Kie didn’t glimpse his other teammates. They were checking classrooms on both corridors while he stood close to Tee. Her eyes were wide as she scanned the rooms, unaware of his steady stare. A faint smile flickered across his lips.

  Tee wore a turtleneck, but he could easily imagine the slim, delicate curve of her bare neck. Not all the loose strands at the back of her head had curled properly. Some were trapped beneath the collar. She must have been in a hurry when she put that shirt on.

  Most rooms followed a circular seating layout with clear gaps between every two seats for easy exits. Others were split down the middle, both sides facing each other—extra eyes to watch for any mutating Xeno-victims behind.

  Academies had once been different, with students facing the board. Technology changed that. Now, each student could focus on the holographic screen projected from their device, its translucent surface allowing them to see any threat lurking nearby.

  Tee found the Xenosapian. It was in the geography room down the corridor Zod and Saeda were searching. The MG guards had already fled through the emergency exit in the room—a small grated gate that required bending low to pass through and a sixteen-digit code to unlock.

  Only MG guards and academic staff were supposed to know the codes, but students always found ways to learn them. That was why most emergency exits had been barred. Luckily for those guards, that one wasn’t.

  They had run out of blades for their thrower, and none were brave enough to face the monster with swords. The Xenosapian couldn’t pass through the metal grille—it had both its brain and host trapped inside its body. It could only watch its prey escape.

  Tee blinked and turned toward the hallway Miko had nearly finished checking. “I saw it,” she said to Kie, pointing. “It’s in the very last classroom on the left.”

  The moment Kie rushed off, Tee dashed down the opposite corridor, a sly grin on her face. “He-he-he.” She’d kill that thing herself and make sure everyone, especially the guards, knew it.

  She zipped past Saeda and Zod, reaching the final classroom door in seconds. The Xenosapian turned at once, its black-filled eyes locking onto her. The dark mana on its face peeled back, revealing the inside of its mouth.

  Tee sprinted toward it as it bounded across desks to meet her head-on. She never imagined she’d charge one of the very monsters responsible for the global curfew. Her lips twitched with anger at the cruel irony that she could have become one herself.

  For a single heartbeat, everything went silent as the edge of her sword neared the creature’s head. The dark mana recoiled—peeling away just enough to expose part of the host’s face.

  Tee froze. Her heart stuttered in pain as she saw the damp blond hair and a single lifeless blue eye staring back at her.

  “Jack?”

  Her own eyes flashed black. He was one of the few people in her district with those features—and like her, he’d been a covert Xeno-victim. The strength that had carried her faltered, leaving her completely bare. She stopped her sword just short of his blood-drained face.

  Her mind went blank the instant she glimpsed parts of Jack’s face. The dark mana shifted, sliding back over his features, and the Xenosapian lunged, whipping its long tentacles at its target.

  Tee snapped out of her trance. She was standing on top of a desk—with something rushing toward the left side of her head too fast to stop.

  The Xenosapian swatted away the spinning sword aimed for its head. Tee had to jump back to avoid being sliced by the same blade she’d sensed, losing her balance.

  The Xenosapian’s tentacle was severed, along with its lower jaw. As Tee fell backward, the creature turned its gaze toward the uninteresting prey standing by the door.

  Kie stood a few paces inside the room when he saw Tee about to be stabbed. He threw a sword without thinking, then sent several more after the creature as it fled on all fours toward the other doorway.

  Even with a limb missing, the Xenosapian ignored Kie and his teammates at the threshold. It raced for the new group of MG guards who had reached the exit.

  The guard with a blade thrower ran first—his comrades followed, drawing the monster into the hallway. Miko, Zod, and Saeda gave chase to help the guards.

  Tee had fallen and was still on the ground when a heavy, spiked black boot slammed down in front of her. She looked up and met Kie’s fiery red eyes.

  “Either you don’t know left from right, or you lied to me back there,” he said.

  Dazed by the shout, she rose to her feet. She wasn’t going to argue with the scar-faced Xenogenist. She walked off as if he hadn’t spoken. There was no way she’d actually seen Jack. Her desire to find him must have conjured the face. Then Kie grabbed her hand and the moment snapped.

  “What the—?” she blurted.

  Kie liked Tee, but he would not tolerate actions that sabotaged a mission. He hadn’t forgotten when she’d lied about searching for the Harbingers, or how she’d ignored his orders to pursue MG offs. He pulled her glove off and reached for her other hand but Tee yanked it away.

  “What are you doing?” she gasped.

  “Hand it over. You’re getting benched for that stunt,” he said.

  The noise of cheering adults in the hallway broke through. They had beaten the teens to the prize. Kie let go of her glove and sprinted toward the commotion.

  Tee felt furious and helpless all at once. She’d been so close to killing the Xenosapian but Jack’s face had frozen her. She tucked loose strands behind her ear and, forcing a smile, decided to play the next part. She would beg Kie not to teleport immediately so she could slip over to her Mid-Guard and see Jack. She would owe him anything for it.

