Raven woke to the smell of frying noodles and the usual clatter of Mrs. Chen's restaurant below. For a moment, everything felt normal. Just another morning in his cramped flat above the kitchen, another day of scraping by.
Then he remembered.
He pulled up his status screen with a thought, and there it was. The Portfolio tab, showing thirty-three gold coins. Three thousand, three hundred pounds. Real money. Money he'd earned by killing monsters in another realm.
His hands trembled slightly as he dismissed the screen. It hadn't been a dream.
He sat on the edge of his narrow bed, staring at his hands. These hands had held a sword yesterday. Had killed a massive armored bear. Had saved lives. The disconnect between that reality and his shabby flat felt enormous, like he was living in two different worlds simultaneously.
Which, he supposed, he was.
He got dressed slowly, pulling on clean clothes, one of the few decent outfits he owned. His reflection in the small mirror showed the same face as always. Black hair, dark eyes, tall frame. But Mrs. Chen was right, something was different. There was a hardness in his expression that hadn't been there before. The look of someone who'd faced death and survived.
When he came downstairs, Mrs. Chen was at her usual spot by the stove, her weathered face creased with concentration as she prepared the lunch rush. The restaurant was empty this early, just the two of them and the sound of oil sizzling.
"Morning, Raven," she said without looking up. "You look different today."
"Different how?" Raven asked, pausing at the bottom of the stairs.
"Can't say exactly. Just different." She finally glanced at him, her sharp eyes taking him in with the practiced assessment of someone who'd spent decades reading people. "Older, maybe. Like you've seen things." She paused, then added more quietly, "You went to that other place, didn't you? The one everyone's talking about."
Raven hesitated. Mrs. Chen had always been kind to him, never raising his rent even when she probably should have, sometimes leaving extra food outside his door when she thought he wasn't looking. She deserved honesty.
"I did. I'm okay though. Safe."
She nodded, returning to her cooking. "Good. Be careful, Raven. This city has gone mad in just one day. People with power acting like they own the streets. People without power scared to leave their homes." She gestured with her spatula toward the window. "Yesterday, I saw a boy, couldn't have been more than twenty, using some kind of fire power to threaten a shopkeeper. Just because he could. It's not right."
"No," Raven agreed quietly. "It's not."
"The strong shouldn't prey on the weak," Mrs. Chen continued, and there was steel in her voice. "My husband used to say that. Before he passed. He said the measure of a person wasn't their power, but what they did with it." She looked at Raven directly. "You have power now, don't you? I can tell."
Raven nodded slowly.
"Then use it right. Don't become like those others. Don't forget who you were."
"I won't," Raven promised, and he meant it.
"Good boy." She smiled then, the expression softening her face. "Now eat something before you go. You're too skinny."
She pressed a steamed bun into his hands, waving away his attempt to pay. Raven ate it slowly, savoring the familiar taste, then headed out into Queen's.
The streets hit him like a physical shock.
It had only been one day since the Administrator's announcement, but the city had transformed. The change was everywhere, impossible to ignore. Groups of people clustered on corners, some wearing makeshift badges or armbands marking them as awakened. Some of the badges were professional-looking, printed or embroidered, suggesting organized groups. Others were crude, hand-drawn, desperate attempts to claim status.
Others walked quickly with their heads down, clearly non-awakened trying to avoid attention. Raven saw fear in their eyes, the way they flinched when awakened passed too close, the way they crossed the street to avoid confrontation.
Several shops had closed entirely, their windows boarded up. Raven recognized Morrison's competitor grocery store among them, a handwritten sign taped to the door: "CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. STAY SAFE."
Other shops had adapted. "AWAKENED DISCOUNTS - 20% OFF WITH PROOF OF STATUS" read one sign. Another, more ominously: "AWAKENED ONLY - NO EXCEPTIONS. VIOLATORS WILL BE REMOVED."
The division was already forming, a line being drawn between those with power and those without. And it was happening fast, faster than Raven would have thought possible.
He passed an alley where three men in matching red armbands were spray-painting something on the wall. "CRIMSON GUILD - ACCEPTING RANK B AND ABOVE." They noticed him watching and one called out.
