"Get up, Maya," Zen encouraged, watching closely. "Again."

Maya groaned, rubbing her shoulder. She scrambled to her feet, terrified but determined to show the bully, Val, that she wasn’t a pushover.

As Valeria put Maya through grueling physical drills, Nyx approached, producing a sleek silver bracelet and sliding it onto Maya’s wrist.

"Don’t touch the clasp," Nyx ordered coldly, rapidly tapping a holographic screen hovering above her arm. "It contains a localised hard-light shield emitter. It will automatically deploy if a projectile breaks the sound barrier within three feet of your head. It also permanently masks your thermal signature."

"Thank you..." Maya breathed, looking at the bracelet in awe.

"I didn’t make it for you," Nyx sneered quietly, ensuring Zen couldn’t hear. "I made it so you don’t instantly die and traumatise him. Try not to embarrass us in front of the Empress."

After two agonising hours, Maya was exhausted.

Her body ached from Valeria’s "light" shoves, and her head pounded from trying to process Nyx’s hyper-advanced tactical lectures. She stood in the center of the room, panting heavily, tears of frustration pricking the corners of her eyes.

"You are pulling from the wrong place," Valeria groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You are trying to use your mana like an F-Rank. You are Mid D-Rank now! Stop trickling the energy and open the floodgates!"

Maya squeezed her eyes shut, trying to force the mana out, but only a pathetic spark of green light flickered in her palm. "I can’t! It’s too heavy!"

"Step back, Valeria," Zen said.

Zen approached Maya quietly. Instead of yelling or barking orders, he stepped behind her and gently placed his hands on her shoulders. Maya’s shaking ceased instantly as she subconsciously leaned into his comforting warmth.

Across the room, the temperature seemed to drop.

Valeria’s jaw clenched so hard her teeth audibly ground together, and the concrete under her boots spider-webbed with cracks from her violently suppressed rage.

Nyx didn’t make a sound, but the purple circuitry lines on her neck flared blindingly bright. Her eyes narrowed into lethal slits as she watched the mortal girl lean into their Emperor. They couldn’t disobey Zen’s truce, but their jealousy was suffocating.

Zen ignored their murderous glares.

"They’re S-Rank," Zen whispered right next to her ear, leaning close. "They don’t understand what it’s like to be mortal. You’re trying to force your own aura, but you need to stop."

"But—"

"Listen to me," Zen murmured. "The Blood Pact mutated. The heavy energy you feel at the bottom of your core isn’t yours. It’s mine. It’s the Emperor’s mana. Stop trying to control it like a human. You have to command it."

Zen slid his hands down her arms, resting his palms lightly over the backs of her hands. He pushed a tiny fraction of his own aura into her, acting as a bridge.

"Take a breath," Zen instructed. "Now, reach down into the dark part of your core. Grab the heavy gold mana, pull it to the surface, and tell it exactly what to do."

Maya took a deep, shaky breath.

She closed her eyes and looked into her inner self. Beyond her familiar green magic, she felr a massive, dormant ocean of ancient energy. Although it was frightening, but with Zen holding her hands, she didn’tfeel alone. She reached out and grabbed hold of it.

She didn’t push. She commanded.

Her eyes snapped open. They weren’t just green anymore... the irises were completely replaced by a blazing, predatory gold.

"Release," Zen whispered.

Maya thrust her hands forward.

A terrifying blast of pure gold-green magic shot out from her palms. It was not a normal mana bolt; it was a strong, destructive beam of concentrated Emperor energy. It screamed with power as it cut through the air and slammed into the reinforced concrete wall of the penthouse.

BOOM!

The entire building shook.

The reinforced wall, designed to withstand C-Rank artillery blasts, instantly vaporized into a massive, smoking crater. The explosive shockwave blew Nyx’s hair back and forced Valeria to brace her feet against the floor to avoid being pushed back.

The room fell dead silent. Dust rained down from the ceiling.

Maya stared at her glowing, smoking hands, her jaw droppin in shock.

Valeria blinked, staring at the massive hole in the wall. "Okay," the Vanguard muttered, crossing her arms. "The rat has teeth."

