He risked a glance out the viewport as they began to ascend, the streetlights of the city receding below them.
He could just make out the dark, twisted silhouette of what used to be Ryan on the pavement, growing smaller and smaller.
He took his mind off that and focused on Mireille as she navigated the cruiser. He was curious to learn where they were taking him.
Before he could dwell on it, a sudden burst of white light flared across the cabin walls. Ezra squinted, shielding his eyes just as a massive holographic image blinked into view, so large it seemed to swallow the entire space.
A woman's face appeared, stern and striking, with sharp cheekbones and eyes like cold steel. Even as a projection, she gave off the kind of pressure that made people straighten up without realizing it.
Her ornate armor shone with shifting patterns, glowing marks that moved like living runes. They weren't military ranks; they were symbols of power, earned through fear, not formality. And in her case, she wasn't just powerful, she was one of the most powerful War-ladys alive.
High commander Lysara was what they called her.
The armor hugged her body in a way that was both commanding and dangerously distracting.
The War-ladys had a way of dressing. It wasn't just about protection, it was about presence. Looking good was part of the message. And in her case, 'good' didn't even cut it. She was gorgeous.
And she absolutely knew it.
Her voice sliced through the low hum of the cruiser. "Lady Arya. Lady Mireille. Report."
Mireille straightened instinctively, posture snapping to attention as her fingers hovered above the controls.
"High Commander Lysara," she acknowledged, her voice cool and precise. "The threat was neutralized before we arrived."
The commander's gaze sharpened, her tone taking on a dangerous edge.
"By whom? A civilian? I hope you have them in your custody."
Her reaction was understandable. It was illegal for regular civilians to use their enhanced strength against men in this world, regardless of the situation.
The biological gap between the sexes was so vast that even retaliation, even self-defense, was strictly regulated.
Even attacking a Fade was forbidden, because beneath the grotesque mutations, they were still considered male.
The law was a little flawed, but its message was clear: violence against men, no matter the reason, would not be tolerated.
"It was a civilian, yes, a male civilian." Arya revealed. "And we have him in our custody."
"You are kidding." Lysara answered.
"I kid you not, high commander Lysara." She then shifted towards Ezra so that he was visible,"Before we got there, he had already defeated the fade, and as if that wasn't strange enough, he doesn't seem like he is affected by the contact." Arya said.
Lysara stared at Ezra through the holographic feed. For a moment, she said nothing. She looked back at Arya, watching her closely—waiting for a smirk, a laugh, any sign this was a joke.
But Arya's face stayed deadly serious.
Lysara finally looked back at Ezra, studying him. Then she spoke.
"Bring him to the Citadel. This better not be a joke." Then, the feed was cut out.
Ezra let out a breath. "So... what now?"
"We'll take you to the citadel as planned. You'll meet with the council. We don't know what they'll do with you, since you're possibly the only male immune to the fade…" Arya responded.
"Do you think they might make me a lab rat?" He asked jokingly.
Arya let out a simple laugh. "No, they would never do that?" But then, her expression shifted into seriousness, "Oh, maybe…. I don't know. This is not a small issue, so anything can happen. But I'm sure you will be safe. In any case, I recommend you call your family or guardian." She advised and then she walked out.
Shit. Ezra's heart pounded. Arya hadn't even ruled it out. That meant the lab rat theory wasn't just paranoia—it was on the table. Why wouldn't they experiment on him? He was the only known male immune to the Fade. That made him rare.
And rare things got dissected here.
Arya's words echoed in Ezra's head. 'Anything can happen.' she said.
The idea of being a lab rat; poked, prodded, maybe worse, sent a cold spike through him.
A new kind of exhaustion settled over him, mental more than physical. The fight, the goddesses, the new power... it was all too much.
He leaned his head back, closing his eyes, letting the hum of the cruiser lull him.
He felt the residual buzz of the Eros Engine, a promise of new strength mingling with the lingering grief.
Wherever this Citadel was, he hoped it had strong coffee.
Alone in the cabin with Mireille now, Ezra tried to push down the rising tide of panic. Lab rat. The words echoed in his mind, sharp and cold. He was unique, an anomaly, and in this world, that likely meant dissection, not celebration.
He'd survived a Fade, received a cosmic power-up, and now he was potentially trading one kind of monster for another: scientists.
"Geez, now they want to dissect me because I didn't turn?" he thought out loud. Staring outside through the transparent viewport.
Mireille, still at the control panel, heard him and glanced over her shoulder. "Stop squirming," she said, her voice sharp but not cruel. "You're not helping your case looking like you're about to jump out of the cruiser. And just in case you're thinking of doing that, I'll advise you that, you would fall to you death."
Ezra forced a grin, though in this moment of uncertainty about what was in store for him at the citadel, it was shaky, "Me? Jump out? No! I'm just… admiring the view."
He gestured at the viewport, then leaned forward, dropping the act. "Serious talk though. This Citadel place, am I walking in as a guest or a guinea pig? Because I don't want to be strapped into a table and poked by needles. "
Arya, lingering near the weapon racks, turned to face him, her red blade hilt clipped to her belt.
"The Council's not that bad. They'll want to know why you didn't turn." She said.
Ezra let out a sigh loudly.
Arya added."My guess is they'll do some blood tests, maybe scans. But…" She hesitated, not sure if she even knew what would happen to this male, her eyes flicked to Mireille, then back to Ezra. "You're the first man to survive a Fade scratch. That's big. They might… keep you longer than you'd like."
"Oh maybe they'll think you're a threat and neutralise you, anything can happen." Mireille said, her voice flat, almost too calm. "It's about control, civilian. You represent a potential danger to the system."
Ezra's shaky grin vanished. He saw no hint of humor in Mireille's eyes. Her words weren't a threat, not exactly, but a cold, hard statement of fact. He wasn't just a curiosity; he was a potential breach in their carefully maintained order.