Jeff leaned back against the bed contemplating how to continue his story.
"Everything started great at first," he said, voice distant but steady. "We tiptoed around our forbidden relationship and kept it quiet, low key, and under the radar."
He gave a small, almost nostalgic smile. "Honestly, that was the most exciting part. It felt like something straight out of one of those cheesy romance thrillers. You know Romeo and Juliet meets Mr. and Mrs. Smith."
Rover arched an eyebrow, lips twitching. Not knowing what those novels are. "Really?"
"Yeah," Jeff said, laughing softly. "I convinced the agency that I'd turned Lena into an asset. Meanwhile, she told her parents who were exiled to our country that I was a spy she flipped,and now was working with them to help them get back to their former glory. I basically became their way in into our own government."
He paused, then added with a hint of mischief, "Both stories were true… just, you know, edited."
Rover gave him a look somewhere between disbelief and amusement. "Now I can see why you turned out so sly and mischievous."
Jeff smirked. "It worked like a charm. We fucking played both sides, the agency and her family. Had them both happy and clueless at the same time."
Rover watched him closely. The way his eyes softened when he spoke of Lena there was warmth in there, a quiet ache behind his stupid boyish charming grin.
"So… what did you do after that?" she asked gently.
Jeff looked up at the ceiling. Then he gave her that same boyish grin he hadn't worn in years.
"The only direction left was up," he said. "We got ambitious."
"Ambitious?" Rover echoed, teasing. "You?"
Jeff chuckled. "Yeah. I planned to become president someday like the position of the Magistrate."
Rover blinked, incredulous. "That's a big jump from nursing."
He laughed outright this time. "I know, right? And Lena, she'd be my First Lady."
He shook his head, the laugh fading into something gentler. "It sounds fucking silly now maybe even delusional when I think about it, but back then, I really believed we could do it. I finished my nursing degree without a hitch, passed the Nursing Licensure Exam (NLE) with flying colors. I was only twenty-two."
Rover smiled, genuinely happy for him. "That's… impressive, Jeff."
He shrugged, trying to downplay it, but the flicker of pride in his eyes betrayed him. "Yeah. Back then, everything still felt possible."
Jeff's voice carried a faint trace of pride.
"Let me tell you… we were unstoppable."
Rover watched him, and for a fleeting moment, she thought, Something like us.
But she quickly shook the thought away. No. Don't get distracted, now Rover.
Jeff leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees. "I had my connections with the agency, plus a few influential circles. Lena, on the other hand, had vast resources; her oligarch family ran one of the biggest oil companies before they were exiled. Put that together, and… well, shit anything can happen."
Rover couldn't help but be impressed. It was hard to imagine how anyone could compete with a love story and past like that of a power couple built on strategy and shared ambition. But she dismissed the feeling as quickly as it came. No, I can't be discouraged by something like that.
Jeff's tone softened. "Our relationship wasn't perfect. We argued. A lot. Sometimes over the dumbest things. But somehow, we made it work."
He paused, his eyes flickering with that same restless energy Rover had grown used to. "The first thing I did to move us closer to our goal was…" He grinned, waiting for her to lean in.
Rover tilted her head. "Was what?"
"Join the fucking military," Jeff said, a hint of mischief in his tone.
Rover blinked. "The military? Why, though? What was the rationale behind that?"
"Simple," he replied. "Lena handled the political and business side. I'd handle the agency's favor and ground operations. My medical background helped a lot, let me tell you from my experience nurses and doctors make really good spies." He gave a dry laugh. "But me joining the army? That was the next level."
Rover frowned slightly. "Didn't the agency object to that?"
"Oh, they tried," Jeff said, smirking. "But they couldn't do shit about it. I made myself untouchable, useful, but not threatening. They probably thought their indoctrination worked. That I was just some passionate patriot of the motherland wanting to serve its interest in another way."
He chuckled, the sound carrying a tinge of irony. "So yeah, I joined up with my best friend, Ethan. We both passed the ASVAB with flying colors, and went through basic combat training that was literally torture. I pushed myself hard to become an officer, took AIT, got my specialization, and eventually became a combat medic. A member of the med corps."
Rover smiled faintly, her voice warm. "So that's how you became a combat medic, huh?"
Jeff nodded, a hint of pride in his expression. "Yeah. That's where it all really started."
For a moment, Rover just looked at him, this man shaped by ambition, loyalty, and scars he didn't always show.
And though she didn't say it aloud, part of her was glad to finally see this version of Jeff.
His gaze was distant. "My military career was going smoothly. Hell, I dare say it—I was fucking speedrunning it."
There was a trace of pride in his grin, but not arrogance, just a man remembering how hard he once pushed himself.
"While Lena was handling the political and business side, I was climbing through the ranks," he continued. "I wanted to gain power and influence through the military, while still fulfilling my duty as a nurse helping people and my comrades, living up to the oath I took."
Rover crossed her arms, quietly impressed. "That's… very neat. You two really thought this through, huh?"
Jeff chuckled. "Yeah. That's how we planned to achieve both our ambitions. That's what kept us going. We were in it for the long run."
Rover tilted her head. "For you to become something like the Magistrate?"
Jeff's smile faded. His voice dropped lower.
"To actually make a difference," he said.
Inwardly, his thoughts drifted to what drove him the faces of people he'd met, the places he'd served. To change a broken, corrupt system that serves the rich while everyone else rots beneath them.
