In eternal darkness, numbness spread through Saeda’s body. She was somewhere unfamiliar, a void she couldn’t define. It felt like the moment when you close your eyes to wash your face—those few seconds of blindness before the relief of sight returned. But that time, her eyes never opened. The darkness lingered, growing heavier with each breath, and her anguish deepened until it was unbearable.

  She cried, but no tears came. She couldn’t feel them. She couldn’t feel anything. Madness crept in, clawing at her mind. She wanted out. She wanted to see something—anything. Where were her friends? Was that punishment for something she had done in her life? She would have given anything just to see sunlight again.

  Tee sat alone in the windy field, hoping the breeze could carry away her worries. Her head had felt heavy before she came here, and sitting on the bark of a tree with her feet in the sand only dulled the weight slightly. The wind brushed against her face, whispering through her hair.

  She used her foresight to see beyond the trees, toward the beach. She’d only been to the beach a few times, always with Jack. But he wasn’t on her mind. Not when Saeda, her comrade, was gone.

  Tee never liked calling her Sentinel partners “friends.” The word didn’t feel right anymore, not after how quickly they had accepted letting the Harbingers keep Saeda, assuming she was a Xeno-victim. The hypocrisy gnawed at her, because Tee herself was one—a true Xeno-victim, capable of turning into a MegaSapian, a creature of destruction and chaos. If they ever found out, they’d despise her.

  She couldn’t let them know. Maybe once the Harbingers were gone, when their missions ended and they would no longer have to see each other, she could disappear with her secret intact.

  Saeda’s absence left her hollow. It had been two weeks since she vanished. What if Saeda had mutated, and they’d put her down? Would anyone even care? When Tetra died, they hadn’t even held a funeral because of her ties to illegal Xenogene activity. Tee knew the same fate—or worse—awaited her if they discovered what she was. Life was unfair. She never asked to carry that curse.

  As the day dimmed and shadows stretched over the field, Tee rose. The wind tugged at her hair as she walked, her mind burdened with thoughts too heavy for the air to lift.

  Kie had just returned from his meeting with the Commander. As he walked through the cold, deserted hallways, only one person occupied his thoughts—Tee.

  He wondered where she was. After all, he’d covered for her misconduct. He hadn’t told the Commander how she’d thrown her telecom at him after disobeying orders to teleport, or that she’d bragged about beating up MG officers. She clearly hadn’t been herself that day. She had said she wasn’t feeling well. Kie sighed, and whatever irritation he’d felt toward her dissolved.

  Then thoughts of Saeda surfaced, unwanted but persistent. He kept reminding himself it wasn’t his fault she was captured. To quiet his guilt, he turned to what always calmed him—reading. He took his tablet, went outside, and sank into a lounge chair by the pool.

  As Tee passed through the compound and climbed the steps to the courtyard, she noticed Kie lounging under the dim lights, absorbed in his tablet. From where she stood, it looked like he was reading Death-Guard Saga, and she almost scoffed. That kind of book didn’t suit him. He looked too calm, too proper—definitely the type to pretend.

  She glared at him from across the pool. How could he look so at ease when one of their team was missing? Using her foresight, she glimpsed the page he was reading—it was still early in the volume. Death-Guard Saga was no simple story. It was an infamous series known for its elaborate world and absurdly dramatic scenes—especially the scandalous ones. No one took it seriously, but its popularity spoke for itself.

  Kie sensed her presence and lowered his tablet slightly. The girl with white hair was watching him. He thought about confronting her for disobeying orders, but that would only expose his own cover-up. If she asked whether he told the Commander, what would he say? He couldn’t admit he’d kept her secret because he didn’t want to be on her bad side. Still, he wasn’t sure what he really wanted from her—only that he needed to be patient. Then, an idea sparked in his mind.

  He focused his thoughts and met her eyes. Can you hear me?

  Tee froze. A voice echoed in her head—his voice. Her heart leapt. She turned sharply toward him, and the smirk on his face confirmed it. He was in her head.

  Kie chuckled, amused by her horrified expression.

  She stormed over. “Were you just in my head?”

  “Yeah,” he said, standing to meet her. But his smile faded as he noticed her knitted brows and icy glare.

  Tee forced herself to stay calm. Getting angry might draw suspicion. It’s not like he could read her thoughts… right? She needed to be sure.

  “I thought you said that ability was too intimate,” she said, folding her arms. “That you didn’t like using it.”

  Kie sighed. “That’s true. But maybe it’ll come in handy someday. It’s worth practicing.”

  “Can you read my mind?” Tee pressed. “Like, if I’m thinking about something I don’t want anyone to ever know—would you hear it?” She stepped closer, her eyes narrowing.

  Kie blinked, surprised by the oddly specific question. “No. I can only speak telepathically right now,” he said, rubbing his chin. “The elder showed my memories when Saeda was taken, so I’m not entirely sure what this mind-link can do. But as far as I know, I can only talk to others mentally—and I need direct eye contact. I’m no expert.”

