"You're here."
There was a note of pleasant surprise in So Jiwoo's voice as he greeted the group amidst the number of curious gazes directed their way. Whispers started to emerge when some of the members saw Claude. Nox chose to ignore the uncomfortable stares as he followed after So Jiwoo, heading deeper into Arcadia's base.
Arcadia chose a location near the edge of the city where the sea was visible. Their base was composed of a series of brick buildings, the tallest one being used as their main headquarters. The positioning of their base made it easier for their members to gain experience by killing the sea monsters that came out at night, and they were able to search for supplies deeper in the city as well.
Bai Yu was currently not in.
"The city hosts a number of unwelcoming forces," So Jiwoo picked up the conversation, leading them down the hallway. "It was easier to establish control when we could choose where to pick our own battles."
"So Arcadia only chooses battles they can win? Why are you considered the strongest organization in B City then?" Li Zemin wondered.
The corners of So Jiwoo's eyes crinkled as he laughed, "That was only at the beginning. Honestly, I wanted to establish our base in the middle of the city a few days after staying here. It would have sent a clear message to the smaller organizations. But Bai Yu opposed it, so we remained here."
Nox observed So Jiwoo's relaxed expression, giving nothing away.
Lei ran a hand along the wall, blinking in confusion as she hit a slight bump against the outer surface. Curious, she pressed down.
"Wahh!"
Startled, purple lightning filled the corridor.
"Woah-"
"Kreke!"
When Nox finally gathered his senses, Liam was clinging onto one arm and Lei was hiding behind him, fingers digging into his shoulder as she tensed.
She pointed at the wall, face pale. "It moved."
So Jiwoo paused.
"D-do you have ghosts in here or something?"
The words were whispered quietly, and it seemed like the purple haired teenager was afraid of her question sounding foolish. Her face flushed, "Sorry, I probably overreacted."
'So she's afraid of ghosts.' Nox glanced at the teenager, then at wall. He never considered it before, but it did seem reasonable that common supernatural existences could be real as well.
The group turned to So Jiwoo as he sighed, faint reprimand in his voice. "Ari. Come out."
A few seconds passed before the wall peeled away, revealing a small, slightly chubby face and droopy eyes.
"Erek!" Roscoe's surprised squeal echoed in the hallway.
Flinching from the loud sound, Ari whispered, "Sorry." Her head hung down, dark hair hiding her face from view.
Nox examined the child's appearance. She was younger than Liam- maybe around six or seven. Liam's grip tightened around his arm.
So Jiwoo gave the group an apologetic smile, "Ari is one of the children in Arcadia with a rather strong innate ability. She doesn't mean any harm."
Bak Soomin narrowed her eyes, observing the child closely before she nodded once.
Claude glanced indifferently, looking bored.
Li Zemin gaped in surprise. "You guys have children in the organization too?"
So Jiwoo explained, "We don't make them take part in trials. Like I said earlier, Arcadia also offers protection to others in exchange for simple services. Usually there is at least one person who has awoken an ability if they come in as a family. They would contribute their strength to the trials."
"And if none of them have abilities?" Nox asked.
So Jiwoo fell silent. A moment later, he sighed gently, "Arcadia doesn't depict herself as a savior. There is always a cost."
He turned back to the young girl. "Ari, did you follow us here?"
She shook her head vehemently. "I... I was looking for a place to sleep."
"..."
Li Zemin laughed, "Jiwoo, do you guys not offer personal rooms in this giant building?" He gestured in emphasis.
Ari shook her head again, "Not Leader's... fault." A yawn interrupted her words. "Vanessa is loud whenever Boss visits her."
'Boss' must refer to Bai Yu.
Nox exchanged glances with Li Zemin, exchanging a silent conversation between them.
'Don't say it.'
'But I want to.'
'Do not-'
Nox narrowed his eyes, considering whether or not it would be worth it to physically restrain the perm head from doing anything rash. If Ki was here, he could probably do it with a single glance instead of resorting to physical measures.
So Jiwoo stepped forward and knelt in front of Ari so the two were on the same eye level. "Why didn't you say anything before? I told you to tell me if you ever had any problems."
"... Not a problem. Ari can handle the noise." She childishly referred to herself in third person.
So Jiwoo sighed, poking her forehead gently. "Silly. Go find Victor and have him change your room."
Ari didn't question So Jiwoo, only nodded in agreement. She held out a small fist to Lei, still standing behind Nox. "Here you go."
Lei pointed to herself in surprise, "Me?"
Seeing the little girl's expectant look, Lei extended her palm.
Two small, wrapped candies dropped into her palm.
