Chap 98: Special-needs Student

After training, Kie hurriedly got dressed and headed out. Once the excitement of unlocking his Ultramana power from the last Harbinger mission faded, Tee’s words over the telecom came back to him—

“I love you.”

She’d said it only to trigger a warning, but to him, it still felt like a step in the right direction.

He found her alone at the garden gazebo. Standing at a distance, he focused hard to connect to her mind.

“What are the odds I’d find you out here alone?”

Tee gripped the concrete railing the moment she felt that intrusive touch in her mind. When she turned and met his beautiful red eyes, her anger almost faded.

“I forgot to reply to your message, but I love you too,” he said, resting one hand on the railing.

Tee blinked at him, her heart not even skipping a beat.

Seeing her death stare reminded him she’d told him never to use mind-linking on her without permission. That was twice he’d crossed the line. He stepped back, uneasy.

When she let out a frustrated sigh and turned back to the railing, he spoke again.

“I forgot you said not without your permission. Sorry.” When she didn’t reply, he kept talking. “I’m going to master it like you did with your foreseeing ability. Problem is, I need a partner—I can’t practice with just myself.”

Tee’s cold voice cut through the air. “I’m not interested in being your practice buddy.”

He chuckled. “Do I need to remind you that you owe me for letting you see Jack?”

Tee wished he hadn’t. Knowing Jack mutated was no favor. Her jaw tightened, and the muscle in her cheek twitched with rage.

“You’re not still upset about being captured by the Harbingers, are you?” he asked.

Tee squeezed the railing too hard. A chunk of concrete broke off and fell, but she pretended not to notice. “What?” she said flatly, eyes fixed on the Primus grounds. “I couldn’t care less about that.”

“I’m just teasing,” Kie said, turning to look out at the garden. He moved closer. “I know being alone doesn’t always mean something’s wrong—I do it too. Helps clear my head. Tell you what, I’ll stay here and stare at nothing with you.”

“I’m not interested in being your girlfriend,” she sighed.

What a way to ruin the moment. Couldn’t she just let him talk before shutting him down?

“Girlfriend? You’re misunderstanding.” Kie stepped closer, speaking softly to her turned back. “I’m not looking for a girlfriend—I’m looking for a goddess.”

“Why do you need one so badly?” she asked. “Wouldn’t it be better to rule alone and keep all the praise and power to yourself?”

Kie exhaled, his breath brushing the loose strands of her white hair behind her ear. “I’ve been alone for too long. Someone strong enough to balance the world shouldn’t have to be alone. Darling, your heart didn’t die with the guy you told me about. I can give you everything he couldn’t—and more.”

“Why me?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “My heart just has a liking for you. Like our souls are tied by an invisible string called destiny. Plus, we’re alike—you’re fiery, a fighter. I like that.”

He plucked a white flower from the vines above her and gently tucked it behind her ear. “So, what do you say?” he whispered. “Ready to give us a try?”

When he rested his hand on her shoulder, she hummed thoughtfully. How someone could spend nine years in a Mid-Guard had to come with some shady secrets. But a crazy idea crossed her mind—she needed to get close before he spilled them. Who didn’t love deep, dark gossip?

“Fine,” she said. “I’ll do it.”

Kie’s eyes widened before he quickly cleared his throat.

“But under three conditions,” Tee continued, raising her fingers to count them off. “One, I need my space.”

Kie dropped his hand from her shoulder and stepped back.

“Two, no sex.”

He slipped his hand into his pocket. “Did I mention I’m ninety percent asexual?”

“And three,” she said, raising her last finger, “no kissing.”

“What?” He laughed. “I should call you my therapist since all we do is talk. Wait, do you mean not on the lips? Because you did give me a smooch that night, didn’t you?”

Tee turned to face him, and somehow he was closer than she expected, making her blink.

“Fine,” she said. “Since you brought me iced coffee, you’re allowed a smooch. Based on the performance of this relationship, I’ll remove or add restrictions. Do we have an agreement?”

