Modern Cultivation : The Strongest Couple Bonded by Vampire System

Velna, Mira, and Tovik exchanged glances, brows furrowed.

Velna was the first to speak, voice even and skeptical. "What do you mean by strange, Captain?"

Tovik leaned forward, chewing on the last of his rations. "You talking about Curse from those ruins?"

Mira narrowed her eyes, her tone quiet but sharp. "You're not talking about ghosts, are you?"

Alex leaned back, resting on his elbows, staring up at the black canopy above them. "No, not ghosts. Not curses either."

He paused, eyes glinting faintly in the firelight.

"I mean the world itself," he said. "You ever feel like something's just… off? Like the sky's too perfect? Like the monsters show up at just the right time? Or how the system knows exactly what reward you want the moment you complete a mission?"

Tovik frowned. "That's just the gods, isn't it? Valkarion sees all, blah blah divine design. Typical church talk."

Velna's jaw tensed. "I don't care much for religion. But yeah… I've had that feeling. Like the war never really ends.

We win a battle, pull back for a breath, and then we're shipped off again. And this has been going on for centuries. It's like the world's stuck in a loop."

Mira nodded slightly, her voice soft but precise.

"Or how no one ever questions it. Why are we even at war in the first place?

They say it's over resources… but the gods' blessings provide enough for everyone. So what are we fighting for?"

Tovik leaned back against a broken stone, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I asked that once. Back when I was new. Thought I was being clever." He let out a dry laugh.

"The priest smacked me over the head with his staff and said, 'Doubt is the door to heresy.'"

Alex scoffed. "Of course he did."

"Then he told me war is divine will. That conflict purifies the soul." Tovik rolled his eyes. "Yeah, real purifying. Without it the blessing will than stop.'"

Velna spat to the side. "Funny how the priests never seem to fight in the purifying."

Alex leaned forward slightly, his voice low and calm. "And everyone all just lived with this? No one tried to dig deeper?"

"We've all thought about it," Mira said quietly. "But thoughts don't buy you time. You start asking too many questions, and suddenly you're reassigned. Or disappear."

"There was a captain in my last unit," Velna added.

"Smart. Too smart. Started keeping records. One day he just didn't show up. Official report said he fell in combat. But it's weird I remember he still have two life left."

Tovik shook his head.

Alex sat back, fingers tapping idly against his knee, as he considered his next words.

He wasn't trying to convince them they were living in some grand illusion. Not yet. All he needed… was a seed.

"You're not wrong," he said quietly, voice just above the fire's soft crackle. "It does feel like something out there wants us to keep fighting."

The silence that followed was heavy. Mira's gaze lingered on the flames. Velna didn't speak, but her brow furrowed. Tovik tilted his head, thoughtful, chewing on the end of a leather strap.

Alex leaned forward slightly, then stood.

"That's enough talk for one night," he said, tone shifting back to something more casual. "You all should get some rest. I'll take first watch."

Velna nodded once and stretched her legs. Mira slipped down from the stone wall and disappeared into the shadows. Tovik grumbled something about needing better rations before rolling onto his side.

As the fire dimmed and the camp settled, none of them spoke another word.

But as they lay there, eyes half-shut and minds half-awake, one thought quietly echoed among them, 'what did he mean by that?'

And Alex just smiled faintly to himself. 'Good seed planted.'

He moved quietly through the camp, checking each perimeter point with.

The night air was still, the forest wrapped in silence, broken only by the faint rustle of leaves and the low breathing of sleeping soldiers.

That's when he saw her. The same soldier from earlier, the one who looked too much like Faerith.

She was sitting alone on a chunk of broken stone, posture straight, eyes distant. Her hands rested on her knees, unmoving.

Alex approached, his voice low but casual. "Can't sleep, soldier?"

She looked up, blinking once. "No, Captain. Sorry. Just… couldn't settle."

He stopped beside her, arms crossed. "Not a problem. Happens more often than people admit." He gave her a sidelong glance. "Aira, right?"

She nodded. "Yes, Captain."

"I see…" he said, his tone trailing for a moment before he added, "You remind me of someone I used to know."

She tilted her head slightly, polite but unreadable. "Is that so?"

"Yeah," Alex replied, studying her expression. "She was sharp. Always calm under pressure. Had a way of picking apart problems without saying much."

Aira looked away, her voice quiet. "Sounds like she was important to you."

"She was," Alex said. Then, after a pause, he shifted gears. "What about your family? They back in Evermore?"

Aira stiffened, barely noticeable, but enough. Her answer came a beat too late. "They're… gone. Long time ago."

Alex didn't push. He just nodded, keeping his tone light. "Sorry to hear that."

Silence lingered for a moment before she quickly changed the subject. "Captain, if I may… is it true? About the mission?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Which part?"

"That someone received a legendary class from the god's blessing."

Alex chuckled softly. "Word travels fast."

"So it is true?"

"Far as I've heard, yes," Alex said, meeting her gaze. "It's real. As for who…"

He gave a casual shrug. "Let's just say someone out there got very, very lucky. Or cursed, depending on how you look at it."

Aira's expression shifted, her lips curling into a small smile, eyes lighting up just slightly. "That's good, then. We should be able to win the war easily."

"True," Alex replied, his voice lowering. "But war is still war. Just because we have power on our side doesn't mean we walk away easy. Hopefully… we all get out of this without any more sacrifice."

Aira's smile widened. "We don't have to worry," she said, almost cutting him off. "The legendary class will be there. They'll protect us."

Alex's gaze narrowed, the shift subtle but sharp. 'The way she say it, she seem so sure about it.'

He'd heard plenty of soldiers talk about the gods' blessings, about miracles and divine intervention. But this wasn't that.