Warfare Augmented Intelligent Frame Unit

Chapter 99 - Ephraim

Chapter 99 - Ephraim

I can't get a wink of sleep. My mind's in a storm, caught in the aftermath of Fei's revelation. The weight of it presses against my chest, refusing to let me breathe easy. Terrorist recruitment? That's already a hell no. 

But the way Fei threatened me—calm, and friendly, like she wasn't just capable of destruction, but comfortable with it—has left me shaken. It makes me wonder what other horrors she's hiding behind that soft voice and reserved smile.

Fei has killed before—KAWAII agents, wiped out during the Blackout Incident. Myrrh died because of her. And that night, she turned her weapon on me. It still twists my gut to remember. She wore the mask of a timid, fragile girl, but underneath that disguise is a WAIFU so lethal, so calculated, it chills me. How did I ever fall for the act?

I tossed and turned all night, tormented by an endless reel of what-ifs. What if I hadn't joined? Would they unleash the Cosmic Beasts again on Xyraxis? How many innocents would be slaughtered this time? Would Fei make good on her promise and kill Myrrh again—this time permanently? 

But if I do join them... what kind of person would I become? A traitor to the KAWAII, hunted by the very people I once fought beside. Arrested? Executed? Either way, I'm signing my death warrant. And worst of all... Myrrh. She'd see me as her enemy. She'd hate me.

No matter the path I choose, I'm screwed. Every choice leads to betrayal, death, or both. And it's not like I asked for this. Just because I carry the so-called blessing of the Machine God and wield Weapons from the Mass Destruction Series, I'm suddenly a key player in this spiraling nightmare.

And just when I thought the night couldn't get any worse—three in the goddamn morning—my phone buzzed. One sharp beep, slicing through the chaos in my head like a scalpel. I jolted upright, heart pounding, thoughts scrambled.

Honestly, I was expecting it to be Fei again—maybe with another half-hearted threat to drag me into the clutches of the NTR. Typical. But no, this time was different. The message wasn't from her.

It was Ephraim.

The same Ephraim who hadn't spoken to me since high school graduation. The same ex-boyfriend that Myrrh hates. His name lit up on my comms like a ghost poking through the static of old memories.

Ephraim: Hello. Good morning, Zaft. I saw you were online in these wee hours, so I thought I'd message. Hope I'm not disturbing you.

I blinked at the screen, a little caught off guard.

Me: Nah, it's okay. I can't sleep anyway. What's up?

Ephraim: Nothing, really. Just... women problems, I guess. My luck's been rotten lately, haha.

Typical Ephraim—using humor like a screen door in a typhoon. Then, after a short pause, he followed up:

Ephraim: Anyway, I've been meaning to ask...

Ephraim: You're in Xyraxis now, right? Enrolled at Orbital Tech Applied Kinetics University?

I leaned back in my chair, squinting slightly at the glow of the screen.

Me: That's right.

Me: How did you know?

Ephraim: Jonathan told me. Said you always dreamed of being a support unit for WAIFUs, so I figured you'd end up on that cyberpunk planet.

Ephraim: So... how is it?

I glanced out the window. The skyline of Xyraxis shimmered like a neural web, circuitry traced across the dark. Neon veins, distant shuttle trails. I exhaled softly.