The sky over the ruins was a bruised purple, choked with the settling dust of three vaporized city blocks.
"Sloane... status," Drakye Void rasped, his voice sounding like sandpaper.
Sloane didn't answer with words. She slid toward Zainab, her hands glowing with a soft, rhythmic light. "She's stable. Exhausted, but stable."
Nyx stood a few feet away, her breathing ragged. Her mismatched eyes were wide, staring back at the towering plume of violet smoke where the subway junction used to be.
"NYX... why do you love exploding things so much?" Sloane asked, wiping soot from her forehead.
Nyx let out a breathless, jagged laugh. A genuine, predatory smile crossed her face. "Cause... it brings out the true beauty of the moment, doesn't it?" Her knees suddenly buckled. "Huh... why... is... my... eyes... blurry..."
She began to tilt forward, but Elias was there in a flash. He caught her, pulling her small frame against his chest. "Good job, Nyx," Elias whispered, his voice thick with relief. "You've done enough. You should rest."
He held her as she drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep. Across the grass, Jaxen tried to push himself up. "Yes... I can stand... , I can—oh no, I'm falling." He collapsed back onto his face with a muffled thud.
Zainab Virel's eyes flickered open. The first thing she saw was the tear-streaked face of Temi Nova.
"Zainab!" Temi cried, throwing herself into a hug that nearly knocked the wind out of the injured captain. "I thought... I thought I wouldn't see you again. I thought we were all gone."
Zainab patted her back weakly, her gaze drifting toward the ruins. "The 10th... they actually did it."
"Why does backup always arrive at the wrong time?" Kiki muttered, looking toward the horizon where the lights of the back up transport began to flash. She turned to count the members of the 10th. "Wait, I thought you guys were ten? Kiki asked
One, two... eight, nine... holy shit, where's Vela?"
Kaelen said, his eyes widening. "She was sitting right by the blast zone."
Renji bowed his head, removing his tactical visor. "May her soul rest in peace. She died as she lived... eating chips."
"Why do you guys always explode stuff?" A flat, bored voice drifted from behind a pile of scorched masonry. "I could've died, and more importantly, I was out of chips."
Vela stepped out of the rubble. She wasn't bruised. She wasn't scratched. Her suite was perfectly clean, though she was shaking an empty bag of barbecue chips with a look of profound disappointment.
"Hurray! She's alive!" Renji cheered.
Vela blinked. "Huh... did you guys think I was dead?"
"Nope..." Mikasa said, quickly scratching the back of her head and looking away.
Kiki stared at the group, her jaw dropping. "You guys are one weird group. Seriously."
Hospital Wing: Room 06
The sterile white walls of the medical center felt cold compared to the fire of the battlefield. Zainab Virel lay in the bed, The door hissed open.
A man walked in. He wasn't wearing a lab coat. He carried a bouquet of flowers, but his presence seemed to swallow the light in the room. It was Gold.
He stood over Zainab's bed, his expression unreadable. He reached into his coat and pulled out a small, humming silver device—a Neural Eraser. He clicked the button, and a soft blue pulse washed over Zainab's forehead.
The memory of the secret location, the way she had found Magals, and the specific details of Gold's involvement were erased.
"See you later, Zainab," Gold whispered. He set the flowers on the nightstand and stepped backward, vanishing into the shadows before the heart monitor could even skip a beat.
Two Weeks Later: The Visit
The 10th Division's headquarters was loud again. The scars of the battle were mostly healed, replaced by the familiar chaos the 10th
Knock. Knock.
The door opened to reveal the 5th Division: Zainab, Kiki, Temi Nova, Mira Ice, Aris, and Maris.
Zainab stepped forward, looking at the rowdy group of the 10th. A genuine, soft smile crossed her face—a rare sight for the stoic captain. "Thank you for everything. And... thank you for avenging Kaizen."
"No problem!" the entire 10th replied in a messy, uncoordinated chorus.
Cipher stood at the back, his face turning a shade of red . He kept glancing at Temi Nova and then looking at his boots.
"Just talk to her, Cipher," Rook teased, nudging him with a metal-reinforced elbow.
"I—I don't know what you're talking about!" Cipher stammered.
"Oh, he's definitely crushing," Vela said, opening a fresh bag of chips. "It's so obvious it's hurting my eyes."
"Shut up, Vela!" Cipher hissed.
As the divisions mingled, Drakye Void stepped closer to Zainab. his tone became professional. "Zainab, I have to ask... who gave you Magals' location? Or how did you find it? We need to know how you found it ."
Zainab frowned, her hand going to her temple. "I... I remember taking a shower. I remember being angry. But after that... it's blank. I just had the coordinates in my head." She winced as a sharp headache spiked. "I'm truly sorry, Drakye. I can't remember."
"No need to apologize," Drakye said, his eyes narrowing. He suspected foul play, but not from her. "The trauma of that fight was enough to scramble anyone's brains."
"I look forward to working with you again," Temi Nova said, stretching her hand out to Drakye. "Properly, this time."
"Yeah, us too," Drakye replied, shaking her hand firmly.
At the edge of the room, Mira Ice approached Elias. She was fidgeting with the hem of her jacket, her face dusted with a light pink blush. "Em... Elias... thanks for saving me. But that doesn't mean I'm grateful! It !"
Elias blinked, tilted his head. "Isn't that the same thing as being grateful?" he thought to himself. Aloud, he just smiled. "Sure, no problem, Mira."
"Em... can I have your contact info? For... tactical updates. Only."
"Sure," Elias said, pulling out his device. As they exchanged IDs, he didn't notice the 10th Division watching with wide eyes.
"What's that all about?" Nyx whispered, leaning against a wall.
"Don't know," Elias replied simply.
"She's pretty weird," Vela added, crunching loudly on a chip.
The 5th Division eventually left, waving as they left the base.
Deep underground, Gold sat in a high-backed golden chair. He swirled a glass of dark liquid.
"Things didn't go exactly as planned," Gold murmured to the empty room. "But I didn't lose any pieces. And my Queen is getting stronger." He looked at a freeze-frame of Elias's Zero Point attack. "Now that Magals is gone, valkhyre will I've to make a move ,so I need to be careful."
"Malice. Fill me up," Gold commanded.
"Yes, sir," Malice replied, emerging from the dark to refill the glass. "The board is set."
In the heart of King Orlox's palace, the air was cold enough to crack bone. Anglz knelt before the zethrians general
"Sir Xylo, Sir Vaxas... Sir Valkhyre. Magals has been killed."
The silence that followed was heavy. Xylo's eyes widened. "Impossible. How could they bypass the Law of Inviolability?!"
Valkhyre, let out a soft, chilling chuckle. "These humans are truly fascinating. A piece gone from the board so soon. Who delivered the strike?"
"The survivors of the Xenocides I slaughtered," Anglz reported. "They said it was the 10th Division. A boy named Elias and a girl named Nyx."
Valkhyre's eyes flared with a sudden, violent light. "Elias. You again. A pawn who is trying very hard to become a Queen."
Vaxas stepped forward, his voice a deep, tectonic rumble. "It's sad to hear this, magals would have loved to see the king's return.
but We shall proceed with the plan. In the end, balance will be restored, and we will be victorious."