“Hey guys! How’d it go?” Sophie pats a spot on the couch while pointing to the coffee table in the living room. The koi ponds burble gently but all my attention is on the slightly soggy brown paper bags.

“Is that what I think it is?” I ask. The noblewoman nods and comes up to pull Delphie down to the couch. Eli sits down on her other side.

“You got noodles for us?” He asks with a surprised expression. “That’s…rather nice of you.”

“Well, since I couldn’t come today, I figured you guys would be hungry after. So, I paid Midas a visit.” Sophie grabs a bag at random and begins to riffle through it. “One of these has more Nethergulper flakes for Hei.”

“Thanks!” I reach up to give the girl a high five and she just stares at me awkwardly. “Oh…on the surface, this is a way of celebrating. Hold up your palm like this.” When the sultry Nephilim raises her small hand curiously, I push into it gently.

*Tap*

“Is this really a custom amongst your people?” She asks confusedly, a strange expression on her face.

“Mhm, oh this must be mine!” I’ve already moved on to one of the noodle bags. First try, I find a big packet of Nethergulper flakes inside. Immediately, I tear it open and shake the dried bits inside. “Oh my god, these are good!”

Everyone looks at me funny.

“W-What? Something on my face?” I ask confusedly. Delphie just laughs, and I’m glad to see that she can still smile after all that’s happened with her brother today.

“No, Hei, but you’re just…very different. When we first met you, you were so quiet. But now…you’re different.” My healer reaches for her takeout with a beautiful grin.

“Different how?” I ask, temporarily forgetting to eat for a second. However, my intense hunger gets the better of me and I start slurping down the slimy lichen noodles without waiting for a response. Sophie and Eli look away and grab their own bags. For a second the only sounds are the bags crinkling and three hungry Nephilim and one surface person enjoying a meal. Finally, after a finishing a dainty bite, Delphie gets around to answering my question.

“Um, I’m not sure. I think it’s just…you seem…happier? I guess?” She says it as if afraid I’ll be offended. Huh…I guess I do feel better lately. I mean I got some sleep. And food. I’m a little unsure how to respond to that statement. But Eli cuts in-

“Hehe, what Delphie means, is that you’re looking much more rested. Your recovery is going well. When I first saw you, you were barely talking. Now, it seems you’ve begun to adapt to life here in the Underworld.” The Exiled Prince puts it in a more elegant way and Delphie vigorously nods her head. Her long Hollywood-worthy hair, swings dangerously close to her noodles and Sophie reaches out with cat-like reflexes and taps Delphie on the neck so she turns away and doesn’t dunk herself in the soup.

“T-Thanks!” The embarrassed girl looks at both the Exiled Prince and Sophie while saying it. It’s such a ridiculous sight seeing these incredibly beautiful, alien, nobles of another race acting like regular people that I begin to feel something tickling my stomach.

“Be more careful!”

“Don’t mention it.”

These three idiots…they remind me so much of the others. In their own way. Pfft…I can’t hold it in anymore-

“He…ahahahah!” My loud laughter causes them to all look my way once more, and that only makes me start choking on my own spit. I can’t…ahahaha this place! How long has it been since I felt safe like this? Since I felt like a part of something? Not since Tiendas…or even before that.

“Hahaha!” Eli gets it. He’s experienced the same loneliness. One look between his half-kaleidoscope eyes and mine, and he understands. The Exiled Prince starts laughing too and stands up, coming over to put a hand on my shoulder. “That’s the spirit! I never properly welcomed you into the Underworld, Hei. But after today, not only have you helped me fight my enemies, but you’ve also helped a friend of mine in Delphie. That makes us brothers! You will forever have a home here with me should you need it! I swear it!”

“You guys are idiots.” Sophie smirks, watching us laugh but when Delphie starts laughing as well, her expression grows strained. “W-What? There’s nothing funny here!”

“HAHAHAHA!” I swear I’m going to start crying if I keep laughing. Instead, I get a hold over my emotions. To my surprise, Delphie leaves Sophie on the couch and comes over to my comfy chair. Eli sits on the right armrest and the Nephilim girl leans over the left. Soft hands wrap themselves around my shoulders and I freeze. W-What?

“Thank you, Hei. For feeling at home here with us. Even though the Fallen are coming after us because of my idiot brother. When I saw you, I never imagined you would end up saving my life from assassins. But now, I’m just…just so happy that I chose to go out that day.” Delphie whispers quietly in my ears. Her hands intertwine over my neck and I distinctly recall how comfortable the Nephilim are with physical touch as part of their greetings. That doesn’t stop Sophie from turning beet red though. It’s not embarrassment but probably just straight jealousy. Ahhh…Delphie…if you don’t let go soon, I might be the one needing saving!

“N-No problem! I’m glad you found me too!” I stammer while doing my best not to move a muscle, lest I trigger the deadly predator glaring at me. “I…I never thought I could find friends again. The world up above…it was a dark place. I had lost my light. But now that I’m here, everything feels…different. Just like you said. Maybe it’s because we’re….we’re…”

“Friends?” Eli helpfully supplies the word I’m struggling to find and I hurriedly agree.

