Transmigrated Into A Women Dominated World

Her gaze was hazy, unfocused. Then a flicker of recognition returned, and her breath hitched.

"I remember. I think….. I was… in the archive with the students. I was showing them an ancient artifact that had just come in a week ago. I touched it, and then… everything went strange."

Her voice hesitated as she recalled the strangeness of it all. "It was like I wasn't in control anymore, like I was trapped in the back of my own mind, just watching. Every time I tried to fight it, I'd black out and wake up somewhere else, with no memory of how I got there. And each time… it slipped away faster. Seconds at most."

Fear edged her words as she realized how much of herself had been stolen.

Mireille sheathed her blade but remained tense. "You were possessed. By some entity, which even we don't understand and have never heard or encountered something like that before."

Tiffany's eyes widened, horror dawning. "Possessed? I… I—"

Zaeryn stepped forward, his tone gentle but firm. "It's alright. He is gone." He offered Tiffany a hand, helping her sit up against the shattered remains of a bookshelf. Her eyes darted around the trashed office as if she couldn't believe it.

As Zaeryn looked at her now that she was back to herself. He looked away quickly.That beautiful face, just moments ago twisted by some malicious force, had been the target of his full-strength strike. Hopefully she isn't in pain… and doesn't remember a thing, he thought, guilt gnawing at him.

Minutes passed.

They returned to the vehicle after making sure Tiffany was alright.

Zaeryn didn't try to speak to her further. The shame weighed too heavily, punching her, using his powers on her, it didn't matter that she probably didn't remember. It was him who couldn't get over it.

Arya, meanwhile, sat next to him in the cruiser, and her attention was on him with an interest that she didn't even try to hide, her hand resting on his shoulder. "You're sure you're okay? That light… it looked like it took a lot out of you." Her voice was low, her professional concern edged with undeniable awe.

Before Zaeryn could answer, Mireille swiveled her chair in the cruiser's cockpit. Her face remained a mask of cold professionalism, but her eyes burned with a question that demanded an answer.

She stood up and strode toward him, her eyes narrowing as she looked at him closely with a quiet intrigue. "Hmmm, it seems like you have been keeping a lot of secrets. And it now makes sense why the high commander wanted us to protect you." She said, her lips twitching with a leer.

She had always found him intriguing, but had been able to ignore him—until today. Mireille couldn't anymore.

"If you can't understand Arya, then you need to know— that wasn't just a light," she said, her gaze locking Zaeryn in place. "That was Vitae manipulation."

It wasn't an accusation, not exactly, but it was a hard, undeniable statement of fact. "I've spent my life training to recognize it, to wield it. There is no mistaking it. Now…" She stopped just a few feet from him, leaning slightly to meet his seated height. "You are going to explain to me how a male, an anomaly or not, can wield the one power in this universe he is biologically barred from touching."

Zaeryn's jaw tightened. He knew this question would come sooner or later, but he hadn't expected Mireille to frame it as a statement, not a question, like she already knew and didn't need an answer. How was he supposed to respond?

He glanced at Arya. Her expression was softer, curious rather than demanding, but the expectation was the same. He couldn't tell them about the goddesses or the Eros Engine. He couldn't even explain the bond with Ysmeine that fueled his strength.

So he did the only thing he could: lie. A terrible, deliberate lie. The truth couldn't be revealed, not like this. No one else could know.

He settled on a partial truth. "I don't know," he said, his voice steady despite the exhaustion pulling at him. " When the Fade attacked me… something changed. It's like it unlocked something. That light… I can't really control it. It just… happens when I'm pushed to the limit."

Mireille's eyes narrowed, dissecting his every word with a glad eye. "It, 'just happens'?" she repeated, her tone dripping with skepticism. "Vitae isn't a reflex, Zaeryn. It requires a connection, a core."

"Zaeryn, I think your explanation is horrible, it's not even believable ," Arya said.

"I don't know what else to tell you two then." He shot back.

"Well, it doesn't matter if you tell us or not." Mireille's gaze didn't move from Zaeryn. "Our duty is to report everything we see. A male Vitae wielder is not something we can omit from a report. You know that right?"

Zaeryn simply nodded, not worried. The high commander already knew, so their report was not going to have the negative effect they think it will have on him.

Arya studied him, noticing he wasn't worried. That gave her an idea. "Maybe…" she said, her voice thoughtful as she tried to piece together the impossible. "The Council already knows about this. That's why they assigned us to you—not just for protection, but to observe. They must know you're more than just immune to the Fade."

"Don't be naive, Arya," Mireille cut in, her tone sharp and dismissive. She turned to face her partner fully. "If the entire Council knew, someone like Commander Thorne would have had him in chains before he ever left that chamber."

Zaeryn shook his head, a wry edge in his voice. "Well… I hate to say you're wrong, but you are, Mireille. The Council already knows." He paused, choosing his words carefully. "What you two need to do is talk to the High Commander about this."

Mireille's gaze lingered on him, but she said nothing, folding all her thoughts inward before retreating to the cockpit to continue driving the cruiser.

Arya, however, stayed close, her smile teasing and unreadable as her eyes followed him with intrigue.