Chapter 37: Bonds and calculations

Lysara’s words hung in the air. "Did you know about his anomaly status? Did you have something to do with it?"

Hearing that question, Athea didn’t move. She took a moment to think before replying. "Of course not. Him surviving an infected male is as much a mystery to me as it is to you. Perhaps it’s luck. A twist of fate. Or something buried in the bloodline."

Her voice remained perfectly measured as she thought about it for a second and then finished. "Regardless, I am... relieved he’s alive. And that is why you must ensure nothing like that attack ever happens again. If something were to happen to him under your care, Lysara, the consequences would be far-reaching."

Lysara almost scowled. ’Is she.... Threatening me?’ Deciding to let it slide, the high commander nodded slowly, but her eyes narrowed. Relieved was the closest thing to warmth Athea had shown—and even that was buried beneath layers of protocol and detachment. Still, the High Commander couldn’t shake the feeling that Athea was withholding something.

If even she didn’t know the truth of Zaeryn’s anomaly... then who did?

Or—more likely—she was lying.

In Lysara’s mind, the logic lined up far too cleanly to dismiss: Princess Athea gives birth to a son, a gender that was forbidden from being born into the royal family—a fact already unprecedented—And now, that son not only survives the Fade, a plague that consumes males without fail, but wields Vitae, the sacred energy reserved for the female gender only?

No. This wasn’t fate. This was design. And if anyone had the power to orchestrate such a thing, it was Athea. And that only brought up the question: Was Zaeryn grown in a lab?

’It makes perfect sense,’ Lysara thought, eyes narrowing slightly. ’A royal experiment cloaked in secrecy. A contingency. Or perhaps... something far more deliberate’

But she said none of this aloud. Because Athea didn’t like being questioned, and challenging royalty directly required more evidence than suspicion. Lysara wasn’t ready to show her hand—not yet. For now, she made up her mind to do some digging. There had to be records, classified files, something that would reveal the truth behind Zaeryn’s impossible existence.

"Very well," she said instead. "I’ll continue to monitor him. Quietly."

"I appreciate that, old friend. See that you do," Athea replied, and with a final flicker, her hologram dissolved into the cold stillness of the room.

Lysara leaned back in her chair, staring into the empty space where Athea’s image had been. "Old friend," she muttered, the words bitter on her tongue.

’Zaeryn Noctis. Born of the royal bloodline. Immune to the Fade. A living paradox even his mother refuses to explain—or perhaps doesn’t fully understand.’ Her fingers drummed against the armrest as a new resolve hardened within her.

She activated her personal terminal, fingers dancing across the holographic interface as she began her search. There would be birth records, medical files, genetic analysis reports—somewhere in the vast archives of royal documentation, the truth was waiting.

Back in the cafeteria. Zaeryn, Kira, and Daphne sat down as they settled into the quiet hum of conversation and clinking trays around them.

Zaeryn poked at his food suspiciously. "Do they serve actual meat here or just processed stuff?"

Kira smirked. "If you’re lucky, you’ll get disappointment with extra seasoning."

Daphne didn’t look up. "It’s lab-grown. Technically protein-rich, nutrient-balanced, and 84% efficient for cellular repair. You should be grateful."

Zaeryn gave her a deadpan look. "So, what you’re saying is... it’s flavorless mush."

That earned him a small, reluctant smile from Daphne.

Kira leaned her chin on her hand, watching him with almost admiration in her eyes. "So, Zaeryn," she began with that twinkle in her eye that made Zaeryn feel like it spelled trouble, "Be honest with me, how did you manage to get cleared? I thought they were going to lock you up for the whole ’survived-the-infected’ thing."

Zaeryn shrugged. "Turns out not turning into a rage-zombie earns you a few privileges. That, or they want to keep me under observation before they poke a hole in my skull."

"Don’t tempt them," Daphne said, voice dry. "Some departments are already lobbying for samples."

Zaeryn gave her a mock-wounded look. "You included?"

"I’d ask nicely first," she replied without missing a beat. "Mostly."

Kira laughed. "This is why you’re terrifying."

Daphne arched a brow. "Better terrifying than useless."

Kira turned back to Zaeryn. "And everyone’s buzzing about you fade encounter survival. Some people think it’s divine luck. Others think you’re hiding something."

Daphne tensed, but said nothing.

Zaeryn answered smoothly. "I’d vote for ’divine luck.’ Sounds way cooler than ’no clue.’"

"Or maybe it’s something in the bloodline," Daphne added casually.

Not feeling comfortable with this talk about his bloodline, Zaeryn decided to change the conversation, "Commander Thorne is your sister right ?" He finally said, turning his attention back to Kira. "She’s... quite formidable." He chose his words carefully, remembering Charlotte Thorne’s stern demeanor.

At this moment, Zaeryn couldn’t help wondering about Lady Thorne: Was she always like that? Or did she just not like him? From the first moment he stepped in front of her Lady Commander Charlotte Thorne had shown nothing but dislike for him, even more so than Lady Valerius.

