Tomi walked down the dimly lit hallway, his footsteps echoing softly against the cold metal floor. Blaze and Zane had agreed to team up with him for their training, but Tomi wasn't here for camaraderie—he was focused on completing his tasks, getting stronger, and, if possible, finding some peace from the constant noise in his head.
Liyah, his ever-bubbly chip, floated beside him, her holographic form glowing faintly in the corridor's shadows, as annoying as ever.
"Master, you must be feeling it by now," Liyah chirped, her voice bright and full of cheer. "The fruits of your labor! Your body is getting stronger, right?"
Tomi remained silent, his expression flat as he kept his gaze forward. He could feel the changes. His strength had improved from their grueling daily routines, but something else was happening—something strange.
Whenever he finished his tasks, his vision flickered, his pupils shifting to an eerie orange glow. It was like seeing through a veil of nightmares, giving him a distorted glimpse through walls and shadows. It unsettled him.
Liyah's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Well, master, that's because those activities don't just strengthen your body.
They send signals through your nervous system, to me—your S-1 chip!" She puffed up with pride, hovering closer.
Tomi's lip twitched in annoyance, his mind echoing his disdain for her exuberance. I don't care.
Liyah seemed to hear the mocking tone of his thoughts.
"Hey! What does that mean? You should be proud to have me!" She zoomed in front of him, her holographic figure nearly pressing into his face.
Tomi glared at her, but his expression didn't change. His silence, though, spoke volumes.
Liyah sighed, but she didn't give up, continuing with her explanation as if nothing had happened.
"Anyway, the activities trigger and unlock abilities, like your Enchanted Vision. Each exercise you do gets your body closer to its physical peak, and that's when I step in. Your chip analyzes the signals, and if I see that your body is ready for the next level—without any damage, of course—I unlock it."
Her voice brimmed with pride as if she'd just explained the universe's greatest mystery. She floated beside him, practically glowing in her self-satisfaction.
Tomi didn't even glance her way. "Cool story," he muttered, his voice dripping with irritation, "now vanish."
Liyah pouted, hovering closer for a moment as if to protest. "Master—"
But before she could finish, she blinked out of existence, her presence snuffed out like a candle in the wind. A smirk tugged at Tomi's lips, satisfaction creeping into his expression.
Finally, after all her nagging, he'd found a way to control her—make her disappear at his command, simply by channeling his emotions. It wasn't much, but it felt like a small victory.
Feels good to be able to shut her up, he thought, a faint grin crossing his face. Finally, some peace.
Tomi's ears perked up as he heard a faint squeak, the unmistakably familiar kind. His gaze snapped forward, catching sight of a girl up ahead.
She had been walking toward him but suddenly stopped, her pace shifting as she hurriedly turned back.
Weird, he thought, narrowing his eyes. Something about her movement—hesitant and awkward—seemed off, like she was hiding something.
Then, she hesitated, glancing over her shoulder. Her blue eyes locked with his, wide with embarrassment, her face flushed with a mix of emotions she wasn't ready to express.
"Rosie or something," he muttered under his breath. She was from the third captain's squad—Lithany's baby crew, if he remembered correctly. Third Squad.
Rosie's mind raced as her heart pounded in her chest. Seeing Tomi made her relive the memory that had haunted her since their last mission.
He had saved her—his light lance coming to her defense, intercepting the dark mecha's laser that had been aimed right at her. The moment had burned into her mind, the intense heat of the lasers, the blinding light of his weapon shielding her.
She could still hear the hum of the light lance and feel the rush of air as he countered the attack with precision and power.
"Thank you,"
she had thought back then, overwhelmed by his swift action, though she never dared to say it.
Now, snapped back to the present, she felt that same rush of heat, not from the battle but from the embarrassment of facing him again. Her cheeks flushed a deeper red, and her feet felt like they were made of lead. Just as she started to compose herself, Tomi's cold voice cut through the silence behind her.
"I just want to say thank you."
Roise thought, feeling unable to say a thing from shyness, as she lowers her head.
"Excuse me."
The words were sharp, and Rosie flinched.
She didn't dare look back at him—her heart was racing too fast, her mind too flustered. Without another thought, she bolted, dashing away like a startled deer, her footsteps quick and uneven as she hurried down the hall.
Tomi watched her go, his expression unchanged.
His gaze followed her retreating figure as she stumbled in her attempt to flee.
All he had wanted was for her to get out of the way, but she had made a whole scene of it, dragging out a simple moment into something... strange.
