Dragon Across the Multiverse (Si-WC) (Patreon)

Chapter 3: Of Secrets and Survivors

The terminal let out a soft beep as the final command locked into place. The blinking red lights on the console flipped green one by one, and just like that—the subway was back online.

“Well,” I said, leaning back in the worn office chair, arms folded behind my head, “that went a hell of a lot smoother without our oversized stalker playing whack-a-mole through the walls.”

Jill was still at the console, flipping the final switch. She gave a nod of approval as the system confirmed the path. “Looks like we’re good. The train’s ready to run.” She turned toward me, a flicker of genuine relief in her eyes. “I’ll admit—I didn’t expect it to go this smoothly.”

“I told you,” I said with a smirk. “I’m good luck.”

‘Literally,’ I added silently, glancing at the faint HUD glowing at the corner of my vision. Only Ciel and I could see it, and right now it proudly displayed:

Masayuki Rudra Nam Ul Nasca.

The latest reincarnation of Rudra—the emperor of the Eastern Empire. The Blonde Chosen Hero. Thanks to Ciel’s suggestion, I’d bought his Template. His Unique Skill, Chosen One, and especially its sub-skill, Hero’s Blessing, made me practically untouchable and absurdly effective. Lethal attacks barely grazed me. My attacks hit harder than they had any right to. And the best part? The effect extended to my allies too.

Jill didn’t know it yet, but she’d been benefiting from that ridiculous level of divine luck this whole time. It was subtle, but obvious to someone like me.

‘Good call, Ciel. Nicely done~’ I praised my adorable Manas.

Ciel huffed in my mind, as if saying. “Everything I recommend is useful, idiot Master.”

“Correction! I never said that, Master! Please stop making stuff up about me!” Came Ciel’s embarrassed response.

Mentally hugging Ciel for the cute response, I focused back on the present with only a fraction of a second having passed.

Jill rolled her eyes, though I caught the ghost of a smile tugging at her lips. “You suplexed a bioengineered monster into the pavement and then cut off its head. I think we passed ‘luck’ and went straight to absurd.”

“Absurdly efficient,” I corrected, standing up and brushing the dust off my coat. “Honestly, I kind of miss the guy. He added spice to the evening.”

Jill gave me a deadpan look. “You’re insane.”

“And yet here you are, working with me.” I started toward the exit, giving her a playful glance over my shoulder. “Let’s go tell your not-friends at the subway station the good news.”

“Lead the way, crazy man,” she muttered, falling in beside me.

We walked in relative silence, clearing out any zombie or other abomination dumb enough to get in our way. Jill stayed focused, shotgun steady, as she radioed Carlos to let him know traffic control was back online and we were heading to the subway.

Once she finished the call, I glanced at her from the corner of my eye. “So,” I started casually, “I think enough time’s passed that I don’t mind telling you a bit more about myself.”

She looked at me briefly, then returned her attention to the street ahead. “What changed your mind?”

I shrugged, putting two bullets cleanly through the heads of a couple of infected that wandered too close. “Figured you wouldn’t have trusted me if I’d started dropping wild stories right off the bat. Easier to believe someone when they’ve had your back in a fight.”

Jill considered that for a moment before nodding. “I guess you have a point.”

“Now that we’ve fought together, seen what the other can do, I figured you might be more open to listening.”

I turned my head to face her fully and shot her a grin. “Also helps that I saved your ass more than once~”

Jill let out a soft huff, somewhere between amusement and exasperation. She didn’t say anything, but the slight shift in her posture—relaxed shoulders, that half-smile tugging at the corner of her lips—told me everything I needed to know.

“I also did promise I’d answer your questions,” I said, my voice softer now. I caught the way Jill’s half-smile grew into a real one.

“Hmm. Then I guess I should start with this—” I glanced her way. “I know what happened in the Arklay Mountains.”

That got her attention. She turned sharply to face me, eyes wide. “Wha—How?!”

“Please,” I said calmly, raising a hand. “Let me finish.”

She hesitated but nodded, visibly forcing herself to relax. I gave her a thankful nod and continued.

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news… but Albert Wesker—the man who sent you and your team into that mansion to die—he’s still alive.”

Jill shook her head immediately. “No. That’s impossible. He was skewered by that monster—we saw it!”

“True,” I admitted with a nod. “But he came back… different. Still looking mostly human, but the virus he used on himself gave him strength, speed—stuff no normal man should have.”

She gave me a disbelieving look, so I gestured around us. “Jill… look at the world around you. Is it really that hard to believe Wesker experimented on himself too?”

Her expression shifted. First confusion, then dawning horror, then grim acceptance. She clenched her fists, jaw tight.

“Fuck. Shit. Of course that bastard’s still alive,” she muttered, more to herself than me. “Chris is going to lose it when he hears about this.”

I stayed quiet, letting her absorb it all, giving her space to process.

After a beat, she turned to me again, her tone serious. “So… is that what you are too?”

I looked at her from the corner of my eye, then let a smirk tug at my lips and shook my head. “Nah. I’m the furthest thing from undead.”

She didn’t respond right away, but I caught the subtle sigh of relief she tried to hide.

