Having experienced travelling through the void already, Leresa was only slightly woozy as we stood in front of the hotel door.

Shar, on the other hand, didn’t fare so well. “What on the Gods’ green grass was that!?” He shouted, before cupping a hand over his mouth and running to find the nearest waste bin.

I didn’t even spare him a glance as I took the key out of my pocket and inserted it into the door. It was at that exact moment that Hazeel’s body burst through the wall next to the door and landed to my immediate left.

I turned to her, wide-eyed, and went to check on the wood elf. “Hazeel, what happened!?”

I helped her up into a sitting position and she spat out blood, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “Your lover happened, Leo. She woke up and went into a fit. As soon as I walked through the bedroom door, she attacked me with the void energy you use. I’ll be fine.”

Hazeel stood up, and drew her buster sword as she stared at the door. “Stop, put that away! Let me talk to her.”

No sooner had I said the words than I felt photons begin to coagulate inside the apartment. Cursing to myself, I got into a position to intercept, and just barely got my hand up as a projectile invisible to a normal eye shot at me.

I dispersed the impact using my own photons, and saw Leresa tremble out of the corner of my eye as she watched the ground to my left and right get rendered under the force of Dantae’s bolt.

Hazeel’s own eyes widened, as she was unable to sense the projectile like I was. “Leo, do something!” Hazeel shouted, a bit of fear leaking out of her voice.

I was about to reassure her that everything was fine, when I heard the all too familiar sound of combat boots treading on the floor.

My mind started to run a million miles a minute. If Dantae was able to access her void storage and take out her spare combat uniform, then that spelled great signs for her recovery. Not only was she able to complete complex tasks with her photons, but she also remembered what she had in her inventory.

I ran up to the opening in the wall and stopped dead in my tracks. She was there. She was truly there. Exactly the same as I remember her, only with a scowl on her beautifully proportioned face.

Her clothes consisted of the outfit she wore when we served in the special forces together. Black cargo pants held up by a forest green belt, and a black bomber jacket zipped all the way up. Her loose silver hair tumbled off the sides of her jacket, and looked like smoke rolling off of a burned object.

“Dantae! I-” My sentence was cut off short as a reinforced combat boot hit me in the sternum, knocking me flat onto my back. I grunted, but mostly shook the blow off and quickly got to my feet.

“What are you doing!?” I screamed at her, but she was still scowling at me. Was it possible that she was moving unconsciously? I considered her for a moment, but immediately blocked out all thoughts as she instantly teleported through the void and appeared in front of me.

I cursed under my breath as I blocked another boot. I had spent so much time with her that I had forgotten who she was: Vanessa ‘Dantae’ Kumo. The most skilled person on Earth at manipulating photons, and the secret weapon against the Dimension Eaters.

She transported behind me, and I gave Hazeel a look. One which hopefully assured her that everything was going to be ok, and belied none of the fear I had in fighting my own fiancée .

With that interaction out of the way, I transported us both into Rexir’s courtyard, where hopefully none of the damage would be permanent, and no bystanders would get hurt.

I did see several people gardening in the courtyard, but a quick use of my powers and they were whisked away into the Scarlet Tower. I had no doubt that they would become sick from the transfer, but it was better than being executed by a one-woman army.

She tried to teleport again, but I jammed her transfer with my own powers. She exhaled, and pulled out a gun from her waist belt.

My brow furrowed as I lunged behind a tree. While I was preventing her from using her powers, I couldn’t manipulate photons outside of those that were dedicated to keeping hers at bay.

I peeked out quickly, and immediately ducked back in time to avoid being shot in the head. From the brief glimpses I caught of the gun, it was the standard issue A.D.E shotgun.

The Anti Dimension Eater weapon had reinforced bullets, and was designed to inject the target with a slow-acting poison that drained the target of their photons.

That was when used against hulking masses of destruction. Used against me, and one shot would likely render me unconscious.

‘Think. Think, damn it! How do I get out of this situation?’ My urgency came to a head when Dantae rounded the corner, the gun trained on me. I held up my hands, and briefly considered teleporting out, but that train of thought soon hit a dead end.

Even if I were to assume that I could gather the photons necessary to teleport, who’s to say that she wouldn’t prevent me from using mine as I had done to her previously?

“Cadet Jones, is that you?” Dantae looked confused, and holstered her pistol. “Sorry, you look so different than when I last saw you, but-”

Her words were cut short as I tackled her to the ground in a bear hug. “Dantae! I’m so glad-” She pushed me off of her, a furious blush on her face.

“Control yourself cadet! Also, don’t call me by that name. Use either my call sign, or refer to me by rank. I don’t recognize where we are, but if you’re here I assume we at least have a safe base of operations to use. Lead me there, and then give me the sitrep once we’ve reached a secure location.”

