“Alright, you remember what we talked about?” I asked Brian quietly. The stairs down to the shelter sprawled out in front of us, the grim emergency lighting coloring the way an ominous red.

“We snuck here, and you and Lily fought the one dog with your knife and her axe thing,” he nodded vigorously, and I suppressed a smile.

“Thanks for keeping my secret,” I told him softly. “Even though the gun helped us, adults might not like that I have it because I’m not old enough yet. So we’ll just not tell them about it until I can give it back to the security people.”

“I understand,” Brian nodded, his face taking on a serious expression that looked odd on such a young child. “I won't say anything. I promise.”

“Thank you, Brian,” I replied, patting his head gently. “It means a lot to me.”

Lily winced as she rolled her good arm, looking at the entrance to the shelter. “This is it. Once we're inside, things will be different. And hopefully, safer.”

“Alright,” I said, taking a deep breath as I looked down the subway-like entrance. “Let’s go then, shall we?”

I looked over at Helios, who was standing next to Lily. I gave him a nod, and suddenly he began to glow. 

After a moment, he flashed with a flash of gold and was gone, leaving behind only a few fading motes of light. The void left by Helios was palpable, like a space suddenly emptied. I had a kneejerk, irrational feeling that he’d abandoned me, but then, I came back to reality and reminded myself he’d only dispelled his physical form.

I pulled down my headband and positioned my eyepatch over my left eye, and my ability to see in the darkness receded immediately. 

Something to keep in mind for the future, I suppose.

I took the first steps down slowly, I took the first steps down slowly, making sure Brian fell into a comfortable pace with my own before I started going normally. The whole while I made sure to keep my eye on the bottom of the stairs. I found myself constantly glancing towards the shadowy depths below, terrified by the idea that any Anathema we might’ve missed still lurked down there. 

Without Helios to scout ahead, every creak or echo amplified my fear and paranoia about what was down there.

Lily walked beside us, glancing around nervously. Her tall, athletic frame, which was so full of boundless energy, now felt perceptibly drained. Her blonde hair lay limp, sticking to her sweaty forehead. Every now and then she’d glance down at Brian, her blue eyes clouded with concern. She clearly felt responsible for the little boy. It was oddly comforting to see this girl who was usually so self-assured showing vulnerability. In a weird way, it was an assurance that she was genuinely concerned about our well-being. Maybe it was because deep down, I always expected betrayal. The fact that she continued to prove herself to be different was both a relief and a mystery to me.

I expected any moment for some kind of danger – a trap, an ambush, or a sudden attack. Maybe it was just the scars of my past experiences and history, but every step felt like walking on a minefield. Especially so after a life and death run-in with the Anathema.

My fears, thankfully proved to be groundless. As we reached the bottom of the staircase, a long, barren corridor stretched ahead. About halfway down on the right side was a door with a sign marking it as a stairwell, but that observation was secondary to what I saw at the end of the hallway, and I felt myself let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.

Logically, I knew it was stupid of me to be scared, but that hadn’t stopped the dark whispers inside me from worming their way into my skull about the emergency shield being activated in the other shelter. After all, it had happened once, why couldn’t it happen again?

But to my relief, all I saw was a set of large, normal metal doors. A touch screen panel glowed with faint blue light next to them, and I felt my pace quicken as the urgency and anxiety I’d been fighting finally broke through. Lily reached the panel first, however — she was still surprisingly nimble in spite of her injuries. Brian and I trailed just behind, my gait stilted and awkward as I tried not to put too much weight on my wounded leg.

The luminance from the touch screen panel contrasted the dimness of the corridor, painting eerie blue reflections on the metallic surface. Taking a quick breath to steady my nerves, I noticed my hands were trembling ever so slightly. The realization that we were possibly at the cusp of safety, only one button away, was overwhelming. Lily pressed the button, and I arrived at the panel to see "Please wait while security assesses the situation" appear on the screen.

“Come on, come on,” I muttered, my gaze bouncing between the panel's message and the imposing metal doors, willing them to open faster.

Impatience bubbled up inside me like boiling water, threatening to spill over. It was a gnawing sensation, a kind of desperate need to just get inside and be safe, especially with Brian and Lily with me. But even as I tried to stifle that urgency, my gaze darted back to the stairwell we'd descended. My heartbeat quickened as the looming thoughts and dread persisted: what if an Anathema suddenly charged down at us?

