Kalen didn't have time to get bored in the cell, because barely 20 minutes after he'd been locked in, the doors opened again. He looked up to see three people entering.
A smile appeared on his face.
"Did you miss me?"
Corinna lifted a bucket she was carrying and poured the contents over Kalen.
"I was told you were thirsty, I hope this refreshes you"
Kalen closed his eyes as the icy water poured over his body, and when the bucket was empty, he shook his head to get rid of the little bit of water that remained on his head and dripped down his face, but that didn't take the smile off his face.
"Good to see you too"
Corinna sighed and handed the bucket to the hooded woman. Suddenly, a girl peeked out from behind Corinna and looked at Kalen curiously.
"Ohh..."
Adaire looked at Corinna.
"Who is it?"
Corinna was silent for a few seconds.
"Kalen Nohak, my adopted son"
Adaire looked at Kalen again, but this time her eyes were a little deeper.
Kalen was confused by the girl's presence, but when she looked at him, he felt as if he were naked, and thousands of eyes were upon him. It was as if they were looking deep inside him.
A few seconds passed and Adaire blinked and smiled.
"Congratulations on passing your test! I still remember when I finished mine... ah, what memories"
Kalen frowned and looked at her foster mother.
"Who is this child?"
Corinna grew pale and tried to speak, but the voice wouldn't leave her throat.
Instead, Kalen felt as if the whole world had collapsed on him. A pressure made his limbs go numb and his teeth chatter.
The last time he had felt such pressure was when he had met the Elder Elemental, but this pressure was different. The pressure the Elder Elemental had exerted was natural, the pressure that released his own power.
This pressure was different. It was pure murderous intent.
Adaire looked at Kalen with a sweet smile and slowly approached him.
Kalen could do nothing, only stand still as he watched the girl slowly approach him.
Adaire didn't have to bend down to be at Kalen's height, then she lifted his chin with her gentle hand and brought her face close to his.
Kalen looked into Adaire's pearl blue eyes and felt like he was looking into a clear blue sky... full of death.
"I am not a girl... I am a lady"
If Kalen could, he would have apologized, but his body didn't react when he tried to move it. It was as if his own body had shut down as a defense mechanism.
Suddenly the pressure was gone, and Kalen began to breathe heavily. He didn't dare look into the girl's eyes, but she was still smiling at him.
Adaire turned away from Kalen and looked at Corinna.
"I want it!"
Corinna's breathing was also irregular, but since the pressure wasn't on her, it wasn't too bad. She was surprised by Adaire's sudden request, but respectfully declined.
"Lady Adaire... I'm afraid that's not possible"
Even though the girl in front of her was capable of killing her with her gaze, Corinna stuck to her principles.
Adaire puffed out her cheeks.
"Why not!? I only want him for a hundred years... hum, that might be too much for mortals... Only ten years!"
Kalen looked at Adaire worriedly.
'Who the hell is this girl... lady?
He even corrected his thoughts for fear that she might be reading his mind, but seeing that he was still looking at Corinna, he dismissed that possibility.
Corinna stood there in silence, looking at Adaire.
Instead, the girl took her silence as a negative response and grumbled.
"Hum! Okay!... it'll only be a year"
Corinna closed her eyes, shifting her gaze slightly between Kalen and Adaire.
"I see... then Nox Caelum will be in your service for a year"
Adaire tilted his head.
"Nox Caelum?"
Corinna nodded her head.
"That's his code name, each of our agents has a code name assigned to them"
Adaire cheered slightly at the hint. Then Corinna looked at Kalen.
"May I ask what you need his services for?"
Adaire gave a cheerful smile and put her hands on her hips.
"I need an assistant! Unfortunately, the previous one died"
Corinna kept her smile formal while Kalen looked at Adaire with a worried expression.
'I'm going to work for this crazy woman for a year?'
Kalen had expected to be assigned a task as soon as he returned, but he hadn't expected it to happen so quickly.
'They don't even give me time to rest!'
Corinna ignored Kalen's thoughts and continued.
"But the paperwork will be done in a month... for now we need him"
Adaire looked at Kalen and then back at Corinna.
"It doesn't matter! A month is enough time to explore this world, but when I return, I will take it with me"
Corinna nodded and they talked for a while before Adaire got bored and left. Then it was just Corinna and the hooded woman next to Kalen in the cell.
Corinna glared at Kalen.
"Do you know what you have done?"
Kalen cocked his head in feigned ignorance.
"Taking a holiday?"
Corinna sighed and turned to leave.
"You'll be here for a few days... and you heard about your new job"
Kalen changed his attitude and asked one last question before Corinna left.
"Who is she?"
Corinna leaned against the door frame, still looking straight ahead.
"Someone you don't want to bother"
She left the room, followed by the hooded woman, leaving Kalen alone with his thoughts.
Remembering Adaire's murderous intent, Kalen's body trembled. He thought the older elemental was strong enough, but it seemed that his power was far from its peak.
He didn't know how strong the girl was... but certainly much stronger than the elemental.
Kalen sighed and hung from the chains, closing his eyes, and waiting for the moment to leave the dungeon.
***
A week later, Kalen opened the door to an apartment and as soon as he stepped inside, he stood still as he breathed in the clean air coming from a nearby air freshener.
"Ahhh... finally"
Kalen looked around his apartment, where nothing had changed. Everything had stayed the same and someone had even cleaned the place while he was gone.
He thought about lying down on the couch, but if his dirty, smelly body touched the upholstery, it would be ruined. So, Kalen's first destination was the shower.
Opening the bathroom door, Kalen stepped inside and looked at himself in the mirror.
'...I need a haircut'
Even though it had been a month and a few days, his time in the firefly cave had made a mess of his body, not to mention his hair.
Kalen turned on the tap and waited for the water to heat up while he took off the last of his clothes.
Once he was naked and the water was hot, Kalen took a step, testing the warmth of the water with his leg, then stepped in with his whole body.
The water slid over his entire body, carrying away the surface dirt and falling to the floor before running down the drain.
Kalen bathed for nearly an hour, doing his best to wash off the dirt that had clung to his body.
A mixture of blood and dust still clung to his body, and it wasn't until Kalen stepped out of the shower and looked in the mirror that he could see his white skin again after so long.
Minutes later Kalen emerged from the bathroom in a dressing gown and made his way to the living room where he grabbed a bag of chips, turned on the TV and lay down on the couch.
"Ahhh... this is life"
Kalen concentrated on feeling his aura core and began to circulate the energy from his chest to his hands.
He tried to open the bag of chips with minimal force and the package exploded, knocking all the potatoes to the floor.
"Ah, shit!"
He tried to control his strength as best he could and tried to open the potatoes. But he couldn't control his power.
He stopped the energy flowing into his hands and went to get a broom to clean up the mess he had made, then grabbed another bag of potatoes and opened them normally.
He popped one into his mouth and slowly savored the taste as it melted in his mouth.
'I must learn to control the aura'
He could easily break someone's hand if he used his aura to greet them, but the good thing was that his body's strength hadn't increased. So, he wouldn't go through life accidentally breaking things.
Kalen continued to let the aura flow over his body, trying to see what possibilities he had. But after a few minutes, his eyes closed, and he fell asleep without noticing.
He hadn't slept well in a month, and the moment he got comfortable, all the accumulated fatigue took its toll.
He had to take every opportunity to rest, as he was likely to be back in a situation where he could hardly rest.