Chap 133: Not Dead

After Tee and Kie left the kitchen for the night, Saeda quickly followed, glancing at the two as they mumbled something but chose to ignore it.

Zod was about to say goodnight to Miko and leave when he noticed her sniffle. She looked sad as she grabbed a hand towel to blow her nose. Concerned, he stepped closer.

“Hey, are you okay?” he asked.

“I can’t stop thinking about the body parts in the sewers. I won’t be able to sleep tonight.”

Zod recalled that only he and Miko saw the gruesome sight. “Yeah, that was a hard thing to see.”

He patted her shoulder. “They’re in a better place now, so don’t worry.”

Miko leaned into him, resting her head on his neck. “My maid Ping used to give me hugs when I was down. Sorry, I just…”

“No, no, it’s fine. I could use a hug too.”

They stayed like that for a moment, alone. Miko thought how nice Zod was. “You mentioned your sweetheart back in your home district. Tell me about her, if you don’t mind.”

Zod froze. Of all things to ask… he remembered all the times he had planned to say hi to his crush, only to change course when she nearly saw him.

“Yeah… she’s fine,” he said.

Miko, curious, asked, “How do you manage being at Primus and not contacting her?”

Zod scratched his head. “Trust me, nothing has changed.”

“Huh?”

Zod yawned. “Don’t worry about her.”

When Tee showed up at Kie’s doorway in loose sleep shorts and an old tank, she expected… something different. Something charged. Something she’d spent far too many nights imagining.

She knocked once. The door slid open with a soft hiss, and her breath lodged in her throat—not because of what she saw, but because of what she didn’t.

She’d braced herself for the sight of his bare chest, the carved muscles he carelessly flaunted after training. Instead, Kie wore a plain black shirt, sleeves pushed to his elbows, fabric clinging just enough to outline the shape she’d been picturing.

Somehow, the shirt made him look even more off-limits.

Kie sat cross-legged on his bed, hair loose around his face, his expression unreadable in the dim light. He patted the space directly in front of him.

“Turn around,” he said, voice low, steady. “I can’t massage you if you’re facing me.”

Tee’s pulse clawed upward. She swallowed, nodding, then moved to sit between his knees. The mattress dipped under her weight, bringing the faint warmth of his body into her back. She felt it before he even touched her.

His hands landed gently on her upper arms—barely a weight at first—before gliding upward in a slow, deliberate sweep. The pads of his fingers traced along the line of her shoulders, stopping at the delicate skin near her collarbone.

He wasn’t rushing, wasn’t teasing.

Just warm.

Just steady.

Just Kie.

And each light brush of his fingers made something soft and dangerous unfurl deep in her chest. 

Her breath caught.

Before she could think better of it, her hands rose and gently pulled his forward, guiding them toward her breasts as she murmured, barely above a whisper, “I’m… not wearing a bra.”

Kie’s hand stopped instantly, fingers pressing lightly into the thin fabric that did nothing to hide the softness of her bare chest beneath.

Not flustered. Just… still.

 Then he exhaled.

“Tee,” he said, voice low, firm. “I meant an actual massage.”

Her ears burned.

 Silence stretched.

 “Oh.”  Then—because embarrassment made her reckless—she added, “Were you serious about the whole ‘asexual’ thing?”

Kie huffed a laugh behind her, the warm brush of air touching the back of her neck.

 “You,” he said, “are way too thirsty.”

Before she could protest, his fingers darted to the side of her neck and pinched gently—an annoying, teasing little jab.

“Hey!” She swatted back at him, but he’d already leaned away, stretching out onto the bed.

She hesitated, then lay beside him, close enough that their arms touched. The soft, quiet space between them settled—comfortable, grounding, unspoken.

After a beat, Kie glanced at her with a sly curve of his lips.

“You know,” he murmured, “you do have nice boobs.”

Tee’s brain short-circuited.

 She stared at him, numb, unsure if he was teasing, complimenting, or just trying to make her combust on the spot.

To steady herself, she reached out and dragged her fingers lightly across his chest, feeling the slow rise and fall of his breathing.

“Where did you get those breathtaking eyes from?” she asked, softer than she meant to. It wasn’t a flirt. It was a confession.

Kie’s brow arched. “Why are you so obsessed with my eyes?”

“What?” she murmured, tracing the simple lines of muscle beneath his shirt. “They’re nice.”

He snorted, but his voice dipped quieter. “You’re weird.”

They stayed like that—close, warm, sharing a bed but not touching any more than the thin press of their arms.

Tee let her gaze drift over him, memorizing the shape of his eyelashes, the calm in his chest, the safety in his nearness. And a quiet, aching thought slid through her:

Could she keep—whatever that was—after the Harbingers were gone? After the fighting ended? How long would that take?

The question settled heavy in her ribs.

But Kie was right there beside her, eyes half-closed, like he didn’t mind her presence at all.

It was ironic, he was laying next to a Xeno-victim, hybrid, with not a care in the world.

Time flew by with no Harbinger missions to endure. Tee’s specialized training was different, following Kie’s briefing with the Commander. The Commander tasked her with creating energy blasts, concluding that was what her glowing hand had been trying to do.

The new test left her seriously wounded, but she refused to enter deep sleep. As a result, she woke multiple times from a death-like state, bloodied as if risen from a coffin.

Unintentionally, she impressed the Commander with her resilience. Since she hadn’t yet created a blast, he took it as a reason to prolong her test. Tee swore the Commander was torturing her. But why? Because she was a Xeno-victim? That Xenogenist!

