"Well done," Rhyes spoke, his deep voice cutting through the ambient hum of the corridor as his steady strides brought him alongside the dark-haired commander.
Zazm paused, his head turning slightly to the side as he watched Rhyes catch up to his pace. His posture remained perfectly rigid, his face an unreadable block of stone.
"What?" Zazm asked, his voice entirely flat.
Rhyes looked at him, waiting for an explanation.
Zazm shook his head, his dark cloak shifting slightly over his shoulders.
"I wasn't the one who did it. Dennis did."
Rhyes stopped walking for a fraction of a second, his gaze sharpening as he processed the information. He gave a serious, heavy nod.
"Is that so?"
They resumed their quiet march down the grand hallway, the distant hum of the facility filling the brief void between them.
Rhyes glanced sideways at Zazm's profile.
"Have you thought about it?"
Zazm stayed quiet for a long moment, his feet moving in perfect, mechanical rhythm against the floorboards.
"Yes," he finally replied, his monotone voice giving away absolutely nothing. "Soon enough, I'll go."
Rhyes gave a slight, understanding nod, adjusting his cuffs.
"I'll be waiting."
"Do you have anyone in mind to take up the position of Gilgamesh?" Zazm asked, his gaze fixed straight ahead.
Rhyes shook his head, a wry, exhausted expression crossing his face as he let out a short sigh.
"None. It'll be a massive hassle to find someone capable of filling that vacuum."
The two continued to walk quietly for a few more paces before Rhyes offered a brief parting gesture and diverted down a separate terminal, leaving Zazm alone.
Zazm stood motionless at the towering entrance of the Obsidian Fang dome.
He raised his left arm, his fingers tapping a sleek metallic bracelet.
With a soft chime, a brilliant blue holographic screen materialized in front of him, casting a cold glow over his features.
His pale fingers flicked across the air, systematically sorting through a dense wall of unread messages.
"Zazm."
The familiar voice shattered his focus.
Zazm turned his head with robotic slowness, his eyes tracking across the open plaza.
A little distance away stood Jennie, waving her hand enthusiastically to catch his attention.
The moment their eyes met, Zazm closed the holographic screen and began walking toward her with measured, even steps.
Jennie quickly came running across the pavement, her boots clicking sharply until she skidded to a halt directly in front of him, catching her breath.
"I found you," she gasped out, a bright smile immediately breaking across her face.
She looked visibly different now.
Her long hair was tied back into a neat, high ponytail, and she wore the clean, stark ivory outfit that marked her status within Sable Veil.
"Were you looking for me?" Zazm asked, his voice dead and hollow.
Jennie offered a firm nod, her ponytail swaying with the movement.
"Yes, I was."
Zazm's eyes subtly scanned her posture.
"You look tired."
"I do?" Jennie laughed softly, rubbing her palm against her opposite arm in a slightly self-conscious gesture. "Well... a little, yeah. But it's really nothing serious. How are you doing? It's been so long!"
A profound hint of genuine excitement danced in her eyes, and her voice carried a joyful, lighthearted energy that completely contrasted with the grim atmosphere of the surrounding military dome.
"It's been a while, yes," Zazm replied, his face completely stationary.
Jennie nodded rapidly.
"It's been over a year. Honestly, it feels like an absolute eternity since I've seen you and the others. Oh, your hair is even longer now."
Zazm remained completely quiet, offering no emotional echo to her nostalgia.
Sensing his characteristic silence, Jennie turned on her heel, gesturing down a wide pedestrian path.
"Oh, right! Would you mind following me for a little while?"
Zazm looked at her back for a brief second before giving a slight, precise nod.
Jennie walked ahead at a brisk pace, and Zazm seamlessly fell into step right next to her.
As they navigated through the outer rings of the sector, she began detailing everything that had transpired in her life over the past fourteen months, her hands gesturing fluidly as she spoke.
"So, in short," Jennie summarized, glancing over at him as she walked, "during these months, I've pretty much learned healing entirely, and I've also heavily worked on expanding my own innate abilities."
Zazm gave a singular nod.
"That's good."
He paused briefly before adding,
"Have you met the others?"
Jennie shook her head.
Almost instantly, her cheerful smile vanished, and her voice dropped to a slightly muted tone as her eyes cast downward toward the pavement.
"I haven't. I only talk occasionally to everyone through the comms."
"I met Nova and Miwa two months ago," Zazm stated flatly, his gaze fixed on the horizon. "I went to see Kiyomasa and Ai a while back as well."
An awkward, slightly forced smile re-appeared on Jennie's face.
She adjusted her collar, her eyes darting sideways.
"Miwa and Nova are enjoying the battlefield a little too much, huh..."
Zazm remained entirely quiet, his face rigid as he stared straight ahead.