“We’re opening the doors now!” The announcement broke through the quiet, and my head snapped toward the panel as the words “Door is opening, please stand back!” blinked on the display. I could hear gears grinding, and the massive doors began to inch open. Every second felt like an eternity, and the gaping mouth of the stairwell behind us threatened an unseen danger. 

My fingers tightened around the knife I had grabbed earlier, its cold grip grounding me momentarily. But as the doors continued to slide apart, revealing a pristine chamber bathed in stark, uncolored light, relief began to seep in. Before the door opened completely, I gave Brian a gentle nudge, urging him through the widening gap. I was right behind him, with Lily bringing up the rear, her wary eyes never leaving the staircase either until the last possible moment.

Once we were a few steps into the room, the grinding gears behind us stopped for a moment, then began again. I looked back to see the door now closing itself, and I watched the ominous red hallway with bloody footprints slowly disappear behind solid metal. The doors finished closing, and I let out a sigh.

A deep buzz suddenly went off, making me jump and raise my knife slightly.

“Please wait,” a synthetic voice echoed in the room. “Scanning in progress. Interior doors will open momentarily.”

I frowned, but said nothing.

“Scanning?” I asked Helios.

[Some Anathema can disguise themselves as humans, and shelter airlocks are all equipped with scanners just in case. This early in an Usurpation, however, it is unlikely one would appear.]

I carefully tried not to react as realization dawned on me. I’d heard stories of Anathema disguising themselves as humans, but I’d mostly discounted it as internet horror stories. Now that I knew that wasn’t the case, I had a dozen questions on what other things I’d heard of that might be true. That could wait until later, however, and I mentally filed the information away.

“What would they do if one was detected?”

[For normal shelters, a special gas containing silverite filings would be released and effectively melt the Anathema. Because this is a mega shelter, the same thing would happen but would also be followed with the deployment of two 20 millimeter Gatling turrets from the ceiling.]

I blinked in surprise, but forced myself not to look up at the ceiling. I knew they would be watching us. Brian clung to my uninjured side, and I could feel the rhythmic trembling of his small frame.  I patted his head, hoping it came across as reassuring while we waited.

The seconds began to stretch into minutes, and as I glanced around, I noticed how stark the scarlet footprints I’d tracked in were on the otherwise white room. The world around us started to fade a bit, and I found myself zoning out as the metallic echo of the doors blended in with the artificial hum of the scanning process.

Lily's hand gently brushed against my arm, drawing my attention back to earth. She held a reassuring, yet worried look in her eyes. Her fingers danced in a series of small gestures, a silent communication. Are you okay? she mouthed out.

I nodded, fighting to keep my face neutral, although I knew my eyes betrayed the raw edges of my anxiety. I managed a tight smile, trying to signal that I was alright. Yet, my mind continued to conjure scenes of worst-case scenarios. Would we be left here if the scanner detected something? What would I even say when we got inside? The chill from the floor seeped through my shoes, anchoring me back to the present.

Brian looked up at me, then to Lily, then back again, sensing the tension but not understanding its source. 

Lily, perceptive as always, crouched down beside him, reassuring him that everything was fine. Her voice, strong and lilting with her accent, reached my ears. 

"Don't worry, champ. We're nearly safe." Her gentle words seemed to soothe Brian, but her eyes told a different story. I knew she was as nervous as I was.

Minutes felt like hours. Just as I was about to reach my breaking point, the all-too-familiar voice echoed again. "Scanning complete. Interior doors opening."

As the doors began to slide open, I felt myself holding my breath. A nervous flutter went through my stomach, and I carefully made my expression empty as the tension inside me ratcheted up to eleven. With a familiar methodicalness, I began folding up that anxiety into a small, manageable box as I prepared myself to interact with people once again.

It was weird that I didn’t have that same serrated anxiety when dealing with Brian and Lily, but maybe that was because of the urgency of our circumstance. Or perhaps it was because, in the face of life-threatening danger, they had shown kindness and trust. They made me feel… valued. That was something alien and new to me, a feeling I was ill-equipped to handle, but it was a welcome change nonetheless.

As the doors slid apart, a sense of trepidation surged within me. I was about to face a crowd of strangers, an ordeal I was never comfortable with. It was another room made of the same clean white tiles, but this one was slightly circular. Across from us were three separate hallways that seemed to stretch on a good while. Other than the hallways, the only real thing of note in the room was the people inside. 

