Chapter 26: Date and Base?

They stayed sitting on the marble bench in the quiet courtyard, slowly leaning closer to each other.

The giant stuffed chimera between them was getting squished as their faces drew nearer. The air felt thick with tension and warmth, their lips just inches away from another kiss.

But right before it happened, Stheno suddenly stood up.

“Come on, pretty boy. There’s still so much to see,” she said quickly, turning away from him.

Her cheeks were burning bright red, but she refused to let Hyun-woo see it. She wasn’t ready to admit how weird and wonderful he had made her feel just now.

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The glowing lights and cheerful noise of the night market slowly faded behind them as Stheno led Hyun-woo toward the western edge of the Emerald Bastion.

The atmosphere changed completely. The fun, chaotic energy of the carnival gave way to something colder and more disciplined. The floating crystals here gave off a harsh, clinical white light instead of the warm amber glow of the plaza.

“Let me show you how this place actually runs,” Stheno said, her voice losing some of its playful tone. She gestured toward a series of low, heavily reinforced metallic buildings protected by thick mana-shield plating. “This is the Auxiliary Support Sector. It’s where the human logistics teams and… other specialists are kept.”

Hyun-woo felt a sudden, unpleasant twist in his stomach. The architecture looked painfully familiar. It was exactly like the military base he had been thrown out of.

As they walked further, he saw rows of barracks and training yards where female soldiers were doing drills or being processed. Everything looked efficient and painfully organized.

They rounded a corner, and Hyun-woo stopped dead in his tracks.

Directly ahead was a building with a clear, glowing sign: United States of America – Morale Support Division.

Was this the exact same facility his old commander had threatened to send him to? > The place where “disposable boy toys” were sent to keep the female troops happy. The place everyone called Eden’s Vault’s dirty little secret.

Now that he thought about it… how the hell could any normal male soldier even reach this place? The magical barrier at the gate would have killed them instantly.

Was my commander really just sending me to my death because I punched that asshole officer? The realization hit him like a physical blow. Fuck you, Commander. And fuck this place. I quit.

“Hey, are you okay?” Stheno asked, noticing how intensely he was staring at the building. “You look like you want to burn it down.”

“It's nothing, really,” Hyun-woo muttered, his voice tight. “I’ll tell you later.”

“Okay,” Stheno replied softly. She didn’t push him, but she could sense a very familiar emotion radiating from him—pure hate. It was an emotion she knew intimately. She made a mental note to ask him about it properly when they were alone.

“How about we go somewhere else?” Hyun-woo said, already turning away.

Before Stheno could answer, a woman in a crisp military uniform stepped out of the intake center. She was scanning a tablet with a tired expression until her eyes landed on them.

The tablet slipped from her fingers and clattered loudly onto the pavement.

“Hyun-woo…?” she gasped, her voice shaking with absolute disbelief.

Hearing his name, he turned around and recognized her instantly. It was Sergeant Nesta—the only person in his old unit who had never teased him about his “pretty” face. She had been transferred away almost two years ago.

Sergeant Nesta stepped forward, her eyes wide as she took in Hyun-woo’s messy black hair, his oversized shirt, and the impossible fact that he was standing there completely alive… right next to one of the infamous Outer Guardians.

“You… you’re alive?” she stammered. “I heard you were dropped in the desert without even a tracker! How the hell are you inside the walls? And with her?” She gestured frantically at Stheno, her face pale with shock.

Stheno’s golden snakes, which had been resting peacefully, suddenly reared up and hissed violently. The possessive energy radiating off her spiked in an instant.

Before Hyun-woo could answer, Stheno stepped in front of him, looming over the human woman. Her iridescent golden scales glinted under the harsh white lights, and her red-gold eyes narrowed dangerously.

“And who the fuck are you?” Stheno growled. The air around them grew heavy as her Gorgon aura pressed down on the courtyard like an invisible weight.

“I—I was his comrade, Mistress Stheno!” Nesta dropped to her knees immediately, voice trembling. “I just didn’t think he’d survive the transfer!”

“He’s not a transfer anymore,” Stheno snapped, jealousy and territorial rage clear in her voice. “He’s on a date. My date. And you’re ruining the fucking mood.”

She didn’t wait for a reply. Stheno reached back, grabbed Hyun-woo’s wrist with a grip that left zero room for argument, and started hauling him away toward the transport hub.

“Wait, Stheno—!” Hyun-woo called out, glancing back over his shoulder.

Nesta was still kneeling on the ground, staring at them in a complete daze, entirely unable to process the sight of the “pretty normie” she once knew being claimed by one of the most terrifying beings in Eden’s Vault.

Hyun-woo looked at Stheno's rigid back, then back at Nesta, and simply shrugged. Guess I’ll find her later, he thought, making a mental note of the sector.

Stheno didn’t stop stomping until they reached a high marble platform that jutted out over the edge of the city.

Waiting for them was a vehicle that completely defied physics. It looked like a long, elegant segmented carriage made of transparent crystal and shining silver filigree. It had no wheels and no tracks—it simply hovered six feet above the ground, humming with deep, resonant mana energy that made the air vibrate around it.

“The Aether-Coaster,” Stheno muttered, her face still flushed with lingering anger. “It’s restricted to Guardians and Council members only. It’ll take us across the Bastion and straight through Gorgon territory without dealing with any more nosy humans.”

The crystal train shimmered as it waited, its segments gently undulating like a living serpent. It was designed to glide along invisible ley lines connecting the different zones of the Vault.

“Are you still mad?” Hyun-woo asked softly, stepping up beside her as the crystal doors slid open with a pleasant musical chime.

Stheno huffed. Her golden snakes slowly settled back down into her hair, though they still gave a few grumpy rattles.

“I’m not mad. I just…” She turned to look at him, her red-gold eyes softening in the starlight. “This was supposed to be just us.”

Hyun-woo smiled and stepped into the elegant floating carriage, gently pulling Stheno in after him.

The crystal doors slid shut with a soft chime, and the Aether-Coaster lifted smoothly into the night sky. As it began gliding silently through the air, the entire Emerald Bastion sprawled out beneath them like a breathtaking sea of lights. Ancient stone towers, glowing domes, and winding streets filled with floating crystals created a magical tapestry that stretched as far as the eye could see.

“Don’t worry,” Hyun-woo said softly, keeping his hand wrapped warmly around hers. “Nesta is just an old friend from my military days. Nothing more.”

“I didn’t say anything,” Stheno replied defensively, making a weird face as she looked away out the window.

“I know,” Hyun-woo said with a small, knowing smile. “But you were going to.”

Stheno paused for a second, then shrugged shamelessly. “Yep.”

Hyun-woo let out a short laugh. “You are shameless, you know that?”

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