4. Unexpected shelter

For now, Daniel hadn't pushed his ability to enhance his body. He didn't know what might happen if he did. He might lose consciousness or become completely weak. If anyone found him like that, things could end badly.

Staying here longer wouldn't help him at all.

"Now I just need to find a relatively safe place," Daniel muttered as he started jogging quickly, wasting no time.

He was lucky that no one had heard his earlier screams, but he knew luck wouldn't last forever. As Daniel kept running, he noticed the strange feeling he had when he first arrived was gone. His soul, or whatever it was, seemed to have fully settled into his new body.

"At least something's going right," he thought, remembering the cultivation novels he'd read. "Maybe this is what they mean by soul merging or something."

Jogging in a random direction, Daniel focused on the urgent need to find a safe place to rest. The Void stretched endlessly before him, with its odd twilight sky and jagged mountains showing no signs of people or shelter. His legs felt strong and responsive, showing no signs of tiredness. The body he had taken over seemed fit, like someone who worked out regularly.

"Good thing the previous guy took care of himself," he thought briefly, relieved about his condition.

Suddenly, a thought struck him: "Wait, how do I look? How old is this body?" With no mirrors or reflective surfaces in the Void's barren landscape, he had no way to check. Based on the body's physique and energy, he guessed the previous owner was likely around 23 or 24.

"Not bad. I can work with this," Daniel thought, pushing the question aside to focus on his search.

As he jogged, Daniel stayed alert, scanning his surroundings for any signs of danger or movement. The unsettling silence of the Void made him cautious; threats could appear at any moment.

"It's too quiet," he thought, tightening his guard.

The landscape kept shifting beneath him, changing from patches of grass to cracked earth, with broken statues and multiple shattered vehicles scattered everywhere.

"What happened here?" he wondered, glancing at the ruins.

The emptiness was constant, reminding him that he needed to find shelter soon. Daniel maintained a steady pace, balancing urgency with the need to save his energy. He was glad there was no concept of day and night in the Void; otherwise, things would have been much riskier.

After hours of searching, Daniel was drenched in sweat. It had been more than three hours, and each passing moment weighed heavily on him. Every structure he passed was either too exposed or too destroyed to offer any real protection, leaving him vulnerable in the open.

"If something comes now, I'm screwed," he thought grimly, pushing forward.

The thought of encountering Alioth or another dangerous entity heightened his urgency. He let out a deep breath, feeling the mental strain creep in, making his exhaustion even more real. His head throbbed from the effort of staying alert.

Occasionally, he stopped to use his ability to recover energy, then continued his search.

"Just one decent place," Daniel muttered, his hope dwindling.

Just as he was about to give in and settle for the next half-decent spot, something caught his eye—a camping van in the distance.

"Hell yeah," he thought, a surge of hope filling him. But he knew better than to rush in without checking. The Void could play tricks, and he wasn't about to walk into a trap. He picked up a stone, throwing it at the van. It made a dull thud against the side. No response. He threw another and then a third, just to be sure. Still nothing.

Cautiously, Daniel approached, his senses on high alert. The van remained eerily silent. He walked around it, peering through the windows and checking for any signs of movement. Finally convinced it was unoccupied, he opened the door and stepped inside.

As he stepped into the van, Daniel half-expected something to jump out at him. Instead, he found a surprising level of comfort. The interior was unexpectedly nice for something left abandoned in the desolate Void. Plush leather seats formed a cozy seating area near the front, a small but stylish kitchenette sat to the side, and a compact bed in the back was neatly made with soft, clean sheets. The polished wood paneling gave the van a warm, inviting atmosphere that sharply contrasted with the harsh environment outside.

He took a moment to breathe. It was a relief, almost too good to be true. But Daniel wasn't about to let his guard down. The most important thing now was to check the fuel situation. If the van had no fuel, it wouldn't matter how nice it was—it would be as useless as the shattered vehicles he'd passed earlier.

Walking toward the dashboard, he scanned the controls, heart pounding in anticipation. His hand trembled slightly as he reached for the fuel gauge. The needle wasn't on full, but it wasn't near empty either. There was enough fuel to travel for miles. Relief washed over him, easing some of the tension in his chest. At least now he had a way to move and escape if necessary.

'Good. This will buy me some time,' Daniel thought, exhaling a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He allowed himself to relax a little. It wasn't a perfect solution, but it was a step in the right direction.

With the fuel issue sorted, Daniel took another look around the van. The kitchenette was stocked with basic supplies—canned goods, bottled water, and even a portable stove. It was like someone had planned a long journey but had never returned to the van to finish it. He found a small closet near the back, which held clean clothes and a few personal items, like a half-read book and a journal.

The bed, though small, looked incredibly inviting after hours of running and searching. A soft comforter lay neatly folded at the foot, and the pillows were fluffed as though waiting for him.

Looking around, Daniel felt a strange mix of disbelief and gratitude. 'How is this even here?he wondered. 'A fully stocked, luxurious van in the middle of the Void? Am I just lucky, or is this some kind of illusion like seeing water in the desert?'

Still, he decided to make the most of the situation. After ensuring the van was locked and secure, he sat down on one of the leather seats. The soft, smooth texture felt almost foreign after the harshness of the Void. As he leaned back, staring at the ceiling, Daniel couldn't help but sigh.

'Looks like I won't be dying today, at least... no wait, I shouldn't raise any flags,' he thought and opened the journal he found in the van.

As Daniel opened the journal, he immediately noticed the name on the first page: Edward Hawthorne. It appeared to belong to a man who had kept careful notes about his travels with his wife. Flipping through the pages, Daniel found detailed entries about their road trips, marking distances covered, places visited, and people met. Each page painted a picture of a life full of adventure and companionship, making the current desolation feel even more eerie.

What caught Daniel's attention the most was the last entry, dated 2008. After that, the journal abruptly stopped. No more stories, no more trips.

This silence left Daniel with a thought: 'Had Edward and his wife been pulled into the Void, just like the van? But where were they now? Are they dead?'

A second possibility crossed his mind—perhaps only the van had been removed from their reality, while Edward and his wife remained behind, blissfully unaware. But he couldn't be sure.

One thing he did know was that the food inside the van seemed relatively fresh. If he had to guess, the van had arrived in the Void only a few hours ago. But again, time in the Void felt distorted, and he couldn't rely on that assumption alone.

Shaking off the swirling questions, Daniel decided it would be best to move the van to a less visible spot. Spotting a small forest not too far away, he planned to drive there cautiously, using as little fuel as possible. For now, it was the safest place to camp out while he figured out his next move.

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Hello guys, author here. I have some questions to ask you as they are not clearly stated in MCU.

Do you think people living in the Void require to eat or drink in order to live?

"Yes"

"No"

Also, do you believe they age?

"Yes"

"No"

I want to see what you guys think about it, and we will go with the majority to input the same base into our fanfiction! So please choose carefully.

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