My eyes were instinctively drawn to the occupants of the room. Four uniformed officers stood at attention, their ultramarine-blue uniforms and black bulletproof vests that were instantly recognizable. They were members of the Arcadian police department, officers of the law, brought here by the same circumstances that had forced us into this shelter. I felt a surge of anxiety in their presence. The uniform was all too familiar to me, and my experiences with… authority figures weren't exactly positive.

The only other thing I saw was one of the officers, a young Korean woman, had a wheelchair in front of her. She had silky onyx hair that fell to the middle of her neck, and a soft face with warm hazel eyes. The second she saw me, she gave me a gentle smile. She started walking forward, pushing the wheelchair with her. An older looking officer with salt-and-pepper hair glanced at her as she began to move, his lips twitching in what might have been the start of a smile. Then he followed, and the rest of the officers were right behind him.

“Hey there,” The Korean officer said softly, giving Lily a pointed look as she pushed the wheelchair into the airlock room. “I’m Officer Oh with the Arcadian police department’s second division. How about we get you seated first? Those injuries look pretty bad.”

Despite the warmth radiating from her, I couldn’t help the guarded look and scowl that instinctively crossed my face. I'd learned to be wary of anyone showing kindness, especially when they were in a position of authority. It always came with strings attached, with a price to pay. Or at least, that had always been my experience.

But this was different, wasn’t it? She wasn’t showing pity, or the condescending tone people sometimes took with me. She just looked… concerned.

Lily, catching the hesitation in my stance, gently nudged me forward “It’s okay,” she whispered, her voice tinged with empathy. “We’ve made it.”

I gave her a subtle nod, as if trying to convince myself. She gave me a fleeting smile, the kind that comes effortlessly from someone who genuinely cares.  Despite the pain and the fatigue that was present in her posture, she still stood tall, determined to see us through this.

I turned back to the woman and gave her a nod, before shaking my head. Then I remembered my backpack, and I awkwardly started taking it off, being extra careful not to jostle its contents too much while juggling the knife in my hand.

“If it's alright with you, one of us can hold onto that knife. And that ice axe for that matter,” Officer Oh added softly, turning to look at Lily’s ichor-covered axe. She extended her hand, offering to take them. “I understand what you must have faced out there. But here, inside these walls, you're safe. You have my word.”

I looked up at her in surprise. I had expected a more hardline approach to handing over the knife, not what seemed to be a genuine suggestion. More than that, the complete assurance in her voice that she was absolutely convinced I was safe made me want to reflexively push back, to tell her I wasn’t. 

But… I am now, aren’t I?

I found myself locked in a momentary battle, torn between surrendering the knife and keeping it clutched in my grasp. It was Lily's voice that broke through my internal turmoil. 

“Thank goodness,” Lily whispered as she took a hesitant step, handing over her ice axe to Officer Oh.

Slowly, reluctantly, I handed the knife to the officer. My fingers lingered on the hilt for a moment before finally letting go. As I did, a weight seemed to lift off my shoulders. The realization hit me harder than expected: we were safe, at least for now.

A different officer took the knife, his eyes widening momentarily at the ichor staining the blade. He exchanged a brief look with Officer Oh before carefully placing it aside.

Officer Oh then turned her attention to Brian, her eyes softening. “And you, young man? Are you alright?”

Brian merely nodded, his grip tightening on my shirt. "They kept me safe," he whispered.

“I’m sure they  did,” Oh murmured, voice trailing off. Then she gave herself a shake, and looked down at Lily. “Let’s get you two to the infirmary, shall we? Or do you want to stick together with… ah, I never asked your names, did I?”

“Um…. I’m Maito,” I managed, finding my voice. My fingers fiddled with the straps of my backpack as I looked over at Brian. “And that’s Brian. He… he’s been through a lot. He got separated from his family, so… I’m not really sure what would be best.”

Something like surprise flickered through her eyes at that, but it was quickly replaced by the gentleness from before. Next to her, the older officer simply gave a nod.

“And well, I’m Lily,” Lily chimed in, trying to meet Officer Oh’s eyes, but her body language revealed the discomfort she tried to hide.

“Why don’t we get him to the barracks?” he grunted, waving at another officer, this one a woman with the glittering bright viridian eyes of a manaborn. “Milly, you mind watching over him?”

