Day 71 Post-Impact - Morning
Harmony Safe Zone rose from the jungle like a fortress of hope.
Serena studied it as they approached, her probability sense already calculating defensive positions, evacuation routes, potential weaknesses. The compound was larger than she'd expected, a sprawling complex that had clearly grown organically around a central core. Walls reinforced with salvaged materials. Guard towers at strategic intervals. Gardens cultivated in every available space, testament to a determination to build rather than merely survive.
The morning sun caught the movement of people on the walls, guards changing shifts with military precision. Below them, civilians moved through the compound with purpose, each person clearly knowing their role in the greater machinery of survival. It was organized. Disciplined. Alive in a way that Johor Bahru had stopped being weeks ago.
"Impressive," she admitted.
"We started with nothing." Sarnav walked beside her, the exhaustion of the previous day's battle showing in the lines around his eyes. His wives flanked them in a loose formation, still alert despite the safety of home approaching. "A handful of survivors and a ruined building. Everything you see, we built."
"In seventy days."
"In seventy days." Pride colored his voice, earned rather than arrogant. "Every wall. Every garden. Every system that keeps people fed and safe."
The gates opened as they approached, massive reinforced doors that spoke of hard lessons learned. The first thing Serena noticed was the faces. Not the fearful, desperate expressions she'd grown accustomed to in occupied territory. These people looked tired, yes. Worried. But beneath that, something else. Hope. Trust. The belief that tomorrow might actually be better than today.
She'd almost forgotten what that looked like.
Children ran past, laughing at some game only they understood. A woman hung laundry between buildings, humming softly to herself. An old man sat in a patch of sunlight, whittling something from salvaged wood. Normal moments in an abnormal world, precious precisely because they'd become so rare.
The forty-seven civilians she'd brought spread into the compound, met by intake personnel who moved with practiced efficiency. Medical checks conducted without making people feel like cattle. Housing assignments that kept families together. Food distribution that didn't require begging or fighting.
"You've done this before," she observed.
"Too many times." Sarnav's voice carried the weight of every life he'd saved and every one he'd lost. "But we keep doing it. That's the point."
The war room buzzed with activity.
Chen Wei had gathered the key personnel: military advisors, logistics coordinators, the wives who'd fought in yesterday's battle. Jade's displays showed tactical overlays, casualty reports, and most importantly, the larger strategic picture that had been developing over the past week.
Serena stood near the back of the room, observing rather than participating. She'd been offered a seat at the table but declined. Not yet. She needed to understand how this community made decisions before she could contribute to them.
"We need to be clear about what happened yesterday," Sarnav began, addressing the room. "We won. Fifty-three Ascendancy converts dead, our people safe, forty-seven new residents welcomed into our community. But that was not the main army."
He gestured to the display, where Jade highlighted the distinction with clinical precision.
"The force we engaged was an intercept unit. Deployed specifically to stop our extraction team. They failed." He let that sink in before continuing, watching faces around the room shift from satisfaction to concern. "But The Herald's main force remains intact. Two hundred eighty-seven converts plus four B-rank commanders plus the S-rank herself. Still out there. Still moving north. Still heading for the sealed rift."
Murmurs rippled through the assembled personnel. The victory they'd celebrated last night suddenly felt hollow.
"How long until they reach striking distance?" Chen Wei asked.
"Five days. Maybe six if they encounter obstacles." Jade's voice was clinical, but Sarnav sensed her underlying tension via the network. "They're moving slower now, possibly because they lost their intercept force and are being more cautious. But they're not stopping. The Herald seems driven. Single-minded in her purpose."
"She's being called," Sarnav said quietly. "The S+ entity we sealed is reaching out to her somehow. Pulling her toward it like a moth to flame. The connection we disrupted when we sealed the rift, it wasn't completely severed. It's still there, still broadcasting to anyone sensitive enough to hear it."
"And The Herald is sensitive enough," Jiyeon concluded.
"More than that. She's drawn to it. Obsessed with it." He thought of the captured scout's words, the fervent devotion in eyes that should have been terrified. "She calls it a pilgrimage. Believes she's meant to free whatever's trapped down there."
[SYSTEM ALERT][S-RANK THREAT APPROACHING][Designation: "The Herald"][Ability: Vocal Conversion][Mechanism: Converts targets through speech/vocalization][Effective Range: Unknown, potentially long-range][Countermeasures: Avoid direct auditory communication][Threat Level: SEVERE]
"The scouts we captured described her ability," Sarnav continued. "She converts people through her voice. Not combat. Not physical contact. Words. She speaks, and people become hers."
