The Monster among them

Celeste stirred as the first light of dawn filtered through the curtains, casting long golden streaks across the room. She stretched, muscles sore from exhaustion, but her mind sharp, replaying the previous day's events over and over again.

The mission had been a failure. Her unit was gone. She had barely escaped with her life.

And Raikhan…

She turned her head to the side, glaring at the empty space beside her bed.

That bastard actually tried to sleep in here.

She could still hear his smug voice from last night.

"You are vulnerable when you sleep, little warrior. I cannot leave your side."

"Like hell you can't—get out!"

His expression had been somewhere between amusement and mild offense, but in the end, he relented, grumbling as he stepped out into the hallway.

Celeste exhaled, rubbing her temples. At least I got some damn rest.

Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she stood up, stretching, and stepped towards the door.

The moment she opened it, she froze.

Raikhan was still there.

Sprawled on the cold floor in front of her door, arms crossed behind his head, one leg lazily bent, looking like he had been resting without a care in the world. His dark hair spilled over his shoulders, and his obsidian eyes gleamed in the dim morning light as they flickered open.

She gawked at him.

"You—are you serious?"

Raikhan smirked, sitting up. "Good morning, little warrior."

"Don't 'good morning' me!" She clenched her fists. "What the hell are you doing here?!"

He blinked, as if the answer was obvious. "You kicked me out of your room."

Celeste ran a frustrated hand through her hair. "So you just decided to sleep outside my door like a stray dog?!"

Raikhan only tilted his head slightly. "Would you have preferred I sneaked back in?"

She opened her mouth—then promptly closed it, face burning.

From the corner of her eye, she noticed passing soldiers giving them odd looks. Some whispering, others sneering, clearly unimpressed by Raikhan's presence.

"He doesn't belong here."

"What's he even doing near Captain Fairburn?"

"Just another outsider. A freak."

Celeste's stomach twisted slightly, but she shoved the feeling away. Raikhan was a monster, after all. She didn't owe him anything.

But before she could scold him again, he let out a dramatic sigh.

"You were cruel, throwing me out into the cold after I saved your life." His lips curled, his expression one of mock suffering. "A heartless master indeed."

Celeste twitched. "You—"

"And yet," Raikhan continued, tilting his head with a lazy smirk, "I sense guilt from you, little warrior."

Her face burned. "I—That's not—!"

"So you do feel bad," he mused.

She hated that he was right.

Gritting her teeth, she exhaled sharply. "Fine. I'm… sorry. There, happy?"

Raikhan's smirk widened triumphantly. "I knew you cared."

Celeste groaned. This is going to be a long day.

Keiran's Office: Tensions and Rivalries

By the time she arrived at Keiran's office, she had half a mind to ditch Raikhan somewhere—but the damn beast refused to leave her side.

She pushed open the heavy doors, stepping in. Keiran sat behind his desk, silver-haired and sharp-eyed, going through a pile of reports. He looked up the moment she entered, his gaze flickering briefly to Raikhan before narrowing.

And, of course—

There was Jack.

Leaning against the wall with that infuriatingly smug smirk.

"Well, well," he drawled, arms crossed. "Look who finally crawled back."

Celeste ignored him.

Jack let out a low whistle. "Come on, don't be shy. Tell me, how does it feel to fail one simple S-rank mission?"

Her fists clenched.

Before she could even respond, Raikhan stepped forward, his deep voice laced with amusement.

"Do you always talk this much?"

Jack stiffened. His smirk faltered slightly. His eyes finally landed on Raikhan, sizing him up.

"And who the hell are you?" Jack sneered.

Raikhan tilted his head. "Someone far more interesting than you, apparently."

Jack bristled. "You little—"

"Enough," Keiran said sharply. His gaze locked onto Celeste. "Explain. Why is he here?"

Before Celeste could respond—

Raikhan interrupted.

"I want to be near her."

The room froze.

Jack gawked. Keiran's expression darkened.

Celeste's brain short-circuited.

"*You—*Wha—NO—!" She ripped her hand from Raikhan's grip, her face heating. "Don't say it like that, you bastard!"

