Chap 141: Break It Up

Zod and Miko marveled at the bright lights scattered across the dim undergrounds. It was afternoon, yet the space around them perfectly imitated nighttime. Zod tore his gaze from the scenery to glance at Miko.

“Hey, Miko… the red’s fading from your side bangs,” he told her.

Miko brushed the colored tendrils with her fingers. “Oh—yeah. My red dye shampoo is almost empty. Should I dye it another color?”

“Hair dye is wicked expensive. You’re lucky you’ve got money.”

“What do you think of yellow?” she asked.

“Yellow’s nice,” he said casually. “But I don’t think it suits you. Maybe gold, or blond streaks.”

“I’m beginning to like yellow these days,” she murmured. “…A lot.”

Zod chuckled through his nose. “Funny. I feel the same way about red. Nice color. Cute and kind.”

Miko whirled toward him, eyes wide.

“You think I’m cute?” she gasped. She stepped back, brows knitting. “I thought you had a sweetheart in your home district.”

Zod swallowed the toad in his throat. “More like a crush. I doubt she even knows I exist. And I thought you liked supermodels and perfect men.”

Miko stepped closer and took his hand. “Zod, you are perfect.” She emphasized the word deliberately.

Zod tightened his grip and looked down into her large brown eyes. “Not even my parents have ever told me anything that nice.”

“Is this what I think it means?” Miko asked.

“It is,” he said softly.

They moved closer until their foreheads touched, then wrapped each other in a warm hug. Only then did they realize how chilly the underground truly was. It was crazy to think they were about to start something deeper with one another. Who would have guessed?

Saeda’s eyes sparkled as she drifted in the air balloon, taking in the aerial view of the park. Thoughts of her family swept through her mind as she neared one end of the grounds. She pictured her father beside her only for the image to sour when the witch appeared at his side.

The witch had cast a spell on him, making them inseparable. The guilt of that thought made Saeda shake it off. The illusion she’d told her teammates was going to come back to bite her. Deep down, she knew she wasn’t a saint, and her father wouldn’t be anywhere without his new love.

Her thoughts shifted to her teammates—her friends. Back in her district, people only remembered she existed when they needed something. Who would have ever suspected someone like her would become a Sentinel?

She wondered about the best time to leave the park, since teleporting required privacy and a solid ten minutes. She could leave without regrouping, but the idea of a group picture before heading back made her crack a small smile.

Then the image of Snicker’s large beady eyes flashed in her mind, turning her smile into a frown. Maybe she was destined to be alone after all.

Tee and Kie stepped away from a drink stall only to be blocked by a formation of uniformed adults. The bald man at the center studied Tee’s hair with deep furrows before speaking.

“You two are the winners of our random spot check for stamps.”

Tee and Kie’s eyebrows shot up. Tee held a stone-cold expression as she scrambled for a clever escape. Kie slid his shades into his pocket only to realize he and Tee were being surrounded.

Tee realized instantly that the adults knew she wasn’t blind. That thought vanished the moment juice splashed across the bald man’s face. He gasped like someone rising from a deep dive and toppled backward.

“Run!” Kie hurled his empty can at another inspector and bolted through the gap behind them.

Tee spun away from the falling man and sprinted after Kie. The loud crash behind her was followed by softer thuds of the inspectors giving chase. Her adrenaline surged. But seriously… was that the same Mister Nice Guy Kie she’d known? The one she was now fleeing with?

Workers shouted after them, but their voices faded as Tee and Kie gained distance. Worse, their frantic running caught the attention of nearby park-goers, who instantly branded them delinquents with nasty glares and muttered complaints. Tee and Kie ignored all of it.

Holograms ahead began flashing red, beeping sharply as artificial intelligence attempted to predict their movements.

Kie, several feet ahead, leaped cleanly onto an open balcony four stories high. Tee followed and silently thanked the universe she wasn’t wearing heels.

People who witnessed their jump stood frozen, jaws dropped. One man tossed his wine bottle, convinced he was hallucinating.

Tee tiptoed behind Kie.