To her disappointment, she created a dark energy sphere that shattered almost immediately. The Commander saw it as a positive sign to end her training and provide medical help. Tee, however, refused to be moved, lying there covered in blood, frustrated that she hadn’t used her Ultramana powers.

The Commander spoke to her through a hologram. “Cadet, your sclera has turned black, and you’re giving off dark energy readings.”

From what he already knew about her, her appearance wasn’t a concern, but Tee insisted on enduring the pain herself.

The Commander revealed something more disturbing. “You’re forcing back your dark side. But the longer you wait, the more time it has to take complete control.”

Tee responded firmly, “I know the intention behind your poor act of sympathy.” She took a deep breath. “But you’re not going to convince me to reveal what I am—not yet. Maybe never. And hell no am I getting that Balance Seal.”

Feeling herself slipping into deep sleep, she used her last breath to make one thing clear.

“If you spill as much as a word to my teammates, I will find you and separate you from your body.”

“Noted, Cadet. You will soon bear the consequences. Keep running.”

Everything went black, and she entered deep sleep.

She woke up in the infirmary to find both Zod and Saeda there, mumbling about how the Commander was seriously ramping up their training.

The aroma of meat drew her attention to Saeda and Zod. Why did they smell so good? How strange that both wore the same cologne. But why savory meat?

The next day, Tee swore she wouldn’t use her dark energy powers. She hadn’t gotten far in training when the Commander interrupted her with an urgent assignment. Soon, she was suited up and standing in the mission base.

The Sentinels stood attentive, ready for their Prodigy mission briefing. They ignored the Primus soldiers in uniform nearby, focusing entirely on the Commander and the Lieutenant.

“Leaked intel had prompted us to try a baiting strategy. Fake heart stones had been planted in abandoned Vergant villages, and Varrak had discovered one—hence the mission.”

The Lieutenant explained. 

“Several Primus soldiers were already at the village. They would initiate a teleportation chant to get the five of you there. Varrak and his men, however, would have to travel to the center, giving you enough time to prepare.

“You five are to work with the Primus soldiers as best you can. It is critical that the outside world remains unaware of the Vergants’ existence. The soldiers are aware and would not use sorcery once you arrive.”

The Commander reminded them. “Your objective is to kill Varrak. With Primus soldiers’ support, failure is not an option.”

He contacted the soldiers, giving them the go-ahead to begin their side of the teleportation chant.

The Lieutenant and the surrounding Primus workers formed a circle. As they moved their hands, glowing glyphs appeared in mid-air, forming a complex display of polygons.

The five teens teleported to a mysterious location far from Geovalon. Unlike their previous Vergant village, that one looked ancient. They didn’t have time to observe the place before Primus soldiers surrounded them.

The soldiers in green battle suits greeted the teenagers with bows in their dialect.

“Greetings, young Sentinels.

Verily, it is an honor to stand before thee.”

Tee decided to lighten the mood.

“Greetings, thou brethren,” she said, pointing to her teammates. “This is lady Miko, lady Saeda, sir Zod, and our team leader sir Kie. Thank ye for welcomingest us.”

She realized she’d slipped up on her last word. Zod let out a choke-chuckle.

The soldiers found humor in the grammar and syntax errors. One soldier removed their helmet, revealing rich green hair.

“No need to change your speech for us,” they said. “We are well versed in the modern tongue.”

The soldiers revealed that Varrak and his men were still traveling from great distances. Varrak’s soldiers had scanners to detect high Ether signatures, so from that point on, they would rely on their weapons. Though Varrak was unaware of sorcery, the Sentinels were free to use their abilities.

The Sentinels and soldiers split into five groups, hiding at separate points around the center. Tee dreaded approaching too close—after what had happened at the previous village, hitting an invisible barrier would raise questions. Worse, with Vergants nearby, she couldn’t lie.

The soldiers used technology to create an energy dome, making them appear invisible. Zod, impressed, started a quiet conversation. One soldier handed him their helmet so he could speak without being overheard.

The Vergant soldier, Alferac-Akatan, addressed Zod. 

“Sir Nakaski. I hath seen you at Primus several times, but it is unusual to converse outside our duties. I cannot believe I am speaking to a living embodiment of the planet’s might.”

Zod felt humbled that Akatan who referred to him by name—more than he could say for the Commander, who had trained them for over three months.

Another soldier explained, “All Vergants at Primus know who the Sentinels are. The intel cometh through the Verge.”

The conversation turned to sorcery, or “magic,” as the outside world called it. For Vergants, technology was automated sorcery, eliminating human intervention by reanimating glyphs, or reality codes.

Every act of sorcery produced glyphs, but they could be hidden from sight. The soldiers’ weapons disguised most glowing glyphs as decorative lights, masking the fact that the weapons used sorcery.

Even though their weapons performed automated sorcery, they gave off less Ether energy. Vergants normally had to tap into their energy reserve to use sorcery. By automating it, they better blended into the modern world.

Zod noted, “Priman Full Guard, Geovalon’s main law enforcement organization, has weapons with similar glowing lights. I’m not surprised.”

“Primus is secretly a branch of Priman.”

Zod was relieved that Primus was legitimate.

The soldiers also revealed that the Prime, Geovalon’s government head, was connected, as was the Prism—a secret base for dangerous criminals from both the Vergant and modern worlds, which was new information to Zod.

Zod was amazed at how much he didn’t know. Though deeply interested in sorcery, the elders discouraged him from learning it. He realized that was a perfect chance to study Vergants more, especially since Primus was getting boring.

The soldiers told him about other inhabited Vergant villages. Primus was the most well-known, but there were villages scattered across the globe, some of which even Primus had no contact with. The world of sorcery was far from dead.