"Hey! You awakened?"
Raven kept walking, not answering. Behind him, he heard laughter.
"Scared little Stranger," one of them mocked. "Probably got an E-rank class and thinks he's special."
Raven clenched his fists but kept moving. Getting into fights on the street wasn't smart, no matter how much the insult stung. Besides, he had more important things to do.
Morrison's corner shop was their meeting point, and he was eager to see his friends. The shop itself looked the same as always, a small comfort in the chaos. Mr. Morrison was visible through the window, restocking shelves with the deliberate care of someone trying to maintain normalcy.
Ava and Axel were already there, both looking as unsettled as Raven felt.
"This is insane," Axel said without preamble, his voice tight with frustration. "I saw three fights on my way here. Three! People settling scores now that they've got powers. One guy was using some kind of earth magic to literally bury another guy's car. Over a parking dispute from last month!"
"My landlord tried to evict me this morning," Ava added, her voice tight with anger. Her hands were clenched at her sides, knuckles white. "Said he doesn't want 'dangerous awakened' in his building. Never mind that I've been paying rent on time for two years. Never mind that I've never caused any trouble."
"What did you do?" Raven asked.
"Told him I'd be out by the end of the week." Ava's jaw tightened. "Didn't show him my rank, didn't threaten him, didn't give him any reason to call me dangerous. Just agreed to leave. Let him find another tenant willing to pay what I was paying in this economy."
"That's not fair," Axel protested.
"Fair doesn't exist anymore," Ava said bitterly. "Fair died the moment that Administrator showed up and divided us into ranks."
They stood in silence for a moment, watching the changed city around them. A police car drove past slowly, two officers inside looking overwhelmed. Their eyes tracked every group of awakened nervously, hands resting near their weapons, knowing those weapons were probably useless against someone with real power.
"We need to focus," Raven said finally, pushing down his own anger and frustration. "The Portfolio system. We need to figure out how to actually access that money. Once we have resources, we can deal with everything else. Find better places to live, get proper equipment, plan our next moves."
"Agreed," Ava said, visibly pulling herself together. "I heard people talking about some kind of exchange building. Near the city center. Supposed to be where awakened can convert their realm money."
"Then that's where we go," Axel said.
They set off through Queen's, navigating streets that felt increasingly unfamiliar. Every block revealed more changes. A cafe that used to be popular with students now had all its windows smashed, shards of glass glittering on the sidewalk. A street vendor was selling crude weapons, metal pipes and baseball bats, to non-awakened who wanted some form of protection.
"Get your protection here!" the vendor called. "Non-powered weapons for non-powered people! Don't be helpless!"
It was depressing and frightening in equal measure.
The closer they got to the city center, the more organized things became. Official-looking people in government uniforms were setting up barriers and registration stations. Large signs directed people: "NON-AWAKENED REGISTRATION," "AWAKENED REGISTRATION," "EMERGENCY SERVICES," "INFORMATION."
"They're treating us like a different species," Ava muttered.
"Aren't we?" Axel asked quietly. "We can do things normal people can't. We have access to another world. We can kill monsters. That makes us different."
"Different doesn't mean separate," Ava argued.
"Tell that to them." Axel gestured to a group of awakened harassing a food cart vendor. The vendor was cowering, trying to pack up his things while they laughed.
Raven felt his jaw tighten. He wanted to intervene, but they were outnumbered and trying to stay low profile. Drawing attention could be dangerous, especially with his secret EX rank. If word got out about that...
"Come on," he said quietly. "We can't fix everything today."
They walked faster, leaving the scene behind. Raven tried not to think about the vendor's frightened face.
And then they saw it.
In what had been an empty lot just yesterday, stood a building that definitely hadn't existed before. It was three stories tall, made of stone and metal that looked both ancient and modern at the same time. The architecture was similar to what they'd seen in Maple's Blaze, practical and solid, with that same otherworldly quality that marked it as connected to the realm.
Above the entrance, glowing letters spelled out: "BRISTOL AWAKENED EXCHANGE."
