The first sound came like a breath—sharp, distant, unnatural.
Lu Zhen paused mid-scan, looking through the reinforced front window of the RV. The horizon shimmered. Not with heat. But with fractures.
The sky cracked silently above the ruins, like black glass webbing outward. Shards of starlight hung crooked in the clouds. Thin streaks of violet flickered where the atmosphere tore ever so slightly.
"They called it Fracture Twilight," Yue said softly from the rear seat. "I heard the name once—before everything went silent."
He nodded. "Like pressure behind the eyes. Like something is… wrong with the air."
She sealed the window shutters, one by one. "Once the light starts twisting, you don't go outside."
[Fracture Twilight Initiated – Surface Exposure Dangerous]Estimated Duration: 9 HoursWarning: All mobility systems offline recommended after onset
Inside the RV, the Phoenix Rig's systems continued pulsing weakly. Power routed through restored junctions. Lu pulled open a new blueprint entry.
[New Blueprint Unlocked – Compact Sleep Bunk (Tier 1)]Function: Minimal rest module for mobile basesCrafting Requirement: Synth Paneling, Foam Strips, Reinforced Anchor
Lu crouched by the back wall and began clearing space.
"I'll get us a bed," he muttered.
"You're crafting one now?" Yue asked.
"Better than sleeping on floor plates. And this system needs to feel… real."
She watched quietly as he worked.
[Crafting Initiated – Compact Sleep Bunk]Time: 4m 30sMental Load: ModerateMaterials: Polymer Mesh, Foam Strips, Bolted HingesStatus: Interior Sync Enabled
Metal plates folded into a soft cot frame. The foam was thin, but layered with thermoplastic. It would do.
[Crafting Complete – Compact Sleep Bunk]Crafting EXP: +20Current EXP: 108 / 300
He sat back, breathing deeply.
"That should help us sleep in shifts. Even in this mess."
She nodded, then flicked a switch beside the relay.
The cabin lit up dimly—blue-white LEDs embedded into the RV's ceiling buzzed to life. They cast soft halos across the panels.
It felt… like shelter.
[Phoenix Rig – Interior Lighting Online]System Status: 34% Functional
They sat across from each other now. No immediate threat. Just cold air, faint lights, and the sound of fractured reality groaning outside.
Yue leaned her head back against the wall. "You're strange, Lu."
"How so?"
"You're not like the others I met out there. Most survivors fight to survive. But you… you're always building."
He smiled faintly. "It's the only thing that makes sense to me now."
She watched him for a moment, then asked quietly, "What are you most afraid of?"
Lu paused.
He stared at the low ceiling. At the soft hum of power cycling through systems that shouldn't even work anymore.
"I'm not afraid of dying," he said at last. "Not really. I'm afraid of building something—something that could matter—and failing before it's done."
He looked down at his hands.
"I don't want to survive just to survive. I want to leave behind something that… holds."
Silence followed.
Then Yue reached into her pocket and tossed him a ration bar.
"Then stay alive long enough to finish it."
He caught it midair, smiling slightly. "Fair enough."
Outside, a low cracking echo swept over the RV like a wave. They both froze for a second—but no impact came.
Just the whispering pulse of a world that had split too many times.
Yue rose. "I'll take first shift."
"You sure?"
"You earned some sleep."
Lu nodded and lay back on the bunk he had just crafted. It creaked, but held.
As his eyes closed, he saw one last HUD notification blink in the corner.
[Mobile Base – Night Protocol Engaged]Core Relay HoldingVault SyncedInterior Stable
For now.
—