"Hey Jean, can we talk real quick?" I asked, walking up to her casually, Lina trailing behind me.
Jean looked up and nodded. "Yeah, sure."
I walked past her and, without another word, teleported us to the canyon.
"Man… I never get used to this, Ren. You know that?" Jean muttered, brushing some dust off her jacket.
I didn't respond.
"…" Jean looked at me, waiting.
"…" I stayed silent.
"Hehe…" Jean laughed softly, then smirked. "Right. I figured it out."
I groaned and facepalmed. "Yeah. You caught me."
Lina raised an eyebrow and asked, "Huh. Jean, what are you talking about?"
Jean turned toward her. "Oh, it's her," she said confidently. "Her body might be different, but the way she talks, moves, even how she teleports—it's all the same. It's Ren."
"Yeah… I'm terrible at hiding that," I admitted with a sigh.
It doesn't help that I try to hide it even more, and Jean has quite a sealed mouth.
Jean crossed her arms. "You really are. You teleported in front of everyone in the meeting room. You're lucky teleportation has gotten way more common these years. Also, you don't even look close to how you looked a few months ago."
"Well, I'm a dragon, technically," I said, tapping the faint scales under my eyes.
Jean blinked. "D-Dragons exist in the demon realm?"
I nodded. "They're not exactly the dragons you might imagine, but they're close. We have the build for humanoids and scales. You know Artemis from before—she was a full white dragon. I'm just half-black."
Luna, quiet until now, glanced between us. "This is private, right?" she asked cautiously.
I nodded again. "Stays between us three."
Jean frowned slightly. "But… you're not human anymore, are you?"
"…No," I said. "Only my appearance still passes for human. Well, except for the horn and scales."
"…Was it your choice?" Jean asked softly.
"That Leah turned me? No," I replied. "She just did it."
Jean's voice turned sharp. "That dis—"
"Don't," I cut her off, holding up a hand. "She gave me a new family, alright? It wasn't right, but it worked out. I've got seven siblings now."
Jean opened her mouth, hesitated… then looked past me and frowned. "What about Luna?"
I turned.
Luna stood at the edge of the canyon, arms folded tightly around herself. Her eyes were red. Tears streamed silently down her cheeks.
"Why are you crying?" I asked, voice more defensive than I meant it to be.
Jean stepped forward quickly. "Hey, Luna, what's wrong?" she asked, concern rising in her voice.
Luna swallowed hard. Her voice cracked. "So… you're really alive."
I stared at her. "Yes. I'm alive. But what's that to you? You had years to reach out. So I assumed you didn't care."
"Ren!" Jean snapped, glaring at me.
I waved her off. "Calm her down. I'll be back with lunch," I muttered and teleported away.
"Fucking annoying shits… huh?" I muttered, coming to a halt as I looked around.
My boots crunched down on unfamiliar ground—twilight shadows and fractured stone stretched around me. This definitely wasn't the canyon. I blinked, confused. This isn't the human realm.
"How am I here?"
"That," came a calm voice from behind me, "is what I'd like to know as well."
I turned.
Lina emerged from my shadow, brushing nonexistent dust off her cloak, arms folded like a tired mother catching her child sneaking sweets.
"Lina?" I asked, exasperated. "Please tell me you dragged me here."
"Nope," she said lightly, eyeing me up and down. "You did this all by yourself, Ren."
"Great," I sighed, rubbing my temples. "Just... great. What on earth is happening today?"
Lina didn't respond right away. She stepped closer and glanced around, as if checking for instability in the surrounding space.
"…So," she said eventually, "how did you end up here?"
"I was teleporting from the human realm. Just a quick jump to get lunch for Jean and Luna—then poof. I end up wherever this is."
She gave a thoughtful hum. "And you weren't actively thinking about this place?"
"No. I just wanted to grab some dumplings and head back."
"...Right." She knelt down, ran a hand along the stones, and then stood. "Well, this confirms something Leah suspected."
I raised an eyebrow. "Which is?"