He continued, quieter now. "And for her… it was about taking back what was lost. Regaining the power and resources to make the ones who exiled her family regret it."
His tone hardened. "Anything was on the table to reach our goals. And we were damn good at it."
Then he hesitated. His expression faltered for the first time that night.
Rover noticed immediately. "And…?" she prompted, her voice soft but insistent.
Jeff exhaled slowly. Fuck it, he thought. She deserves to know.
"At the age twenty-five," he said finally, "we finally got married."
Rover had expected it. Still, the words hit harder than she thought they would. Something heavy settled in her chest, and she found herself looking away
Jeff's tone softened. "To me, that was the happiest day of my life."
He gave a small, wistful laugh. "I felt like I was living the dream every man dreams of: a beautiful wife, no problems with money, we were loaded asf thanks to Lena's smart business dealings. My best friend Ethan had my back, and my career in the military was soaring. With her by my side, anything felt possible. Our ambitions… they were right there, within reach."
He went quiet for a long moment.
Then his shoulders sank, his voice lowering almost to a whisper.
"Until a war broke out."
Rover froze. The shift in his tone said more than the words ever could.
He tried to laugh, but it came out hollow.
"I guess reality has a way of pouring cold water on your ambitions, huh?"
Rover hesitated, then gently asked, "What happened?"
Jeff didn't answer right away. He only stared at the ground.
Jeff exhaled, staring off into nothing. "I was surprised too. It came out of fucking nowhere."
He paused, jaw tightening. "One of our cities and bases… suddenly got bombed to oblivion."
Rover froze, eyes widening. "What?"
Jeff gave a bitter half-laugh. "Yeah. No fucking warnings either to evacuate the civilians. Just boom." He mimed an explosion with his hand. "And then, as if that wasn't enough, we got a declaration of war right after."
Rover's voice trembled. "How could they do that?"
"Beats me," Jeff muttered. "That country, well, let's just say its name doesn't need to be said, was a goddamn superpower. More manpower, and more weapons in their arsenal… they made us look like a fucking joke."
He clenched his fist. "And it wasn't like what we're fighting now, the Lament, the Tacet Discords, all that. No. This just was human against human. What a fucking shit show."
A bitter silence followed.
"They didn't even see us as the target," he went on, voice low. "We were just in their way. They wanted to secure a route and established a foothold for their real objective. We were just… a stepping stone."
His lip curled. "How fucking insulting is that?"
The anger drained into weariness. "The last thing I remember before getting deployed was saying goodbye to Lena. And my parents."
His eyes softened. "She pleaded with me to run. To just… leave it all behind."
Rover whispered, "But you didn't."
Jeff shook his head. "I couldn't. Not when my comrades were relying on me. Not when I still had a duty."
"I took an oath, and I planned to uphold it."
He laughed faintly, the sound hollow. "In hindsight, maybe I should've run. Maybe that was the smarter move. But I couldn't just walk away."
His gaze darkened. "After that, me and my best friend Ethan we got deployed to the frontlines. We fought for months."
He swallowed hard. "We lost a lot of people. Soldiers, civilians… it didn't even matter. Everyone got caught in the crossfire. Then other countries joined in. Some allies, others enemies."
He looked up at Rover, eyes distant, and empty.
It turned into World War III before we even realized it. Jeff thought
Rover said nothing, only watched him, feeling the heaviness in every word.
"It was hell on earth,"
His voice shook. "the people I was supposed to protect… died right in front of me. On my fucking watch and I can't do a single thing about it. We lost so much, so fast, we stopped keeping count."
He looked down, his knuckles pale. "I came across soldiers and my own men begging me for mercy, to help them, but they were too far gone to save. And I…" He faltered. "I just shot them and put them out of their misery."
Rover's heart twisted. Without thinking, she reached out and pulled him into a hug.
"Jeff…"
He didn't resist. His voice cracked, muffled against her shoulder. "They called me the Reaper of the Eastern Front."
Rover froze, realizing the weight of that title.
Jeff laughed bitterly. "Ironic, huh? I was supposed to save people, not kill them."
His arms wrapped around her tighter, his breath trembling. "I couldn't save anyone, Rover. Not a single fucking one. What a joke."
Rover held him tighter, saying nothing because what could she say? To the quiet ache of a man who once tried to change the world, only to have his dreams crushed right before his very eyes.
Jeff's hands were shaking now.
"We tried everything. Guerilla tactics, ambushes, melt-into-the-woods shit. We delayed them where we could. We burned bridges, sabotaged supply lines, and took what little victories we could get." He laughed that was hollow and humorless. "Even the enemy didn't expect us to put up a fight. That should've been something. But it wasn't."
Rover watched him. The room felt too small for the story he was dragging out of himself.
"But it didn't matter in the end," Jeff said. "They had the manpower, the planes, the bombs, the logistics. We were a matchstick beside a bonfire. We fought to the last man. We fought like hell." His fingers curled until the knuckles went white. "I almost died more times than I can count."
Rover's hand moved to his arm on instinct. "You don't have to—" she started, but he cut her off with a quiet, bitter sound.
"My best friend Ethan kept me going. He kept me alive. Part of the reason I could stand at all was because he was there. The reason I can continue to fight what's behind us, to fight for Lena and my Family." His eyes snapped to hers, and for a second they were sharp, furious with memory. "But I lost him. In the end, I lost him."
