Apocalypse: Building And Hoarding My Way Through.
Chapter 162: You’ve Been Reborn, Garvin.

Chapter 162: You’ve Been Reborn, Garvin.

He chuckled, shaking his head. "So... what now?"

Ding!

{Death.}

The system’s voice echoed in Scarlett’s mind, making her eyes widen in shock.

{You and Garvin now share not only life and death but also powers. And not just your powers alone, his abilities have been multiplied by a factor of one hundred. To activate the power within him, he must first undergo death.}

Scarlett inhaled sharply. True. I also had to die before my own awakening, she mused, exhaling a heavy sigh. Slowly, she turned to face Garvin, her gaze meeting his curious, yet slightly concerned eyes.

"What’s wrong, Scarlett?" Garvin asked, his voice low. A shadow of worry crossed his face, as though he feared she regretted her decision to be with him. "Did I... do something wrong?"

Scarlett’s lips parted, her voice firm. "Death."

Garvin blinked in confusion. "What?"

Scarlett’s expression remained unreadable as she repeated, "Death."

She barely had time to explain before....

BOOM!

A deafening explosion shattered the air. The sheer force of it sent Scarlett stumbling backward, her arms instinctively rising to shield her face. A thick cloud of smoke engulfed the room, making her cough violently.

When the smoke finally cleared, Scarlett’s breath hitched. Her heart pounded against her ribs, a sickening wave of dread crashing over her.

Garvin lay motionless on the floor.

His body sprawled in a pool of blood.

His head...

It was across the room.

Detached.

Blown apart.

Scarlett’s knees buckled, her hands flying to her mouth to suppress the scream clawing at her throat. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, disbelief twisting her insides like a vice.

No... No, no, no!

She staggered forward, her trembling hands hovering over his lifeless form, too afraid to touch him, too afraid to confirm the horrifying reality.

"Garvin!" she finally choked out, her voice raw with grief. "No! This can’t be happening!"

Her mind raced, spiraling into chaos. Then, as if yanked back to reality, she heard the system’s words again.

{To activate his powers, he must first undergo death.}

A bitter laugh bubbled in her throat, twisted with rage and sorrow. "So this is what you meant?!" she spat, her fingers clenching into fists. "This kind of death? He didn’t even know! I didn’t even get the chance to tell him!"

{Host, you have undergone terrible deaths before. You should know by now that system-ordained deaths are never merciful. I do apologize for not giving you enough time to explain, but in the end, would it have changed anything? You can explain everything to him when he wakes up instead of wasting time beforehand.}

Scarlett’s jaw tightened. She forced herself to steady her breathing, though the sight of Garvin’s mutilated body threatened to break her composure.

"When?" she asked hoarsely.

Ding!

{In five minutes. The time freeze will end then, unless you choose to extend it.}

Scarlett shook her head. "No. There’s no point in delaying it. Once Garvin wakes up, the plan must move forward. The organization leaders need to be here for everything to fall into place. With the abilities I’ve already acquired, and now that Garvin is my mate..." She took a deep breath. "The end of this apocalyptic world is coming."

{Your replica isn’t affected by the time freeze, by the way. It’s necessary for communication.}

Scarlett arched a brow. "Oh? I never realized that. So, I can talk to her?"

{Yes, Host.}

She exhaled another sigh. "No need for a conversation right now. Just relay this message, tell her to be ready."

{Affirmative.}

Scarlett sat motionless in the growing pool of Garvin’s blood, her arms cradling his cold, lifeless body. She dared not glance at his severed head again. Even knowing he would return, the sight of him like this, torn apart, helpless made her chest ache with a pain she hadn’t anticipated.

He’s going to wake up. He will wake up.

But that didn’t stop the tears from welling in her eyes.

Her fingers absentmindedly traced Garvin’s arm, her mind flashing through the times he had been in danger before. How many close calls had he survived? How many times had she feared losing him?

Now, seeing him like this, she realized something terrifying, she might never recover if something truly happened to him.

Then again, if he died for real, she would die too.

There would be no time to mourn.

A golden light suddenly radiated from her palms, slowly engulfing Garvin’s shattered form. The glow intensified, pulsing like a miniature sun, flooding the room with an ethereal brilliance.

