Where is Rose!

Kai closed the medbay door behind him, his expression unreadable as he exhaled sharply.

Arnik's voice crackled over the comms. "Be safe! And don't do anything stupid!"

Kai rolled his eyes, adjusting his glasses as he pressed the button to respond. "I have a higher IQ than all of you put together. I think I'll be fine."

Then, he switched the comm off.

But I'm not as strong… that's for sure.

Without another word, he dashed into the heat of battle.

Kai moved quickly, making his way toward Rose's last known location. The battlefield around him was a mess—bodies, wreckage, and craters left behind by the sheer carnage of war. The air was thick with smoke and ash, stinging his eyes.

"Rose… you better not be getting yourself into major trouble," he muttered, stepping over the scattered remains of destroyed machines.

When he finally reached the spot, he froze.

So much destruction.

Machines torn apart like paper. The ground scorched with deep gouges, telling the story of a battle fought at full force. There were no survivors—at least, none that were still standing.

Kai called out. "Rose!"

No response.

His eyes darted around, scanning for any sign of movement. That's when he saw it.

A weapon buried beneath rubble—the head of Rose's Yari.

Kai's stomach twisted. "No way…"

He crouched down, placing a hand over the weapon. His mind worked fast. Too much destruction, too much chaos to get a read on what happened just by looking. He needed more information.

He closed his eyes.

"Investigation magic."

A faint glow pulsed around him as the last four hours began to replay in his mind.

Flashes of movement. Blurred figures clashing. Explosions ripping through the air. But it was too chaotic, too much violence at once.

He couldn't see her.

Kai cut off the spell, clenching his fist.

He stood up, his brain working overtime. If Rose was still alive, where would she go? She wouldn't just disappear. And if she was taken…

His eyes scanned the area again, looking for anything that stood out.

That's when he noticed it.

A fallen skyscraper. Blood smeared on the broken steel.

It could be anyone's.

But it was the only lead he had.

Kai adjusted his glasses and stepped forward.

Kai quickly knelt beside her, pressing his hand against her worst wound. A faint glow pulsed from his palm as he sealed it shut with magic.

"Your armor held up well," he muttered, checking the rest of her injuries.

Rose huffed. "Pff, yeah! But this Yari didn't!"

Kai glanced at the broken weapon beside her. The head of it was completely severed, wires sparking from the damaged base.

"It was still in testing," he pointed out.

"Testing my Ass" Rose snapped. "Everyone else's works just fine!"

Kai turned to leave. "Let's go—"

Before he could move, Rose's hand gripped his wrist.

"Kai…"

Something in her voice made him pause. "Umm… yes?"

She swallowed, her voice lower this time. "Kai…"

His brow furrowed. "Wh-what?"

"I… I can't walk…"

Kai sighed. Of course.

Without another word, he crouched down and scooped her up.

The moment his hand accidentally pressed against her thigh—nowhere inappropriate, just supporting her weight—her face went bright red.

"STOP, PERV!!"

Kai's eye twitched. "Shhh! You want us to get killed?!"

Kai carried her out of the wreckage, his grip firm but careful. The battlefield was eerily silent now, the distant sounds of gunfire and explosions muffled by the ruined skyscrapers around them.

He pressed his comm. "I found Rose."

Silence.

Kai's brow furrowed. "Arnik? Markus? Aika?"

Still nothing.

Concern settled in his gut before realization hit—his suit's energy was almost drained. It had been pulling from his magic reserves this whole time, and with Rose already out of her pre-stored magic, they were running on fumes.

He exhaled sharply. "We gotta walk."

3 Days later...

Kai had been walking for three days straight. No sleep. No rest. His body screamed at him to stop, but he didn't. The micro-resource food supplements in his suit were almost depleted, and his magic reserves were running dangerously low. Still, he pressed forward, step after step, his mind locked on survival.

Rose, for once, didn't tease him. She could feel the strain in his every movement. His grip on her never faltered, but the exhaustion in his eyes was undeniable.

"Kai," she murmured. "Take a break. Let's set up a camp."

Kai didn't respond at first, his expression locked in determination. The demons had pushed forward, taking more of the city, forcing their team to scatter. He had no idea where the others were—only that stopping wasn't an option.

But when his legs nearly gave out, he finally sighed, muttering, "Fine."

He found a ruined building, half-collapsed but sturdy enough to offer some cover. Carefully, he set Rose down, his hands trembling slightly from fatigue.

She studied his face, noticing the dark circles under his eyes. "You're pushing yourself too hard."

Kai sat down heavily beside her, rubbing his temples. "Yeah… but we're still alive."

She sighed, leaning her head back against the wall. "For now."

Kai glanced at her legs, his eyes narrowing. "Rose… your legs still aren't working."

