Chapter 596 - Not a damsel

POV Nathaniel

We appear back on the 7th floor, at the same place where we have spent these months training, preparing, and relaxing at our “beach.”

It is now entirely destroyed. A crater scars the ground where the lake and the building used to be. The nearby cliff is marred, with a single, enormous, building sized glass projectile piercing through it. There are also bodies of lumorans and mimics scattered around.

Tess and Biscuit are nowhere to be seen, and neither of them has responded in the Community.

Lissandra stands there with Myrra by her side, surveying the damage with eyes that seem to perceive far more than any of us can.

Then anger flashes across her face—the kind that comes from wounded pride and a broken agreement. The mimics and lumorans had promised no forces would enter her territory, yet everything now lies in ruins.

She rises and flies toward the sky, sending a single pulse of mana from her. It is nearly audible and produces a physical reaction in the area. All the clouds disappear, and the sky turns bright white. Every temporary mana web over the area is torn and obliterated, and a wave expands outward with a speed and force that makes it seem as though it will encompass the entire planet.

Her head turns; she looks in one direction before disappearing that way with an audible sonic boom.

Warning! The 13th wave is now in progress.

And the Floor Quest resumes.

Even though I have seen it before, I check the number of people in the Community again, confirming that Tess is still there. But she was also there when she had a mimic inside her. So what the hell has happened?

What have you done, you silly blonde? And damn, I hope you are safe.

***

Flashback Tess Hansen

Two days. That’s how long it takes me to encounter a powerful Elder Mimic in the body of a lynthari; either a mercenary who had assisted here or someone who was taken over on another planet where a Progenitor Mimic attacked.

It is quite fast to find one, and I guess having Biscuit with me helps. I also have a strong suspicion that Lissandra left a mark on me. I know I would do something like that if I were her. Having the mimic inside me likely did not hurt it either.

Facing the body of the lynthari Champion taken over by my mimic, I say, “I want to make a deal with you.”

He looks at me in the same way while glancing toward Biscuit and then back at me. “Return to your territory, human. I won’t hurt you because of the deal we made with that woman, but do not push it.”

A smile appears on his face, slightly unnatural, as if his true identity were showing despite the mimic’s perfect memory and its ability to copy the body it took over. It all hints at the mimic inside me as if it were telling me to enjoy the time I have left.

“I think I can get you to what the lumorans stole from your territory on the 2nd front. I also think I know why the mimic inside me seems so special and can hide from the lumorans’ frameworks.”

I dangle the bait like I’ve rehearsed. The item, the one it hungers for. I don’t know what it is exactly, but I know one thing: it wants it more than it wants me. That gives me leverage.

And that gets his attention.

“I have an offer for you," I say.

I already know what I’m going to do. I’ll lead it to what it wants, not because I want to help it, but because I refuse to die with it inside me. If it’s desperate enough, it will jump to someone else. And I’ll make sure it does.

***

Days later, back in lumoran territory, I meet Technician Leth, but only after multiple checks, some even performed by a lumoran Champion. They run me through purification arrays that burn through my mana reserves, forcing me to stand still as pulse after pulse of detection magic washes over me. Inscriptions crawl over my skin, searing slightly as they scan for mimic residue. My internal mana flow is disrupted and reset again and again, leaving me dizzy and unbalanced.

By the end, I’m drained and shaking, barely keeping myself upright. I rely entirely on my connection to that silver-haired Absolute, the one who appeared from nowhere. That status is the only reason they let me through.

“It’s nice to see you, Tess, but where are the others? Everyone is nervous because that human woman disappeared as well. It just shouldn’t be possible after her oath,” Leth tells me.

He is not alone in the room; there is Jareth, Champion Owain’s disciple, and even Champion Safie - one of the stronger lumoran Champions. It could be said that they are interrogating me.

I pet Biscuit so he does not do something hotheaded. There are still those tiny antlers on his head, but he is quiet.

"She killed Nathaniel and the others, then chose to cooperate with the mimics," I say.

It is something I have practiced for days. I repeated the lie so often, with such practiced grief, that it became part of my truth. Even the mimic inside me began to echo those feelings back at me like it wasn’t sure anymore what was real.

My subclass, my skill made it happen.

