"I-I AM TELLING YOU THAT’S THE ACCESS CODE!!!"
Nova’s scream tore through the scorching air as she struggled violently.
Her entire body hung suspended beyond the edge of the mountain pass, held aloft by nothing more than the iron grip crushing her throat.
Beneath her stretched a dizzying abyss where jagged rocks pierced upward like the teeth of some ancient beast, their razor-sharp edges waiting hundreds of meters below.
If she fell...
There wouldn’t even be enough of her left to recognise.
Her trembling hands clawed desperately at the hand strangling her neck.
"And I am telling you," Young Aether replied, his voice frighteningly calm, "that if you lie to me again... I will let go."
He stood firmly on the fractured cliff, his feet planted against the cracked stone as hot winds whipped around him.
^I... I don’t understand... She gave the access code, didn’t she? 15208518@MYLovE_10000.^
RIN asked in a confused tone, unable to understand why he remained so hostile despite Nova providing exactly what he had demanded.
"That isn’t an access code," Aether answered without taking his eyes off Nova. "It’s the emergency self-destruction sequence."
^...Wait. Really? How do you know that?^
"I have my own ways."
^...Tsk. You could at least admit you’re hiding something from me.^
Aether ignored the complaint.
His crimson visor remained fixed on Nova, studying every twitch of her face. Her breathing had become shallow and erratic as her body instinctively fought for oxygen. Every passing second made her weaker, her legs kicking helplessly above the endless drop.
"Let her go."
The dark voice came from the back of his mind.
"Do it."
Its tone carried neither anger nor excitement.
Only cold anticipation.
"Let her die."
Aether’s expression became even colder.
Without warning, one finger slowly lifted away from her throat.
Then another.
Then another.
The crushing pressure around Nova’s neck weakened just enough for hope to ignite inside her. But the instant she realised his grip was actually loosening, terror overwhelmed that hope.
She desperately grabbed onto his wrist with both hands, clinging to him with every ounce of strength she had left, afraid that the next second would send her plunging into the abyss.
"N-No... No! Please!" she cried, panic breaking every word. "I’ll give you 10,000 or 100,000 Aevum! It’s what you’re after, isn’t it? I’ll transfer everything! Just... don’t kill me! Please!"
Her voice cracked into desperate sobs as his fingers continued to loosen with terrifying slowness.
Aether remained completely unmoved.
His gaze never shifted.
His heartbeat never quickened.
His objective had never changed.
He wanted only one thing.
The real access code to the combat suit.
Nothing else.
Nova bit her lower lip until she tasted blood and dared another glance downward.
The sheer depth instantly twisted her stomach.
Her exposed skin had already turned red beneath the relentless heat, every breath scorching her lungs until she felt as though the moisture inside her body was evaporating with each inhale.
Her thoughts raced frantically.
Everyone wanted Aevum.
Aevum determined the existential value of a person’s existence itself. Wealth, authority, influence, even life and death could all bend before it.
Yet none of it mattered to him.
Only... Her suit.
Why?
Why would someone risk everything for her combat suit?
She couldn’t understand it.
Yes, it stored classified military data. Yes, its quantum neural core contained restricted technology that only the highest-ranking officials could legally access. But even then...
None of it should have been worth more than Aevum itself.
Unless... He knew something she didn’t.
Slip!
"N-NO!!"
Nova’s body suddenly lurched downward.
For a split second, his fingers lost their hold.
The horrifying sensation of freefall slammed into her like lightning, snapping her back to reality. She kicked wildly in the air, desperately clawing at his armoured forearm as sheer panic consumed her.
"Please, Soldier!" she screamed, tears streaming down her face.
"I... I have someone I really need to protect! Please... I beg you! P-Please!!"
Those words...
Made Young Aether’s fingers stop.
^Heart Rate Elevation Detected.^
Without another word, he pulled her closer until her face was only inches from his visor. The glowing crimson optics behind it locked onto her.
"Who?"
^Heart Rate Elevation Detected... 300 bpm!!^
Nova froze.
Her lips trembled.
Young Aether stared directly into her shimmering yellow eyes. Their desperate light reflected across his visor, somehow melting the icy stillness behind his own gaze for the briefest instant.