"Strange thing," he thought, shaking his head as he continued on his path toward the team headquarters. "These People are so weird."
Just then, Tomi's watch blinked to life, casting a soft glow as Gina's hologram flickered into view.
"Hey, kiddo, mind swinging by my office for a minute?" Gina's voice carried her usual casual confidence, her holographic figure staring directly at Tomi.
Tomi's gaze narrowed, irritation simmering beneath his calm exterior. "I'm going to miss my hit time," he muttered, his stride steady as he walked.
Gina smirked, unfazed.
"You've still got ten minutes to spare… besides, this will be quick," she said, her tone light, but there was an edge in her words. "It's about the Eclipse organization."
Tomi's eyes flickered for a moment, a slight tension in his expression. Of course, she knew exactly which buttons to press.
Anything about Eclipse would catch his attention, whether he liked it or not.
"Alright, I'm on my way," he said, cutting off the transmission with a swift tap.
Moments later, Tomi found himself standing in Gina's office, the faint hum of her virtual screens buzzing in the background.
Her holographic presence loomed over the room, even as she stood physically in front of him. She was deep in conversation with several high-ranking leaders, their voices muted yet urgent.
Tomi's keen senses picked up fragments of the discussion.
So the Eclipse is pushing forward, huh? Tomi mused, catching a phrase from Sir Breaker, one of the senior commanders. His mind sharpened at the mention of the notorious group.
Gina glanced over at him, her fingers dancing across the screens before she paused the meeting, freezing the others mid-conversation. She turned, her expression softening slightly as she faced him.
"Hey, kiddo," she greeted, though her eyes carried a weight of seriousness. "I'm sure you overheard a bit of that."
Tomi didn't respond, his face blank, waiting for her to get to the point.
"Anyway," Gina continued her tone now more businesslike,
"since Eclipse is targeting our organization, we need to take precautions. You'll be moving to our other headquarters… in Treadway."
Tomi blinked, his jaw tightening at the unexpected command.
"And what exactly will I be doing there?" His voice was controlled, but disbelief leaked through his words.
"Training, of course," Gina replied nonchalantly, turning her attention back to the glowing holographic screens in front of her.
Tomi stared at her for a moment, his mind reeling at the sheer absurdity of it.
Treadway was one of the three most secure military installations in the Ziera continent, a place reserved for the elite.
But training? He couldn't shake the feeling there was more to it than just that.
"Besides, take a look at this," Gina said, gesturing towards the rotating holographic diagram of Tomi's body on her blue-tinted screen.
The image showed the contours of his physique, muscles highlighted, veins, and neural pathways mapped out in vivid detail.
"Your body's gotten stronger than before," she continued, her tone matter-of-fact as she pointed out the improvements.
"Which means you're nearly at full recovery from the trauma you endured."
Tomi watched the display as Gina analyzed his body, noticing how his brain activity was now flowing more freely across the chart.
His muscles were more defined, his reflexes sharper. She was right, but that didn't make him any less irritated by the reminder.
Gina turned back to him, a slight smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
"So, kiddo now's the time to train hard. If you want to stop being the prey in this hunt."
Tomi's eyes narrowed, but deep down he knew she wasn't wrong. He was tired of being the one chased, the one always looking over his shoulder.
"Fine," he replied, his voice cold, his expression unwavering. "I'll work with that… but I'm doing this on my terms."
Gina raised an eyebrow but didn't push back. "Of course," she said smoothly, turning back to the holographic screens. "All we want is to see you get stronger and free yourself from constantly being pursued."
Tomi stared at her for a moment, sensing the weight behind her words. There was something else—something unspoken.
His path could either be the world's salvation or its undoing, and both he and Gina were aware of that truth.
"Alright then," Tomi said with finality, turning on his heel to leave the room.
But just as he was halfway to the door, Gina's voice cut through the air.
"Oh, and don't worry—your teammates are going, too." She smirked, her eyes flicking to the hologram.
Tomi paused, his expression hardening.
"Like I care about them!" he snapped, glancing back at her with a sharp look. But there was a faint twitch of a smile on Gina's face as if she knew better.
As if she knew he'd miss those strange teammates more than he was willing to admit.
"Alright, head out before Malik starts breathing down your neck," Gina said, her attention already shifting back to the meeting on her watch, the leaders of their headquarters coming back into focus.
As Tomi stomped out of the office, the electronic door slid shut with a faint hiss. Gina's eyes grew colder, her warm demeanor vanishing the moment he left.
She shifted her focus back to the large holographic screen in front of her, seamlessly reconnecting to the ongoing meeting.