Day 19 Post-Impact - Morning
The day began with planning.
Sarnav gathered his core team in the briefing room. Chen Wei, Ishani, Hafiz, and Nisha sat around the table while he outlined the approach to the Sunway meeting.
"We need to scout the route before tomorrow," Sarnav said, pointing to the map. "Sunway mentioned raiders operating between our territories. I want to know exactly what we're dealing with."
"Makes sense," Chen Wei agreed. "Who's going?"
"Small team. Fast and quiet. Me, Ishani, and two others." He looked at Nisha. "You stay here."
Her expression tightened. "Why?"
"Because if something happens to the scouting team, someone needs to lead the community. You've been training. You know how things work. And frankly, your abilities are better suited for defense than infiltration."
"So I'm being left behind because I'm not good enough."
"You're being left behind because you're too valuable to risk on a scouting mission." He held her gaze. "This isn't punishment, Nisha. It's strategy."
She didn't look happy, but she nodded. "Fine. But you're training me twice as hard when you get back."
"Deal."
[TACTICAL DECISION]
[SCOUTING TEAM: SARNAV, ISHANI, HAFIZ, CHEN WEI]
[OBJECTIVES: ROUTE ASSESSMENT, RAIDER IDENTIFICATION, THREAT EVALUATION]
[RISK LEVEL: MODERATE]
"We leave in an hour," Sarnav said. "Light gear, fast movement. We're not looking for a fight. Just information."
The route to Sunway cut through abandoned suburbs.
Sarnav led the team through empty streets, past burned-out cars and collapsed buildings. The apocalypse had transformed familiar neighborhoods into alien landscapes.
His enhanced senses swept the area constantly, detecting movement, tracking potential threats.
[ESSENCE SENSITIVITY ACTIVE]
[AWAKENED SIGNATURES: NONE DETECTED WITHIN 500M]
[VOID PRESENCE: MINIMAL (RESIDUAL)]
[HUMAN ACTIVITY: DETECTED - 2KM SOUTHEAST]
"There." He pointed toward a cluster of buildings. "Human activity. Multiple signatures."
"Raiders?" Ishani asked, her hands glowing faintly with readied power.
"Possibly. Let's get closer."
They moved through the ruins with practiced stealth. Sarnav's C-rank abilities made him nearly silent, and the others followed his lead.
The human activity turned out to be exactly what they'd expected.
A raider camp.
Maybe thirty people, armed with makeshift weapons and scavenged firearms. They'd fortified an old shopping complex, using cars and debris to create barricades.
"Looks organized," Chen Wei observed from their hiding spot. "Not just desperate survivors. They've got structure."
"And awakened." Sarnav's senses picked out three stronger signatures among the group. "E-rank, maybe one D-rank. Not overwhelming, but not nothing."
"We could take them," Hafiz said, lightning crackling between his fingers.
"We could. But that's not the mission." Sarnav studied the camp. "We need to know their patrol patterns, their numbers, their intentions. Are they going to be a problem for our meeting with Sunway?"
"They're positioned right on the route," Ishani noted. "Anyone traveling between our camps would have to pass near here."
"Then they're definitely going to be a problem." Sarnav made a decision. "We observe for now. Gather information. If they become a direct threat, we deal with them. But not today."
They watched for two hours, noting patrol schedules, counting heads, identifying the awakened among the group. By the time they withdrew, Sarnav had a complete picture of what they were facing.
Thirty-two raiders. Three awakened. Well-organized but not military-trained. Dangerous to normal survivors, manageable for his team.
"We'll handle them after the Sunway meeting," he decided. "For now, we know they're there. We can plan around them."
The return journey was uneventful.
They reached the school by early afternoon, dusty and tired but satisfied with the intelligence gathered. Sarnav debriefed Encik Rahman and Mei Ling, then went looking for Nisha.
He found her in the training yard.
She was alone, surrounded by twisted vines and uprooted plants. Sweat soaked her clothes, and her face was pale with exhaustion.
"You've been at this all day," he said.
"You told me to train." She didn't stop, her hands glowing green as another vine erupted from the earth. "So I'm training."
"Nisha. Stop."
She ignored him. The vine lashed toward a training dummy, wrapping around it, thorns digging into the padded surface.
"Nisha."
"I said I'm fine!" She spun on him, eyes wild. "You left me behind. Again. While you went off on your adventure with Ishani. Again. So excuse me if I want to get strong enough that you can't use 'you're not ready' as an excuse anymore."
[BOND ALERT - NISHA RAMACHANDRAN]
[EMOTIONAL STATE: FRUSTRATED, INSECURE, ANGRY]
[NOTE: FEELINGS OF INADEQUACY DETECTED]
Sarnav crossed the yard, catching her wrists before she could summon another vine.
