After finishing Second-level Academy, every eighteen-year-old was required to serve two years at a Mid-Guard. They were institutions built to prepare humanity for survival in a world stalked by Xenosapians, the man-eating monsters that haunted their existence.
Seraphine Mid-Guard HQ
Four a.m.
Tee stood before the mirror, her eyes tracing the familiar contours of her neck as she carefully smoothed the concealer across the left side. The cool, creamy texture slid over her skin like silk. Yet beneath her fingertips was the curse mark. A swirl of inky black smoke that seemed to seep through her pores, curling into a sinister semicircle along her collarbone. It was a constant reminder of the secret she bore, a secret she could never reveal.
With each careful application, she watched the mark slowly fade, her rich, dark brown skin reclaiming itself as if resisting the shadow that threatened to consume it.
Finally satisfied, Tee wrapped her stark white hair into a tight bun, securing each strand with meticulous precision. It had to be perfect. Any slip could betray the control she worked so hard to maintain.
She leaned closer to the mirror, whispering to herself, "I am not a Xeno-victim."
The words hung in the quiet room, echoing off the walls. A mantra she repeated with every careful brush of concealer, every precise motion of hairpin and clip.
The time was nearly four-fifteen a.m. The global curfew demanded it. Sunlight was precious, stolen by the monsters that attacked at night—the Xenosapians. Patrols during the day were the realm of the Mid-Guard troopers, tasked with reporting the slightest trace of those monsters to Mid-Guard officials. Only MG officials were authorized to deal with the Xenosapians directly, and Tee had long learned that overstepping that boundary was fatal.
She stepped from the bathroom into the dimly lit room. Her roommate was perched on her bed, face bathed in the pale glow of the single window, fingers scrolling indulgently over a holophone.
Tee noticed the faint reflection of light on her roommate's skin, the way it highlighted every delicate curve and line, as though the device itself was a window into another world. The ceiling light overhead was dull and uninspiring, but it did little to compete with the window's natural illumination.
"I'm ready," Tee said, voice steady despite the undercurrent of urgency she always felt in the early hours.
Her roommate didn't look up, absorbed in whatever narrative held her rapt. Tee grabbed her blue jacket and the two left together, slipping silently into the corridor.
The hallway was alive with motion, the energy of young troopers buzzing like electricity. Clusters of girls huddled in cliques, holophones in hand, squirming, gasping, and laughing over the steamy stories they devoured.
Boys leaned against walls, nudging each other, whispering jokes and hitting backs in camaraderie. The noise was a strange comfort, a reminder that, despite the darkness of their world, some normalcy remained.
Curiosity finally pried at Tee. She reached out and snatched a holophone from a lone boy engrossed in reading. He froze, recognition washing over his features, powerless against her sudden assertion.
Tee skimmed a line: "She sank to her knees, and he looked down at her, his face flushed from the shame of being so exposed." Tee's lips curled into a faint grimace. She was immediately turned off. DGS or Death Guard Saga, was notorious. A scandalous, indulgent mix of pornography and Mid-Guard stories, peddled openly to the public.
Tee shoved the device back into the boy's hands and turned to face the wall, sliding into her spot in the line. Her arms hung at her sides, the empty weight of her belt reminding her of what was missing. Her voice-com, always secured there, was gone. She didn't need to guess who had taken it. A sharp edge of irritation pricked at her, and she gritted her teeth, tension coiling in her jaw.
Her heart quickened. Tee slipped through the troopers, moving with a dancer's precision, and entered her dorm room. The sight that greeted her froze her blood: a tall man, draped in a long, tattered black coat that flowed around him like smoke, his arms and neck covered in fitted black leather, leaned casually against the windowframe, exuding a dangerous, unpredictable presence.
Shadows played across his angular features, silver-grey hair tumbling to his jawline in untamed strands, veiling eyes so dark they seemed to swallow light itself. A subtle smirk tugged at his lips as he held her voice-com aloft, a silent, mocking challenge.
"What is your problem?" Tee demanded, voice sharp, cutting through the thick tension of the room. She approached him, every step deliberate. "Hand it over."
