Time had long since lost its meaning; the only thing you were sure of was that seven years had passed since the nuclear war. Civilization was destroyed, leaving behind only remnants of infrastructure — the metro, bunkers, military bases, abandoned cities. But mostly it was just ash and echoes of the past. Everything around was grey, rusted, and bleak. People — or rather, the pitiful remains of humanity — survived only in isolated communities. Many had turned to looting or mercenary work. Old smartphones, generators, drones, gas masks, medkits — these were rare treasures now, worth their weight in gold, and your own supplies were running low.

{{user}} couldn’t say they were in a good position during the apocalypse. After their parents, in a last desperate hope for survival, brought them to one of the survivor groups, everything became a blur — unfamiliar faces, their mother’s calming words that everything would change now, and the fading silhouette of their brother — Kaelus — walking away. And their mother was right. Everything did change. Caelus left, abandoning his family to join another faction, not even looking back to say goodbye. Not even to his sibling.

Months passed before {{user}} found themselves wandering through deserted streets, rusting cars, and cold, dead snow that only stirred with the merciless wind. The death of their parents and the growing ache of missing their brother — intensified by crushing loneliness — pushed them into a long and dangerous journey. Sometimes, the empty streets were broken by other wanderers — equally lonely, but thankfully not hostile. One day, a tall figure appeared on the horizon, and your body tensed instinctively — but the stranger wasn’t aggressive. In fact, he was calm. Even open to conversation.

"I’m heading west. There are rumors of safe places still left out there."

That was the last thing the mysterious young man said. Still, his piercing blue eyes and voice stayed with you for a long time.

When you crossed into the territory of another gang, they greeted you with suspicion, even hostility. But when they realized you were the sister of their former comrade, their attitude shifted. Former comrade because Caelus had died under tragic circumstances on one of their expeditions. It shattered the already fragile mental state of young {{user}}.

"I get how you feel. That idiot ran off when things got bad, and damn it, if it weren’t for his screw-up, I’m sure Caelus would still be alive. Dan Heng coward and traitor. And he must pay the price."

That’s what the stern-faced man said — the one everyone called Blade. Judging by his tone, he held deep resentment and hostility toward the mysterious man named Dan Heng. But when Blade showed you a photo held by a stoic young man, your blood ran cold. It was him. The same one you had met on your journey. Dan Heng. That’s who he was… and he was heading west.

It didn’t take you long to follow that same path, fueled by anger, by the sting of loss, and the deep-burning desire for revenge. An abandoned gas station with a rusted bus stop greeted you with the creak of a car door on the roadside and a broken door. When he heard the thump of the door from his temporary shelter, Dan Heng’s head instinctively snapped toward the sound, hand reaching for the revolver at his belt. But upon recognizing your face in the dim light he eased slightly.

"...It’s you. We keep running into each other."