County Hillock
“So Lee, how did you get here?” Jane asked as the car made a slow descent towards a downward part of the road. “I mean, County Hillock is quite far from Londinium. Don't tell me you two walked all the way from there?”
Lee, who was the one busy taking the brunt of every conversation, was now in dire need of assistance. He thought that having the same language as the people in this place would give him the opportunity to have an upper hand at them. Turns out, that notion was flipped upside down.
‘Londinium... Victoria... And a horned girl driving a car. Haha, fuck. I really am crazy.’
He gave a sidelong glance to the girl sitting beside him in hopes she would back him up on this one, but got no response. Either she was really busy gawking and admiring the beautiful scenery from the aisle window, or she was deliberately ignoring his silent pleas of help.
She was definitely ignoring him, which caused him to brace himself for more questions.
‘Alpha...damn you!’
“Oh, well, believe it or not but...we both have no recollections of any events prior to waking up in a middle of a flower field. That's why we were standing in the side of the road, since well...” His sentence trailed off midair, hesitant to tell what Alpha told him.
Jane gasped after hearing that.
“Oh my! Were you guys kidnapped or something? It happens around here often...” her tone sounded genuinely worried.
“Nothing of the sort...I can't explain it in words either...” Lee awkwardly chuckled and scratched the back of his head.
“Well, it's a good thing I found you then! Ah, I feel like I've done something genuinely good you know?” Jane responded gleefully and managed to dissolve the gloomy atmosphere.
“You see, I actually live in the town. I just came back from the capital, and now I can't believe I've made friends already!” she added with a laugh.
“Friends huh..?” Lee uttered, which didn't go unnoticed.
“Yeah, isn't it fun to meet new people? I just got out of the academy from a two year course, and now I'm a full time cadet! It's my first time talking to people from outside the school grounds for two years.” Jane added.
“Academy...cadet...you mean, cadet as in soldiering?” Lee interjected. To him, he thought that she would be working at a high class workplace or something. Turns out his expectations were off the mark once again.
“Yes, technically, a rookie. Whoa, you guys really aren't from here aren'tcha?” A pout forms on her face, but it quickly turned into a gasp, and then into a smile
“So that means... I can give you a tour! What say you matey?” She excitedly turns around, causing the vehicle to stir sideways uncontrollably. They nearly crashed into a tree, but somehow miraculously dodged it.
“W-Watch the road please!” Lee exclaimed as he held the bar handle above him tightly. Alpha glanced at him with a seemingly amused expression as she calmly sat beside him, unfazed by the uneven road.
“I'll take that as a yes! County Hillock, here we go!” Jane cheered all to herself and stepped on the gas pedal, accelerating the vehicle faster. Lee had to control his voice to avoid screaming.
After a few minutes of driving, the sight of the town finally became closer. It was comparable to that of victorian era of the 18 to 19th century Britain. Most of the houses was made of solid bricks and cobblestones, and had the distinct antiquity of its designs.
The road outside of town wasn't fully renovated yet, but the streets within the town are all concrete. What surprised Lee and Alpha was that cars seemed like a normal source of transportation in this place, as well as a mix of other things. For example, they spotted kids riding bicycles in a small park.
“Huh, I thought this place wouldn't be modern... Turns out I'm wrong.” Lee muttered as they drove past food establishments. It was like the Earth he used to live in before the virus ravaged it. It was like the Earth everyone lived in.
He spares a glance towards Alpha, who was also amazed by the town. She was even smiling, oblivious to the fact that it contrasted her killer personality. As much as he wanted to make a retaliatory joke about it right now, he just let it slip, since seeing her be a normal teenager for once was a rare sight.
Lee smiled as he caught sight of a souvenir shop, but was soon replaced with a frown. It almost dawned to him that this was Earth, which made his heart ache a bit. He was in here, away from the fighting, away from death and the detestable virus, while his friends and comrades are busy fighting for humanity's last hope.
It just felt wrong somehow. What did he do to deserve this kind of escape? Why was he made to take a breather from the fighting while Lucia and Liv and the rest of Babylonia get to stay behind and suffer? Don't get him wrong, it's not that he despises to have peace and quiet, it's just that he thinks it's unfair for him to be in here.
The others fought just as hard as he did, so why didn't that portal open up on top of the others and suck them in here too? Why him, who's just amongst the many constructs and soldiers fighting to recover the Earth. It just made no sense at all. Lee could only sigh as he leaned on the car's chair, still contemplating about it.
