Kie hesitated for a moment before blurting out, "Nothing." He took a deep breath and continued, "Then he yelled, 'You pestilence!' and raised his hand to strike her. The next thing I saw, her body was hurled into a nearby tree, the impact like being hit by a bulldozer. The hooded figure stood there, hand still raised—but it never touched you," he said, turning to Saeda.

  Confusion etched on Saeda's face as she echoed, "Huh?"

  "The hooded one never touched her," Kie's voice quivered with intensity, "It was the one with short black hair. He or she..." He paused, the weight of the moment hanging heavily in the air. "It moved so fast, one blow from its hand was all it took to end her."

  “Lilith,” Tee added.

  Saeda, overwhelmed by the horrifying tale, pressed her hands tightly over her ears, shutting out the world as she had back then. Yet she couldn’t escape the vivid images Kie’s words painted in her mind.

  Kie's words cut through the silence as he continued. "It said in a voice that sounded oddly feminine, 'End this meaningless slaughter.' The voice was loud, echoing through the forest, as if every tree spoke in unison. I swore the hooded one jumped when they spoke."

  Suddenly, the creaking of the massive doors sliding open caught their attention. The sound reverberated through the room, echoing the dread that hung in the air. All eyes turned to the door, anticipation building with each passing moment.

  Two figures emerged from behind the door, one dressed in white and the other in the green Primus uniform. Their low conversation carried a sense of urgency, their purpose shrouded in mystery. Tee's senses heightened as she tried to decipher their intentions, her heart pounding in her chest. Another second and they left the door.

  Zod's voice broke the silence, tinged with uncertainty. "They must have come to check up on us?" he ventured, knowing the two intruders could not hear him from their distance.

  Tee noticed Saeda's gaze fixed on the door, her attention drawn to the movement she seemed to have heard even when shielding her ears. A chill coursed through Tee's body, the realization of deception sending shivers down her spine.

  "Let's wait. The Commander has to come," Kie said, his voice filled with a mixture of determination and anticipation.

  "Until then, keep talking,” said Tee.

  He went on to describe how quickly everything happened—he wasn’t even sure himself. Both he and Zod remembered seeing the other die in the same way. An unknown force dragged them from their hiding, and in an instant, their bodies were pierced from all sides by large, sharp blades.

  The room fell silent, the weight of Kie's words hanging in the air. Zod's hand instinctively moved to press the bridge of his nose between his closed eyes, seeking to alleviate the growing tension.

  Miko offered a comforting pat on Zod's back, her voice gentle and reassuring. "It's okay, Zod. It's over," she repeated, echoing his own words back to him in an attempt to bring solace.

  Tee rolled onto her side and pressed the pillow firmly against her other ear. Seeking respite, she decided it was a good time to take a nap. However, as soon as she closed her eyes, a chilling smile materialized in the darkness of her mind, causing her eyes to snap wide open. She blinked rapidly, trying to dispel the haunting image and refocus on the beds surrounding her.

  Suddenly, another creaking sound emanated from the door, prompting an exclamation of surprise. Tee shot up in bed, her attention drawn to Zod rushing across the aisle, his bare feet slapping against the floor as he hurried to reach his bed.

  Tee’s gaze extended past him, catching sight of a tall man with blond hair and piercing green eyes approaching them. A wave of urgency coursed through her entire body, causing her eyes to widen in alarm. It was the Commander!

  The Commander, with both hands tucked away in the outside pockets of his jacket, commanded attention with his resonating voice, which cut through the air, overpowering the flat thud of his footsteps. His gaze, seemingly fixed on something in the distant corner of the room, made Tee shudder with an unexplained sense of importance. She couldn't tear her eyes away from him.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  The Commander, an enigmatic figure, stood before them with an air of authority, both of his hands concealed within the outer pockets of his jacket. His voice boomed through the room, cutting through the silence, as his flat footsteps echoed with purpose.

  "You cadets are awake." His intense gaze fixated on something distant, neglecting to make eye contact with any of them. It was as if his focus lay beyond the realm of their comprehension.

  He advanced with deliberate strides. With a slight turn, he veered into the narrow space between Zod's bed and Tee's. Intrigue mingled with apprehension, gripping Tee as she questioned the purpose of the Commander's approach towards her.