"One for big brother, too." With a shy smile and a quick glance to Liam, Ari quickly ran in the direction the group came from.
Liam held out a small palm towards Lei, who reluctantly gave him one of the candies.
The two younger members cheerfully walked along.
***
As a test run, So Jiwoo would enter a trial with Nox and Lei. The rest of them would stay at Arcadia's base. Li Zemin and Liam went along with it, but Bak Soomin pulled Nox aside.
"What's the purpose of cooperating with Arcadia? I don't think you're planning on staying in B City forever." Her hands were in the pocket of her white doctor's coat, already back in its pristine condition by the time she came back.
Nox had a suspicion that she simply kept spares somewhere. "It's better to have allies than enemies at this point."
"Spare me your excuses."
"We agreed that this was the best course of action-"
"We." Bak Soomin crossed her arms. "Even if your friend is a prophet, I don't recall agreeing to this."
Nox sighed, "You can bring it up with him then."
Despite her glowering stare, Nox excused himself and slipped away to rejoin the rest of the group.
_______________________
"Just one question."
"Why aren't you telling Li Zemin and Bak Soomin this?"
Claude stared in Nox's direction , but his gaze was focused on the wall behind him.
"That doctor you brought back." Claude started. "She has her own agenda."
"Don't we all have hidden motives?"
Claude frowned at the sarcasm in Nox's tone, "She doesn't consider herself as a permanent figure in this group. And she knows I don't consider her as one. Some day, if her ambition surpasses the need for support she will have no hesitation to leave. If she left with such knowledge, who knows what kind of trouble we will pick up."
"Simply put, you don't trust her."
"Yes."
"What about Li Zemin then?"
"I don't trust his social nature."
As much as Nox wanted to retort to that, he couldn't. Li Zemin was a loyal friend, but sometimes he would forget himself and let things slip. "Why don't you ask them for their thoughts on working with Arcadia then?"
Claude raised an eyebrow, "Is my word as a prophet not enough?"
"...."
Arrogant wolf-eyed bastard.
_______________________
Lei looked around the arcade, eyes trailing back and forth between the games. The purple haired teenager bit her nails, an unconscious habit reappearing as she wandered past the air hockey table with Uncle and So Jiwoo.
There was another man with them, the person called Victor. Victor was a quiet person, matching So Jiwoo's calm demeanor perfectly. Ari tagged along, but the little girl had a knack for staying out of sight.
Given Uncle's more withdrawn nature around strangers, she felt oddly out of place with the rest of the group.
Like a fish out of water.
Her other hand slipped out of her hoodie pocket, fingers running across the familiar controls of the machine.
If she closed her eyes, she could still hear the cheerful laughter of her friends next to her as they all gathered around to play. Then the old couple who ran the arcade would give them free drinks, teasingly cheering them on. Sometimes when none of them won any prizes, the couple would hand them snacks free of charge. Her emotions tumbled wildly without going in a particular direction.
Finally, a feeling of reluctant acceptance and loss settled inside her.
A week before the Eclipse, her brother had arrived back at home. Lei almost always came back to a dark and lonely house, already used to looking after herself since their parents often travelled abroad. So when she had bid her friends goodbye that day, she had not expected the lights to be on.
Her first thought was that someone had broken in. She gripped her heavy bag (full of miscellaneous things) and cautiously unlocked the front door.
In hindsight, that should've been the first clue.
In the summertime, the house was always stifling hot when she arrived back home since she never left the air conditioner on when she headed out. As she stepped through the front door, a welcoming blast of cold air greeted her, almost instantly cooling the sweat on her face.
The TV was turned on at a low volume, some kind of news broadcast playing. The smell of delicious hotpot came from the same direction. The person who walked out of the kitchen just then was definitely not a burglar.
With an excited shriek, she jumped towards her brother, who caught her the same way he used to. Even after three years, he still didn't change. Even his haircut stayed the same, some popular style that none of the boys in her class could pull off as well as her brother.
"Welcome back." He spoke softly, fondness creeping into his voice as he returned her hug.
Lei laughed, squeezing her arms around Claude. "I should be saying that to you." She couldn't stop the huge smile from appearing on her face, no matter how silly she must have looked.
During their celebratory reunion over a meal of hotpot (the only meal her brother could make without burning down the kitchen), Lei had texted all of her friends that she wouldn't be available for the next week, already planning out various activities to do while Claude was here to visit.
Little did she know that a week was all it took to turn her life upside-down.
The carefree days quickly turned into dust, blowing away until all that remained was the lingering taste of ash and bittersweet memories.