Keiran's fingers tightened against the desk. "Get out."

Raikhan raised a brow. "No."

Jack lost it. "Alright, I don't know who the hell you think you are, but—" He lunged forward.

Big mistake.

Raikhan didn't even flinch.

With a single fluid motion, he caught Jack by the wrist and flipped him, slamming him hard into the ground.

Jack wheezed.

Celeste winced. Oof.

Raikhan smirked down at him. "You were saying?"

Jack seethed, trying to push himself up—only for Keiran to place a firm hand on his shoulder, holding him down.

"Enough," Keiran ordered coldly. Then, his sharp gaze snapped back to Celeste. "Get him out. Now."

Celeste exhaled slowly, massaging her temples.

She turned to Raikhan. "Raikhan. Leave."

Raikhan studied her for a moment, then sighed dramatically. "Fine."

He strolled out as if he was in charge of the situation.

The tension in the room was thick.

Keiran exhaled sharply, rubbing his temples. "Celeste," he muttered. "You have terrible taste in company."

She let out a nervous laugh.

"Yeah… you have no idea."

Celeste gave a detailed report of the mission.

She didn't mention Raikhan's true identity.

But when she described the monster that had slaughtered her unit, both Keiran and Jack froze.

Their expressions darkened.

"Celeste," Keiran said slowly, "are you sure about this?"

She nodded.

Keiran and Jack exchanged a look.

"That monster," Keiran murmured, "matches the description of the one that wiped out the fifth-ranked combat unit in the world."

Celeste's stomach dropped.

Silence settled over the room.

And somehow… she knew this wasn't over.

Waiting in the Shadows

As she left the office, deep in thought, she nearly tripped over something.

She looked down.

Raikhan was waiting.

Leaning against the wall, arms crossed, looking far too pleased with himself.

"Miss me?" he teased.

Celeste groaned, rubbing her temples.

"Raikhan," she muttered, "you are going to be the death of me."

Celeste enters the cafeteria, the usual hum of conversation dimmed—not completely, but just enough for her to feel the weight of dozens of stares pressing against her.

She was used to it.

Being the only survivor of an S-rank mission failure had turned her into both an anomaly and a subject of relentless gossip. She had learned to ignore it.

But today, their gazes weren't just on her.

They were on him.

Raikhan.

He moved beside her with an unnatural grace, his tall frame imposing, dark hair cascading over his shoulders, and those red eyes scanning the room with a quiet amusement. He wasn't just out of place here. He was wrong—and every single soldier in the cafeteria could feel it.

It wasn't just curiosity in their eyes.

It was wariness.

It was fear.

Celeste knew it. Raikhan knew it.

And from the barely-there twitch of his lips, she could tell—

He was enjoying this.

She sighed, grabbed a tray, and started loading it with food. Raikhan followed her lead, completely at ease, before sliding into the seat beside her as if he had always belonged there.

That earned even more uncomfortable glances.

She had barely taken her first bite when a shadow loomed over her.

Celeste didn't even have to look up.

Great.

"Well, well. Look who survived after all."

The voice was sweet, sickly so.

Celeste finally lifted her head.

Marianne.

Blonde curls framing a flawless face, amber eyes brimming with false amusement, a smirk that never quite reached them. And, of course, her usual entourage—standing behind her, watching with smug satisfaction.

Celeste resisted the urge to groan.

Not now.

Marianne leaned in slightly, voice laced with mock sympathy. "For someone who failed so spectacularly, you still have the nerve to show your face around here, hmm?"

Celeste stabbed her fork into her food with just a bit more force than necessary.

She had never liked Marianne.

The girl had always had it out for her—ever since Celeste got close to Keiran. Marianne hated that Celeste was the only one who could speak to him freely, that Keiran actually listened when she talked.

And worse—Marianne was in Jack's unit.

Jack, who protected his people with an almost obsessive loyalty. If he found out that Celeste had laid a hand on one of his own…

She inhaled slowly.

She would not give Marianne the satisfaction.