“Then what are you?”

“Hmm…” I tapped my chin in thought for a moment. “Let’s just say I come from a hidden village where they trained kids from a young age to harness an inner energy—something every human has deep down.”

Her brow furrowed slightly.

“It made us stronger, faster… and let us do things that most would call impossible. Things like walking on walls, moving faster than the eye can follow, throwing fire or lightning with our bare hands. I lived in a place where that was normal.”

I glanced back at her. “I was what we called a Shinobi—a ninja.”

“…Bullshit. Prove it!” Jill demanded, disbelief plain on her face after a moment of stunned silence.

Chuckling at her reaction, I turned toward the nearest wall on our right. “Alright,” I said with a shrug. “Can’t say I didn’t expect that.”

I walked up to it casually, then paused, shooting her a small wink over my shoulder. Jill’s eyes were locked on me, her full attention zeroed in like I was defusing a bomb. Then, with all the nonchalance in the world, I stepped up onto the wall—literally—and walked a few paces until I was halfway up. I stopped there, standing perpendicular to the street like it was nothing.

“Ta-da~” I grinned, enjoying the stunned silence from below.

Also enjoying the vantage point. Jill’s tactical outfit didn’t leave much to the imagination from up here. Not that I was about to complain.

“…A ninja,” she finally muttered, blinking several times. “I’m actually standing in front of a real-life, magic-walking ninja.”

I dropped down silently, landing right beside her without so much as a whisper. “Hmhmhm, believe me now?” I teased.

Her eyes widened again. “That’s right!” she said, slapping her forehead. “I thought it was weird how you never made a sound when you moved, but I figured it was just nerves or something screwy in my head.”

“Stealth’s kind of our whole thing,” I said, nodding, very pleased with myself.

Apparently too pleased, because the next second Jill punched me in the shoulder. Not that I felt it, but she was clearly trying to make a point, pouting at me.

“Asshole! Stop laughing at me!” she said with a glare that wasn’t fooling anyone.

I laughed harder. “Sorry, but the look on your face was priceless. Actually really cute~”

Sure enough, a hint of pink crept across her cheeks.

“Hmph.” She turned away, arms crossed. She didn’t even flinch when I casually shot a pair of zombies closing in behind her. “I’m not cute. I’m a woman, not a kid. If anything, it should be sexy.”

I gave a shrug. “I don’t know. I think it says a lot about a woman—that someone as badass and beautiful as you can still have moments like this. Cute isn’t a downgrade, Jill.”

The blush deepened, but she didn’t argue. Just kept walking with her head held high… and the faintest upward tug at the corner of her lips.

“You coming?” Jill asked as she came to a brief stop, glancing over her shoulder just enough for one sharp blue eye to catch mine.

I smiled at her silent acceptance and quickened my pace until I was walking beside her again, our footsteps falling into a comfortable rhythm.

“So,” Jill began, her tone lighter now—casual on the surface, but I could hear the curiosity bubbling just beneath. “What else can you do? Oh, and now that I remember… you said you were former military, right?”

“Excited to know more, huh?” I teased, flashing her a grin.

She jabbed me in the ribs without breaking stride.

“Alright, alright,” I chuckled, rubbing the spot for show. “Yeah, I was part of a military force. But let’s just say… I didn’t like how things were run back home. Child soldiers, political assassinations, clan wars—stuff that looked noble on the surface but was rotten underneath. So I left.”

Jill blinked, caught off guard by the shift in tone. Her lips pressed into a grim line. “Shit. Monsters come in all shapes, don’t they?”

“Quite a few wear suits,” I replied dryly, then bumped her shoulder gently to pull her out of that grim thought spiral. I offered her a smirk. “But hey, want to know what people like me could do? Basic stuff, at least.”

Some of that earlier light returned to her eyes, curiosity replacing the weight. She gave a quick nod. “Yeah, I’m listening.”

So I told her—well, the toned-down version anyway. Tales of growing up in the Hidden Leaf Village, training from a young age, learning to mold chakra, missions that balanced on the line between the absurd and the deadly. I skipped the more horrifying parts. No need to drop the full weight of that world on her just yet.

She mostly listened quietly, only interrupting here and there to ask for clarification. “What’s a chakra nature?” “You were fighting who at what age?” “Why the hell would a village train kids like that?”

It was surprisingly easy to talk to her. And by the time the familiar station came into view, the conversation had naturally quieted, each of us lost in thought.

Then, just as we stepped closer to the entrance, Jill spoke again, voice casual. “You said those abilities could be learned by anyone?”

“Technically, yeah,” I replied, hands in my pockets. “Though you’d need a teacher—someone to keep you from tearing your body apart. Usually, people start young. Their bodies adapt easier.”

What I didn’t mention was that I’d have to bind her and grant her the ability first. Chakra didn’t just awaken on its own in this world. But that was a conversation for another time.

For now, it was enough that she was asking.

=====

With Nemesis finally out of the picture and that bastard Nikolai already handled—courtesy of Veldora—nothing got in the way of the subway’s departure. The cars rumbled down the tracks, carrying the few survivors out of the burning city and into whatever hope still waited beyond the ruins of Raccoon City.