His grip tightened again.
He crushed the strange feeling before it could grow.
"WHO?!" he roared.
The amplified voice thundered through the canyon.
Nova flinched violently before lowering her eyes.
"M-My..." Her voice shook uncontrollably.
"My daughter."
Thud!
The crushing grip around her neck disappeared.
Nova collapsed onto the rocky ground, coughing violently as precious air rushed back into her lungs. She rubbed her aching hip with a pained expression before instinctively looking up.
The Mech-suit stood directly before her.
Its crimson optical sensors remained fixed on her.
Although she couldn’t see the person behind the visor...
She could feel that cold stare piercing straight through her.
Instinctively, she slid backwards across the rough stone as Aether took one slow step toward her.
"Your daughter?" he asked coldly.
"There are no records indicating that you have a daughter."
His armoured hand slowly closed into a fist.
"If you lie to me again... I’ll slit your throat so slowly that you’ll feel every millimetre of the blade."
Nova’s entire body stiffened.
Goosebumps spread across her skin as fear settled deep into her bones.
"I-I really do have a daughter!" she stammered.
"S-S-Since I’m a Governor... I had my personal records erased for security reasons. Very few people know she exists."
"..."
Young Aether remained silent.
"Is she telling the truth?" he asked his AI.
^Possible.^
^Due to her executive authority over the division, she possesses clearance sufficient to classify or permanently erase personal records. The probability of her statement being true is within an acceptable range.^
RIN wasn’t completely certain.
Still...
It was a reasonable conclusion.
Even commanders concealed their identities beneath armoured helmets. A Governor protecting the existence of her child wasn’t impossible.
Nova wasn’t sure why the mysterious soldier’s attitude had suddenly shifted.
But she wasn’t foolish enough to question it.
This was her chance.
Once she escaped this portal...
Once she returned home...
She would mobilise every military asset under her command.
She would hunt this arrogant bastard to the ends of the earth until he paid for humiliating her.
"Your daughter..."
His voice interrupted her thoughts.
She blinked and looked back at him.
"Your... hmm..."
For the first time since they met...
He hesitated.
The terrifying soldier who had nearly thrown her off a mountain actually seemed unsure of what to say.
^Heart Rate Elevation Detected.^
He drew a slow breath before finally asking,
"Is she... al...alive?"
^...^
"..."
Both Nova and RIN fell completely silent.
Not because of the question itself...
But because...
^Man... she literally just said she needs to protect her daughter.^
^Anyone with even a single functioning brain cell could figure out the daughter is alive. Otherwise, who exactly is she trying to protect? A corpse? Seriously?!^
Inside the helmet...
Aether slowly closed his eyes.
"...Fuck."
He groaned inwardly.
He genuinely hadn’t realized how stupid that question sounded until after he had already asked it.
Young Aether remained silent, but behind the visor, his thoughts had already descended into complete disorder. Questions collided with one another until even he could no longer tell which answer he had been searching for in the first place.
^Honestly, I don’t understand your decision-making process.^ RIN sighed. ^If this was your primary objective, you could have asked her from the beginning. Instead, you demanded the access code first. According to my behavioural prediction model, the moment you saw her, your attention shifted toward her daughter. Yet you continued pretending otherwise... Was that your definition of "acting cool"?^
"..."
Young Aether neither denied nor confirmed her accusation.
Inside the holographic interface of his visor, RIN’s tiny bunny avatar folded her arms before wearing a smug grin, looking entirely satisfied by his silence as though she had already uncovered the truth herself.
She wasn’t completely wrong.
His original objective had indeed been to seize control of Nova’s combat suit first. Once the suit belonged to him, she would lose every advantage she possessed, leaving her with no choice but to answer whatever questions he asked afterwards.
It was the safest approach.
The most efficient one!
So why had he abandoned that plan the instant she mentioned her daughter?
Even he couldn’t answer that.
Nova lowered her head, her voice barely louder than a whisper.
"I... I don’t know."
"Huh?"
Young Aether immediately snapped out of his thoughts and looked directly at her.
"What do you mean you don’t know?" he asked, his tone hardening again. "Didn’t you just tell me that you needed to protect her?"
