It's now nighttime. And I'm just lying on the sofa while the TV news is currently talking about the sudden dragon attack a few hours ago in the background

  Huff. . . Why do I feel so. . . Empty today?

  No, not empty. More like confused with myself

  About what exactly? I'm not sure myself

  . . . Now that I think about it, my phone is broken, so if they watched the news, they might rush in at the hospital out of worry

  . . . I hope they did. It'll be so embarrassingly fun to talk about

  That's when my thoughts start to mock me all over again

  If they did, it's all your fault. You should have run earlier

  ". . . And leave that kid behind? "

  Oh, so now you started to care. Then why didn't you do the same back at the mall? Or when you were at the grocery store? Or when you're at school?

  ". . . "

  You even admitted it, that you're a cold person. Why show care now?

  "If this is my only mindset, why did I help them back then? "

  Ha?

  "Adam, Farah, Suraya. . . I helped all of them. Helped them develop their magic, helped them with their own trouble. So why did I help them if I truly am that person? "

  . . .

  "You don't even understand yourself, so shut the hell up"

  I get up from the sofa calmly, taking a deep breath and exhaling it. With a feeling deep in my heart

  Guilt.

  I hope they didn't worry that badly for me

  Just then, my door gets knocked on. Which surprises me a little, since I didn't expect anyone especially this late at night

  ". . . Who. . .? "

  As I opened the door, I suddenly got karate-chopped on my head, before seeing a figure with a gentle aura smiling gently at me

  "Hey, buddy. How are you? "

  ". . . Fuck you, Syed "

  "Ouch, I decided to check on you as what a best friend will do, and the first thing you did was to say the f word to me? " He teases me

  ". . . Then is the fucking karate-chopped necessary? "

  "Haha, sorry about that. Can I come in? "

  ". . . You want some tea? "

  "Sure, thanks buddy"

  He then gets inside before sitting on the sofa with the aura of a king. Which kinda irks me a little

  "Syed. . . Did you have to do that? "

  "Hmm, my mom says the visitor should be treated as a king. I just follow what she said " He says while smirking at me

  ". . . Huff, wait for a moment "

  I then go to the kitchen for a few minutes before walking to him with two cups of tea and handing him one

  "Thanks. . . You didn't put chili powder on this, right? "

  "Even if I do, you can smell it with your blessing. So there's no point" I say before sitting down beside him

  I then take a sip of my tea before talking to him calmly

  "I'm surprised it's only you who comes here. Thought they would come along"

  "Erm, actually. . . They're about to come here if it wasn't for me "

  ". . . Ha? "

  30 minutes ago, right after the news

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  I just came back to earth after I had handled a cosmic entity threatening to destroy another planet.

  So I thought it's a good idea for me to just check in on my family and friends, just in case

  As soon as I slowed down my speed and floated down to the ground slowly, I saw an army wandering around, doing their own job before he noticed me

  "Mister Syed, it's an honor to meet you here! "

  I then nodded my head before looking at the surroundings and at him calmly

  "What's happening here? "

  "A dragon attacked here a few hours ago, sir. I'm on the patrol just in case it attacks again "

  "Wha-. . . Damn it. . . How many casualties? "

  "Around 5,000 people are being reported 'not detected' by the magic experts unit. . . So we assume. . . "

  ". . . I see, are there any survivors? The least I could do is to check on them "

  "I don't know much about that, sir. There might be some at the hospital. Should I escort you there? "

  ". . . No, no need. You have your own job as well, right? Focus on your job "

  "Alright sir "

  I smile calmly at him before dashing to the nearby hospital which is 10 kilometers from here and arrive there around 5 seconds later

  Just when I arrived at the front entrance, I heard a few voices that sounded too familiar to me

  "Is there a patient named Dani here?! Tell me! " Suraya shouted at the nurse in a worried tone

  "M-Miss Suraya, p-please calm down. . . "

