The air in High Commander Marek’s office was thick with the scent of expensive tobacco. Marek looked like a man who had just found a winning lottery ticket. He held a cup of whiskey and a cigar in the same hand while a permanent grin stretched across his face.

  "Specialist Vane! Come, sit down. Cigar?" Marek leaned forward, offering a case to Janus.

  Janus shook his head. "Thank you, but no, sir. I feel I am too young for this."

  "Ha! If you are old enough to survive so many dwarves wanting your head, you are an adult in my eyes. But it is fine. These cigars are difficult to procure on this wretched planet. I will keep this one." Marek placed it back in his box, puffed a cloud of smoke, and leaned in.

  "I am not dumb, Janus. I know your powers involve Abominations, and I know you are terrified of being sent to a lab. If I told you those fears would never be realized, I would be lying. At any moment, if a soldier gets a whiff of your aberrant powers and tells the higher-ups, you would vanish for the greater good of the Empire." Marek said those last words slowly to emphasize the gravity of the threat.

  "However, along with your weird powers, you have terrific luck. Cyrus and Lyza said nothing about your abilities, even though I threatened them with court-martial. They risked their lives for you. Lyza, being your friend, I understand. But Cyrus usually treats his superiors with utter disdain. That is why he is the lowest rank despite his power. But your greatest luck is having me as your High Commander."

  Marek relaxed into his armchair while filling his cup from a fresh bottle of whiskey. "I don't want to give the scientists an asset I found and developed. I want to see you shine. You summoned a Maw-Watcher. Forgive my directness, but you are pathetic at the moment. Any B-Ranker could kill you effortlessly, yet you summoned something that could kill an A-Ranker. You could destroy this base if you wanted. Just thinking about your potential..." Marek trailed off, taking a long puff from his cigar.

  "I'm sorry, sir. I did help an Abomination break the wall separating our worlds and cross to this side. I didn't actively summon one. I don't know if I could repeat this feat and how well it would be," Janus said, worried.

  "Janus, I'll need more from you than this humble bullshit. I know you didn't actively summon an Abomination. At least I guessed it. But there is an uncountable amount of Abominations trying to leave their wretched, empty realm. Anywhere you make it easier to break the wall between the worlds, would make Abominations come to this world. Your power isn't a summoning power, but it works as one, and we may need to use it to end this war quickly," Marek said, scolding Janus.

  "Your mother is an A-Ranker, correct?"

  "Yes, sir," Janus replied, keeping his posture rigid.

  "And her colleagues, your siblings included, are all High-Ranked Hunters, aren't they?" As Janus nodded, Marek’s gaze darkened. "Now, imagine the tactical shift if they abandoned their hunts for a few cycles and were stationed here instead. We bleed our ranks dry because most C-Rankers we train are sent to the Tyranny of the Flesh front. Meanwhile, we are left with the dregs to hold the line."

  Marek inclined forward. The holographic light of his tablet cast long shadows across his face. "If the High-Rankers were deployed here, we wouldn't just be holding territory. We would be ending this war. We could finally pivot our focus to the greater threats. I have drafted the plans, Janus. I have petitioned The Sovereign Command more times than I can count, and every time, they refuse. Do you know why?"

  His voice dropped to a low and weary rasp. "They refuse because the Sovereign Command doesn't view this war as a problem to be solved. They view it as a process. Look at the flow of soldiers. The most promising are always plucked from the front lines and sent upward to higher tiers of conflict. They call it advancement, but I call it a harvest."

  He tapped the holographic display, showing the endless loop of soldier deployments. His brow furrowed in genuine frustration. "I’ve spent thirty years preening this herd. I send my best men and women to Primordia, and not one of them has ever sent a letter home. Not one has returned to tell us what it’s like at the peak." Marek’s voice sounded momentarily choked.

  He reached out and pressed the button on Janus's wrist to display the skill slot. "The Codex isn't just a tool to help you fight, boy. It’s a ledger. It is grading you. It marks who is worthy of Ascension and who is just fuel for the meat grinder. I don't know what they do with the S-Ranks because most of them disappear, but I know the smell of trouble."

