Chap 99: Held Her Breath

Tee let the words sink in. A wide, fluffy cloud drifted over the sun, casting dimness across the open field. The Commander’s remark about getting her Xeno-victim crests to wear made her mind go blank. She couldn’t even picture herself wearing something like that.

“I will,” she said calmly. “Right after I make sure you stop breathing—permanently.”

The Commander inhaled sharply through his nose, his chest rising. His eyes flicked over the hologram screen.

“Your Absolute Vision requires no activation, so no improvement is needed there. And your foreseeing ability isn’t that impressive, I must say.” He dismissed the screen and rested both hands at his sides. “Since you’re thousands of miles from your teammates, how about you focus on recreating that blast of dark energy?”

Tee gasped. How did he know about that? Her jaw tightened as she thought of the elders. They’d probably lied about not being able to see what happened during their surveillance of the Harbinger missions.

But what was the point of mastering such an ability if she’d have to hide it from everyone? A dark mana blast—just explaining why it looked the way it did would make her teammates realize she was a Xeno-victim.

No. She wasn’t a Xeno-victim.

She reached into the Commander’s jacket pocket, pulled out a summoning glove, and slipped it over her hand. “I have a better idea,” she said. “I’ll build up my endurance for pain so I don’t fall into deep sleep.”

She summoned a sword and sliced off her right arm. The Commander’s eyes twitched, following her as she dropped to her knees among the yellow dandelions. She held her head low but didn’t make a sound.

“Very well. I’ll be back in three hours to see your progress.” The Commander stepped through the flowers toward the vortex without looking back.

“I really think there’s something behind these walls,” Saeda said, her palms facing outward. “I’m picking up strong auras of energy coming from several spots around us.”

Kie’s expression didn’t flicker. Eyes closed, he held his sword before him with both hands. “Why does your second sense decide to start working when I’m trying to concentrate?” He didn’t want to hear another word until energy finally flared from his blade.

Saeda stopped turning and froze, eyes widening as one of the massive tiles that made up the white walls slid down. A large pistol behind it began to glow red at the tip, and she ducked.

The tingle on Kie’s back made him whirl around. He swung his sword—deflecting the laser beam as it ricocheted off the walls. They both had to dodge the bouncing light until it finally fizzled out.

Then, one by one, all the tiles dropped, revealing rows of hidden weapons. Kie and Saeda stood back-to-back, swords raised.

Kie arched a brow. “Strong aura, huh?”

Tee had managed to stay conscious in the field for three hours, enduring the pain of her missing limb. It wasn’t so bad while she stayed crouched, but the moment she tried to stand, everything tilted—and went black.

When she opened her eyes, she was in an empty infirmary. Her arm had regrown. Kie wasn’t there that time. Only one question filled her mind. How long had she stayed awake? The Commander was the only one who could answer that, so she let it go.

She returned to her room and got dressed. The sound of voices up the stairs told her the others had finished training. None of them seemed badly injured—no one else had ended up in the infirmary. She was relieved they wouldn’t find out about her arm.

But why wasn’t Kie there waiting for her?

A strange feeling stirred in her chest but she pushed it aside.

Seeing Saeda in the kitchen made Tee freeze the moment she stepped inside. Saeda didn’t notice her—she was facing Zod, deep in conversation.

“Didn't I tell you to slap me when I start talking too much?” Zod asked with a grin.

Saeda’s face was the sternest it had ever been. “I’m not doing that. Why would I hurt you?”

Tee wandered to the cupboards to grab snacks. She planned to get lost somewhere on Primus until dinner. Maybe she should try slicing a leg off?

“But I’m giving you permission to hurt me.” Zod turned to Tee. “Hey, Tee, come over here for a second.”

Tee approached, mouth full and one hand buried in a chip bag. “What do you want, rag-muffin?”

“I need you to be our witness that I gave Saeda permission to hurt me.”

Saeda rolled her eyes and sighed. He wasn’t going to drop that.

Tee shoved more chips in her mouth. “Sure, I’ll be your witness.” She looked Saeda dead in the eye. “Whenever Zod goes missing and there’s blood splattered everywhere, I won’t ask you to explain anything.”

Both Zod and Saeda gaped.

Zod’s jaw tightened. “Saeda would never—”

Saeda headed out of the kitchen. “Zod, you can cut the beans alone, right? I think Snickers needs me.”

Zod kept rambling, and Tee listened with interest.

“Saeda’s too nice, isn’t she? She doesn’t like any form of hitting. Not even an innocent pat on the shoulder… To her it always seems like you’re trying to hurt someone. It’s like when her parents fought—her real mom, that is… It’s because her real mom’s a drug addict—” Zod slammed his mouth shut.

Tee swallowed the last of her chips and blurted, “What?”

Zod glanced at her. “Wait, you never heard that?”