As they drove closer to Jane's house, she began to feel a bit estranged. She spared quick glances to the rearview mirror, observing the two former strangers she picked up a while ago. She was utterly surprised to learn that they aren't from here, since only a few foreigners venture out in far away towns like Hillock.
And to add to her surprise, they were genuinely unfamiliar to their surroundings, even the name of this very country seems new to them. Both of them had this weird vibe around them that she wanted to address. They seem too calm and composed given their vague explanation about how they got here.
‘Did I just picked up two, well experienced teenagers?’ Jane internally thought.
No, either they were really good at making their true intentions, or they were genuinely lost. She knows that she picked them up out of goodwill, but still, she berates herself for not being careful.
Glancing back at the rearview mirror to check on her passengers, she noticed that they both had a small frown as they stared outside the car window. Their expressions were subtle, yet true. Were they confused? Were they sad? Jane doesn't know, so she decides to take a hand on the wheel.
“So... Are you two hungry?”
Alpha and Lee stared at her back as the question filled the car. Seconds past, and silence still reigned over the two of them, not knowing whether they are hungry or not.
“Oh, uhh, we're absolutely fi–”
GROWL
gRuMbLe~
Lee's smile froze in place as he slowly turned his head to the side. There, he saw that Alpha was most likely about to answer the same thing, but her stomach says otherwise. Her mouth was left hanging open as the grim reality of the situation dawned unto her.
“Pffft... Hahaha!” Jane couldn't control herself as she bursted out laughing. “Oh, I'm sorry, it's just I was hungry too! Now that Alpha is also hungry, we can all make a stop to a restaurant or diner.” she wiped a handkerchief on her teary eyes.
“S-Sure. You don't mind?” Lee said, trying his hardest not to laugh as Alpha was already close by his aide. She was giving him a sidelong glance that made him rethink his entire life.
“It's my treat, don't worry! I'll just find a good place to park...” Jane answered as she drove the vehicle into a wide compound. She parked the car near the exit and motioned for the two of them to get out.
“What is this place?” Alpha asked as she stared at the building in front of her. It was a medium sized establishing that had a modern look to it.
“It's a diner. Don't worry, we'll get to eat in no time, or we could just do take out. Oh, and please leave your...uhm, weapons on the car.” Jane added and pointed at their sword and guns.
They complied and left their weapons in their seat. However, both of them has a sheathed knife located somewhere in their clothes. After all, who knows when they might need it again.
The former constructs followed Jane closely as she opened the door to the restaurant. She led them to a table near the window they all sat down on their respective chairs. A waiter soon noticed the newcomers and immediately attended to their needs.
“May I take your orders?”
Lee and Alpha was rendered speechless when the waiter stood before them. He had a humanoid body, yet at the same time, cat ears and tails was also present. They just shut their mouths and let Jane do the talking.
“Can we have a look on the menu first? My friends are new in town.” she said with a smile.
The waiter's eyes widened in surprise. “Oh lovely, we have an ongoing promo regarding the food we serve. Everything would be 50% off. But before that, may I ask where they come from?” the waiter said and eyes the two, specifically Alpha.
‘Crap, what should we do...’ was what ran on Lee and Alpha's minds. They glanced and nodded at each other, before facing the feline waiter.
As they were about to answer, Jane interjected. With her quick thinking, they have avoided a tragic loss of the promo discount.
“Lee and Alpha are both from Kazdel, but they work as business partners in Londinium. Isn't that right, Lee?” She glanced at him with eyes telling him to nod, so he does.
“Yes, we export things that help Victoria thrive... Yes, classified things.” Lee answered, earning a long and genuine nod from the waiter. Alpha just inhaled sharply as if embarrassed that she even knew Lee.
“So...we'll take the family version of a pepperoni pizza. Make it two large ones, and three orders of mojo's.” Jane pointed at the menu before handing out payment.
“Are you not dining in? We could also have a band play for you.” The waiter offered.
“I'm sorry, but we are in a bit of a hurry. We'll just do take out.”
“Alright, please wait for ten minutes.” The waiter said before heading off with their order.
Lee glanced at Jane with a smile. He wasn't dumb, since she purposely noted the name places and their fake occupation for them to claim the promo, so it was best to follow her. He was, however, interested in the new name she mentioned.
“Jane, thanks for covering for us.”