"You're... adapting faster than expected," she said. "Your dragon blood is stabilizing, and your affinity for your powers has definitely increased. You didn't teleport randomly. You latched onto a memory imprint embedded in your subconscious."
"A memory of what?"
"Here," Lina answered simply.
"…So you're saying I can teleport between realms and worlds?"
"Pretty much," she said with a smile. "To be fair, this isn't the worst outcome."
I let out a long breath. "So this isn't a punishable offense?"
Lina shook her head gently. "No. Honestly, teleportation isn't as rare as we used to think. Humans have been using teleportation more and more in fights and missions."
"…The what?" I blinked.
"Think of it like swimming," she explained. "You can thrash through water, or you can feel the current and flow with it. Your power is starting to flow. Which is good."
"But I still freaked out the humans," I muttered. "The Saintess knows who I am. Luna too. And the poker incident didn't help."
"Mmm," Lina said noncommittally, then raised an eyebrow. "You told Luna?"
"No… she figured it out. Kind of hard not to when you say weirdly specific things in a pissed-off tone and then teleport away with her."
Lina gave me a look.
I folded my arms. "…Okay, maybe not the most diplomatic moment."
"Ren, you're not in trouble. You're under observation." She gave me a gentle pat on the shoulder. "You're doing fine. You're still adjusting. If anything, this is just… ahead of schedule."
I glanced at her. "That sounds like code for, 'You broke the rules, but we didn't expect you to follow them anyway.'"
She smirked. "You're not wrong."
I couldn't help but laugh. Just a little. "Thanks, I guess."
"But," she added, "if you start teleporting into restricted places—like, say, the middle of the throne room naked—we will have a talk."
I rolled my eyes. "I'll make sure to bring snacks next time."
"Good. I prefer blood oranges."
"So," Lina said, voice softening, "how are you holding up, really?"
I hesitated. "I'm... managing."
She waited patiently.
I sighed. "Meeting Luna again messed with me more than I thought. She looked like someone I hated. She was someone I hated. But now she's crying and trying, and I don't know if I should scream at her or hug her."
Lina placed a hand on my back, firm and steady. "You don't have to decide right away. Pain doesn't need permission to linger. Just don't let it become the only thing you hold onto."
"…You're surprisingly poetic today."
"I had tea earlier."
I snorted.
She tilted her head. "Now, how's the planning?"
"Marasuki and I are splitting the main defense forts. I'm with the U.S. teams; she's with the EU. Zelda's handling the boys. The Saintess is covering the girls. Pretty standard split."
"Strategically smart," Lina said. "But I assume you're still suspicious of the humans?"
"Always." I shrugged. "But I already told them, if they find the boss's location, they better call me immediately. Even if they don't like me."
"Good instincts." Lina nodded approvingly. "But don't count on them doing that the first time."
"I know. That's why I plan to show off early. Scare them a little. Let them know I'm stronger than most."
"Most?" she echoed.
"Marasuki could kick my ass."
"Fair."
"General Zelda? Not sure. She's older now, maybe slower."
"Or maybe smarter," Lina added.
"Shut up." I grinned.
She chuckled. "Alright. Go feed your humans. I'll talk to Uwe and let him know what's going on."
I took a deep breath and nodded. "Thanks, Lina."
She gave my back a quick rub before disappearing into the shadows again.
And with that, I teleported back—hopefully to the right canyon this time.
Back at the canyon, I reappeared with takeout in hand.
Jean looked up. "You're back already?"
"Yeah. Got food," I replied, handing them their boxes.
Luna sat quietly on a rock now, hands folded in her lap. She had stopped crying, but her shoulders were still tight, her gaze distant.
I sat down. "So… what now?"
Jean glanced at Luna. "Luna… maybe you should tell her."
Luna didn't look up. Her voice was quiet. "As you know… that woman, our mother, abandoned me when I was eighteen. She found me in bed with my friend."
I stayed silent. "Yeah?" I said, prompting her.
"She didn't even yell," Luna continued. "She just… flew me out to the EU. Dropped me with nothing but some paperwork and an entry permit for the military academy."