"It's not a good thing."
Jennie nodded slowly, a deep, sad look settling over her features as she lowered her arms to her sides.
"They are out there actively taking lives... how can that ever be considered good?"
"This society has made Remnants look like absolute monsters," Zazm spoke, his monotone delivery making the heavy statement sound like a chilling mathematical fact. "Like killing them is a noble deed instead of literal murder. All of this propaganda has made us completely forget that Remnants are, fundamentally, humans. Nova and Miwa are entirely blinded by the warped values of this social system. They are treating this whole conflict the same as going on a casual hunt. They only fight for fun right now; they do not truly know the devastating pain of having something taken from them."
Jennie looked up at him, her eyes wide with a mix of surprise and understanding.
She gave a solemn nod.
"I understand exactly what you mean. I've treated several wounded people in the wards, and they talk about Remnants as if they are literal, brainless monsters. They hate on them with so much vitriol."
Then, she forced a small, fragile smile, trying to lift the suffocating weight of his words.
"It's almost like how our parents back in the old world would somehow link hair fall to using our phones too much."
A deep, nostalgic look flashed in her eyes as she stared at the passing scenery.
"Wow... it really feels like another entire life. Our old universe and all of that."
Zazm stopped his stride for a fraction of a second, his eyes sliding sideways to look at her.
"Since when did you start joking?"
Jennie smirked, playfully rolling her eyes as she continued walking.
"Well, since you're clearly not going to do it, I'm the only one left who can. Otherwise, the atmosphere around you would get incredibly heavy real quick."
Zazm stayed quiet, his boots maintaining their steady, robotic rhythm as they kept walking.
Jennie's smirk widened into a mischievous grin.
She suddenly leaned in and lightly elbowed his arm.
Zazm didn't flinch; he merely moved his unblinking eyes down toward her as she spoke.
"So," Jennie teased, placing a finger over her lips while raising her eyebrows, "who exactly is the person currently occupying your thoughts, huh? Has someone finally stolen your heart or something?"
Zazm stopped dead in his tracks.
Jennie halted a few paces ahead, turning back around to face him with an expectant grin.
"Are you actually gonna tell me who it is?"
Zazm looked up, his face an emotionless mask, his voice dropping into a chillingly precise, monotone delivery.
"Jennie, you are the absolute last person who should be talking about love."
"Huh?" Jennie blinked, tilting her head in confusion.
"You have been in love with Nova for so long that normal people would be having their third child by now," Zazm stated, his expression completely blank as he laid out the facts like a clinical report. "And yet, here you are, not even knowing how to properly confess to him. Your blood pressure literally starts rising if he so much as accidentally touches your hand. Leaving the two of you alone in a single room would inevitably result in your brain completely short-circuiting."
Jennie's entire face flushed an intense, bright crimson.
She violently raised both of her hands, waving them frantically in front of his face to cut him off.
"I'm sorry! I'm really, really sorry! I completely forgot who I was talking to! Please stop roasting me, please, just stop!"
Zazm, however, had absolutely no plans to stop.
His face remained entirely devoid of emotion, his voice a flat, unchanging monotone as he continued to tear down her defenses.
"And now you are completely red just thinking about Nova."
He swiftly raised his left arm, his bracelet flashing with a sharp, blinding white light.
*Click.*
Jennie gasped, her eyes flying wide open.
"Delete that picture right now!"
Zazm shook his head, his fingers hovering over the blue interface.
"Let me send it to Nova. He should know exactly how you are fantasizing about him."
He looked up from the screen, his dark eyes meeting her panicked gaze.
"Oh, wait. I can just teleport you directly in front of him right—"
*Shing.*
A sleek, gleaming knife materialized out of thin air, its razor-sharp edge pressed firmly against the skin of Zazm's neck.
Jennie stood there, a wide, sweet, entirely terrifying smile plastered across her reddened face as her hand held the hilt perfectly steady.
"Zazm... I might actually have to kill you right here."
Zazm raised both of his hands in a calm, slow gesture of surrender, his voice not shifting an octave.
"You just said I don't joke around anymore. And the moment I finally do, you are raising knives at my throat."
Jennie stared at him for a tense second before letting out a sharp breath and pulling the knife back, letting it vanish into her inventory.
"I'll let it slide, as long as you delete that picture."
"It was just a empty flash," Zazm spoke, lowering his hands as they resumed walking. "I didn't take any picture."
Jennie let out a relieved sigh, her shoulders dropping.
They walked in relative quiet for a few moments before she looked up at his profile again, her expression softening.
"You know... you look better this way."
Zazm looked down at her.
"What way?"
"This way," Jennie said, a soft, genuine smile returning to her lips as she gestured toward him. "When you're actually messing around like that, you feel more like your true self. But..."
