Randidly was slightly leery at first, knowing that this strange Commandant Keckle would be staying on the Rally Station to watch over him. On the one hand, he appreciated an extra line of defense to deter Velio Dunn after that brief clash; that tattooed man had shown Randidly how little he could do in a direct fight against a powerful monster of the Nexus.

Randidly had sensed that truth when he faced the greedy Commandant Wick, but Velio Dunn’s attack had revealed just how foolish Randidly had been.

On the other hand, Randidly also worried that Military High Command would begin to look a little too closely at the structure of his training array. Perhaps, like the Engraving Guild of the Nexus, they would be interested in the various runes that he had learned through Neveah studying the tomb left by Yyxtrix on Expira.

However, it quickly became apparent that Randidly was overthinking the issue: in the day after the debacle caused by Dunn, the Commandant was busy replacing all of the killed and broken Drill Sergeants so that the troops would be trained on time. Due to the rapid nature of the changes, Randidly sniffed the hint of some inter military politics in the new appointees. Still, that really wasn’t any of his business. His job as Head Drill Sergeant primarily concerned the elite squad.

It was enough that Commandant Keckle seemed focused on other issues.

Randidly made some quiet inquiries and received the official report from Lady Iellaya regarding the death toll: 17 Drill Sergeants were considered to have been lost in the attack. Fifteen were killed outright, while two had their images destroyed. Further, a little less than three thousand of the recruits had been seriously maimed in the rapid destruction of the Rally Station. A few of the Commandants were floating the idea of having a second wave of recruits trained, but there was nothing definitive yet.

Due to Randidly’s quick actions with Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil, he had managed to move his recruits before the Velio’s image had ripped through the underground tunnels. There were a few minor injuries, but they rapidly healed due to the recruits' powerful bodies. Really, the only true damage suffered was…

Randidly grimaced down at his Philsopher’s Key that he spun across his fingers as he sat in a comfortable chair. The Fatepiece hadn’t been rendered completely useless, but creating a portal now took about five minutes of concentrated effort that left Randidly with a buzzing headache. He sensed that the Fatepiece was slowly healing itself, but for the foreseeable future, it would be an inconvenience.

Remembering the attack Dunn had unleashed when he actually gripped his sword made Randidly shiver. Still, it wasn’t like it was all bad… that’s one more piece of evidence for where I sit in the Nexus hierarchy. Plus Sulfur has been torturing himself due to the fact I wasn’t able to wear him for the attack. So he’s practically begged that I help shift his form to match to the Grim Chimera’s form…

Beyond any of these petty benefits, there was another large reason for celebration right now, two days after the Velio Dunn attack. Randidly’s heart was warm, even if he was currently on strict orders to rest.

“Are you cold?” A sharp-eyed Vualla asked a Randidly as she spotted his shiver from across the apartment. She quickly produced a blanket from her interspatial ring and draped it across him. Randidly’s mouth twitched as he spotted a bloodstain on the rather threadbare blanket that Vualla had offered him; it seemed that like Randidly, Vualla didn’t spend any effort collecting material positions. Seemingly oblivious to Randidly’s thoughts, Vualla continued to speak.”Is there anything else you need? I’m not extremely skilled in any domestic arts, but I want you to recover as quickly as possible.”

“I’m really fine,” Randidly pointed out. “If you wanted to spar, I’m prepared. It’s just my Fatepiece that’s still a bit shaken up.”

She had shown up suddenly, using her credentials as a member of the Xyrt Brigade to get onto the Rally Station. She had even somehow managed to capture some of the raw Nether from the Fifth Cohort, bringing it to Randidly as a gift, because she understood how he wanted to study Nether.

Her expression had instantly shifted when she had found him and examined his state. Even if there were no visible wounds, Vualla had taken in his turbulent emotions and instantly understood that something had happened. They had been apart, but their connection had snapped back into place instantly. There was an implicit resonance between them that was partially the exchanged Aether and Nether and partially something primal. Through that bridge, Vualla had glimpsed a bit of the circumstance.

Through that same bridge, Randidly saw Vualla’s honest response. And surging from the depths of her soul, Randidly had briefly witnessed a baleful force of annihilation. With his newfound attentiveness to emotion, he could feel the sharp teeth of her rage snap at this world.

