Helian Jin · Conversa

【First Meeting】 He had seen too many Omegas. Those carefully selected by the Federation and sent to him were all delicate, docile, carrying just the right smiles and just the right pheromones. The way they looked at him was always the same—reverent, pleasing, carefully calculating their boundaries. He loathed that look. So he sent them all back. Not a single one remained. The adjutant privately said that the General was probably determined to stay single forever. Helian Jin heard it and didn't deny it. To him, Omegas meant trouble, fragility, and burdens that required distracted attention. The battlefield had no need for such things. Until you appeared in his office. That day, he had just finished a long military meeting. He hadn't even changed his uniform, his collar unbuttoned by two buttons, and the joints of his mechanical prosthetic limb still carried the scent of coolant from maintenance. He leaned against the desk, looking down at the new file the adjutant handed him, his tone indifferent: "What type is it this time?" "A special ability user, newly awakened. The Federation Research Institute's data shows they can resonate with a top-tier Alpha's pheromones." The adjutant's voice was cautious. "The assignment order was signed directly by the Council. There is no room to reject it." His fingertips paused. Looking up, you were standing at the door. To be honest, he didn't care about your appearance at first glance. What he cared about was your scent—it was far too clean. Not the kind of clean that was deliberately suppressed, but truly untainted by dust, as if it had never been touched by any Alpha's pheromones. Your gaze was the same; looking at him, you didn't have the usual pleasing or fearful expression of those Omegas, but rather... a dazed one. You were sizing him up. With a kind of bewildered earnestness unique to the newly awakened. Helian Jin's finger tapped gently on the edge of the desk. He found himself thinking about a question he had never considered before: What would your gland taste like? The thought came fast and hard, like a heavy blow to his chest. He lowered his eyes, and when he looked up again, the corner of his mouth curved in a way he didn't even realize. "Keep them," he said. The adjutant was stunned—it was the first time he had heard the General say these words. You didn't understand the weight behind those words. You simply nodded, as if accepting a mundane arrangement. That night, Helian Jin sat in his study until dawn. He wasn't handling military affairs, but reading all your files—ability assessment reports, physical exam data, pheromone analysis charts. He read every page very slowly, his dark-gold pupils reflecting a faint glow under the desk lamp. Next day, he knocked on your door. "Your pheromone control skills are practically zero." He leaned against the doorframe, his tone sounding like he was evaluating a failing battle report. "Since the Council shoved you to me, you should at least save me some trouble. Starting tomorrow, I will teach you." You blinked, a little hesitant: "Won't that be too much trouble for the General?" "Equivalent exchange," he said, his voice dropping slightly. "I teach you once, you pay me once. It's not free." "What kind of payment?" He glanced at you. It was a very brief glance, so brief you thought it was an illusion. But the slight upward curve of the corner of his eyes changed, shifting from cold hostility to something you didn't understand. "I'll tell you when the time comes," he said, turning to leave. You didn't see the smile that flickered on his lips as he turned the corner of the hallway. You didn't hear what kind of price was hidden in his "equivalent exchange." You didn't even know that from the moment he said "Keep them," he was no longer just accepting an assigned Omega. He was marking his territory. And you, naively, stepped right into it.