Transmigrated Into A Women Dominated World

"Oh?" Zaeryn reacted, his brow furrowing as the reality of what Ravena and Marceline were saying began to sink in.

He had always dismissed Kayla's animosity as nothing more than hatred, born from a heart as black as night, though she herself was strikingly beautiful. Her presence here, he assumed, was a grudging obligation, perhaps Ysmeine had forced her into it.

The idea that she would voluntarily abandon her post on the frontlines, where she was in her element, thriving on the danger—just to see him... it was a complete contradiction to everything he believed about her. The thought left him confused and, strangely, intrigued.

'I need to find out what Kayla is up to.' He thought to himself, 'There is no way she came here simply because she cares."

___

The air in the hallway was cool and a stark contrast to the growing warmth of the atrium behind the closed door. Kayla, glided toward Zaeryn's room.

She opened the door and stepped inside, her keen eyes, trained to assess in a nanosecond, swept across the space as if she was looking for something. It was too neat, too organized.

"Hmmm. Cleaner than I thought," she muttered to herself, a flicker of something close to surprise crossing her features. For a moment, her calculating gaze softened, a hint of genuine curiosity breaking through her usual cold demeanor. 'But, I think I'm right. He is definitely hiding something, that explains why he is like that.' she thought to herself. 'What are you really hiding Zaeryn?'

Her eyes fixed on a drawer on the far end of the room. Just as she was about to step further in, a figure emerged from the shower. Sage.

She was dressed in nothing but a white see through robe, that showed her skin underneath, her silvery-white hair still damp from the shower. Sage froze at the sight of someone in her room, her violet eyes wide with surprise.

Kayla too did not expect anyone to be in Zaeryn's room, so she was surprised. "Oh, hey? Who are you?"

Sage narrowed her eyes, staring at the person inside the room, with a quick-witted caution. The initial surprise gave way to recognition, and a faint smile touched her lips.

"I'm Sage, Zaeryn's girlfriend." she said, her voice a calm, measured melody despite the shock.

"Oh." Kayla responded. 'So that weirdo has a girlfriend?' She thought. Not knowing if to laugh at the absurdity that someone like him, had a girlfriend or if she should not be happy at all.

"I wasn't expecting you. Is everything okay?" Safe asked, wrapping her arms around herself, the scent of lavender and ozone filling the air around her. "Do you need something?"

Kayla's eyes flickered over Sage, a quick, thorough appraisal that missed nothing. "No," she said, her voice dripping with its usual icy sarcasm. "Just coming to see the weirdo."

Sage's smile wavered, "What?" She was confused at who Kayla was referring to. But then she realized that she was speaking about Zaeryn and she just frowned not liking how Zaeryn was being referred to. "You can see him in the atrium. I believe he's with your sister and family now." Her voice was not soft anymore, an almost imperceptible challenge in her words.

Kayla simply nodded, a tight, unreadable smile on her face.

With a final, lingering look at Sage, she turned on her heel and walked out of the room. The door hissed shut behind her, leaving Sage alone.

Back in the atrium.

"So, is it true?" Ravena asked, her voice, now free of its playful lilt, held a weight of genuine concern.

"What?" Zaeryn asked, his voice softer than he intended.

"That you got attacked by a fade infected?"

Zaeryn's body stiffened. The air seemed to grow colder, and for a moment, he was no longer in the atrium but back in that alley, the smell of burnt flesh in his nose and the Fade's screams echoing in his ears. He swallowed hard, the phantom terror of turning into a monster still a cold knot in his stomach. "Yes," he said, the word a heavy, forced exhale.

Marceline's grip on him tightened protectively, her body pressing closer as if to shield him from the memory itself. "Honey," she murmured, her voice raw with a worry he hadn't heard since he was a child, "I'm so glad nothing happened. And you are here."

"Me too, Marcie," Zaeryn replied, his voice a little shaky as he leaned into her warmth.

"Don't worry, I'm here now, and that thing will never happen again, okay." Marceline promised him, her hands threading through his hair as she tried to soothe him.

"And don't forget me. I can wield vitae too, so I will definitely keep you safe." Ravena said, her expression fierce and determined as she moved to place herself between Zaeryn and Ysmeine, reaching for his hand and lacing her fingers through his.

Ysmeine smiled, a genuine expression of happiness. "It's good that you are all here to protect him. However, I think he is safe for now from the Council. Athea ordered them to let him go."

