After Killan spoke, Kiah remained silent, mulling over his words. They made sense.
The Rebels were a small group. They couldn't afford to fight every battle, especially not one against an ever-growing enemy like the degenerates.
If they tried, they'd be wiped out fast. And beyond the loss of lives, the morale of the group would tank. Not because the job was risky. The tests were also brutal. Those who passed could die shortly after on missions.
At the end of the day, maybe only a few hundred members remained. Probably fewer. And if those few died, the organization would crumble.
So instead of wasting soldiers on a war they couldn't win — killing one degenerate today only to have another appear tomorrow — they focused on finding the source. If the mutation wasn't natural, someone had to be behind it. Maybe even using them.
That would explain the disappearances. Traffickers were scooping people off the streets. Maybe they weren't just selling them. Maybe they were delivering them.
"I—"
She opened her mouth to speak, but the door creaked open.
A familiar blue-haired figure walked in. Thorne.
When he spotted her, his eyes narrowed. He crossed his arms, muscles tensed under his shirt as he leaned against the doorframe.
"Aren't you supposed to be dead?"
Kiah's brow pulled into a deep frown. It seemed he still resented her.
"Sorry to disappoint," she replied dryly, "but I'm not dying anytime soon. I can't pass up the chance to spite you now, can I?"
Thorne scoffed and pushed off the wall, walking towards them. He gave Killan a small bow.
"Sentinel," he greeted respectfully.
Kiah's brows shot up. Sentinel? Wasn't that the same rank as General Denvil?
She recalled General Denvil mentioning the ranks of evolution during the briefing, but he hadn't elaborated. That was probably because it was supposed to be common knowledge. That placed her in a tricky spot.
Everyone she'd asked had given her weird looks. That left only Killan, who could answer her questions without judgment. He even seemed to be quite pleased answering them.
"You're a sentinel? What does that rank mean?" she asked curiously.
Thorne scoffed.
"You must be dumb not to know what a 'sentinel' means. Did you grow up under a rock?" He gazed at her, unimpressed.
She glared at him.
"Mind your business."
He stepped closer, his voice colder now. The room suddenly grew suffocating as he spoke.
"And that's not how you talk to a warden. I'd watch your tone if I were you."
Kiah's brow twitched, ignoring the tension in the air. Was that a threat?
She'd had enough of his crap.
"You can shove it up your ass, Warden."
The moment the words left her lips, Killan burst into laughter, clapping his hands in amusement. The sound drew them from their heated glare, and the tension instantly dissipated.
Kiah watched him, perplexed. What was funny?
After a moment, Killan composed himself and reached up to pat her on the back.
"Good job, kid. You're the first person to ever put him in his place apart from Ella."
Kiah turned to Thorne, who was now scowling. He rolled his eyes and turned to Killan, picking up a bag of tools off the floor.
"I'm going to fix up my pod. I'll be back, old man." He muttered before heading for the door.
As he passed Kiah, he shot her a dark look.
Kiah exhaled in relief once he was gone.
"Don't mind him. He's just going through some stuff right now. He's not normally this rude." Killan told her.
Kiah nodded curtly, remembering Thorne's sister's disappearance. That was the only thing stopping Kiah from totally despising him.
"Anyway, back to your question. You really don't know anything about the ranking system?"
"I hit my head, remember? I don't remember much." She told her convenient lie.
"Those people must have hit you hard indeed," Killan sighed. "Alright then. I'll explain."
His voice took on a more serious tone.
"After human modification, humanity evolved into five tiers. Initiates, Vanguards, Warden, Sentinel, and Paragon."
Kiah nodded and gestured for him to go on.
"Initiates," he continued, "are the lowest rank. Think of them as common soldiers or basic humans. They have no special skill, no training, and weak bodies. They can barely defend themselves and can barely survive a Thrasher."
"So we evolve through training our bodies?" Kiah asked.
Killan nodded. "Of course. Biotechnology is a very interesting thing. Our bodies are our greatest weapons now. With the right training, a person's body can become hard as steel, as sharp as a blade, as flexible as rubber. But training is expensive. At the beginning, only noble houses and secret factions could afford it. After the wall, it became even harder to train."
Kiah grew more intrigued.
"Vanguards are the first tier of real warriors. They are combat-trained and agile. A well-trained Vanguard can take down a Thrasher one-on-one easily. They're almost the most common among the Rebels. Most people get stuck in the stage for decades before evolving."
"Wardens are mid-tier fighters. They can lead teams, take on Wretches, and win with the right skill. They have developed a unique fighting style or technique. They are incredibly tough and can possibly punch a hole through an Initiate if they wanted."
Kiah's eyes widened. Wardens were that strong? They could take on Wretches with relative ease. She could barely survive a Thrasher, and now they were people who could handle Wretches with ease?
That was insane.
Her mind immediately flashed to Eden.
It made sense. She'd seen Eden in action. The way she moved felt more ghost than human. Was that speed the result of years of training?
Then her thoughts jumped to Thorne.
A chill ran down her spine when she realized she had just insulted him. He could probably snap her neck without breaking a sweat if he wanted.
She swallowed and slowly turned to Killan, her gaze trailing from his wheelchair to his face.
"You're… a Sentinel?" She asked, her voice laced with awe.
Killan chuckled at her expression.
"Sentinels are considered elites around here," he said casually. "We are capable of taking on multiple Wretches… maybe even damaging an Aberrant. Some sentinels, like Denvil, are masters of weaponry. Some are grounded in cybernetics. Others are experts in the medical field."
"That's cool." She said excitedly until a wrinkle formed between her brows. She hesitated before asking, "But… how could you—"
"How could I become this strong as a cripple?" Killan finished for her, his tone gentle.
She flinched slightly, but nodded.
He smiled, not offended in the least.
"It's simple. I never stopped building myself. After my accident, I searched for ways to grow stronger. Combat wasn't possible for me, so I studied everything I could about technology. I sharpened my mind when my body failed me. It was hard and slow, but it was worth it. This world doesn't just need fighters, Kiah. It needs thinkers and planners, too."
He leaned forward, voice quiet but firm.
"And also, I was a soldier before all this, too. Aside from that, I could probably beat you with wit alone. If I could walk, bringing this building down wouldn't have been a problem."
Kiah blinked, stunned.
Killan leaned back with a small grin. "The body can be broken. But the will? That's harder to kill."