Chapter 2

Chapter 2

POV: Amara

I didn't give them a second to catch onto the smile lingering at the edge of my lips. Moving quickly, I completely ignored Tiffany's fake, watery eyes and Kyllian's cold, dismissive stare.

"I'll do as you asked, Kyllian, but I need a breath of fresh air first," I said in a calm, neutral tone—entirely devoid of any rebellious edge that might arouse their early suspicions, and coated with the submissive obedience they were used to.

Kyllian gave me one final look of absolute indifference before turning back toward his lackies at the front of the makeshift camp. "Get ready, we're moving out in ten minutes. Tiffany, keep watch outside."

While they were busy checking their gear, I slipped quietly into the back of the truck. Out of their sight, I closed my eyes for a single second, focusing my conscious mind entirely on the cool pendant resting against my collarbone.

In that instant, the shift occurred.

My mind suddenly opened up to a vast, still expanse. It wasn't just a dark, empty room; it was a complete, self-sustaining world of its own. Rolling green plains stretched out before me, covered in soft grass that shimmered with morning dew. In the far distance, dark rocky hills and crystal-clear streams traced shining lines across the fields. And right at the heart of this infinite realm stood a massive, leafless tree with dark, iron-hard trunks and branches stretching toward a clear, unpolluted sky free of the red fog.

The Ability Tree.

Its branches were currently bare, waiting eagerly to be touched by the crystal energy harvested from zombies so it could awaken and grant me absolute power. Beside it stretched a colossal storage space, completely empty and ready to swallow anything I chose to place inside.

A faint smile broke across my face in sheer awe. This wasn't just some ordinary healing space like Tiffany foolishly imagined in the novel… it was an entire world under my absolute, unyielding control.

"Amara! What are you doing in there? Aren't we moving yet?!" Tiffany's shrill voice snapped from outside, jerking me right back to the grim reality of the truck and the red mist.

"I'm coming, I was just organizing the crates!" I called back in a meek, obedient tone, quickly pulling my consciousness back out of the hidden dimension.

At that exact moment, my mental radar flashed an early warning: three figures were creeping up near the western corner of the abandoned warehouse, silently watching Kyllian's team with sharp weapons in hand. A small local gang looking for an easy score to loot supplies.

Perfect. I needed a field test to see how well my radar performed in a live scenario.

"Kyllian," I said, stepping close enough as he wiped down his tactical blade. "I heard some strange noises behind the western warehouse wall. It might be other survivors, or… maybe stray animals."

Kyllian frowned, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. "I didn't hear a thing. Are you hallucinating from fear again?"

"Maybe," I shrugged with a feigned, indifferent shrug, knowing exactly how to prod an arrogant man's ego. "But if I were you, I wouldn't skip securing that corner before we roll out, unless you want something jumping us from behind."

Kyllian's gaze locked onto mine for a few seconds, as if looking at me for the very first time. Then he shoved his knife back into its thigh holster and stood up abruptly. "Stay here with Tiffany. I'll go check it out myself."

Kyllian moved toward the western corner accompanied by two armed men. Thanks to the mental radar—which relayed the scene to my mind as clearly as an aerial drone—I watched precisely how the local thugs were caught completely off-guard by his approach. A swift skirmish left the attackers dead, handing Kyllian's team an extra batch of gear and weapons without them ever suspecting I was the invisible puppet master behind it.

More importantly… right at that moment, after the brief clash ended, I felt something drop deep within my mind: a warm trickle of energy that seeped straight into the secret dimension, making a tiny branch at the base of the Ability Tree quiver with a faint, verdant green glow.

Energy transferred. Life crystals were counted even if I didn't kill them with my own hands, as long as my actions steered the outcome in my favor.

I slipped back to my seat in absolute silence just as Kyllian and his men returned carrying fresh loot and extra rifles, completely convinced they were the smartest, toughest bastards in this collapsed world.

As for me, I peeked through the slit of the small steel-plated window at the fog-choked sky, knowing damn well this was only the beginning. On this long road heading north, I wouldn't be anyone's human shield… I was going to be the real butcher pulling the strings.