The Commander's voice snapped back, “Well, not in your case.” He stepped away from the window, his piercing gaze shifting from one pair of eyes to another. "Your telecoms weren't bonded to individual teleportation glyphs," he retorted sharply. " So that option wasn't available to you."

  His words hung heavy in the air, their implications sinking in. “Sorcery chants are like a switch when made to be initiated by non-living objects. Hence, chants can not change to perform something other than what they were initially created to perform.

  “The only resolution there requires different glyphs to be rebonded to your telecoms, and the idea of equipping each of you with two devices for individual and group teleportation, had been discarded. And why was that so?”

  The Commander took a moment to answer his own question, his eyes never leaving theirs. "Having all of you rendezvous in one location before teleporting ensures that all five of you are accounted for and return here together."

  A stunned silence enveloped the room as the Commander leaned back against the window, his gaze now fixed on the ground. His tone softened, carrying the weight of a tragic memory. "I know the nature of humans, how fear drives us to make selfish decisions. But I believe each of you was chosen for a reason. It will take more than one person to prevent the unspeakable from happening."

  His last words doused the fiery rage that had burned within the recruits. For Tee, they stirred a profound sense of regret, as she recalled selfishly abandoning her teammates and using them as a diversion. Regret felt foreign to her, an unwelcome sensation clawing at her conscience.

  Zod had left Saeda behind, forsaking her in the pursuit of his own survival. Deep down, he knew he would have left her regardless of her condition. The memory weighed heavily on his heart.

  As Miko reached the forest, her original plan was to escape as far away as possible, leaving her companions behind. But the searing pain in her body and her unresponsive arm forced her to halt, confronting the consequences of her decision.

  Saeda, aware that she couldn't teleport without her teammates, pressed the distress signal, knowing that if their pursuers caught up, they would all meet the same fate as the lifeless figures from her haunting vision. The desperation to teleport and save herself had fueled her actions.

  Kie knew that if he could have teleported on his own, he would have been gone the moment the burning blood began seeping into his bones. He already had enough scars, and didn’t like getting more. The shame of it all was starting to weigh on him.

  The young recruits' gazes shifted aimlessly, their thoughts consumed by the weight of the Commander's words. If only they possessed the power to teleport independently, they would have seized any opportunity to escape, fragment or no fragment. The realization struck them like lightning, igniting a desperate need to find those elusive ten minutes that could have carried them away from the clutches of danger.

  Saeda's mind raced, exploring the possibilities that could have saved her. What if she had feigned death, lying motionless on the ground, granting her the precious time needed to teleport?

  But doubt crept in, tainting her hopes. The haunting question of the glowing blue light plagued her thoughts. What if their pursuers had seen it, deciphered her escape attempt, and swiftly ended her life? She bit down on her lip, frustration and regret intertwining within her.

  The others, much like Saeda, retreated into the solace of imagined scenarios where they possessed the ability to teleport. In those vivid alternate realities, their minds spun intricate webs of escape routes and outcomes, the lingering traces of their selfish desires. Self-loathing seeped into their beings, intensifying the sting of the Commander's reasoning, leaving behind searing wounds of remorse.

  In an attempt to divert the conversation, Zod mustered the courage to seek answers to his lingering questions before time slipped away. "The Commander, was it sorcery that healed our wounds?" he inquired, hopeful for a revelation.

  The Commander's response cut through the air, dispelling any mystical notions. "No," he stated matter-of-factly, his words landing like a sudden gust of wind. "You healed on your own, just like you did on your first day here with the jet crash."

  The Commander's eyes drifted upward, fixating on the ceiling as he pondered his next words. "Healing through sorcery, to achieve the state you currently embody, is... yet to be discovered," he finally admitted, the weight of uncharted knowledge in his voice.

  Zod's shoulders slumped in disappointment, his gaze falling to the ground in resignation. The allure of magical healing had been shattered, leaving him disheartened and yearning for answers beyond the realm of his grasp.