"Let me go."
"No." He pulled her close despite her resistance. "Talk to me. What's really going on?"
"Nothing's going on. I'm just—"
"Bullshit. You're exhausted, you're emotional, and you're pushing yourself to the point of collapse. That's not training. That's self-punishment."
Her resistance crumbled. She sagged against him, the fight draining out of her.
"I hate feeling useless," she whispered. "I hate that you take her on missions and leave me behind. I hate that she's stronger than me, more confident than me, better than me at everything."
"She's not better than you."
"She is. And we both know it."
Sarnav sighed, guiding her to sit on a low wall. He sat beside her, keeping her hand in his.
"Ishani has combat experience. She was fighting void creatures and raiders before she even met us. Of course she's better in the field right now." He tilted Nisha's chin up. "But you've been awakened for less than three weeks. You're still learning. That doesn't make you useless. It makes you new."
"It feels the same."
"It's not." He kissed her forehead. "You want to know what Ishani can't do? She can't grow food. Can't heal wounds with living energy. Can't create terrain advantages that last long after the battle's over."
"I can barely make vines move."
"Today. In a month, you'll be reshaping battlefields. In a year, you'll be growing forests from barren ground." He met her eyes. "Your power isn't about flashy combat, Nisha. It's about life. Growth. Sustainability. That's more valuable than any light beam."
She was quiet for a moment. Then she laughed weakly.
"You're just saying that to make me feel better."
"I'm saying it because it's true. And because I need you to stop destroying yourself trying to catch up to someone who's on a completely different path." He stood, pulling her with him. "Come on. You need food, water, and rest. Training's over for today."
"But—"
"Not negotiable." He wrapped an arm around her waist, supporting her weight. "Leader's orders."
She didn't argue.
Their room was quiet.
Sarnav made Nisha sit while he found water and leftover food from the cafeteria. She ate mechanically, exhaustion written in every line of her body.
"I'm sorry," she said eventually. "For being difficult."
"You're not being difficult. You're struggling. There's a difference."
"I just..." She set down her food. "I wanted to prove I could be useful. That I deserve to be by your side."
"You don't have to prove anything to me."
"I feel like I do." She met his eyes. "You're building something incredible, Sarnav. A faction, a community, a future. And I want to be part of it. Not as the first girlfriend you're stuck with, but as someone who actually contributes."
"You already contribute."
"Do I? What have I actually done? Nisha, the childhood friend who cries a lot and can't fight properly." Bitterness crept into her voice. "That's what people will remember."
Sarnav knelt in front of her, taking her hands.
"You want to know what I remember? The woman who stayed with me when everything fell apart. Who chose me knowing what my path required. Who's trying, every single day, to accept something that most people couldn't handle."
"That's not—"
"That's strength. Real strength. Not the kind that breaks things, but the kind that holds things together." He squeezed her hands. "I need fighters, yes. But I also need anchors. People who keep me grounded. Who remind me why I'm doing all this."
"And that's me?"
"That's you. That's always been you."
Tears spilled down her cheeks. "Damn it. You always know exactly what to say."
"I've had ten years to figure out how to talk to you." He smiled. "Some of that time was productive."
She laughed through her tears. "Idiot."
"Your idiot."
She pulled him up, kissing him. It started soft, grateful, then deepened into something hungrier.
"I need you," she whispered against his lips. "I need to feel close to you."
"You're exhausted."
"I don't care." She pulled him toward the bed. "Make me feel like I matter. Please."
He could have refused. She was tired, emotional, probably not thinking clearly. But she needed this. Needed the connection, the reassurance, the physical proof that she still held a place in his life.
And honestly, so did he.
He laid her down gently.
This wasn't going to be rough or demanding. Not today. Today was about care. Attention. Worship.
He undressed her slowly, pressing kisses to each newly revealed inch of skin. Her shoulders. Her collarbones. The swell of her breasts, the softness of her stomach.
"You're beautiful," he said.
"Sarnav..."
"Shh. Let me take care of you."
He kissed down her body, taking his time. Her breasts, spending long minutes on each nipple until she was squirming. Her stomach, tracing patterns with his tongue. Her hips, her thighs, everywhere except where she wanted him most.
"Please," she gasped. "Stop teasing."
"Not teasing. Appreciating."
He finally settled between her legs, breathing in her scent. She was already wet, her body responding to his attention despite her exhaustion.
He licked her slowly. Long, flat strokes that covered her entire pussy, from entrance to clit. She moaned, her hips lifting off the bed.
"Yes... oh god, yes..."
He ate her with deliberate patience. No rushing, no urgency. Just steady, consistent pleasure that built gradually, inexorably.
"Sarnav... I'm going to..."