"But?" Zazm repeated flatly.
Jennie quickly shook her hand in the air, dismissing the thought with a bright laugh.
"Ah, it's nothing! Don't worry about it."
She cleared her throat, shifting the topic seamlessly.
"Oh, right! What about Minos? Have you seen him?"
Zazm shook his head once.
"I haven't met him. I tried to arrange a meeting, but Supreme Commander Toreth flatly refused."
Jennie frowned, her brow furrowing in genuine confusion.
"Supreme Commander Toreth? Why on earth would he refuse you?"
"Minos explicitly asked him to," Zazm replied, his eyes scanning the path ahead. "I don't know the exact reason myself."
"Is that so?" Jennie murmured, her voice carrying a hint of melancholy as she looked at her own shoes. "Wow... it really has been so long since I met everyone. I really, truly miss them."
"How is life here for you?" Zazm asked.
Jennie looked up, her ivory Sable Veil uniform catching the light as she smiled.
"It's not bad at all. It's actually a lot more fun... or peaceful, I guess."
"Isn't that a good thing?" Zazm questioned, his tone perfectly even.
Jennie offered a firm nod.
"It is, definitely. But... I belong with everyone else. Our group."
"Just wait a little longer," Zazm spoke, his voice completely steady.
They continued their steady march until the dense structures of the sector began to clear out.
Zazm broke the silence.
"Where exactly are we going?"
Jennie raised her hand, pointing her index finger toward the horizon.
"Over there."
Directly in front of them opened up a massive, pristine green grass field.
Situated squarely in the dead center of the vibrant greenery was a colossal, clean-cut modern complex.
Zazm's eyes tracked the perimeter.
"That hospital building is for..."
"It's explicitly for children and teenagers who have suffered severe physical injuries or extreme mental trauma from the war zone," Jennie completed his sentence, her voice taking on a deeply compassionate tone.
"Why are we going there?" Zazm asked, stopping at the edge of the perimeter.
Jennie smirked playfully, turning back to face him.
"You'll see. By the way... we completely missed the main teleportation station back at the checkpoint, so can you please just teleport us the rest of the way?"
Zazm gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod.
As Jennie took her very next forward step, the space around them warped violently.
In the span of a single heartbeat, she found her boot landing firmly on the smooth stone tiles directly in front of the hospital's grand entrance, with Zazm standing perfectly still right beside her.
Jennie immediately reached out, placing her palm lightly onto his shoulder.
"Hold still. I'm making you completely invisible."
Zazm didn't utter a word or move a muscle, allowing her ability to wash over him until his physical form completely melted away from the visible spectrum.
Jennie smiled and walked through the automated front doors of the facility.
The moment she entered, several members of the hospital staff and nursing units looked up, their faces immediately lighting up with bright greetings.
Jennie politely nodded and greeted every single one of them back with a warm, radiant smile.
Zazm walked silently behind her, his invisible footsteps leaving no sound.
High up on his shoulders, the ghostly form of Zephyra shifted her weight.
She leaned over his head, her purple eyes scanning the adoring staff.
"Looks like she is really, deeply loved here," she whispered directly into his ear, her sleepy voice carrying a rare trace of amusement.
Zazm gave a slight, internal nod of agreement, his invisible eyes mapping the clean corridors.
They kept walking deeper into the facility until they transitioned out toward the rear exit, where a senior doctor stood watching over the massive grass field.
Dozens of young children and teenagers were running around, playing various games in the open air.
Jennie walked forward, her ivory coat billowing slightly.
"Doctor Yuvena, I'll take it from here."
Doctor Yuvena turned around, a warm, relieved smile breaking across her aged face.
"Good evening, Doctor Jennie. If you're free to take over, then I'll be heading up to attend to the critical patients on the second floor."
Jennie nodded politely in response.
Once the senior doctor departed, Jennie walked a few paces out onto the grass and loudly clapped her hands together twice.
"Alright, everyone! Gather around in a circle!"
The moment her voice echoed, the children stopped playing.
A wave of pure excitement washed over them as they came running from all corners of the field, eagerly sitting down on the grass in a tight, structured circle right in front of her.
Jennie scanned the group, placing her hands on her hips.
"Is everyone here? Wait, I don't see Qoua..."
A young boy in the front row smiled brightly, shifting his body slightly to the side to reveal a timid little girl who was intentionally hiding behind his back.
Jennie giggled, crouching down slightly.
"Oh! There you were."
Another young boy raised his hand, leaning forward eagerly.
"What is it, Miss Jennie? Why did you call us all over?"
Jennie stood back up, a brilliant, mysterious smile stretching across her face.
"I've brought a very special gift for all of you today. A massive surprise gift."
With a swift, subtle motion, she reached out and lightly tapped the empty air where Zazm was standing.