  She followed Kie out of the room, gliding past guards and teammates who were already dismissing their swords. Luck favored her—Devastation, Beater, and bushy-eyebrows had not returned inside.

  “Creepy,” Zod muttered as he passed, watching the Xenosapian’s body turn to goo and slide off the host. At last he would see the unconsumed host.

  Tee paused beside Kie, studying his face while he stared down at the decapitated head the blades had never touched.

  “Hey, I know this kid,” one guard said, staring at the host as the goo receded.

  Other guards crowded in for a look at the Xeno-victim they no longer had to monitor.

  Tee took a deep breath. She heard one guard say the nickname aloud—“Xenoid-Albino. He finally met his day.” MG offs always mocked Xeno-victims, starting nicknames with Xenoid.

  She bent to look at the severed head near Kie’s boots. The blond hair and still blue eyes echoed Jack for a second, but on closer inspection it wasn’t him. Relief washed through her.

  Now came the hard part. She needed a favor. “Kie, I need to ask you something,” she blurted. “My Mid-Guard’s a bus ride away. There’s someone I want to see before we go back. I swear I’ll owe you one.”

  Zod, Miko, and Saeda hovered, ready to teleport. Kie, as team leader, had to decide.

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  Tee stared and bit her lip until he answered.

  “Fine. But the second you’re done, we teleport,” he said.

  Tee squealed. “Oh, thank you!”

  Zod, Miko, and Saeda exchanged puzzled looks. Tee moved first, but guards blocked her path.

  The cluster of guards stopped whispering and faced the teens. One stepped forward, smirking as he sheathed his weapon into a long bat. “See, kids, never disobey orders to evacuate. Now get ready for a beating of a lifetime. I’ll teach you a lesson you won’t forget to tell your grandchildren.”

  Kie, as if he hadn’t heard, said, “Let’s get out of here.”

  Tee nodded.

  “Did you not hear me?” the guard bellowed and swung his bat at the teens as they passed.

  His hit thunked against something solid. The guard blinked, then yanked his bat free and staggered back, staring at a dent in the concrete. Kie’s lip twitched in irritation as he felt the blow to his head. He could’ve dodged it, but he wanted to make a point.

  The guards were speechless observing the dent.

  Tee hurried off, dragging her teammates with her. They left the Academy, and surprisingly the gates opened for them. Perhaps the guards were just eager to see them go.

  They took a public bus. Mid-Guard troopers didn’t need to pay fares, and the driver didn’t ask for IDs, lazy and corrupt as he was. It worked in Tee’s favor.

  Not long after, they reached the towering gates of District Ninety-Nine’s Mid-Guard, Seraphine. Entry was restricted to authorized personnel, but Tee wasn’t one to accept barriers. She scanned the perimeter and spotted a few MG troopers patrolling outside. If anyone knew where to find Jack, it would be them.

  Kie watched her work with quiet admiration. There was something about her determination that impressed him—though part of him couldn’t shake a bad feeling about that search.

  Miko, meanwhile, was too busy staring at the troopers’ uniforms to share their tension. Her parents had helped design those very outfits, and she whispered to Zod about the rare dinner when her father had spent an entire evening boasting about the process. Remembering that night filled her with a strange, aching pride.

  “Jack?” one of the troopers repeated, straightening from where he leaned against the wall. His brows knitted when he heard the name and Tee’s description.

  Another trooper nearby stepped closer, giving Tee a slow, assessing look before sneering. “You mean the guy with blue eyes who mutated not long ago?” He spat on the ground.

  Tee froze. “What? Mutated?”

  The word hit her like a knife through the ribs. Around them, other troopers paused mid-conversation. The whispers spread like wildfire.

  “Said she’s looking for Jack.”

  “Jack? He’s the one that mutated a few weeks ago.”

  “Yeah, he never wore a crest—must’ve been covert.”

  “Heard he got buried like a dog.”

  “Damn Xenoids.”

  Zod frowned. “Did they say Jack was a covert Xeno-victim?”

  One trooper turned and looked Tee dead in the eyes. “What do you want with Jack?”

  Tee couldn’t answer. Her throat locked, her thoughts blurred. The air felt too thick to breathe.

  “Hey,” Kie said quietly, stepping beside her. “We’re leaving.”

  His hand closed around her arm, pulling her out of her trance. The scream in her head fell silent, replaced by a dull roar of nothingness. Her feet moved on instinct. The world tilted, spinning in slow circles. Every sound around her faded until she could only hear her own uneven breaths.

  “I’m not a Xeno-victim… Jack wasn’t a Xeno-victim,” she repeated over and over inside her head, clinging to the lie as if it could hold her together.

  But the illusion was cracking, and the tears pressed against those cracks, desperate to escape. Her trembling hands moved faster than her thoughts to activate teleportation and the next thing she knew, the white floors of the base flashed around her.

  The moment she arrived, she bolted toward the tall archway and to the dormitory sector. She tore off one glove and hurled it to the floor outside her door before stumbling into her room. She collapsed onto her bed and buried herself in the thick sheets, the sobs breaking loose at last.