He crouched low between aisles of clothing. “Did we ditch them?” he asked, not looking back.

“I’ll check.”

Tee blinked to activate her foreseeing vision but darkness washed over her eyes, spiking her heart. She felt the cap drooping over her face, pushed it up, and finally saw again.

“What?” Kie said with a shrug while flipping his jacket inside out. “Your white hair will give us away.”

She looked away, focusing on anything else. Thankfully, the store had no clerks as the checkout was fully automated. Fate was on their side.

Tee paid for a pair of new boots and the cap. As they walked out, she tucked her hair away and glanced at Kie’s back. She admired his thick arms and broad shoulders… but her smile wilted when he slipped his jacket on again, hiding the view. He brushed his bangs—as she’d predicted—proving just how self-conscious he was.

On the automated stairs, Tee let out a small laugh at everything that had just happened. She lowered her voice.

“How can an adult fall backward just from being splashed in the face? He had weak balance.”

Kie couldn’t resist. “More like out of shape,” he muttered. “Probably that massive gut in front.”

Tee grinned. “I bet he rolled like that metal can that fell too.”

“More like a barrel roll—pff—ha ha ha.” He grabbed the railing as laughter bent him over.

“Ha ha ha ha,” Tee joined in, securing her cap on her head.

They kept laughing all the way to the bottom of the stairs, but the rumbling of their stomachs finally quieted them. Both agreed it was time for proper food. They’d barely stepped outside before Tee pointed to a place offering something warm to eat.

Kie couldn’t spot it through the blinding signs and scattered screams stealing his attention. He stepped aside and let her lead. Inside the diner, Tee removed her jacket but kept her cap on. Her second layer of protection was gone.

They ordered two separate ramen dishes, but the waiter arrived with one large bowl.

“For two,” the waiter said with a smile.

Kie glanced around the diner, brows knitting. Only then did he realize Tee had taken him to a one-bowl eatery.

Tee hid a smile as Kie stared at the shared bowl in utter confusion. A tiny part of her wondered if they’d end up slurping the same noodle. How romantic—if she weren’t a Xeno-victim. If only he knew he was about to share a bowl with one.

After they finished eating, they stepped outside again, searching for their next stop.

A herd of desperate-looking women walked past, each giving Kie a slow, appreciative once-over. Tee paused mid-adjustment of the hair tucked inside her cap and realized Kie hadn’t noticed.

Kie was used to ignoring stares at his scars. But though his scars were gone, old habits died hard.

Tee lifted her middle finger at the passing women, then pointed it boldly at the hottie beside her. The ones who noticed widened their eyes and quickly looked away. A few peeked back before disappearing into the crowd, and Tee straightened like a statue pretending she was blind.

Kie stopped examining his reflection in a nearby building. “I saw what you did.”

Tee stumbled back a step, blinking rapidly. “W-w-what?” she stuttered.

He slipped an arm around her, pulling her along. “It’s fine. Relax.”

The herd behind them witnessed his possessiveness, and their eyes practically bled envy. Tee felt deeply, fully satisfied.

Saeda stepped off the air balloon along with a group of park-goers. She followed several of them underground to see the night-lights experience. But the deeper she went, the more her aura-sensing flickered on and off like a faulty switch.

She resisted touching anything until she stepped out of the descending elevator. The simulated night sky, star lights, and fireworks barely registered to her. Her focus locked entirely on visualizing the energy around her.

People walked past with varying levels of energy. She touched a wall and immediately got a vision of a couple making out against it just minutes ago. Disturbed, she forced her attention back to her visuals, trying to unravel the mystery. Something was interfering with her aura-sensing—something big.

Her mind drifted to past solo training sessions and an old Harbinger mission. There had to be a pattern. A similarity between every moment her aura-sensing ever worked.

Still deep in thought, a man approached and handed her a flier. She took it—and her eyes flashed blue. She saw him instantly obliterated by a massive wave of darkness, the background unmistakably the park.

Her visions always came as warnings. Only when bad things happened. And always to other people. But that one… that one was the worst yet. Aura-sensing suddenly returning, then a vision like that? She battled with whether she should tell her teammates.

