Daisy didn't sugarcoat it. She paced the obsidian floor, her brow furrowed in deep thought. "She's not just powerful, Haruto; she's an adaptive parasite. I've clashed with her before. Her strength isn't in her own stats—it's in her ability to turn your greatest advantage into your own weakness. If you show her a blade, she'll become the sheath that traps it. If you show her magic, she'll become the void that swallows it."
Haruto grimaced. "So, she's basically a mirror that hits back harder? How do you even fight something like that?"
Before Daisy could answer, the holographic projection of Gampid flickered, his golden eyes darting around the room. The AI bowed slightly, his demeanor shifting from subservient to alert. "Master, I have been dormant for quite some time, but seems fine now. Do you wish for me to assist with anything?"
Daisy stopped pacing and turned to the projection, her expression softening into something more familiar and commanding. "Gampid, I almost forgot you were still synched. Listen to me—I need you to step up the city's defensive perimeter. Tighten the barriers around the lower sectors and stay alert. If you see anything even remotely out of place tell me."
"Understood, Master," Gampid said, his holographic form blurring as he turned his attention inward. He began to ripple with activity, his hands moving through the air to manipulate unseen nodes of the city's network.
Daisy moved to the central console, her fingers flying across the keys. A massive array of screens ignited, flooding the room with light. Haruto watched as hundreds of holographic windows bloomed like flowers, each showing a different district of the city. Gampid was working with terrifying efficiency, patching security holes and reinforcing the energy barriers across the entire metropolis.
After a few minutes of intense silence, Gampid flickered and settled, his form stabilizing. "The perimeter is locked, Master. The city is secure for now."
Daisy let out a long, shuddering breath, her shoulders finally dropping from her ears. "Thank you, Gampid. You've earned a rest."
Haruto nodded in approval, feeling a weight lift off his chest. Gampid's eyes drifted toward Daisy, a hint of digital curiosity in his gaze. "Master, where is Retro? It has been many years since I last saw her."
"he's at home," Daisy replied, her tone softening. "Keeping things quiet."
"Oh," Gampid sighed, a sound that carried a surprising amount of nostalgia. "It has been far too long."
"We're going to see him," Daisy said, turning toward the exit. "We've been gone for most of the day, and he's probably wondering why the city grid spiked so hard."
"Please, come back soon," Gampid pleaded.
"I promise," Daisy said. She reached out her hand toward Haruto, signaling it was time to move. But before Haruto could take a step, Gampid's projection suddenly lunged toward him, whispering something unintelligible in his ear.
Before Haruto could ask what the AI meant, Daisy's legs gave out. She collapsed toward the floor with a sharp gasp.
"Daisy!" Haruto lunged forward, catching her before she hit the cold metal.
Gampid flickered wildly, his face twisting in distress. "Master! My sensors indicate your stamina levels have plummeted to zero. The stabilization—it isn't holding!"
Daisy leaned her head against Haruto's chest, her breathing labored and shallow. "It's not my stamina," she hissed, her voice weak. "The core... it's siphoning my magic. Gampid, what did you do?"
"I—I don't know!" Gampid cried, his lights strobing in panic. "I only followed the synchronization protocols!"
Daisy's eyes fluttered, her strength fading by the second. "I can't... I can't walk like this. How am I supposed to get back?"
Gampid's projection pointed a flickering finger directly at Haruto. "This man! He is the only one whose energy isn't being drained by the vacuum. He is the only one who can carry you out of here."
Daisy looked up at Haruto, her face pale, her usual pride replaced by a desperate vulnerability. She took a ragged breath and reached out, gripping his sleeve. "Haruto... pick me up. I can't move."
Haruto nodded, slipping his arms beneath Daisy's knees and back. As he lifted her, he felt her stiffen; even in her weakened state, the Commander was clearly mortified to be carried like this. He could feel the heat radiating off her face, a stark contrast to her usual icy demeanor.
As he turned to leave, he glanced back at the flickering projection. "Bye, Gampid. Take care of the grid."
