The journey back to Sanctuary took two days.
Alex traveled carefully, avoiding roads and settlements, conserving his limited strength. Without his midnight power, he was just a Level 6 fighter—stronger than before, but still vulnerable. The sword he'd taken from Marcus helped; it was a legendary weapon that boosted his stats during combat, making him functionally Level 10 in a fight.
But even Level 10 was dangerous in this new world.
He arrived at Sanctuary's new location—a different warehouse, further from the city center—to find it heavily fortified. Guards spotted him at a hundred meters.
"Stop! Identify yourself!"
"Alex Chen. I was with the settlement before the attack."
The guards exchanged glances. One disappeared inside, presumably to verify. The other kept his weapon trained on Alex.
After what felt like an eternity, a familiar figure emerged from the warehouse.
Maya.
She stopped, staring at him like she was seeing a ghost.
"You're alive."
"Apparently."
"We thought—" Her voice cracked. "We saw you go down. The soldiers took you. We assumed..."
"That they'd kill me?"
"Yes."
Alex shrugged. "They tried."
Maya closed the distance between them and, to his surprise, hugged him. It was brief, professional, but genuine.
"Don't do that again," she whispered.
"I'll try not to get captured by Warlords in the future."
She pulled back, studying his face. "Something's different. You're... calmer. More confident."
"I had time to think." And kill a Level 35 boss, but she didn't need to know that. "Is everyone okay?"
"Mostly. We lost seven people in the attack. Another dozen wounded. But the escape tunnels worked." Maya's expression darkened. "Derek's been interrogating the survivors about what happened. He wants to know how Marcus found us."
"How did he?"
"A traitor. One of the new arrivals. He'd been feeding information to Marcus's forces for weeks."
Alex felt a cold weight in his stomach. "Where is he now?"
"Dead. Derek handled it personally." Maya turned toward the warehouse. "Come inside. There's a lot to discuss."
---
The settlement was smaller now—twenty-three survivors instead of thirty. But there was a new energy, a determination that hadn't been there before. They'd survived an attack that should have destroyed them.
Derek met Alex in the command center, a converted office covered in maps and reports.
"You escaped," the former soldier said. "From Marcus Kane's headquarters. Alone."
"I had help." Technically true—his midnight powers had helped.
"His entire organization is in chaos. Reports say the Warlord is dead. His soldiers are fighting each other for control." Derek's eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that?"
"I was in his headquarters. Things happened."
"Things." Derek studied him for a long moment. "I've met a lot of soldiers, Alex. Men who can fight, kill, survive. But you're different. You disappear during critical moments and reappear when the dust settles. You have abilities you won't explain. And now the most powerful Warlord in the region is dead after you were captured."
Alex said nothing.
"I'm not accusing you of anything," Derek continued. "You saved Maya. You've helped this settlement. Whatever secret you're protecting, it hasn't hurt us. But I need to know if there are threats I should be aware of. Enemies who might come looking for you."
Alex considered. Derek was asking for trust, and after everything, he'd earned at least partial honesty.
"I have a... condition. It makes me powerful under specific circumstances. Those circumstances are predictable, but I can't control when they occur. When they don't occur, I'm just a Level 6 fighter."
Derek absorbed this. "A conditional power. That explains the inconsistency."
"It also means I'm not always useful. The attack on Sanctuary happened during a time when I couldn't fight at full strength."
"But you survived. And apparently, so did Marcus Kane." Derek's tone was dry. "Eventually, your condition will become known. People will talk. When that happens, you'll be a target—either for recruitment or elimination."
"I know."
"Then you'd better get stronger before that day comes." Derek turned back to his maps. "For now, you're welcome here. But Alex—secrets have a way of getting people killed. Trust your allies before it's too late."
Alex nodded slowly.
"I'll keep that in mind."
As he left the command center, Maya fell into step beside him.
"What did you tell him?"
"The truth. Partially."
"About your glitch?"
"About having conditional power. I didn't specify the conditions."
Maya was quiet for a moment. "You know, at some point, you're going to have to trust someone with the whole truth. And I hope you choose to trust me."
"Why you?"
"Because I saved your life. You saved mine. And because..." She hesitated. "Because I think you're worth trusting, even if you don't trust yourself."
Alex stopped, turning to face her.
"When the time is right," he said, "I'll tell you everything. I promise."
Maya studied his face, then nodded.
"I'll hold you to that."
She walked away, leaving Alex alone with his thoughts.
Twenty-two hours until midnight.
He had work to do.