Two

Chapter Two

Avenne’s POV

I woke up with a sharp pain running through my body.

For a few seconds, I could not remember where I was, and I remained still on the cold floor, staring into the darkness while my mind struggled to make sense of everything that had happened.

Then I remembered.

Riven, Serelle, my daughter, the  slap, the  truth.

The ground shaking.

I slowly pushed myself up, and the moment I moved, a strange sensation passed through my body. It felt as though something warm was moving beneath my skin, spreading from my chest through my arms and then settling somewhere deep inside me.

I looked down at myself in confusion, there was nothing there yet  I could feel it.

Something had changed.

I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to understand what was happening, and suddenly a strange screen appeared before me.

I froze.

The words were floating in front of my eyes, glowing faintly in the darkness.

[System activated.]

My breath caught.

I stared at the message, wondering if I was dreaming, but when another line appeared beneath it, I realized that whatever this was, it was not something my frightened mind had imagined.

[Host successfully recognized.]

I had no idea what a system was supposed to mean, but before I could think about it any further, I heard voices coming from the other side of the room.

I slowly turned my head.

Riven, Serelle, and the others were still there.

They had gathered together, keeping their distance from me while staring at me as though I had become something they were afraid to approach.

Riven’s face was tense.

Serelle had moved behind him, her hand gripping his arm.

“What is happening to her?” one of the men asked.

“I don’t know,” another answered.

Serelle looked at me with disgust. “Something is wrong with her.”

Then one of them pointed toward me. “Look at her.”

I followed his gaze and noticed that a faint light was moving beneath the skin around my hands.

I pulled my sleeves down instinctively. “I don’t know what this is.”

Serelle took a step backward. “It’s disgusting.”

The word struck me harder than I expected.

Riven stared at me for several seconds before his expression hardened. “We don’t know what that thing is capable of.”

“I’m still me,” I whispered.

He did not respond.

The house had changed after the collapse. The lights were gone, the windows were broken, and there were cracks running through the walls, while the food and water we had stored were suddenly more valuable than anything money could buy.

Someone checked the remaining supplies and shook his head. “We don’t have enough for everyone.”

I looked at Riven, I already knew what he was thinking. I just did not want to believe it.

He turned toward the others. “We can’t keep everyone here.”

My heart sank. “What does that mean?”

Riven looked at me. “You have to leave.”

For a moment, I thought I had misunderstood him. “What?”

“You heard me.”

I slowly stood up, ignoring the weakness in my legs. “Riven, where am I supposed to go?”

He remained silent.

I moved toward him, tears already gathering in my eyes. “You know what is outside. The roads are destroyed, the buildings are collapsing, and we don’t even know what happened to the city. I have nowhere to go.”

His expression did not change.m“That isn’t my problem anymore.”

I stared at him.

After everything that had happened between us, I had still hoped there was some part of him that remembered the years we had spent together.

Apparently, I had been wrong.

“Please,” I whispered. “I won’t take much. You don’t have to give me anything. Just let me stay here until we know what is happening.”

Riven shook his head. “We don’t have enough supplies.”

“I can help.”

“You can’t.”

“I can cook. I can clean. I can… ”

“You are not my wife anymore.”

The words silenced me.

I looked at him for several seconds, unable to stop the tears from falling. “You really want me to leave?”

“Yes.”

I turned toward Serelle, hoping that perhaps she would say something.

She only looked away, nobody  stopped Riven when he ordered the others to take me outside.

I begged until my voice became weak, but nobody listened.

Eventually, the door opened, cold  air rushed inside.

I stood there for a moment, staring at the ruined street outside while tears blurred my vision.

Then someone pushed me forward.

I stumbled onto the street.

The door closed behind me.

I stood there alone.

For several seconds, I could not move.

Then I wiped my face and forced myself to walk.

I had no idea where I was going.

The city I knew was gone.

Cars had been abandoned in the middle of the roads, buildings had collapsed onto the streets, and deep cracks had torn through the ground. Broken glass covered the pavement, while smoke rose from several places in the distance.

I walked until my legs began to ache.

I did not know how long I had been outside when I finally saw an unfinished building standing at the end of a damaged road.

It was not safe, but it was better than remaining outside.

I stepped inside carefully.

The building was dark and quiet, with piles of broken materials scattered across the floor.

I was about to find somewhere to sit when I heard a weak sound coming from deeper inside.

I stopped.

Someone was there.

I followed the sound cautiously and found a man lying on the floor.

He was covered in blood.

His clothes were torn, and there was a deep wound across his side, while his face had become pale from blood loss.

I froze.

He slowly opened his eyes. “Help me.”

His voice was low and strained, I stared at him.

I should have walked away, I had already lost everything, and I did not know who this man was or whether helping him would put me in danger.

I turned around.

“Wait.”

I stopped.

His breathing was becoming weaker. “Don’t leave.”

I looked back at him. “You need a doctor.”

“There are no doctors.”

His eyes moved toward me.

“Use it.”

I frowned. “Use what?”

“The power.”

I stared at him.

He looked directly at my hands. “You have something inside you.”

My heart began beating faster. How did he know?

I looked down at my hands.

The strange warmth was still there. “I don’t know how.”

“Try.”

His voice remained calm despite the blood covering his body.

I hesitated before closing my eyes.

The strange screen appeared again.

[Target detected.]

[Severe internal injury.]

[Unknown poison detected.]

[Recommended action: Purification.]

I stared at the words in disbelief.

Then another message appeared.

[Use healing ability?]

I swallowed. “Yes.”

The moment I accepted, warmth rushed through my hands.

I placed them over his wound.

The man immediately tensed, but he did not pull away.

A faint light spread from my palms into his body, and slowly, the blood around his wound began to disappear.

I could feel something being pulled from inside him.

The System continued displaying information before my eyes, showing me the poison spreading through his body and the way my ability was removing it little by little.

I concentrated harder.

The man’s breathing gradually became steadier, the  color slowly returned to his face.

When the System finally displayed another message, I almost could not believe it.

[Poison removed.]

I pulled my hands away.

The man opened his eyes.

He looked at me for a long moment before slowly sitting up. “You healed me.”

I stared at my hands. “I didn’t know I could do that.”

He said nothing.

After a moment, he pushed himself to his feet.

His movements were still slow, but he was no longer close to death. “Thank you.”

I looked at him. “You can go now.”

I blinked. “Go where?”

He looked at me.

I lowered my eyes. “I don’t have anywhere to go.”

For the first time, something changed in his expression.

It was not pity, It was simply surprise. “You have no home?”

I shook my head, I did not want to explain that my husband had thrown me outside.

I did not want to tell a stranger that the people I had spent years calling my family had watched me beg and still chose to abandon me.

I had already cried enough for one night.

The man studied me for a moment before looking toward the entrance.n“Come with me.”

I raised my head. “What?”

“I have a place.” His voice remained calm. “It is safer than this.”

I hesitated, he  did not try to persuade me, he  simply waited.

After a moment, he added, “You saved my life.”

I looked at him. “Consider the shelter payment.”

I stared at him for a moment before slowly nodding. “Okay.”

He turned and began walking toward the exit.

I followed him.

For the first time since Riven threw me out, I was walking beside someone who did not know my past, did not know how much weight I had gained, did not know that I had once been a wife and a mother, and did not care about any of those things.

He only knew that I had saved his life and  somehow, that was enough for him to give me somewhere to survive.