Chapter 3

3.

Ember's eyes lit up instantly.

I told him everything―how Malakai had tortured me, drained my blood daily, and finally murdered me.

Ember seemed genuinely shocked by my story.

"How could he? According to the laws of our kind, we owe absolute loyalty to our rescuers. No matter how we are treated, we must endure. Breaking that ancient pact brings a terrifying punishment. How did he dare hurt you?"

I shook my head with a bitter smile.

"I don't know, Ember. What kind of punishment are we talking about?"

"I don't know the specifics. Only that it's something incredibly severe."

"Well, let's not dwell on the past."

I pulled him over to the sofa.

"The heatwave is coming any day now. We need to prepare."

We discussed our options.

Air conditioning would be useless once the power grid collapsed under the extreme heat.

Finally, I decided we should head to my family's old property in the countryside to dig a deep bunker.

An underground shelter would stay cool naturally without needing any technology.

Ember wasn't just fast; he was incredibly strong.

In less than a week, he had excavated a bunker over three hundred feet deep.

While digging, we even hit a clean underground spring.

In one stroke, our two biggest problems―heat and water―were solved.

I rode on Ember's back as we descended into the depths of the bunker.

The air was wonderfully chilly, a stark contrast to the rising temperatures above ground.

Seeing me shiver, Ember immediately activated his power to bring the area to a perfect, cozy temperature.

"Ember, we have water and shelter. But what about food? What are we going to eat?"

"That's easy. I'll dig another chamber nearby. We can plant seeds underground. With my heat and the spring water, things will grow perfectly even while the world burns above. We just need a month's worth of supplies to tide us over until the first harvest."

We worked together like a well-oiled machine and finished everything just before the apocalypse hit.

Tomorrow was the day the world would begin to boil.

I curled up with Ember in the large bed we had placed in the bunker, waiting for the end of the world.

When I woke up the next morning, the bunker felt noticeably warmer.

The damp chill had been replaced by a comfortable warmth.

Ember stretched lazily on the bed.

"Finally, I don't have to force my energy out. Using my power every day has been exhausting. I felt like my blood was boiling away."

"Wait, using your power costs you blood?"

"Yeah. It's like a mana bar in those games you play. Using our abilities drains our life force."

I looked at him with a mix of guilt and heartache.

"Why didn't you tell me? I could have handled being cold for a few days."

After a month together, Ember had lost his timid edge.

He reached out and playfully pinched my cheek.

"Because I knew you'd say exactly that. I couldn't let you be uncomfortable."

Looking at him, my heart felt heavy with emotion.

Why was there such a massive difference between two beastmen?

In my last life, I never complained to Malakai about the heat, but he used his powers anyway because he couldn't stand it.

And he fueled those powers by draining me.

"I wonder how my sister is doing," I whispered.

If the timeline followed the past, today would be the first day Shyla tasted those fangs.

It was a shame I couldn't see her suffer.

Ember seemed to read my mind.

"Hey, Wynter. Want to see something cool?"

He pulled out an old bronze mirror with a mysterious air.

"What is it? Just a mirror?"

I turned it over in my hands but saw nothing special about it.

Ember blew a small puff of flame onto the surface, and the metal suddenly cleared like a high-definition screen.

Shyla and Malakai's faces appeared on the surface.

"This is a treasure from the Phoenix clan," Ember explained. "It's basically like one of your security cameras, but it doesn't need Wi-Fi or electricity."

I nodded, my eyes glued to the scene.

Shyla was leaning against Malakai, drenched in sweat.

"It's freaking hot! Malakai, you have cooling powers! Do something!" she screamed.

Malakai twitched his lip―a sign of his growing irritation that I knew all too well.

A predatory, twisted smile spread across his face as he stared at Shyla.

"You want me to use my power, baby? Fine. Just don't regret asking for it."

"Just do it! I'm dying here!"