Instantly, his invisibility shattered.
Zazm materialized in the center of the field, his tall, imposing figure clad in dark commander robes starkly contrasting with the vibrant grass.
Jennie raised both of her arms in his direction, beaming at the crowd.
"Here! I brought you your absolute favorite gift!"
Zazm stood perfectly frozen.
He looked down at the children, noting that every single one of their eyes had gone completely wide with absolute shock and awe.
Zazm slowly turned his head to look at Jennie, his voice a flat line.
"Where is the gift?"
From right behind him, Zephyra burst into a sudden, melodic fit of laughter.
She drifted forward, floating in front of Zazm's face as she raised her pale hand and pointed her index finger squarely at his chest.
Zazm's gaze followed her finger.
"I am the gift?"
Jennie nodded happily.
Before he could process the statement, a little girl stepped out of the circle, her small hands reaching up to tightly pull on the edge of Zazm's dark coat.
Zazm slowly lowered his gaze, his head tilting down as the girl looked up at him with shining eyes.
"It's... it's Supreme Commander Zazm!" she whispered in awe.
In an instant, the remaining children completely abandoned their circle.
They gathered around him in a tight swarm, their faces filled with pure adoration as they looked up at the legendary figure.
Jennie walked up beside the group, her hands clasped behind her back.
"You might not actually know it, Zazm, but you are rather incredibly popular among people of every single age group out there."
Zazm looked at her expressionless face for a second before his eyes drifted back down to the crowd of children surrounding his legs.
"I didn't know that."
The little girl pulling his coat looked over at Jennie.
"Sister Jennie, how do you even know Supreme Commander Zazm?"
Jennie smirked proudly, placing a hand on her chest.
"He's my older brother."
"WHAAAAAA?!" the children collectively gasped, their jaws dropping in unison as they looked back and forth between the two.
Jennie chuckled, leaning slightly closer to Zazm.
"They have wanted to meet you for a very long time, Zazm. I know you are probably hating every single second of this right now, but please... just bear with it for a minute or two."
Zazm looked down at the sea of eager faces, his voice remaining flat and completely robotic.
"What is it you kids want?"
A young boy in the front smiled brightly, jumping up and down.
"Supreme Commander Zazm talked to me!"
"No, he was looking at me! He talked to me!" another kid immediately shouted back, sparking a small wave of excited chatter.
Jennie stepped in, pulling a sleek pen from her pocket and gently handing it to Zazm.
"Alright, everyone, line up in a perfect row! The youngest in the very front. Supreme Commander Zazm is going to give you all his official autograph."
Zazm held the pen in his grip, his arm hanging loosely at his side as he looked down.
A young boy was already standing directly below him, eagerly holding up a clean, blank notebook.
Zazm's eyes remained completely hollow.
His dark, obsidian pupils were entirely dead, displaying absolutely no light, no warmth, and reflecting no image of the adoring child standing right in front of him.
Zephyra glided down, her ethereal form hovering right beside his shoulder.
She gently placed her warm, pale hand over Zazm's cold hand, interlocking her slender fingers perfectly with his.
She looked up at his rigid profile with a soft, encouraging smile.
"Come on," she whispered, her voice a soothing echo. "It's really not that hard."
With Zephyra's fingers physically guiding his grip, Zazm crouched down to the child's level.
Zephyra smoothly raised his hand, pressing the pen to the paper and fluidly tracing out his signature across the notebook.
One by one, the children moved through the line, Zephyra systematically moving Zazm's hand to sign each book until the very last child was finished.
Zazm stood back up to his full height, his arm dropping back to his side as he returned the pen.
"Is that all?"
Jennie smiled deeply, gesturing toward the group of kids who were currently clutching their signed notebooks tightly to their chests.
"Don't look at me, Zazm. Look at those children over there. They literally look like they have just won everything there is to win in life."
Zazm turned his head, his hollow, unreflective eyes locking onto the children. They were laughing, high-fiving, and smiling with a pure, unadulterated joy that seemed to radiate from their very souls.
Zazm stared at them for a full, silent minute, his mind completely failing to parse the emotion.
"I don't understand."
Jennie blinked, turning her head back toward him. "Sorry, can you repeat that? I was completely distracted looking at the children."
Zazm shook his head once, his face an impenetrable wall of stone. "It's nothing. I'll be taking my leave now."
Jennie nodded understandingly, offering a warm wave. "Then I'll see you again later, Zazm. Thanks a lot for today, it was really fun."
Zazm offered a slight, emotionless nod of acknowledgment.
In the next microsecond, space fractured around him. Zazm vanished into thin air, leaving behind absolutely nothing but the rustling green grass, the echoing laughter of the children, and Jennie standing in the afternoon sun.
___________________