  Intrigued by the topic, Tee summoned her courage and posed a daring question. "Are you a wizard, Commander?" Her choice of words held a hint of mischievousness, knowing the potential trap she had set.

  The term "wizard" carried various connotations throughout the ages, often veering between a skilled magic practitioner and a madman.

  Kie, observing Tee's audacity, leaned back on his arms, shaking his head in anticipation. He recognized her cunning, unveiling her hidden intentions behind the query. A subtle flicker danced across his lips, a valiant effort to suppress an emerging smile, acknowledging her wicked genius.

  "No," the Commander replied, his gaze fixed on an unseen point above their heads. "If you want the answer you seek, ask my Lieutenant." The gravity of his words hung in the air, causing their eyes to widen in astonishment.

  An incredulous expression painted Zod's face as the revelation settled in. "Your Lieutenant is a Vergant?" he blurted, unable to fathom the idea, especially considering her seemingly normal appearance with brown hair and glasses. "It's always the cute ladies that keep secrets right under your noses."

  The Commander's eyes descended, narrowing as he assessed the audacity of the cadet's remark. The teenage lingo and casual admiration for his second-in-command left the Commander bemused. What was it with teenagers those days?

  Tee, her arms folded defiantly, interjected, probing for more information. "So, I guess you and us are the only non-Vergants in this place, huh?"

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  The Commander met her gaze with a stoic expression, unperturbed by her unwavering resolve. He sensed her unspoken message, her determination not to be controlled, whether he knew her status as a Xeno-victim or not.

  In a twisted twist of her own words, he cryptically replied, "Don't worry about that.”

  Locked in a silent standoff, their eyes locked for what felt like an eternity, each testing the other's ability to shield their emotions behind impassive masks. The sudden creak of the door snapped them out of their trance, redirecting their attention to the elderly figure who emerged.

  The memories flooded their minds, transporting them back to that pivotal meeting in the dimly lit room on their very first day at Primus.

  The elder, draped in long, flowing yellow garments, glided toward them with an ethereal grace, almost defying gravity itself. Each step seemed to hover above the ground, intensifying the air of mystique surrounding him.

  The Commander leaned away from the window, his hands falling to his sides. "Elder Caledor, you're right on time," he acknowledged, his gaze shifting to the five teenagers perched on their beds. "Let's delve into those burning questions I know you must have."

  A hushed silence fell upon them as they observed the enigmatic figure, whom they had encountered only once during their orientation. His name eluded their memory, leaving them wondering why he had appeared now. He halted in the center aisle, commanding their attention.

  “Don’t tell me you cadets don’t have any questions,” the Commander taunted. “Why is everyone so silent?”

  The Elder Caledor uttered in a tremulous voice. "I do humbly beg thy pardon for the tardiness of mine arrival," bowing his head in deference.

  Commander caught a glimpse of Tee, and she took notice. The old man knew her secret, and she would not be the first to talk.

  The Commander eased backward, his back meeting the cool surface of the window. With a fluid motion, he lifted one leg and pressed it firmly against the sturdy wall. His voice, rich and authoritative, pierced the air like a blade through darkness.

  "Remind us, Elder Caledor," the Commander demanded, his voice carrying the weight of urgency, "why do they have to eliminate the Habringers."

  The room seemed to hold its breath, anticipating the Elder Caledor's response.

  “The Harbingers, who once stood among us, have gathered unto themselves thousands of fragments. In recent days, they came upon the Omega Stone, which hath the power to unite all fragments in one place, to destroy them, or to make them whole for their use. And lo, the battle concluded with the Stone being stirred by dark energy, and it was cast into a lost state once more.

  “Verily, we hold faith that the Omega Stone shall be found again, and the Harbingers shall not tread the same folly twice. We may not suffer them to prevail. Yea, the only course that remaineth is to utterly blot them from existence.

  "They seek the fragments for a different purpose," the Elder Caledor finally whispered, his voice laden with a mixture of trepidation and grim certainty. The weight of his words settled heavily upon the room, sending a shiver down their spines. The recruits exchanged uneasy glances, their minds racing to comprehend the implications of this revelation.

