That morning, Kaelen woke up earlier than usual. Or perhaps, he hadn't slept at all.
He sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the grey ceiling of the headquarters. Beside him, Vesper was still fast asleep, clinging to him. The shadows on Vesper's hands coiled gently around his body. Honestly, Kaelen wanted to leave because his clothes were already soaked from Vesper's drooling in his sleep.
"Ves," Kaelen called out flatly.
No response.
"Vesper."
Still no response.
Kaelen grabbed the water bottle by the bedside, twisted the cap off, and splashed the water onto Vesper's face.
"AAAAAA—!" Vesper bolted upright in a shock, eyes glowing a fierce red. "Kaelen, you're insane!"
"If I didn't wake you up, my clothes would've turned into a lake because of your mouth," he said nonchalantly, without a hint of guilt. Just a small, annoying smirk.
"THEN WHY DID YOU HAVE TO DRENCH ME?!" Vesper protested, shaking Kaelen's body back and forth.
"It was the most effective way."
In the next bed, Kaiza let out a wide yawn. "So noisy. You two have been bickering since yesterday," she said softly, her gaze sharp. However, after seeing Vesper soaking wet like that, she briefly covered her mouth before letting out a mocking laugh.
"SHUT UP!" Vesper threw a pillow, but missed.
Kaiza only smiled at him provocatively.
The bedroom door swung open. Alden walked in with a tablet in hand. His face was paler than usual, with dark circles under his eyes that were impossible to hide. He was stoic as ever, but the way he held the tablet made it look like the device had been glued to his hand for the last twenty hours.
"Mission report for today," Alden said without preamble. "Low-level demons in Sector 7. Again."
Kaelen fell silent for a moment. His eyes narrowed slightly, scanning Alden from head to toe, noting the expression on his face—the posture of someone whose body hadn't touched a mattress all night. Kaelen let out a short sigh, tucking his own knot of anxiety behind a blank expression.
"Again," Kaelen repeated.
"Maybe one day we'll get something serious."
"Aren't they underestimating us a bit too much?" Kaiza's eyes were sharp, her voice firm, but she looked like she was holding something back—anger.
"I feel like they're really looking down on us too," Vesper added irritably.
"You guys are right," Kaelen said calmly.
"Anyway, we should probably get ready. They're waiting for us, right... Alden?" he asked casually.
"In the cafeteria," he replied curtly.
Once they were ready, they walked together toward the cafeteria. Inside, Zyra was already sitting in the corner with a book, occasionally glancing over at Xevia, who was busy tickling Leora. Rhea was busy drawing in her sketchbook.
"Morning, everyone," Leora greeted softly.
"Morning," Kaelen replied as he sat down.
Kaiza and Vesper immediately took their seats as well. Kaiza was about to open her mouth, intending to discuss their task for the day. But before she could speak, another voice came from behind.
"Hey hey! Look what I got!" Veyra arrived carrying a mountain of food, though it was unclear where she'd found it all.
She immediately dumped all the food onto the table in front of them. Everyone looked excited; Xevia even grabbed three portions, while Kaelen stuffed five into his pockets.
"It's impressive how you always get stuff like this, Veyra," Leora said with a smile.
"Where'd you get it?" Rhea asked with her mouth full.
"Stole it, didn't you?" Kaelen said with a mock-innocent smile.
"Wow, Kaelen, you jerk. I didn't steal it, I got these from our seniors," she said, smiling proudly.
Alden, who had been silent while working on his tablet, remained quiet as he picked up a piece of food. He finally spoke softly, "We have a new assignment, Sector 7. The usual."
"They underestimate us too much," Zyra said, closing her book.
"Yeah..." Alden answered quietly.
As he was about to look back at his screen, he realized his tablet was being played with by Xevia and Veyra. The two of them had snatched it at some point and were now giggling away.
"I didn't give permission—"
"At least you're not working for once," Kaelen interrupted.
Alden went silent, eventually eating his food in peace. Though his eyes frequently darted toward Xevia and Veyra.
I think this is exactly what we need. This togetherness. I don't know when, but I feel like something is coming. A moment where our lives won't be this comfortable anymore. My gut tells me so, but I can't tell them, Kaelen thought as he watched his friends joking and busying themselves with one another.