I stuck close to Rover, keeping my hands loose, trying not to be a deadweight as much as possible, trying not to trip over a rock and embarrass myself in front of Chixia and Yangyang. Chixia's eyes flicked between us, sharp but not unkind.
"Rover," she said, voice calm but carrying that weight that made you actually listen, "I know you can't remember a thing, but there's one thing I'm… 90%—no, 100% sure about. You're a Resonator too."
Yangyang leaned in a little, gesturing toward Rover's hand. "You've got a Tacet Mark on the back of your hand andthat gourd terminal. That's proof you're a Resonator. Your gourd's design looks a bit different from the ones we use,, though."
I shuffled a little closer to Rover, trying to look helpful instead of acting like a ignorant person who don't know shit. "Tacet Mark? " I muttered under my breath, eyes flicking between her hand and the strange gourd-looking thing. "Gourd terminal? " Yeah, I had neither, which made me feel useless and like a guy who got drafted into a war he didn't even know existed and without a fucking proper ordnance.
Chixia's gaze shifted toward me for a moment,and I froze. She didn't say anything, just let her eyes linger, like she'd spotted something. My stomach did that weird drop feeling you get when you realize you're the last to know something really obvious.
"You're a Resonator too."
My brain went blank from shock. Dropping a bombshell statement,, Chixia said slowly, as if letting me digest it one painfully slow word at a time. "You just haven't realized it yet. Look closely—there's a Tacet Mark on your front, right here." She pointed at the faint, horizontal mark across my neck..
Holy shit,, I didn't even notice it. I tugged at the collar slightly, squinting at the barely-there line, feeling the impossible mix of awe and panic. My neck, damn, I'm a resonator too. How did that happen?.
"So… I'm… a Resonator? " My voice cracked somewhere in the middle, like it couldn't believe it either.
I stared at the mark on my neck using the reflection on my watch like it was some kind of prank, a tattoo someone forgot to tell me about. A Tacet Mark. Me. A Resonator. Somehow. No gourd, no flashy power, nothing—I'm just… me. Normal,, Jeff. Average, clumsy, completely unequipped.
And the thing that made it worse? I shouldn't even have it yet. From what I'd pieced together—mutant Resonators, the "real freaks" in these stories, didn't just get their powers handed to them. They had to go through some insane, life-defining moment, usually messy, probably involving blood, screaming, or crying,, or all three, to awaken their forte. Baizhi, Mortefi, and and Xiangli Yao—they all had their moments. Earth-shattering stuff that left them broken, or stronger, or…some terrifying shit.
And me? I woke up in ruins, half-dead and confused, withsed, with no training anda mark on my neck that apparently says, "Surprise, kid, you're one of us now." No dramatic awakening, no gut-wrenching event, no sudden emotional explosion.
I swallowed hard, feeling my stomach twist. So this mark, this Tacet Mark, is supposed to mean something, but I don't feel anything yet. I'm supposed to be a "Resonator," but I can't even summon and feel the faintest flicker of a Tacet Field. I can't read the wind, can't detect Discords, and and hell—I'm not even carrying a gourd.
Rover squinted at me, her golden eyes sharp as ever. "Wait… hold up. You're saying… Jeff is a resonator like me here? " Her voice was careful, like she was testing me for a lie. "Even if you don't have a gourd terminal or something? "
I rubbed the back of my neck, still staring at the faint mark. "Apparently. Except I don't shit, no fucking training, and and no clue what half of this stuff even does. I'm basically a walking question mark." I tried to grin, but it came out more like a grimace. Totally impossible to practice when I've been here for just a few hours at best.
Yangyang leaned in, nodding toward the air around us. "That mark on your neck is your Tacet Mark. It connects you to the streams in the wind and help you sense tacet fields and it also symbolize your abilities too despite you not knowing what it does. You won't feel a surge or anything dramatic yet. At first, it's subtle—you have to notice the little things, the tiny disturbances around you. That's how you start sensing Tacet Fields."
I rubbed my neck, feeling like an idiot. "Streams in the wind… tiny disturbances… Got it. Totally clear. Except I don't feel anything."
"You will," Chixia said, tilting her head. "You just have to pay attention. Focus on the air, on how it moves around obstacles andand over surfaces. It's faint, but it's there. Think of it like noticing a ripple in water."
I squinted at the ruins, trying to feel the invisible ripples. Nothing. Or… maybe something? A slight shift in the air near the broken archway. "Uh… is that it? " I asked, pointing like I was about to call out Bigfoot.
Yangyang nodded once. "Yeah, that's a start. It's subtle. You'll get stronger with practice. For now, just being aware counts."
Yangyang crouched slightly, scanning the area like she always did. "Stick with Rover for now. Pay attention. You're marked, you have potential, and we'll help you figure it out before you get yourself killed."
I muttered under my breath. "Potential… that's a nice way of saying I'm probably going to make a lot of mistakes."
Chixia laughed softly. "Welcome to being a Resonator. No one starts perfect."
I let out a shaky laugh, trying to let some of the tension go. Maybe I wasn't completely doomed yet. Maybe.
After a while the ruins became quiet—too quiet—and I had a sinking feeling that "too quiet" meant something was about to explode in my face. Sure enough, a faint shimmer in the corner of my eye caught my attention: a Zigzag Tacit discord,twitching unnaturally, its spindly limbs jerking like it was practicing some horrific dance.
