Chapter 1319 Twin Sisters

In the apocalypse, one might have assumed that the surviving humans would naturally band together.

There was safety in numbers, after all.

Perhaps they had during the earliest days, but the moment the differences between survivors became more distinct, the inherent darkness in the human heart emerged in many.

The estate Timi lived in was no exception.

There were ordinary survivors, and then there were the powerful.

Timi belonged to the latter group.

It was why a sixteen-year-old could be addressed as Lord without anyone finding it particularly strange.

It hadn't always been this way.

Before awakening, Timi had merely been one of the stronger and more ruthless survivors around.

"I wonder what that bastard wants from me."

Timi continued walking, his expression darkening slightly.

"It seems I really need to get out of here soon."

It wasn't that Timi was afraid of the settlement's leader.

The old man was a powerful Esper, but Timi was confident he could defeat him.

His own strength had simply grown too quickly.

However, to avoid drawing attention to himself and, by extension, his sisters, Timi had deliberately hidden most of his strength, but even the little he revealed had been enough to establish him as one of the estate's most powerful survivors.

It was also why the leader had repeatedly tried to win him over, but Timi avoided every attempt.

Had the old man genuinely focused on strengthening the settlement and improving the lives of its survivors, Timi wouldn't have minded cooperating as long as there were benefits for him.

Unfortunately, power had gotten to the man's head.

He increasingly behaved like an emperor ruling his own little kingdom.

And he wasn't unique.

Nearby settlements were similarly controlled by powerful Espers, known Awakeners, the so-called Chosen Ones, or simply those with enough weapons and manpower.

Even remnants of the military weren't entirely exempt. The survivors under them generally lived somewhat better than those in other settlements, but authority had still become increasingly local, and every leader simply exercised that power differently.

Timi shook his head.

Whatever the old bastard wanted, he could deal with it later.

He had been patient and careful for far too long to let something like this ruin the opportunity that had finally appeared before him.

Timi continued through the estate until he reached one of the apartment buildings.

A few minutes later, he stood before the door to his apartment.

It was eerily quiet.

Timi's expression didn't change as he unlocked the door with a key.

"Why is the handle slightly loose? Was it always like this?"

As the door closed behind him, his black eyes briefly shifted toward the building across from his.

He had felt someone's gaze on him shortly before entering.

Timi didn't stop or look back.

The apartment was almost completely dark.

With the curtains drawn and most sources of electricity within the estate reserved for more important uses, barely any light penetrated the interior.

Timi reached into his storage space and pulled out a flashlight.

Click.

A beam of white light illuminated the room.

Dozens of snakes immediately came into view.

They were everywhere.

Several were coiled across the floor. Others rested beneath furniture, while a few had wrapped themselves around chair legs and other objects.

They weren't ordinary snakes either.

Most were between one and two meters long, with unusually thick bodies covered in dark gray scales. Thin yellow markings ran along their backs, while their heads were broader than those of the species they had once descended from.

Several raised their heads when the light swept over them.

Timi showed no surprise.

He instead walked toward one of the large coolers positioned not far from the entrance and opened it.

Then he began collecting the snakes.

One by one, Timi picked them up and dropped them into the cooler.

Some remained strangely docile in his hands.

Others were less cooperative.

One twisted around and sank its fangs directly into his wrist.

Timi didn't even pause, ignoring the broken bits of teeth on the floor.

He pulled it free and placed it into the cooler before reaching for another.

These snakes were mutated copperheads, a venomous species native to this part of Earth long before the apocalypse.

Unlike the monsters that emerged from cracks or the creatures that fell from the sky, they weren't invaders. Their ancestors had always lived in the forests around Georgia. The changes brought by the apocalypse had simply transformed them into something far more dangerous.

Their bodies had grown larger and tougher, their venom considerably more potent, and even their intelligence had improved slightly.

Through a series of events, Devour had granted Timi both a Trait that made him effectively immune to the mutated copperheads' venom and another that gave him limited control over snakes.

[Poison Immunity]

[Description: Your body possesses an extremely high resistance to poisons and toxins. Most poisons below a certain potency will be completely neutralized upon entering your body, while stronger poisons will have their effects greatly reduced.]

[Serpent Affinity]

[Description: You possess an unusual natural affinity with serpentine creatures. Snakes are less likely to perceive you as a threat and can be influenced through intent to follow simple commands.]

[Note: This Trait does not grant absolute control. Creatures with sufficient intelligence, strength, or resistance may ignore or oppose your influence.]

The control wasn't absolute.

The bite marks on his wrist made that obvious.

But it was enough.

Rather than leave his sisters completely unprotected whenever he went outside or entered the Origin Battlefield, Timi had turned the mutated copperheads into another layer of security alongside his previous methods.

Anyone entering the apartment without permission would discover very quickly why that was useful.

Soon, the final snake disappeared into the last cooler.

Timi closed the lid and finally turned his attention deeper into the apartment.

He walked past the living room and down the short hallway until he reached what appeared to be an ordinary storage closet.

After moving several things aside, Timi crouched and pulled up a section of reinforced flooring.

A narrow staircase descended into darkness.

Timi descended.

He had barely opened the heavy door at the bottom when two gun barrels immediately pointed at his face.

Instead of being startled, Timi smiled.

"Amara. Nia."

Neither weapon lowered.

Two pairs of eyes continued watching him cautiously from the darkness.

Timi's smile became helpless.

Even his voice and face weren't enough.

He couldn't exactly complain.

He was the one who had taught them never to trust appearances alone.

"Blue pancakes taste better on Tuesdays."

There was a brief silence.

Then both guns immediately lowered.

"Brother!"

The change was instantaneous.

Two small figures rushed toward him.

Timi barely had enough time to straighten before both girls crashed into him.

His smile widened as he wrapped his arms around the twins, both barely over ten years old.

The resemblance between them was obvious. Both had light brown skin, large dark eyes, and thick curly hair that fell around their shoulders. Their features were soft and delicate, though more than a year of surviving the apocalypse had left a maturity in their expressions that children their age shouldn't have possessed.

In fact, many in the apocalypse looked older than their actual age.

Unlike Timi, who had inherited the darker complexion of their father's side of the family, the twins' mixed heritage showed much more strongly in their lighter skin and features.

Even at their age, they were beautiful children.

It wasn't difficult to imagine that both would grow into striking young women someday.

Timi's arms tightened around them slightly.

He hoped he would live long enough to see that day.

More importantly, he intended to make sure they did.

Timi loosened his arms around them slightly.

"How have you two been?"

"Fine."

"Did anything happen while I was gone?"

Both girls shook their heads.

Timi continued asking questions as he led them farther into the underground room. Had they eaten? Did either of them feel sick? He asked so many that the girls were beginning to get a headache.

Fortunately, their answers gradually eased his worries, and he stopped bothering them.

Timi reached into his storage space.

A moment later, several fruits appeared in his hands.

Some resembled fruits found on Earth, while others were considerably stranger. One was a fist-sized purple fruit covered in faint silver lines, while another looked almost like a pear except for its pale blue skin.

The twins' eyes immediately brightened.

Timi smiled and handed them over.

"Eat."

The two didn't need convincing.

Fresh fruit wasn't impossible to find on Earth, but it had become far more valuable than it once was.

For Timi, however, these weren't particularly precious.

He had gotten them from the Origin Battlefield, and there were plenty more inside his storage space.

Compared to Earth, both the Origin Battlefield and the Land of Origin were practically swimming in resources.

At least, that was how it appeared from Timi's perspective.

*

Thank you for reading today's chapters! Please vote to support!