  “They have no interest in recreating the Alpha Seal for its destruction,” the Elder Caledor said, his voice laden with a somber gravity. "But rather, they seek to succeed in completing the task started by the Dark Lord, the very task that led to the catastrophic failure we now know as the Second Apocalypse, Reign of Severin."

  Tee and her comrades exchanged knowing glances, their hearts heavy with the weight of their task. The fanciful words and grandiose explanations only served as a thin veil to disguise the sinister truth they had feared all along—the Harbingers aimed to bring about the annihilation of their world, embracing the chaos and darkness that awaited.

  Before, it had felt like a facade. But after their near-death experience, it all felt too real. The danger was more alive than ever.

  "And that means we're going to have to face them again, aren't we?" Saeda's voice trembled with a mixture of fear and resignation, her eyes darting from one companion to another.

  "You must," the Elder Caledor's response was firm, leaving no room for doubt.

  Tee concluded the Elder Caledor meant only Saeda who he replied to since there was no way they were going to keep her there for so long to repeat that slaughter show. But then, a cold realization crept into her mind—what if they used her secret?

  Panic surged through her as she contemplated the possibility of being blackmailed, her secret exposed to the world. In movies, such discoveries never ended well for the covert Xeno-victim. The thought of the deadly consequences tightened its grip on her. What if they were just waiting for her to tell her teammates to unveil the painful punishment for her. And her death-less ability meant it would be an everlasting torment. What if that’s what the so-called Balance Seal was? A trick?

  "And you will defeat them," the Commander interjected, his voice filled with unwavering belief. "I know you will."

  His words hung in the air, met with stoic silence. The motivation he had hoped to inspire failed to stir even the faintest flicker of a smile on their faces. The weight of the task ahead felt suffocating, and the scars of their previous encounters still haunted their souls.

  Zod, his hand rubbing over his head, chimed in, his confusion palpable. “This is the second near death experience and we’re alive with no scratch. A mere day shouldn’t have healed us. Explain.”

  Tee couldn't hide her annoyance at the question, especially when the Commander had already provided an explanation. They healed.

  "It is because you have healed," the Elder Caledor spoke, his voice carrying a sense of authority and wisdom.

  Kie, eager, asked, “Why don’t I have any new scars? I checked as soon as I was the first to wake up.”

  That made Tee wonder if he had stripped naked—a thought that conjured a grotesque image.

  "Allow me to clarify. None of you perished," the Elder Caledor began, his voice carrying an air of authority. "Instead, your bodies entered a profound healing state, akin to a deep slumber from which you will not awaken until the healing process reaches its completion."

  A hush fell over the room as his words sank in, leaving the recruits awestruck and contemplative. The notion that they had been on the precipice of death, only to be granted more chances at life through a mysterious healing phenomenon, seemed almost too extraordinary to grasp.

  “What was the point of being deathless if the pain felt just the same?” Tee couldn’t even gasp, her expression mocking as she failed to feign being impressed.

  “So this isn’t some healing supplement experiment?" Zod asked. Giving no time to explain, “Why would I be chosen to be a Sentinel of the planet. I’m not righteous.”

  The five teens all nodded. Tee for one had done some questionable things in her life.

  The Elder Caledor, “TThe cause of thy calling is not known. Some say it happeneth by chance. But whether it be so or not, ye are the keepers of the earth. Furthermore," the Elder Caledor continued, his tone tinged with reverence, "this remarkable healing power is not an external force but a manifestation of your innate Ultramana prowess. It has been within you all along, awaiting activation. And now, as it awakens, it will surge forth, granting you abilities that surpass the confines of your own minds and transcend any conceivable bounds of knowledge."

  The room seemed to hold its breath, captivated by the gravity of his words. The recruits contemplated the profound implications of their latent potential, their minds opening up to the vast possibilities that lay ahead. The very notion of their dormant powers awakening and expanding beyond imagination left them both exhilarated and humbled.

  “The Verge never lies,” said the Elder Caledor.

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