Tee never intended to remove any restrictions. That relationship would be over within a week—maybe less, if she got enough ammo from him before then.

Kie leaned closer and kissed her on the right side of her lips. With their faces a lash’s length apart, he said, “I agree…” His eyes dropped to her lips. “For now.”

He turned away from her to leave the gazebo, and she realized how tight her chest felt. She took a deep breath to ease the tension and kept at his side, though her mind was elsewhere.

Even with her restrictions, he’d gotten too close. Why did she allow the smooching? Damn, she was so dumb! She hit a hand against her forehead.

When Kie glanced her way, she bit her lips and said, “There was a bloodsucker on my forehead.” Then she began darting her eyes around, pretending to search for something.

Kie smiled. He hoped she wouldn’t mind him teasing her while they were together. To pass the time while the others made dinner, they sat with their feet in the pool.

“Since Miko bought us all sim suits at the Mart, we could go swimming,” he said. “Can you swim?”

She shuffled closer until their shoulders touched. Staring at the water rippling around her feet, she said, “Why don’t we talk about something else? That mind-linking ability of yours—you never said how you first sparked it. And what did you mean by it being intimate?”

Kie sighed and leaned back on his arms. “You, the elders, and one other person are the only four people I’ve ever mind-linked with.”

She turned to him. “Wow, I feel special. Who’s the other person, apart from me and the elders?”

“Let’s not talk,” he said and rose to his feet. He held out a hand, and she took it.

He led her to a lounge chair and laid back, patting the spot beside him. She sat down, and when he put his arm around her and pulled her closer, warm, unwanted feelings rose in her chest. Jack never did that to her.

Kie shut his eyes as the gentle wind blew his bangs. “Let’s just relax until dinner’s ready.”

They did exactly that. Tee knew not to push too hard. She’d take it slow until he was ready to talk.

At dinner, they sat beside each other. It wasn’t unusual enough to make the others turn their heads so no one commented. Not long after, a hologram screen appeared, summoning Kie to the Commander’s office for a briefing on their last Harbinger mission. Tee ended up washing the dishes shortly after. She always rushed through it, which made Miko, Zod, and Saeda inspect the dishes afterward.

Tee didn’t bother waiting for Kie and went to her room. She remembered the note from Jack. It reminded her she would die soon. Who would’ve thought she’d be living without him? She’d always believed she’d die of heartbreak after his death. But there she was.

There were still so many things she wanted to experience in life. She wondered what she could get from Kie before she died. He was only looking for someone to play with, acting all innocent. But she could play that game too. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

The next day, Tee and her teammates gathered in the training room for their usual warm-up. The small teleporter at the side was locked to a single destination—the bottom of the mountain. It had no controls. The Commander had installed it ever since he started skipping warm-ups to come in later.

Miko made two trips up and down the mountain. The others reached the top within ten minutes, where they found the vortex that brought them back to the training room. They completed their rounds on treadmills, lifting weights, slicing through columns, and all the other drills that wrapped up their warm-up in fifty minutes.

They lined up near the doorway. The Commander was already there, his steady green eyes scanning them up and down.

“Morning, cadets.”

“Morning, Commander,” they replied in unison.

His voice grew louder—he wanted his words drilled into their minds.

“I’ll remind you that eliminating the Harbingers is your top priority. Since you failed to take out another member of their group during your recent mission, it was a failure.”

Tee’s heartbeat thudded in her ears. She focused on the Commander’s whistle to avoid his gaze.

“Cadets, follow me. I’m not giving the universe a chance to interrupt your specialized training.”

He led the way toward the tall doors, his voice continuing as they followed in a line.

“From now on, you five will be separated based on the abilities you need to refine. Hopefully, then, you’ll show improvement in grasping your Sentinel powers—because what I’ve seen so far convinces me I’ve been wasting my time for the past three months. But don’t think this means you’re free from other missions. Those will continue.”

Aside from the soft footfalls of Primus workers passing by, the Commander’s voice was the only sound. He had a way of commanding silence without even asking for it.