She waved him off and answered sarcastically. “Don't worry, I was doing it for the promo.”
However, Alpha didn't seem to catch her joke. “So the food is more important to you?”
“Oh my god, she was being sarcastic you idiot. Be thankful for once.” Lee said and facepalms.
“Oh, sorry about that.” Alpha shrugged her shoulders. “What is Kazdel by the way? And that waiter stared at me like I'm sort of suspicious.”
“Huh, maybe he has the hots for you?” Lee suggested.
“What even is that?” Alpha retorted, suddenly confused.
‘Even Kazdel huh? So, they aren't Sarkaz? They have horns though...’ Jane mentally sighed, before looking outside the window. The sun was already in the far end of the horizon, so the surroundings was beginning to be painted in orange.
To be honest, she was glad she could help these two people in front of her, since that was the sole reason she joined up Victoria's royal academy in the first place. She wanted to help many people so she became a soldier. However, something tells her there is more than the eye could see when it comes to Lee and Alpha's situation.
Something that didn't add up.
“I'll tell you once we get to my house...too many details to say in here.”
“W-Wait, you're taking us to your house? Why?” Lee suddenly asked, surprised by what she said.
She stared at him wide eyed.
“Uhm, you do know that you don't have a place to stay in right?”
“Yes.”
“And that you told me you two are not from here, right?”
“...Yes.”
“Do you even have money to spare? Like LMD?” Jane added.
____
(A/N: LMD is Terran currency hailing from Lungmen, hence the name Lungmen Dollar.)
____
“Uhm, no? What's that?” Both of them answered simultaneously.
“Then that's why I'm taking you to my house. I can't just leave two foreigners sleeping in the streets.” Jane answered honestly. Too honest.
“Well, you have a point there...” Lee chuckled. He was very grateful that Jane was a good hearted person. If someone treated them a bit different, Alpha would have probably killed them already.
“Well... that is, if my friend still mans the house.”
“Wait, what?”
“Here's your order!” The waiter brings their food into the table, happy to serve their restaurant's last customers.
///
“Annnnd, we are here!” Jane excitedly shouts and steps on the brakes. Hard.
“S-Shit!” Lee exclaimed as he nearly plummeted to the driver's. Alpha ignored his embarrassing state and took all the takeout food with her, before closing the door on him.
Jane opened the back compartment of her car and brought out two luggage. She then locks her car remotely after Lee got out of the vehicle, before walking towards a large house at the end of the street.
They followed from behind, and Alpha suddenly leaned close to him. “You think we should trust her?”
Lee glanced at her with a disgusted look, before nudging her away. “I should be asking you that. You wanted to cut her down the second you saw her this afternoon!” he hissed.
“Oh please, just because she has decent breasts doesn't mean you can fully trust her. Oh wait, because that's your reason for trusting her in the first place.” Alpha gave him a smug look, before overtaking him.
“T-That's not it!” Lee responded, embarrassed that he was found out already. Was he that easy to read?
“Here's my humble abode!” Jane smiled as she guided them through a gate. The house was big even from first glance.
“Please wait for a bit. I'll just confirm if my friend is still living here.”
They watched her go to the door and knock a few times. Lee used this opportunity to inch closer to Alpha, before taking a piece of mojo from the pack. He reluctantly sniffs it like a scared dog, before ultimately putting it in his mouth.
“Holy shit, that's great food.” Lee moaned in delight, earning a repulsive look from Alpha.
“I feel nauseated after you did that sound. Eugh! Get away from me.” She mimicked her being sick, causing him to glare at her.
“Nino! Are you in there?” Jane shouted, this time raising her voice. She was worried that her friend moved out already and forgot to tell her. If that's the case, her heart would break.
However, after waiting a couple of seconds, a muffled voice of a girl came from inside. “Coming!”
The door opens, revealing a girl with similar horns like Jane. She was wearing an oversized shirt, tucked in her skirt in a high waisted manner. The two top most buttons on her clothes was open, causing Lee to whistle in the background. It was low enough for only Alpha to hear, but she made sure to kick him hard in the shin.
“Oh my god, Jane!? Is it really you!?” The salmon haired girl's voice was filled with surprise as she exclaimed loudly, before being engaged with an embracing contest with her blonde friend.
“It's really me Nino! I missed you too!” Jane responded with the same happiness she received, before turning around. She then gestured towards the two people standing in the gateway.