“Sure thing, Sarge,” she replied, then turned and , her voice soft and inviting. "Hey there, Brian. I'm Milly. Would you like to come with me? I promise I'll make sure you're safe and comfortable."

Brian hesitated for a moment, his eyes darting between me, Lily, and Milly. His fingers twitched nervously on my shirt. I gave him a gentle, reassuring squeeze on the shoulder, trying to silently convey that it was okay.

Lily, sensing his apprehension, leaned over, her face lined with genuine concern. "It's okay, Brian. We'll be right nearby. And Milly here seems like a trustworthy sort. What do you say?"

With a final glance at me, Brian slowly released his grip and nodded, giving Milly a shy smile. "Okay," he murmured.

As Milly led Brian away, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of relief. He was safe, and that was one less weight on my shoulders.

Lily let out a weary sigh, the toll of our escape evident in her eyes. "We did it, Maito," she whispered, her voice hoarse with emotion. She looked down at her hands, smeared with grime and dried ichor, then up at me with a teary smile. "We actually did it."

I nodded, trying to hold back the whirlwind of emotions threatening to break through my facade. "We did. Thanks to you."

Lily chuckled softly, shaking her head. "It was a team effort. You were incredible out there."

Despite her words, I couldn't help the wave of guilt that washed over me. The way I'd acted, the risks I'd taken without thinking of the consequences, the danger I'd put her in… She’d gotten injured. Because of me.

Officer Oh nodded, acknowledging our introductions. "Alright, Maito and Lily. Let's make sure you get the care you need," she said, her voice laced with genuine concern.

Lily's eyes flicked to the wheelchair Officer Oh had brought. She took a deep breath and, with a sigh that betrayed her exhaustion, she delicately plopped down into the wheelchair. The strain of our journey was evident in the lines that criss crossed her forehead, and the wince that flashed across her face as she adjusted her position. Her wounds were still fresh and haggard looking, even with the help of the Zenith tech. And while the spray did a lot to numb the pain, there was still a faint itching sensation like a phantom pain present.

My eyes trailed to Lily, seeing her vulnerable in that chair, and a protective feeling welled up in me. A small realization hit me; amidst all the chaos, the danger, the fear, I had made a friend. Someone who cared about my well-being, who… might see me as an equal. 

The thought was humbling.

“Markus, I’m going to get them stitched and cleaned up,” Oh said, turning the wheelchair to go down a different hallway from the one Brian was heading. To my side, I saw the man in the suit frown severely.

“Now wait just a minute,” he said, his voice severe. “We haven’t heard back in almost forty minutes, and if they know anything-”

“Maybe some food too,” Oh interrupted, sounding almost thoughtful. “Something warm, maybe.”

The older officer who must have been Markus simply gave a grunt and vague handwave of affirmation while the businessman sputtered and turned to him. Oh kept pushing Lily forward, and none of the other officers seemed inclined to follow as we began down the long hallway.

There were plenty of doors, and some of them had small card readers with keypads next to them. Operations, Communications, Camera Room, Storage, and a few other labeled rooms went by before we turned into one that had its door wide open. Inside, there were various beds with curtain partitions lining the sides of the room. Small tables and various medical machines were stationed next to each bed, and at the far end of the room was what looked like a door with a keypad.  The gash on my leg tingled with a dull pin and needles sensation, and I briefly wondered how long the spray would last for me and Lily. The officer rolled her up to one of the beds in the middle of the room seemingly at random.

“Alright,” Oh said, turning to look at us. After a moment, she went to the curtains and drew them closed around us. I felt myself stiffen slightly when she turned back to me with a serious expression on her face. “I… know you must have been through a lot, and you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. All I need to know is where your injuries are, okay?”

I blinked in surprise, but gave her a nod. “Just my leg… and some bruises. Nothing else. It really isn’t too bad — Lily took more than a few licks saving me when I got knocked down, though.”

She raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything. Reaching over to the bedside table, she pulled on some disposable gloves from a dispenser. Approaching Lily first, her fingers hesitated just above the partially healed gash on her side, as if awaiting her assent. Lily gave a weak nod, allowing her to inspect the wound further. Then she walked over and kneeled down as she started inspecting the tear down Lily’s left side.

[Don’t forget to act like you are in pain,] Helios told us. [While they might assume you are in shock or running on adrenaline, it would be better to hide the fact you have already taken pain medication.]