A long pause hung in the air.
"I got busy," Luna said softly. "Training, surviving, climbing ranks. I tried to forget. I even tried reaching out to our sister… but Mom intercepted everything."
I narrowed my eyes. "If you want me to believe something like that, then I will walk away."
"Ren—" Jean interjected, voice sharp.
"Don't," I said flatly. "She's not family anymore."
"Ren!" Jean snapped, glaring now. "That's not fair."
"I'm sorry, Jean. But it's the truth," I said. "I'm not human anymore. And I do have blood ties to the queen of demons. She didn't birth me, but she chose me. That means something."
Luna finally looked up at me. Her voice trembled. "I… I should have tried harder. I know that."
Jean didn't speak, only watched us.
I exhaled, quieter now. "I haven't heard from you in fifteen years, Luna. Not once. You've been a ghost."
"I know," Luna whispered. "And I'm sorry."
Silence settled over us like ash.
"…But," I said eventually, "we can be friends. Start from there."
Luna blinked. "Wait, what?"
"I don't know you anymore. So I don't hate you either. Let's just… move on," I said, a grin creeping up as I glanced at Jean. "Especially seeing as you caught Jean's eyes."
Jean blushed. "Ren!"
I chuckled. "Don't pretend like I didn't notice."
Luna blinked, startled, but smiled faintly.
"Even though I abandoned you?" she asked hesitantly.
"You didn't try hard enough. That's different."
Luna's voice lowered. "When you joined the military, I thought I could find you again. But you were in a secret unit. No one could contact you without going through Owen Bell."
I blinked. "Wait. Seriously?"
Jean nodded. "Yeah. You were Black Ops level secret. People knew you existed, but no one could reach you. They were afraid of what you'd become."
"…That's news to me," I said, surprised.
Jean smirked. "So are you going to call her 'sister' again?"
I stared at her. "No. Don't push it."
Jean shrugged. "Fair enough. Luna, you good?"
Luna wiped her eyes with the back of her sleeve and nodded. "I'll do my best."
"Good." I handed her the box of food. "Eat."
A few bites into the meal, Jean glanced over at me. "Hey, Ren—what's the demon realm like?"
I shrugged. "Not that different, honestly. More dangerous beasts. Better resources. Wild terrain. A lot more... raw power floating around."
"Ah, I see."
Jean looked up again. "Oh, and what happened to your warehouse?"
I tilted my head. "Two theories, it either self-detonated... or it was Liny."
Jean's eyebrows rose. "Are you going to—?"
"I told you. I moved on."
"But it's only been—"
"Jean." I glared at her.
Jean met my eyes… then laughed. "You know your glare's not that scary anymore."
"What? Seriously?" I frowned. "Dammit, I really hate my eyes."
Luna raised a hand timidly. "Sorry, but… I disagree. The first time she glared at me, I got full-body chills."
"Oh, please," Jean said, pulling out her phone. "You should've seen her old glare. Here. This photo."
Luna leaned over and squinted at the screen. "Holy shit. That's not a glare. That's divine judgment."
"Exactly," Jean said proudly.
I rolled my eyes. "Tsk. Moving on."
I stood and stretched.
"Why not have a spar?" Jean suggested, springing up excitedly. "Two against one. No teleporting."
"You two don't even have your gear," I pointed out.
"We'll manage," Jean said with a shrug.
"No, you won't."
"Why not?" Luna asked, a little confused.
I sighed. "Let's get your gear first. Same rules: I won't teleport, but I will be using all my swords."
Jean raised an eyebrow. "Wait—why swords now? You used to rock daggers. Two of them."
Luna looked between us. "Also… why can't Ren teleport? It's two on one."
Jean chuckled. "Ren once beat a general in five minutes. A full SSS-rank team couldn't manage it, and more than half of them died."
Luna's eyes widened. "Their leader was a Bell, too?"
I gave her a nod.
"Seriously?!" Luna looked stunned.
Jean just grinned. "You'll understand when the fight starts."