Chapter 18 – Redeeming Quality

I feel numb, like my body is wrapped in a thick fog. A dull wooziness swirls through me, making it hard to think straight. Was it because of the hug Myrrh gave me just minutes ago, her warmth lingering like a fading ember? Maybe. Or was it the side effects of wielding the power of the Machine God and its Weapons of Mass Destruction? Most likely. It feels like my mind is caught between worlds—between the weight of that overwhelming power and the fragile human shell I’m trying to hold together.

Dwelling on it won’t help, though. It’s already two in the morning, and sleep has been elusive ever since the attack of the Cosmic Beasts. Neither of us has had a decent night’s rest. Myrrh and I dragged ourselves through the earlier battles, our bodies drained of energy, before finally heeding the call to assemble at the university grounds. We’re running on fumes, but there’s no time to stop.

As I trailed behind Myrrh, she had her phone pressed to her ear, her voice soft but strained. She was talking to her mother, checking in. Her words were muffled, but I caught enough to know she was asking about her mom’s condition, reassuring her that we were heading to the university. When Myrrh's voice shifted to a tone of relief, I guessed the news was good. Her mother was safe. Thank the Machine God.

We reached the university gates, and the sight before us was staggering. Frame Units of all kinds were being deployed, their massive forms lifting off the ground like war machines ready to take flight. Aircraft support hummed overhead, escorting the Frame Units toward the frontlines, their engines roaring through the night like distant thunder. The sky was alive with mechanical giants, their glowing cores pulsing like stars on the verge of war.

We made it to the assembly, where hordes of first-year students gathered, standing by with tense faces. I could see the exhaustion etched in their expressions, a reflection of what I felt.

“Myrrh! Over here!” A voice broke through the haze. My vision wavered, but I managed to make out a female student waving us over. Her crimson, wavy hair caught the light, standing out against the dreariness of the scene. She was in our class, but her name eluded me—my mind was a foggy mess, struggling to process anything clearly.

“Cindy!” Myrrh’s voice was a bright contrast to the gloom as she hurried over to the girl.

“You guys are late!” Cindy smirked, teasingly. “Did you two spend the night in a love hotel or something?”

“Ew! No!” Myrrh cringed, recoiling slightly. “We had a detour because of the chaos unfolding in the northern part of the city.”

“Oh my gosh, I’m so glad you’re okay!” Cindy’s voice took on a more serious tone. “I heard about a dozen of Cosmic Beasts have been rampaging across the city. They’ve already sent in the professional WAIFUs to fight, but apparently, even that wasn’t enough. They’ve started deploying interns to the frontlines too.”

Myrrh kept chatting with Cindy, but their voices started to blur, fading into the background like distant echoes. My head felt heavy, each word they spoke muffled by the growing dizziness swirling inside me. My vision swam, and I couldn’t stand the spinning anymore. Without thinking, I sat down on the cold, hard ground, the chill seeping through my clothes as I tried to steady myself.

“Yo!” A gentle tap landed on my shoulder, snapping me out of the haze. I glanced up, forcing my sluggish eyes to focus. Standing there was my friend Neil, looking half-awake, his brown hair sticking out in all directions. His eyes were tinged red, likely from being rudely woken up from what I imagined was a decent sleep.

“Neil... what’s up?” I managed, forcing a smile, though I was sure it came off more like a grimace.

“Sucks to be us first years, huh?” he said with a dry chuckle, flopping down beside me. “Stuck here on standby, waiting for something worse to go down in the city. I guess they can’t exactly throw us into combat just yet.”

I swallowed back the urge to tell him the truth—that Myrrh and I had already been in the thick of it, battling two Cosmic Beasts just hours ago. But that would only get us into trouble, big trouble. Disobeying orders to engage in combat was bad enough, but going up against two Cosmic Beasts without clearance? That was asking for a death sentence. Not to mention, neither of us were licensed to fight them yet. It was only our first week at Orbital Tech, after all.

