I had a gut feeling. Was it intuition? Or was I just being paranoid?

I know what I saw, and when the city turned dark... I felt my spine tingle. 

We locked ourselves in a large room. There was no way I was spreading everyone out with how paranoid I was. So along with the survivors, my group got comfortable with plenty of sleeping bags. 

I checked out my Archive.

---

{Archive}

[Attributes]

[Abilities]

[Traits]

[Ectoplasm]

---

I focused on my attributes. With 80 Ectoplasm at my disposal, I was primed for an upgrade. 

First, I decided to raise everything to at least 20.

---

{(x4) [Ectoplasm] distributed into Strength.}

{(x5) [Ectoplasm] distributed into Intelligence.}

{Strength increased from 16 to 20.}

{Intelligence increased from 15 to 20.}

---

With those alerts, I felt my muscles bulge with power. 

I also felt my mind become... clearer, faster. It was like there was less inhibiting my thoughts, as if a veil had been lifted up a bit. I could focus more, pushing my brain to think about an increasing number of thoughts without getting as overwhelmed. 

Although I didn't sense any change to the way I thought, I knew that this would help me greatly. And with my increased Agility, I could react to things much quicker, making better decisions on the fly. 

Then, I thought about what else I wanted to increase. 

---

{(x9) [Ectoplasm] distributed into Vitality.}

{Vitality increased from 37 to 40.}

{(x16) [Ectoplasm] distributed into Agility.}

{Agility increased from 22 to 30.}

---

With the increase in vitality, I felt warmth spread through my body. The wound in my shoulder also tingled, as if receiving a burst of healing. 

Even the increase in Agility had its effects. I felt like my vision had gotten sharper, my senses strengthening. My muscles twitched, as if anticipating the slightest call to move. 

I knew at that moment. I had gotten so much faster. I could feel as if I could dodge a bullet with how fast my muscles were willing to move. 

Even waving my arm around showed just how fast I'd gotten. Casually throwing a punch made the wind whip. Along with my strength, even my kicks were devastating. 

And with my heightened senses, I could react much faster. 

This all left me with 46 more Ectoplasm. As for how to distribute it...

---

{(x40) [Ectoplasm] distributed into Vitality.}

{Vitality has increased from 40 to 50.}

---

Another burst of heat graced my body, filling me with vigor. Although I hadn't increased my strength, I felt powerful. 

For a while, my body burned. The wound on my shoulder tingled even more. 

Not only that, my organs felt like they were being refined. They toughened, as did my bones and skin. My entire body felt like it could take a serious beating. 

And I felt fantastic. My sinuses were clear as day, there was no discomfort throughout any part of my body. I had never actually felt this good in my entire life. There was always something that made you uncomfortable. A tweaked neck, a bad knee, a sore back. 

But now? Besides my shoulder wound, there was nothing wrong with me. And even that was rapidly getting better, taking advantage of the burst of healing energy coursing through my body. 

If only I didn't need to get rid of all the waste that came with refining my body...

I ran out of the room. Elijah noticed and followed, thinking something was wrong. But when I ran into the restroom, he stopped and shook his head a bit before returning. 

I was in there for several minutes, and when I emerged, I quickly distanced myself from the nuke I dropped in there. 

Now, I truly felt fantastic. 

I found a nearby table since I wasn't feeling tired and started stripping my upper body. I removed my holster, setting it in front of me. I then unwrapped the sling that Kait put my left arm in. 

I looked at the exposed wound. It still looked horribly nasty, but it had actually healed over. The scab peeled off with the wrap, leaving behind... a healthy layer of golden skin. I was confused that it healed the same gold color as the scars on my arm. 

Disregarding it, I started moving my shoulder. I babied it a bit, still timid from the pain prior. But when I raised my arm and moved in around, the pain I felt was only dull. 

I could tell that it hadn't healed properly. The muscles I severed hadn't been reattached, and no amount of magical Vitality could fix that. 

So it had healed, but only where it could. The chest muscles I cut could only be partially used, reducing my strength a bit. But other than that, my shoulder was almost entirely functional. I would just have to account for the slightly reduced force I could exert. 

I waved both my arms around, and the dull pain from the wound faded with time. It felt more like a sore muscle. 

I wouldn't have to sling my arm. I could properly fight now. 

I sighed and leaned forward on the table, throwing my shirt back on. I had increased my vitality not only because I thought that more health was always good, but because I wanted to try and heal my wound with it. 

My Archive appeared at my call. 

---

{Archive}

[Attributes]

[Abilities]

[Traits]

[Ectoplasm]

---

"Very nice."

I smiled brightly while throwing my holster back on. Then, I suddenly remembered something else. 

---

[Skeleton Sentry]

Ability: A minion of bone who will faithfully carry out any of your basic orders. This minion sustains itself with the bones of its enemies. It can be summoned and unsummoned at any time. Should the Skeleton be destroyed, 7 days are required to reform it.

[Inherent Skills]

Remarks: Doubles as a durable xylophone (applicable instrument skill required).