The room fell silent as the implications sank in.
"How do you fight someone you can't listen to?" one advisor asked.
"You don't let her speak." Ishani's voice cut through the uncertainty like a blade. "You hit hard, hit fast, and kill her before she opens her mouth."
"And if we can't reach her? If she's protected by nearly three hundred converts?"
"Then we find another way." Jiyeon leaned forward, her strategic mind already working through possibilities. "Serena, you mentioned your ability involves probability. Can you affect the likelihood of her speaking?"
All eyes turned to the newcomer at the edge of the gathering.
"Possibly." Serena's voice was measured, careful. "My ability bends likelihood. I could potentially create circumstances where she's unable to vocalize. Throat injuries from debris. Equipment failures that muffle sound. Environmental factors that drown out speech." She paused. "But I'd need to be close. Close enough that she might convert me before I could act."
"Then we get you close without her knowing," Sarnav said, his mind already working through possibilities. "Illusions. Light manipulation. A coordinated strike that puts you in position before she realizes the threat."
"That would require me to trust your network completely." Serena's eyes met his. "To rely on your wives to protect me while I'm vulnerable."
"Yes. It would."
A long moment passed. Then Serena nodded slowly.
"I'm not ready to bond. But I'm ready to help. My ability is at your disposal."
It was a start.
The meeting continued for hours, strategies debated, contingencies planned. But the tension shifted when Councilman Razak spoke up during a brief lull.
He was a middle-aged man, one of the original survivors, valuable for organizational skills but clearly uncomfortable with Sarnav's family structure. He'd made comments before, small things easily dismissed as curiosity. Now that discomfort found its full voice.
"I have to ask," he said, his tone carefully neutral but his meaning clear. "This bond that connects your... wives." He stumbled over the word like it tasted bitter. "How do we know it's not some form of control? How do we know these women are acting freely and not under some kind of influence?"
The room went still. Several people shifted uncomfortably. Others seemed interested in the answer, perhaps having wondered the same thing themselves.
Ishani moved before Sarnav could respond.
She crossed the space in three deliberate steps, her presence alone enough to make Razak shrink back in his chair until it scraped against the floor.
"Say that again." Her voice was quiet, controlled, more terrifying for its calm than any shouting could have been. "I want to make sure I heard you correctly."
"I just meant—"
"You meant to imply that we're slaves. That we've been coerced or manipulated into loving our husband." She leaned closer, and Razak's face went pale. "You meant to suggest that the women who fight and bleed and kill to protect this compound don't know their own minds."
"I was only asking—"
"We chose this. We choose it every day. Every moment we stay, every time we fight. Not because we have to. Because we want to."
She straightened but didn't step back. Razak remained pressed against his chair, barely breathing.
"The next person who implies we're being controlled will learn exactly how freely I act." Her voice carried to every corner of the room. "I protect this family from threats outside these walls and from threats within them. Do you understand?"
Razak nodded frantically, unable to speak.
"Good."
She returned to her position. No one else questioned the wives' autonomy.
The meeting ended with timelines established. Five days to prepare for an enemy they couldn't fight conventionally. Serena found Sarnav on the balcony afterward.
"Your wife is terrifying," she said without preamble.
"Ishani has strong feelings about people questioning our bonds."
"That wasn't strong feelings. That was a predator warning prey that it had wandered too close to the den." Serena looked out at the compound below. "She would have hurt him if he'd pushed further."
"Yes."
"And you would have let her."
He didn't answer. They both knew the truth.
"I'm not ready to bond," Serena said after a moment. "I need time. But I'm ready to help. My ability, my knowledge, my experience. Use them. Let me prove my value before asking for my trust."
"You don't have to prove anything."
"I know." Something softened in her expression. "That's why I might eventually stay."
She left him there, heading toward the quarters she'd been assigned. Sarnav watched her go, already seeing how her abilities could fit into their network, how her mind could complement what they'd built.
But that was a problem for another day. Tonight, he had other concerns.
Day 71 - Night
Sarnav found Ishani in their quarters, standing by the window, still wound tight from the confrontation. The moonlight caught her profile, illuminating the tension in her jaw, the coiled energy in her shoulders.