  Tee exhaled with relief. “Good.” She placed a hand on his shoulder, gripping it tightly. “Do that again without my consent, and you’ll regret it.”

  Kie blinked at the threat, speechless. She lowered her hand and walked away. He couldn’t help but smile. He liked a girl who could strike fear with just her words. Another point for Tee.

  Tee stepped through the glass doors into the living complex. Miko and Zod sat on opposite couches, watching a show. The middle couch looked inviting. She was just about to sit when the alarms blared, red lights flashing across the room.

  A hologram flickered to life, revealing the Commander’s stern face. “Cadets, suit up.”

  Moments later, the five Sentinels rushed down the corridor from the dressing room, their steps echoing.

  “Remember the plan,” Kie called out as they neared the mission base.

  Elder Caledor glided across the gleaming white floors to meet them. The Commander stood beside his Lieutenant, typing on a holographic interface.

  The Elder lifted a set of gloves, identical to their summoning ones. “These will generate Ether Blades. Should you encounter your lost comrade, remember to strike true.”

  The Commander handed out their telecoms. “These are set to teleport the four of you back here.”

  “Four?” Zod asked. “What about Saeda? What if we find her and need to escape quickly?”

  “Better yet,” Tee said, “why not set them for individual teleportation?”

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  The Commander exchanged a glance with his Lieutenant, then clasped his hands behind his back and looked straight into Tee’s pale eyes.

  “Apart from requiring at least ten minutes for individual transport, I suspect if I allowed that—only one of you would return.” His gaze swept over them. “Remember, it was your fault your teammate was left behind.”

  Tee flinched at the harshness in his voice.

  The weight of those words settled heaviest on Kie. His shoulders slumped as he stared at the floor. Being team leader had never felt so heavy. They needed to bring Saeda back—no matter what it took.

  A Primus worker approached, carrying a metal box filled with telecoms. The Commander replaced their old ones and said, “Resetting the glyphs will take time. So the Lieutenant will set these new ones to teleport the five of you back.” He handed the extra telecom to Kie, meeting his eyes with a silent message Kie couldn’t quite decipher—but didn’t like.

  “All set, Commander,” the Lieutenant confirmed, fingers dancing across the hologram.

  Their devices beeped in unison.

  “Get ready,” the Commander ordered.

  “The best of luck,” said Elder Caledor softly.

  Zod, Kie, Tee, and Miko stood in their usual teleport positions, but the air felt wrong with one of them missing. They formed their circle, fists clenched, eyes turned away from one another. When the white ground beneath them began flashing red, tension thickened the silence.

  “When we die, know it was your fault,” Tee said coldly to Zod. He was glad he couldn’t see her eyes.

  “She’s alive,” Miko murmured, staring at the distant elevators along the wall. “I just know it.”

  None of them could truly sense Saeda’s fate. They only hoped she was still alive—because if they fell into lava again, with teleportation set for five… it wouldn’t end well.

  The world around them flashed, and in the blink of an eye, they were gone.

  Miko’s gasp was the first sound to break through. The others turned toward it, spotting the Harbingers ahead. Without a word, they charged forward, ready to face whatever waited for them next.

  The figures in black—Legion, Lilith, and the bandaged one already separated from its host—bolted toward the four warm-blooded mortals that had appeared in the zone.

  Seeing the Harbingers racing to meet them across the barren brown landscape added an extra layer of unease.

  “What the...?”

  The bandaged one had found an even creepier way to move, using its two long arms to stamp the ground one after another, keeping its body suspended several feet in the air. Tee forgot to swallow as she remembered the last time she’d fought that freak—when she had driven her fist clean through the back of its mouth. Staring at its gaping maw and seeing no hole behind it confirmed something unsettling. It was like her.

  The bandaged one could recover from anything—being shredded by a sword, crushed, even reduced to near death. The same went for its other monstrous allies. That was why Tee and her team were facing them for the fifth time. And how many more would follow? Hundreds? Thousands? They could spend their entire lives fighting this endless war.

  No.

  Tee tightened her grip on both handles of her sword. Rage ignited within her, driving her faster until the energy had nowhere left to go but out. She let out a fierce war cry that tore through the dusty air.

  Her teammates spread out to give each other room the brawl. They heard her shout but didn’t look back to notice her eyes turning black, her once-gray pupils flickering like fiery dots.

  Legion charged forward, his steps landing on a path of skeletons that formed beneath his feet a split second before each step. His eyes burned like headlights under the shadow of his hood. He couldn’t wait to reach the mortals. The sound of his many-layered voice carried across the barren expanse.

  “Took you long enough!”

  Long spikes shot out from his sides, extending toward the ground. When he leapt from his skeletal path, the spikes stabbed into the dirt and propelled him forward. Suspended above the ground, he moved like a monstrous two-legged spider, his limbs pounding in rhythm. It was a sight that should have sent anyone running—but the Sentinels did the opposite.