  "Bestie, don't press her like that " Farah tries to calm her down

  "Suraya, I know you are worried, but calm yourself down. We're at the hospital right now " Adam says while crossing his arms at his chest

  ". . . Sorry, miss. . . I didn't mean to stress you " She lowered her gaze to the floor while clenching her hands

  ". . . Miss Suraya, we understand your worry. . . Can I get some information about him? "

  ". . . He's 17, just like me "

  "Alright miss, we will inform you if there's anyone knows about him "

  ". . . Thank you "

  The nurse starts to fast step calmly to the ward, before Farah tries to calm her down

  ". . . Bestie, don't be mad at yoursel-"

  "Of course I'm mad! If there's anything happened to him, it's all my fault! " She shouts, her hands curled up while shaking

  "You shouldn't have blamed yourself, you know " I say besides her

  "Ah! S-Syed?! " She startled at my sudden interruption

  "Hey "

  They just stared at me, still trying to adjust their selves back to the current reality before Adam tried to ask me

  "Sin-"

  "A few seconds ago. Thought I came here to check if there were any survivors. Might as well heal them with my blessing"

  ". . . Damn, I didn't even finish asking yet "

  "Wait, you knew already? About the dragon attack? " Farah was slightly shocked by how fast I know

  "Someone told me earlier, so I came here "

  I then turned my head slowly to my little sister and smiled softly at her

  "Suraya, you don't need to worry about Dani "

  "B-But-"

  "Suraya, have some faith in him. I'm sure he's not here "

  She didn't say anything afterwards and forced herself to calm down, with Farah caressing her back, helping her bestie to calm down

  That's when the nurse comes back to us with a girl beside her before bowing slightly to us and informing us calmly

  "She told me that she's with someone of your age. Perhaps she knows something "

  All of us stared at the girl, who just stared right back at us with such calmness, trying to look strong

  "Thank you, Miss. Could you leave us alone for a moment? "

  The nurse bowed her head before turning around and leaving. Suraya then slowly crouched before looked and asked her gently

  "Did you know something about someone I described to the nurse earlier? "

  "Erm. . . Sorry, but you're Miss Suraya, right? The prodigy mage? "

  The girl's question instantly makes her blush out of embarrassment, with all of us trying so hard not to laugh at her

  That's when she stared sharply at us which made us instantly flatten back our expression before she turned her focus back to the girl

  "Yes, that's me. Sorry for not introducing myself first, ok?

  "N-Not at all Miss Suraya. . . Erm. . . Is the person you mentioned not having a gate? "

  ". . .! Yes, Yes he is! Is he fine? "

  "Y-Yes Miss Suraya. In fact, he's the reason why I'm still alive "

  "EH?! " They three were collectively surprised at such a revelation

  "Not surprising honestly, I knew he could survive something like this " I say calmly

  Adam coughed a little to calm himself down before supporting my sentence

  ". . . Yeah, we probably shouldn't have worried that bad. If he could kill a demon by himself and stalemate Syed at his 'base' form. . . "

  "Huff. . . Guess we're worried for nothing " Farah says after sighing, with a soft smile on her face

  Suraya exhaled a long breath she held on for constellations know how long, before she smiled softly at the kid

  "Thank you for the info "

  "Y-Your welcome Miss Suraya. . . Erm, are you his friend? "

  "Hehe. . . You could say that "

  Suraya then stood up calmly before signalling both Adam and Farah to get out of the hospital

  But before they could step out, I raised my arm to halt them

  "Hold on, where did you guys think you're going huh? "

  "To go check on that idiot of course " Farah answered me

  "You guys know this is late at night, right? "

  Adam looked at me with baffled eyes before blinking a few times and answering me

  "It's not even 9 ye-"

  "Go back home, you guys are tired, aren't you? " I cut his words off gently

  "Brother. . . " Suraya stared at me

  "Suraya, go home and rest. You have exams tomorrow " I stared back at her while talking gently