"Well," Axel said, stopping to stare. "That's new."
A line of people stretched from the entrance halfway down the block. All awakened, judging by the way they carried themselves, that subtle confidence that came with power. Some looked excited, bouncing on their toes, chattering about what they'd buy with their money. Others looked frustrated, checking their phones constantly, complaining about the wait.
"This is going to take forever," Axel predicted.
"Let's just get in line," Raven said.
They joined the queue and immediately settled in for a long wait. The line moved, but slowly. Painfully slowly. Five minutes would pass with barely any movement, then suddenly everyone would shuffle forward a few feet, then stop again.
Raven used the time to observe. The people around them were a cross-section of Queen's awakened population. Some were young, teenagers like themselves, still wearing school uniforms. Others were older, professional types in business clothes, trying to maintain some sense of normalcy. A few looked rough, like they'd spent the last day fighting or hunting, their clothes torn and dirty.
Behind them, two women were talking loudly.
"I made fifteen gold coins yesterday," one bragged. "Killed a whole pack of those rabbit things. Grade 1 monsters, but there were ten of them. Fifteen hundred pounds in one afternoon!"
"That's nothing," her friend countered. "My brother's party took down a Grade 2 monster. Split the core four ways and each person made forty gold. Four thousand pounds each!"
"No way. Grade 2 monsters are supposed to be really dangerous."
"They are if you're stupid. But if you're smart, if you work together, they're just bags of money walking around."
Raven exchanged glances with his friends. They'd made thirty-three gold each, nearly double what those women were bragging about. And they'd only killed one bear and a few wolves. Were they just lucky? Or was it because their ranks were higher?
The line continued its slow march forward. After twenty minutes, they'd moved maybe thirty feet. Axel was getting visibly impatient, shifting from foot to foot.
"This is ridiculous," he muttered. "How is this the best system they could come up with?"
"They're dealing with thousands of people trying to access magical money from another dimension," Ava pointed out. "I think we can forgive some inefficiency."
"I suppose," Axel grumbled, but he didn't look convinced.
More time passed. Thirty minutes became forty, then fifty. Raven watched people emerge from the building with varying expressions. Some looked triumphant, clutching bank cards and paperwork, taking selfies in front of the Exchange building. Others looked angry or disappointed, arguing with officials who remained professionally unmoved.
One man stormed out, his face red with fury.
"This is bullshit!" he shouted to anyone who would listen. "They're saying I need a permanent address! I've been homeless for six months! How am I supposed to get a permanent address?"
An official followed him out, trying to be diplomatic. "Sir, we have programs to help awakened in your situation. If you'll just come to the assistance desk—"
"I don't want assistance! I want my money! I earned it!"
"And you'll get it, once you meet the basic requirements. We can help you establish an address, open an account—"
The man shoved past him, still swearing. Raven watched him go, feeling sympathy mixed with frustration. The system was trying to be fair, but it was still a system, with all the bureaucratic nonsense that entailed.
After what felt like an eternity but was actually about seventy minutes, they finally reached the entrance. A guard checked them in, scanning each of them with some kind of device that looked like a metal detector but made Raven's status screen flicker briefly in his vision.
"All awakened, all with active Portfolios," the guard confirmed, reading something on a small screen attached to his scanner. "Head to reception. Follow the signs."
Inside, the building was surprisingly spacious. High ceilings gave the space an open feel, and multiple service windows lined the walls. Signs hung from the ceiling, directing people to different areas: "NEW ACCOUNTS," "WITHDRAWALS," "DISPUTES," "INFORMATION," "ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS."
The space was filled with people, but it was organized chaos rather than pure mayhem. Lines formed at each window, staff members helped people fill out forms, and security guards kept watch to prevent any incidents.
"Information desk first," Ava suggested. "Let's make sure we understand the process before we waste time in the wrong line."
They headed to the information desk, where a tired-looking woman in an official uniform greeted them. Her name tag read "Sarah" and she had the expression of someone who'd answered the same questions hundreds of times already today.
"First time here?" she asked, not unkindly.
"Yes," Raven confirmed.
