They had failed the first time.

  It wasn’t that they underestimated him—no, they knew what he was capable of. They’d seen it firsthand. The issue was that he had more power then them. There had been five back then. Now there were only three. Two dead, their final moments spent shielding the others from that ridiculous, devastating attack that tore through half a region.

  And the bastard had laughed through it.

  “Oh… I finally found you.”

  The voice slid into his thoughts.

  He turned and saw her emerging from the treeline—Givena.

  She was tall, elegant, and composed, the kind of beauty that made even the concept of violence seem refined. Grace shaped into menace. Her robe was a blinding white, laced with crimson thorns that pulsed and grew like veins under skin. Across the fabric, ink shifted constantly—lines of scripture and glyphs rearranging themselves every second. Her eyes glowed faintly.

  “Good job,” he said dryly, clapping slowly. “A+ detection skills.”

  Givena didn’t smile. “Our time together would be far more productive and enjoyable if your attitude was better.”

  He scowled, crossing his arms. “I’m impatient because this whole plan’s dumb. It’d make more sense to just kill the crew and finish the job when they walked out of the dungeon.”

  “No.”

  He blinked. “What do you mean no? They’ve been out a full day!”

  Givena tilted her head slightly. Her hair shifted as though carried by some unseen current. “No,” she repeated, calm as ever. “Because several forces are in motion. It isn’t time yet.”

  He grit his teeth. “We’ve been waiting for weeks at this point!”

  “Patience,” she said, stepping closer. “The curse will take effect tomorrow night.”

  That caught his attention. His posture straightened, irritation fading into dark amusement.

  “…Oh?” he asked, voice low.

  Givena’s gold-violet eyes glinted. “Yes. Tomorrow, the cracks between what’s real and what’s written will finally widen. Then you and those two girls can finally have your revenge.”

  Her smile widened.

  “Be ready,” she whispered. “Once the curse completes, we’ll move in… and kill every single one of them.”

  ————

  Explaining the chaos of the dungeon and how the Whispering Tree had nearly been a total disaster took up most of yesterday. Lythra had told them that if it wasn’t for Bebele she would have abandoned them. The debrief itself, stretched across several hours—part exhaustion, part disbelief—as the Occulted Moon members tried to make sense of what had just happened. Between the corrupted V-Dungeon mechanics, the shifting rules, and the near-erasure, even the veterans were rattled.

  Most of the survivors spoke in fragments. Phrases like “the rounds didn’t stop” and “it shouldn’t have been able to think” filled the air as the ship’s medics tended to burns, bite marks, and fractured bones. Tinsurnae gave a short report on the metaphysical infection—the Sryun distortion she’d used to end it—while S?urtinaui ran down the main events. Caroline’s version of events came with more curses than details, Jack exaggerated a few parts and Kiera’s section was mostly laughter and phrases like “I blew up so many zombies.”

  When the debrief was finally done, they turned their attention to a more pressing issue.

  Captain Ozzy and North.

  Still no contact.

  The communicator link had remained green since before the dungeon, meaning Ozzy and Tabia were both alive, but the silence was unsettling. At this point action was needed.

  Lythra stood by the main console and zoomed in on the coordinates tied to Ozzy’s signal. “Still fixed in the same region,” she muttered, eyes glowing faintly as she tracked the aura trail. “We’ll head there… it seems to be some kind of city… or something close enough.”

  That was enough to earn a round of nods. They were too tired to debate.

  It was decided. They’d rest, recover, while flying out toward the signal.

  In the meantime, Kiera scheduled a full crew meeting for tomorrow night—a casual one, just to regroup and lift morale. The mental drain of the dungeon had left most of the thirty survivors hollow-eyed and sluggish, like ghosts walking through their own ship. The aftereffects of dying, respawning, and fighting endlessly in a system that blurred the line between game and existence had taken its toll.

  Well—almost everyone.

  Jack and Kiera, of course, looked perfectly fine.

  Jack leaned back in his chair, feet on the table, flipping through his weapons like a kid with a stack of trading cards. “You see this one? Calls down lightning. This one acts like a mini gun. And this one—oh man—”

  Kiera groaned. “Please tell me you’re not going to test that in the ship.”

  Jack smirked. “No promises.”

  “Play with me if you want,” she sighed, walking off with a tired grin.

  Around them, the others tried to laugh—but most couldn’t shake the lingering dread. For all the smiles and chatter, the silence of the missing captain hung over the ship like a shadow.

  ————

  [Present Day. Forty Minutes Until The Rap Battle Ends.]

  Bebele and Lythra were stationed at the main console inside the Teacher’s Lounge. The dim lights reflected off the metallic floor, giving the room an ambient glow that flickered in rhythm with the ship’s low hum. Outside the wide viewing glass, the golden haze of the distant wave shimmered faintly.

