The World Is Mine For The Taking

Dressed in authentic military uniforms, Zoey and I moved through the heavily guarded camp, our footsteps blending into the rhythmic march of armed soldiers around us. The air was thick with the scent of gun oil and sweat, the distant clatter of metal against metal punctuating the tense atmosphere. The floodlights overhead cast long shadows, stretching across the gravel paths like watchful sentinels.

Every breath felt like a gamble.

One misstep, one wrong move—and we'd be exposed.

We walked with measured pace, keeping our gazes forward, exuding the confidence of trained personnel. Anything less, and we'd stick out like a sore thumb.

As I turned my head slightly toward Zoey, I couldn't help but notice the dark sunglasses obscuring her eyes. At night.

I raised an eyebrow. "Why the hell are you wearing sunglasses?"

She barely reacted, only tilting her chin up. "Because I'm the daughter of the general. If someone recognizes me after I've been missing for months, it'll be disastrous for both of us."

Her voice was smooth but laced with tension.

Fair enough.

As we moved deeper into the camp, my eyes darted across the sea of soldiers stationed here. It was overkill—ridiculously so.

I could have easily pulled out my weapon, taken a more direct approach… but that wasn't the goal. I wasn't here to kill unless absolutely necessary. If I could achieve what I needed without drawing blood, that was ideal. Besides—

The risk, the deception, the silent tension that came with sneaking through enemy lines... it was exhilarating.

My pulse quickened as we neared the entrance to the cave. The gateway that had transported me into this world stood just beyond it.

We were close.

Too close.

Then, everything came to a halt.

A shadow moved—fast. A towering presence stepped into our path, blocking our way with an authority that sent an immediate chill down my spine.

"Where do you two think you're going?"

The voice was deep, steady, and unyielding. It carried the weight of command—the kind that made subordinates stand at attention without thinking.

Standing before us was a mountain of a woman.

Her muscular frame was defined even beneath her uniform, her stance exuding raw strength. But it wasn't just her physique that made her intimidating. It was the way she carried herself. The way she looked at us—not as people, but as potential threats.

A warrior. A predator.

Zoey and I turned to face her.

Her sharp, calculating eyes bore into us, dissecting our presence in an instant.

Without hesitation, Zoey took the lead. "Um, we've been assigned to guard the interior. We need to get in before you get mad at us, Lieutenant."

The woman's gaze didn't waver.

"I see," she said slowly. "But I already assigned men inside. And I don't recall ever seeing either of you before."

Her words were precise. Doubt lingered in every syllable.

I fought the urge to stiffen.

Zoey, however, remained composed. "We were just recently recruited and stationed here. That's probably why you haven't seen us before."

It sounded reasonable… except even I could hear the strain in her voice.

The lieutenant narrowed her eyes. "Huh. Is that so?"

A tense silence settled between us.

Then, unexpectedly—she hummed.

"Oh yeah, I did hear there were some new recruits today," she muttered.

I held my breath.

Was she… buying it?

Her gaze flickered between us. "So, there are two of you. Where are the others?"

Zoey remained steady. "Um, we were sent ahead first. That's why we're here alone."

Another pause.

The lieutenant studied us for a long moment before letting out a breath. "I see. Well, I suppose that's fine. Carry on, then."

Wait. That worked?

I had been fully prepared to run, fight, or both. But somehow, we had actually gotten through.

Keeping my expression neutral, I nodded and turned toward the cave.

As we walked away, my mind reeled.

What the hell just happened?

Only when we were safely past the checkpoint did I whisper, "You're amazing for pulling that off."

Zoey smirked but shrugged.

"Although… I wouldn't say you're particularly good at lying," I added.

Because let's be honest—what just happened was a goddamn fluke.

If there hadn't actually been new recruits today, we would have been screwed.

Zoey exhaled sharply. "That was Lieutenant Zes."

I frowned. "I see... And?"

