Day 78-79 Post-Impact
The convoy assembled at dawn.
Three armored vehicles from the Council, supplemented by two of Harmony's converted trucks. Twenty civilians from the Seremban settlement, mostly elderly and children. Medical supplies that would keep Harmony's clinic running for another month. A six-hour journey through territory where Ascendancy sympathizers had been reported.
Sarnav surveyed the combined force from the lead vehicle. Harmony soldiers in their mismatched but effective gear, government troops in proper military uniforms. Two very different groups, now expected to work as one.
"Communications check," Jade's voice came through his earpiece. She was back at Harmony, monitoring from the command center. "All units report."
The wives checked in first. Ishani with the forward scouts. Nisha providing nature magic support. Jiyeon coordinating the civilians. Then the government units, more formal, more skeptical.
Captain Zara Hassan climbed into Sarnav's vehicle without asking permission. Her expression was professional, but he caught the curiosity beneath it.
"Your people don't use standard military protocols," she observed as the convoy began moving.
"Standard protocols are predictable. Predictable gets people killed."
"So does chaos."
"It's not chaos. It's flexibility." He gestured at the tactical display Jade was feeding to his tablet. "Watch."
The convoy moved through the first checkpoint without incident. Abandoned suburbs gave way to overgrown highways, nature already reclaiming what humanity had abandoned. Zara watched the Harmony soldiers, noting how they communicated without obvious signals, how they shifted positions in response to threats she couldn't see.
"How do they know?" she finally asked. "Your forward scout just moved to cover a blind spot that I didn't notice until he was already there."
"Training."
"That's not training. That's precognition."
Sarnav smiled but didn't answer. Some secrets stayed internal.
The ambush came at the three-hour mark.
They were passing through a section of highway bordered by dense jungle on both sides. Perfect terrain for an attack. Sarnav had identified it on the map during the briefing and prepared accordingly, positioning Ishani's scouts in elevated overwatch and having Nisha ready to deploy nature barriers at a moment's notice. But the Ascendancy remnants had chosen their ground well.
The first explosion took out the rear government vehicle.
The blast sent a fireball climbing into the sky, the shockwave rattling windows throughout the convoy. Screams from the civilians. Shouted commands from the soldiers. The sharp crack of gunfire erupting from multiple positions in the treeline.
"Contact!" Multiple voices shouted across the communications channel. "Hostiles in the treeline! Forty, maybe fifty! B and C-rank signatures!"
Sarnav was already moving, his mind shifting into the cold clarity of combat. "Ishani, light screen on the civilian vehicles. Nisha, growth barriers on the south flank. Serena, probability assessment on their command structure. All units, defensive formation Delta."
"On it," Ishani's voice came back instantly. Golden light erupted around the civilian vehicles, a shimmering barrier that deflected the first wave of incoming fire.
"Barriers up," Nisha confirmed. Walls of thorny vines exploded from the earth along the convoy's southern flank, cutting off a flanking maneuver before it could develop.
"Their commander is in the northeast cluster," Serena reported, her voice calm despite the chaos. "Seventy-three percent probability. Take him out, and their coordination collapses."
The Harmony soldiers responded to Sarnav's orders instantly, flowing into positions like water finding channels. The network hummed with shared awareness, each soldier knowing exactly where the others were, what they needed, how to support them. The government troops were slower, still processing the sudden violence, but Zara's sharp commands got them moving.
"First squad, covering fire on the eastern treeline! Second squad, protect the convoy! Third squad, with me!" Her voice cut through the chaos with military precision. "Move, move, move!"
Sarnav vaulted from his vehicle, power surging through his body. A-rank energy crackled around his fists, visible even in the harsh daylight. The attackers were B and C-rank awakened, organized but outclassed. They just didn't know it yet.
He hit their line like a thunderbolt.
The first attacker died before he could raise his weapon, Sarnav blurring past his guard with A-rank speed and delivering a Soul Crush that stopped his heart instantly. The second managed a panicked burst of fire that Sarnav flowed around like smoke, the bullets passing through where he'd been a fraction of a second earlier. The third tried to run and made it three steps before a precise strike to the back of his neck dropped him.
Through the network, he felt his wives engaging across the battlefield. Ishani's light blades carved through a flanking group, golden energy leaving afterimages in the air. Nisha's vines erupted from the ground, entangling attackers and dragging them down into the earth. Even Jiyeon contributed from behind the defensive line, her charm ability sowing confusion in the enemy ranks, making allies seem like enemies and enemies hesitate at crucial moments.
And then Zara was beside him, weapons appearing in her hands from nowhere.
Twin pistols first, precise shots that dropped two attackers trying to circle around behind them. Her aim was flawless, military training evident in every movement. Then a rifle, materialized and firing in the same motion, picking off a sniper in a tree that Sarnav hadn't even spotted. Then something heavier, a grenade launcher that she used to collapse a section of jungle where reinforcements were hiding.