  The blackbird, Riven, flew off Lilith’s shoulder and circled the pale sky. Tee almost envied its freedom. She would have flown away if she could. But they all knew that bird could turn intangible, so their plan to take it down first was abandoned. The bandaged one had already cheated death twice. That plan was useless too.

  Legion could regenerate his appendages, but it seemed he had developed a fondness for creating new ones. Two long limbs sprouted from his sides, helping him move even faster. Their true target was Silva, the sorcerer, but success was far from certain.

  Then they noticed Lilith stepping over a patch of metal slabs, partially hidden beneath the black smoke curling around her feet. That was when Tee’s instincts flared.

  A sharp scratch across her leg made her ears twitch. She adjusted one sword to catch her reflection on its surface—and froze.

  Every step she and her teammates took was leaving trails of glowing light on the ground. The lines spread and began to shape into eyes, claws, and wings, forming outlines that thickened and rose as creatures clawed their way into reality.

  In seconds, the glowing forms became beasts. They turned toward their creators and sprinted after them like a mob of zombies.

  “Freck!”

  Tee almost dropped her sword as the monsters rushed them—some crawling, some gliding on wings, others hopping grotesquely. A tongue lashed out from one of their mouths, wrapping around her ankle before she twirled and sliced it away.

  The figures ahead made her pause, lowering her blade as her eyes locked onto Lilith. Blood drained from her face.

  Lilith hadn’t summoned her dark mana beasts that time. The Sentinels had already proven too resilient against them. Instead, a long sword solidified in her hand, flames racing down its length. Her black eyes narrowed, reflecting the white-haired mortal before her. With one motion, she whipped her sword and sent a blazing wave forward.

  Tee stomped her feet to stop but her momentum carried her forward. She hit the ground and rolled just as the wave of fire swept overhead, scorching the monsters behind her and driving them back.

  Legion loomed nearby, moving like a massive two-legged spider. “Let’s see who to start with. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe…”

  Kie hurled both his swords, spinning them toward Legion’s head. He couldn’t stand the sound of that voice.

  Legion blocked the attack effortlessly, knocking the blades aside with his bare hands. His burning gaze locked onto the boy with red eyes.

  Kie didn’t aim to take off a hand that time. He wanted to see that talking demon regrow an entire head.

  Chains erupted from Legion’s palms, lashing toward Kie.

  Kie slashed through the ends before they could coil around him and crush his ribs. When monsters formed beneath his feet and began to surround him, he spun with both swords outstretched. The wind from his rotation blasted the creatures back, slicing off limbs and heads before they could close in.

  As soon as his feet hit the ground, Legion’s spike came at him. Kie raised his sword just in time to block the thrust aimed at his chest.

  Across the battlefield, the bandaged one swung one of its spiked arms toward Zod. He narrowly dodged and broke into a sprint toward the sorcerer, who sat within a soundproof bubble farther away.

  When Zod glanced back, he noticed the monsters ignored the bandaged one completely. Something about that zone was odd, but there was no time to dwell on it. He flung two swords spinning through the air like saw blades—one passed through a red vortex created by Riven, while the other froze inches from the barrier around Sade.

  Zod’s knees buckled slightly, but he pushed forward.

  Then a massive shadow fell over him. He looked up just as his boots sank into a slick surface that rippled like water.

  Before he could react, he plunged forward, missing the enormous jaws that snapped shut behind him, close enough to shear the ends of his hair. Cold water splashed his back, and a violent shiver ran through him. The ground wasn’t solid anymore.

  He landed in knee-deep liquid that shimmered brown like melted earth. Below the surface, he caught a glimpse of the creature that had tried to eat him. Others moved beneath the murky water, rising fast. But he didn’t have time to fear them—the bandaged one and several more monsters were already splashing toward him.

  Miko shifted her focus from slashing at the half-risen creatures to a greater threat. She sprinted between Lilith and Tee, keeping the Harbinger at bay by circling them at blinding speed. Her feet barely touched the ground long enough to trigger new monsters. Whether she had overcome her fear of the bones ripping through her legs or simply had no other choice, she didn’t stop.

  The fast-moving mortal darting around Lilith was pure light, unlike the white-haired one with the growing darkness. Lilith could sense it—the girl’s corruption had not yet begun, but the potential was there. Still, the speedster needed to be dealt with first.

  Tee scrambled backward on her hands as a huge creature burst out from beneath her, lifting her into the air. It blinked once with its three glowing eyes before a searing line of fire split its body in two. The top half slid away, revealing Lilith’s pale face behind it.

  Lilith’s lips curved slightly at one corner, forming a faint, knowing smile. She gazed into Tee’s eyes—black at first, then slowly turning pale again. Her expression hardened back into calm neutrality, but one thing was clear. Ignoring the vessel meant for their divine plan was going to be harder than she thought.