The black sleek car pulled up to the gates of the 10th Division base, its engine humming with a quiet power , Inside, the air was thick with the bittersweet scent of a journey ending.
"Yo... Elias, don't cry this time," Tyson said, leaning over the seat to ruffle his younger brother's hair. "I know you're gonna miss me and, you know, a brother who can actually cook."
"Huh... I ain't a kid, Tyson," Elias grumbled, though he didn't pull away. The month of training had changed him. His shoulders were broader, his silver eyes held a deeper, more calculated light, and the way he sat suggested a coiled spring ready to snap.
"Yh... you are," Tyson replied with a wide, teasing grin. "The 'Baby of the Walkers.' It's a title you carry for life, El."
They both laughed, a genuine, warm sound of family .
Zane, who had been silent for the drive, stepped out of the car and walked around to the passenger side. He looked at the 10th Division base—a place he once looked down upon, but now respected as the forge that had started his brother's evolution.
"Elias, I have something for you," Zane said. He reached into the back seat and pulled out a heavy, high-tech case. Inside sat a new combat suit. It was a masterpiece of Xenocide engineering: deep matte black with glowing blue kinetic linings and a sleek, reinforced hood.
"Cool... thanks, I really appreciate it ," Elias said, running his hand over the fabric. It felt alive, reacting to his touch.
"You're welcome," Zane replied, his voice regaining that iron-cold Commander tone, though his eyes remained soft. "Don't be reckless, and never lose again".
As the car drove away, kicking up a cloud of dust, Elias pulled the hood over his head and stepped through the gates. He didn't even have time to take ten steps before a silver flash whistled through the air.
THWIP.
Elias tilted his head by a fraction of an inch. A combat knife buried itself into the wooden post behind him, vibrating with lethal intent.
"Huh... Nyx, you trying to kill him?" Rook's deep voice boomed from the shadows of the porch.
"Na, just making sure he hasn't gotten rusty," Nyx said, dropping from the roof like a cat. Her mismatched eyes scanned Elias from head to toe. "Nice, outfit. Does the new suit come with new reflexes, or are you still a half-second behind me?"
Suddenly, the front doors burst open. The 10th was home.
"Elias!" Sloane shouted, running out with a medical scanner already humming. "Stand still. I need to check your vitals. If Zane put you through what I think he did, your internal organs are probably soup."
"Give the kid some air, Sloane," Vela said, stepping out while crunching loudly on a bag of spicy chips. "Though, I gotta say, Elias..... You've changed. I almost didn't recognize you without the dirt on your face."
"Did you get taller?" Jaxen asked, sparking a bit of blue electricity between his fingers. "Because if you got taller than me, I'm challenging you to a rematch right now. I've been training so hard, and my lightning is hitting different."
"Rematch? You'd lose," Mikasa said calmly, leaning against the doorframe with her daggers sheathed. "Welcome back, Elias. You look... focused. Good."
"Ignore them," Cipher chirped, his tactical visor flickering as he scanned Elias's new suit. "That suit has integrated graphene-mesh and a blue-shift dampener. It's gorgeous. Can I take it apart later?"
"No!" Elias and the rest of the team shouted in unison.
"I missed you too, guys," Elias said, a small smile playing on his lips. Even Renji, smiled. "The body is the engine, Elias. I hope your engine is ready for what's coming."
"I am," Elias replied. "But where's the Captain?"
The atmosphere shifted instantly. Drakye Void stepped out of his office, his face a mask of grim professionality. He held a tablet in his hand, a red emergency light flashing on the screen.
"Change of plans, 10th," Drakye said. "We just received a priority message from the 5th Division. Their Captain, Zainab Virel, has gone missing."
The Mission to the 5th
The 10th Division moved with a new kind of synergy. They didn't need orders; they geared up in silence and boarded the transport.
"Can't believe we've got a mission already," Vela sighed, somehow finding a second bag of chips in her tactical vest. "I haven't even had lunch."
"Why does this world hate me".
When they arrived at the 5th Division base—a sprawling complex surrounded by artificial lakes—they were met by Temi Nova, the Vice Captain. She looked exhausted, her usual fluid grace replaced by a frantic energy.
Drakye Void stepped forward. "Status report, Vice Captain."
Temi handed him a handwritten note. Her hands were shaking. "She left this in her quarters this morning."
Drakye read the note aloud: "I've gone to avenge Kaizen. Temi, take care of the 5th."
Drakye's eyes widened, his grip tightening on the paper until it crinkled. "Magals," he whispered. The name sent a chill through the 10th. Magals, the 10th Zethrian Commander. The man who had turned Kaizen Flux into a memory.
"The High Council is panicking," Temi said. "They're worried she'll trigger a full-scale war before we're ready. But we don't have a location. Magals is a ghost."
"We need a lead," Drakye said.
"There's someone on their way who can help," Temi replied, looking toward the landing pad. "The Aegis Prime of the 1st Division. Their on their way."
As they waited, the 10th huddled together. Cipher, however, was unusually quiet. He was staring at Temi Nova, his visor reflecting her image, and a distinct pink hue began to creep up his neck.
Jaxen noticed first. He nudged Elias and pointed. "Huh... Cipher, what are you staring at?"
"Emm... nothing... just... checking the atmospheric moisture levels," Cipher stammered, his drones suddenly spinning erratically.
"She's cute," Elias said with a mischievous grin, loud enough for the whole team to hear.
"Huh... Who?" Renji asked, looking confused.
"The Vice Captain of the 5th Division," Elias replied, leaning back. "I'm just saying... no wonder Cipher's been staring. He's practically running a diagnostic on her heart rate."
"I am not!" Cipher squeaked.
"Oh, he totally is," Nyx laughed, teleporting behind Cipher and snapping her fingers. "Look at him! His fans are spinning at 100% just to keep his face from melting. Go talk to her, Tech-boy!"
"Yeah, Rook, give him a push," Jaxen teased.
"I will break him if I push him," Rook rumbled, though he was smiling. "But yes, she is formidable. A good match for our strategist."
"You guys are the worst!" Cipher groaned, hiding behind his tablet.
While the team teased Cipher, a shadow fell over Elias. He turned to see a girl with piercing blue eyes and hair that looked like spun frost. She was wearing the elite white-and-silver uniform of the 5th.
"You... didn't you see me, Elias?" she said, her voice a mix of a challenge and a pout.
Elias blinked, squinting. "Hmm, you look familiar... oh yeah! You're the ice girl from the tournament."
"Ice girl?!" Mira Ice's face flushed a deep crimson. "My name is Mira! Mira of the Ice Family! You defeated me in the semi-finals and you can't even remember my name?"
Elias laughed, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Sorry, Mira. I was a bit busy trying not to freeze to death that day. But hey, looking at you now... your eyes are really blue. And pretty."
Mira froze. The air around her dropped five degrees, but her face felt like it was sitting in a furnace. "Em... thanks," she muttered, looking at her boots. "I mean... whatever. You still look like a scavenger."
Elias smiled, and for a moment, the tension of the missing Captain and the looming Zethrian threat faded. But the peace was short-lived. A roar of engines signaled the arrival of the 1st Division. The search for Zainab Virel was no longer a rescue mission; it was the start of a hunt for a god.
The 10th was back. And this time, they weren't just surviving the game—they were hunting the players.