Tee followed Kie to a laid-back game near a lounge.

Kie glanced at the winner board and noticed the last recorded winner was from five years ago. The name made him blink several times—Tie Reuben. His brother’s name. It had to be someone else with the same name… but suddenly the game felt like a personal calling.

“I’m going to win you something,” he said.

He started flipping the hologram levers. The sharp beep told Tee he’d already lost the first round, but her stone expression didn’t move an inch. When he took off his gloves, she knew they’d be there a while.

She rested her elbows on the counter, chin propped in her palm. Admiring him was the last thing on her mind. Heavy questions kept circling. Her life was trapped in a gray zone. What would happen after they defeated the Harbingers? What would happen to her—and to Kie? She admitted he was getting to her. But how was that possible when they hadn’t even had sex yet?

A lounge worker came over, noticing a new player at the machine. He saw the white-haired girl beside him looking depressed and assumed she was with the current player.

“You have neat eyes and hair,” he said.

Tee dropped her hand from her jaw and met his blue-eyed stare.

“You also have neat eyes.”

Their short exchange ended the moment the game exploded with loud victory sounds. The worker’s attention snapped away from Tee to Kie, as if she’d never existed.

Tee gasped when she saw the oversized teddy bear and the credit Kie earned. His name appeared on the winner's board.

“Here,” Kie said, handing her the teddy bear.

Tee held the huge plush toy, her frown twisting upward. “This is sweet, but seriously—do I look like a bin? I’m not walking around with this dead weight—”

Kie scratched the back of his head. “I thought you’d like that.”

“I know,” Tee sighed. “And I appreciate it. But I can’t walk around with this.”

She plopped the teddy bear on a bench and tugged him along.

He glanced back at the bear as she dragged him away, wondering if Tee had finally lost her screws.

They moved past buildings and tall constructions into a wide-open area with a clear view of the sky. The setting sun washed the lake in warm orange, park lights flickering brighter as evening approached. They crossed a bridge with narrow holes peeking down at the glistening river below. A boat filled with couples drifted underneath, and Tee was grateful she hadn’t worn a skirt.

The brightest glow came from the monument rising in the center of the lake. Kie noticed the thinning crowd and figured most park-goers were heading home. Global curfew was near.

“This may have to be our last stop for the day,” he said.

He leaned on the railing while she stood beside him. Tee’s eyes widened when she recognized the towering structure.

She started explaining the monument, assuming Kie was clueless because of his limited Mid-Guard education.

The monument was called Mona-Lize, though she assumed that one was a clone. The real one stood in District Ten, dedicated to a couple who died years ago. One of the lovers had been a Xeno-victim, and once the truth leaked, people wanted to burn the victim alive.

Tee couldn’t recall the exact period, but she knew it had been during the dark days. Realizing they could not survive, the couple had chosen to die together, holding hands in the fire. Their devotion to one another—that unbreakable bond—was the true meaning behind the monument.

Kie thought that saying something provocative about the couple would impress her, since she was a Xenogenist.

“That monument is a waste of resources. That much material could have built three shelters against Xenosapians.”

Tee blinked, letting his words sink in. She’d thought the park’s resources could have gone to something useful, but that monument, the one with a Xeno-victim, had triggered him? That Xenogenist!

“You’re right,” she said finally. “It’s such a waste.”

She looked down at their reflection in the water. Standing next to her was an MG-off wannabe, dressed like one too.

A question nagged at her mind. Why was she spending so much time with that Xenogenist? She already had enough ammo from him, hadn’t she? Sure, he still wouldn’t spill much about his parents, but she had learned enough about Karen and got a glimpse of his hatred for his dad. Worse, he hadn’t even slept with her—proving he was just messing with her head. He didn’t love her enough.

She had good reasons to end whatever they had before things got messy. How could she justify spending that much time with an MG-off wannabe? It wasn’t like she liked him—or anything. Yes, it was time to end it. She wasn’t going to spend her life with him, and it was time he knew it.