Rose avoided his gaze.

"What happened?"

She hesitated, then exhaled, her ears twitching slightly as she thought back to the fight.

"I fought a demon user…" Her voice was quieter now, her usual cocky tone replaced with something heavier. "He was strong. Way stronger than the ones we've fought before."

Her mind drifted back to the battle—the chaos, the blood, the overwhelming force she had faced.

The way her body had screamed at her to move, but the sheer power of his attack had crushed her.

Kai's vision blurred for a moment. His legs felt heavier with every step, his body screaming at him to stop.

Rose noticed. "Take a break. Now."

"No," Kai muttered, shaking his head to stay alert. "I need to get you back."

Without hesitation, Rose curled her fist and punched the back of his head.

"Set up camp in one of these buildings, idiot!" she snapped. "Lionel's forces have advanced farther up! If we keep walking, we'll run straight into his front lines."

Kai exhaled sharply, rubbing his head where she hit him.

"…Fine," he muttered. "Just for tonight."

Kai set up camp right beneath the ruins of a collapsed skyscraper.

Rose watched, unimpressed. "Why don't we just go inside?"

"Shut up," Kai muttered, shoveling away debris with practiced efficiency. "They won't expect us here."

It took a lot of digging, but with a bit of simple ground manipulation magic, he carved out a small shelter beneath the rubble. It wasn't much, but it would do.

He lifted his hand, murmuring a few words under his breath. A faint shimmer rippled through the air as cloaking magic took effect.

"Now we can rest in peace," he said, before pausing. "Well… there's still about a 40% chance we get found."

Rose huffed, crossing her arms. "Comforting."

Kai sat down beside her, exhaling deeply. "You owe me big time."

She smirked. "Haha, you wish."

He just shook his head, leaning against the rough wall of their hideout. His body screamed for rest, but his mind was still running, calculating their next move.

"Well, get some sleep," he muttered.

Silence settled between them.

Then—

"Kai…"

"What?"

Her tail flicked, swishing nervously. "I—"

She was cut off by a sharp beep from his comm.

Kai's attention snapped to it immediately. Rose clenched her fists, her face turning red with embarrassment and annoyance.

He pressed the device to his ear. "This is Angel Kai."

Static crackled before Arnik's voice burst through the line.

"FINALLY, YOU PICKED UP, IDIOT!!!"

Kai winced. "Yeah, yeah, nice to hear from you too—"

"I'VE BEEN NONSTOP TRYING TO REACH YOU FOR DAYS! IT'S BEEN ALMOST A WEEK SINCE YOU LEFT!"

Kai rubbed his temple. "Sorry. All this fighting damaged the suit's systems. I must've finally gotten close enough for it to reconnect."

Arnik's voice was sharp. "Please tell me you found Rose."

"I did. She's alive. Just as much of a bi—"

"YOU BETTER NOT FINISH THAT SENTENCE!" Rose barked.

Kai smirked but quickly got serious. "I need a pickup."

A long pause.

Then, Arnik spoke, his voice slow and heavy.

"Kai… the enemy has advanced since you left. There's no way we can reach your position."

Kai's breath hitched.

"Got it," he said after a moment. "Send an evac location."

"How bad is it?"

"It's bad," Arnik admitted.

Kai closed his eyes briefly, running a hand through his hair.

"I see."

He exhaled.

"Angel Kai out."

Kai set the comm down, his mind racing with possibilities. The enemy had pushed forward, cutting them off. That meant their situation was worse than he thought.

He sighed. "Well, that's just great."

Rose shifted beside him, clearly annoyed. "Now that you're done talking, maybe you can pay attention to me."

Kai rubbed his eyes. "Alright, alright. What was so important?"

Her tail flicked, and she hesitated for a second before crossing her arms. "Forget it."

Kai scoffed. "Well, that was a waste of time."

Rose muttered softly. "…Thanks."

Kai blinked. "Huh? What?"

She sighed, her voice barely above a whisper. "Thanks… for coming to save me. It means a lot."

Kai's eyes widened. His brain short-circuited for a second. Rose? Thanking me?

His face twisted into exaggerated suspicion. "Impossible. You must be a fake."

Rose's face turned red in an instant. "O-OH SHUT UP, FOUR EYES!"

Kai burst out laughing.

Rose huffed, crossing her arms, her tail swaying in frustration. "It's not funny."

Kai wiped a tear from his eye, his grin softening. "You're right."

There was a beat of silence.

Then, quieter. "Thanks, Rose."

Rose didn't look at him, but her tail flicked again—this time slower, more at ease.

"Let's just go to sleep," she mumbled.

Kai laid back, exhaling. "Yeah… we'll figure out the rest tomorrow."