Rover's voice went small. "Oh, Jeff."
He let out a breath that sounded like surrender. "You want to hear the worst part?" His pupils were flat, like someone watching from the bottom of a well.
Rover's whole body stiffened. But she couldn't look away.
Jeff's jaw set. "I ordered him to die."
Rover did a double take. "What?"
"I told him to stay behind."
"We were covering a retreat. The convoy had to get out. There was an ammo cache. If that cache blew, it would slow the enemy long enough for the rest of our people to escape. No one else could get it to detonate and get out. The choice was either we all stayed and died, or one of us stayed to trigger it."
Rover's mouth opened, closed. Her fingers dug into the hem of her sleeve.
"He volunteered at first," Jeff said, eyes already wet. "But when he hesitated when he looked at me like I was asking him to give his life he needed a reason. So I gave it. I told him it was the only way, and told him it was for everyone else. I told him to do it."
He stopped.
Rover's face moved through a dozen things anger, and disbelief. She reached out and gripped his wrist
"How could you—" she began, and the rest of the question died in her throat.
Jeff didn't try to justify it. There was only a cracked honesty. "Because we had people behind us who needed a chance. Because I thought I could live with it if it meant they could live." His voice broke. "Because somebody had to make that call and I made it. I told myself I was saving more than I was killing. I told myself whatever lie would keep me awake at night and still let me move the next day."
Rover's breath hitched. She pressed her forehead to his, fingers tightening again as if to anchor them both. "You did what you thought you had to," she whispered, but the words came out thin and unsure, even to her. "You were there. You tried to save others."
Jeff's laugh was a dry, painful thing. "Tried. That's the polite version, isn't it? I joined the war wanting to be a fucking hero to save people to make a difference. And I ended doing the opposite what a fucking joke."
He let his head fall to her shoulder and for a long time neither of them moved. The only sound was the distant noise of the city of Jinzhou outside the City Hall, ordinary noises that felt obscene against the story he'd just told.
—————————————————
(Flashback)
| Somewhere on the Eastern Front |
"Move fast," Jeff hissed. "Squad on me. Watch my six."
"Roger that," Ethan panted, already two steps behind him. The rest of the team melted into formation, boots silent on broken pavement, weapons up
They fought through the outer perimeter. The closer they got, the thicker the static in Jeff's comms the enemy's jammers doing their job. At last they shoved through a scorched door and found the war room: maps half-torn from walls, chairs overturned, a bank of consoles with their lights dark or blinking uselessly. Whoever had left had done so in a hurry.
"Status?" Jeff barked, moving to the central table.
Ivan crouched by the console, fingers flying over a dead keyboard. "Can't get a read. Too much interference. Must be their jammers." He swore under his breath, the word short and sharp.
"Son of a—" Jeff ground the word out, then squared his jaw. "Old-fashioned recon then. Don't let your guard down. Tend to the wounded if anyone's hurt."
"Yes, sir." The replies came immediately. squad scattered.
Minutes passed. Then Ethan's shout cut through them
"Jeff! Come look you gotta fucking see this."
Jeff pushed through the others to him. Ethan was kneeling over a rolled canvas, the corner lifted to reveal a detailed map. For a second it didn't register.
"Holy—" Jeff's hand went cold on the table. The map was a web of forward operating bases, supply lines, airfields, staging points. Dates. Coordinates. Notes in a language their codebreakers could reverse, clearly labeled and updated.
Shuga's jaw dropped. "Looks like we hit the jackpot."
"Nice find, Ethan," Jeff said,
"We've got forward base locations across the front," Ivan said, voice low. "Latest revisions, too."
Jeff's eyes flicked between the map and the bank of consoles. "Load what you can. Shuga, you and the rest get anything of value to the convoy."
"Ivan, Ethan compare this with our maps. Correct routes, mark safe lanes, and flag any surprises."
They moved like a well-oiled machine. Jeff stayed over the map, hands braced on the table, running possibilities through his head. Trying to decipher their strategies.
Then he noticed the encoded transmission fragment on a console screen a string of nested encryption, marked with a header he recognized from intercepted chatter.
"Encrypted transmission," he said. Fingers tapping at a terminal. "Hold on fusion? Detonation targets?"
Rage bubbled in his throat. "So they've gonna resort to nuclear options." He stood up so fast the chair scraped.
"How much more of this country do they plan to level?" he asked, fury bleeding into panic. The scale on the map suddenly felt like a countdown.
Ethan met his gaze, understanding the severity of the situation "We take this back. We gotta warn command. We—"
Jeff cut him off with a look that did all the arguing for him. "We get this to command. We move. Now." His voice carried the kind of authority that makes people stop arguing and start running.
Then suddenly without warning
" BOOM ! "
Mortar rounds fell to the ground , a deafening thunder rolled through the air, and the base they'd just infiltrated was suddenly bombarded with gunfires.
Jeff stumbled as dust and shrapnel exploded around them, the metallic taste of blood and concrete filling his mouth. His ears rang, but he didn't stop moving.
"Everyone, we gotta move!" he yelled, voice hoarse, cutting through the noise.
Someone Alex was fumbling with a transmitter devicd half-buried under debris, trying to yank it free.
Jeff caught his wrist, yanking him back hard.
"Alex! We can't take devices powered by them!"