  The Commander's determined stride persisted as he continued down the aisle, moving past Tee without so much as a glance. He positioned himself, leaning his back against the window behind her, causing her to let out a weary sigh.

  As her gaze fell to the ground, she noticed the shadow cast by the Commander's imposing figure, halting near her feet, while he casually raised the sole of his boot against the wall. Tee couldn't help but wonder why, out of all the windows in the room, he chose the one closest to her. The proximity sent a shiver down her spine.

  "Go ahead, I know you must have questions," the Commander's voice resonated through the room, though it lacked the usual energetic punch that often made them flinch. A heavy silence enveloped the space, interrupted only by the sound of water droplets hitting the window sills.

  Tee instinctively pulled up her collar and crossed her arms, her eyes fixed on the ground. Countless questions swirled in her mind, demanding answers that felt just out of reach. But she didn’t dare speak—not with her comrades around.

  Kie asked the question that had been plaguing him, “Why couldn’t we teleport individually? Why did we have to regroup to do it?”

  "Compact teleporters, also called the telecom," the Commander began, "were designed to give you an advantage. If you think back to your exam, you’ll remember your opponents didn’t have telecoms like you. Being a Vergant meant they could teleport at will."

  Zod leaned in, his brows furrowed, his focus fixated on the Commander's lips. The mention of Vergants teleporting at will ignited a spark in his mind, reigniting his theory about the existence of magic. Suppressing the urge to blurt it out, his lips strained against the urge to speak, held captive by the Commander's commanding presence.

  "But after depleting all their Ether energy from fighting the five of you, that wouldn't have been possible," the Commander explained, a smug curl forming at the corner of his lip. "I was asking too much from them already, to help train the Sentinels."

  He shifted his stance, folding his arms across his chest. "What a waste that turned out to be," he muttered, his voice tinged with disappointment. "That's why they used belt teleporters. A huge metal belt wrapped around their waist."

  A mental image formed in the minds of the cadets, imagining the cumbersome belt contraptions and the challenges they would pose in combat. The weight and inconvenience seemed insurmountable.

  The Commander was abruptly interrupted by Tee, her voice cutting through the tension. "Why are we really here?" she demanded, her eyes locked onto his, brimming with defiance. Her words reverberated through the room, commanding attention.

  The room fell into an uneasy silence, all eyes shifting to the Commander, awaiting his response. His gaze lingered on Tee, his stillness betraying his hidden knowledge.

  "We already told you why you were here from day one," he replied, his voice calm yet tinged with a hint of accusation. His gaze traversed the room, briefly meeting the eyes of each cadet before returning to Tee. "Unlike someone in this very room who likes to be deceptive, keeping things hidden from us in plain sight."

  The Commander’s words reverberated in Tee’s mind, freezing time in an explosive pause. His cryptic mention of the “deceptive one” sent a surge of adrenaline coursing through her veins. Weren’t she and her teammates all covert Xeno-victims, destined for punishment, torment, or worse?

  Cruel thoughts—the same ones that had driven her to flee to the sanctuary of the forest—clawed their way back, gnashing their teeth with merciless intent. Memories of whispered threats and vicious taunts hovered at the edge of her awareness, threatening to pull her into darkness.

  Doubt clouded her perception, eclipsing all other questions. A jolt of pain sliced through her mind, a visceral reminder of the weight of her secret. Memories surged forth, vivid and raw. Glass tubes marked with red X’s, remnants of Tetra’s twisted experiments. She could almost feel the chill of the sterile lab, mixed with her desperate need to conceal the mark on her neck. The words she had repeated like a prayer—“I am not a Xeno-victim”—echoed in her mind, a plea to drown out her deepest fears.

  Then, an image flickered before her. A reflection in a shattered mirror. In an instant, it twisted into a grotesque, monstrous creature, tearing at her sanity. Fear gripped her heart, suffocating her as darkness encroached on her mind.

  Gasping, Tee’s eyes widened, catching the shadow the Commander had cast on the ground. Drawing air felt impossible. Her nasal passages constricted, each breath a desperate battle. The once-familiar sound of droplets hitting the windowpane assaulted her ears, each impact sharp and almost painful.

  She had never felt anything like that before. Confusion and disbelief warred within her as she grappled with the realization that her secret might get exposed right there. Could he really do that without her permission?