Tee stood up. “Yes, I did.” She jabbed a finger at him. “You said Saeda’s mom is a drug addict.”

Zod craned his neck toward the kitchen entrance. When Saeda didn’t storm back in, he dropped to his knees. “Please, Tee, don’t tell anyone—especially not Saeda.” He lifted his face to the ceiling, his eyes went watery. “She’ll never speak to me again!”

That reminded Tee she needed to find Kie. He might cough up something juicy she could use on him. Zod had already outdone himself.

“Sure, I won’t tell,” she said, adding ‘for now’ in her head. She planned to use it later. She’d get him on his knees and make him bow.

She shoved chips into her mouth to choke back an evil laugh and darted out of the kitchen with two bags. Left behind, Zod stood up and reached for a metal pan, about to bang it on his head.

Tee found Kie in the hallway past the stairs, both hands buried in his pockets. His hair was still damp—he’d clearly taken a long shower. That explained why he hadn’t been waiting for her in the infirmary.

He smiled when he saw her. “Just who I was looking for—”

Tee grabbed his arm with her free hand. “Why are you moving like an old man? We have a date, and I know the perfect spot!”

“A date?”

“Tsk, some date this is going to be.” Kie kept one hand over his bangs as the wind tousled his freshly washed hair. “Don’t you come out here every day? I should ask the Commander to teleport us somewhere in District One-Twenty. That’s where all the best date spots are.”

Tee bent under a few low branches to keep them from tangling in her hair. “Sure, go ahead.” She reached her cozy spot by the roots of a large tree. Once she sat down, she placed the chips beside her and patted her skirt. “Here, you can lay on my lap.”

Kie didn’t argue. A second later, he was lying on the ground with his head resting on her lap. The wind helped dry his hair while he watched Tee open the chip bag and tuck a few loose strands behind her ear.

“I thought it’d be nice if we just stayed out here and had a romantic talk. Get to know each other better.” She held up a chip above his mouth.

Without looking, Kie opened his mouth, and she dropped it in. He crossed one leg over the other, hands folded on his stomach. “Are you sure you’ve never been in a relationship before? You’re a natural sweetheart.”

Tee covered her mouth to hide a laugh. “I’m sure of it.” Her tone softened as she gazed out at the wide, windy field. “The guy I told you about—my first love—we met when we were really young. Ten, I think.” Her large, pale eyes shifted back to Kie, who hadn’t looked away once.

She went on to tell him how it was that boy’s fault she’d never been in a relationship. He used to show her affection and taught her what romance was just by being kind. On rainy days, he’d kneel to wipe the mud from her shoes, then stand and lean closer under her umbrella—just enough for her to kiss him on the cheek.

Kie raised a brow when a warm smile spread across her face. “A kiss on the cheek? And you liked that?”

Tee blinked slowly, biting her lip at the memory. “It always melted my heart.”

“Have you ever gotten a real kiss? One on the lips?” he asked.

Tee grimaced. “I’d say yes, but it was from a guy who just wanted to get laid.” Her thoughts drifted briefly to Jack back in the human world. That Jack was different from the one who had mutated recently. It was fair to call them two different people. “It didn’t feel real, if you know what I mean.”

Kie exhaled sharply and turned to face the field. “You’re right. You’ve never been in a real relationship. It’s such a shame I can’t give you one, with your dumb rules.” He sighed. “I could show you what a real kiss feels like.”

Tee fed him another chip. She wasn’t going to ask if he’d ever had one. He’d probably say too many to count. That was Kie—always vague, always teasing. When she remembered his story about spending nine years in the Mid-Guard, she thought of switching the topic, but not yet. It had to feel natural.

“It wasn’t just that guy wanting to get laid,” she said. “I knew him from way back, but by the time we were old enough for… that, he’d changed. He got cold.”

“Cold?”

“Yeah. Whenever I told him I loved him, he’d just say—” she deepened her voice—“‘don’t say that.’ Then he’d leave. He never let me get close.” Her frown deepened, and her voice cracked. “When I left for Primus Mid-Guard, the hug he gave me was the first one in years.”

Kie swallowed and watched her turn her head away to wipe her eyes. “Sounds like you still care about him.”

Tee lifted the chip bag and dumped the crumbs into her mouth, tasting every bit of salt Jack had ever given her, almost choking. She patted her chest and said, “I do. Remember I told you he took my heart with him? But he’s dead—he died from lupoids.”

“That’s probably why he got cold. He wanted it to be easy for you to move on. He did me a favor.” Kie moved his hands to gently wipe the tear from her right lash. “But I won’t die on you.”

Jack hadn’t died from lupoids—he had mutated into a Xenosapian—but Tee let the thought slide and played it sweet.