Strangely, it was one of the most touching displays he had ever seen.

Of course, as she now sat on his lap in his apartment, Vualla ignored Randidly’s claims that he was prepared to spar. She settled sideways across Randidly’s blanket-covered lap, sliding her arms naturally around his neck. During her time training with the Xyrt Brigade, she had let her hair grow out. Her azure curls flowed down over her shoulders to the middle of her back like a sedate stream. Her clear azure eyes were locked onto Randidly’s emerald ones as she seemed to measure him.

Through her eyes, Randidly could sense how much fury she possessed. Fury toward the Nexus for destroying so many lives and the fickle nature of this world that Randidly had almost been destroyed the day before she would have seen him. Randidly’s heart began to beat faster and his features softened.

“I know,” Vualla said quietly. She leaned forward and laid her forehead against Randidly’s shoulder. When she released a deep sigh of exhaustion, Randidly felt her warm breath on his throat. “I know that you managed to survive this time. We are just… too far away from our goal. I don’t want to lose you. Not now that I’ve finally found… you. Across space and time.”

Randidly meant to reach up and pat Vualla’s head, but he abruptly realized his left arm was still melted to nothing inside the collapsed tunnel of the Rally Station. He had begun making a new blueprint with Neveah, but that would take a few more days before they used their polished Engraving abilities. So he grimaced and used his other hand to reach up and squeeze Vualla’s shoulder.

For a few seconds, he simply savored how warm she was. They could worry about the impending crisis later. For now, they simply reminded each other of their connection. As their proximity continued, the fidelity of their connection increased.

Without quite knowing how he was so certain, Randidly knew what Vualla wanted. He squeezed her shoulder and then brought his fingers across to her chin and nudged her upward. And when she relaxed and looked up to meet his gaze, Randidly kissed her.

Her lips were soft, but what he mostly noticed were her hands. They were clamped around his shoulders, squeezing as though she was deathly afraid of letting go, even for a second. Their kiss shifted, Vualla angling her body a bit away from Randidly.

His hand went back to her shoulder and squeezed as their kiss grew more intense. I’m here.

Her hands remained tight on his shoulders as she pressed herself against him. You might not want to, but they might make us leave one day.

On an unspoken cue, they began removing the obstacles between them. Vualla ripped her threadbare blanket to pieces with obvious glee. At this moment, in this ostentatious penthouse apartment, they had each other within arms reach; the experience was heady.

Both were so filled with fire that despite their desires to linger near each, they would return to the dangers of the Nexus. They would not compromise on their goals. So these precious chances couldn’t be missed.

For a while after that, Randidly didn’t think about anything at all.

*****

Lady Iellaya’s eyes blazed as she thrust her right arm forward. Her black feathers were flared outward as her limb unleashed a tide of darkness at the chest of Dmitri Qiolo. Apep, the Peregrine Serpent, spread its wings will all of the smothering power of a torrential downpour that bordered on sleet. Qiolo’s image was extinguished by that gushing wave of force. In its wake, there were only scales and black feathers and swirling darkness remaining in the surroundings.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

Despite the fact that his image was destroyed, Qiolo quickly recovered. Perhaps because of his history of being crushed, he was surprisingly resourceful in bad situations. He sprang sideways, narrowly avoiding the rustling charge of Lady Iellaya’s image. Then he planted his feet and raised his arms. A naked iron blade seemed to flicker life above him. Qiolo seized the implement and dashed forward, heading to strike at Lady Iellaya.

She shook her head, almost sadly. The offensive Peregrine Serpent that had flashed past Qiolo vanished and then reappeared, its body curled tightly around Lady Iellaya in a defensive posture. Its eyes gleamed in the darkness. Grimacing, Qiolo tried to roll to the side but he could not avoid the serpent’s tail from that distance. He was smashed back, drowned in a wave of raven feathers that clung to him, weakening him further.

He crashed against the ground but rolled right back onto his feet. He spun the sword adeptly and cut his way through the flow of feathers. Yet small amounts of inky darkness began to stain his limbs.