She handed them each a pamphlet without being asked. The motion was so automatic it was clearly routine. "This explains the basic system. Short version: you need verified ID, you need a bank account that accepts realm currency, and there's a weekly withdrawal limit of one hundred thousand pounds to prevent economic destabilization."
"One hundred thousand?" Axel's eyes widened. "Per week?"
"Per week," the woman confirmed. "The system is designed to regulate the flow of realm currency into our economy. If everyone could dump unlimited money in at once, it would cause inflation and economic collapse. The weekly limit prevents that."
"But what if someone earns more than one hundred thousand pounds worth in a week?" Ava asked.
"Then it rolls over. Your Portfolio balance doesn't disappear. You can withdraw one hundred thousand this week, one hundred thousand next week, and so on until you've converted everything." Sarah gestured to the pamphlet. "It's all explained in detail on page two."
"What about bank accounts?" Raven asked. "Not all banks are accepting realm money, right?"
"Correct. There's a list of approved banks on page three. Most major banks are cooperating now, though some have additional requirements or fees. We recommend Bristol Commercial Bank. They're processing awakened accounts quickly and have reasonable terms."
"How long does the whole process take?" Axel asked.
Sarah looked sympathetic. "If you don't have a bank account yet, expect three to four hours total. Two to three hours to open an account at the bank, then another hour or so here to link it to your Portfolio and make your withdrawal."
Three to four hours. It was a lot, but they'd already invested over an hour just getting here. Might as well finish.
"Where's Bristol Commercial Bank?" Raven asked.
"Two blocks east, one block north. Can't miss it. There'll be a line."
They thanked her and headed back outside. The afternoon sun was bright, and the streets were busy with people going about their business, trying to maintain some sense of normalcy even as the world transformed around them.
Finding the bank was easy, just as Sarah had said. The line outside was proof they had the right place.
"At least we know we're not the only ones doing this," Ava said with forced optimism.
They took their place at the end of the line and settled in for another wait. This one moved even slower than the Exchange line. Banking, apparently, required more thorough processing than simple registration.
The people around them in line were different from those at the Exchange. More serious, more focused. These were people who'd already decided to fully commit to this new reality, to properly integrate their realm earnings with their normal lives.
Ahead of them, a man in a business suit was on his phone.
"Yes, I'm opening an account specifically for realm currency... No, it's legitimate. The government has approved banks... I know it sounds insane, but this is the world we're living in now... Yes, I'll be back in the office tomorrow..."
Behind them, two young women were planning.
"Once we get this set up, we should form a proper party," one said. "Regular hunts, split everything evenly, build up savings."
"Agreed. But we need to be smart about it. Not take stupid risks just for quick money."
"Obviously. I don't want to die in that place. I want to get strong enough to survive whatever apocalypse is coming."
The casual way they talked about the apocalypse sent chills down Raven's spine. It was coming. The Administrator had been clear about that. All this money, all this power, it was just preparation for something worse.
Time crawled. Raven's feet started to hurt from standing. His stomach growled, reminding him he'd only had a steamed bun for breakfast. Around them, people shifted impatiently, checked their phones, made small talk to pass the time.
An hour passed. Then another. The sun moved across the sky. The line shortened inch by inch.
Finally, after two and a half hours, they reached the bank's entrance. Inside was more organized chaos, every chair in the waiting area full, people clutching paperwork and looking various degrees of impatient. They took numbers from the dispenser and found spots to stand against the wall.
The bank itself looked normal enough. Professional decor, motivational posters about financial planning, the usual bank smell of paper and air conditioning. But there was a tension in the air, a sense that everyone knew they were processing something unprecedented.
Raven watched the other customers carefully. Some emerged from their appointments looking satisfied, clutching new bank cards. Others looked frustrated, apparently denied for various reasons. He overheard one woman arguing with a bank officer.
"But I have my ID right here! I'm awakened! I have money in my Portfolio!"
"Ma'am, you also need proof of address. A utility bill, a lease agreement, something showing you have a stable residence."
"I live with my boyfriend! The bills are in his name!"
"Then we'll need a letter from him confirming you live there, along with one of his utility bills."