  ". . . Huff, alright. But can you please check on Dani? "

  "Alright, I will after this. Go back home, all three of you"

  ". . . So that's how, huh? " I say calmly to Syed

  "Yeah, they all worried as hell for you. Why didn't you call them? "

  ". . . My phone's broken. Thanks to that damn dragon"

  "Oh, should I make a new one for you? "

  ". . . No, I don't want to trouble you "

  "What did you mean by 'trouble me' you dumbass? Come on, let me treat you this one time " He pressed me gently

  ". . . Ok"

  He then used his blessing and summoned my phone into his hand from thin air before giving it to me gently

  "Here, good as new"

  As I take and check my phone, there are at least hundreds of messages and missed calls from them

  ". . . Seems like I'm getting scolded tomorrow"

  "Haha, sure you are. By the way, glad to know you still know how to show care for others "

  ". . . What do you mean? "

  "Don't act dumb, buddy. You saved a girl earlier right? "

  ". . . "

  "Dani? "

  ". . . Hey Syed, is it fine for me to act like a stupid kid? "

  ". . .? What did you mean? "

  ". . . I don't know about myself. Sometimes I care, sometimes I don't. . . And I sometimes debate with myself like there's two of me. . ."

  ". . . "

  ". . . Huff, I sound like an immature kid, am I? "

  "No, you're not "

  His answer makes me instantly turn my head and stare at him, and right now he is just smiling gently at me

  ". . . Ha? "

  "You're just confused, Dani. Your heart and mind are on the stage where they want you to find yourself. That's all "

  ". . . You think so? "

  "I believe so. Sooner or later, you're gonna understand yourself "

  ". . . What if I don't? What then? "

  "Even if you don't, you're still my best friend. I'm gonna support you all the way "

  His gentle words somehow ease my conflicted mind a little, before I take a deep breath and release it

  "You talk like we're in a fucking novel or something "

  "Haha, what can I say? It's my job as the chosen one to bring hope and comfort " He teases me gently

  ". . . Thanks. For whatever you said earlier"

  "Anytime, buddy "

  As the warm moment between them happened, there's one thing that they are blissfully unaware of right now

  Someone is watching them through the window at this moment

  The same person who gave wrath his authority

  The same person who ordered two different demons to disturb Dani

  Him, The Lord of Fallen Angels

  He had stared at them for constellations knows how long, perhaps longer

  But he didn't do anything, didn't say anything, didn't plan anything

  He is just looking at them, or more precisely, at Dani

  There's one simple sentence that comes out from him, but it's not hateful, it's not filled with twisted desire either

  It was rather. . . Calm. And mournful

  "Lucky you "

  As I had reassured Dani with my gentle support, an instinct of mine started crawling through my neck

  That's when my blessing of danger sense warned me, as I could feel something staring at us from outside

  That's when I instantly dash towards the door and open it, preparing myself for anything

  But, there's nothing

  There are no suspicious sounds

  There's no one outside, as I didn't hear any footsteps

  Not even my blessing earlier could sense the source of the stare I felt earlier

  . . . Is it only my feelings? No, if that's so, my blessing shouldn't be triggered

  "Oi, Syed. What the hell is with you? " Dani says calmly, as he slowly walks towards me

  ". . . No, I thought there's something outside "

  ". . . So you're tired as well huh? Go back home and rest "

  I look around for a while, making sure the outside of his house is safe before smiling gently at him

  "Alright, Dani. Take care of yourself, alright? "

  "Hmm, you as well "

  "Make sure you lock everything, ok? Your doors, your windows, your-"

  "Ok, ok. Don't you dare start to sound like a father now "

  "Haha, I'm just worried for you. Oh yeah, one more thing "

  ". . . What is it? "

  I let his question linger around a bit longer for dramatic effect, before saying my next line gracefully

  "Put some sugar on your tea next time, buddy. That tea was bitter as hell "

  ". . . Fuck you, ungrateful MC"