After the fall of Australia, Flora decided we should settle there. A continent all to ourselves. The idea was tempting, and I didn't need much convincing. We began moving everything—our belongings, animals, everything we could claim as ours—to the Eastern side of the world.
It was December 1st when Flora and I officially took over Australia. Could we have captured it sooner? Maybe. But the zombies here were on a completely different level. Australian zombies were faster, stronger, and frighteningly intelligent. Compared to the South American zombies, they were almost like a superior breed. They were dangerous.
Even so, they had to be exterminated—like the bugs they were. That's all they ever would be to me: crawling pests, fueling my power, giving me strength for my ultimate goal—to defeat Kai once and for all. His presence haunted me like a ghost in my mind, a lingering nightmare that I refused to let win.
Kai had been powering up the zombies almost monthly, and though I didn't care for humans, it was still a dangerous game. Flora had her frustrations about humans labeling us as monsters for not converting the zombies back to their human forms. I didn't care what they thought, but it angered her sometimes. Despite her occasional tantrums about it, she insisted on helping humans with construction, requests, and every problem they threw her way. It softened their hatred of us—slightly.
"Are we good to go?" Flora's voice broke my train of thought. Her black hair caught the light, making her look even more radiant.
I just stared at her. I didn't want to respond. I wanted to lose myself in her eyes, touch her hair, remind her just how stunning she was. She'd grown so much—more mature, more focused on helping others. Yet, she still had that childish side that made her so… her.
Whenever she let that childish personality out, she would become oddly energetic and demanding, always finding a way to wrestle me, playfully shove me around, or cling to me like I was her anchor.
Lost in my thoughts, I didn't notice her move closer until she snapped her fingers in front of my face. "Earth to Nova," she said teasingly, before giving me a light slap on the head.
I blinked, momentarily disoriented. "Huh? What?"
She smiled softly. "Are you good? Need some water?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, clearing my throat. "We're good. I think everything's ready."
"Great!" She beamed, her excitement lighting up her face. "Time to go!"
We stretched briefly, cracking our joints. It felt satisfying. As we were about to leave, I remembered something important.
"You go ahead," I told her. "Start settling things down in Australia. I need to talk to General Park first."
She frowned, giving me her signature mock-angry look. It was adorable. "Fine," she huffed before heading off.
I watched her leave before making my way to the Zombane base—the human faction's headquarters. It was like the Pentagon, but now their sole focus was zombie eradication. General Park had named it, but when I asked her why, she shrugged. "It just sounded right," she had said. "A mix of zombie and bane."
As I entered the base, chaos greeted me. Scientists were arguing over equations, weapons were being tested, and sparks flew from malfunctioning tech. I headed straight to Park's office, but she wasn't there.
"Where's General Park?" I asked a nearby scientist.
"No idea," he said, barely glancing up from his tablet.
I sighed and left, wandering through the base. In one room, I saw a team testing a device that emitted a burst of electricity, creating a portal. If modified, it could even access alternate timelines. Impressive, but ultimately futile. Machines break, and humans rely on them too much. Without these toys, they'd be powerless against the zombies.
Annoyed, I left the base without using my powers to locate Park. Too much effort. I reached Australia before Flora could blink and stretched again, yawning as I walked toward our new house.
Inside, Atlas was on the couch in his human form, playing video games. I had insisted on this form for easier communication, but now he spent most of his time gaming or throwing random insights my way.
Before the move, Atlas and I used to spar in a room he created—a room that remained unscathed no matter how hard I went. His training was brutal, insisting I use only hand-to-hand combat to develop real skill instead of relying on my Golden Halo.
Flora had finished organizing everything, quadruple-checking every detail. Outside, the farm was set up, with carnivores and herbivores kept apart. The trees surrounding the house formed a natural barrier, shielding us from human detection.
Inside, our house was cozy but well-equipped. Flora called me down for lunch, and my stomach growled in response. She had made soybean pasta with baked chicken provolone, all created from nothing but air—her unique talent.
As we ate, the room filled with a comfortable silence, punctuated by the clinking of utensils and the occasional rustle of movement. Flora glanced up at me, her eyes holding a soft yet intense gaze.
"You know," she began, twirling her fork in the air, "your birthday is coming up soon." Her tone was light, but there was a hint of something more beneath it.
I nodded, chewing slowly. "Yeah, sixteen. Not a big deal."
Flora raised an eyebrow, setting her fork down. "Not a big deal> Nove, it's your birthday. That's important. It's a milestone."
"For humans, maybe," I said, smirking. "But for us? We've been fighting zombies, saving worlds, and dealing with all this…chaos. It's just another day."
She frowned, leaning forward slightly. "Don't do that. Don't brush it off like it doesn't matter. You matter Nova." Her voice was firm, but her softened as she spoke.
The weight of her words lingered between us. I looked at her, truly looked at her. The way her black hair framed her face, the way her eyes carried so much determination—it was almost overwhelming.
"Thanks, Flora," I said quietly, my voice losing its usual edge.
Her lips quirked into a small smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. "After your birthday..." she hesitated, her cheeks turning the faintest shade of pink. "I was thinking, maybe we could..."
She trailed off, her gaze dropping to her plate. I leaned forward, intrigued. "Maybe we could what?"
She sighed, clearly battling her nerves. "You know... finally... be together."
Her words hung in the air like a fragile thread, and for a moment, I didn't know how to respond.
I set my fork down, leaning back in my chair as I studied her. Flora was strong, independent, and undeniably beautiful. But beneath all that strength was a vulnerability she rarely showed to anyone—except me.
"Flora," I began, my voice steady, "I care about you. More than I can even explain." Her eyes flicked up to meet mine, and I could see the hope shimmering in them.
"But," I continued, and the light in her eyes dimmed slightly, "I'm not ready for that step yet."
Her expression fell, and she looked down at her hands. "Oh. I see."
I reached across the table, gently placing my hand over hers. "It's not that I don't want to. Trust me, I do. But there's so much I have to figure out first. I need to prove myself—to myself. I need to defeat Kai. I need to know I'm strong enough to protect you, to protect us."
She nodded slowly, her fingers tightening around mine. "I get it. Really, I do. It's just... I don't want to lose you, Nova. Not to Kai, not to anyone."
"You won't lose me," I said firmly. "I'll always come back to you. Always."
Her eyes searched mine, and for a moment, the world outside the house didn't exist. It was just us, locked in this quiet, unspoken understanding.
"Okay," she whispered finally, a small smile tugging at her lips. "I guess I can wait a little longer."
I grinned, squeezing her hand. "Good. And for the record, you're not making it easy."
She laughed, the sound light and genuine. "I wasn't trying to."
After we finished eating, I leaned over and kissed her softly on the lips. It wasn't rushed or demanding—just a simple, tender moment that said everything words couldn't.
When I pulled away, she looked at me with a mischievous glint in her eye. "You're such a tease, you know that?"
I smirked, standing up and stretching. "Maybe. But it's fun watching you throw your little tantrums."
She gasped, playfully throwing her napkin at me. "You're insufferable!"
"And yet, you're still here," I shot back, winking as I walked toward the living room.
Behind me, I heard her mutter something under her breath, probably a half-hearted insult. But I knew she was smiling.
In that moment, everything felt... right. The world outside could wait. For now, it was just me and Flora, finding these small moments of peace in the chaos.