Her Weapon Summoning ability was remarkable. Each weapon appeared fully loaded, perfectly suited to the moment, and dissolved when no longer needed. She cycled through her arsenal like a one-woman army, adapting to each new threat with practiced efficiency.
"On your left!" she shouted.
Sarnav spun, raising a Harmony Shield that caught the blade of corrupted energy. The attacker was stronger than the others, probably B-rank, eyes wild with Ascendancy fervor. He pressed forward, screaming something about the Herald's vengeance, about how they would all burn when the Sealed One rose.
Sarnav broke his arm with a precisely applied lock, took his weapon, and put him down with a single efficient strike to the temple. Non-lethal. Barely. They might need him for interrogation later.
"Behind us!" Zara again, already moving. She summoned a shotgun, cleared a path through three attackers who had tried to approach from the rear, then switched to a sword when one got too close for firearms. Her fighting style was brutal and efficient, military precision combined with awakened power. She moved like someone who had spent years training for exactly this kind of chaos.
Together, they carved through the ambush.
It was over in four minutes. Eighteen attackers dead, twelve captured, the rest fleeing into the jungle. The convoy had lost one vehicle but zero civilians. Two government soldiers wounded, neither critically, none of Harmony's people hurt beyond superficial injuries.
Sarnav stood in the aftermath, barely breathing hard, surveying the carnage. Smoke rose from the destroyed vehicle. Moans came from the captured attackers. The civilians were huddled in the protected vehicles, terrified but alive. The mission would continue.
Zara appeared beside him, her summoned weapons dissolving into motes of light as the adrenaline faded. There was blood on her uniform, none of it hers. Her hijab had come slightly askew during the fighting, and she adjusted it with automatic precision.
"Your people," she said quietly, watching as Harmony soldiers efficiently secured the prisoners. "They moved before you gave orders. They knew where to be, what to do, what each other needed. That's not training."
"No. It's not."
"And you. The way you fought." She hesitated, something vulnerable flickering behind her professional mask. "You put yourself between the civilians and the enemy. That wasn't tactical positioning. That was instinct. You genuinely wanted to protect them."
"Isn't that the point?"
"For most leaders? No. The point is victory. Acceptable losses. Strategic objectives." She met his eyes. "You're different."
He held her gaze for a long moment. "Will you tell the Council that?"
"I'll tell them we won. How we won is..." She paused. "...need-to-know."
Something shifted between them. Trust, perhaps. Or the beginning of it. She'd fought beside him, seen what he was capable of, and instead of fear, she felt something else. Sarnav could see it in her expression, the way her eyes lingered on him just a moment too long.
"Your ability," he said, changing the subject. "Weapon Summoning. How many weapons can you call?"
"Every weapon I've ever used." A hint of pride entered her voice. "I was special forces for fifteen years. I've used a lot of weapons."
"Impressive."
"I know." She almost smiled. "We should move. The civilians are scared, and the remaining hostiles might regroup."
He nodded, turning to organize the convoy. But he felt her eyes on his back as he walked away.
The convoy reached Harmony as the sun was setting.
Cheering crowds greeted the civilians, medical staff rushing to process the supplies. It was a small victory in the grand scheme of things, but victories mattered. They proved that cooperation was possible, that the government and Harmony could work together.
Zara filed her report immediately, professional and thorough. But Sarnav noticed she lingered longer than necessary, watching him move through the crowds, greeting the civilians they'd saved, checking on his wounded people.
"She's falling for you," Jiyeon murmured, appearing at his side with the silent grace that still surprised him. "The captain. I can see it in how she watches you."
"You and Nisha both noticed."
"We notice everything about you, jagiya." Her hand found his, fingers intertwining. "You were magnificent today. Watching you fight... it does things to me."
"Good things?"
"Very good things." Her voice dropped, intimate despite the crowds around them. "I've been patient all day. Watching you lead, watching you protect people, watching you be the man I married. I think I deserve a reward for my patience."
"Do you?"
"I know I do." She pulled him toward the residential building, her grip insistent. "The celebrations can wait. I can't."
Jiyeon's quarters were elegant, a reflection of the woman herself. Expensive fabrics she'd salvaged from abandoned boutiques. Subtle lighting that made everything look like a luxury hotel. She'd transformed her space into something that belonged in a different world.
She locked the door behind them, then turned with a predatory smile.
"Sit," she commanded, pointing to the bed.
Sarnav sat. With Jiyeon, the dance was different. She needed to feel in control, at least at first. It was part of what made her who she was.
She approached slowly, hips swaying, fingers working the buttons of her blouse. Beneath it, expensive lingerie in deep red, lace that probably cost more than most people's monthly salary before the world ended.
"I watched you today," she said, straddling his lap. "Watched you fight. Watched you lead. Do you know what that does to a woman, jagiya? Seeing her husband be so... powerful?"