The AI watched them with a strange, lingering intensity. "Master," Gampid murmured, his voice laced with uncharacteristic warmth, "you look... different today. Less like a weapon, more like yourself."
Haruto didn't linger to hear the rest. He stepped out of the core chamber and into the long, dim corridor, his boots echoing against the metal floor. With Daisy so close, he noticed the subtle details he'd missed before—the slight tremble in her fingers, the way her breathing was beginning to even out, and a strange, almost nervous tension in her expression.
"Daisy?" Haruto started, his voice hushed.
She looked up at him, her eyes searching his. "Yes?"
He hesitated, then grinned mischievously. "You're a little heavy, you know."
Daisy went completely still. Her eyes widened, and for a second, Haruto thought she might actually strike him right there in his arms. "What... did you just say?"
Haruto quickly averted his gaze, acting innocent. "Nothing! I said... your hair is getting messy. Yeah, that's it."
They moved a bit further down the hallway, the air growing warmer as they left the vacuum of the core. Suddenly, Daisy tensed. "Put me down. Now."
"What? You're still weak, let me—"
"I said put me down!" she insisted, her voice regaining its sharp, commanding edge. "The magic is flowing back into my system. I can stand."
Haruto carefully lowered her to the ground. As soon as her boots hit the floor, she straightened her uniform, her face a mask of cold professionalism—until she suddenly whipped her arm around and delivered a firm, stinging punch right to the top of Haruto's head.
"Ow! What was that for?!" Haruto yelped, rubbing his sore scalp.
Daisy glared at him, though a faint, telltale flush remained on her cheeks. "That is for calling a woman heavy. In any layer of this world, that is a punishable offense. Consider yourself lucky I didn't use a mana-enhanced strike."
She turned on her heel and started walking toward the surface with renewed vigor. Haruto scrambled to keep up, nursing his head and grumbling, "I was just joking, jeez. You Commanders have absolutely no sense of humor."
As they stepped out of the massive pyramid, the Academy's atmosphere felt completely different. The students patrolling the courtyard spotted Daisy, and the silence was immediate. They all snapped into perfect, rigid salutes, their eyes fixed forward. Daisy acknowledged them with a curt, singular nod, her "Commander" mask firmly back in place.
Once they were clear of the main entrance and walking down the deserted perimeter road, the grandeur faded. The transit buses had finished their final loop hours ago, leaving the long, winding path back to the city grid empty and quiet.
Daisy reached into her tactical coat and pulled out a sleek, obsidian-colored mask. She fitted it over the lower half of her face, the material shifting to match the ambient shadows of the evening. She couldn't afford to be recognized out here; even for a Founder, the streets were a gamble.
"So," she said, her voice slightly muffled by the mask, turning to look at Haruto. "Now that you've seen the core, you understand the stakes. This isn't a game. It's a delicate balance held together by spite and ancient engineering. I know you're smart enough to realize that staying involved is a death sentence. You shouldn't want any part of this."
Haruto kicked a loose stone, watching it skitter across the dark pavement. He didn't look scared; if anything, he looked energized.
"Honestly? I think you're wrong," Haruto said, a genuine smile tugging at his lips. "The core, the history, the betrayal... the whole 'power-grid-gone-wrong' scenario? It's not just dangerous, Daisy. It's the most interesting thing I've seen since I got here. Why would I want to run away when the puzzle is finally starting to get good?"
Daisy stopped walking. She stared at him for a long moment, the moonlight catching the hard, unyielding line of her eyes above the mask.
"You really are a fool," she said, though the sharp edge of her voice had dulled just a fraction. "You're playing with forces that can rewrite your existence, and you think it's 'awesome'?"
"I think it's a challenge," Haruto replied, matching her pace.
Daisy let out a frustrated sigh, shaking her head as she turned back toward the path. "Keep that attitude, and you'll be 'challenged' right into a shallow grave. Just make sure you keep up. We have a long walk back, and at this hour, even the shadows in this sector have teeth."
They finally reached the city's vertical sector, a sprawling tower of commerce that seemed to scrape the neon-lit sky. Just as they hit the 24th floor, a loud, undignified growl echoed through the hallway—it was Haruto's stomach, betraying his cool demeanor.