But Marianne wasn't done.

She leaned in further, dropping her voice lower. "I mean, it's no surprise, really. You're used to being abandoned, aren't you?"

Celeste's breath hitched.

Marianne's smirk widened.

"Your own parents threw you away like garbage." Her voice was a whisper now, just for Celeste. "Must be miserable, huh? Knowing that no one ever wanted you?"

Celeste didn't think.

She moved.

A sharp crack echoed through the cafeteria.

Marianne staggered slightly, amber eyes widening in disbelief.

Celeste's palm stung.

The entire cafeteria froze.

Shit.

Celeste inhaled sharply, already bracing herself. Marianne was untouchable. She had influence. And worse—Jack would find out.

Marianne's shock faded quickly.

Her lips curled into a slow, dangerous smirk.

Celeste's stomach dropped.

She had wanted this.

Marianne took a step forward, tilting her head. "Oh, Celeste. I hope you're ready for what comes next."

Celeste gritted her teeth.

Damn it.

But before Marianne could say another word—

A deep, amused chuckle broke the silence.

Low. Dark. Mocking.

Raikhan.

All eyes turned to him.

He had been watching the entire thing—lounging back in his chair, one arm draped over the table, the picture of relaxed boredom.

His red eyes gleamed.

Then, he smirked.

"Interesting," he mused, voice smooth as silk. "You act as if you're above her, yet…" He tilted his head slightly. "Aren't you in the same situation?"

Marianne stiffened. "What?"

Raikhan leaned forward, resting his chin on one hand, that infuriating smirk widening. "If your family is as powerful as you claim…" His voice dropped into something dangerously soft. "Why didn't they stop them from taking you?"

Marianne's expression shattered.

Whispers spread through the cafeteria like wildfire.

Raikhan's voice was velvet smooth, laced with pure mockery.

"Oh?" He feigned surprise. "Was it because they didn't want you either?"

The murmurs grew louder.

Marianne trembled.

For the first time—she looked cornered.

Her hands curled into fists.

"Who the hell are you?" she hissed.

Raikhan only smirked.

And then—

The cafeteria doors slammed open.

A sharp, commanding voice cut through the tension.

"What the hell is going on here?"

Jack.

His piercing gaze swept across the room before immediately locking onto Marianne.

She snapped her head toward him, and—

Her entire demeanor changed.

Her lips wobbled. Tears welled in her eyes.

"Jack—!" she sobbed, pointing at Celeste.

"She hit me!"

Jack's expression darkened.

His eyes flickered to Celeste.

"Celeste."

Her fingers clenched against the table.

She couldn't look up.

She couldn't breathe.

His voice sharpened. "Look at me!"

She couldn't.

Her throat felt tight.

Jack took a step forward.

And then—

Everything changed.

The air in the cafeteria turned heavy.

Thick. Suffocating.

A slow, terrible silence spread across the room.

Raikhan moved.

Not much. Just a shift in his posture, a slight tilt of his head—

But his presence consumed the space.

The air plunged into something suffocating.

Cold. Wrong.

And then—his eyes glowed.

Deep. Crimson. Red.

The murmurs died instantly.

Marianne shook.

Jack's body remained still, but—

His fingers twitched.

His instincts screamed at him.

This guy… is above me.

Raikhan's smirk never wavered.

His voice was low, almost bored.

"Before you put your mouth where it doesn't belong," he said, "perhaps you should ask that girl what really happened."

Silence.

A thick, suffocating silence.

Then—

Raikhan stood up.

Turned.

And left.

The moment the cafeteria doors shut behind him, the pressure snapped.

Soldiers gasped, hands shaking.

Marianne was still trembling.

Jack exhaled sharply, then turned his gaze onto her.

His voice was eerily calm.

"Marianne."

She flinched.

"Tell me." His expression darkened. "What really happened?"

She opened her mouth.

No words came out.

Jack's jaw clenched.

He didn't need to hear anything else.

Without another word—he turned.

And left.

Marianne stood there, ashen-faced.

And Celeste?

She was already gone.