still alert.
Not leaning out the window this time.
Good.
Daniel's van held steady at the back.
No one was relaxed.
Not anymore.
[You're thinking too much again.]
Ryan exhaled slowly.
Things aren't aligning.
[You changed them.]
You changed them.
A faint laugh.
[I nudged them.]
Ryan's lips curved slightly.
Barely.
Alice caught it immediately.
"You're doing that again."
Ryan didn't look at her.
"Doing what?"
"That."
She gestured vaguely at his face.
"Smiling like you know something I don't."
Ryan raised an eyebrow.
"Maybe I do."
Alice folded her arms.
"That's not comforting."
Ryan didn't answer.
Because—
Something had changed.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Ahead.
Movement.
Shapes.
Emerging from between abandoned vehicles.
He eased off the accelerator.
The SUV slowed.
Behind him—
The pickup slowed.
Then the van.
The convoy reacted.
Without needing to be told.
Alice leaned forward slightly.
"Ryan…"
"I see them."
The figures stepped fully into the road.
Eight.
Unsteady.
Twisted.
Skin gray.
Veins dark beneath the surface.
Fallen.
Their heads turned—
Almost in unison.
Toward the convoy.
Then—
They screamed.
High.
Distorted.
And charged.
Ryan brought the SUV to a stop.
The engine idled.
Low.
Steady.
The moment stretched.
Marcus was already moving.
Door open—
Boots hitting asphalt.
"Oh good," he called, rolling his shoulders. "I was getting bored."
Elena stepped out beside him.
Blade already in hand.
Ryan opened his door.
Stepped out.
Slower.
Measured.
The Fallen were closing fast.
Marcus grinned.
"Easy clean-up."
Ryan raised a hand.
"Wait."
Marcus stopped.
Mid-step.
Frowned.
"…What?"
Ryan didn't look at him.
His gaze shifted instead—
Past him.
Toward the others.
"Daniel."
The driver froze.
"…Me?"
Ryan nodded once.
"And Robert."
Marcus turned.
"My dad?"
Robert Kane stepped forward.
Not fast.
Not hesitant either.
Just steady.
Crowbar in hand.
"What's the plan?"
Ryan pointed.
The Fallen were already halfway across the road.
"You fight."
The words landed.
Hard.
Daniel's eyes widened.
"Wait—what?!"
Robert didn't react immediately.
But his grip tightened slightly.
"You're serious."
Ryan rested the spear across his shoulder.
"You awakened."
Daniel shook his head.
"That doesn't mean I know how to use it!"
Ryan met his gaze.
Calm.
Unmoving.
"That's why we're doing this now."
The Fallen were closer.
Fifteen meters.
Marcus leaned in slightly.
"You're throwing them in."
Ryan didn't look at him.
"They won't always have us."
A pause.
Marcus exhaled.
"…Yeah."
He stepped back.
Not interfering.
Watching.
Ryan's attention returned to Daniel.
"What did you feel when you awakened?"
Daniel swallowed.
"Metal."
Ryan gestured to the roadside.
A bent guardrail.
A loose panel.
"Move it."
The Fallen were ten meters away.
Daniel hesitated—
Then reached out.
Mana flickered.
Weak.
Unstable.
The metal trembled.
Lifted.
Shook.
Then steadied.
Daniel blinked.
"…I'm doing that."
Ryan nodded.
"Throw it."
The distance collapsed.
Daniel thrust his hand forward.
The metal shot across the road.
Fast.
Uncontrolled.
It slammed into the lead Fallen—
Knocking it backward.
Marcus laughed.
"Okay—that's useful."
Ryan shifted his gaze.
Robert.
"And you."
Robert exhaled slowly.
"I felt… strength."
His grip tightened on the crowbar.
Faint mana gathered.
Subtle.
But present.
Ryan watched closely.
Refined.
Not explosive.
"Focus it in your muscles," Ryan said.
Robert nodded once.
The first Fallen lunged.
Robert stepped forward.
No hesitation.
The crowbar swung.
CRACK.
The skull collapsed instantly.
The body dropped.
Robert blinked.
"…That felt different."
Marcus grinned.
"That's because it worked."
The rest of the Fallen hit them.
Daniel lifted another piece of metal—
Hurled it.
Missed.
Adjusted.
Threw again—
Connected.
Robert moved again.
Cleaner this time.
More controlled.
Strike.
Step.
Follow-through.
Ryan watched.
Every movement.
Every mistake.
Every adjustment.
They're learning.
Fast.
Alice stepped forward.
Her hand lifted slightly.
Vines burst from the ground—
Wrapped around one of the Fallen.
Held it in place.
Elena moved.
A blur of motion.
Clean.
Efficient.
One strike—
Then another.
The fight ended quickly.
Too quickly.
The last Fallen dropped.
Silence returned.
But not the same silence as before.
Daniel leaned back against the van.
Breathing hard.
Hands shaking slightly.
"…Okay."
He let out a shaky laugh.
"That was not okay."
Robert rested the crowbar on his shoulder.
But his posture had changed.
Straighter.
More certain.
"…But it worked."
Marcus clapped him on the back.
Hard.
"Of course it did."
He grinned.
"You're built for this."
Robert snorted.
"I'm built for construction."
Ryan walked toward them.
Slow.
Measured.
"You adapted."
Daniel shook his head.
"Barely."
Ryan stopped in front of him.
"You didn't die."
Daniel stared at him.
"…That's your standard, isn't it?"
Ryan shrugged slightly.
"It's effective."
A faint smile tugged at Daniel's mouth.
Despite himself.
Alice watched the exchange.
"You planned that."
Ryan looked down the road.
The light was fading.
Shadows stretching longer.
"They need to stand on their own."
Alice nodded slowly.
"…Even if it's dangerous."
Ryan didn't answer.
Because it was.
His gaze shifted.
Toward the forest.
The mana—
Still rising.
Night will be worse.
[I agree.]
Iris's tone had shifted.
More serious now.
[You should not be exposed when it happens.]
Ryan's eyes moved forward.
The road curved slightly.
And then—
He saw it.
A sign.
Worn.
Faded.
Half leaning.
Riverside Diner — 2 Miles
Ryan exhaled slowly.
"Good."
Marcus stretched his arms.
"Please tell me that says food."
Ryan turned.
Walked back to the SUV.
"It says shelter."
Marcus grinned.
"I'll take it."
Ryan got in.
Alice followed.
The door shut.
The engine turned over.
The convoy moved again.
Behind them—
The Fallen lay scattered.
Proof.
Ahead—
The road darkened.
And the first night of the new world—
Was almost here.