The woman stormed off, still protesting. Raven made a mental note. Proof of address. He had that, his lease agreement for the flat above Mrs. Chen's restaurant. It wasn't much, but it was legal and documented.
More time passed. Raven's number was called first.
"Good luck," Ava said.
He approached the indicated window, where a middle-aged man sat behind a computer screen. His name plate read "David Winters - Account Specialist." He looked like he hadn't slept in days, his tie loose, his hair rumpled, but his smile was professional.
"Good afternoon. Opening a new account for realm currency?"
"Yes, sir."
"Excellent. I'll need your ID, proof of address, and proof of awakened status."
Raven handed over his ID and his lease agreement. "How do I prove awakened status?"
David produced a device similar to what the guard at the Exchange had used. "This will verify it. Just hold still for a moment."
He scanned Raven, and something beeped affirmatively.
"Confirmed. Now, let's get you set up."
The process was straightforward but thorough. Basic information, address confirmation, employment status (Raven listed himself as self-employed, which felt more accurate than unemployed now), agreement to terms and conditions specific to realm currency accounts.
"You'll be flagged in the system as an awakened account holder," David explained. "This allows special transactions related to realm currency but also means additional oversight. The government wants to track money flow to prevent illegal activity."
"What kind of illegal activity?" Raven asked.
"Money laundering, primarily. They don't want people using realm currency to hide illegal earnings. Also tax evasion, though the tax situation with realm money is still being sorted out at the national level." David typed rapidly. "For now, realm currency is being treated as foreign income and will be taxed accordingly."
"I have to pay taxes on this?"
"Eventually, yes. Though there's a grace period while they figure out the exact regulations." David printed something and handed it to Raven. "Your temporary card. Account number is here. Permanent card will arrive by post in five to seven business days. Your account is active immediately, so you can link it to your Portfolio at the Exchange."
"Thank you."
"One more thing." David leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice. "Be careful out there. I've seen a lot of awakened come through today. Some are like you, just trying to navigate this new reality. Others..." He shook his head. "Others have let the power go to their heads. Watch yourself."
"I will. Thank you."
Raven stepped away, holding his temporary bank card like it was made of gold. He had a bank account. A real bank account with his name on it.
Ava was called next, then Axel. The process took about twenty minutes for each of them. When they finally regrouped outside the bank, it was late afternoon, the sun beginning to sink toward the horizon.
"Done?" Raven asked.
"Done," Ava confirmed, holding up her own temporary card.
"About damn time," Axel said, but he was grinning.
They made their way back to the Exchange, which now had a much shorter line. Most people had given up for the day. They were processed quickly this time, directed to special terminals in a separate room where they could link their bank accounts to their Portfolios.
The room had a dozen terminals set up, each in a small cubicle for privacy. Raven took one and examined the interface. It was surprisingly intuitive, clearly designed for people who might not be tech-savvy.
A screen prompted him to enter his account number. He typed it in carefully, double-checking each digit. Then identity confirmation, his name, date of birth, address. The system cross-referenced everything, and after a moment of processing, his Portfolio updated.
---
[PORTFOLIO LINKED TO BRISTOL COMMERCIAL BANK]
[ACCOUNT: RAVEN HAYES - ****4721]
[CURRENT BALANCE: 33 GOLD COINS]
[AVAILABLE FOR WITHDRAWAL: £3,300]
[WEEKLY LIMIT REMAINING: £100,000]
[WITHDRAW FUNDS? YES/NO]
---
Raven stared at the screen for a long moment. This was it. The moment of truth. Once he pressed YES, the money would transfer. It would become real in a way it hadn't been before.
He selected YES.
---
[PROCESSING WITHDRAWAL...]
[WITHDRAWAL SUCCESSFUL]
[AMOUNT: £3,300]
[NEW PORTFOLIO BALANCE: 0 GOLD COINS]
[FUNDS WILL APPEAR IN LINKED ACCOUNT WITHIN 24 HOURS]
[NEXT WITHDRAWAL AVAILABLE: 7 DAYS FROM NOW]
[THANK YOU FOR USING THE BRISTOL AWAKENED EXCHANGE]
---
He stared at the screen, then pulled out his phone and opened his banking app. The balance showed "Pending Deposit: £3,300.00"
It was real. All of it was real.