"This is what I have to do to get you alone," he said, eyes glinting in amusement. "That roommate of yours… always unwanted."
Before Tee could react, he stepped closer, invading her space, and she stumbled slightly, unnerved by the magnetic intensity of his presence. Their faces hovered mere inches apart. His eyes, black pools punctuated by tiny dots of light, held her captive.
She felt his hand brush her chin, tilting her face, forcing her to meet the depth of his gaze. In that moment, Tee felt her pulse quicken, heat spreading across her skin, a mix of anger, tension, and something else she could not name.
Blushing, she pulled back sharply. She hated how he could unsettle her, yet part of her could not deny the draw he held. Ever since joining the Mid-Guard, he had been an unspoken constant—present, watching, silent. And still, she did not know his name, did not know when or why he entered her life. He was always there, a shadow she could neither shake nor embrace fully.
When she turned, he was gone. Her voice-com lay innocuously on the neatly made bed. Heart still hammering, she grabbed it and left, only to hear a muffled scream cut through the morning calm. Tee hesitated, then froze as shuffling sounds echoed from a small janitor's door. Instincts kicking in, she crouched and peered through the crack, activating her eye ability.
Inside, an older MG official had a girl trooper pinned against the wall. The man loomed over her, his presence overwhelming, eyes dark and commanding.
"What do you want from me?" the girl asked, her voice trembling.
"You know very well," he replied, an electric cigar glowing faintly in his hand. "I've been watching you… and I can no longer control myself."
The girl's shoulders shook, and she tried to shield herself. "Please, don't. I need to join my line."
His hand lingered, brushing her chest in a deliberate, violating motion. The girl shuddered violently, her voice trembling, "Please… stop."
Tee's blood ran cold. Without hesitation, she kicked the door open. It slammed into the man's back, sending him colliding into nearby sweepers.
"Get out!" she barked, her voice a weapon as powerful as her swords. The girl froze, stunned by the sudden intervention, then bolted past Tee and into safety.
The man scrambled upright, rage etched into every line of his face. "You," he hissed.
"Yeah. It's me," Tee said, stepping closer, glare sharp and unwavering. "How many times have you been reported, and you're still here? Something is seriously wrong with this place to allow dogs like you to roam free."
She snatched a nearby sweeper and bolted from the room, slamming the door behind her. With a swift motion, she wedged the handle against the door, creating a makeshift barricade to keep him from following. She laughed, a low, victorious sound, and made a mocking gesture toward the cameras above.
By the time she returned to the line, roll call had begun. Her gear was distributed: long swords, sturdy blades, large foldable shurikens strapped to their backs. Tee felt the weight of her weapons, the electric hum of anticipation thrumming through her veins. Soon, she and the others were dispatched into the train sections that led into the city, each patrol charged with vigilance, strength, and the silent promise of danger.
Even as she moved, Tee's thoughts flickered back to the man. The pull of his presence, the dark, magnetic intensity in his eyes. She couldn't explain why, but a part of her knew he would never be far. And perhaps, she thought with a flicker of unease and intrigue, she didn't entirely want him to be gone.
They disembarked from the train and began their daily patrol, each trooper slipping into their own method of vigilance. Some perched on rooftops, scanning the streets below, while others sped along on sleek, hovering boards. A few moved cautiously along the sidewalks, eyes darting for any sign of trouble, and some lingered in shaded corners, muscles coiled, ready to react at a moment's notice.
Tee wandered among them, her gaze sweeping the area until it landed on the blonde, stationed at his usual spot, flanked by a small cluster of boys. Sunlight caught her white hair as she approached, giving it a radiant glow that seemed to shimmer with every step. She knew before even reaching him that he had seen her. His eyes didn't lift to meet hers, but she caught the faintest mumble directed at his comrades before they drifted away, moving in another direction and leaving her behind.
A pang of frustration twisted in her chest. She could do nothing. How she wished, just once, that he would fix his attention on her, that she mattered enough to disrupt his focus. Instead, she felt like nothing more than a ghost in his periphery, invisible and unwanted.