  There, alone, she didn’t have to pretend. She could finally let the illusion die.

  It would have been easier—kinder—if she’d learned the truth a year later, after she’d forgotten what it felt like to love him. She didn’t think about the punishment his parents might face, only the hollow ache that spread through her chest.

  The next morning, she skipped her usual coffee. Her eyes were swollen and pink when she arrived at training, and though she broke down crying during warmups, she forced herself to finish. She didn’t appear for dinner that evening.

  Saeda and Miko passed her room and exchanged a worried glance at the untouched space before their own doors. Even Zod, after finishing his chores, retreated quietly for the night.

  Kie lingered in the dining room long after everyone else had gone. The girl he’d lied to protect—the same one the Commander had questioned him about—hadn’t shown her face all evening. He regretted it. The Commander had a right to know about her past misconduct, the ways she had nearly sabotaged the team’s success. Yet, he’d kept it secret because of his feelings.

  No more. He told himself that was the last time he’d let emotion cloud his judgment. Secret crush or not, he couldn’t keep letting her sway his actions.

  Still… it wasn’t every day you learned a friend’s loved one had been covert. That guy—Jack—must’ve meant a lot to her. Kie remembered how he’d felt when his mother died, and he imagined her pain multiplied by betrayal. To find out someone you loved was a Xeno-victim? That was a wound that didn’t close.

  But she couldn’t stay locked away forever. She’d need to eat eventually. So, he gathered her dinner portion and made his way to the female dorms. He knocked several times before she finally stirred.

  When Tee opened the door, her face was blotchy and wet. Her hair hung in uneven strands, and her mismatched clothes looked like they’d been thrown on without thought.

  “Kie?” she asked, sounding almost disappointed. “What do you want?”

  He lifted the plate in his hand. “I brought you dinner.”

  He stepped forward slightly, one arm half-raised to offer comfort.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, eyes wide.

  “You look like you need a hug.”

  Tee pressed a hand against his chest and pushed him out of her doorway. “Uh, no. I don’t.”

  They stared at each other for a long, uncomfortable second before she snatched the plate and shut the door.

  “Do you want something to drink with that?” he called through the voice com on the door’s control panel

  “Go away!” she shouted back.

  Kie stood there for a moment, sighing. Of all people, it had to be him who tried to help. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to regret it. Maybe, he thought, if she asked why he’d gone out of his way, they could finally talk—really talk.

  Inside, Tee wiped the last of her tears and opened her folder of old photos. Jack’s face smiled back at her. What he felt for her didn’t matter anymore, and neither did what she’d felt for him. With Jack and Tetra gone, she had nothing left. Just a lonely, unlucky Xeno-victim the world would fear once it learned what she truly was.

  Her gaze fell on the small metal box Jack had slipped into her luggage before everything fell apart. She’d never opened it.

  When she did, she found only a shiny metal hair clip inside. “That’s it?” she muttered, shaking the box. Something small fell to the floor—a note chip.

  Her heart pounded as she fumbled it into her phone. The device flickered to life, showing one single file, one single line.

  ‘Tee, I love you.’

  She stared at the words until the battery died and the screen went dark. Lying on her bed, the phone slipped from her hand and hit her face, but she didn’t move.

  He meant it as a friend. He had to. Why else would he push her away, hurt her so deeply? The day he learned she was a monster waiting to surface was the day he decided to detach.

  It was cruel—but maybe he thought it was mercy.

  And yet, he was the one who’d told her he was a Xeno-victim first. Her feelings hadn’t changed after that. She remembered those simpler days, before fear and mutation tore them apart. Days when sitting close meant he’d lean closer, not pull away.

  On rainy afternoons, when they walked home together, he would kneel at the gate to clean the mud from her shoes. Every time he stood up, he was too close to her face when he said goodbye.

  She’d hated it, pretended to scold him—but never really meant it. An old nurse at the clinic had once told her he was only waiting for a kiss. So, the next rainy day, when he stood up and leaned in, she kissed his cheek. He smiled for a week afterward, and soon, it became their quiet tradition.

  Those moments vanished the day they both learned the truth. It wasn’t hate that replaced them—something worse, something emptier. Why tell her teammates? Once they knew what she was capable of becoming, they’d never look at her the same again.

  Late that night, long after curfew, she finally gathered the strength to return the plate. Maybe she’d grab a snack before locking herself away again.

  But as she stepped into the corridor, she heard faint laughter and saw light flickering from the common room. Her teammates were still awake, playing hologram games in the dim glow.

  “That doesn’t make sense,” Saeda said, frustration in her voice.

  “How can anyone cry over a Xeno-victim?” Zod added. “Their deaths mean more safety.”

  Tee froze in the shadows.

  They were right, weren’t they? She wasn’t supposed to care. Not for Jack. Not for what they were. Caring made her weak—suspicious. Especially since Jack had been covert.

  And yet, despite everything, she still did.