[Junia]

  “As you wish, you fucker. I don't even like this persona myself. I’ll gladly take your offer.”

  “Good. It’ll be better for both of us.”

  “About the family part—yeah, that’s not happening. I work with your brother in Blue Fright.”

  “That’s fine. It’s work.”

  I raised a brow. “Surprised you accepted that so easily, Mr. Arrogant.”

  “Care to enlighten me why the fuck you put up this fake persona in the first place…?” He stopped mid-sentence, his eyes narrowing. “Actually, never mind. Seeing your face, I get it.”

  I knew how I looked when my mask slipped—disgusted, bitter, and cold. But hearing him say it out loud was infuriating.

  “You know what? Forget it. I don’t even wanna see your face anymore. You ruined my training mood. Congratulations, bitch face. Now move.”

  I didn’t budge, of course. Instead, I flashed him my signature fake smile.

  He visibly cringed. “Disgusting.”

  Watching him take the long way around just to avoid me made my day.

  “Yeah… this could be fun.”

  ……

  The next day was boring as hell. Paperwork, research, more paperwork. The portal remained dormant, no new discoveries—just mundane, soul-sucking routine.

  I needed entertainment.

  And I knew exactly where to get it.

  Without knocking, I barged straight into Azrael’s room.

  Stolen story; please report.

  The room was sparse—just a bed, a bookshelf, a clock, a table, and some chairs. Nothing luxurious, just the bare minimum. And there he was—working out, shirt on, unfortunately.

  Not that it mattered. His face was already sculpted, but once he reached Planetoid Rank? Damn. I’d definitely have a front-row seat to that glow-up.

  I giggled at my own thoughts. Maybe a bit too loud.

  “Stop undressing me with your eyes,” he muttered, continuing his handstand push-ups.

  “Pfft. Dream on, kid.”

  He didn’t stop. “Care to explain why you’re here?”

  I rolled my eyes. “I was bored, so I graced you with my glamorous existence.”

  Finally, he dropped down, drenched in sweat. Grabbing a towel from his bed, he wiped himself off, then turned toward me.

  “How do you wanna be entertained, my lady? Should I dance for you, or…” He slowly closed the distance between us, his voice dipping into a husky tone. “…should I sing?”

  I didn’t move. I wasn’t a flustered teenager who’d melt over close proximity.

  Then he placed his hands on my shoulders, leaning dangerously close to my ear.

  “Or should I do something else?”

  I froze.

  “…..”

  “…..”

  “…You piece of shit!!” I shoved him back, my face burning. “Who the hell does that to a pure maiden like me!?”

  He burst out laughing, clutching his stomach. “Oh man, you should’ve seen your face.”

  “You pervert!”

  “Pervert? How is that perverted? I was just offering some entertainment, you know? You’re the one making it weird.”

  I sputtered, trying to find a comeback. “S-so what if I am!”

  He grinned like the devil himself. “You look cute when you pout. Better than that fake-ass smile of yours.”

  “HUH!? For a virgin, you sure have a smooth mouth.”

  His grin faltered, his eyes darkening for a brief second.

  “Virgin?” His tone was low. “Don’t make assumptions.”

  “…Wait. You’re not?” My jaw practically hit the floor. “You mean you actually—?”

  A strange malice flickered in his gaze before he quickly shrugged it off. “…Forget it.”

  The hell was that?

  Before I could dig deeper, he abruptly changed the topic. “Have you ever heard about the chakras?”

  I blinked. “…Yeah. You mean like the energy nodes in ancient Indian culture?”

  “Yeah. I was correlating body nourishment to chakra activation. Theoretically, if I could circulate cosmic energy through my body and condense it into sphere-like nodes, I might speed up my growth rate.”

  I raised a brow. “…You do realize it took humanity years to even come close to understanding cosmic energy flow, right?”

  “Yeah. But from what I’ve observed in human and creature fights, one thing is clear—”

  He paused.

  We spoke in unison.

  “Their powers only reach full potential when their body and energy fully synchronize.”

  I stared at him, stunned. “You’re not just spewing random shit. You actually get it.”

  He smirked. “I don’t just get it—I’m experimenting.”

  “Wait—you’re already testing it?”

  “Yeah. But there’s a catch.”

  “Let me guess—high risk, high reward?”

  He nodded. “The process involves forcefully integrating cosmic energy with my body, which means if I lose control, my body might implode.”

  “Jesus… and you’re still doing it?”

  “Yeah.” His tone was flat, like he was talking about the weather. “If I’m gonna catch up to my brother—or survive what’s coming—I can’t grow slow.”

  I was speechless.

  This guy wasn’t just reckless. He was desperate.

  “…What the hell happened to you, Azrael?”

  His eyes darkened again, his voice almost a whisper.

  “…Nothing. I just know what’s waiting for me on the other side of that portal.”

  For the first time since meeting him, I didn’t have a snarky comeback.

  He turned away, grabbing his towel again.

  “…You should leave. Unless you really wanna help me test the theory.”

  “…You know what?” I forced a grin, trying to break the tension. “You better live long enough to hit Planetoid Rank. I’m curious to see how hot you’ll get.”

  He snorted. “Wow. Motivational.”

  “Shut up.”

  But as I walked out of his room, my grin slowly faded.

  Azrael was hiding something.

  And whatever it was—it was dark.