"But sir, it could help us—"
Jeff's glare cut sharper than the explosions.
"If you wanna die, say the word."
Alex froze, eyes wide, then swallowed hard and backed off, muttering something under his breath as he stumbled toward the exit.
Another blast shook the ground close enough that everyone ducked instinctively. Chunks of concrete rained down.
Jeff straightened, waving his arm toward the east corridor. "Everyone get to the convoy! Move, move!"
They sprinted through the shattered compound. Outside, tracer fire cut through the night sky like angry red stars. The enemy was already closing in a dozen silhouettes, advancing fast to their location.
Ethan ran beside Jeff, his face slick with sweat,
"This doesn't look good, man!"
Jeff didn't answer. He didn't need to. They both knew the odds.
The squad piled into the armored convoy shoving in hard drives, documents, crates of intel but even as the engine roared to life, everyone knew the ugly truth.
The enemy would catch them before they could get far. Someone had to stay. Someone had to buy them time.
Alex's voice cracked. "They're gonna capture us at this rate! Do something, Captain!"
Jeff's eyes darted to his men mud-caked, bleeding, and terrified, yet still waiting for him to say something, anything.
Ivan spoke up, with a suggestion.
"I saw an ammo cache near the west wing. Full of explosives. We can use it to slow them down." He hesitated, eyes flicking to Jeff.
"But… we'd have to detonate it manually."
Jeff's throat tightened. He looked at their faces each one expecting him to take responsibility. To sacrifice himself. And for a second, he almost did.
Then, a voice echoed in his head.
"I'm begging you… please come back."
Lena.
It was like she was there, whispering right into his ear. He could almost see her trembling hands, her tear-streaked face that night before he deployed.
"Please… come back to me. Whatever it takes."
Jeff's heart pounded. He remembered she was four weeks pregnant when he left. He'd kissed her belly and promised he'd return. He'd promised.
I can't die here.
Not yet.
His hand trembled. His vision blurred for a moment. The fear clawed at his chest the instinct to live, to go home, to keep that promise.
Then—
"I'll do it."
Ethan's voice cut through the rest of them.
He stood near the back, his rifle slung loosely over his shoulder. His face was pale, lips trembling, but his eyes were resolute as if already resigned.
"What?" Jeff turned, his stomach twisting.
Ethan smiled weakly, like a man trying to make a joke of it. "You're the captain, your life takes precedence over mine, You have to live to warn command of those bombs."
The others started shouting protests, curses, disbelief but the moment was slipping away. The enemy was getting closer.
Jeff felt something in him snap. Years of friendship, trust, loyalty all compressed into a single unbearable moment. He forced his voice to be almost robotic, and mechanical.
"Then Ethan… for the republic, for our squad, for me. I order you to die here."
Ethan froze just for a second then nodded. The fear drained from his face, replaced by quiet acceptance. He gave a trembling salute, smiling that same reckless smile he'd always worn before diving into hell.
"Aye aye, captain."
"For the Motherland," he said softly.
He took a few steps toward the ruined base, then turned back, eyes meeting Jeff's.
"Take care of my kid, yeah?"
Jeff couldn't speak. He just nodded
Ethan chuckled under his breath. "I owe you one, Jeff."
And then he was gone. Running back toward the base
The others moved to follow, but Jeff threw out his arm, stopping them. His voice was commanding and desperate.
"We move now! That's an order! Don't let Ethan's sacrifice be for nothing!"
No one argued. They turned and ran, the enemy approaching in the distance.
Then the world lit up in white.
And the base along with Ethan vanished in the blast.
Saving their lives
—————————————————
(Present)
"At that time, I knew." His voice came low, almost a murmur. "No… all of us knew. We were going to lose that war."
Rover said nothing, only listened.
Jeff's jaw tensed. "When word spread that the enemy was planning to use nukes, everything fell apart. The higher-ups fled overseas, soldiers deserted in droves. Nobody wanted to die needlessly."
"So I ran too. Not out of cowardice, but… because I still had a promise to keep."
Rover tilted her head slightly, her amber eyes softening. " Your and Ethan's family, right?"
Jeff nodded. "Yeah. I promised him I would."
—————————————————
(Flashback)
Sirens wailed somewhere in the distance. Jeff's boots pounded against the cracked pavement as he drove through the streets, the sound of distant explosions echoing through the sky.
He stopped in front of a small suburban house pale blue walls, a rusted mailbox with "Thompson" etched on it.
Ethan's home.
He rushed to the door and pounded on it.
"Cory! Cory, open up! It's me Jeff!"
The door opened. Cory stood there, pale and trembling. Her eyes darted behind him searching, and hoping.
When she didn't see Ethan, her face fell.
"Jeff… where's my husband?"
He froze. His mouth opened, but no words came out.
Then small footsteps.
A little girl came running down the stairs, her hair in messy pigtails, a crayon still clutched in her hand.
"Papa!" she cried, beaming.
Jeff's heart cracked.
Cory's voice broke. "Suzy…"
"Welcome back, Uncle Jeff!" Suzy grinned brightly, clutching a small paper charm. "Look! I made this for Daddy a good luck charm! Where is he?"
The question hung in the air Cory's lips quivered, tears already gathering in her eyes. She opened her mouth but Jeff raised a trembling hand to stop her.