  Kiera hadn’t left her dorm all day. Even she—despite the bravado and constant jokes—had reached her limit. Sleep wasn’t a choice; it just happened.

  Lythra’s translucent synthetic body glowed faintly green as she scrolled through system diagnostics. The holo-screens fluttered around her like translucent feathers, reading out crew vitals, atmospheric levels, and engine power. “You missed everyone’s debrief yesterday,” she said, glancing over at Bebele. “Did you even notice they got back?”

  Bebele didn’t look up from the secondary panel. His ring of ears pulsed in a slow rhythm. “I was working on the engines,” he said evenly. “And checking on a few structural anomalies. Nothing major.”

  “Anomalies?”

  He nodded. “Fluctuations. Small, but strange. The reactor’s aura output is running cleaner than it should. That’s never a good sign.”

  Lythra sighed and leaned back against the console. “You and your ominous phrasing…”

  “I learned from the best,” Bebele replied, his voice a low hum that always sounded halfway between comfort and warning.

  Her eyes flickered to one of the status feeds—an aura scan of the ship. The readings were stable, but she couldn’t shake the unease that had followed her since they left the dungeon. “Something feels off,” she admitted quietly. “Like… we brought something back with us.”

  Bebele turned toward her, his ring of ears giving a soft tremor. “You’ve been overclocked for days, Lythra. Maybe your systems are misinterpreting feedback. You should rest.”

  “I don’t need rest. I just—”

  “You do,” he interrupted gently, raising a stubby hand. “Even androids with human brains can’t run endlessly. Lord Mi’Lerntra wouldn’t want you to malfunction due to exhaustion.”

  Lythra hesitated, her translucent body flickering faintly as her synthetic heart pulsed faster. “I can’t just—”

  “You can,” Bebele insisted. “Let me take over for a while. You’ve done enough tonight.”

  The logic made sense, and it irritated her that he was right. She paused, scrolling through the ship’s active systems one last time before stepping back from the console. “Fine,” she muttered. “Just… keep an eye on the engines. And also the barriers, they were fine but never can be too careful.”

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  Bebele gave what might have been a smile. “Go on. I’ll manage.”

  Lythra hesitated again, glancing once at the console and then toward the door. Something about the air felt heavier now. “If anything happens—”

  “I’ll call you immediately.”

  She nodded slowly. “Alright. I’ll be in the library. I’ll return in a few hours.”

  She left without another word, her faintly glowing body disappearing down the hallway. The door sealed shut behind her, leaving Bebele alone with the hum of the ship.

  His ring of ears began to rotate faster now, each one producing a faint, rhythmic tone. The air shimmered around him like heat distortion as he turned back to the console.

  “All according to sequence,” he whispered softly, voice reverberating in tones that weren’t quite his own.

  The ears vibrated again, harmonizing with something unseen.

  His role was approaching.

  ————

  Caroline sprawled across the bed, one arm dangling lazily over the edge, the other clutching a half-finished soda can like it was a lifeline. Her oversized T-shirt—one with a faded ranger blasting an alien in retro neon colors—hung off one shoulder, and her black fuzzy shorts clung just enough to be cozy. Her sandpaper-textured hair, still damp from the shower, clung to the side of her face.

  She sighed and stared at the ceiling fan spinning in slow, lazy circles. Mekiea’s room smelled faintly of metal polish, oil, and cinnamon tea—a weird mix that shouldn’t have worked, yet somehow did. His space was… a mess. A comforting, predictable mess.

  For someone who’d lived longer than her grandparents, the guy’s decor was pure garage monkey meets Madmax survivor. Half-finished mechanical arms, dismantled drones, and three half-assembled scooters sat in one corner like a shrine to unfulfilled projects. Scrap metal covered the desk beside a holographic projection of what looked like a schematic for a plasma carburetor—or maybe a coffee maker; she couldn’t tell.

  Then there were the posters.

  Family portraits, maybe. Faded, worn, but still radiating that warmth you couldn’t fake. Every one of them showed red-haired, brown-skinned people—some laughing, some standing proud. Except every single one had the eyes cut out.

  She frowned. “Yeah, okay,” she muttered to herself. “Without context, that would definitely be a therapy-level red flag.”

  But this was Mekiea. The man had more layers than a mystery box in a cursed dungeon. She’d just have to pry open one at a time.

  She pulled his blanket—dark blue with small tears near the seams—up to her chin. The fabric smelled faintly of smoke and ozone. Him.

  She didn’t even realize she was smiling until she caught herself.

  The hellish debrief yesterday had drained her. The dungeon, the zombies, the damn Whispering Tree—it was all still bouncing around in her head like a nightmare she couldn’t fully wake from. But now, here, surrounded by his mess, it was easier to breathe. Which is why she spent the whole day here.