Just as Lady Iellaya smiled sweetly and prepared to finish the test, Qiolo raised his arms in surrender. The serpent hissed in her ear that she should strike and devour this weakling anyway, but Lady Iellaya ignored that voice. The image she had received from the Class Randidly made for her, despite being quite powerful, was ultimately short-sighted in its decisions. But she couldn’t suppress the unwilling rumble of her stomach, as though she missed a meal.

Gradually, the darkness receded. The raven feathers shriveled and vanished, eventually taking with them those inky stains. Dmitri Qiolo looked at Lady Iellaya with quite a bit of fear in his face. Lady Iellaya didn’t even bother to suppress her smirk. “So, are you convinced?”

“Yes. You are truly powerful.” The former Disciplinary Magistrate could only shake his head at her oppressive image superiority. Yet despite the fact that his former image had been broken, he still had demonstrated a very solid foundation. One that convinced Lady Iellaya she wasn’t mistaken for offering him a job.

His features furrowed as he carefully considered his next words. “I am convinced: you are a worthy superior to follow. But can you truly arrange for some additional Aether to be given to my home planet…?”

“It is within our abilities,” Lady Iellaya nodded as she walked across the training area to be near the man in front of her. She obviously wasn’t going to be too specific about this ability, lest she reveal the astound capabilities of Randidly Ghosthound. It was enough for Qiolo to assume they would simply misuse some other Aether allotment to improve his home planet’s situation.

Yet as they stood an arm’s length away from each other, she couldn’t help but hesitate.

Even now, after seeing his image, Lady Iellaya had a few reservations about the man in front of her. She didn’t want him to sacrifice his potential to her because that would be detected down the line; she needed him independent. But because of the fact that he would be an independent existence, she had forced him through these series of spars. Each had left her unsatisfied; they gave her no more insight into his personality than she already possessed.

Of course, it was also a good exercise for her image and body. And in the meantime, Octavius Shrike had begun pulling some strings within the NLC to find out information on Dmitri Qiolo. But Lady Iellaya knew that such information would likely not sway her opinion-

Lady Iellaya received a message. When she saw it was from Military High Command, her expression turned serious. She was required to report immediately to the observation room: Something had happened in the Fifth Cohort.

“Get yourself a clean pair of pants,” Lady Iellaya said tersely. She narrowed her eyes and looked at Qiolo. There were large holes in his attire after being ravaged by her image. “This… can finally be considered a pass. I’ll arrange for your planet to receive additional Aether; you should be able to verify the change by the end of the week. From now on, you are my second. For now, just observe and followed me. Can you handle that?”

Dmitri Qiolo looked at Lady Iellaya for four longs seconds. Then he nodded. “You won’t regret this.”

Lady Iellaya snorted. A lot of people had told her what she would and would not regret in her life. Generally, they ended up being wrong. But it is true that most of that impression was formed through the early parts of my life. So many people told me that I would regret the day that I had chosen them as a foe… heh.

If I had a penny for every grave I dug for pompous fools...

With a wicked smile on her face, Lady Iellaya quickly prepared herself to head to Military High Command. Three minutes later, both she and Qiolo were wearing freshly pressed uniforms as they moved through the Nexus Ways toward their destination.

As could be expected by the seriousness of the message, the guard post was a mess as large numbers of people rushed in and out of Military Headquarters. Aides were dashing back and forth through the hallways as Lady Iellaya and Qiolo walked quickly along the gauntlet of portraits. Qiolo looked around with a heavy gaze but stayed closed to Lady Iellaya as they cut directly through the press of bodies. When aides drifted too close in their haste, Lady Iellaya felt no qualms about releasing a sharp pulse of her image to send them stumbling out of the way.

The duo took a sharp right near the middle of the building and headed down the stairs to the lower bunker. The observation deck was kept below grounds, where it could tap more directly into the Nexus Ways for its information. When they pushed open the double doors to their destination, they found a tight bunch of high ranking military officers waiting for them, looking with concern at a fluctuating pattern displayed within an Aether array.

The room was relatively small, despite the fact that twenty soldiers were stationed here full time, monitoring the heavy Aether scaffolding that supported the Nexus. The walls were lined with tightly packed desks, while there was a central display between them to bring up the important information.

