Chap 191: Secrets

Girlfriend?

Kie’s eyes darted to the far corner, refusing to meet hers, as if looking anywhere but at her would somehow make that easier. The moment she saw that, she turned away too, unable to bear the sight of him avoiding her. 

Her heart pounded violently against her ribs, so loud she swore it drowned out everything else. The chatter of troopers, the hum of machinery, the distant calls. Nne of it mattered. All she could hear was her own pulse roaring in her ears and her own voice screaming inside her head, drowning out the world…

All that time, she had been right. He really was looking for someone to play around with at Primus and he found her. She didn’t mean anything special to him. She folded her arms tightly across her chest and bit down on her lip, the sharp sting barely cutting through the heavy wave of shame washing over her.

She was such a gullible idiot.

Sure, at first it was just a fling to get at him. Light. Easy. Nothing serious. But she admitted it to herself, somewhere along the way, she started to feel something. But it didn’t matter. None of it mattered anymore.

Then came a sharp beeping from Sirsy’s voice-com. A Xenosapian attack had been reported nearby, and curfew was only minutes away. Most troopers were already leaving the nearby train station, heading back to HQ.

“That’s our cue to leave and let the MG offs do their jobs,” Zod said.

Miko nodded.

“I guess we’re leaving now,” Saeda added.

“So soon?” Sirsy said, gripping Kie’s arm harder. “Walk me back to the gate. You can’t leave just yet.”

Kie sighed. “Fine.” Then he turned to his members. “You guys can leave without me. I’ll catch up.”

They walked off in separate directions. Tee and the others huddled in the shadows between two buildings. Zod noticed Tee staring off, lost in thought, while the others positioned their fingers over their teleportation buttons.

“You’re not leaving, aren’t you?” Zod asked.

Tee looked at him seriously. “No. I’m going to take that Xenosapian down.”

“Sure you are,” he said. “Or someone.”

Her left lip twitched with annoyance. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Zod stepped back, eyes wide. “Nothing.”

“Good luck with that,” Saeda said, pressing her teleportation button and turning into a glowing blue statue.

Zod sighed. “Yeah. Good luck, Tee.”

He and Miko turned into blue statues at the same time.

Tee stepped out into the evening light. With sorcery, she expanded her foreseeing vision wider. Her eye ability mixed with a chant, creating a type of sonar-like eye wave—allowing her to see everything outdoors from all angles at once, instead of changing and turning directions. At once, she saw alleyways, beside bins, behind walls, under awnings—everything—everywhere—including the unspeakable.

She had to pull her sight back sharply to make sure she was seeing right.

Close to the large entrance of First-Class Mid-Guard HQ, with many troopers forming their groups and doing roll calls, were Sirsy and Kie.

Making out.

She blinked, disconnected her foreseeing, and tears came instantly. She wasn’t mistaken. She wasn’t the one who had played Kie. He had played her. Mr. Nice Guy wasn’t as he appeared to be. But worse, it was clear she didn’t mean anything special to him.

It hurt.

Tetra was gone.

Jack was gone.

Kie wanted nothing to do with her.

Who could she confide in?

She swallowed it all and continued scanning for the Xenosapian. But her motivation felt dampened. Maybe she should just leave it to the MG offs. After all, it was their job.

Then she saw a group of MG offs with large metal swords heading toward a decrepit, burned-down building.

That was her target.

There was underground road construction nearby—sewer drills, yellow caution tape, torn pavement. And no MG officials where there should have been, especially in areas like that. She frowned.

Then she saw signs of struggle on the ground. Scuffed boots, torn fabric, broken debris.

Maybe MG offs were here.

Did they die?

Or were they all too drunk to act?

Sickening.

She heard a sound from behind coming from a building.

Some troopers zipped by on hoverboards heading back to HQ.

“What was that for?” Kie asked, pulling away from Sirsy.

He checked his telecom for Tee’s position, wanting to see what she was up to. He noticed the others’ telecoms were offline—except Tee’s.

Sirsy noticed he wasn’t paying attention. “Didn’t you miss me?”

Kie mumbled, “Huh?”

“You’ve been avoiding my eyes,” she said, folding her arms. “I feel like there’s a lot you have to tell me.”

“Did you get my letter?” Kie asked.

“Letter?” Sirsy scoffed. “Ohhh, that letter. That piece of paper I saw littering under my dorm door? I threw it in the trash. You left that?” She smacked her forehead sarcastically. “I hadn’t seen a paper envelope in like years. I didn’t think it was important. Why?”

Kie gave her a disappointed look.

Sirsy sighed. “Fine, I read the letter,” she said, throwing her hands in the air dramatically. Then she pointed at him with teary eyes. “You broke up with me in a letter? Then I never even saw you again.”

“I’m sorry things turned out like this,” Kie said. “But you have to admit, we were ending. And… thank you for giving me a chance, even with my grotesque scars and all.” He scratched the back of his head.