  He sighed. The weight of his years finally showed in the slump of his shoulders. "I just wanted to win a war, Janus. I wanted to protect our borders. But it’s hard to fulfill your duty when you start to realize you’re not a commander. You’re just a rancher delivering cattle to the slaughterhouse."

  Marek took a slow sip of whiskey, studying Janus over the rim of his glass. "I know we should be celebrating, and here I am with all this doom and gloom. But an associate of mine said he trusts you very much. He told me to test you, and now I believe you can help us. He is an associate who helped you train just before you arrived here."

  Janus’s eyes bulged. Was Marek telling the truth and he talked to Silas, or was he testing the waters? Not knowing how to respond, Janus spoke carefully. "I hope our associate's reassurance and my own potential have convinced you that I will do what is best for us."

  "Yes. I know you will. I need intelligence. We were being pushed back. We even lost a forward base to those tin cans. We don’t have any S-Rankers on this planet, and we have to fend off five Siege Breakers. Any one of them is as powerful as an S-Ranker. I fought tooth and nail to bring Cyrus here for a better chance of winning, but even he wouldn't have been enough. But now I have you."

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  "But sir, if I keep using my powers, people will find out," Janus said.

  "In normal circumstances, yes. But you are talking to Jonas Marek. I am a High Commander by merit in this godforsaken, nepotistic hell. You will only use your powers with me and a trustworthy scientist in a room that blocks Mana leaks. You need to get powerful. You cannot depend on Cyrus or this Abomination Mana."

  "We call it Unmana," Janus corrected.

  Marek’s eyes sharpened. "We? So how many people are in this 'we'?"

  Janus’s eyes widened further. He bit his tongue and remained silent, realizing his slip.

  "As I said, you can trust me," Marek continued. "As a show of good will, you will keep your rank of Specialist and be sent to Fort Haven. You and Lyza will receive the best training the academy offers. You need to develop powers that do not rely on your Unmana. You also need to mask it better. Now, regarding the report on the Maw-Watcher, would you like to read it?"

  Marek extended the papers. Janus accepted them and began to scan the text. "You are really going to say that we were lucky and a Maw-Watcher just appeared out of nowhere?"

  "Why not? I have lied on far more important reports than this one. Most of my paperwork goes to a noble’s daughter named Kimberly. She is as beautiful as a model but incredibly dim. People say she is only in the military to find a husband. She doesn't read the reports. She just signs them. But before I send you away, I need you to read the minds of a few captured leaders. Then, we have work to do."

  Later, Janus arrived at Lyza’s room. He knocked, and to his surprise, Cyrus opened the door.

  “I didn’t know you two already had this kind of relationship,” Janus said, pausing at the threshold.

  “Calm down, Janus. I am not after your girlfriend,” Cyrus laughed. “I am already in a relationship and I don't go for kids. Ha, look at your faces!”

  The joke broke the tension, leaving Janus and Lyza stuttering until they finally convinced Cyrus they weren't a couple.

  “So what were you talking about?” Janus asked, stepping inside with a bottle of whiskey and three glasses.

  “You, actually,” Cyrus said.

  “Peace offering,” Janus explained, setting the bottle down. “Marek gave it to us. He also turned off our tracking bracelets so we could talk without being overheard. He wants us to relax before we head to our next post.”

  “And you are just going to believe High Commander Marek?” Lyza asks.

  “Before that, Janus, I was just telling Lyza how much I regret trying to sell you to the dwarves,” Cyrus admitted. “You saved my life by pushing me out of that laser's path, and Lyza brought back my arm. It is healed now, as long as I don't overwork it for some time. That is why I didn't say anything to Marek, even when he threatened me with prison and death. I respect you both, even though you’re just kids. Not that it matters. Marek seeing you use your disgusting powers just destroyed any peace we could have bought with it.”

  Janus took a sip of the whiskey he brought and offered it to his comrades. “Actually, I think we are lucky. Marek was testing you two. Because you two didn't talk, he is letting us go. I think that if any of you had talked, he would have you or me vanish, by the way he spoke. So, now Lyza and I are going to Fort Haven for training, as long as I keep helping him with dead mind readings. You are staying here Cyrus, to help him in combat.”