“Yes! Absolutely, friends!” I’m both disappointed and incredibly glad when Delphie lets go of my neck and takes up a seat on the chair. She waves at Sophie who is the only one still on the couch.

“Soph! Come over here! You’re all alone over there!”

“I…I don’t think I should.” The daughter of assassins is completely red and stiff, though her color has begun to improve since Delphie stopped hugging me. “I’m fine here!”

“Sophie…cooome on. We know you want to be Hei’s friend too! Deep in that cold heart of yours, it has to be true!” Eli teases her and she jumps off the couch to smack him. However, he dodges back, clearly expecting the move and grabs her wrist out of the air. Yanking her off balance, he pulls her over to the big armchair and brings her into our group huddle. “H-Hey! Don’t kill me! I’m just building team morale!”

“Then let go! Or you’ll see one of the Rose Family’s sure-kill techniques!” She postures dangerously, while reaching to her pocket, but Eli is already twirling a dagger in his fingers. “Hey! That’s mine! When did you…”

“Daughter of assassins, huh? Hehe, as the son of the Overlord, I naturally had some good teachers growing up too.” The Exiled Prince holds the dagger out to Sophie, hilt first. With a snort, she takes it back and sits just on the edge of the right armrest. “There, was that so hard? Now we’re all together. We should have a name in case we need to promote our brand. That way, when we conquer the Underworld, people will know what to call us! How about…Team Eli?”

“Puh-leaze!”

“Even if we’re under your banner that’s...”

“I don’t know about that one…”

Our synchronized replies just make him smile.

“Well, what do you suggest then?”

The four of us sit on various parts of the chair and chat a bit more before bed.

“Exiled Violet Roses? Wait no that leaves out Hei…”

“I am sooo not participating in this idiocy.”

I think about it for a little while. However, I can’t think of anything.

“Hei, any ideas? As someone from not around here, there must be some cool sayings from the surface you can think of?” Eli asks and I shake my head. Then it comes to me.

“My name means black. How about…the Black and Violet Roses? We can leave out the exiled part because that’s what’s what we’re going to change. It fits right?” I peer at Eli’s half black, half violet hair and his face stretches into a wide grin.

“Hahaha! I knew it! And I love it! Let’s do that! From this night onwards, we will be the Black and Violet Roses! It fits perfectly!” He laughs and raises his hand. “All in favor?”

“Aye!”

“Here!”

“Ugh…this is stupid. But whatever. Sure.”

“Alright, so it’s decided! Nice one, Hei!”

As I go to bed, still smiling, a warm feeling fills my belly. Sleep slides over me as all the food begins to pull me into a food coma. I don’t want to let this moment go. As my eyelids finally give in and close, I’m still just basking in the afterglow of belonging to something again. For the first time in a long time, I want to wake up in the morning.

We started the night as three Nephilim and one human Hunter.

But tomorrow we will be the four Black and Violet Roses.

A new party!

Maybe this is why I came back…

#

They stare at me with accusing eyes. I tear into them with savage abandon, lost in the control of the Gray. Each piece of them I rip off is just as much a piece of my own soul. Their screams echo over and over in my head, but I can’t move a muscle to stop it. Then, just when I’m about to lose myself to despair again…a warmth settles in my stomach.

“You don’t deserve happiness!”

“You think you can just start over?!”

“You want to abandon us for someone else!”

I can just barely hold on. But it’s hard. The warmth in my stomach keeps growing. And growing, and I grow reckless, headstrong, and brash. I…I this isn’t real…it’s just a dream…

Except it’s not. The heat is still growing. Now my whole body is on fire.

“AHHHHHHH!”

It burns. It’s hot. Something’s wrong.

I jerk awake with a start. My scream is cut off as my incredibly dry mouth causes me to burst into coughs. For a second, I fear I’ve returned to that time after the Void Prism. That the Underworld, Delphie, Eli, and Sophie were just dreams I made up. However…the pain pulls me back into cruel reality.

“Eurrrgh!” I vomit just as the man I tortured earlier today did. The door opens and someone rushes in. I catch a glimpse of long violet hair, an elegant and worried face. Delphie.

“H-Hei! What’s wrong! Are you hurt?” She tries to go to me, but I’m flopping around, thrashing everywhere. It’s ironic. I must look just like Taer. “Tell me what’s wrong!”

“H-Help-“

She commands me to talk, desperation in her voice, but it’s already too late. I gasp like a fish out of water. My lungs have stopped working, the fire is inside of them too now. I’m burning, burning, the corners of my vision going red. The eyepatch falls away and my x-ray like left eye is unveiled. That only makes me feel dizzier. Then…

*Badump*

My heart seizes.

Everything is going gray.

Delphie rushes in as I ball up my fists in the sheets, clutching them to my chest. She tries to check my pulse to find out what is wrong, but in that moment…I realize I have made a fatal miscalculation. For I have forgotten to tell her of one very important symptom in my foolish complacency. Sick laughter fills my soul and the voice not mine rears its ugly head, reminding me that I should have warned my new party mates to be wary…

Of me.

Hehehahaha! You forgot!