Sure, we could argue that Myrrh had no choice but to transform for self-defense. But it would only complicate things, especially with the secret WMD series I acquired from the Machine God. The last thing we needed was attention—especially the wrong kind. We agreed earlier not to take credit for the two kills. Better to let it go under the radar.

“Hey, Zaft.” Myrrh's voice pulled me from my thoughts, and I looked up to see her leaning close, her blue eyes wide with concern. “How are you feeling?”

“Bad,” I muttered, glancing away before forcing a smirk. “But I think I’ll feel better if you get your fucking face away from me.”

I tried to make it sound playful, but the exhaustion laced my words, dulling the humor. Myrrh’s brows furrowed slightly, but she gave me a soft smile anyway, like she knew I was just trying to hold myself together.

Myrrh ignored my snarky remark and moved even closer, her hand reaching out to press against my forehead. Her touch was cool and gentle, but her expression was anything but calm. “This isn’t the time for hateful jokes, jackass. You’re freezing cold,” she muttered, her brow furrowing in concern. She tilted her head, her voice dropping to a near whisper. “Are you sure you’re not... dead?”

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“I’m not dead. You were,” I replied with a dry laugh, trying to deflect her worry with humor, though it felt more hollow than ever.

For a moment, Myrrh just stared at me, her blue eyes piercing, silently chastising me for making light of the situation. I could see the deeper emotions behind that gaze—a mixture of guilt and unease. She probably still feels the weight of the contract I made with the Machine God, the deal that brought her back from the brink. I understand her burden. I feel it too, lingering like a shadow between us.

“I don’t feel cold,” I said, though even I didn’t believe it. “In fact… I don’t feel anything at all.” I raised my hands, trying to flex my fingers. The movements felt distant, like my body wasn’t quite connected to me anymore. My fingertips were numb, and I could hardly tell if they were even moving.

“Do you want me to call a medic?” Neil asked, his voice cutting through the tension as he hovered nearby.

“No,” I said quickly, the word coming out more forceful than I intended.

“Yes, please,” Myrrh interjected, her tone sharp as she glanced at Neil with a small, tight smile. Neil gave a quick nod before jogging off toward the medic tent, leaving me no room to protest further.

“You guys are blowing this way out of proportion. I’m fine,” I said, though my voice lacked conviction.

“You’re not fine. You look like hammered shit,” Myrrh shot back, her worried face scrunching up as she gave me a once-over. “I mean, you always kinda looked like a lackey goon before, but now? Now you look like a pale white turd.”

“I thought we were done with the jokes,” I muttered, smirking weakly at her attempt to lighten the mood.

Before either of us could say anything more, a loud announcement from the Orbital Technology Applied Kinetics University echoed across the campus, cutting through the chatter and setting the air around us on edge.

“Attention, all students. You may now proceed to your dormitory rooms and rest for the night. The situation in Xyraxis has stabilized. I repeat, you may now proceed to your dormitory rooms and rest for the night. The situation has stabilized.”

The announcement echoed across the campus, bouncing off the buildings like a long-awaited exhale. Students all around us erupted into cheers, the collective sighs of relief almost tangible. Fear had clung to every corner of Xyraxis after the Cosmic Beast assault, casting a shadow over everyone—especially us students, who had barely scraped through the night. But now, the weight of that fear was finally lifting. The danger had passed, and the promise of a quiet night felt like a gift none of us were expecting.

“There you go,” I said, letting a small smile tug at my lips as I turned to walk away. “We’re good to head back to the dorms. Maybe a good night’s sleep is all I need to shake this off. No nurse, no meds, no big deal.”

“Zaft!” Myrrh’s voice cracked through the air, stopping me in my tracks. “W-wait!”

I paused, turning to look back at her. She stood there, her cheeks flushed—whether from embarrassment or something else, I wasn’t sure. Her hand fidgeted with her phone before she held it up, waving it playfully in front of my face.