"I... I-I did." Nova swallowed nervously before forcing herself to continue.
"I just... don’t know whether she’s still aliv—"
"DON’T TEST MY PATIENCE, NUNU!!!"
His roar exploded across the mountainside.
The sound amplifier built into the combat suit magnified his voice until it resembled the detonation of heavy artillery, sending countless echoes rolling through the surrounding cliffs.
At the same moment, thick strands of pitch-black energy erupted from beneath his boots, spreading across the fractured ground like living shadows before instantly collapsing back into his body as though something inside him had momentarily tried to break free.
Nova recoiled in absolute terror.
Every muscle in her body froze as instinct overwhelmed reason. Her blood seemed to run cold, and every nerve screamed the same warning.
Run.
Run now!!
The figure standing before her no longer felt human.
He felt like a monster wearing the shape of one.
"I-I-I-I really don’t k-know!" Nova trembled uncontrollably. "The last time I saw her... was years ago... back in the Alpha Divisio—"
Her voice suddenly stopped.
She blinked.
Her frightened expression slowly shifted into confusion.
Did he just... call her...
"Nunu?"
Not Nova or Governor.
Nunu?
The familiar nickname struck her mind like lightning.
A forgotten memory, buried beneath years of time and responsibility, quietly resurfaced.
***
**
*
"...Since we’re going to become family, shouldn’t we have a nickname that’s only for us?"
A younger Nova smiled brightly as she leaned across the dining table, resting her chin on both hands while looking expectantly at the awkward young man sitting opposite her.
The room was warm and peaceful, sunlight spilling through the windows as the aroma of freshly brewed tea drifted lazily through the house.
Across from her, the young man sat as stiff as a wooden board.
Sweat rolled down his forehead in endless streams.
He looked less like someone meeting his future family and more like a criminal awaiting judgment.
"N-N-Nickname?" he stuttered, nearly biting his own tongue. "B-Between us? W-Why? Maybe we should wait for P-Pene..."
Nova couldn’t help smiling.
Watching him panic over something so trivial was simply too amusing.
She puffed out her cheeks into an exaggerated pout before crossing her arms.
"See? That’s exactly what I mean!" she complained. "You call her ’Pene,’ but every single time you see me, it’s always ’Mrs. Nova!’ ’Madam Nova!’ Every. Single. Time!"
She pointed an accusing finger toward him.
"I’m angry!"
Then, after deliberately holding the expression for another second, she huffed dramatically.
"I hate you!"
The young man offered an awkward, helpless smile as though he had wandered into a battlefield without realizing it.
"M-Madam..." he said cautiously. "I... I don’t think that’s a really good idea."
"Why do you think that?" Nova asked as she leaned toward him with a sly smile.
"After all, we’re going to become family, right? Don’t you want to marry us?"
"...Just Pene, right?" the young man asked, blinking in confusion... he must have heard wrong... right?
RIGHT?!
"Yes, Penelope... Only. Yeah... of course, what else do you think?" she answered with complete seriousness.
The young man quietly averted his trembling gaze, unable to look directly into her eyes. There was something strangely dangerous hidden beneath her warm smile, making it impossible for him to tell whether she was simply teasing him... or genuinely serious!
Nova couldn’t help smirking at his reaction.
"Come on, Aether," she said playfully. "It’ll just be between the two of us. We should strengthen our relationship, don’t you think?"
She rested her chin on her hand before narrowing her eyes mischievously.
"What if I decide to become one of those terrifying mothers-in-law?" she said in an exaggerated villainous voice. "’I won’t allow you to marry my daughter!’ Ho~Ho~Ho!!"
She dramatically crossed her arms and lifted her chin as though she were the final boss standing between two lovers.
The performance was so unexpectedly convincing that the young man almost burst into laughter.
"Pfft!"
Nova’s lips twitched as she struggled to maintain her intimidating expression.
"...Or something like that," she laughed. "Seriously though, I think it’s important for a future son-in-law to get along with his mother-in-law. Don’t you agree?"
The young man slowly nodded.
He understood exactly what she meant.
If someone wanted a peaceful married life, earning the trust of their partner’s parents was practically mandatory.
Otherwise...
Every family gathering would slowly turn into a Korean drama!