He crouched down to meet Suzy's eyes. The little girl blinked at him, her smile fading as she sensed something was wrong.
"Suzy…" His voice cracked. "Your dad… won't be coming back."
Her eyes went wide with confusion first, then disbelief.
"What?"
Cory covered her mouth, sobbing silently behind him.
Jeff swallowed hard, forcing the words out. "He's… gone. He fought bravely, but—"
"No!" Suzy screamed, her tiny fists clenching. "You're lying! Daddy promised he'd come back!"
Jeff didn't move. He couldn't. The slap came fast, a small, trembling hand striking his cheek. It didn't hurt, not physically at least. But it shattered something inside him.
He just knelt there, staring into her tear-filled eyes.
"It's true, Suzy."
She shook her head violently. "No it's not! He said you'd win! He said you'd both come back heroes!"
Jeff forced a faint smile, his voice breaking.
"He was a hero, sweetheart. That's why your dad fought so hard for you, for your mom, for everyone. He did it so we could win."
"That's not winning!" Suzy screamed, tears streaking down her cheeks. "If Daddy's gone, that's not winning at all!"
Cory rushed forward, pulling Suzy into her arms.
"Enough, honey. That's enough."
But Suzy's words struck harder than any bullet.
"It should've been you!" she sobbed. "You're the one who should've died!"
Cory gasped. "Suzy!"
Jeff didn't move. He just stared at the floor, the words echoing in his head like a verdict.
Finally, he stood and whispered,
"Pack your essentials. We have to move."
Cory nodded weakly, tears streaming down her face. "I know. Just… give us a little time."
He nodded and walked back out into the car.
Jeff sat there, gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white.
"So we could win, huh?" he muttered under his breath, laughing at the absurdity of what he said.
Then it erupted all the guilt, the grief, and the self-loathing.
"You goddamn fucking hypocrite!" he screamed, slamming his fist against the dashboard. "You made him throw away his life!"
His voice cracked, the words tumbling out in broken bursts.
"You ordered him to die! You killed him! Just say it you fucking coward! You killed him!"
He pounded the wheel again, his forehead pressed against it.
"You sacrificed him… so you could live a little longer."
The tears came in
"Is there even a point to this anymore?" His whisper trembled. "How long must we keep going like this… until all of us are dead? When will this fucking end?"
"How many more people will have to die?...How many more people will I have to kill?"
Outside, the first siren of the bombing raid began to wail.
—————————————————
(Present)
Jeff sat on the edge of the bed, shoulders slumped.
He exhaled slowly, eyes fixed on the floor. "I took Ethan's family out of there."
Rover tilted her head. "Where did you plan to go?"
Jeff looked up at her, his expression distant. "I reunited with my family… with Lena. We planned to get them to safety, no matter what it took."
A faint, bittersweet smile tugged at Rover's lips. "That's good," she said softly. "You deserved that much."
Jeff gave a small, humorless chuckle. "Yeah… that's what I thought too." He leaned back, rubbing a hand over his face. "I used every favor I had left in the agency what was left of it, anyway. Pulled every string to get us a way out. A private plane, heading for a neutral country. With a safe airspace."
Rover blinked. "A plane?"
Jeff nodded. "A vehicle," he said. "Let's just say… it had wings."
Rover's brows knitted together, a little confused, but she didn't press. "Oh…" she murmured.
"They boarded it," Jeff continued, voice cracking slightly. "Lena, my parents, Ethan's wife Cory, and his little girl, Suzy." He paused, his throat tightening. "But I didn't."
Rover frowned. "What? You didn't go with them?"
"That was the deal." He gave a hollow laugh, shaking his head. "They needed me to stay behind. Keep fighting. Even if there was nothing left worth fighting for."
Her voice trembled when she spoke next. "How could they ask you to do that?"
Jeff didn't answer immediately. "I said goodbye to my wife who was still pregnant and my family. Said goodbye to Cory and Suzy too." His lips quivered, the memory scraping through his composure. "I told myself it was just temporary. That they'd make it far away from the fighting… that they'd be safe."
"I didn't know that was the last time I'd ever see them again."
Rover's heart sank. She leaned forward. "What happened?"
Jeff's eyes went glassy. "They took off… just a few minutes into the air. I was still watching the sky." His breath hitched. "Then a missile came out of nowhere. No warning was given. Just—" He snapped his fingers. "Gone. Blown out of the sky."
Rover froze, her eyes wide. "Oh my god…"
"I ran to the wreckage. I searched the crash site. I prayed and begged for something, for anyone to be alive. But there was nothing left. Nothing." His voice broke. "They were all dead."
Rover covered her mouth, her eyes glistening with tears.
Jeff's hands trembled as he clutched his head. "I killed them, Rover. I'm the reason they were on that flight. If I hadn't arranged it if I'd just kept them with me—"
His words fell apart as his voice cracked into a strangled sob. Rover didn't think she just moved. She reached forward, wrapping her arms around him. Jeff collapsed into her shoulder. His body trembled against hers, every breath hitching, every tear muffled into her neck.
The bedroom fell into silence except for his sobs.
After a long moment, Rover spoke softly, her hand tracing small circles on his back. "I'm sorry that has to happen to you," she whispered. "No one deserves to go through that."
Jeff shook his head, trying to pull himself together. "It's all in the past now," he muttered, voice hoarse, almost unconvincing.