“I-I know you’re kind of helpless,” she stammered, her tone teasing yet soft. “So at least let me make sure you’re okay tomorrow. Give me a message… or a call. Just so I know.”

I raised an eyebrow, smirking. “Sure. Give me your number,” I said, fishing out my phone from my pocket.

Myrrh’s face lit up with a mischievous grin, her eyes sparkling with mock arrogance. “Are you seriously asking for my number? Sorry, but I’ve got a boyfriend.”

I groaned, rolling my eyes. “This whole message and call thing was your idea in the first place. And last I checked, your boyfriend dumped you for some substandard whore.”

Myrrh’s smug facade cracked, and she let out an adorable scoff, her hand flying to her mouth as if to stifle the laugh that followed. “True,” she admitted, shaking her head in amusement. Then she handed over her phone. “Here, take it.”

We exchanged numbers, dictating them to each other as we saved them into our phones. It struck me as I typed it in—this was the first time I’d ever saved a girl’s number in my phone. And of all people, it was Myrrh Alicent’s. I’d never had a female friend before, mainly because I could never wrap my head around how they think or what they expect from someone like me. Even now, I’m not entirely sure how things ended up like this—acting all buddy-buddy with Myrrh, as if we were close.

Not that I’m complaining. Maybe we just got off on the wrong foot initially. She’s actually kind of nice once you get past the attitude.

“J-just so you know,” Myrrh stammered, her face flushing slightly as she avoided eye contact, “you’re the first guy I’ve ever given my number to right off the bat. Ephraim… well, he courted me for four years before I finally gave him mine.”

I raised an eyebrow, amused by her sudden awkwardness. “Jeez, no wonder he dumped you. You’re way too bitchy for his tastes.”

“Shut up, Zaft!” Myrrh snapped, though there was no real heat behind her words. Her face, however, lit up with that smug expression she always wears when she’s got something snarky to say. “I know this is the first time you’ve ever gotten a girl’s number, so I took pity on you and gave you mine. You’re welcome.”

“Ack!” I cried out in mock horror. “How the hell did you know?”

Myrrh’s grin widened as she folded her arms. “I mean, it’s not hard to figure out. Girls are kinda disgusted by you, you know? They say you look like an ape who never takes a bath.”

“They did?” I blinked, suddenly self-conscious. Instinctively, I lifted my arm and sniffed my polo shirt, especially the armpit area, as if her words might actually hold some truth.

Myrrh laughed, a light, teasing sound that made her eyes shimmer under the campus lights. “That was back in high school,” she said, still giggling. “I think you’ve improved… just a little bit. A tiny, weensy bit.”

“Gee, thanks for the glowing compliment,” I muttered, rolling my eyes but unable to hide the smirk creeping across my face.

She leaned forward, pressing closer, her cleavage barely hidden by the fabric of her shirt as she bent over. Her voice dropped into a playful, almost seductive tone. “Wouldn’t it kill you to compliment a beautiful girl before calling it a night? I mean, this cute girl just went out with you.” Her lips curled into a mischievous smile as she posed suggestively, her hips swaying ever so slightly to show off her figure.

I scratched my head awkwardly, turning my gaze away as heat rushed to my face. I fumbled through my thoughts, trying to find the right words, but all I could muster was a clumsy, “W-well… you do look beautiful tonight. But, uh… you’ve always been beautiful.”

Myrrh gave a self-satisfied nod, her smugness reaching peak levels. “I know,” she said, with a flip of her hair, thoroughly enjoying herself. “What else?”

Her arrogant attitude was pushing it. Any hope of keeping the mood light was quickly evaporating under her inflated ego. I didn’t feel like showering her with more praise. Not when she was enjoying it this much. So, I decided to throw a wrench in her moment.

“That’s your only redeeming quality,” I said, my voice deadpan as I shot her a sideways glance. “That… and your big tits. The rest is trash.”