Rover's golden eyes narrowed, her grip tightening on her sword that appeared out of nowhere. "Stay back, Jeff. Let me handle this first," she said, voice calm but edged with deadly precision.
I scanned the TDs approaching, panic rising. "Yeah… uh… I need something to—y'know—actually defend myself," I said, hands waving vaguely, as if that could magically summon a weapon out of thin air.
Chixia's eyes flicked toward me, half amusement, half exasperation. She reached into her belt and pulled out a small gun, handing it over. "Here. A Tyro Pistol. It's not much, but it'll help. Point, shoot, and don't die."
I took it like it was the holy grail. My fingers itched over the trigger—this I could handle. Years of military drills during my brief stint back home flashed through my mind. Years of arcade shooters, paintball, and the occasional hunting trip had at least given me some muscle memory. Not enough to make me a hero, but enough to maybe not die immediately.
"Stay back behind me," Rover said, drawing her sword, eyes narrowing as a Zigzag TD lurched into view from the shattered ruins.
"Okay," I muttered under my breath, gripping the pistol tightly, "like the women said 'point, shoot, and don't die."
The ruins vibrated with tension. Tacit discords shifted, and the Zigzag Echo lurched out from a collapsed wall, twitching unpredictably. Rover didn't hesitate—her sword slashed in a perfect arc, slicing through the air with deadly precision. Sparks of energy fizzed as it met the creature's limbs, forcing it off balance.
I dropped low behind some rubble, Tyro Pistol in hand. "Cover me! " I barked, and without missing a beat, she pivoted, keeping the Echo focused on her blade. Her movements were fluid, elegant, and and precise, and I timed my shots with them.
The first round of bullets hit the TD's exposed side as it tried to pivot toward me. Step to the left, fire again—the recoil barely nudged me. My body moved instinctively, remembering military drills from my brief but intense training. Rover stepped forward, forcing the creature into a diagonal path, and I shot the limbs that flailed into her trajectory, creating a deadly crossfire we didn't even need to discuss.
"Jeff, left flank! " Rover's voice was crisp. I rolled, firing at a limb as it swung at her. Step, pivot, squeeze, pivot again—my movements were precise and lethal. She flowed around me, her blade a golden arc, forcing openings that I could exploit with calculated shots.
We weren't just two fighters in the same space; we were anticipating each other's moves. I'd fire, she'd step through the gap I created, and and the TDs would stagger from both our coordinated strikes. Each swing of her sword, each shot from my pistol, built on the other's rhythm.
I kicked debris to trip it as it lunged at her, and she twisted mid-step, deflecting the creature's strike, golden eyes flashing. "Again, push it toward me! " Her command was barely a whisper, but my body responded before my mind could catch up. I squeezed off another round, hitting a joint exposed by her blade, and the creature staggered again.
Chixia and Yangyang watched from the sidelines, but we didn't need instructions—we moved like one entity. My tactical training, her raw combat instinct, her sword dictating the rhythm, and and my pistol punctuating it with precision like a beautiful dance.
Finally, with a coordinated feint, Rover slashed low while I shot high, and the Zigzag Echo collapsed in a twitching heap.
Rover's sword hummed as she lowered it, stepping back to check on me.
Chixia clapped lightly, eyes shining with genuine admiration. "Bravo! I can't believe it—you actually remembered how to fight despite losing your memories, and you Jeff haven't even fully awakened yet. That was… impressive."
Yangyang nodded, scanning the area as she holstered her weapon. "Yeah, and the way you moved together, covering each other's blind spots without even thinking about it… most people take months to reach that level of coordination."
Chixia gestured toward Rover. "Next time I'll lead the charge, No one messes with Ma Xiaofa... Ahem, I mean Chixia! Buteriously, you two reacting to each other in real time, moving with minimal verbal signals—that'sreal teamwork material right there. You read each other's moves instinctively, and that kind of coordination keeps you alive in combat."
I exhaled, gripping the Tyro Pistol. "So… we actually worked well together? " I said in disbelief becausese this is the first time we fought together, my first time fighting in this world for that matter. Howw the hell? I thought,, despite recalling the experience vividly.
Chixia tilted her head, evaluating. "Well enough that nobody got hurt or thrown into a wall. Neither flashy nor heroic,, but it works, and that's what counts. Keep working on it."
Chixia exchanged a look with Yangyang, curiosity flickering in their eyes. "Hmm. You seem… unusually capable for someone who just finds out that he's a resonator. Have you worked with other Resonators before? "
I shook my head, keeping my voice steady. "No, never. I… I've never trained with anyone."
Yangyang's gaze lingered, sharp and probing. "You move like you've been in serious combat before… military, security work, or or something along those lines? "
I shrugged lightly, letting a small, nonchalant smile mask the edge of evasiveness. "Yeah… something like that. A while ago."
Rover raised an eyebrow, a teasing and impressed smirk tugging at her lips. "Wait, so you weren't just some random guy who woke up here? You've actually… fought before?"
"Yeah," I said quickly, keeping it vague, letting my tone carry enough weight to be believable without giving anything away. "Back home. Doesn't really matter here."
Chixia and Yangyang exchanged another look, curiosity still flickering in their eyes, but for now, the focus was on survival—and the fact that Jeff's past, whatever it was, remained a locked book they weren't meant to open yet.