Rover leaned back just enough to look him in the eye. "No," she said. "Don't do that. Don't say that about yourself."
Jeff blinked, startled by the conviction in her voice.
"It's not your fault, Jeff," Rover said, her gaze unwavering. "You didn't launch that missile. You did your best to protect your family to the best of your abilities."
Jeff stared at her, lips parted, words caught in his throat.
"You can't save everyone," she continued softly. "No one can. But that doesn't mean you failed." Her voice softened further, her hand brushing away the tears on his cheek. "You did what you could. You tried. That's what makes you human."
Rover smiled faintly. "You don't have to carry that burden alone anymore, I'm here." she whispered
For the first time in a long while, Jeff didn't argue.
He exhaled shakily and whispered, almost to himself, "Thank you."
Rover gave a small nod and pulled him closer again. "You're welcome,"
"What did you do after that?"
"I left," he said. "I didn't have it in me anymore."
"I took everyone who was left from my men, the people from the agency and we ran. We fled as they razed my country to the ground."
She could picture cities collapsing under fire, families running through chaos, and everything turning to ruin. "How could they do that?" she muttered, anger rising in her voice. "That's genocide."
Jeff gave a hollow laugh,
"They didn't see us as human."
Rover's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"
Jeff turned his gaze toward her "No country would ever consider it evil to deny a pig human rights," he said slowly. "So if you convince yourself that someone — someone who speaks another language, looks different, comes from another place is just a pig in human form…" He gave a small, cynical smile. "Then anything you do to them, killing, burning, starving them will never feel wrong. In fact they'll be happy to do it."
Rover froze. Her hands clenched into fists, trembling. "Those… animals."
Jeff shook his head slightly. "Don't insult animals what they did is incomparable," he murmured. "What they did went far beyond that."
Rover's chest rose, anger and sorrow fighting for space in her chest.
"The rest of us fled by sea. We managed to reach a neutral country… became refugees." His eyes darkened. "But the world didn't stop burning. Nations still turned on each other like rabid dogs. Everyone is fighting for scraps of what was left."
He leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees. "I spent the next two years trying to fight back."
Rover's brows furrowed. "Why?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "After everything you went through… why keep fighting?"
Jeff's lips twitched into something like a tired smile, but with a glimmer of fire still inside. "It's because of what I've been through that I couldn't stop. That I couldn't give up the fight."
Rover blinked, startled by the conviction in his tone.
Jeff continued, his gaze distant but fierce. "Giving up just because you know your dream can never come true sitting around and waiting for fate to crush you that's one way to live." He looked at her now, eyes shining faintly. "But standing up, fighting against fate, even when you know you'll lose… that's something else entirely."
For a moment, Rover couldn't speak. Her throat tightened, her heart aching with admiration. He looked so worn down, yet that spark of defiance still burned in his eyes. It drew her in like gravity.
Jeff ran a hand through his hair. "We hid underground. Used businesses as fronts to fund the resistance, to gather intel. I spent two years doing that."
He gave a humorless chuckle. "We even ran a telecom company as a cover. It was supposed to be a communications hub, but really it was a spy network a lifeline for what was left of our fight."
Rover watched him closely. His posture had slumped again. That brief flame of determination had dimmed, replaced by exhaustion.
"But as the days went by," Jeff said quietly, "I stopped seeing the point."
Rover frowned. "Why?"
He lifted his eyes to hers, and for the first time, Rover saw just how tired he truly was.
"There's nothing left to go back to," he said, voice trembling slightly. "Everyone I love is gone. Every promise I made, I broke. Every person I swore to protect… died."
He let out a bitter laugh that sounded more like a sigh. "What kind of man does that make me, huh? A hero? No. Just a fucking failure."
Rover's chest ached. She wanted to tell him he was wrong, that surviving wasn't failure, that losing everything didn't erase what he'd done to protect them but the words caught in her throat.
Instead, she reached out, resting a gentle hand on his arm.
Jeff didn't look at her, but he didn't pull away either. His eyes stared somewhere far beyond the room, lost in ghosts only he could see.
"I spent the rest of my days doing something I found hopeless," he murmured, eyes distant, lost somewhere far beyond the room. "I had just turned twenty-eight then… but I couldn't find a reason to last another year."
Rover's brows furrowed. She wanted to scold him to shout that he had every reason to live but the look in his eyes made her stop.
Jeff inhaled sharply. "Then one night… when I was about to go home—"
He suddenly winced, pressing his fingers against his temples. A pained grunt escaped his lips.
"Jeff?" Rover quickly moved closer, alarm flaring in her voice. She reached out, steadying him by the shoulders.
"I—" His voice trembled. "Then blank. I can't remember anything beyond that point."
He stared at his trembling hands as if trying to dig the truth out of his skin. "The next thing I knew… I woke up in the Gorges Spirits. It felt like I'd been thrown into a completely different world."
I literally was, he thought.
Rover's expression softened; she knew that feeling all too well.
Jeff exhaled shakily. "A few minutes later, that's when I met you."
Rover's heart clenched. His story was a roller coaster of emotion and somehow, he was standing right in front of her.
"I still don't know how I got here," Jeff continued quietly. "Or how I'm connected to this place. My past it's blank, like someone wiped it clean. I'm just as clueless as you are."
Rover was silent, taking it all in.
Jeff's gaze fell to the floor. "I wouldn't blame you for seeing me differently."