Nyx rapidly tapped her terminal, her eyes going wide. "Her output just spiked to High C-Rank parameters for exactly 1.2 seconds. That... that is impossible."

Zen stepped back, a proud smile forming on his lips. "She is not a rat, Valeria. She is the Emperor’s Protégé."

—

Later that night, the adrenaline finally wore off. Nyx had retreated to a lower server floor to continue her repairs, and Valeria was patrolling the perimeter of the building, aggressively burning off her excess energy.

Maya stood out on the penthouse balcony, looking through the massive hole she had blasted in the wall.

The neon lights of the Omni Domain stretched out below them like a sprawling ocean of purple and blue circuitry. The cool night wind blew through her hair, chilling the sweat on her neck.

She heard quiet footsteps behind her. Zen stepped out onto the balcony, holding two metal thermoses. He handed one to her.

"Nutrient broth," Zen said, leaning against the railing beside her. "Nyx’s private stash. It tastes like chalk, but it will replenish your stamina."

Maya took it with both hands, taking a small sip. He was right; it tasted awful, but an immediate warmth spread through her exhausted muscles.

They stood in silence for a few minutes, just watching the flying cars dart between the massive skyscrapers.

"I blasted a hole in the wall," Maya said quietly, staring at her hands again. The gold glow was gone, leaving only pale, trembling skin.

"You did," Zen agreed.

"A few hours ago, I was crying in the Scrap Dorms because Kaelan bumped into me in the hallway," Maya whispered. Her voice cracked. She looked up at him, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "Zen... I’m terrified. I have this power inside me, and the Val hates me, and the Spymaster wants to dissect me, and soon we are going to face yet another of your... Pillar."

Zen didn’t give her a fake, reassuring smile. He looked at her with complete, brutal honesty.

"You have every right to be terrified," Zen said softly. "The Crown Domain is a viper’s nest. Aurelia will smile at you while she plans exactly how to crush you. The other Goddesses will try to tear you away from me."

Maya looked down at the thermos, her grip tightening. "Then why? Why are you taking me? If I’m so vulnerable, wouldn’t it be safer to hide me?"

Zen reached out, gently placing a hand over hers.

"Because if I hide you, you stay prey," Zen said, his voice dropping into that warm, familiar tone that belonged strictly to the boy from the Academy, not the ancient Emperor. "Kaelan shattered my core because I was weak. I spent weeks crawling in the dirt because I couldn’t fight back. I won’t let that happen to you. I won’t let you be a victim to my enemies."

Maya looked up at him. The fear in her chest began to recede, replaced by a strange, grounding warmth. The Blood Pact hummed softly, a gentle rhythm tying her heartbeat to his.

"You said you were the same Zen," Maya murmured. "But you’re different now. You carry the weight of the whole world."

Zen let out a small, tired breath.

He looked out over the neon city, the heavy burden of his past lives flashing in his eyes. "I am still Zen. The Emperor’s memories are loud, and his magic is heavy, but... when I look at you, I remember the Academy. I remember studying in the library. I remember the girl who always offered to heal my scraped knees when I couldn’t afford a clinic."

He turned his head, his dark eyes locking onto hers. "I need you, Maya. The Goddesses are feral. They see me as a god, a prize, or a patient. You are the only one who sees me as human. In the Crown Domain, when the politics get heavy and Aurelia tries to trap me... I need you there to keep me grounded."

Maya stared at him, her breath catching in her throat. The massive, ancient Emperor of the continent was asking her, a former F-Rank classmate, for help.

She looked back down at her hands. She thought about the massive blast of gold-green magic. She wasn’t just a squishy healer anymore. She carried his power.

Maya took a deep breath, straightening her spine. The clumsy, timid energy finally burned away entirely.

"Okay," Maya said firmly. She looked him right in the eye. "I’ll keep you grounded. And if anyone in the Crown Domain tries to trap you... I’ll blast a hole in their wall, too."

Zen let out a genuine, easy laugh that broke the heavy tension of the night.

"Good," Zen said, tapping his thermos against hers. "Get some sleep, Protégé. We go hunting for a gala gift tomorrow."