My jaw drops in disbelief. I can't see the others' expressions, but I'm sure they're just as stunned. I blink, hoping this is some kind of mirage, but no. At the far end of the white room stands Cody. How the hell did he manage to get here? This place isn't somewhere you can just stroll into. My thoughts race, colliding in chaos, leaving me frozen in shock.
"What the actual fuck?" Arthur sputters, barely managing to get the words out.
Balthazar, however, remains remarkably composed—or at least he hides his reaction well. Rising smoothly from his chair, he approaches Cody, who looks utterly bewildered.
"Cody? I can't say I expected to see you here," the old man greets him. "Do you know how you ended up here?"
"I... I don't know," Cody stammers. "I was just sitting with everyone, and I touched Nate. Then... I have no idea what happened."
Balthazar's eyebrow arches ever so slightly, a glimmer of intrigue crossing his face.
"Interesting," he says, his voice steady and calm. "Do you know where you are?"
Cody looks at me, his expression a mixture of confusion and unease. "I've heard of this place. This is where you go when you leave?"
I manage a nod. Clearing my throat, I shake myself from the fog clouding my mind.
"Yes. So you touched me… and that's it?" I ask, still grappling with the strangeness of it all.
Cody nods, and his eyes widen as the realization hits him. "I shouldn't be here, right?"
"It's not that you shouldn't. It's just… unprecedented. A human soul can't find its way here like you did," the bearded colleague lets the weight of his words hang in the air for a moment. "But since you're here, take a seat. I believe there's something we need to discuss."
Cody hesitates for a moment but eventually sinks into the chair. Balthazar calmly introduces himself, trying to ease the boy's overwhelming situation.
"I think I'm going batshit crazy," Arthur's voice cuts through, yanking me from their conversation. "What. The. Fuck?"
I glance at him and shrug helplessly, just as clueless. Honestly, all that's missing now is a unicorn.
"So, theoretically," Cody ponders, "to do what I did, I'd need to be a hunter… or, uh, dead?"
Balthazar nods.
"To be honest, you're quite a unique case. In addition, demons seem to be drawn to you. Normally, they don't target their victims in advance. They're impulsive, driven by instinct. But for some reason, they notice you."
"And I'm not even supposed to see them," Cody mutters, almost to himself, his voice low.
"That's true, you shouldn't. Unless, of course, you're one of them. Or one of us," Balthazar says, his tone thoughtful.
"I'm not a demon," Cody replies with a frown, a flicker of confusion crossing his face. "But… not one of you either?"
Balthazar pauses, considering. The thought of Cody being a demon probably doesn't scare him—it's simply impossible. Yet now, impossibilities feel disturbingly plausible.
"May I see your palm?" the old man asks gently.
Cody hesitates but eventually extends his hand. I notice it tremble slightly, and anger wells inside me. I wish I could pull him out of this place, away from all of it. I wish these things didn't scare him anymore.
Balthazar studies Cody's palm intently, as though searching for something hidden. Finally, he takes it, holding it for a moment longer than necessary.
"Hm. This is strange," Balthazar mutters, his brows furrowing. "I sense Bardo energy, but I can't pinpoint its source within you. It's… different from ours." He releases Cody's hand, sighing. "I'll make sure this gets more attention. For now, though, I'm afraid the only option is for you to remain with the hunters."
Cody doesn't seem particularly disappointed. If anything, it's as though he never expected a better outcome. He nods in acceptance.
"I've got some work ahead of me, so I think that'll be all for now. If I uncover anything, I'll reach out myself." Balthazar smiles, giving us a sign to leave.
Arthur is still muttering something under his breath, a string of desperate, incoherent words, but everyone rises from the table, preparing to head back. I glance at Cody and can't shake the worry that the journey back won't be as easy for him as it was coming here.
Before I realize what I'm doing, I find myself beside him. He's still scanning the room, seemingly lost in thought, when I gently grab his hand. I don't know if this will help, but at least it feels like I'm doing something. Some small act of reassurance, if only for myself, that he'll be safe and make it back with us.
To my relief, everything goes smoothly. Cody returns unharmed, just as inexplicably as he had appeared. The others are still shaken, though, recovering from the shock. They hover around him, bombarding him with questions as if they've already forgotten the answers he gave not so long ago.
"What the hell are those bastards up there doing, screwing up someone's life like this?" Arthur growls, slamming his fist against the table.
"I don't think shouting insults is going to help. What matters is that they're finally addressing this." Eleonora says calmly, shifting her gaze to Cody. "I'm sorry you have to go through this."
Cody doesn't seem crushed. But something about him has changed. He stays quiet for a bit, his head slightly bowed, his gaze fixed on a single point in the distance.
"I knew something was wrong with me, but I just couldn't explain it. Finally, I feel like I've made some progress," the boy says.
His words resonate deeply within me, and I feel torn. Part of me wants to create such a scandal that everything would be fixed immediately, allowing him to return to the life he came from. But another part of me isn't ready to let him go.
And I don't think it will be ever.
"But you'll stay here? At least until Balthazar figures out how to fix everything?" Kaja asks, her voice hopeful.
I wonder what Cody's answer will be, watching him closely, silently holding my breath.
"I'll stay as long as I can," he replies with a sad smile.
"You're welcome to stay here however long you need," Elle responds, her voice filled with warmth.
Cody pauses, his gaze shifting to each of us in turn. "I don't think I've ever properly thanked you for everything. I didn't think anyone could help me. But since meeting you, my life has changed in ways I never expected. I feel safer now than I ever have. So, while I still have the chance, thank you."
His words take me by surprise, and my heart trembles oddly. I want to say a million things, but the words won't come. His gratitude touches something deep inside me. I watch as Kaja hugs him, while the others smile softly, their expressions full of tenderness.
"And no matter what the future holds," Elle says softly, her fingers brushing through his hair with a motherly touch. "Wherever life takes you and whatever lies ahead, this place will always be your haven, even if you don't realize it yourself."