"Not yet." He backed off, kissing her inner thighs while she whimpered in frustration.
"Please. Please let me come."
"Soon."
He brought her to the edge three times, pulling back each time, letting the tension build until she was shaking with need.
"I can't take anymore. Please, Sarnav, please, I need to come, I need—"
He sealed his lips around her clit and sucked.
She screamed. Her orgasm crashed through her, her whole body convulsing, her hands fisting in the sheets. He held her hips down, working her through it, extending the pleasure until she was sobbing.
"Oh god. Oh god oh god oh god..."
Only then did he move up her body, positioning himself at her entrance.
"Look at me."
Her eyes opened, dazed and tear-filled.
"I love you," he said. "Never doubt that."
He pushed inside.
She gasped, her body still sensitive from her orgasm. He filled her slowly, giving her time to adjust, watching her face for any sign of discomfort.
There was none. Just pleasure. Just connection.
He started to move. Slow, deep strokes that touched her everywhere. No pounding, no performance. Just two people as close as physically possible.
"I love you too," she whispered. "So much. I'm sorry I doubted—"
"Don't apologize. Just feel."
She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him closer, their bodies moving together in perfect rhythm.
"I feel you everywhere," she gasped. "So deep. So good."
"You're mine, Nisha. You'll always be mine."
"Yours. Only yours."
He kissed her as they moved together, swallowing her moans, sharing breath. The pleasure built slowly, naturally, an inevitable tide rather than a crashing wave.
When she came again, it was gentle. A full-body shudder, a soft cry, her walls clenching around him. He followed moments later, spilling inside her with a groan, their bodies locked together.
They lay tangled afterward, breathing slowly returning to normal.
"Better?" he asked.
"Better." She pressed closer. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"For being patient with me. For understanding." She kissed his chest. "For loving me even when I'm a mess."
"Especially when you're a mess. That's when you need it most."
She smiled against his skin. "Stay with me? Just for a little while?"
"As long as you need."
He held her until she fell asleep, her breathing evening out, the tension finally draining from her body.
Tomorrow was the Sunway meeting. Tomorrow things would change.
But tonight, this was enough.
Day 19 Post-Impact - Evening
Ishani found him in his office.
He was reviewing the scouting reports, planning contingencies for the raider camp, preparing for every possible outcome of tomorrow's meeting.
"You're working late," she said, leaning against the doorframe.
"Someone has to."
"And Nisha?"
"Sleeping. She pushed herself too hard today."
"I heard." Ishani crossed to his desk, perching on the edge. "She's struggling."
"She is."
"Do you need me to back off? Give her more space?"
Sarnav looked up, surprised. "You'd do that?"
"If it's what's needed." Ishani shrugged. "I'm not here to destroy your relationships, Sarnav. I'm here to be part of them. If that means adjusting my approach, I can do that."
"You constantly surprise me."
"Good. Predictable is boring." She leaned down, kissing him briefly. "Get some sleep. Tomorrow's going to be intense."
"You're not staying?"
"Not tonight. Tonight belongs to her." Ishani smiled. "Besides, I got my fill last night. Fair's fair."
She walked out before he could respond.
[ISHANI SUPPIAH - STATUS UPDATE]
[EMOTIONAL STATE: CONTENT, GENEROUS]
[NOTE: SUBJECT DEMONSTRATING UNEXPECTED MATURITY IN RELATIONSHIP DYNAMICS]
[HARMONY COMPATIBILITY: INCREASING]
Maybe this could actually work. The three of them, together, building something real.
Or maybe it would all fall apart spectacularly.
Either way, he'd find out soon enough.
[DAILY CULTIVATION SUMMARY]
[SCOUTING ACTIVITIES: +300]
[INTIMATE ACTIVITIES - NISHA: +7,200]
[EMOTIONAL CONNECTION BONUS: +800]
[TOTAL ESSENCE: 85,100 / 100,000 TO NASCENT SOUL]
[BOND STATUS - NISHA RAMACHANDRAN]
[RELATIONSHIP: SOULBOUND]
[EMOTIONAL STATE: COMFORTED, REASSURED]
[NOTE: FEELINGS OF INADEQUACY ADDRESSED]
[LOYALTY: ABSOLUTE]
[BOND STATUS - ISHANI SUPPIAH]
[RELATIONSHIP: BONDED]
[EMOTIONAL STATE: PATIENT, UNDERSTANDING]
[NOTE: VOLUNTARILY YIELDED TIME TO NISHA]
[BOND STRENGTH: GROWING]
[UPCOMING EVENT]
[SUNWAY MEETING: TOMORROW]
[RAIDER CAMP: IDENTIFIED - 32 HOSTILES, 3 AWAKENED]
[THREAT ASSESSMENT: MANAGEABLE]