"What should I call you then?" he asked curiously.
Nova’s eyes sparkled.
She quietly clenched both fists in victory beneath the table before grinning from ear to ear.
"Anything you want," she answered proudly. "But I’ve already thought of a nickname for you."
She leaned closer.
"Aethy~"
"..."
"What?"
"Well..." he scratched his cheek awkwardly. "I guess it’s fine if that’s what you like, but... doesn’t it sound a little feminine?"
Nova simply smiled before giving him a playful wink.
"But I like it."
She pointed at him with a satisfied grin.
"And don’t worry. We’ll only use these nicknames when we’re alone."
"...A-Alone?"
"Yes~"
Her eyes sparkled with such suspicious excitement that the young man immediately began imagining every possible misunderstanding.
He wasn’t entirely convinced that she meant... ’Alone’!
"O-Okay..." he mumbled while avoiding eye contact. "Okay..."
A strange chill ran across his back.
"Now it’s your turn."
Nova pointed at herself before sitting up straight, eagerly waiting.
She couldn’t hide the excitement on her face as she wondered what nickname her future son-in-law would choose just for her.
The young man tilted his head, thinking carefully.
"Well... your friends call you Noa."
Nova nodded.
"And Pene calls you Noe."
She nodded again.
"So... maybe I should call you something that’s only between the two of us."
"Yes, yes!"
Nova leaned so far forward that she was practically sitting on the edge of her chair.
Her eyes shone with childlike anticipation.
The young man’s cheeks slowly turned pink.
"H-How about..."
He hesitated.
"N-Nunu?"
"..."
Silence immediately filled the room.
Nova blinked once.
Then twice.
Then a third time.
The young man began nervously fidgeting in his seat.
"I-Is it... not good?" he asked awkwardly. "I thought Nunu sounded cu—"
Before he could finish—
"YOU’RE SO CUTE, AETHY~!!"
Nova practically launched herself across the table.
The young man’s eyes widened in horror as she wrapped both arms around his head and pulled him tightly against her chest.
His entire face instantly turned scarlet!!
"Nunu..." she giggled happily while rubbing his hair. "I’ve never had anyone call me something this adorable before!
Mama loves you, Aethy~"
She squeezed him even tighter before planting an affectionate kiss on his forehead.
’D-Damn... she’s so soft... and she smells really ni...’
The dangerous thought barely formed inside his head before his survival instincts violently kicked in.
"N-No! No! NO!!"
He screamed in absolute panic.
"PENE!! PENEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!! SAVE MEEEEEEEE!!!!"
Flailing with everything he had, he finally escaped Nova’s embrace before sprinting toward the hallway as though his life depended on it.
Watching her future son-in-law flee in complete terror...
Nova simply blinked.
Then she covered her mouth.
"He’s so cute when I tease him... ahah~"
Her cheerful laughter echoed throughout the house as Aether disappeared around the corner, still screaming for Pene to rescue him from her overwhelming affectio—
"Oi. Are you listening?"
The cold voice shattered the memory like broken glass.
Nova blinked several times before reality came rushing back. The warm scene from years ago vanished without a trace, replaced by the blistering heat of the mountain and the towering suit standing before her.
She slowly lifted her head.
The crimson glow behind the dark visor remained locked onto her. Although his face was completely hidden beneath layers of advanced armour, she could still feel the weight of his icy stare pressing down on her.
Her vision gradually blurred.
Tears quietly gathered at the corners of her eyes, not from fear this time...
But from the memory of a nickname she thought had disappeared forever.
"Is your daughter really in Alpha City?" he asked.
Nova parted her lips.
"A—"
PUFFFF!!!
A dense pillar of brilliant emerald smoke suddenly erupted into the sky several kilometres away, expanding like a massive flare above the volcanic landscape. The cloud continued climbing higher as countless shimmering particles scattered through the air, forming a beacon that remained visible even through the waves of scorching heat distorting the horizon.
At the same instant, glowing warning windows burst across Young Aether’s visor.
^Emergency Beacon Detected.^
The bunny avatar instantly straightened, her cheerful expression disappearing as tactical information rapidly filled the display.
Young Aether narrowed his eyes behind the visor.
Someone... had just called for help.
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