Raven felt something break inside him, some tight knot of tension he'd been carrying for years. Since his parents died. Since he'd been forced to drop out of school. Since he'd started working delivery jobs just to survive.
He had money. Real money. Money that could pay his rent for months. Money that could buy food. Money that meant security, safety, options.
His hands trembled as he closed the banking app.
"Raven?" Ava's voice startled him. She was standing in the cubicle entrance, her own transaction clearly complete. "You okay?"
"Yeah," he managed. "Yeah, I'm okay. Just... processing."
"I know." Her voice was soft, understanding. "I cried when my transfer went through. Actually cried, right there at the terminal. It's a lot."
Axel joined them, looking shell-shocked but happy. "Done. Three thousand, three hundred pounds pending. This is actually happening."
They stood there in the Exchange building, three seventeen-year-olds who'd been scraping by just yesterday, now holding bank accounts with thousands of pounds pending. The reality of it was overwhelming.
"We should celebrate," Axel suggested, his voice a bit unsteady. "Actually buy food from somewhere that's not a discount shop. Maybe even a restaurant."
"Tomorrow," Raven said. "Tonight, I need to do something first."
They understood without asking. They all had things they needed to do, people they needed to thank, realities they needed to confront.
They parted ways outside the Exchange, agreeing to meet tomorrow afternoon to plan their next steps. Raven headed back through Queen's as darkness fell, his mind already planning.
The city looked different in the evening light. Street lamps were coming on, casting everything in orange and shadow. The awakened who'd been strutting around earlier had mostly disappeared, probably logging back into the realm for more hunting. The non-awakened were emerging cautiously, trying to reclaim their city during the safer nighttime hours.
Raven stopped at a proper grocery store, the kind he usually walked past because the prices were too high. Bartlett's Market, with its clean floors and well-stocked shelves and employees who actually smiled at customers.
With his temporary bank card and the knowledge that real money was coming within twenty-four hours, he allowed himself to shop properly for the first time in years.
He started in the produce section. Fresh vegetables, not the wilted half-price ones from the discount bin. Crisp lettuce, bright tomatoes, firm cucumbers. He added bell peppers, onions, carrots. Real ingredients for real meals.
The meat section was next. He bypassed the cheap cuts, the mystery meat that was mostly gristle and fat, and selected actual quality products. Chicken breast. Pork chops. Even a small cut of beef, expensive but worth it.
Rice, bread, cooking oil. Eggs, milk, butter. Tea, not the cheap stuff but actual good tea. Pasta, canned goods, spices. He filled two bags with food, more than he could eat in a week, enough to actually stock his small kitchen.
Then he added a third bag. The expensive stuff. The ingredients Mrs. Chen used in her special dishes, the ones customers paid premium prices for. Premium soy sauce in the glass bottle, not the plastic one. Dried shiitake mushrooms, wrinkled and aromatic. Fresh ginger root, thick and firm. Sesame oil that smelled like heaven. Rice wine. White pepper.
At the checkout, the cashier rang everything up without comment, though her eyebrows rose slightly at some of the premium items. The total came to forty-three pounds.
Forty-three pounds. A week ago, that would have been impossible. That would have been most of his weekly income from deliveries. Now, it was less than two percent of what was coming into his account.
Raven handed over his card. The transaction went through. The cashier bagged everything carefully, wished him a good evening, and that was that.
He carried the bags back through Queen's, navigating the darkening streets with care. Despite the safer evening hours, there was still tension in the air. He saw groups of non-awakened walking together for protection. Saw vigilante patrols, normal people with bats and pipes, trying to protect their neighborhoods.
The city was fracturing. The divide between powered and unpowered was deepening by the hour. It wasn't going to get better anytime soon.
He reached Mrs. Chen's restaurant as she was closing up for the night. The last customers were filing out, satisfied and full. Mrs. Chen was wiping down tables, her movements practiced and efficient.