Scarlett blinked. This fast? It hadn’t even been five minutes yet.

He’s already coming back.

And then, in an instant, the light vanished.

Scarlett’s eyes widened as she watched Garvin’s body begin to stir. Just then, in a sight both miraculous and unsettling, the head that had been lying on the other side of the room suddenly lifted and attached itself back onto his neck. A strange, crackling energy pulsed through the air as his body fully reassembled.

His chest heaved.

His fingers twitched.

Then, his eyes flickered open, and he gasped deeply, as though taking his very first breath.

The blood that had soaked the floor only moments ago began to recede as if time itself were rewinding, vanishing without a trace. Within seconds, it was as if nothing had happened at all.

Scarlett’s heart pounded, relief surging through her. Without hesitation, she reached for Garvin, helping him sit up. He blinked in confusion, his gaze darting around as he tried to make sense of his surroundings.

And then, unable to hold back the emotions crashing over her, Scarlett threw herself into his arms. Her soft, warm body pressed against his chest, and she wept tears of joy and anguish spilling freely.

Ding!

{Congratulations, Host. Powers have been successfully bound. You and your mate are now stronger together. Would you like to know all your abilities and uncover the secrets of these powers along with other hidden truths of the apocalypse?}

Garvin, still dazed, inhaled sharply. "What... what just happened?" he stammered, his voice hoarse.

Scarlett slowly pulled away from his embrace, her tear-streaked face glowing with both joy and sorrow. She cupped his face gently, her thumb brushing against his cheek.

"You died," she whispered, her voice trembling. "But the system brought you back."

Garvin’s eyes widened in shock. "D-Died?!" He searched her gaze for any sign that this was some cruel joke, but all he saw was truth.

Scarlett nodded solemnly.

He looked down at his hands, turning them over, flexing his fingers. A strange sensation coursed through his veins, unlike anything he had ever felt before. "I feel... different," he murmured, a mixture of awe and apprehension in his tone.

Scarlett smiled, nodding. "You are different," she confirmed. "You’ve been reborn, Garvin. Reborn with new powers. Remember when I told you that non-chosen members could become chosen ones by getting intimate with a chosen?"

Garvin slowly nodded, his mind still struggling to catch up.

Scarlett’s gaze softened as she continued. "That’s exactly what happened. And you already know why Kato wanted me here, he wanted to claim my powers. But I couldn’t allow that."

Her hand found his, squeezing it tightly. "Instead, I chose you."

Garvin’s breath hitched slightly as he stared at her, something unreadable flickering in his expression.

Scarlett’s voice grew gentler. "And the most important thing? We were always meant to be together, Garvin. Everyone in this apocalypse has a fated mate. And you... you’re mine."

Garvin’s golden eyes burned into hers with a new kind of intensity, one that sent a shiver down Scarlett’s spine. "I am?" His voice was low, husky, almost reverent.

Scarlett’s lips curled into a soft, knowing smile. "Yes. And now that we’re bound, I can’t wait to uncover the secrets of this apocalypse with you, to figure out how we can finally end it."

She exhaled a steady breath before adding, "But first, we have work to do. We need to take down the organization leaders at the wedding. Only then can we begin unlocking the deeper truths about this world."

Garvin, who had been absorbing her words in silence, suddenly let out a heavy sigh. Without another word, he stood up and walked across the room, retrieving Scarlett’s clothes. He returned to her and, with gentle hands, began dressing her, fastening each button and smoothing out the fabric as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Scarlett watched him quietly, her heart swelling at the tenderness in his actions.

After ensuring she was dressed, Garvin pulled on his own clothes, slipping on his pants to cover his still-prominent arousal. But despite the intensity of everything that had just happened, his expression remained unreadable.

And then, unexpectedly, he settled back down on the floor beside her, running a hand through his hair.

"What wedding are you still talking about?" he muttered, exhaling another deep sigh. "Aren’t you already here?"

Scarlett blinked, momentarily caught off guard by his tone. Instead of the excitement or curiosity she had expected, there was something else in his voice, something heavy.

Sadness and despair.