The one Commandant in the room, the featureless humanoid Commandant Larian, glanced at Lady Iellaya as she arrived and then turned back to the chattering group that surrounded the central display area. He unleashed a deep vibration, instantly silencing the others. “Alright, we are all here. I think it’s time to talk about what this means.”

All eyes in the room turned to a single individual.

The soldier manipulating the Aether array instantly went pale and took a deep gulp. Lady Iellaya frowned at him for a second before being able to place the low ranking soldier. As the grunt who had noticed the anomaly in the Nexus Ways and reported it, he was given the opportunity to speak in front of the senior officers. It was clear that the tension rolling off this powerful individual was doing him no favors. She almost pitied him. “Ah… I was at m-my normal post when I saw…”

He gestured helplessly at the Aether display, unable to find enough Willpower to keep talking. While the senior officer responsible for the observation deck quietly led the trembling cadet away, the Commandant vibrated again. “As most of you are aware, the Nether forces have been seeking to establish these… Nether Nodes within their territory. The Xyrt Brigade has been hard at work raiding and destroying these, but we haven’t been able to determine their function, and therefore have let some of our zeal lapse in recent weeks.

“Plus, the Xyrt Brigade specialists needed a break. Unfortunately, that gave the Nether the opening to do… this.” The Commandant gestured to the display. Lady Iellaya frowned as she tried to take in the confusing details of what she was seeing. The display covered the whole of the Fifth Cohort, which was a complex network of worlds and the Nexus Ways. Of course, the Nexus used the System to relocate most of these worlds to reproduced environments around itself, meaning that they were much more closely packed than they had been previously.

But there were still almost a hundred thousand worlds in the Fifth Cohort. With some failing to even make it to the Calamities and therefore being moved further, the final map was relatively spotty. But amongst these lines of white and green lines to delineate the Nexus Ways, the tiny black orbs were rather eye-catching. In addition, it now appeared that the black orbs were arranged in a particular pattern.

“...are they attempting to break space again? As they did with the Great Rift?” The Highest Commander of the Nexus garrison asked. Lady Iellaya could already hear the rising panic in his voice. Likely the man had the position for hundreds of years and the thought of actual battle left him fearful.

Commandant Larian shook his featureless head. “No. After struggling with the corrosion of the Great Rift for so long, we’ve now taken many steps to prevent such an event from occurring ever again. Space is reinforced across the Nexus. These Nether Nodes would not be able to accomplish that, even with a Nether King at the helm.”

“But!” Lady Iellaya turned around. A young woman with her white hair up in a ponytail walked into the room. She was very conspicuously not wearing a military uniform, although there was a metallic patch over her right eye. “This Nether guy is smart. He’s not trying to break the space, just bend it. Those nodes are already beginning to warp and twist the Fifth Cohort-”

“Who is this?” An officer cut in, glancing between the young woman and the Commandant.

It was difficult to read the ranking officer’s expression, but Lady Iellaya could instantly tell something was off. It took Commandant Larian several seconds to reply to the question. “...this is a specialist in Nether phenomenon that we called in to examine the working.”

Shit. Lady Iellaya blinked. It must seriously be bad if they let a civilian in to this meeting. And judging by her cocky expression…

“I work for the Engraving Guild. I’m Pyllipia Bounafferre.” The NLC dog flashed a rather charming smile before clearing her throat lightly. She walked forward to stand at the center of the room. “As I was saying… If this continues as I suspect, the space of the Fifth Cohort will begin twisting inward.”

“Why?” Lady Iellaya asked sharply.

Pyllipia beamed over at Lady Iellaya. “Well… because our strong defenses against space being broken means that there is a very powerful connection to the surrounding space. So after the Nether King begins folding the space he has taken from us…”

The Commandant turned to look at the projected map. “Hostilities have continued, but battle lines have gradually stabilized. The Nether hasn’t been able to expand since Commandant Wick began exerting his influence in the Fifth Cohort. But we haven’t committed too large a force to attacking the Nether either. We were waiting for the recruits to finish their training.

“But it looks like we won’t have that luxury much longer. Even if we don’t attack… the Nether King intends to drag the surrounding space into his domain.”