“I know you won’t,” she said softly. She reached for the other chip bag and pulled it open. “So, tell me—who’s that girl in the Mid-Guard who had your heart? Since you spent nine years there, you must have had one.”

He rested his hand on his tummy. “I didn’t see the point. Any girl I liked was either too old or would graduate before me, so I wouldn’t see them again.”

Tee dropped her shoulders. Why hadn’t she realized that? Nine years in the Mid-Guard meant he must have started at ten. But how was that even possible?

“Oh,” she murmured.

“Anyway, I used to watch Xeno-victim executions at my Mid-Guard.”

Her heart skipped a beat, and she stared down at him.

Kie turned back to the field. “I’m kidding.”

Tee exhaled in relief.

“...Maybe,” he added, grinning with squinted eyes.

Tee’s brows knitted—he was definitely playing with her.

“Did you ever interact with Xenoids at your MG?” she asked.

She brushed his hair back gently, planning to keep at it until he got sleepy, hoping he’d drop his witty act and give her some answers.

But the more she played with his hair, the livelier he became. Nothing he said revealed why he’d spent so many years in the Mid-Guard, or who his parents were. With each word, her smile shrank until she pursed her lips, resisting the urge to shove the entire bag of chips into his mouth.

Kie remembered Tee had once given that underground district kid a glove to kill himself—she was clearly a Xenogenist. That was his chance to earn her favor.

He began explaining how people deliberately sabotaged Xenoids at his Mid-Guard. Tripping them with feet, locking them in bathroom cubicles, stealing their voice-coms and returning them in pieces.

His smile widened as he described one act of cruelty for a Xeno-victim’s birthday. Troopers had given a large box, wrapped it, and placed it outside the Xenoid’s dorm. Everyone watched as the box passed through the corridor. When the Xenoid opened it, it was filled with rocks from the training grounds and the remaining parts of their missing voice-com.

Tee watched Kie laugh, and her mind went somewhere dark. Why did his stories remind her of the things she did to the MG dogs at her Academy? What she did was justice. But what had those poor Xeno-victims done to anyone?

When their chips were gone, she regretted not bringing drinks. She needed something to wash away the bitterness in her mouth. Kie said everything except the things she needed to hear. He talked about how, once he had enough power and eliminated the Harbingers, he would begin his mission to become a god.

First, he would kill every single Xenosapian, including the massive ones hiding in the sewers where districts fed criminals to them. Their strategy to keep the monsters underground was sickening, and their bombs had killed countless innocents. His plan wouldn’t cause collateral damage—he would hunt and confront them directly. With Tee at his side, it would take only a few years, maybe even one.

Tee stared at the fields, unable to picture herself doing that, even though her imagination had seen stranger things. His words, however, didn’t rattle her because she was not a Xeno-victim.

He continued. After defeating the monsters and winning the hearts of everyone on Geovalon, phase two would begin. He would push for the execution of every Xeno-victim, no matter their age.

Then he would implement mandatory hospital operations. Parents would receive their newborns only after six months—longer than the usual three-month window when curse marks appeared. Any child withheld was likely a Xeno-victim, and would be terminated.

He spoke with visible passion, veins standing out on his neck with every mention of Xeno-victims and Xenosapians.

Then he laughed. “I’m joking.” Seeing her serious face, he asked, “Did you actually believe the whole ‘get rid of Xeno-victims’ plan?”

Tee didn’t see it as a joke. His prior “jokes” about female Sentinels hadn’t turned out to be jokes either.

She wondered why he hated Xeno-victims so much. Did one of them kill his parents? She couldn’t ask—asking would imply agreement, and only a Xeno-victim would defend them. She wasn’t one.

“That’s a good plan,” she said. “Those Xeno-victims are the one thing wrong with this world. They need to go, mutated or not.”

Kie’s expression shifted. Damn. He wasn’t sure if she’d just triggered something in him. She actually was a Xenogenist—but that didn’t matter. Everyone had the right to feel as they wanted. After all, they did mutate into monsters.

She brushed the bangs over his forehead. “Did you get all your scars in the Mid-Guard? What were you doing there? Don’t tell me you fought Xenosapians every day—that’s not a trooper’s right.”

He smiled and traced her jaw from her right ear to her chin. Tee hid a shiver, shrugging her shoulder and tilting her face toward his hand.

“It’s a secret. You have rules, so I get to keep some things from you.”

Tee pretended not to be disappointed and started brushing his bangs. “That’s too bad. At least your scars are fading. Your handsomeness is coming out.”

Something caught her eye behind the black strands over his forehead. A large scar near his hairline, still visible, not yet blending into his skin.

It had to be deep, like a chop from an axe. She imagined him chasing some poor Xeno-victim who had swung an axe to save themselves.

She parted his bangs to see the scar—but before she could, his grip on her hand tightened in an instant. She held her breath.