  “Never again,” she muttered aloud, staring at a pile of old mech parts like they personally offended her. “I don’t care if the reward’s a holy grail and free alchemy for life. Never. Again.”

  Silence answered her—except for the faint hum of Mekiea’s lamp and the distant whir of the ship’s engines.

  Still, lying in his bed, wrapped in his scent, surrounded by the strange fragments of his life—she couldn’t help but feel… safe.

  Mekiea stepped out of the steamy bathroom, a towel slung around his waist and another twisted around his head like a turban. Stray strands of his deep red hair poked out in every direction, still dripping. The sight made Caroline snort out a laugh before she could stop herself.

  “What’s funny?” He said half smiling.

  She grinned, propping herself up on one elbow. “You. After days of guts, blood, and undead nightmares, I get you—worried about split ends.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Self-care is important.”

  She smirked. “Yeah, okay, princess.”

  He started to chuckle and walked toward her, water still glistening down his chest. “You say that like it’s an insult.”

  “Maybe it is.”

  “Oh?” He leaned down, his voice smooth and teasing. “Then I’ll take it as a compliment.”

  Before she could quip back, he kissed her. Just a small one, soft but confident. The kind that made her forget she’d even been teasing in the first place.

  When he pulled back, Caroline blinked—half flustered, half frozen. “…Okay,” she said quietly. “Didn’t see that coming.”

  He smiled faintly and moved toward the dresser. “Then I’ll try to keep surprising you.”

  She felt a sudden chill. Not bad—just sharp, like the air had shifted. Watching him grab clothes, she suddenly realized he was actually about to change in front of her. Her cheeks went warm.

  “Wait! Uh—can you maybe, like, change in the bathroom?” she blurted, waving her hands. “I’m… not ready for all that yet.”

  Mekiea paused mid-step, one brow lifting. “All that?”

  She gestured vaguely toward his waist. “You know. That.”

  He laughed softly, a low hum that made the room feel smaller. “Relax, Caroline. It’s just a vash’renai.”

  She squinted. “A what now? That’s not a word.”

  He grinned. “It is where I’m from.”

  “Sure it is,” she muttered. “Sounds like something you made up to mess with me. You never taught me that during our lessons.”

  “Want me to show you?” he asked lightly, tone playful but his eyes glinting just enough to make her heartbeat quicken.

  “…Yes?” The word slipped out before she could stop it, her brain screaming no while curiosity whispered absolutely.

  He smirked, stepping closer. “I thought you weren’t ready for all that.”

  “That was then,” she said, sitting up straighter. “This is now.”

  He dropped the towel.

  Her eyes went wide.

  For a second, all words abandoned her.

  “That—” she started, then stopped. “That’s not—how is that even—”

  Mekiea just smiled, wrapping the towel back around himself with practiced ease. “Told you. Its just a vash’renai.”

  Caroline buried her face in the pillow, half mortified that it didn’t turn her off, half laughing. “Oh my god, I hate you.”

  ————

  [On One Of The Ship’s Balcony’s]

  “Qui Tensigon?!”

  Jack winced. “Yes, Teach, no need to scream in my ear.”

  S?urtinaui’s voice was sharp, with restrained fury. “A Supreme Family Head just talked to you and you didn’t think to—”

  He cut her off with a tired, almost bitter laugh. “—The same way you guys don’t think to include me in stuff? Or have contingencies for me? Yeah, I figured that part out.”

  Her mouth closed. For once, she had no immediate answer.

  Jack stared at her, arms folded, the faint gleam of gold and blue flickering across his eyes. “That’s what I thought. You don’t care about me, Teach. I’m just expendable.”

  “That’s not true,” she said, quieter this time.

  “Of course it is. Remember what you said to me? ‘You lack direction.’ So, I got some.” He gave a crooked grin that didn’t reach his eyes. “Turns out, I was meant for greatness. You just didn’t see it.”

  S?urtinaui’s shoulders eased slightly, her tone shifting from anger to concern. “So what do you plan to do with that greatness, Jack?”

  He leaned back in his chair, voice almost casual. “Let the story play out. Everything that happens now is part of my development. You said it yourself—I’m a prodigy. Well, now I’m just living that truth.”

  Her gaze lingered on him, reading the edges of something dangerous forming beneath the charm. “Do you plan to hurt us?”

  “No.” His answer came quick. “That’s not the story being written. Besides… I’m not evil.”

  S?urtinaui’s jaw tightened. “Then understand this. We didn’t distrust you for nothing. You’re dangerous, Jack. Even before this… ‘awakening.’ We had to be cautious.”

  “I know,” he said simply. “And I don’t blame you. But my actions got me what I wanted. So no, I wouldn’t change a thing.”