I’ve already cried over the deaths of my friends more times than I can count. There was an hour when I just sat there, sobbing, remembering those perfect days we spent together. They were the kind of friends I had always dreamed of, people who accepted me despite all my flaws. Each of them had their own imperfections, but somehow that only made them more beautiful to me. Every flaw made them shine even brighter.

And now they are dead because Lissandra saw them as dead weight, nothing left to gain from keeping them alive. Cooperating with the mimic Absolute gives her a new chance, a way to improve her odds of escaping the tutorial.

I know these things happened as surely as I know my name.

When I speak to the lumorans, I put my whole self into the words. I say it with unwavering confidence and intent.

And they believe me.

Hidden from them, something inside me shudders in a way that almost feels like a laugh.

***

POV Nathaniel

Hours have passed and Lissandra still hasn’t returned.

Warning! The 14th wave is now in progress.

Warning! The 15th wave is now in progress.

Within that short time, two more waves appear and mimics begin showing up in the area, mainly greater mimics, some in lumoran bodies. They attack us without hesitation and we fight them in the same way while glancing at the sky in search of Lissandra, who still isn’t there.

During one of the fights, I wonder what Tess did and silently scold myself for not thinking of it sooner. I know her better than this; I should have realized she wouldn’t simply sit and wait for us to return.

Tess is extremely stubborn when she wants to be.

***

Flashback Tess Hansen

It takes several more days. The lumorans panic, and I am moved multiple times, each time with my mind and body checked for signs of a mimic. Yet they find none. The mimic inside me is that special; it is a spawn of a Progenitor Mimic hidden deep in the frozen area of the second front, protected by multiple elder mimics.

I have thought about it a lot, and the feelings I get from it confirm that. It explains why it couldn’t be found despite all the effort the lumorans showed.

I’m still not sure about the item with chaotic mana that the Ardenyx pilot found and took, but it seems to be important to it. I can feel how much it wants the item as if it were the most important thing in the world to it.

It wants it so desperately.

Maybe it is something that allows it to grow stronger, a sort of sustenance that enables it to reach its full potential. Or maybe it is simply something that should not fall into lumoran hands for some reason.

Since I realized that the mimic is inside me, it has begun to show its presence more, and I wonder if it was being raised to be implanted into the lumoran Absolute, only for Champion Feroy and his group to ruin it all at the cost of their lives.

I also know the war has started again. With Lissandra joining the mimics and disappearing without a trace, they have no other choice. Especially if she’s strong enough to fake her oath, deceive the lumoran Absolute, and leave the area where she claimed she would stay.

But part of me also wonders what’s left to live for when all my friends are gone. After that question, only one answer remains.

Revenge at all costs. But first, I need to get rid of the mimic.

While talking to me, Leth gestures broadly and says, “Sorry, I can't tell you what that item was for, or what Champion Feroy left in me. I barely know anything myself, and it's considered highly classified information.”

As always when he speaks to me, Champion Owain’s disciple is here, keeping an eye on me with that sword resting on his back. That sword seems almost alive.

I force a weak smile, looking tired but thankful, and say, “It’s okay. I was just curious. I’m thankful you guys didn’t kill me.”

“We wouldn’t do that!” Leth exclaims immediately and falls silent when he realizes he shouted. “It’s not your fault. That woman is too strong.”

After a silence meant to create the proper impact, I say, “Leth, I think you should destroy whatever you brought from the second front. They might be after it.”

Something inside me swirls in panic, and a sharp spike runs through my head.

Through the haze, I hear something and turn to the side. Biscuit is sitting there, staring at me with glowing purple eyes. His low growl rumbles through the air, heavy enough to make the ground feel unsteady.

Only then does the pressure in my head begin to fade.

***

The deal I made with the mimics is simple. The mimic inside me can stay hidden only as long as it hasn't taken control, it’s special enough to be able to do it. So I will behave in a way that either helps it obtain the item it wants or gives it a chance to go after Champion Owain or the lumoran Absolute. If it finds a host as powerful as they are, it will leave my body without killing me.

I think the fact that I knew about it surprised them since the mimic is undetectable even by the lumoran frameworks. Maybe they planned for it to jump from me to a high-ranking lumoran if the opportunity came. Maybe they were crazy enough to hope it could take over Lissandra through some sheer, incredible luck. Or maybe it was just supposed to stay inside me, gather information on the lumorans, or try to get to the item they stole from the Second Front.