Sirsy stepped closer. “About that. What happened to you? You look… nice.”

“Let’s not get into that,” he said, not wanting to lie.

She stepped back, closing off the topic. “Okay, fine.” Then she laughed. “Well, maybe I should try dating guys who are actually older than me, don’t you think?” Her hands rested on her knees, like she couldn’t contain herself as she laughed.

While rushing through the buildings toward the spot where the MG offs had gone, Tee passed a trooper with striking blond hair, walking alone.

She stopped.

Jack.

Her heart jumped.

Thinking it was a ghost, she wanted to ignore it. But seeing the purple jacket of Kie’s Mid-Guard made something feel wrong. Why was that trooper walking alone?

She walked up behind him and touched his shoulder.

He felt something touch him and instantly threw his hoverboard backward, aiming to smash her in the face.

Tee raised one hand. The hoverboard shattered on contact with her palm.

With her other hand, she covered his mouth to prevent his loud scream from alerting anyone.

That was not Jack.

She sighed.

“Calm down,” she whispered.

It took a few minutes before he stilled. She released her hand. He pulled away immediately and looked her up and down, brows knitted.

“That wasn’t funny,” he said, low enough not to be heard. Then his expression shifted to confusion when he noticed her attire. A dress with a corset and white hair.

Tee stared into his rich blue eyes that were so much like Jack’s. She remembered Jack’s disinterest, the way he always reminded her he didn’t feel the same way. And now Kie, too.

She was going to be alone forever.

“Sorry,” Tee said quietly as she turned to leave. “Forget you saw me.”

He rushed after her and grabbed her hand, suddenly soldier-like. “Ma’am, it’s close to Global Curfew. Let me take you to a shelter.”

A faint, deep growl echoed from the abandoned building.

“The Xenosapian,” Tee murmured.

“What?” the trooper asked, fretting.

He drew his long blade from its sheath and stepped in front of her. “Stand back. I’ll protect you.”

With his other hand, he took out his voice-com, but Tee smacked it from his hand before he could use it.

Didn’t he already get the alert? Or was he trying to call for help to escort her?

The device shattered on the ground.

He dropped to his knees, face turning red and ugly. “Are you crazy?!” he shouted softly, picking up the broken pieces. “That’s going on my permanent record!”

Tee stared at him.

Great, she thought. The last thing she needed was for that place to be crowded with more liabilities. He was enough.

Then she looked at him crying over his device and sighed.

With cameras everywhere, she couldn’t use sorcery openly. The less the outside world knew, the better.

“Why are you alone out here?” she asked. 

Tee learned that his hoverboard was broken. He was on patrol near HQ with no buses, no transport. That explained why he was walking alone. He was the last trooper in this direction. Which meant… there shouldn’t be anyone else behind him.

He stood up and wiped his eyes, embarrassed by how he’d acted in front of a stranger, then slipped the broken voice-com into his pouch.

Tee turned to him. “You’re going to help me capture that Xenosapian.”

He blinked. “Huh? Isn’t that the MG officials’ job?”

“I am an MG official.”

He stared at her. “You look young. How old are you?”

She didn’t answer.

“Why aren’t you in uniform? Where are your weapons?” He scanned her up and down. “You look too young to be an MG off.”

“I’m on an outing,” she said flatly. “Vacation.”

As much as she wanted to incinerate the Xenosapian on the spot, to let the rage burning in her chest pour out in fire and destruction, she forced herself to stop. That wasn’t the time. That wasn’t the place. Cameras were everywhere, watching, waiting, and using sorcery there would expose too much.

Instead, she turned to the trooper, took his blade from his hand, and poured Ether energy into it—quiet, controlled, invisible. The metal hummed faintly, strengthened beyond its limits, as if absorbing her restraint along with her power.

“Sure, you can have my blade,” the trooper said too quickly. 

He walked a step behind her as they neared the building. The sharp, clinical angles of the structure, the narrow reinforced windows, and the faded warning symbols on the walls made her guess it had once been a laboratory—before time, neglect, and fire hollowed it out.

Inside, MG offs were already there—about eight of them—spreading into a loose formation, weapons raised, slowly cornering the Xenosapian. Whatever their strategy was, whatever protocol they claimed to follow, she didn’t care.

The trooper stopped walking and let her go ahead, fully convinced she was mad.

Tee didn’t hesitate.

She walked in like she owned the place.

Her voice cut through the tension. “Help! There’s another monster! Smaller! It ran that way!”

The MG offs didn’t even pause. They immediately rushed off in the wrong direction, boots pounding as they chased nothing, leaving the larger beast behind.

None of them questioned her being there. In a restricted zone. During Global Curfew. Not even to escort her to the nearest shelter.

She double-checked herself. No crest to connect it with stigma. 

So only one word explained their behavior.

Corrupt.

Then Tee turned calmly to the real Xenosapian.