Raven climbed the stairs carefully, balancing his bags, then came back down and knocked on Mrs. Chen's private door at the back of the restaurant.
She opened it, surprise evident on her face. "Raven? Is everything okay?"
"Everything's fine," he said, holding out the third bag. "This is for you. To say thank you."
Mrs. Chen looked in the bag, her eyes widening as she saw the contents. She lifted out the bottle of premium soy sauce, the dried mushrooms, the fresh ginger. Her hands trembled slightly.
"Raven, this is too much. These ingredients cost a fortune. You shouldn't have spent your money on this."
"You've never raised my rent," Raven said simply. "Not once, even when you could have. Even when you probably should have. You've left food outside my door when you thought I wasn't looking. You've been kind when you didn't have to be. This is just a small thank you. It's not nearly enough for everything you've done."
Her eyes grew misty. She set the bag down carefully and looked at him, really looked at him, with the full force of her attention.
"You're a good boy, Raven Hayes," she said, her voice thick with emotion. "Your parents would be so proud of the man you're becoming."
The words hit harder than any monster's claws. Raven felt his throat tighten, felt tears threatening. He blinked them back.
"Thank you," he managed. "That means more than you know."
She pulled him into a quick, fierce hug. She was small, barely came up to his chest, but the hug was strong. "You stay safe out there. In this world and the other one. You hear me?"
"I hear you."
"And if you ever need anything, you come to me. Understand? Rent is one thing, but you need help, real help, you come to me."
"I will. I promise."
She released him, wiping her eyes quickly. "Now go. Get some rest. You look exhausted."
Raven carried his own bags upstairs, unlocked his flat, and stepped inside. It looked exactly as he'd left it that morning. Shabby furniture, cracked walls, water stains on the ceiling, the constant smell of cooking from downstairs. His narrow bed with its thin mattress. His tiny kitchen area with the hot plate and mini fridge.
But now he had food to put in that fridge. Real food. Quality food. He unpacked carefully, storing everything away. His kitchen area, usually bare except for instant noodles and cheap tea, now looked almost luxurious. Full. Abundant.
When everything was put away, Raven sat on his bed and just breathed. He looked around his shabby flat, at the peeling wallpaper and the crack in the window he'd covered with tape.
Tomorrow, he could start looking for a better place. He could buy new clothes, proper clothes that fit and didn't have holes. He could fix his phone screen, which had been cracked for six months. He could save for the future. Actually have a future.
But tonight, he just sat there, processing everything that had changed in just two days.
His phone buzzed. A text from Ava.
"Money just hit my account. This is really happening."
Then Axel: "I can pay rent. Real rent. For months. I can afford to eat. God, I can afford to actually eat."
Raven smiled and typed back to the group chat: "Tomorrow we plan properly. Figure out our next steps. For tonight, just rest."
Ava: "Agreed. See you tomorrow."
Axel: "Tomorrow. And Raven? Thank you. For keeping us together. For getting us through that first fight. We wouldn't have made it without you."
Raven stared at that message for a long time.
"We got through it together," he typed back. "That's how it'll always be."
He set his phone aside and lay back on his bed, staring at the cracked ceiling. The apocalypse was still coming. The Administrator had been clear about that. This money, this power, it was just the beginning. They needed to get stronger, to prepare, to be ready for whatever was coming.
But tonight, just for tonight, Raven let himself feel something he hadn't felt in a long time.
Hope.
Real, genuine hope that maybe things could be better.
That maybe they could survive what was coming.
That maybe, just maybe, they'd be okay.
Outside his window, Queen's continued its transformation. Sirens wailed in the distance. Someone shouted, angry or afraid. The world was changing, fracturing, becoming something new and dangerous.
But inside his small flat, with food in his kitchen and money in his account and friends who had his back, Raven felt safe. Not perfectly safe, not completely safe, but safer than he'd felt in years.
He closed his eyes and, for the first time in what felt like forever, fell asleep without worrying about tomorrow's rent, or where his next meal would come from, or whether he'd survive another week.
He slept deeply, dreamlessly, and when morning came, he would wake up ready to face whatever came next.