Chapter 50: New Character unlocked

Vandal sat calmly in a well-lit stone room high on the mountain that overlooked the outskirts of the headquarters. Soft afternoon light poured through the open window, painting long golden stripes across the floor and climbing slowly up the far wall. The air smelled faintly of old stone and steeped tea leaves. Outside, the distant ridges stretched toward the horizon, quiet and indifferent of what was happening within these walls.

Suddenly an orange light surged through the chamber. A tall mirror formed in the center of the room, its surface rippling like disturbed water. A figure stepped out of it with casual grace.

She was tall and lean, her blue hair falling past her shoulders with a single bright red stripe cutting through it. White pearls rested against her beautiful collarbone. A small silver ring pierced her nose, another sat on her tongue, and more glittered along her ears and navel. She wore a cropped top that left her midriff bare and ordinary blue jeans that hung low on her hips. She chewed her gum slowly, one hand resting on her waist, eyes half-lidded and unimpressed.

"You summoned me all the way from the north," she said. "I do hope everything is well, Master Vandal."

Vandal turned from the window to face her. He did so without rush or fright. Then he poured tea into a second cup with unhurried movements, the soft clink of porcelain the only sound for a moment.

"Yes, Melena. I summoned you for extremely important tasks and news."

"Then make it snappy. We still have work in the north."

"How is the north progressing?" he asked, sliding the cup toward her and forgetting about what she said about being snappy.

Melena stared at him for a moment, her eyes clearly impatient, but she still took the cup and did not drink yet. "The north is stubborn," she answered. "There’s hardly any difference between their Calamities and Good Deeders. All of them are barbarians who hate whatever they don’t understand."

Vandal smiled faintly. "Just like their warden. The north is as hard as Layla Elsendein."

Melena did not reply to this. Instead she waited patiently for him to continue. Then, as if he read her mind, he finally said,

"I have sent Morgan Liues, Beare Boshaft, and Luke Garbo to the capital."

Melena, upon hearing this news, sprayed the tea that was in her mouth across the table in a perfect comic arc. She stared at him as if he had lost his mind.

"Surely this is a joke."

"But it is not." Vandal sipped his own tea without flinching.

"Why would you send our most treasured possession—"

"They are not possessions," Vandal cut in, his voice suddenly cold. Melena caught the shift at once and corrected herself.

"Our... ahem... strongest weapons. Why throw them into the capital on a whim?"

"It was a mission."

"What mission could those kids possibly complete?"

"Morgan Liues carries the greatest potential among them. But potential means nothing if it is never tested. Left unused, even someone like Morgan will never become the change we need."

Melena studied her superior. Anyone else would have earned a slap for such an absurd decision. But this was Vandal. His vision for the future of every Calamity had always moved even the hardest hearts, including hers.

He continued, voice steady. "Luke still cannot fully use his Fifth Wave because of the trauma he carries. Morgan is about to face his own version of that same wall. He will never truly understand what is happening to him until he stands face to face with the reality of Good Deeders and Calamities."

Melena’s brow furrowed. "So you believe Luke will finally finish his long line of vengeance... and Morgan will somehow take down the Good Deeder with the most broken ability?"

She meant Angel. Though weak in raw strength, and his Waves lacking, his ability to completely shut down other powers kept him near the top of every list of dangerous Good Deeders.

"Maybe not today," Vandal answered. "Failure will only sharpen their resolve. In time they will become the greatest Catastrophes of their era."

Melena set her cup down. "Then why summon me?"

Vandal turned back to the window and drank. "Right now, as we speak, they stand at the edge of death."

"What?!"

"I need you to teleport them back here. The wristwatch on your arm will show their exact location."

Melena’s expression shifted from disbelief to sharp focus. She reached for the large circular mirror at her back that served as her Geno Core, pulled it free, and tossed it toward the open window. The mirror hung in mid-air, spinning slowly while rainbow light swirled inside its surface.

"Fine," she said. "But I hope this Morgan Liues is at least somewhat cute. I’m already used to Luke’s permanent scowl. Let’s hope the new one isn’t completely dull."

She gave Vandal a small, crooked smile, then leapt into the spinning mirror. It twisted once, flashed with bright color, and vanished in a soft puff of light.

— ℯ

Meanwhile, far away, in a blood-soaked room, Garbo stepped toward the door. Luke lay dying in a spreading pool of his own blood. Garbo wanted to leave when he felt a new presence—stronger, sharper, and definitely different from Luke’s fading power. He didn’t panic. He turned, inhaled once, spun, and released his silver shield in a fluid motion.

Melena appeared beside the dying Luke at the exact same instant. The spinning shield streaked toward her face. She lifted her mirror and flicked it forward. Garbo expected the shield to shatter the glass. Instead the silver disk sank into the mirror’s surface and disappeared completely.

In that same heartbeat Garbo felt the connection to his Geno Core snap. Pain instantly lanced through his chest. He vomited blood onto the floor.

BLERGH!!

Melena didn’t even look at him. Instead she rested two fingers lightly on Luke’s shoulder. Her voice was cold and clear as ice.

"You are lucky Luke wanted to kill you himself. Otherwise I would end you here and now."

Garbo stared up at her, already pale and shaking. "Who are you?"

"I am the highest order of power within the Calamity Core. I am a Catastrophe."

A second mirror instantly bloomed beneath their feet. Melena, Luke, and the space around them sank into it and vanished.

Garbo remained on his knees long after they were gone, sweat still sliding down his temples. The impression she left was absolutely horrifying.

—

In the next breath Melena appeared and stood above a dense stretch of forest. The sight below froze her for half a second.

Unclean swarmed everywhere. Black blood soaked the wet soil. Bodies and broken trees littered the ground. In the center of the chaos the Holy Wendigo stood with its mouth wide open, purple energy boiling inside its throat, aimed straight at a small group of fighters who were running away.

Morgan, Beare, Zhou, and Venezuela stood directly in the blast’s path.

"Oh no," Melena muttered.

She yanked her mirror free, spun once, and hurled it toward the gathering energy. The golden surface whirled through the air and met the Wendigo’s purple energy blast head-on.

When it clashed, a deafening impact cracked across the forest.

PIUUUU—!

Under normal conditions Melena’s mirror would have swallowed or redirected any attack. But this was the Holy Wendigo. Even Bailon would think twice before provoking it. Upon the clash, visible webs of cracks spread across the golden surface almost at once. The mirror could clearly not hold for long.

Morgan turned and saw the newcomer—blue hair with a red stripe, calm eyes, and an aura that was strong, undeniably strong. Before he could even form a question, Melena landed among them with a sharp burst of repulsive force.

BOOM!

"We leave. Now."

She seized Morgan’s arm without waiting for agreement.

"I don’t even know who you—" Morgan started.

But Melena’s stare silenced him. Beare already recognized her and moved closer without hesitation, pulling Zhou along. Zhou still carried Jade tightly against his back. Venezuela hesitated, clearly unwilling to follow Calamities, yet the thought of leaving Jade behind never settled with her.

"Come on!" Melena shouted.

Venezuela thought for a moment before clenching her teeth and starting toward them. But then—

CRACK!

A deep fracture split the golden mirror. Melena felt the Geno Core failing. She had no more time. She activated the teleport.

Light swallowed Morgan, Beare, Zhou, and the unconscious Jade. Venezuela reached out a moment too late.

"Jade!!"

Her cry faded into empty air. The mirror shattered into glittering fragments that dissolved before they hit the ground. Venezuela stood alone among the swarms of the Unclean and the towering Wendigo, staring at the place where the others had vanished.

"Shit!!"