“Nino, this here is Lee–”
“Good evening, pleasure to meet you.” He answered and smiled, hoping she would find him attractive.
“–and the girl beside him is Alpha.”
“Nice to meet you.” Alpha curtly responded, still feeling a bit awkward interacting with other people.
“Lee, Alpha, this girl here, this sweet girl is Nino. She's my best friend since we were children.”
The girl named Nino gave them a smile as the two of them approached her. She then took the liberty to shake their hands before motioning them to come inside.
“Nice to meet you Lee, Alpha. Please come inside, you must be tired.”
“If you don't mind...” Lee answered, before heading inside as Jane took the lead.
The interior was certainly impressive, with the floor probably designed in genuine hard polished wood. They went past the living room, and he saw that the house had a second floor. His train of thought was interrupted when a hand tapped him on his shoulder.
“Care for a drink? Do you prefer fruit juice or soft drinks?” Nino asked as she began putting on an apron.
‘I prefer you, to be honest.’ Was what his brain wanted him to say, but he had nerves of steel in his years following strict orders.
“Fruit juice is alright.”
“Heh, I thought you're a soft-drinks-kind of guy. My expectation wasn't spot on this time.” She smiled and went to the kitchen counter, before preparing the drinks.
Now that he had his focus on this girl, he could tell at first glance that she was attractive. Very, very attractive to say the least. With salmon colored hair, and eyes with the warmest shade of lilac, she had this carefree attitude emanating from her. Well, that's what his judgement told him.
The most notable feature he noticed on Nino and Jane was their distinct curved horns. When they were driving through town this afternoon, he couldn't make out the looks of the citizens, but he surmised they were mostly felines like the waiter in that restaurant. Up til this moment, these two women was the only ones resembling...
“...Dragons...”
It was the first thing that cross his mind when he thought hard about their appearance. He needed to know if this world was full of people with anthropomorphic appearance, or was that just common in this country. In any case, he needed to wait for the right opportunity.
“Lee, what are you standing there for? Come, the food won't eat itself.” Jane waved at him to sit as she opened the box of pizza. For some reasons, she had already changed her clothes into a simple t-shirt and shorts.
“You looked like you were in deep thought just now. Finally decided to...kill 'em?” Alpha whispered lowly in his ear when Nino was busy receiving help from Jane as she prepared the food.
“Alpha. Please, for fuck's sake let me enjoy being a normal human for once. Okay? Please.” Lee said and closed his eyes before thinking of an old show Murray used to watch when he was still a kid. It was an animated turtle called yawgoo retsam as he practiced something called inner peace.
He has to be careful, especially since he was with Alpha. Technically, she is Lucia, but not the same Lucia he was used to accompany. She was an Ascendant too, one who cuts down Babylonian constructs like knife through butter. He couldn't even fathom what would happen in this place if he can't put Alpha in check.
Sure, she was already human, and with the lack of the Punishing Virus in this world, certain abilities granted by the virus are non-existent in this world. However, she was a veteran of the battlefield with years of experience tucked in right under her belt. Even now, she keeps spouting about killing and killing and killing, which causes him to worry.
“Alright, time to dig in!” Jane said as they all sat around the table.
Alpha stared at her plate for a while, before deciding which food to eat. Well, there's not much to choose from since they ordered two pepperoni pizzas. She takes two slices and a couple of mojos, before starting her conquest to satisfy her belly.
‘It's good...’ Alpha closed her eyes and savoured the exotic taste. ‘I wish Luna was here...’
She has been fighting for humanity for decades, and then fighting against Babylonia decades after that. She could remember that when they were desperate to survive in the church, they would always eat canned food. They didn't had the luxury of tasting these kinds of food, since the city they were in was the first one to become a warzone.
She continued eating in silence as Jeanne's friend asked questions.
“So, how did you guys meet Jane?” Nino asked right after she drank her fruit juice.
“About that... I just met them today in the outskirts of town.” Jane responded, causing Nino to nearly choke on her food.
“You...what?”
Lee made sure to drink the entirety of the fruit juice Nino prepared for him, before answering.
“It's like Jane said. Alpha and I... we're not actually from here. I know it sounds crazy to believe but...we just woke up in the middle of nowhere this afternoon.”
“Yes, I saw them standing along the dirt road. I knew that instance they were lost, so I lended a helping hand.” Jane explained, trying to calm Nino down. It was understandable to be wary of strangers, especially when they are on your house.