She smirked. "She's known as the strongest woman in history. Not just for her brute strength, but for her war tactics and combat prowess. She's an absolute monster on the battlefield."

I absorbed the information, my gaze drifting toward where the lieutenant had disappeared. "I see…"

Even with that reputation, we had still managed to deceive her.

Something didn't add up.

"Did we really just fool someone like that?" I asked.

Zoey chuckled. "Oh, don't be too impressed. She's only good at one thing—fighting. People say her skull is so thick, there's barely enough space inside for her brain to fit."

Huh... Interesting.

But I couldn't shake the feeling that she wasn't that stupid.

It nagged at me, a lingering doubt that refused to fade. Someone with a reputation like hers… Would she really be fooled that easily?

No... something about this felt off.

But well, no use dwelling on it now.

I exhaled softly, pushing the thought aside. If she suspected something, we'd deal with it when the time came.

"Let's move in deeper and get the portal particle," I said, keeping my voice low.

Zoey nodded, and we continued forward.

The deeper we went, the more soldiers came into view—though they weren't exactly working.

They were loitering, grumbling among themselves.

"Ugh... I can't fucking believe it," one of them muttered, rubbing a hand across his stubbled chin. "Trained my ass off for years, only to be assigned as a glorified cave babysitter."

Another soldier scoffed. "We're preventing a war from breaking out. That alone should be reason enough to stay put."

The first soldier let out a bitter laugh. "A war between worlds, huh? Tell me—what do you think that would even look like? We've seen war before—hell, some of us have fought in one or two. But an all-out battle between two fucking planets? That's something else entirely."

"It'd be catastrophic, obviously."

A third soldier, older and with sharper eyes, exhaled through his nose. "We're not just talking about people dying—we're talking about entire civilizations collapsing. Starvation, disease, land turning to dust. And there's no way it wouldn't be a bloodbath. The only way to end it is for one world to consume the other."

His voice darkened. "Eat or be eaten. That's the reality of war."

A heavy silence settled among them.

"So that's why we're here. To stop it before it even starts."

I silently absorbed their conversation as we walked past them.

They weren't wrong.

A war between worlds wasn't just some localized conflict. It was absolute. One world wouldn't stop until the other was completely consumed.

I had never experienced war firsthand, but I understood its horrors. A battle like that wouldn't just ruin lives—it would erase entire histories.

And they were standing here, trying to prevent it.

I didn't dwell on it long. We had a mission.

With careful steps, we pushed further in. The cave grew darker, the air heavier. Then, finally—we reached it.

The portal.

Even after all this time, it remained unchanged, standing there like a silent guardian.

Permanent. Unyielding.

The sight of it sent an unexpected wave of homesickness through me.

For the first time in a long while, I wanted to go home.

The feeling was sudden, visceral—like a hand clenching around my heart. The portal was right there. The literal passage back to my world, waiting.

But I couldn't leave.

Not yet.

I could step through anytime, but my work here wasn't done. I had a purpose in this world. Until that was fulfilled, there was no going back.

I forced the longing down and steadied myself.

Then, I noticed him.

A soldier—fast asleep near the portal.

Zoey stared at him, incredulous. "How the hell is he sleeping in a place like this?"

Her gaze darkened. "Work isn't a place to slack off. Didn't they teach that at whatever academy this man came from?"

I shot her a glance. "You're not in charge here, Zoey. Don't waste time scolding someone. Just do what you need to do, and let's get out of here."

She huffed. "Fine."

Without another word, she pulled out the device, activating it. A faint hum filled the air as the machine collected the portal's energy particles.

I kept watch, my senses on high alert.

The device filled quickly.

The moment it was done, Zoey snapped it shut, and we turned to leave.

But just as we stepped forward—

We stopped.

Or rather, we were stopped.

A wall of armed soldiers stood in our path, their firearms raised—all aimed at us.

The air was thick with tension, the unmistakable weight of impending conflict pressing down like a vice.

We had been caught.