"You didn't stop me," she said without turning.
"Should I have?"
"Most people would have. Would have worried about appearances, about alienating the council, about maintaining diplomatic relationships." She turned to face him, and he could see the conflict in her eyes. "You just let me be what I am."
"You're my wife. You were defending our family. Our choice."
"I was threatening a man over words. Over questions that some people probably think are reasonable."
"They're not reasonable. They're insulting." He crossed the room to stand before her. "You had every right to respond the way you did."
Something shifted in her expression. The tension didn't leave but transformed. Her eyes darkened with a different kind of intensity, one he recognized well.
"Five days," she said quietly. "Five days until we march into a battle we might not win. Against an enemy who can turn us against each other with a word. Against an army that outnumbers us six to one."
"Yes."
"I might die. You might die. Any of us might not come home."
He cupped her face in his hands, forcing her to meet his eyes. "We're going to win. We're going to come home. All of us."
"You can't promise that."
"No. But I can promise I'll fight with everything I have to make it true."
She kissed him before he could say anything else, fierce and desperate. Her hands fisted in his shirt, pulling him against her as if she could merge their bodies through sheer force of will. He returned the kiss with equal intensity, tasting her fear and her love and her terrible, beautiful need.
"I need you," she breathed against his mouth when they broke apart. "I need to feel you inside me. To know you're real, you're mine, before everything changes."
"I'm yours. Always."
She pushed him toward the bed with a strength that reminded him she wasn't just his wife. She was a warrior. A predator. And right now, all that intensity was focused entirely on him.
She stripped him efficiently, her hands sure and demanding, no patience for buttons or clasps that didn't cooperate quickly enough. His shirt tore at the seam and she didn't care, tossing it aside as her hands found his bare chest. When he reached for her armor, she batted his hands away.
"Let me."
She removed her own gear piece by piece, maintaining eye contact the entire time. The chest piece came first, revealing the tight undershirt that clung to her breasts. Then the undershirt, pulled over her head in one smooth motion, freeing her full breasts to the cool night air. Her nipples hardened instantly, dark peaks against bronze skin.
She unclasped her pants next, sliding them down toned thighs, revealing the simple underwear beneath. Those came last, peeled away to expose the trimmed dark hair between her legs, already glistening with arousal.
"Look at me," she commanded when she stood naked before him.
He did. Couldn't have looked away if he'd wanted to. His cock throbbed at the sight of her, hard and aching, and she noticed.
"This body has killed for you. Has bled for you. Will die for you if necessary." She climbed onto the bed, stalking toward him like the predator she was. Her hand wrapped around his shaft, stroking slowly, feeling him pulse in her grip. "Do you understand what you have? What we've given you?"
"Yes," he managed, voice rough.
"Show me."
She positioned herself over him, rubbing the head of his cock through her wet folds, coating him in her arousal. Then she sank down, taking him inside her in one smooth motion that made them both moan. The heat of her was incredible, tight and slick, her inner walls gripping him like she never wanted to let go.
For a moment she held still, adjusting to the stretch of him, her hands braced on his chest. He could feel her pulse around him, could feel himself throbbing inside her.
"Mine," she said, and started to move.
There was nothing gentle about it. This wasn't lovemaking but claiming. She rode him hard, each downward thrust taking him to the hilt, her ass slapping against his thighs with every impact. Her athletic body moved with the stamina and power of someone who trained daily, her toned abs flexing with each motion.
"Sayang, yes," she gasped, sweat already beginning to glisten on her bronze skin. "Harder."
He gripped her hips and thrust up to meet her, driving deeper, faster. The wet sounds of their joining filled the room, obscene and perfect. Her nails raked down his chest, leaving red welts that stung beautifully.
She loved this. The physical intensity. The exertion. The sweat that built between their bodies as they drove each other higher. Her breasts bounced with the motion, and he reached up to cup them, rolling her nipples between his fingers.
She gasped, clenching around him, and increased her pace.
"More," she demanded. "Give me more, sayang."
Via the network, he felt her emotions bleeding through: possessiveness, desperation, love so fierce it bordered on violence. The other wives felt echoes of it too. Nisha stirred in her bed, her hand drifting between her own thighs. Jade watched through the connection with analytical interest, her body responding despite herself. Minji whimpered softly, already close just from the feedback.
Mine, Ishani's thoughts burned through the link. This cock is mine. This man is mine. And I will destroy anything that tries to take him from me.