I huffed involuntarily, pretending to react to the pain even though it was largely numbed. I saw Lily doing the same, grimacing and hissing slightly as Officer Oh gently probed the partially healed wound on her side. The woman's brow furrowed in concentration, and then she turned her gaze to the tear in my trousers and the gash on my calf.

With a gentle touch, she led me to a wooden chair next to Lily, asking me to sit down as she took my backpack off me and set it on the floor. Then, she leaned over and began to inspect the wound, her fingers deftly moving the torn fabric aside. The sensation was strange – a mix of the numbed area and the slight itchiness of the healing skin. My mind raced, trying to put together an appropriate reaction. I hissed slightly, hoping it sounded believable.

Officer Oh paused for a moment, locking eyes with me, her gaze questioning. "Does that hurt?" she inquired gently.

I nodded, glancing away. "Yeah, a bit," I whispered, trying to keep my voice steady.

She seemed to accept my response, continuing her inspection.

“Well, it looks bad enough to require some staples,” she said with an apologetic look up at me. “I’m surprised you’re walking as well on it as you are. Let me go grab some pain medicine and tools to fix you both up. Just hang tight for a moment, okay?”

Lily nodded gratefully. “Thank you,” she whispered.

Officer Oh gave a reassuring smile, then disappeared behind the curtain. The distant sound of her footsteps and the rustling of equipment created a quiet rhythm in the backdrop.

I waited until I heard her reach the far end of the room. A second later, there was a beep and the click of a door unlocking. After I heard her open the door and close, I shifted slightly in the chair.

“What should I do about the pain medicine?” I thought to Helios? “Will it interfere with what we’ve already taken?”

[You may take it if you wish. The emergency pain-relief medicine you took lasts for four hours and works through a different methodology and combination of chemicals. Whatever they might give you will only help, and I would recommend taking it.]

“Okay… but why aren’t they asking us anything? They’re treating me so-”

Before I could continue, I heard the door open and wheels squeaking along the floor. A moment later, the curtain was pushed aside, and Officer Oh entered with a small metal cart with various bottles and other objects on it. She gave us a lopsided smile as she grabbed some scissors.

“Sorry, Maito, but unfortunately we need to work some triage. Lily, I apologize but I’m going to cut up your tights and the sleeve of your uniform.”

Lily chuckled weakly. "Go ahead. I doubt they'd survive another wash after today."

After that, she grabbed a bottle of disinfectant and a cloth.

[Ask her why there isn’t a doctor doing this,] Helios suddenly said. Curiosity stirred inside me at why he was asking, but I decided to follow his lead.

“Um…” I started. “I don’t mean to be rude… but shouldn’t a doctor be doing this?”

Oh looked up at me with something glittering in her eyes.

“What, am I not good enough for you guys?”

“No, it’s just-” I started hurriedly, but she let out a little laugh. I felt my cheeks warm slightly.

“Kidding, I’m kidding,” she chuckled. “To answer your question, yes, a doctor should be doing this. Just like a doctor should be stationed at this shelter. Unfortunately, whoever was supposed to be here today didn’t show up. So you’re stuck with little ol’ me instead. Now, Maito - could you give us just a minute of privacy? ”

I felt a twinge of discomfort, caught off guard by her request. My face warmed with embarrassment, and I quickly nodded. "Of course," I murmured, stumbling over my words. I got up, slightly off balance, making my way to the curtain.

“Wait,” Lily spoke, her voice carrying a touch of concern. I stopped, turning my gaze back to her. “It’s alright. I don’t want him aggravating his injury. Maito can stay.”

I blushed even deeper, but felt a strange sense of warmth. I was unused to it, to this feeling of belonging and acceptance. It was so alien that I didn't even know how to properly react.

Officer Oh shrugged, looking unfazed even as she gave Lily a contemplative look. "Alright then. As long as you're okay with it, Lily."

She began to work efficiently, disinfecting and treating Lily’s wounds first, being extra careful with the torn areas and the partially healed gash before she reached for the scissors. I busied myself by examining the contents of the medical cart, doing my best to not glance in Lily's direction. 

“Sorry about that,” Officer Oh said, glancing up. “Sometimes people prefer a bit of privacy. I hope I didn’t offend you or anything.”

“N-no, ma’am,” I tensed up and responded automatically, “You didn’t.”