Before he could say more, Rover's hand snapped across his cheek.
Jeff blinked, startled. "R-Rover—"
"Don't ever say that again." Her voice cracked with anger, eyes filled with tears. "I told you from the beginning didn't I that I'm here for you, no matter what. Do you take me for a liar?"
"N-No!" Jeff quickly raised his hands, eyes wide.
"Good." She leaned closer, her voice trembling but fierce. "If you think my feelings for you are that shallow, think again. Nothing you say could ever change what I feel for you."
Jeff stared at her, speechless, her face flushed with emotion, her hands balled into trembling fists.
Rover took a deep breath, softening. "The mysterious circumstances of how we got here… they can wait."
Jeff exhaled, shoulders loosening. "Thank you, Rover… for listening. For lending me your shoulders."
She gave a small, teasing smile through the tears. "Don't mention it. Dealing with your emotional baggage is part of the job description of loving you."
Jeff laughed a weak, genuine laugh that eased the tension. Then his voice softened again. "No, seriously. Thank you. You saved my life more times than I can count in ways you couldn't imagine. You gave me a reason to fight again. You became that reason."
Rover's eyes glistened. Her lips parted as her breath hitched. "Oh, Jeff…"
"I mean it," he said, voice trembling.
"I promised you, didn't I?" she whispered, stepping closer. "You still don't believe me, do you?"
He opened his mouth to deny it, but before he could Rover grabbed his collar and kissed him.
An unspoken oath sealed on trembling lips.
It was the kiss of a vow, a promise sworn before fate itself.
Like the kiss of an oath, a promise made to the Reaper.
Her voice broke softly against his lips. "We'll always be together. No matter what Solaris throws at us. We'll keep fighting for each other. Let's see this through to the end together."
Until death do they part?
No. They refused such a fragile ending and certainly do not wish for such a finite happiness. The winds of war would not scatter their love. Not even death would dare.
"I'll always be there for you, no matter what," she whispered, forehead pressed to his. "I'll never leave you behind. Remember that."
It would take a miracle to keep such a promise on a battlefield where death lurked at every shadow. But when two hearts decide to defy fate together that promise becomes an oath.
"…So I need you to always return to my side."
Jeff's hands tightened around hers.
"No matter how rough it gets… come back to me. Safe and sound."
Rover's last thought burned like a prayer in her heart:
I don't want anyone to take him from me. I want him to be mine.
Jeff suddenly stood up, the bedsheets rustling softly as he pushed himself away from the edge of the bed.
Rover looked up, her expression shifting from confusion to worry. "Where are you going?"
Jeff exhaled, running a hand through his hair. His eyes were still red from crying, but his tone tried to sound light. "Outside, I guess. I still need some space to clear my head. To process… everything. You know dry my tears."
He gave a weak chuckle, forcing a grin. "I already cried enough on your shoulder. If I cry any more, my pride as a man's gonna take permanent damage. Besides, crying in front of a lady is lame."
Rover couldn't help but laugh soft and genuine. "You're impossible."
"Yeah," Jeff said, smiling faintly.
Rover stood up, crossing her arms but her eyes were gentle. "Okay. Just… don't take too long, alright?"
"I won't," he promised.
Before she could say anything else, Jeff leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the lips.
Rover blinked, cheeks tinged pink. "Smooth," she muttered under her breath as he headed for the door.
Jeff stepped out into the night
He leaned against the railing and took a long breath, staring up at the fractured sky.
Then his terminal blinked to life.
A soft digital chime cut through the silence.
Jeff frowned. "Who the hell's messaging me at this hour?"
He opened his terminal, and the holographic screen expanded in front of him.
Anonymous Message:
Same as last time, Jeff. You know how to find me.
Jeff's brows are knitted. "Who? Who's this?…Wait—" His eyes widened slightly. "Yinlin…?"
He groaned softly. "Another riddle, are you serious? Damn it, this woman loves being cryptic."
Jeff sighed, muttering to himself. "A letter without a signature. It can only mean one thing." He clenched his fist. "Yinlin. She's waiting for me."
He glanced around the quiet walkway, scanning the shadows. "Same as last time, she said... Must be the wolf markings."
Activating his sensor, faint symbols began glowing across the metallic surface of the walls stylized wolf prints, pulsing faintly in violet light.
"Guess this is my trail," Jeff muttered, setting off.
He followed the glowing marks through the winding paths down a stairwell, across narrow bridges, until the final mark led him to an open platform overlooking the city lights below.
Yinlin was there.
She stood at the edge, wind tugging at her long, red hair. Her gaze was fixed on the horizon — where the night sky met the endless sprawl of Solaris.
When Jeff approached, she didn't turn around.
"Splendid view, right?"
Jeff crossed his arms. "You said you owed me an explanation."
"I do," she replied, finally turning to face him. "As promised."
Jeff took a cautious step closer. "Had you been planning to get me involved from the start?"
Yinlin shook her head slowly. "No. I wasn't expecting to meet you."
She turned back toward the city, her expression distant. "My order was simply to oversee our deal with the Fractsidus."
"You were just a pawn in my plan," Yinlin said at last. "A way to find where Lirong kept the puppets."
"A pawn, huh?"
Yinlin gave a small, humorless laugh. "Around that time, Dollmaker caught wind of your… special abilities. He asked me to bring you to that safe house."
