CHAPTER 32 — Honest Truths
ELION — POV
The question hung between us like a blade.
"Elion… what is Meso to you?"
My heart didn't stop. But the rhythm had changed — it was something heavier, slower… complicated.
I opened my mouth. Then closed it.
Alexiy watched me with those soft pink eyes that always made me feel exposed — not judged, just seen. She deserved the truth.
So I gave it.
I pushed a breath out slowly.
"Meso is…" I paused, searching for a word that didn't exist. "She's someone who's just as broken as I am." I managed to say with a wry smile.
Alexiy didn't flinch. She just sat there watching me, waiting for me finish.
And that was why I could keep going.
"Lexi," I murmured, "you… you already know I'm not a hero. I'm not some noble idiot who wants to save the world. I'm not righteous. I'm…" I let out a humorless breath. "…I'm just some crazy bastard who wanted the world to end."
Her fingers tightened on my shirt. She didn't pull away.
"I spent years praying, wishing, planning for something like this," I admitted. "For magic. A reset. A chance to… break the cycle. To become something else. To finally be free."
Alexiy's eyes softened — not with pity, but recognition.
"And Meso…" I continued, "She didn't laugh at me for wanting that. She didn't judge me. She didn't call me insane. She just… understood. Hell she even supported me and helped encourage me when I was at my lowest point. "
Her brows drew together.
"…How long have you known her?"
"Years," I answered. "We met online. On some deep web discussion board arguing about government experiments, hidden facilities, and whether there was a secret in the Rockies." I shrugged. "I was digging around for anything — anything — about magic. Real or fake it didn't matter. I was searching for anything to give me hope…"
"And her?" Alexiy asked.
"She was just there for fun. 'To see what crazy that corner of the internet had' is her exact words I believe."A faint smile tugged at my mouth. "We ended up talking for hours. About whatever, we just… clicked. Then she DM'd me, told me to switch to a private encrypted app she coded herself… and it just… never stopped since then."
Alexiy looked down for a moment, absorbing it.
"When she eventually started sharing things about herself," I said softly, "I realized… she's not just 'crazy.' She's brilliant. She's dangerous, yeah, but she's good. And she's… lonely. Like me."
I brushed my thumb over Alexiy's cheek.
"She understood me in ways nobody else has."
Alexiy stared at me quietly.
"So… who is she really? To you?"
I swallowed.
"She's a prodigy. A genius. Insane sometimes, yes. But she built these bunkers. Designed half the encryption the government still hasn't cracked. Invented the first generation of untraceable crypto as a joke. And she hacked the US Department of Defense twice because she was bored."
Alexiy blinked. "…That sounds… fake."
"Oh, it is," I said. "Except it's not. That's Meso. I don't think anyone truly knows what she's capable of. And now that she has mana…? Even I'm lost in this chaos just like everyone else, only for me this isn't the end but the beginning."
A chill went down my spine.
"And I really don't know what she'll become," I admitted. "But she's on our side. On my side. She always has been."
Alexiy hesitated.
"Can she be trusted? "Her voice cracked. "She told everyone about your bloodline."
I leaned forward, cupped her face, and kissed her softly — a slow, grounding kiss that made her breath catch.
Then I whispered against her lips:
"I would trust Meso with my life."
Her eyes widened.
"I don't say that lightly," I continued. "This place… this bunker… it's the only place I've felt even a little safe. It's the first time in my life I could lower my guard. Even just a little."
I took her hand in mine.
"You asked what she is to me." My voice went low, honest. But she needed to know this now...
"…I love her."
Alexiy inhaled sharply. Her fingers twitched.
"I honestly thought I couldn't fall in love," I said quietly. "Thought I was too numb. Too damaged. But somehow with her it was… easy."
Her eyes glistened, but she didn't look away.
I squeezed her hand.
"But I'm not leaving you, Lexi." I pressed my forehead to hers. "You know that. I'm here with you. I'm also starting to fall for you."
Her breath trembled, then steadied.
"And," I added, "I also can't leave Meso. She's… precious to me."
Alexiy let out a shaky exhale.
Then she surprised me.
She nudged her forehead against mine — not angry, not jealous. Just… tired, she felt so… human.
"As long as you don't throw me away," she whispered, "or forget me… I don't care."
She swallowed.
"I don't even know if we'll live long enough to worry about relationship drama. I just… want you. Just don't push me aside. Don't treat me like a footnote."
I pulled her closer, wrapping my arms around her.
"I won't."
She pressed her face into my chest.
Her thoughts were written all over her:
She knows the world is ending. She knows that everything is uncertain. In this storm she just wants one thing in this chaos—not to be left behind.
And I could understand that.
Maybe better than anyone.
We stayed like that — breathing the same air, holding onto each other like the apocalypse wasn't waiting outside.
But something shifted.
A faint shuffle.
A presence.
On the other side of the door.
*********************
MESO — POV
She sat curled against the wall, knees pulled to her chest, head resting on them.
She'd walked down here to talk to Elion about tomorrow's mission plan.
But she heard Alexiy's voice.
Then Elion's.
Then… everything else.
She hadn't moved since.
Tears clung to her lashes — thin, trembling, furious tears she refused to let fall.
Her throat tightened painfully.
He loved her. He loved both of them.
And he wasn't leaving either.
"…idiot," she whispered. "Stupid… dumb… perfect idiot."
She pressed her forehead into her knees.
Her fingers dug into her sleeves.
And she couldn't stop smiling through the tears.
******************
??? — UNKNOWN LOCATION
A ruined city burned to ash.
Buildings collapsed inward, flames roaring through streets thick with smoke. Zombies shrieked. Humans screamed. Everything was swallowed in fire.
On top of a broken skyscraper, a man stood barefoot at the edge — tall, scarred, hair wild, beard untrimmed. His shirt was torn open, revealing a body carved with battle wounds.
Ash drifted around him like snow.
He watched the destruction with calm, bored eyes.
When the last scream died and only crackling fire remained…
He chuckled.
It was a low, rough sound. Almost nostalgic in the empty city
"…I wonder," he murmured to the flames, "if that bastard is still alive and kicking?"
He grinned — teeth sharp.
"Would be a shame if the apocalypse stole my rematch."
His eyes gleamed with a savage, hungry excitement.
"Come on, Elion," he whispered.
"Don't you dare die before I find you."