Officer Oh chuckled. “And don’t call me ma’am. Makes me feel too old. Oh is fine, or even Ji-woo. ‘Oh’ can sound a little weird with how much it’s used in English. And you can’t even begin to imagine the jokes the guys at the station give me. ‘Oh no, look who it is,’ and so on.”

Despite my instinctive apprehension, I smiled weakly. “I think I understand what you’re going through,” I offered, attempting to lighten the mood further. “My name’s not much better. ‘Maito.’ People have called me ‘Mighty Maito’ before.” I tried for a light smile as I stared at a bottle of anti-septic.

Lily laughed softly, “I think ‘Mighty Maito’ suits you.”

“Oh, please,” I murmured.

Ji-woo suddenly giggled, causing me to almost jerk in response.

“Oh boy, Oh geez, Oh great,” Ji-woo went on as she continued cleaning Lily’s cut. “And then there’s the people who don’t even do it on purpose. Thing is, I constantly look around every time I hear the word. Honestly, it's enough to make my neck sore by the end of the day.”

Lily snorted a laugh, which turned into a brief cough. "Sorry, it's just... I've never thought about that. Names can really be a pain."

I couldn’t help but chuckle, appreciating the irony. "I guess every name has its challenges."

She shot me a teasing smile, "Though 'Mighty Maito' does have a certain ring to it."

“Sure, if I was a pro-wrestler,” I muttered.

Lily let out another laugh. "Or a superhero.”

After finishing up with Lily, Ji-woo turned to me. "Alright, Maito. Your turn. Hmm, I think I’m going to have to cut away your trousers too. They’re quite frankly, soaked to the brim with blood and clinging on heavily right now."

I didn’t even hear the rest of her sentence as a rush of anxiety surged through me as a scolding voice echoed in my ears.

She must have seen the panic flash across my face, because her tone softened, her gaze becoming kinder. "It's just so we can properly treat the wound. Don't worry, it won't hurt. Just a quick snip, alright?"

I nodded, pulling up the torn edge of my trousers, exposing the gash. I dipped my head in assent, the smile slipping from my face as she opened a bottle and used a q-tip to start putting gel over my cut. I bit down on my teeth again, squinting my eyes slightly as I tensed my muscles.

Ji-woo's hand was gentle, but as she cleaned the wound, I let out a small gasp for good measure. Something warm sparkled in her eyes as she looked at me over, and she let out a sigh.

“You okay?” she asked, concern evident in her voice.

“Yeah,” I said, trying to sound braver than I felt. “It just stings a little.”

“Well, soon we'll get you all patched up," she assured. Then, she looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

“I don’t mean to pry,” she said. “But you have some blood smeared on your cheek under your eyepatch. I know you said you didn’t have anything else besides some bruises…”

She trailed off, and I blinked.

“Oh, umm… no, the patch is just…” I shrugged, and after a second of indecisiveness, just decided to lift it.

“Heterochromia?” she asked in surprise, and I nodded. “Ah, I think I get it. Probably makes people stare, especially with the bright eye colors manaborn have.”

“The eyepatch is almost as bad,” I murmured. “But at least they usually leave me alone because it looks medical.”

“People,” Ji-woo said emphatically, shaking her head. “Sorry you have to go through that. I think your eyes look really cool, though, so don’t assume for a second that people think they look bad. Most people are probably just jealous of how striking it makes you look.”

I blinked at her words, taken aback. Was she being sincere?

"Thanks," I whispered.

She just gave me a sad smile in response and then slowly poked at my wound again.

“Feel anything?”

“Not really.”

“Good,” she said, picking up something vaguely gun shaped but plastic with a large lever. “Now I’ve done some emergency aid courses, but I’m no professional so you’ll want to get this looked at as soon as the Usurpation’s over. We’ll get you all set up with some paperwork before you leave that’ll make getting these removed and any other care free.”

I nodded, not that I was too worried. Calling the healthcare policy of Arcadia and her six sister islands generous would be an understatement at best, and generally any injuries caused during an Usurpation were completely covered. She started carefully pushing the skin together around the gash, and now that I didn’t have to watch to make the proper reactions, I looked away. A second later there was a weird clicking sound.

Lily 's voice brought me back to the present. "You alright there, Maito?"

I met her gaze, finding comfort in her clear blue eyes. "Yeah, just... trying not to focus on it."

She smiled gently, her hand moving to rest on my shoulder.