"Tell me."
"It makes her want things." She ground against him, feeling his response. "Makes her need things."
Her lips found his, and the kiss was all hunger and heat. She tasted like the wine she'd been sipping during the welcome celebration, rich and intoxicating. Her hands worked his shirt open, nails dragging across his chest.
"I need you," she breathed against his mouth. "But first..."
She slid off his lap, sinking to her knees, but her eyes never left his. "First, you worship me. That's how this works, jagiya. You know that."
He did know. Jiyeon needed to be worshipped before she could surrender. It was written into her soul, this need to be adored.
He lifted her, ignoring her surprised gasp, and deposited her on the bed. Before she could protest, his mouth was on her, pushing aside expensive lace to find the heat beneath.
"Oh—" Her back arched, hands fisting in the sheets. "Jagiya, yes, just like that—"
He worked her with lips and tongue, learning her responses, finding the spots that made her cry out. She was vocal when she forgot to perform, genuine sounds of pleasure escaping despite her carefully cultivated image.
"More," she demanded, then softer: "Please, more..."
He gave her more. His fingers joined his tongue, curling inside her while he focused on the sensitive bundle of nerves that made her shake. Her thighs clamped around his head, holding him there, using him for her pleasure.
"I'm going to—jagiya, I'm—"
She came with a cry, her whole body tensing, and he worked her through it until she was pushing him away, oversensitive and gasping.
"God," she managed. "You're too good at that."
"Practice."
"Don't remind me." But she was smiling, flushed and satisfied. For a moment. Then her eyes darkened with renewed hunger. "Now. I need you inside me."
She pulled him up, positioning him between her thighs, wrapping her legs around him. But before he could thrust forward, she stopped him with a hand on his chest.
"Wait."
"What?"
Her cheeks flushed, a hint of vulnerability beneath the confidence. "I want... can you..." She bit her lip. "Call me noona. Please."
The word hung between them. Such a small thing, a simple honorific. But for Jiyeon, it meant everything. The acknowledgment that she was older, even by a year. The taboo thrill of a younger man taking her. The surrender hidden inside the request.
"Noona," he said softly, and watched her shiver. "Noona, I need you."
"Yes." Her voice was breathy now, the composed idol facade cracking. "Say it again."
"Noona." He pressed forward, entering her slowly. "Noona feels so good."
She moaned, loud enough that anyone passing might hear. The exhibitionist in her didn't care. Maybe wanted them to hear.
"Again," she gasped as he began to move. "Keep saying it. Don't stop."
"Noona." Each thrust punctuated by the word. "My beautiful noona. Taking me so well."
"Jagiya—" She was losing coherence, the careful control unraveling. "Harder. Noona wants it harder."
He obliged, driving into her with force that made the bed shake. Her nails raked down his back, leaving marks to match Jade's from two nights ago. The network hummed with echoes of her pleasure, other wives feeling shadows of what she felt.
"Noona's going to cum," she moaned. "Jagiya, noona's going to—don't stop—"
He didn't stop. Couldn't have even if he wanted to. She was too tight, too wet, too perfect around him. Her words dissolved into Korean, fragments he caught between thrusts: "Joha... deo... ahn dwae..."
"Cum for me, noona." He was close himself, pleasure building at the base of his spine. "Let me feel you."
She shattered, screaming his name mixed with "noona" and "jagiya" and sounds that weren't words at all. Her walls clenched around him, rhythmic pulses that dragged him over the edge with her. He buried himself deep, spilling inside her, and for a moment, there was nothing but the two of them and the pleasure crashing through the network.
Afterward, she lay sprawled across him, boneless and satisfied.
"You're going to give me a complex," she murmured against his chest.
"About what?"
"That word. Noona." She pressed a kiss to his skin. "I used to hate being older than my partners. Made me feel like I was aging out of the industry. But with you..."
"With me?"
"With you, it makes me feel powerful. Like I've caught something rare and beautiful and slightly forbidden." She looked up at him, eyes soft in a way she rarely showed anyone. "Saranghae, jagiya. I love you."
"I love you too, noona."
She shivered again, smiling. "You're going to be the death of me."
"But what a way to go."
She laughed, the sound genuine and warm, and pulled him closer for another kiss.
Outside, the sounds of celebration continued. The convoy was safe. The alliance held. And tomorrow would bring new challenges.
But tonight, they had this.
[DAY 79]
[WIFE COUNT: 7/32]
[ESSENCE: 759,100 / 1,000,000]
[HP: 12,847]
[HARMONY SAFE ZONE STATUS][POPULATION: 980][MYTHILI: SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT]
[JOINT OPERATION: SUCCESS]
[GOVERNMENT ALLIANCE: STRENGTHENING]
[ZARA: WALLS CRACKING]
[NEXT: SERENA BONDING ARC]