  “And will you help him?” Lyza asked.

  “I am doing it right now. One of my undead is currently in the interrogation wing, and I am speaking with Marek and a scientist named Dr. Simons.”

  Cyrus shuddered. “Janus, why is it that every time I learn more about your power, you look more disgusting?”

  “Some people are Solar Sovereigns. Others are aberrations of nature,” Janus laughed. “Not everyone can shine equally under the sun. But seriously, it is becoming a problem. I am absorbing their memories. Every time I use this power, it gets stronger, so I get more memories of them. I am probably the most knowledgeable human in dwarven culture right now. I know their cities. I know Rune Forging. I feel like I have lived years as a dwarf. I can't see them as monsters anymore.”

  “And you can talk to us while doing that?” Lyza asked.

  “Yeah. When I control a corpse, I recreate my Core within it and borrow the body. If the brain is still functional, I have two brains processing information. Paying attention to two things at once is actually quite easy with two brains.”

  “Finally something about your wretched power that I envy,” Cyrus said. “Anything else noteworthy?” Cyrus says, at this point Janus noticed that Lyza and Cyrus were also drinking the whiskey.

  Janus sighed deeply. “Two things, but it involves sex. I hoped my first time would be a cherished memory with someone I loved. Instead, my first memories of intimacy belong to random dwarves. I don't know if humans are as depraved as they are, but my god, they are perverted. I have memories of me doing things so many times with so many people, sometimes many people at the same time, that it ruined the dream of a 'first time.' I only look forward to my future first time because I just want to feel it with my own body, not someone else's memories.”

  “And now we are back to disgusting,” Cyrus groaned. “Robbing someone's intimate experiences is such a weird violation. Can't you avoid it?”

  “I don't want any of it! It is a jumble of confusing memories. I even have memories of being a woman and lying with men, and a man lying with men. It makes me wonder. If the Empire didn't outlaw such things, maybe it would be more common among us, too.”

  Cyrus turned red and looked away. “Go on. Hearing you talk makes me love my metal powers more and more.”

  “And now there’s the worst of it,” Janus says, making Cyrus almost spit his whiskey while holding his laughter. “By the Emperor, there’s something even worse?!”

  “There is a female dwarf named Illina,” Janus continued. “She was dating three of the soldiers I read. At the same time, apparently. None of them knew. The problem is that because I lived the memories of those three guys, I feel like I am in love with her, even though I know she cheated on me!”

  The room erupted into laughter.

  The following day, Janus and Lyza used the teleporter to Fort Haven. Janus felt his Abomination Core flare during the transition, but he managed to keep it under control. The most impressive thing was that even after sleep, whiskey, and teleportation, his consciousness remained linked to the dwarf corpse back at Fort Aegis.

  He was currently using that body to construct a laser emitter for his hands, using dwarven engineering. He found that the bodies lasted longer now, though they still eventually crumbled into dust.

  When they arrived at their new quarters, Janus realized things would be different. Fort Haven was a military academy. As a Specialist, Janus shared a room with five beds. It was better than the general bunks with a hundred men, but worse than his private room at Fort Aegis. At least him and Lyza would have classes in the elite classes instead of the general classes. The chance of improvement was much higher.

  “I have to thank you again for taking me with you,” Lyza said, looking at the beds. “I can sleep with much more privacy now. And the classes, they are much more focused on the subjects. Much better than what I was receiving.”

  “This is nothing you wouldn't have done for me,” Janus replied.

  “And I hope you remember that I would do the same and don't let me complimenting you get to your head,” Lyza jokes. “Do you think our roommates are nice?”

  “I doubt it. These people likely got high scores on Registration Day. They feel powerful. They haven't been through the hell we have. They don't know how weak we all still are.”

  “YOU are weak as shit, Indigo Cap,” a familiar, unwelcome voice barked from the doorway.

  Janus and Lyza looked up to see their former classmate, Gridus, staring them down.