---

Compared to before, my skeleton minion had grown a lot. The changes weren't too noticeable on the outside, but after sucking out the bones of so many zombies, it had gotten much stronger. 

I felt kind of stupid since I hadn't realized this before, but now, I was making my skeleton absorb as many bones as possible. It could actually raise its stats and abilities with those bones. So not only did killing zombies give me Ectoplasm, but it was all food for my minion. 

For a while, I sat around while gazing at my stats. I had noticed a while ago, but raising my Vitality so much made it so I needed less sleep. Even when I only had 37 Vitality, a few hours would get me fully rested. I had only slept for longer since it was so comfortable. 

"If only I could figure out how to raise my Power..." I sighed.

I pulled my attention from the Archive. My eyes drifted around, scanning the dark store in front of me. Since light had all but gone out and there was no light pollution, the night was truly pitch black. No streetlamps, no active buildings. 

It made everything a bit more eery. 

It felt... like something was watching me in that darkness. 

A fleeting feeling that I would usually ignore, but... 

I slowly reached for my holster, my hand grasping the revolver's handle. 

It was then that my ears perked up. 

Tapping, maybe clicking. Like someone was trying to imitate a clock, but was painfully out of pace. 

It was aggressive, yet reserved. It was watching, eagerly waiting for its prey to offer itself, patient enough to find an opportunity. 

It was intelligence that I hoped would never come to these enemies of humanity. 

But... then I saw the eyes. A bit of the moon's light, reflected by big round pupils. It reminded me of a cat. 

It was also the only exposure this enemy had unintentionally revealed. 

My hand ripped the revolver out of its holster, raising it and pointing it at the enemy. I called upon my inhuman Agility and the fullest concentration of my enhanced mind. 

The two barely visible iron sights lined up. I placed the tip of the front sight right where those eyes had appeared before retreating into darkness. 

I only hoped I was fast enough. 

*BANG*

In the dark, quiet night, it was a shock to the entire body. The explosion that, for a moment, brought light to the dark store. 

I barely heard its scream through my ringing ears. I really needed to find earplugs. 

"SCREE!"

I could hear it scramble, but if it could scream, it wasn't dead. 

I shot out of my seat and toward the shadowy figure that had begun to retreat. It had fast movements, but I obviously injured it as it couldn't conjure its normal coordination. 

A shelf was knocked over, and I pointed at the figure that contrasted the silver shelves. 

*BANG*

Another shot, another whimper. The entity scrambled desperately, but one thing had become certain. 

It wasn't a zombie. 

I thanked the heavens, yet was still vigilant. 

From what I could make out, this entity was some kind of feline, with a slim but enlarged figure and sharp claws that could leave deep streaks on the aluminum shelves it crashed into. Along with those eyes I'd seen, I knew it had to be something similar to a cat. It was just oo big for me to consider it a mere housecat though.

I rushed toward it, even as it tried to scramble outside. It was limping obviously, making a beeline for an inconspicuous broken window.

 With my strength and speed, plus my heightened senses from raising my Vitality, I was able to beat it. Just as it tried to slip through a hole in the window, I grabbed its back leg, yanking and throwing it back into the store. 

The feline slammed into a few more shelves, knocking them all over and sending items flying. I jumped back on it. 

Unfortunately, it was still dark. When I jumped back at it, the feline lunged toward me, claws brandished. 

I was barely able to react, crudely pulling back from my charge. Still, those long claws graced my leg, tearing straight through my clothes and slicing open my skin. 

With my adrenaline pumping and the shock of receiving a quick wound, I didn't even feel the pain. Instead, I pushed forward. 

Time to use that Vitality!

I grabbed one of the limbs of the feline, receiving another swipe of the claws to my chest. 

With my atrocious strength, I pinned the limb down and tried to flip. It managed to scratch me again while doing so, creating three long slices down my right arm, but after that I successfully restrained it. 

Using my knee to pin its back to the floor with all my weight and arms to force down its front paws, I found myself stuck in a stalemate. I couldn't use my gun to shoot it, and if I let go even slightly, it would try and slip out. 

Luckily, I had caused enough of a disturbance to garner help. Elijah, Kevin, Kait, and that teenage boy all came running out. 

They had all grabbed flashlights from the store, so now they put them to use. I was hit with four beams of light, and my little wrestling match with this feline was put on display. 

"It's a cat! Help me pin it down!"

"Got it!" Kevin responded to my call, dropping to the floor and pinning its arms down in place of me. 

With that, I sat up and freed my hands. I pointed my revolver at its spine as it struggled under our restraint. 

With the light, I was able to make out that this feline really wasn't a cat. It was a bobcat. It had grayish brown fur with black streaks across its body, a bobbed tail, and large pointed ears. But it had some differences from a normal bobcat, specifically the abnormally long claws that were dyed gray like steel. 

It was naturally also large. I didn't know how big bobcats usually were, but this bobcat was easily the size of a medium sized dog. 

It began hissing at us, but over time its struggle gradually faded. 

Calming down, I looked around, specifically outside. 

"Kait, guard the door in case any zombies get ideas."

"Alright." She nodded and ran off. I had caused a lot of noise, so there was no doubt that zombies would be attracted to us. 