My face fell, and only questions remained in my head. Long gone was the happiness of having her back, and now I was only concerned for her well being. “D- Lieutenant Kumo, what year is it now?”

This time, it was her eyes that widened as she surveyed the surrounding area. “Have we been eaten by a Dimension Eater? General Armando always theorized that these monstrous beings could house pocket dimensions within themselves, but I always dismissed it as just daydreaming by a scientist who wasn’t too informed.”

She stopped talking, and I asked again, “Lieutenant, you didn’t answer my question. What year is it right now?”

She stared me down, and honestly, it unnerved me a little. Having a gaze filled with contempt aimed at me by someone who I love and cherish is a painful thing to go through.

“The last I was aware, it was 2016. Why?” My mouth went agape and I stared into her eyes, causing her to narrow her own.

She doesn’t remember anything from the past three years!? None of our fighting together, surviving together… not even falling in love or getting engaged!? None of it!? What was I even- I stopped myself before I could finish that thought, not wanting myself to spiral even further into depression.

“Stop staring at me like a brain dead animal and take me to where you’ve been staying. From your look, I have a lot to be caught up on.”

I saluted her, an action which came all too naturally to me, and started walking off into the direction of the hotel. I quickly hid my trembling hands in my pockets to prevent her from seeing them.

Contrarily to how difficult things had been that day, she followed me obediently, and soon we were outside the palace and walking down the streets of the marketplace. Dantae acted much the same as I had during my first month in this new world, staring at each new species of demi-human that crossed her path with fascinated eyes.

“It almost-”

“Almost reminds you of the Animal Friends manga you read as a child, doesn’t it?” I heard her stop in place, no doubt wanting to make a scene about how I knew of her childhood, but I just kept walking.

Eventually, I heard her footsteps continue behind me and I smiled to myself. That’s the Vanessa I remembered, never one to hold onto her own feelings for long, and always putting the mission, or her own safety first.

Soon, we reached the hotel, or what was left of it, anyway. The walls certainly needed repairs, and I found Hazeel sitting on the steps of a broken doorway. “Hey, Leo. It seems everything ended well.”

Maybe my grimace said more than words could explain, but she immediately looked behind me and glared at Dantae. “You better have not done anything to hurt Leo.”

Apparently, Dantae took offense to the wood elf’s tone, because she responded with a middle finger. “What did you say, bitch? You’d better keep your thoughts to yourself before I tear you a new one.”

The two alphas walked closer to each other and drew their weapons. Hazeel drawing her buster sword, and Dantae pulling out her shotgun. “Wait!” I was absentmindedly staring at the two, but came to quickly as the impending threat of violence drew closer. “Let’s use the room next door. I can explain everything there.”

Hazeel quickly turned on her heels to go inside the room, but Dantae stayed firmly rooted in place. Sighing, I whisked her away with photons.

Soon after, Hazeel and I entered the apartment to find a very grumpy Dantae. “I was thinking this before, cadet, but aren’t your powers over photons much better than what your case file said? Were you sandbagging on the practical exam for this task force?”

“I can explain.” I sighed. “First, though, can I please make something to eat? I’m starving.” Hazeel agreed, and a stomach rumble betrayed Dantae’s hardened expression.

Several minutes and a quick trip to the market later, I was in the kitchen cooking a version of the fried food we ate at Rexir Lu Minami’s palace the other day. I noticed Dantae staring at me as I worked in the kitchen, and then noticed as Hazeel joined in.

“Has cooking always been one of your skills, cadet? You’ll make a fine husband one day.” My heart clenched at the familiar conversation that had been the start of our relationship four years ago.

However, that small dialogue from her set my heart at ease as well. No matter how she acted now, she was still the same person underneath. Whether this was temporary or not, I couldn’t tell, but I believed she and I could return to our former relationship. I needed to believe.

“Lunch is ready, ladies.” The two women were still staring each other down as I set the plates in front of them. Hazeel was the first to break eye contact, eating the fried meat on her plate with a look of ecstasy.

“Is this the same as from the palace, Leo? You really have a talent for cooking.” I smiled at her compliment. I needed to remember that despite the situation between Dantae and I right now, I still had another person who loved me unconditionally, and would support me through this.

“Palace? What exactly have you been up to cadet? And where are we?” I sighed, dreading the talk that had yet to come.

I pulled up a chair, and took a seat at the rectangular table, setting my own plate in front of me in the process. “I guess we should start at the beginning. It’s nice to see you again, Lieutenant Vanessa Kumo. My name is Leo Jones, former cadet under your employ, photon-user, special agent of the U.S. military, and your fiancé.”