  Silence hung between them. The low hum of the ship filled the space.

  Finally, she exhaled. “For what it’s worth,” she said softly, “I did like you.”

  Jack’s grin returned, softer this time. “Thanks, Teach. I liked you too. Still do.” He looked out into the night sky. “Once we meet up with North, though… we’ll separate. Different arcs, different fates.”

  “Does that make you our enemy?”

  He paused, eyes glinting with that same unnerving mix of confidence and mystery. “I’ll wait to see who survives between Civen and you guys,” he said. “Then I’ll fight the winner.”

  S?urtinaui stared, caught between disbelief and resignation.

  He turned back with a teasing smile. “Don’t be all sad, Teach. We’re not there yet. Let’s enjoy ourselves while we can. We beat a V-Dungeon, remember?”

  She sighed, shaking her head. “Yeah… we did.”

  Then, after a moment he asked…

  “Wanna grab us some drinks?”

  She chuckled.

  “That’s the spirit!”

  She smiled faintly and huffed a small laugh.

  “Don’t get too comfortable, Jack.”

  “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

  S?urtinaui exhaled through her nose, rubbing her temple as if the whole situation were a migraine given physical form. “Well,” she muttered, “everything ended well, so everything should be well.”

  Right?

  That was what logic dictated. Jack was no longer just some reckless Legendary Cadet with a god complex — he was connected to Qui Tensigon, a Supreme Family Head. Trying to interfere with someone under a Supreme’s direct influence was as good as stepping into a black hole willingly. She wasn’t suicidal.

  No, the best move was to play it by ear. For now, he wasn’t hostile — and given the raw power humming under his skin, if Jack wanted to hurt them, he would have done it by now. And with Tinsurnae in her fragile, drained state… yeah, that fight wouldn’t end pretty for anyone.

  Her thoughts drifted, trying to settle, when it hit — that crawling, suffocating pulse of energy tearing through the atmosphere.

  S?urtinaui’s eyes snapped open. “What—?”

  At the same instant, Jack stood from his seat, half-turned toward the energy's direction, his usual lazy grin replaced with an alert frown. “Hey, uh… Teach, you feel that—”

  BOOOOOOM!

  The entire ship lurched sideways, a deafening shockwave tearing through the hull. Sirens howled, lights flickered, and the balcony tilted into chaos. Metal screamed as the blast struck the port side.

  S?urtinaui slammed into the floor and slid, grabbing the railing to keep from being thrown off balance — the wind and gravity both trying to pull her into the open sky.

  Jack’s hand shot out, grabbing hers and anchoring her in place. His voice, even amid the roaring alarms, was irritatingly calm.

  “Technically,” he said with a grin, “still on the same team for now, Teach.”

  “Not the time, Jack!” she shouted, teeth gritted. “What was that?”

  He shrugged, dusting debris off his shoulder — until the sky began to glow.

  Silver and violet.

  Hundreds of spheres of swirling energy — compact and pulsing — began forming in the sky around them. Each orb twisted and breathed like a living star. The hum was so loud it made the ship’s metal vibrate.

  S?urtinaui’s pupils constricted. “My gods—”

  Jack squinted, more for style than clarity. His smirk crept back. “Oh wow,” he said, laughing under his breath. “Would you look at that…”

  He turned to her, grin sharpening into excitement.

  “Look who came back from the dead!”

  “Who?” S?urtinaui asked, bracing herself as the ship’s alarms still wailed.

  Jack tilted his head toward the view outside. “That’d be him.”

  Floating high above was a man with short brown hair streaked in silver, his cloak a swirl of black and white that rippled like a banner. His aura burned like condensed starlight, silver flames coiling around him in controlled fury. The sheer pressure made the air ripple, warping the clouds below.

  Jack lifted a hand and waved with the audacity of someone greeting an old drinking buddy. “Hey, Haruki! Long time no see!”

  S?urtinaui’s eyes darted between them. “You know him?!”

  The man’s slitted silver eyes locked onto Jack, glowing like polished blades. His voice rolled across the sky, low and cold enough to vibrate in her bones.

  “I’m going to kill you Jack!”

  Jack just grinned wider. “Geez man, I missed you too.”

  Before S?urtinaui could process the exchange, the silver orbs surrounding Haruki screamed to life. Their pitch rose like a battering ram tearing through metal — and then, in perfect synchronization, they dove.

  The air split apart as the spheres streaked toward the ship, trails of violet lightning burning through the atmosphere.

  S?urtinaui’s instinct screamed. “MOVE!”

  Jack’s eyes flashed gold and blue, his smirk never fading as he muttered under his breath, “Guess the reunion’s gonna be loud.”

  Thanks for reading and enjoy ya weekend.