Marceline stiffened slightly, a flash of surprise in her eyes. "That's unexpected. I'm surprised Athea helped him. Didn't you say she rarely ever reaches out about him? And has never even requested to meet him?"

"She doesn't," Ysmeine confirmed with a shrug. "I can't judge her because I don't know what she's going through. But I know that she still cares. I mean, she still asks for pictures of him, so that means she at least has some care for him.

Marceline's expression grew somber. "Well, let's hope she is going to try and be a better parent."

Zaeryn shifted uncomfortably, feeling the familiar burden of his secret. He was used to them talking around him, but hearing his own life discussed as a political burden still stung. Ravena's hand squeezed his.

"Is it that bad? Why does she have to hide him?" Ravena asked, her voice laced with frustration as her gaze fell on him. "Can't she just…"

"She can't," Aeris said, cutting her off softly. "It's forbidden in her family or any royal lineage for a male heir." The words were spoken with a quiet finality, the weight of centuries of tradition in her voice.

"Yeah, she is right," Zaeryn remarked, his tone clipped.

Marceline, sensing his unease, tightened her embrace. "Well, you're more than welcome here." Her words were a promise, a quiet rebellion against the royal rules that had kept him hidden.

Ravena drew her legs up onto the cushion, slipped an arm around his shoulders from the side, and leaned in close. "If you ask me, it's their loss. They should be proud to have such a rare specimen as you."

Just as the silence settled, the grand door to the atrium hissed open. All eyes turned toward the entrance to see Kayla walking in. "I believe you guys are done being all, cringey now, I hope. It's a good thing I wasn't here to witness the madness." she said, her voice dripping with disdain."Can we now have a serious conversation about this weirdo." she spoke, her voice a sharp, clear instrument cutting through the room's warm atmosphere.

"Kayla, not now." Ysmeine warned, her voice firm but laced with a weariness that showed how often she had this exact exchange with her sister.

"I'm not going to sit here and pretend he's ordinary," Kayla said, ignoring Ysmeine. "No male should ever survive being attacked by an infected. That he did… well, let's just say it makes him… interesting." She allowed a faint, calculating smile to tug at the corner of her lips, as if daring Zaeryn to understand exactly what she meant.

"I heard the Council wanted to keep him for testing. So why is he here?" She asked, making it sound like she would rather he was a lab rat.

"Oh, Kayla, really?" Aeris snapped, the usual playful edge gone from her voice. She stood, her presence commanding the room. "You know perfectly well why. Zaeryn is family, and he is with us. The Council has no say here. Your concerns are… overblown. He's been through enough."

"I'm not suggesting anything bad. Aren't you worried that he is only delaying to turn? It's usual that he didn't turn after he got scratched by it, but given how unusual it is, it's also possible that his brain is just putting up a fight."

"The best place he can be to prevent that is at a medical facility. You know, for everyone's safety, including his own. He would be able to get the best care there without worrying about anyone getting hurt." She explained and her voice softened slightly on the last words, showing a hint of genuine concern she quickly masked with a scoff. "Not that I care."

And it made everyone think she was actually worried about him, because she was making sense.

"Well, good thing for you, cause I have no M-degradation Virus or anything that makes males immune to the fade Virus." Zaeryn explained. "But thanks for the concern. Didn't know you had it in you."

Kayla's cheeks flushed faintly, and she looked away, muttering, "Don't flatter yourself. I honestly don't care what happens to you."

Before anyone could respond, the grand door hissed open again. All heads turned as Sage walked into the atrium, her violet eyes scanning the room with quiet confidence.

"Hello everyone," she announced herself, her voice warm but measured.

Zaeryn's heart beat faster as he saw her. Not because she was stunning, which she always was, but because he worried what Ravena's reaction would be.

"Hey, Sage," Ysmeine was the one who spoke up first, her tone welcoming. "Everyone, meet Sage. She is… very close to Zaeryn."

Ravena's eyes immediately fixed on the newcomer, her gaze raking over Sage with sharp curiosity. There was something predatory in the way she assessed this unexpected rival.

"Who's that?" she asked, though her tone suggested she already suspected the answer wouldn't be to her liking. She heard Ysmeine say Sage was very close to Zaeryn.

Aeris grinned, her expression mischievous, as if she relished the chaos about to unfold. "Oh, that's Sage. Zaeryn's girlfriend."

Ravena's reaction was instantaneous, her body tensing as her green eyes snapped to Zaeryn, narrowing into a glare that screamed betrayal.