Now, with lumorans, I don’t know how many days I have sat in the room they locked me in. It is so blindingly bright white that it hurts my eyes and mind. The mana constantly touches my body, making it impossible to use my skills.

Something even blocks my primordial energies.

They have separated Biscuit from me and keep asking me questions. Multiple people, different each time, all powerful enough to kill me with a single swing of their arm, keep probing my mind.

But my story doesn’t change. They see what I have seen: an image of Lissandra killing my friends while leaving me alive as a messenger. They also sense my emotions—the sadness I felt when they died and the rage I feel towards that woman.

Their frameworks scanned me, psychic traces were analyzed, mana flow patterns checked. And all of it aligned with the grief of a girl who lost everything. Even the Champions who doubted me hesitated when they saw no flicker of a lie.

Then, I am moved for the last time.

***

A few hours later, I receive an immediate execution order while being held inside a hidden base that serves as a headquarters. The order comes directly from Champion Owain, who is stationed here to guard the item taken from the mimics.

And that item is close. I can feel it; the presence inside me grows more and more desperate as Biscuit and I sit alone in the small room, waiting for the end. It has already sent a special signal detected only by the mimics, but it will take a while longer for them to get here. The only things keeping it from overtaking my mind are its fear of being discovered, the oath I made, and its hope that I will do everything I can to stay alive.

Biscuit remains quiet even with those cute antlers on and continues to keep an eye on me. His eyes grow darker by the second, and with that, their friendliness slowly disappears.

Leth comes to visit as well, slipping in alone despite the rules, just a few minutes before my executioner is supposed to arrive. I can see how much it weighs on him. For a moment, he says nothing.

I think I’ve played my part well, no matter how disgusting it felt. I took the fondness he had for Nathaniel and the others and used it. I built the image of a broken, unfortunate girl in his mind.

I tapped into the grief he carries from losing Champion Feroy, the one he followed and the friends he fought beside. In his eyes, I’ve suffered the same loss.

But now his mana signature is thin, frayed. I make note of how tired he looks, how little resistance he might have. A weak link, maybe. Just maybe.

He says, “I’m sorry, Tess, I know it’s cruel for them to kill you, but the order came from the Absolute himself. It is to avoid risk and simply remove you, they are worried what that woman could have done with you. I’m truly sorry.”

“It’s fine, Leth, it’s not your fault,” I say with a weak smile, feigning bravery to mask my sadness.

Slowly, I get to my feet and reach out my hand toward Leth to shake it, saying, “Thank you for everything.”

He hesitates, “They told me not to…”

I pull my hand back with a saddened expression, “Oh, I get it, I’m sorry.” I quickly apologize and take a step only to let myself fall because of the chains on my feet and hands.

Leth almost instinctively moves in and grabs my hand to help me stand. “Are you…” his words cut off.

"I’m sorry. Truly," I whisper.

The mimic inside me moves from my body into his and takes over the moment it does so. It destroys the lumoran technician’s mind in a blink and with it, the oath I made to the mimics disappears as I fulfill my requirements.

The baby progenitor mimic looks at me with the look Leth used to have, yet so different, as it begins settling inside him and trying to hide its presence, which should be much harder, if not impossible, now that it has taken over Leth’s mind. It can likely still jump into another lumoran, for it is much more special than other mimics, but I don’t think it can hide anymore the way it hid inside me, not against serious attempts.

“Useless human,” Leth says. “You couldn't even get me close to the Champion. But as per our deal, no mimic will touch you. The others will be here soon, but I wonder if they’ll arrive quickly enough to save you from the lumoran executioner.”

He doesn’t even smile, but I can see that strange cruelty in Leth's eyes. Then he turns to leave, before the executioner arrives and before its presence triggers any of the defensive arrays.

“A moment,” I call out.

He stops and turns when I say, “Biscuit, not a friend.”

Then I close my eyes.

That pressure returns, along with that eerie sensation. I hear a scream I never imagined Leth or any mimic could make, followed by a few loud crunches, and then silence.

When I open my eyes, Biscuit is sitting there, looking at me.

He burps and says in my mind, (Friend.)

When the lumorans rush in, I pretend to panic and shout about a mimic that had been hidden inside Leth. I warn them about the incoming mimic attack he told me about and urge them to check the detection arrays.

***

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