SEX WAR
Volume 1: The Race Within
Chapter 0: Before the Line
Before the world cracked open, it whispered.
And no one listened.
"No one will believe this, Mira. You're being dramatic."
That's what they told her. Every time.
When she spoke at universities, on panels, in underground forums.
When she said the dependency was a noose.
When she said co-existence had become a negotiation of survival.
When she said: "They will not stop until we do."
They laughed.
Until the marches.
Until the red line.
Until it was too late.
---
The poster in her hands trembled—not from the wind, but from Mira Yelwen's grip. She stood in front of the Ministry Tower in Arken City's South District, the last of her flyers clutched tightly. Her fingernails dug into the thick paper as she pressed it against the public notice board.
It read:
> WE ARE NOT PARTS.
WE ARE WHOLE.
WE ARE DONE.
— SheUnity Movement
A woman passing by muttered under her breath.
A man in a suit scoffed and spit at her feet.
A teenager took a photo, giggling, and posted it with the caption: "Lunatic of the day."
Mira didn't move.
Didn't flinch.
Didn't blink.
"You'll call it war only when it costs you something," she whispered to the wind.
---
Ironfield – West Territories
Meanwhile, across the collapsing map of trust and love, smoke rose over Ironfield's rooftops. The West was louder, angrier, hotter. Here, might wasn't just right — it was law.
Milo Vance sat on the edge of a half-built steel outpost, legs dangling over rusted beams. He stared at a half-torn photo in his palm. A girl smiled up at him. The only girl who ever saw him for more than his last name.
Cain Vance — his older brother, the Iron Commander — walked over, his combat boots kicking up sparks.
"You still looking at that?" Cain asked, lighting a match with his thumbnail.
Milo didn't answer.
Didn't need to.
The photo said enough.
Cain stared into the horizon. "They'll leave. Let them. You'll see. We'll still have fire. We'll still have fists."
"Is that all we'll have left?" Milo said quietly.
Cain grinned. "What else do we need?"
---
SheUnity Council Room – Eden Guard District
Back in the East, deep within the lush walls of the Eden Guard District, Mira stood beside General Kora Vance.
Kora was quiet as always, standing like a blade — still, sharp, unforgiving. She stared at the projected map on the council table.
"They've begun fencing the bridges," Kora said.
"They think we're bluffing."
Mira exhaled. "Good. Let them believe it… until we're already gone."
Beside her, a girl barely sixteen typed silently on a datapad.
Elira Moss.
A child genius.
An orphan of war.
"No satellites detected," Elira said. "Dominion surveillance systems are primitive. If we move now, the split will be clean."
Mira stepped forward and pointed at the blinking red line drawn on the map.
"Draw it."
Kora raised a brow. "You're sure?"
"More than ever."
---
Command Post – Forge Quarter, Dominion
Cain threw his fist into a wall so hard it cracked.
"They're leaving. They're really leaving."
His lieutenant approached. "What now?"
Cain laughed bitterly. "Let them walk. The world's ours once they're gone."
Behind him, Milo turned away — the photo of the girl still clutched tight in his hand.
---
Final Broadcast
All across the East and West, every screen lit up.
> CO-EXISTENCE IS OFFICIALLY NULLIFIED.
THE LINE WILL BE DRAWN IN 24 HOURS.
CHOOSE YOUR SIDE.
Mira watched the screen in silence.
A single tear slid down her cheek.
Cain punched the wall again and grinned.
Milo stared at the photo, and the girl's smile suddenly looked like a goodbye.
Kora turned away and tightened her armor.
Elira whispered to herself:
"It's really happening…"
The world didn't explode.
It simply held its breath—
not for the fight to come,
but for what would be lost before the first punch was thrown.
[End of Chapter 0]