Jeff scoffed, rubbing the back of his neck where he could still almost feel the sting. "You zapped me a little too hard back there."
Her lips curved into a sly grin. "Oh, really? I even upped the voltage for the best effect. Was that just a little zap to you?"
Jeff shot her a look. "You call that 'little'? My nerves still remember it."
"Hehe…" Yinlin's chuckle was soft, but her eyes flicked toward him with curiosity. "No wonder our Dollmaker took such an interest in that body of yours."
"So he couldn't recover my memories?"
Yinlin shook her head. "Unfortunately, no. He tried but he couldn't gain access."
"According to him, you possess a power beyond his understanding. Something that kept him from prying into your mind."
Jeff blinked, confused. "Power? What are you talking about?"
Yinlin looked away. "He said he couldn't read your mind without risking his own sanity. Let alone retrieve any information. I can't imagine what the hell is going on beneath that skull of yours."
Yinlin exhaled, her voice softer now. "Who knows? Maybe you helped some strangers again, only to mess with the wrong person and ended up with your memories missing."
Jeff gave a humorless chuckle. "That sounds like me."
"I say you should stop playing hero," Yinlin said, tilting her head slightly, her vermillion hair falling over one eye. "Take better care of yourself. You'll live longer that way."
Jeff smiled faintly. "Are you… worried about me?"
Yinlin's eyes darted to him for just a moment before she smirked. "Don't think I need to be. You can handle yourself just fine." Then, after a pause, her tone softened. "But… if you ever need my help, just let me know."
Her gaze drifted off again, to the endless horizon of city lights. "We have a lot in common, you and I. Both alone in this world."
"Maybe I'll keep you in my thoughts,"
Yinlin murmured. "A reminder that I'm not the only solitary soul out there." She gave a quiet laugh. "Eventually, we'll both learn to move through life with loneliness."
Her next words came quieter, almost a whisper. "Perhaps the same loneliness was too much for the Dollmaker to bear… That's why he gave up everything to resurrect my parents."
Jeff's brows furrowed. "He had companions. He just… never cherished them."
"Yes." Yinlin's voice cracked slightly, then steadied. "After my parents' death, we all became chess pieces to him. Myself included. He raised me to be a Patroller — but only to use me." She looked back at Jeff. "He needed a mole inside the Bureau."
"And you became one."
"I did," she said. "But I failed to stay by his side, as he wanted. Maybe I really was a betrayer to him."
Jeff's tone turned cold. "He dug his own grave."
Yinlin's lips pressed into a thin line. "Yes… We all have to face the consequences of our actions. I won't defend him. But if I'd acted sooner, maybe this whole mess could've been avoided."
She let out a shaky breath. "Why didn't I do something? Perhaps I was too busy clinging to that naive dream like everyone else in the Séance Society."
Jeff tilted his head. "Dream?"
Yinlin's gaze softened, filled with an ache he hadn't seen before. "The dream of finally meeting my parents again. Of having a real family." She let out a bitter laugh. "I indulged in it more than I care to admit. Deep down, I knew it was built on the sacrifices of innocent lives… but I couldn't bear to shatter it."
Jeff's voice was gentle. "In the end, you still fulfilled your duty. As a Patroller."
She glared at him then sighed. "Hmph. Because I met you."
Jeff blinked. "Me?"
"A total outsider," she said, smiling faintly. "Risking his life for me and for all those people. You're reckless, but… you reminded me why I started fighting."
Her eyes lingered on him. "But a lot remains unresolved. The dollmaker was just one cog in the machine. A bigger shadow still lingers."
Jeff's tone grew serious. "The Fractsidus."
"Yes," Yinlin said with a slow nod. "We must stay vigilant until we expose the true culprits and destroy their plans for good."
Jeff arched a brow. "We?"
Yinlin smirked. "Don't tell me you're pulling out at this point?"
Jeff crossed his arms. "Depends. Are you planning to fry my brain again?"
Yinlin stepped closer close enough for him to see the sharp curve of her smile. "If you are," she said softly, "I might have to wipe my true identity from your head by force…"
Jeff raised both hands, grinning nervously. "Please go easy on me."
Yinlin laughed. "Relax. It was a joke." Then, with rare sincerity, she added, "Anyway, I should thank you. Because of you, I accomplished more than I ever thought possible. Saved more lives than I imagined."
Jeff looked at her. "Do you mean that?"
Yinlin gave him a teasing smile, her amber eyes glinting. "Hehe… well, take a guess."
She turned to leave. "Oh, and one last thing," she said without looking back. "Despite your earlier distrust, still I thank you for trusting me. All the way till the very end."
She paused for a heartbeat, the night wrapping around her silhouette.
"Until we meet again, Jeff…"
Her tone was almost tender now a rare vulnerability in her voice.
"Perhaps I'll meet you under an entirely different identity next time."
Then, like the phantom she'd always been, Yinlin vanished into the shadows leaving Jeff alone with his thoughts beneath the fractured sky once more.
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Author's note:
Hello everyone, feel free to leave your collections, powers, reviews, and comments as you see fit. Please.
I hope I didn't make this final chapter cringy and edgy asf. This chapter and arc should flesh out Jeff as character, I hope it did its job. And the next arc won't be depressing and sad, but will focus more on fluff and actions. That's all; thank you for reading this fanfic, and I hope you have a good day.