I stood by the platform’s edge, watching the final train disappear into the distance. My eyes drifted to the woman still standing at my side.

She’d made her decision just moments before the doors closed, ignoring Carlos’s protests and choosing to stay behind. Even when Carlos had suggested they travel together to find Nathaniel Bard, she had declined.

Honestly? I was surprised.

“I really thought you’d want to get out of this shithole,” I said quietly, no judgment in my voice—just curiosity and maybe a bit of gratitude. “What made you stay?”

Jill turned her head to look up at me, that familiar teasing glint lighting her expression. “What, tired of me already, Mister Shinobi?”

I chuckled. “Not at all. If anything, I’ve enjoyed the company. Especially when said company happens to be a beautiful woman… with surprisingly cute sides.”

Her answer came in the form of a jab to my kidney.

“You just had to ruin the moment, didn’t you?” she said, shaking her head like she was trying to be annoyed.

But the smile tugging at her lips told a different story.

And I couldn’t help but return it.

“Akari, there’s something I want to ask you,” Jill said suddenly, her voice calm—but her eyes deadly serious. “And I want an honest answer.”

I glanced her way, reading the tension in her posture.

“Alright,” I said with a nod. “What’s on your mind?”

“What’s your real purpose here in Raccoon City?”

I sighed quietly, half-expecting the question. “Figured you’d ask eventually.”

I took a breath, then met her gaze. “I’m here, along with someone else, to eliminate as many infected abominations as I can. Plain and simple. And since you seem to be a magnet for trouble,” I added with a sideways look, “I decided to stick close.”

She huffed and turned away slightly, but I caught the faintest pink tint in her cheeks.

I continued, my tone sharpening a bit. “But that’s only part of it. The other goal is to be as much of a thorn in Umbrella’s side as humanly—or inhumanly—possible. That includes making sure the G-Virus doesn’t end up in the wrong hands while everything’s burning down.”

Jill’s expression darkened. “So… Umbrella’s not the only threat in this mess?”

“Not even close.” I shook my head. “You’d be amazed how many rats come crawling out when the city starts falling apart.”

She cursed under her breath, but then paused, eyes narrowing. “Wait a second… you said someone else. You didn’t come here alone?”

“Nope.” I offered her a faint grin. “This world’s on the edge of a full-blown apocalypse, and it’s going to need more than one ‘magical ninja’ to handle what’s coming.”

Her eyes widened. “You mean—there’s another one of you running around out there?”

“Technically, he’s not like me,” I replied, amused. “I came here with my brother, Veldora. You’ve probably heard him by now—even if you didn’t know it was him. He has a habit of leaving an impression.”

Jill blinked, clearly confused but didn’t press any further.

“Now that you know why I’m here…” I turned to her, my tone more serious. “What do you want to do, Jill?”

She didn’t answer right away, gaze fixed on the city skyline—burning, broken, crawling with death. Then she looked at me, blue eyes resolute.

“You said your goal was to be the biggest pain in Umbrella’s ass, right?”

“That’s the mission.” I nodded.

A sly smirk curled her lips as she gave my shoulder a playful punch. “Then what do you say we stick together a little longer, handsome?”

I let out a soft laugh, smirking right back as I extended a hand. “Welcome aboard, Super Cop~”

Jill reached out, gripped my hand tight—then yanked me forward.

Before I could react, she rose up on her toes and pulled me into a kiss. It was quick, but fiery—unexpected, unapologetic, and full of meaning.

As she pulled back, her smirk deepened and her voice dropped to a sultry purr. “And thanks for saving my ass in advance~”

I blinked, still dazed. “You’re welcome. It’s… a very nice ass.”

That earned a soft laugh from her—and the kind of smile that made surviving this hellscape feel worth it.

‘See, Ciel~ I told you these kinds of situations always bring people together~’ I mused internally, still savoring the taste of Jill’s lips and the warmth of her smile.

“Hmph. Master should stop using anime and manga as a guide for real life. You're starting to sound more and more like that troublemaker, Veldora-san,” Ciel huffed, her tone tinged with mock indignation—but I could feel the pout behind her words.

‘I would… if all those tropes didn’t actually work,’ I shot back with a smirk. ‘But since they do…’

I let the thought drift, already shifting gears in my mind. Jill’s story was more or less complete now, thanks to the tweaks I’d made along the way. Nikolai was gone. Nemesis was no longer a threat. The subway evac had gone off without a hitch. She had closure, and hopefully… something new too.

But I couldn’t afford to rest on a romantic high. The clock was ticking. Just a little over twelve hours left before the curtain rose on Resident Evil 2—Claire and Leon’s entrance into this lovely little apocalypse.

It was time to get back to work.

‘I will have to leave a clone to take care of Jill while I’m away. This girl is seriously a Protagonist through and through, always finding trouble without trying.’

I turned my gaze skyward, toward the distant rumble of chaos that still echoed from other corners of the city.

‘Time to find Veldora. Knowing him, he’s already made himself the center of a monster massacre.’

Let’s clean house.