It probably was an illusion. Perhaps because the two seemed to get along with him, which no one had ever been able to do in years.
Ayen stood by the window and observed his surroundings. He already strolled around the house and found out it was only a two-story building, and the other half was even destroyed.
Besides two rooms, one bathroom, a simple kitchen, and a living room, other parts were not maintained. As Khal said, as long as it was comfortable for resting, they did not mind the state of the place.
It was a bit strange. They were supposed to have royal treatment, but looking at their living standards, Ayen's previous dorm room was even better.
Of course, he was talking about the dorm room he got when he was assigned to a red zone, which was by far the worst. And looking around, the debris and ruins were present as far as his eyes could see.
One second came to mind. Their living conditions were worse than those of the civilians in the yellow zone.
He only thought about it but did not comment, seeing that the two did not really care. So, why would he?
A few hours had passed, and the two espers returned after their usual patrol. There were no beasts around, but only because of the device they set up; leaving the vicinity would be a different scenario.
There was also a soundproof system inside, and so the roars of the monsters could not be heard.
"Your friend still hasn't woken up?" Devion asked, removing his combat suit, revealing his toned upper body as he threw the clothes to the side.
Ayen already saw it last time, but it was dark. Now, the scars and marks were bare for him to see. Behind him, Khal also took off his. The scars on him were no less than Devion's.
After glancing for a second, he averted his gaze. Someone watching your scars was not a pleasant feeling, and so Ayen refrained from looking deeper into them.
"She hasn't." Ayen shook his head.
Devion did not ask further, and neither did Khal, who, after nodding at him quickly, went to the bathroom to wash up, followed by Devion.
Ayen noticed that the two were not really concerned for Keeran and mainly asked politely. He did not impose much on them and decided that if Keeran still had not woken up in a couple of days, it was time to leave and let a doctor check on her.
Keeran did not suffer injuries, and Ayen did not know why she was not waking up. However, it was also a traumatic event, and maybe the reason for not waking up was because of this.
Ayen looked at the two who were now wearing casual clothes, walking closer to him.
"What do you want for dinner?" Devion asked, looking at Ayen. But he did not answer; it was Khal who did.
"I want to eat pasta."
"I'm not asking you."
"Ayen... do you also want pasta?" Khal smiled, winking as if to say to agree.
If it were not Ayen, they might tease Khal and say no, but fortunately for him, it was Ayen. He nodded as an answer.
"Whew. Pasta for dinner!" Khal cheered while Devion mocked him, but did not make a fuss.
And so the dinner was decided.
Ayen still felt strange in their relationship, but they did get along well. The chores also seemed split, with Devion mainly in charge of cooking.
This place was always dark, and only the watch indicated the time. Without having to do anything, Ayen walked towards the kitchen. Devion was already getting busy preparing the ingredients, and Khal was helping him.
His presence was immediately noticed as soon as he walked in. Khal looked up at him, gesturing to take a seat. There was no island aisle; instead, a small dining table was directly at the center.
Ayen took a seat quietly, watching the two get busy. He could not help but notice that, unlike Devion's usual arrogant and loud mouth, he was focused and silent in the kitchen. As a result, his angel-like face stood out.
"Are you already hungry?" Khal finished his share, leaving Devion to cook alone, sitting across from Ayen.
"No," Ayen answered without batting an eyelid.
Khal chuckled at that. Ayen glanced at him curiously. This expression seemed to make Khal laugh. He propped his chin on his hand and stared at Ayen amusingly.
Ayen met his eyes straight. He did not ask what was wrong or what made Khal look at him like that. Khal also did not say anything and only stared at him.
They were like that the whole time until Devion finished cooking, and Khal stood and helped him prepare the dining table. They remained in silence; even the loud Devion did the same.
Ayen was not one to start a conversation and appreciated the silence.
After they finished, Devion leaned back in the seat and sighed contentedly, rubbing his full stomach. Khal seemed to tease him, and so the two bickered over nonsense that Ayen did not bother listening to.
Ayen volunteered to wash the dishes, and the two let him. He also cleaned the kitchen afterwards. When he finished, Ayen met the two lounging in the living room.
Seeing them like this, they did not look like powerful espers.
"You done?" Devion asked, lifting his gaze from his phone.
Ayen nodded and sat on the single sofa. It was also a bit old but clean. His eyes landed on Khal sitting on the ground and leaning his back on the sofa, but he was actually in between Devion's spread legs.
Khal also looked up, waving his hand, and closed his eyes again. Ayen noticed Devion's hand that was brushing or massaging his head.
These little things appeared to be a common occurrence, and the two were accustomed to them. Ayen also thought that witnessing this, aside from that in the cave, gave a more intimate feeling.
"Both hands, please," Khal murmured.
Devion rolled his eyes and put down his phone, and finally focused on massaging Khal's head. "You a prince or what?"
Khal smirked, relaxing. "I'll do the same to you later."
Ayen watched the two; weirdly enough, his mouth opened to ask a question out of the blue. Perhaps, a little too comfortable in their presence.
"Where's your guide?" It was a simple and lazy question.
Ayen noticed their chaotic wavelength since they had met, but he thought SS-class espers had more control over them, which was the reason even the pitiful E-class guide like him was affected.
The urge to guide had never happened before, since he could not even sense an esper's chaotic wavelength. Ayen had managed to ignore it. After all, he was an E-class guide, and trying to guide an SS-class esper would be a joke, let alone two.
The two looked at him as if they practiced the same reaction.
"Guide? We don't have one," Devion answered casually.
Khal jabbed at his leg playfully. "That's a secret, isn't it?" Although he said that, he seemed not to care much.
"Oh, right," Devion shrugged, not minding in the slightest that a secret was casually told.
Ayen frowned. "How come?"
Then what about the mana toxins that made their wavelength chaotic? Would they lose control at this rate? As SS-class, they were more in danger of that state.
"It just happened," Devion simply answered.
As expected, Khal gave more information than he did.
"No guide is compatible with us. No one managed to sense our esper energy. If they could not connect with our wavelength, how could they guide us?"
Ayen frowned. Huh? Then why... Could he sense their chaotic wavelength?