Chapter 1

I was the Chief Architect of the Ark’s daughter, the sole Key Holder.

The scorching apocalypse descended. Surface temperatures soared past 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Full of hope, I went to activate the Ark, only to be betrayed by my fiancé, Xander, and my stepsister, Scarlett.

They stole my iris data, destroyed my fingerprints, and shoved me into the surface inferno, leaving me to be roasted alive.

Inside the Ark, they celebrated their new beginning, believing I was nothing but ash.

But they didn't know I survived.

When I returned, blazing with vengeance, the Ark's energy was close to depletion. They knelt before me.

My ex-fiancé, eyes red-rimmed, howled, "Aurora, I know I messed up! Please, save us just one more time!"

I just smiled.

"My kindness burned away the day you threw me out."

"Warning! Iris verification failed!"

"Warning! Permissions mismatched, identification error!"

I stood before the Ark's alloy door, my hands and feet icy cold.

Impossible. I was Aurora. My dad was Dr. Sterling, the Chief Architect. I was the only Key.

Behind me, over a hundred people began whispering. Someone impatiently stomped their foot.

"What's going on? Aurora, can you even do it?"

"Hurry up! It’s already 142 degrees Fahrenheit out here! We’ll all die if you keep dragging your feet!"

The crowd’s clamor grew louder.

I stared at the authenticator and pressed my eye closer again.

The red beam scanned my pupil a third time. The result was still the piercing warning sound.

"Warning! Three consecutive errors, security system locked!"

My heart skipped a beat.

A hand landed on my shoulder, firm, pushing me aside.

It was my stepsister, Scarlett.

She wore a pristine white dress, mockingly spotless in this apocalyptic landscape, like a cruel joke.

"Sister, don't rush." Her voice was soft, but her eyes glittered with triumph. "Let me try."

Try? What right did she have to try?

Before I could react, Xander yanked me away from behind.

His strength was frightening.

"Aurora, stop making a scene. Let Scarlett handle it."

I looked at him. Three days ago, he’d sworn to protect me for life. Now, he looked at me like I was trash.

Scarlett didn't even glance my way, walking directly to the authenticator.

"Beep—"

A soft chime.

"Iris verification successful. Welcome, highest authority holder, Ms. Scarlett."

A green light flared.

That alloy door, which had been locked to me, opened for *her*.

Cheers erupted behind me.

"It opened! The door opened!"

"Scarlett is the savior!"

"Aurora is a liar! She almost got us all killed!"

My mind went blank. I couldn't move.

Everyone stared at Scarlett, as if she were a god. And I, I became the liar who almost killed everyone.

"Grab her! Don't let her cause trouble inside!"

Someone yelled, and the crowd surged toward me.

Xander stood in front of the crowd, but not to protect me. He just watched me coldly, his brows furrowed.

Scarlett ran over, gripping Xander’s arm, tears instantly streaming down her face: "Xander, don't blame Aurora. She might... just want to prove herself too much. Dad always favored me since we were kids, Aurora probably feels hurt..."

At her words, the crowd’s glare at me intensified.

"It was jealousy all along!"

"This vicious woman deserves to die out there!"

Xander's face was ashen. He stared intensely at me, speaking each word with cold precision: "Aurora, for the Ark's safety, your access must be revoked."

He grabbed my hand, slamming my fingers onto the access revocation device by the door.

"Sizzle—"

Excruciating pain and the smell of burning flesh hit me simultaneously. I screamed.

My fingerprints were utterly incinerated.

"Throw her out!" Xander tossed me towards the door like I was garbage.

A blast of 144-degree heat slammed into me. My skin instantly stung, like it had been doused with boiling water.

The alloy gate slowly closed before me.

Through the gap, I saw Scarlett inside, giving me a triumphant, malicious smile.

I saw Xander, coldly turning his back, embracing her as they walked toward the Ark's internal light.

I saw my father, Dr. Sterling, standing at the very back of the crowd. He looked at me, his gaze complex, but in the end, he chose silence.

In that moment, I understood.

This wasn't an accident. This was a premeditated betrayal, meticulously orchestrated against me.

In agony and despair, I slowly lost consciousness.

Before I fully succumbed, I used my last ounce of strength to shriek at that cold door:

"You'll regret this… When you do, the heatwave will consume everything here!"

I thought I would die.

Die on the 144-degree surface, roasted into a shriveled, curled-up corpse.

But when I opened my eyes again, I saw a dim, cracked rock ceiling.

The air was thick with the smell of earth mixed with bitter herbs.

"Awake? You're a tough kid."

A raspy voice drifted to me.

I struggled to turn my head and saw a white-haired old woman, her face lined like a dried riverbed.

Seeing me look, she grinned, revealing a few yellowed teeth: "Drink some water. It's salted, precious stuff."

Warm, salty water flowed down my parched throat like nectar.

Excruciating pain radiated from all over my body. I wiggled my fingers, only to find myself wrapped in ragged strips of cloth, oozing dark, greasy paste.

"Don't move around too much; you don't have a single good patch of skin left." The old woman gently pressed me down. "No idea what rich lady you are, with your delicate skin, to be burnt like this."

From a corner, a man's rough voice grumbled: "Rich lady? Looks like another unlucky soul thrown out of the Ark."

A thin old man, a blade of grass hanging from his mouth, was sharpening a rusted knife.

"Old man, shut your trap!" The old woman glared at him. "Doesn't matter where she's from, she's a life. We couldn't just leave her."

The old man snorted and said nothing more.

The Ark...

The word pierced my heart like a knife.

My nails dug into my palms, the searing pain from my burnt skin flaring anew.

The old woman looked at me, sighing: "Kid, where's your family? Are you all alone?"

Family?

My father, my fiancé, the people I once held dearest, had personally pushed me into hell.

Tears welled up, and I choked out a lie: "My... my family, they were all eaten by mutated beasts... I'm the only one left..."

The old woman's eyes instantly filled with pity. She patted my back: "Poor child. In this world, human life is cheaper than dirt. It's okay. From now on, this is your home."

"One more mouth to feed, one less for us," the old man muttered from the corner again.

"Old Man Reed! You shut your mouth!" The old woman grabbed a broom and threw it at him. "One more word, and you won't get any dinner tonight!"

The old man dodged nimbly and left the crude underground shelter.

The old woman turned back to me, her expression soft again: "Don't mind that old fool, he's all bark and no bite. Kid, what's your name?"

"I'm... Aurora." I omitted my surname.

From the moment I was thrown out of the Ark, Aurora Sterling was dead.

Only Aurora, the survivor, remained.