"Thank you for earlier," Lily whispered, her voice filled with gratitude. “Seriously.”

I swallowed hard, unused to the warmth in her voice. "Just doing what had to be done," I mumbled.

She chuckled melodically. "You always downplay your actions, don't you?"

“It’s nothing special,” I replied, my voice barely audible, glancing away to hide my embarrassment. I mean, wasn't that the truth? I just did what I thought was right. Anyone else would've done the same, right?”

Lily flashed me a pained look as Ji-woo cleared her throat, drawing our attention. “All done. Remember to get that checked when all this is over. And do your best to stay safe.”

“Will it scar?” I asked absently, eyes looking up to briefly meet Lily’s.

“Almost certainly,” Ji-woo responded with a wince. “But with the paperwork I’m going to draw up, I’m pretty sure they’ll give you that special anti-scarring treatment or at least remove the scar afterward with some of the Zenith tech they have.”

I looked at her in surprise. Except for what the Zenith had first gifted humanity along with the islands and the prebuilt sci-fi cities spanning them, any technology from the Zenith would have to be acquired from a Magical Girl. That meant they generally reserved using it because of how rare and therefore expensive it was.

Ji-woo saw my incredulous look and gave me a pained smile.

“It’s not everyday someone survives an hour in an Usurpation and makes it to a shelter,” she said gently. “And when they hear you did it while protecting a child, I’m pretty sure they’ll be pulling out all the stops for you.”

Looking at the almost mournful expression on her face, I wasn’t sure what to do. Thankfully, she went back to stapling, leaving me with those words to stew over. Before I could really get further than realizing she was probably right, that I was going to be the center of all kinds of attention I did not need, she stood up, evidently finished as she set down the staple gun.

“So, you said you also had some bruises?” she asked, her voice reserved. “Would you feel comfortable showing me where, just so I can make sure it isn’t anything more serious?”

I felt my breathing hitch in my throat, the blood draining from my face. I was bruised all over my right side, and I couldn’t let her-

“It’s fine if you don’t,” she said hurriedly, seeming to have seen the reaction on my face. “So long as you are sure it is just bruising. I’m sure you would be in more pain if it was anything more, but adrenaline and shock afterward can do weird things. I just don’t want anything more serious going unnoticed.”

“I’m sure,” I said hurriedly, giving a jerky shake of my head. “I just… fell. That’s all.”

“He fell off a kiosk,” Lily quickly interjected, giving Ji-woo a pointed look. “But it wasn’t an awkward fall. Just got surprised when we… well, when we kind of lured in the Anathema in front of the shelter and blew up a liquor store to secure our passage.”

Ji-woo raised an eyebrow at Lily’s explanation, clearly taken aback. "Well, that's certainly one way to get things done," she remarked, half-amused, half-shocked.

Lily gave a playful smirk. "Yeah, well, sometimes you have to get creative when shit hits the fan. Full credit goes to Maito for that one."

I couldn't help but chuckle. It felt like, for a brief moment, everything was normal. We were just three people, sharing a joke and not survivors in an Usurpation.

Ji-woo shook her head, chuckling softly herself. "Alright, then. Let's just get you two a bit more relief." She reached into her bag, pulling out a small container. "As long as you don’t have any allergies, I’m going to give you something just a little stronger than over-the-counter pills. If we’re still here in another four hours, you can come find me for another. Lily, Maito, if you two feel any discomfort later on, come back to me."

Lily took the pills offered and looked over at me with a reassuring smile. "Thanks, Ji-woo. This means a lot."

She opened a bottle, shook out a pill, and handed it to me. I eyed it for a second before popping it into my mouth, wondering just how long the Usurpation was going to be, anyway. I knew that Usurpations outside of the seven sanctuary cities were usually a lot longer, but in Arcadia I was fairly sure they didn’t tend to last longer than seven or eight hours at most. Considering the concentration of Magical Guardians and Magical Soldiers on the island, it wasn’t surprising they could keep the time down so easily, though.

Ji-woo, sensing the shift in atmosphere, cleared her throat. "Now, how about we get you both a shower and some clean clothes? You two look like you've been through hell."

Lily let out a soft laugh, her eyes meeting mine. "Sounds good to me. What do you think, Maito?"

Trying to play off my embarrassment, I nodded, "Yeah… a shower would be nice."

More than nice, in fact.