Chapter 7 Disaster Comes Early
Finished
Kiara didn’t head straight home. Instead, she wandered into a nearby shopping district, thinking that with tens of millions still sitting in her account, she might as well exchange some of it for gold bars to stash away.
This was an upscale area, so she figured the jewelry stores here would have a decent stock.
The moment she stepped inside, something–almost like fate–pulled her attention away from the gold counter.
She had meant to ask for bullion, but her gaze snagged on a crystal displayed in a glass case.
Maybe it was a knack she’d inherited from her grandmother, but even without touching it. Kiara could tell that this disc- shaped crystal was the real deal.
She walked over and motioned for the sales associate to let her see it.
The store manager, a sharp–eyed man, took one look at her designer clothes and knew she wasn’t just browsing. Slipping on white gloves, he lifted the crystal out with exaggerated care. “Miss, you’ve got a good taste,” he said smoothly. This crystal is one of our signature treasures-
She barely listened to his sales pitch.
Under the bright lights, she examined its color and texture, then pressed it lightly to the back of her hand.
She was right. The smooth, cool warmth told her everything she needed to know.
A good piece. The price tag read 15 million.
Kiara pulled out her bank card. Tll take it
The store manager had prepared a long speech; now he froze mid–sentence.
He was worried she might change her mind; he hurried off to run the card. He was about to ask if she wanted it gift–wrapped, only to watch her slip the pendant onto a necklace and fasten it around her neck.
She tucked it under her T–shirt. From the outside, all you could see was her necklace.
Alright, then. This was clearly a rich girl who did whatever she pleased.
The manager tried offering her some complimentary gifts, but she declined. Instead, she had him swap it for five million’s worth of gold bars–he even gave her a small discount.
Once the bars were ready, Kiara quietly stowed them away in her hidden storage space and walked out empty–handed.
The moment she stepped inside her condominium, she caught faint rustling from across the hall.
Peering through the peephole, she spotted Travis leaning against the wall, smoking and talking to someone.
The veins bulging on his neck and the way his eyes kept darting to her door left no doubt–he was up to something again. Kiara gave a low, humorless chuckle, Fine. Let him try,
She touched the crystal hanging at her neck, then decided it was too conspicuous for the chaotic days ahead. She tucked it into her storage space,
A sudden ripple of warmth spread from her chest, like a trickle of spring water flowing straight into her heart. It felt so good she almost moaned aloud.
Stunned, an idea struck her, impossible yet irresistible.
Her storage space came from the pendant her grandmother gave her–a piece brimming with spiritual energy. But every time she stayed inside for too long, she’d grow dizzy and even get nosebleeds. Could that have been because she didn’t have enough spiritual energy to sustain herself there?
To test her theory, she slipped inside the space.
Kiara slipped into her storage space an
out of habit, checked the time. 9:27 p… Briross time.
10AMP P.
Chapter 7 Disaster Comes Early
Finished
Standing around doing nothing seemed pointless, so she started counting the minutes while making her way to the wooden lodge to sort through her supplies.
Before, she’d been so focused on cramming things inside that she hadn’t spared a thought for organization. Now, with the chance to take stock, she realized just how much there was to do
Time passed without her noticing–until an itch flared in her nose. A moment later, a drop of bright red splattered onto the back of her hand. A nosebleed.
She dared not pusli her luck any further. In a blink, she stepped back out of the space.
Her gaze darted to the clock.
10:31 p.m.
Before, she couldn’t last five minutes inside without feeling lightheaded. This time, she’d been in there for over an hour before her body reacted.
That meant her hunch was right.
The crystal’s energy really had bought her more time in the space.
Her heart thudded hard against her ribs.
She’d always thought that in a world falling apart, being able to survive was more than enough. But now!
Now she realized that if she could stockpile enough crystals, she might be able to live in her space indefinitely.
As for how to get them, she hadn’t thought that far ahead.
But with the apocalypse coming fast, chaos would make it all too easy; she doesn’t need to spend a dime.
Since her rebirth, every night had been spent forcing herself to sleep through a haze of unease. This was the first time she drifted off completely at peace–so much so that she didn’t hear the deafening boom that split the night.
When she woke up, she saw the flood of news alerts, and the color drained from her face.
“BREAKING: Once–in–a–Millennium Volcano Eruption in Joplor–All Communications Lost!
“At 3:05 am., Crimsonedge Mountain erupted, sending an ash column 2.5 miles into the sky, breaking the world record.” Her fingers tightened around the phone. A cold squeeze gripped her heart.
She read every word of the report, her skin crawling as goosebumps raced up her arms, a clammy sweat soaking her back.
T–today
ay was… June 29.
She remembered it clearly. In her previous life, the Joplor volcano hadn’t erupted until the night of July 3.
But this time, it had blown five days early.
All this time, Kiara had been confident–armed with the foresight of a second life, she believed she could face this disaster on her terms.
Yet the early eruption shattered her arrogance.
If the volcano could erupt ahead of schedule, what about the rest? Would any of it still follow the timeline she remembered? Every major app was ablaze with the news. The comment sections were flooded, a whirlwind of fear, disbelief, jokes, and desperate attempts at optimism,
The more she scrolled, the heavier her mood grew. She forced herself to drop the phone and take several deep breaths–only to realize her pajama top was plastered to her back with sweat.
She wrapped her arms around herself, feeling the trail of goosebumps prickling along her skin
“It’s fine, she told herself, She still had her storage space full of supplies and high–powered weapons,
DBAM PP.
Chapter 7 Disaster Comes Early
This time, no one could hurt her.
She forced herself to calm down.
Even if this disaster had rewritten the script, there was no need to panic.
She was ready for anything.
Finished
That stockpile in her space gave her the confidence to face whatever came next. She ignored the endless online chatter, headed into the bathroom, and took a long, hot shower.
Today had torn the first rip in the fabric of normal life. From this day on, the world would only get messier.
She couldn’t change that, and she refused to let fear of negativity sink its claws into her.
Even though she hated the thought of going out, she knew she had to keep busy.
Maybe stock up on a few more essentials.
But the moment she stepped out of her building, she knew she’d made a mistake. A harsh, ashy stench slammed into her, forcing her to cover her mouth and nose. The once–vibrant greenery of the neighborhood was now cloaked in a lifeless gray. And then she felt it–the heat. It wasn’t just hot.
The sunlight seared into her skin like a thousand tiny needles.
Wrong, This was all wrong,
She yanked out her phone and opened the weather app.
BIF
Her eyes widened. The disasters had already begun.