Kevin looked up as well, getting comfortable while pinning down the cat. "Should we kill it? It's not a zombie, obviously."

"...I wouldn't want to." I looked down at the bobcat, seeing its heavy breath that struggled under Kevin's weight. I felt bad. 

I was a cat person, after all. Although this wasn't a normal housecat, it was still kind of adorable. 

Unfortunately, this animal was hostile. I had shot it twice and pinned it down, so it obviously didn't like me. And it wasn't like I was going to cage it and take it back to the store. 

There were two options. Let it go and risk it coming back to hurt us, or kill it here. 

I steeled my heart. This bobcat was dangerous. Cats in general were amazing hunters, and I didn't intend on risking this thing's revenge. 

With this cat's appearance, I now knew that animals could evolve too, just like zombies and humans. If this cat had gotten the jump on me instead of the other way around, I could've been in deep trouble. Those claws were too sharp, and without being able to see well, I couldn't reliably hit my shots. 

With a sigh, I pushed the barrel of my gun into the cat's back. It jerked around more, achieving nothing but turning its head enough to let me see its eyes. 

I pulled the hammer back. "I'm sorry, cat. I don't wanna kill you, but I can't have you run away and cause me trouble later. You wouldn't perhaps want to become my pet after I shot you twice, would you?"

I looked into its eyes. It was a redundant question. I was only asking for myself. 

But then, the bobcat opened its mouth. 

"Meow!"

It looked at me, almost pleadingly. I couldn't help but think... it was acknowledging my words. 

Could bobcats understand humans? It had barely been a week since the apocalypse. But if animals had the same opportunities under the Archive... It wasn't insane to think that this animal was smarter than normal. And animals could understand human intent to some extent anyway, especially house cats and dogs. 

I tilted my head, easing up on the gun. "You wanna become my pet?"

"Meow..."

It let out another cute sound that threatened to melt my heart. Now, I really knew it was acknowledging me. 

I thought for a second before standing. "...Kevin, let it go."

"Are you sure?" He looked at me hesitantly. When I nodded, he shrugged and got up. 

The bobcat rapidly adjusted itself, but it didn't run. Kevin had moved around, and now, we three were surrounding it. There was no way it was escaping, especially with how injured it was. 

It was lucky that it had a larger than normal body, because now there was a hole in its gut that was spilling blood. As for my second shot, I guessed that it actually hadn't hit since I couldn't see another wound. I suppose my aim had faltered in the dark. 

I gazed at the bobcat, which glanced between Kevin and I. 

Still, I was at a crossroads. "It's not like I can make you be my pet, and you'll probably run away the second I take my eyes off you..."

"Meow..."

Suddenly, the bobcat put its paw out, petting the ground in front of it. I was confused, but approached and bent down in front of it. 

It raised its paw, looking at me with intent. I hesitantly put out my hand as well, wondering what it wanted to do. 

"I swear if you swipe at me..."

*Ding!*

When it touched my hand, an alert appeared in my mind. 

---

{Destiny's Contract}

The fate of the non-sapient is to be ruled and triumphed over by the sapient. But Destiny is not absolutely unfair, for Bonds can be made out of mutual desire and value, surpassing even barriers of wisdom. 

You have been offered a contract, the opportunity to forge a Bond of Fates. 

The one who has offered the contract has established your dominance. Under a Dominant contract, your desires supersede the Subservient's. In a conflict of interest, you cannot be defied.

The Subservient is to do everything in their power to ensure the life of their superior. Should the superior die, the Subservient can be irreversibly debilitated, unless otherwise dictated by the superior.

The Fate of the Subservient shall be tied to your own.

Would you like to accept this Contract?

---

"What the..."

I was baffled for a moment. 

To think this was a thing. Was this something given to animals during the apocalypse? Could they all forge bonds between them and humans?

It was taking domestication to a whole other level. 

On one hand, this was a rather serious offer. On the other, what better way to make sure this bobcat didn't come back to bite me? 

I lifted my head and explained to the others what it was. 

Hearing about yet another supernatural occurrence, Kevin was interested and switched spots with me. The bobcat didn't seem to mind it as it offered him the same thing. 

Kevin looked at me. 

"Hey, Jack."

"Hm?"

"If you don't mind, I could form the bond. I kind of like large animals anyway, and I doubt you want another thing to take care of."

"Oh..."

I was a bit surprised. I didn't realize that Kevin was interested in such a thing. 

And since he wanted to make the bond...

"Sure, as long as you think it's worth it."

I gave him the okay, even though I was a bit pained in my heart. I also wanted a cat, even if it were a bobcat...

He smiled.

"I think it'll be fine. This thing can help me anyway since I'll be an archer."

With that, Kevin formed the bond. The bobcat's hand began to glow atop of his, and Kevin's eyes brightened. 

"Oh, I have to name it... I think Duke is a good name. I've always wanted to name a pet that."

Kevin was happy as he gave it a name. And for a bobcat that had voluminous fur and what seemed like a mustache around its chin, Duke was a fitting name. 

With that, the light died down as their contract was established.