Daisy paused, glancing at him with a mix of amusement and annoyance. She led him through a bustling, high-tech food arcade to a small, elegant sweet shop tucked away in a quiet corner of floor 50.
"Sit," she commanded, gesturing toward a floating table near the panoramic window.
She walked over to the counter, handed the server a set of encrypted credits, and returned with a small, shimmering box. As she sat down, she opened it, revealing a golden-crusted pie that emitted a faint, sweet-smelling vapor.
"Eat," she said, sliding the plate toward him. "It's a specialized mana-pie. It packs enough sugar to boost your blood glucose and enough refined essence to kickstart your energy levels without a crash. For a Reincarnator, it's the most efficient fuel you can get on short notice."
Haruto didn't need to be told twice. He picked up a fork, sliced through the flaky, glowing crust, and took a bite. The flavor was incredible—rich, complex, and strangely energizing. He let out a satisfied sigh, his eyes widening. "Wow... Daisy, this is amazing. I didn't think food in a place like this would actually taste like anything."
Daisy leaned back, watching him eat. For the first time all night, she had pushed her mask up, letting her face be seen. She looked less like a Commander and more like a tired person who just wanted to enjoy a quiet moment.
"Don't get used to it," she said, though her tone was soft. "That level of indulgence is expensive, and most people in this city are too busy chasing levels to bother with the flavor of what they're eating."
Haruto looked out the window at the city lights, the pie giving him a genuine sense of warmth. "Maybe they're missing out," he murmured. "If you're going to fight to survive, you might as well have a reason to enjoy the life you're surviving for."
Daisy watched him, her expression unreadable for a moment before she looked away, out toward the vast, sprawling grid of the Academy. "That," she said quietly, "is a dangerous way to think. But for tonight, I suppose it's harmless."
After a quick, silent commute, they finally slipped into Daisy's living quarters. The place was incredibly minimalist—all polished surfaces and hidden tech—but it felt surprisingly lived-in compared to the cold steel of the Academy. While Daisy retreated to the kitchenette to whip up something more substantial than a sugar-boost, Haruto wandered into the main lounge.
He flicked on the wall-sized display. Browsing through the menus, his eyes landed on a sub-folder simply labeled [Simulation/Game Hub]. Curious, he tapped it.
With a soft mechanical whir, two haptic controllers slid out from the armrests of the couch, and a holographic interface materialized in the center of the room. It was packed with retro-style fighting games, complex strategy simulations, and high-speed racing mods.
"Whoa," Haruto whispered, eyes sparkling. He turned toward the kitchen. "Daisy! You actually have a gaming setup here? Are you serious?"
Daisy walked out, wiping her hands on a cloth, and stopped dead when she saw the controllers in Haruto's hands. She pinched the bridge of her nose and let out an exasperated sigh. "I set that up when I was incredibly bored, ages ago. I wanted to see if the engine could handle processing high-speed input logic. But no one else in this city has any interest in it—they're all too obsessed with their levels—so it's just been gathering dust."
Haruto grinned, already sinking into the couch and tossing one controller toward her. "Well, you finally have someone to play with. I'm an expert at these things."
Daisy looked at the controller as if it were a strange relic, then she looked at Haruto, whose expression was pure, competitive excitement. She raised an eyebrow, a flicker of that old, hidden rivalry sparking in her eyes.
"You think you can handle this?" she challenged, her voice dropping into a dangerous, playful tone. "That's a classic combat sim. It requires perfect timing and zero hesitation. Don't underestimate me just because I'm a 'Commander'—I designed the physics engine for half these titles."
Haruto sat up straighter, the challenge accepted. "Then prove it. One match. If I win, you have to tell me more about those 'Embers' you built. If you win... I'll do whatever chores you need done for the rest of the week."
Daisy stepped forward, a smirk hidden behind her mask-less face. She picked up the controller, her fingers dancing over the buttons with lethal precision. "You're on. Let's see if that mouth of yours can keep up with your reflexes."