It stood nearly ten feet tall and at least four feet wide, its massive frame hunched beneath broken ceiling panels. The stench of the sewers clung to it, thick and sour, and its deep, glowing red eyes locked onto her with a hungry, unblinking stare.

She had seen that scene in movies too many times. A monster that large reached its prey only because they were frozen in fear, giving it the chance to close the distance. Even after two years in the Mid-Guard, some people were still never truly prepared.

One slash.

The ground beneath the creature cracked. A powerful wave blasted outward in all directions. Windows shattered and metal grills rattled violently.

The Xenosapian collapsed.

Its brain sliced cleanly.

Dead.

Debris flew everywhere. A heavy shard slammed into the trooper’s leg.

He screamed.

Blood poured.

Tee rushed to him.

Sorcery had limits. Healing was bound by time rules so she had to act fast.

She knelt, hands glowing, chanting urgently.

Light flared. 

Bone mended. Flesh restored. Blood vanished.

His leg was whole again and only a faint scar remained.

He stared at it in disbelief, touching it carefully. “I—I can’t feel anything… it’s fine…”

He looked up at her. “Are you my Guardian Spirit?”

Then she saw it.

On his leg.

That mark that made every bone in her body shake.

Make no mistake. She knew exactly what it was. The swirling, smoky-black ash mark of a demon.

A curse mark.

Something had peeled away from his leg. It wasn’t skin. Not real skin. Some kind of formula, synthetic coating, hiding it.

Silence fell.

His hair fell into his face. “You’re… not going to run—go tell the MG offs?”

Tee met his eyes calmly. “Why would I?”

He looked at her, eyes wide, shaking slightly, searching her face for something, anything. “You saw it.”

“I won’t tell,” she said firmly. “If you don’t mention… this.” She gestured at his healed leg.

“Are you serious?” he asked.

She didn’t smile.

He nodded slowly, then held out his pinky. “It’s a secret.”

“Secrets,” she agreed, pinky-swearing.

She took his voice-com from his pouch, and he watched as the pieces knit back together like magic. Then she handed it back to him. 

“How—?”

“Don’t ask.”

They walked together down the dark street, streetlights casting long shadows.

She sensed him staring at her under the overhead white lights.

“Your hair is so white,” he said softly, brushing a strand at the side of her face.

She let it slide.

“I’ve never met anyone like you before.”

He smiled awkwardly. “Are you sure you’re not a Guardian Spirit? Some overseeing being who came down to make sure I reach home tonight?”

Tee stared deeply into his eyes. “Actually… I’m a ghost. And you’re dead.”

His eyes popped wide.

His face went blank.

Tee burst out laughing—doubling over, slapping her legs, feeling weak from laughter.

Near the HQ gates, troopers gathered for roll call.

“Final call!” a man shouted.

“See you around, Kie,” Sirsy said before dashing off.

“Bye, Sirsy,” Kie whispered.

Under the bright white streetlamp, dust particles floated through the air.

Tee knew her hair was glowing.

“Well,” she said lightly, “guess this is it.”

She turned to walk away.

His hand grabbed hers again.

She sensed it coming, but it would’ve been rude to pull away.

“Can I at least get your name?” he asked quietly.

“Tee.”

He took out a typing-note gadget. His fingers moved fast, light reflecting on his face.

“What’s your caller ID?” he asked.

In her head, Tee sighed. My holophone hasn’t been charged since she came to Primus. She didn’t even have reception there.

She shook her head. “Bye.”

His hand caught hers again.

That time, she turned around, annoyed—and he was very close.

She let him kiss her.

Unlike Jack, who always pushed her away.

When he opened his eyes she was gone. 

In the narrow dimness between two buildings, she pressed the teleportation button and turned into a blue statue.

Kie found a place to teleport too.

Tee didn’t bump into him at the mission base and she was glad, because she would’ve punched him in the face.

Kie wandered around Primus, wondering what to tell her when he found her. He even thought about picking flowers but imagined her crushing them beneath her feet.

Tee didn’t want dead plants.

He checked his telecom and realized she wasn’t at Primus base.

He knew she was mad about the girlfriend thing.

He couldn’t wait any longer.

He contacted her.

No response.

So he started talking anyway.

“Tee. We officially broke up. I didn’t lie to you. Hey—are you listening? Hey! I can hear you breathing.”

She was standing at the edge of the river cliff they once went to, staring down at the gushing waters crashing against the rocks, tears streaming.

“You liar!” she yelled. “I saw you and her making out.”

“What? You were spying on us?” he blurted.

How was he going to explain that? That damn foreseeing vision!

“Oh, you didn’t think I’d find out, huh?” Tee snapped. “You cursed bastard. Admit it. I’m just your little toy, something you play with while bored at Primus, aren’t I?!”

“Tee—”

“I hate you!” she screamed, before he could finish.

Kie went numb.

Her words pierced him.

Then she turned away from the cliff. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that.”

But then she remembered all the lies she had told and thought she deserved it. She needed to cut clean.

“I also made out with someone today,” she said.