Nino looks at Jane, before massaging the bridge of her nose while heaving a sigh. “What will I ever do to you... You never change.”
“We're truly grateful about Jane's help. If you don't want us to stay here any longer, It's totally alright. We can find ways to aquire enough money for us to–”
“In what ways is that, exactly?” Nino asked, still unsure what to think of them. She thought that they were Jane's classmates in the academy, turns out she was completely wrong.
“Err, we have experience in... fighting.” Lee answered, earning a sidelong glance from Alpha.
“You see, we were...how do you put it...soldiers. Field operators, if that's the correct term. So, if you have any job recommendations that requires operators like us, we'll take it. We don't want to trouble you any longer–”
“Hold up, wait a minute.” Nino stood up and raised her hands. Jane was worried that she would kick Lee and Alpha out of the house due to this scuffed revelation.
“H-How old are you two?”
“18.” Both of them answered. This made Nino's head hurt more, since they were all at the same age.
“And you...you have experience in battle? How?” She asked. She has graduated earlier that Jane and is now a private in the army reserve, yet she has not seen any true combat yet. After all, the forces of Dublinn haven't made their move yet.
“It's a long and complicated story, and you might not believe–”
“No!” Jane exclaimed and slammed her palms on the table, startling Nino the most. “I want to hear your story, even if it's long and complicated.” her deep blue eyes stared at his with genuine feelings. Seeing her friend like this, Nino was given no choice.
“*sigh*, what will I ever do with you...” She exhales and sits down on her chair, before crossing her arms over her buxom chest.
“Alright then. Explain yourself.”
.
.
.
///
City 015
Epicenter of the ‘portal’
The landscape of city 015 changed drastically after the unforseen events that occurred three days ago. Even though it was a rundown and war-torn city filled with corrupted from before, it was now transformed into something much more sinister.
Luna stood alone in the sea of dark red punishing virus, contemplating how the recent event affected her. It was like a speeding truck hit her body and made her soul get transported to another world. Her heart was in shambles as she lifted the pile of debris using amalgamations of the Punishing Virus.
No matter how much they search for any sign of Alpha in the ruins, they couldn't find no traces of her. It was like she never even existed in the first place, since the lack of evidence that she was in the ground proved to be affecting their search greatly.
Even Gabriel, who always had his book with him, was now seriously focused in searching for Luna's sister. The way the queen of the Ascendants looked right now worried him, so he was keen on finding even a trace of Alpha's whereabouts. He was also curious as to what caused the international space station to act like that, but they had more pressing matters to attend to.
“This place sure is crawling with new types of mechanoids...” Roland spoke as he waltzed beside him. He points his index finger in the distance towards a mass of corrupted, who were busy dismantling a badly damaged Musashi.
“Hmm, truly is fascinating, this virus.” Gabriel responded after a short pause, before dipping his mechanical hand into the sea of tiny red metalloids. “It even created new mechanical droids out of damaged parts.”
Roland silently nodded, before sparing glance towards Luna's direction. Her figure looked so lonely in the distance, and it felt like something was about to happen. The tension around her was palpable, and it made Roland's skin crawl.
He jumps off the ledge they were standing in and casually approached where she stood. He knows that Luna already noticed his presence, but he kept his head high and walked.
“Has there been progress? Any sort of trail where she had gone?” Luna's voice filled the air, cracking the icy silence.
Roland stopped short behind her and answered. “We've found nothing so far. It's like she just vanished.”
Luna fell silent after hearing that and kept staring at a circular spot on the ground. She wasn't able to spot how the black hole disappeared, but Gabriel told her that a blinding white light was emitted in just a couple of millisecond, before vanishing. That's when the gargantuan of a corrupted began assembling itself. Speaking of which...
“...how about that corrupted? Has it been dealt with?” Luna queries.
Roland glances to where he was standing with Gabriel. It was a collapsed building that was once an office establishment, but is now reduced to dust and rubble. Beside it was a large dismantled body of a never before seen corrupted.
“We managed to take it down after Babylonia tucked tail and ran. It managed to make Gabriel fight a lot harder, Miss Luna.” Roland responded, squinting his eyes a bit as he touched the scraped part of his torso.
Luna stared at the night sky for a moment, before walking forward.
“Keep up the search. Even if I need to turn this city upside down, I'll do it.” The queen of the Ascendants ordered, before pursuing everywhere her eyes could see.
