First Lieutenant Verayth turned to the last two squad members.
Elijah's gaze swept over them, his eyes narrowing as he assessed the pair. One was a boy with flaming hair, ember colored eyes and fiery locks that moved with a subtle motion, a face Elijah already recognized.
But it was the other figure who captured his attention, a man whose very presence exuded perfection.
The veteran stood with a relaxed posture that betrayed neither arrogance nor carelessness, but rather a steady composure born from countless battles.
His sharp, steel grey eyes, flecked with hints of gold, a faint scar curved along his left cheekbone, disappearing into the shadow of a neatly trimmed beard, but it did nothing to dampen his beautiful face.
His hands were calloused, but there was a precision to the way he moved, like a craftsman in his element.
He wore a bomb technician's vest, bristling with an array of tools and gadgets, each one meticulously placed for instant access.
The man looked more human than monster, the only monstrous part Elijah saw was a pair of small black horns protruding from the top of his head.
"This guy should have gotten the Demon Lord Revival System, he looks more like a Demon lord than me". Elijah thought himself.
Verayth's voice cut through Elijah's thoughts.
"This beautiful fellow is our Bomb expert, Ardyn Sylros..."
"Damn, even his name is cool". Elijah mused and the fact that he was around the same age as him made him feel chafed.
Verayth didn't stop talking, and after several lines of highlighting Ardyn Sylros's perfect record, she moved on to the boy with flaming hair.
"And lastly, Ferik Aelar... His a descendent of a special clan with strong affinity to fire, His special abilities will serve us well, Not to mention he'd distinguished himself as an infrantry in the previous battle".
First Lieutenant Verayth took sometime to steady her breathing.
"Now then, everyone should get to know one another, we'll depart in two hours".
Verayth made her exit right after dropping her last comment, Though her comment seemed unnecessary, considering everyone, except Elijah was already on speaking terms.
Elijah, however, surprised the group by trailing after First Lieutenant Verayth as she exited the tent.
The move didn't go unnoticed. Ovarth's brow furrowed, and his lips tightened, as though suppressing a scowl.
His glare followed Elijah, his brown eyes smoldering with restrained irritation. But just as quickly as the expression formed, it vanished, replaced by a carefully neutral facade.
Taelia raised a brow, Unbeknownst to Ovarth, Taelia had noticed the peculiar gleam in his eyes, but she didn't point it out seeing as he was their senior officer.
...
First Lieutenant Verayth wasn't exactly walking quickly, but she wasn't slow either, so Elijah had to stretch his legs a little before catching up to her.
"Lieutenant, can I speak to you for a sec".
Verayth paused her steps, Elijah was already infront of her, and it wasn't like she could walk through him.
"Yes, Private First Class Elijah".
Elijah smiled faintly, Verayth was tacitly reminding him that his been officially enlisted into the army, now his rank could rise and his achievement will be his own.
And for Elijah, that was the first step towards influencing the whole army, so he saluted her.
"Lieutenant, a word please," Elijah said, his face contorted into an exaggerated serious expression, his brows furrowing as though he carried the weight of the world's gravest dilemma.
First Lieutenant Verayth tried, truly tried to maintain her composure, but the absurdity of his expression was too much.
A snort escaped before she doubled over, clutching her stomach as laughter spilled out in uncontrollable waves.
Her shoulders shook, and tears glistened at the corners of her eyes as she rocked back and forth.
"By the dead Gods, Your expression is always so priceless... So, what did you want to talk about?".
Elijah dropped the salute and reverted back to his default mode.
"Lieutenant, you didn't happen to have told the Major or anyone else for that matter, all that stuff I told you about my speacial gifts right?".
Verayth tilted her head slightly to the side, a single brow arching in mock disbelief.
"Oh, sure. Let me just waltz up to the Major and casually inform him that some random worker I stumbled across, who's now a recruit, by the way. Has the miraculous ability to come back to life and rewind time to some preset point dictated by the voice in his head. Sounds perfectly reasonable, don't you think?"
Elijah blinked, his lips parting as if to respond, but no words came.
"Now that I'm hearing it out loud... it does sound a little crazy."
Verayth folded her arms, but just like Taelia, her massive tities were in the way, so she had them below her chest area.
"Why do you even care if I told them, You tell everyone you're a demon and you just told Private Taelia about how you can come back in time".
Elijah exhaled lightly, realising he had to construct his next words carefully if he wishes to manipulate First Lieutenant Verayth into keeping his revival powers to herself.
"Lieutenant, it doesn't matter what I say or do, Taelia or anyone else won't believe me, but you're different, if you mention this to the Major, it might be really embarrassing, but in the end, he'll take your word for it... Don't forget, you are a vampire elf Lieutenant, but I'm not even an Umbral kin, I'm a bloody Demon".
Elijah fell silent for a moment, his eyes narrowing as he let his words sink in. His expression tacitly shifted, hardening deliberately, as if to convey a sense of helplessness he didn't entirely feel.
"...I'm a Demon Lieutenant," he muttered, his voice dropping slightly, as if the confession itself weighed heavily on him.
"... If they truly realize that... I won't be able to protect myself. That's why I need you to keep this to yourself. I need you to pretend... pretend that this is just a tactless joke from a random psycho... Please."