At least Lady Valerius seemed stern in that professional way—however, Lady Thorne made you feel like she hated you personally, including your whole family.

Kira chuckled, a bright, clear sound that cut through the cafeteria’s din. "That’s one word for her. I’m her sister and I will say ’intimidating’ is another way to describe her. She certainly keeps everyone here in line. You met her?"

"Oh, so she doesn’t only hate me, huh? Good to know that’s just her demeanor," Zaeryn joked. "And, yes, I met her yesterday when I was brought in," he confirmed, a hint of wryness in his tone as he remembered that particular moment.

He’d been unsettled, standing before the council, who looked like they might execute him on the spot for the crime of surviving. "I seem to be meeting a lot of ’formidable’ Warladies lately." His gaze flicked to Daphne, who was picking at her food with a distracted air. "And then there’s the chief scientist here."

Daphne’s head snapped up, her violet eyes narrowing playfully. "Are you saying I’m not as formidable or scary as Lady Thorne to you?"

Zaeryn just smiled in response as Daphne looked back at him, though there was amusement in her eyes. "Not to me." He said.

"Give me time, I’ll change how you look at me." Daphne responded.

"Yeah, be careful with that one, Zaeryn. She’s what we call a... mad scientist.

Always poking at things that shouldn’t be poked." Kira joked, grinning at Daphne’s mock-offended expression. "Everytime there is something to study she gets pretty ambitious, and it’s scary."

Zaeryn laughed, "I think I’ve noticed that," he responded in kind. But in reality, while he did see Daphne as some kind of obsessed scientist, he wouldn’t call her mad. She was too driven, perhaps. And although it’s been such a short time, less than twelve hours over two days since he’s known her, he has a good idea on what kind of person she was, and oh, she also liked him.

Behind that dangerous curiosity and wanting to dissect him, there was a fascination that leaned into attraction and Zaeryn could see it. Who knows, maybe even she didn’t know it yet. But Zaeryn planned to use that to his advantage. After all, he gets powerful through bonds and mating with women. And Daphne was a good start. If he could manage to seduce her, then that was a good start.

’System,’ he thought, calling it up mentally. A translucent screen flickered behind his eyes, listing a lot of. Zaaeryn ignored everything else as he specifically scanned for Daphne’s name. And then he only focused on her stats.

[Bond Potential: High]

[Emotional Resonance: In Flux]

[Attraction: Latent – Developing]

[Status: Unlocked – Vitae Tier: Unknown]

’Should be... not too hard,’ He thought after seeing her stats.

He still didn’t know her Vitae tier or what kind of ability she possessed. The system hadn’t unlocked that data yet. But it would soon.

As he leaned back in his chair, mulling over his next move, Kira’s voice cut through his thoughts."You know, you and Daphne actually have something in common. You both arrived here under... let’s say unusual circumstances."Her eyes sparkled with amusement as she said that.

Daphne’s fork clattered against her plate. "Kira, not now," she said sharply, her tone a clear warning. "How dare you?" Her tone sounded even more serious now, furious even, her teeth clenched as she gave Kira a terrifyingly cold look, signaling that she hated what she had just done.

There was no humor in her tone anymore—just teeth-clenched restraint and something deeper beneath it: shame or rage, Zaeryn couldn’t tell.

Kira blinked, visibly flinching under her friend’s glare. "Oops. My bad," she muttered, lifting her hands in surrender. "I think I might’ve overstepped."

Daphne said nothing, but the cold fury in her expression lingered. Her narrowed eyes warned Kira that whatever line had been crossed wouldn’t be forgotten soon.

Zaeryn tilted his head, watching the shift in tension ripple through the air. Whatever Kira had almost revealed, Daphne had been desperate to keep buried.

"Hmm," he mused out loud, eyes flicking from one woman to the other. "Well, now I’m curious." He looked directly at Daphne, not as a challenge, but with genuine interest. "Seems like there’s a story here."

Daphne’s eyes snapped to him. "Keep your curiosity in check," she said, her lips curving back into that playful seductive smile that she always gave him, "Unless you plan to trade secrets."

He smiled faintly. "I don’t really have any secrets worth trading, sorry."

"Oh, maybe you just don’t want to share them. I think you have too many of them for your age," Daphne responded, reaching across the table to tap his nose in a gesture that was both playful and intimate.

"Spill it, what’s your least valuable secret, Zaeryn noctis." She purred, She leaned across the table and all of a sudden she was too close to him with her face, and Zaeryn didn’t know what to do. He was no expert with women like Daphne but seeing as she was this close to him, and her lips looked delicious, only one thought crossed his mind.

She wanted to be kissed by him, so without overthinking it, he leaned forward and kissed her.

Daphne’s eyes widened in surprise—she hadn’t expected him to be so bold. But after a moment of shock, she found herself responding, her eyes fluttering closed as a soft sound escaped her throat. For several heartbeats, the cafeteria around them seemed to fade away.