.
.
.
///
Yorktown St.
Jane's house
Nino sat there in silence, still bewildered by the fact Jeanne brought two strangers into this house. She knows that she was doing it out of her goodwill, but what if these two enigmatic teenagers sitting across her had ulterior motives? What if they were so well versed in words that they managed to fool her friend?
However, as the blonde boy reiterated his, or their story in front of them, she couldn't shake the fact that they were genuinely telling the truth. Their appearances are all so foreign, especially the large, instrument-like horns worn by Alpha on the side of her head. Those weren't real horns, it was more like a headphones.
And as she listened more on to what Lee is saying, she couldn't help but be intrigued on what the planet called ‘Earth’ look like. He told them that it was destroyed, ravaged everywhere by a virulent virus that killed off any humans it infected, and that the ‘machines’ or ‘androids’ their race have invented are now all going haywire.
He even showed them proof about his claims, with him going so far as to show some photo's he kept within the confines of his jacket. Nino could tell that it was some of the things that are personal to him given the look he has on his face, so she has no right to turn them down.
“I'm...sorry.” Jane uttered softly as she stared at the photograph resting in between her hands. “It must be hard, being separated with the ones you love in that instance...”
The people in the picture consisted of Lee standing beside a man wearing dark grey overcoat, alongside two other female soldiers. Jane studied the picture a little longer, and noticed that the girl with black and red faded hair looked similar to same girl dining alongside them, which was Alpha.
“If you don't mind me asking Alpha, and I apologize in advance if I get it wrong, but are you and Lee long time teammates?” Jane asked and placed the picture beside her plate, to which Nino then took and examined.
Alpha shook her head, before resting her hands in front of her.
“It's too complicated to explain, but long story short, that girl you see in the picture is another me with altered memories of the past. Her entire existence is a mistake, yet Babylonia still use her for her unyielding loyalty.”
Alpha answered, causing Lee to look at her in shock.
Of course, it was all speculations to him about what happened to Lucia, until now. It was all laid bare in front of him, even if it was vague.
“I-I see. So...both of you were constructs right? Are you...like, feeling different right now?” Jane asked.
“Yes, we're constructs before. Just a fancy way to call someone a machine, or an android–” Alpha sighs and leans her back against the chair.
“–and yet now, my body...feels different. His too. It is kinda surreal y'know? Being back to your frail and feeble body like this...” She glances at her hands and down at her body.
Nino slowly stood up, causing the three of them to glance up to her. She had a mixed expression on her face, but one could tell that she was hurt after hearing what Lee and Alpha went through. She reaches out and gives the photo back to Lee, before walking towards the sink.
“Nino... I really think we should let them–”
“When I was young... I would always help out with my parent's farm. I'll then be playing with Jane here alongside the other children in town.” Nino told them while having her back facing them.
“And then when night comes, I would always look up the sky as the two moons shine their bright light and wonder... If there's a place beyond this planet that has a different me in it. Turns out, there is one, but with a much more grim reality to it.” She finally faced them, her nose red as she wiped the tears with her palm.
“Nino...” Jane uttered.
“I'm sorry, that's all I can say. I was jealous when I heard that you two teenagers, the same age as me, has experience in battle. It was childish for me to think that a battlefield is a place for adventure...turns out it wasn't.” she bitesbher lower lip and averts her attention, before fishing out her handkerchief.
“I know that you didn't laid everything bare to us. All I know is that you two went through a lot before arriving here, so the least we can do is help you out.” Nino finishes with a soft smile and glances at Jane.
“You two are free to stay with us. We'll help you with the best of our abilities.”
Lee's eyes widened in surprise, before glancing towards Alpha. She also had a grateful expression on her face.
“I...don't know what to say. Thank you, both of you. We'll also make sure not to be a burden, and we'll also find a job to sustain ourselves.” Lee said and approached the two girls, before shaking their hands.
Jane had to look away when their eyes met, a tinge of red painting her cheeks. She was happy that Nino made them stay.
“W-Well, the food won't eat itself! Come on, let's dig in!” She exclaims happily and starts eating, causing the others to chuckle merrily.
On this day onwards, their fates was now intertwined. It was the start of a new life not just for Alpha and Lee, but for Jane and Nino too.
«‹⟨ TO BE CONTINUED ⟩›»
Published: March 14, 2022
Words: 5546
Note: I changed Jeanne to Jane since it's her name in global now.