"Ishani—"
"Don't talk." She ground down on him, rotating her hips so he stirred inside her, hitting every sensitive spot. Her body was slick with sweat now, sliding against his. "Just fuck me. Just be inside me. Make me feel it."
He flipped them, pinning her beneath him, and her eyes went wide with surprise before darkening with approval. She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him deeper, her flexibility letting her hook her ankles behind his back.
"Yes, sayang," she moaned as he began to pound into her. "Like that. Harder!"
The new angle let him drive deeper, hit harder, and she cried out with each thrust. Her walls fluttered around him, squeezing, milking, desperate for his release. He could feel her approaching the edge through their connection, could feel exactly what she needed.
He shifted slightly, angling to hit the spot that made her scream, and reached between them to circle her clit with his thumb.
"Come for me," he growled.
She shattered. Her back arched off the bed, her pussy clamping down on him so tight it was almost painful. A cry tore from her throat, raw and primal, as wave after wave of pleasure crashed through her.
"Sayang! Fuck!" She gripped him tight enough to bruise as she came, her athletic body shaking beneath him.
He felt it all through the network, the intensity multiplied by their connection, and it pulled him over the edge with her. He buried himself to the hilt and came, spilling inside her in hot pulses that seemed to go on forever. She milked every drop, her inner walls still rippling with aftershocks, holding him deep as if she could keep him there permanently.
They stayed locked together, breathing hard, sweat cooling on their skin.
"Again," she whispered, her competitive nature not satisfied with just one round.
He was already hardening inside her.
The second time was rougher, more athletic. She took him from behind, bracing herself against the headboard, demanding he match her pace. Her stamina was incredible, her body trained for exactly this kind of sustained physical intensity. She came twice before he finally let himself go, filling her again until she overflowed.
The third time was slower, her on top again, grinding down on him while she watched his face. She made him edge, kept him right at the precipice until she was satisfied, then finally let him come down her throat, swallowing every drop with a satisfaction that burned through the network.
"Good boy, sayang," she murmured afterward, licking her lips.
When they finally collapsed, spent and tangled together, the sky outside was beginning to lighten.
"I won't let them hurt you," she whispered against his skin. "The Herald. Her converts. Anyone. I'll kill them all before I let them touch you."
"I know."
"I mean it." She lifted her head, her eyes fierce even in the aftermath of hours of passion. "Whatever it takes. However many I have to kill. You're coming home from this."
"We both are."
She kissed him, softer this time, and he felt the truth of her love in every point of contact. This woman would burn the world for him. Would drown herself in blood to keep him safe.
It should have terrified him.
Instead, it made him feel cherished.
Later, tangled together in the darkness, sweat cooling on their skin, she spoke again.
"Serena. She's compatible?"
"Ninety-one percent."
"Good." Ishani's fingers traced lazy patterns on his chest. "We need more strength for what's coming. And she's useful. Smart. Capable."
"Is that your blessing?"
"Would you need it?"
"No. But I'd want it."
She was quiet for a moment. "She's cold. Calculating. Doesn't trust easily." A pause. "I like her. Take your time with that one. She's worth doing right."
He pressed a kiss to her hair. "I love you."
"I know." She settled against him, her body relaxing into sleep. "Five days. Whatever happens, I love you too."
[SYSTEM UPDATE][Ascendancy Main Force: 5 days][S+ Entity Seal: 96.1%][Preemptive strike recommended][Ideal window: 48-72 hours]
Five days to prepare for a battle that would determine everything.
Sarnav held his wife in the darkness and planned for war. Around them, the network hummed with the quiet presence of the other wives, each one aware of what had passed, each one processing it in their own way.
Nisha's gentle acceptance. Jade's analytical interest. Minji's sleepy contentment. Ananya's warm approval. Jiyeon's strategic assessment. Sana's healing presence.
Seven souls, bound together, facing the storm.
He would need all of them for what was coming.
[DAY 71 COMPLETE]
[WIFE COUNT: 7/32]
[ESSENCE: 711,300 / 1,000,000]
[POPULATION: 878]
[ASCENDANCY MAIN FORCE: 5 DAYS]
[S+ SEAL: 96.1%]
[HARMONY SAFE ZONE STATUS][WESTERN EXPANSION: 95% COMPLETE][MYTHILI: DEFENSE PREPARATIONS]
[NEXT: OFFENSIVE]