“Your training will adjust to accommodate any new ability you awaken. What I’ve planned for each of you today is based on intel from your team leader and the elders. But feel free to clarify anything you think is inaccurate.”

Inside the elevator, the Commander opened a hologram tab to review stats as he spoke. “Miko Tenant, you have one-step teleportation and can channel your energy to create blasts from your swords.”

Miko was still processing the fact that the Commander had actually called her by name. To confirm his statement, he teleported them to an outdoor track ring with high walls surrounding it.

“Miko, you’ll be spending the rest of your training here.” He handed her a pair of summoning gloves. “Also, stay alert—and whatever you do, don’t stop running.”

Miko didn’t like that her only friends wouldn’t be training with her anymore. She frowned as they left through a vortex, but those thoughts quickly faded when she was forced to summon two swords.

The devices surrounding the high walls weren’t cameras—they were weapon blasters. But why had the Commander told her not to stop running? She gulped when she noticed faint lines on the track. It reminded her of trap doors that famous models once fell through during runway accidents. Accidents that left them paralyzed for life.

“Kie Reuben and Saeda Marzuka,” the Commander continued. “You both also displayed the ability to channel energy along your swords, with no other ability to improve upon.”

Saeda rubbed the back of her neck. “Actually, I have three abilities. My aura sensing and visions happen sparingly since I can’t control them.”

The Commander’s green pupils shifted to the side, then back to the screen. “Noted.”

Kie didn’t mention his mind-linking ability—for reasons. But if he ever had to practice it, he already knew who he’d ask to be his partner. Tee.

The door the Commander stopped at opened to a grand white room. He stepped aside for his two pupils to enter.

“For today, you’ll both be spending your time here. The room has been set to ninety percent focus mode. Your task is to channel your energy into your swords.” He handed them each a pair of summoning gloves.

“Ninety percent focus? What will they be doing in the other ten percent?” Zod asked.

Zod’s question instantly erased any thought Kie had of blowing Tee a kiss. The door slid shut behind him and Saeda before he could hear the Commander’s answer.

“Cadet,” the Commander said, “it’s like my mother always told me—sometimes the best focus comes between periods of immense stress. Now, for you, Zod Nakaski—”

“It’s Nakaski, with a short eee sound, not an I,” Zod corrected.

His loud gulp echoed in the silence that followed.

Tee looked away to hide her grin. Why did Zod even try that? She knew the Commander would keep calling them “cadet” after that. He didn’t need their names. It was his way of belittling them.

“It says here you can open the flow of energy within your body,” the Commander said, “but you can’t yet dispel it to create a blast at will.”

Zod dropped his shoulders. “That’s correct. All I get are tiny sparks of light.” He glanced at Tee. “But I think intense fear—like seeing someone I care about get hurt—might trigger something.”

“I’ll note that and adjust your next session accordingly,” the Commander replied. “But for now…” He stepped through a vortex, and they followed him to the mountain peak. “You’ll be spending your time out here.”

He raised a hand to block the rising sun from his eyes. “There’s nothing but you and the birds—and maybe a few corpses after a thousand-foot drop—so be careful not to fall. But there’s nothing important out here for miles, so you can blast away at the air.”

The Commander patted Zod’s shoulder, and Zod stumbled forward, almost tripping. “You need to work on your balance too.”

“Wait, I’m spending my entire training out here alone?” Zod asked, turning from the breathtaking view. “What if I get hungry?”

The Commander pointed toward a shaded corner where a few wrapped sandwiches and a box of orange juice sat. “Any more questions?”

Zod slumped. “No, Commander.”

When Tee found herself standing in a vast open field of yellow flowers, she looked up at the bright blue sky. “Is this the part where you leave and blast a massive laser weapon you’ve got orbiting the planet down at me to end me?”

The Commander clasped one hand behind his back. “Such an active imagination—but no.” He opened a hologram screen glowing from the watch around his wrist. “Now, my special-needs student, just so you know, I have several Xeno-victim crests ready whenever you feel like wearing them.”