"Haaaaaa!" A Xenocide soldier screamed, his boots skidding over the cracked asphalt as he sprinted away from the shadows. He didn't look back. He knew what was behind him—something older than the stars, something that didn't move so much as it simply existed where it wanted to be.
Suddenly, a figure appeared in his path. It didn't blur; it was just there.
"Please... please... don't kill—"
The soldier's plea died in his throat. Xerxes-Vahl didn't use a weapon. He reached out with a hand and drove it through the man's chest. There was no resistance. The soldier's heart was ripped out with surgical, terrifying precision.
Xerxes-Vahl raised the organ to his face, his eyes blinking in a slow, rhythmic pattern. He tilted his head and drank the essence. "Hmm. The taste of fear," he whispered, his voice like the rustle of dry leaves.
"Shit... shit... shit! We can't win!" another Xenocide shouted, firing his pulse rifle blindly into the dark.
He didn't see Xerxes move. He only felt a sudden, freezing chill at his back.
Slice.
In one fluid motion, the soldier's head was separated from his shoulders. Xerxes caught the falling head before it hit the ground, inspecting it with the curiosity of a scientist. He took a bite of the head
. "Hmmm. Not sweet enough. The regret is too fresh."
A lower-ranking Zethrian emerged from the shadows, kneeling deeply. "Commander Xerxes-Vahl."
The 9th Commander turned, his tattered robes swirling like smoke. "Speak."
"Commander Magals has been defeated, my lord."
Xerxes' eyes widened —a rare show of emotion for someone who was believed to be a monster
"Magals? Defeated? Who achieved such an impossibility?"
"A boy named Elias, my lord. A Walker."
Xerxes-Vahl was silent for a long moment. He looked up at the sky, where several golden butterflies began to manifest, fluttering around his haloed hat. "I see. I cannot believe Magals allowed himself to be extinguished by a spark. It seems the scales are tipping." He waved a hand, and as the butterflies converged on him, he vanished into a shimmer of gold and shadow.
Back at the 10th Division Base, the atmosphere was wired.
"I'm telling you, Jaxen, if you play that card, I'm burning your eyebrows off," Kaelen hissed, leaning over a messy game of 'Commander's Deck.'
"You can't burn what you can't hit, Fire-Boy!" Jaxen grinned, snapping a card down. "Lightning Reflexes! I take the pot!"
"Cheat! You're definitely using your star eyes to see my hand," cipher groaned, rubbing is head
Rook sat in the corner, levitating several metal scraps and shaping them into small figurines of the team. "Will you guys shut up? I'm trying to concentrate on this models ,Sloane, tell them to be quiet."
"Don't look at me," Sloane said, not looking up from her tablet. "I'm busy watching my favourite TV show
Elias, who was sitting on the floor leaning against the sofa, shrugged."what to do, what to do ".
Nyx threw her cards onto the table with a groan of pure frustration. "Ugh! This is so boring! Why are we playing cards? We just killed a Commander! We should be out there! I want another mission! I want to see something else go boom!"
"Vela's already on her third bag of chips," Mikasa pointed out, nodding toward the sofa. Vela was indeed face-down in a bag of Sour Cream and Onion, her muffled voice barely audible.
"I'm... hungry... for real food..." Vela managed to say. "We need to go out.....see the world."
"You know what? Vela's right," Cipher said, checking his watch. "We've been cooped up for two weeks. Let's go out. I'll pay. Just... stop the fighting."
"Free food?" Jaxen leaped up. "10th Division, move out!"
The team drove to "the grill "a legendary steakhouse that was Vela's favorite. They piled out of their transport, looking more like a group of rowdy students than the elite killers who had just saved the city.
As they walked in, they stopped short. The large booth in the center was already occupied.
"No way," Kaelen muttered. "The 9th?"
The 9th Division's top team was there: Lyra, Sora, Kross, Dr. D, and Kahn. "Well, if it isn't the 'Heroes of the Subway,'" Kross called out, leaning back with a smirk. "Come eat with us "
"Sure why not" Mikasa replied pulling up a chair.
The two teams merged, Sora and cipher immediately started debating tactical formations, while Dr. D and Sloane began a heated discussion about Zethrian biology and the efficiency of medical nanites.
"Hey, Jaxen," Kahn said, looking at Jaxen "I heard you've gotten stronger, wanna have a rematch later ?"
Jaxen gave a slow, deep chuckle. "Sure why not... just don't cry when I kick your ass."
While the groups chatted, Elias noticed Lyra sitting at the end of the table. She was looking at her glass of water, unusually quiet. Elias stood up and walked over, taking the seat next to her.
"Hey, Lyra," Elias said softly.
Lyra jumped slightly, her head snapping up. Her face immediately flushed a light shade of pink. "E-Elias. Hi."
"Look, I've been meaning to say this ," Elias began, scratching the back of his neck. "I'm really sorry about lashing out at you at the hospital. I was stressed, and I was angry about Kaizen, and... I shouldn't have taken it out on you. I'm really sorry."
Lyra's eyes widened. She stared at him, her blush deepening until it reached the tips of her ears. "Em... no... no need to apologize, Elias. Really! I... I should be the one to apologize. I shouldn't have bothered you"
"Thanks," Elias smiled, a genuine, warm look that made Lyra quickly look back down at her water. "I'm just glad we're cool now."
"Y-Yeah. Cool," Lyra whispered, her fingers twisting the hem of her jacket.
As the food arrived and the two divisions shared stories of their training and past battles, the atmosphere was full of life. They were soldiers, yes, but for this one hour, they were just friends.
Outside, unnoticed by any of them, a single golden butterfly landed on the window of the restaurant. It stayed there for a moment, its wings pulsing with a faint, ancient light, before dissolving into the night air.