Chapter 93: Guests


    Abel sat in his room, marveling at the luxurious space that was now his. He fondled the silver badge in his hand, its dragon insignia glinting faintly under the warm glow of the lamps. His mind drifted as he manipulated his starry mana, swirling it around the badge. As the mana flowed, a stream of information entered his mind—contacts from the Tower: Lake Spirit, Snake Witch, Crimson Titan, and Blackheart—Nando''s new nickname. Abel smirked. Blackheart? Really?


    Intrigued by the badge''s capabilities, he was tempted to test out its communication feature which allowed apostles to communicate with one another from far distances, but before he could do so, a sharp knock echoed from the door. Abel frowned, confused. They had all just separated—who could be visiting so soon? He got up and swung the door open. To his surprise, Agatha stood there, her pale face more defined under the warm lighting. She looked different from their last encounter, her sharp features softened by an awkward attempt at confidence. Her black hair still absorbed the light surrounding the hall, and her thin eyebrows were raised slightly.


    "Stargazer," she said, her voice wavering a bit. She extended her badge toward him, clearly trying to be composed but failing miserably. "I need your contact info."


    She wasn''t a girl of many words, and the fact that she hadn''t made many allies in the tower was evident as even amongst the gifted she was a mystery. Therefore, she seemed to be making a last attempt to acquire a few acquaintances that she could find a bit trustworthy and maybe rely on in the future.


    Abel blinked. He hadn''t expected this. They’d barely exchanged words when he was a recruit in the tower. Still, he wasn’t against her, he had never heard of an instance where she acted badly towards the nongifted, and to him it showed a lot of her personality and morals. "Uh, sure," he muttered, tapping his badge against hers. The contact info flashed through his mind—her nickname was Lightless. He cocked an eyebrow but said nothing, watching as Agatha nodded, satisfied.


    For a moment, they stood there in awkward silence. Abel scratched the back of his head, unsure of what to say next. He wasn''t the most sociable outside of the usual five from Room Eighty, especially with the gifted recruits.  Agatha, equally uncomfortable, glanced at the floor and then back at him. "My village isn’t too far from yours and it is also towards the southwest," she added, as if trying to fill the void. "I think we should… keep in touch. You seem… capable."


    "Uh, thanks," Abel responded, unsure how to process this sudden burst of formality. Agatha nodded once more, her attempt at confidence faltering entirely before she turned on her heel and disappeared into the hallway shadows without another word. She had obviously been touched by their last meeting and all of the rumors she had heard truly made her see Abel as a formidable person.


    Abel stood there, still processing what had just happened. That was... odd, he thought. He shrugged, closing the door behind him and moving back toward the center of the room. No sooner had he settled down than another knock echoed through the room.


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    He groaned. Who now?


    Opening the door, he found Tina standing there. Her usual stern expression was nowhere to be found, replaced by something much softer. "Hey," she greeted him, her voice surprisingly gentle. "Thanks again… for everything. If it wasn''t for your efforts along with Apostle Gravedigger and Ronald I would''ve died."


    Abel’s cheeks flushed. He didn’t know what it was about these girls, but they were acting weirder than usual. "Uh, yeah. No problem, we all worked hard," he replied, trying to hide his confusion.


    Tina blushed a little herself and shifted awkwardly on her feet. "Mind exchanging contacts?"


    Abel considered rejecting the request, not wanting more awkward encounters, but something in Tina''s genuine demeanor made him change his mind. She had shown growth in her perception towards the nongifted, and to him that spoke volumes of her character. They tapped badges, and he caught her new nickname: Earth Sentry. She nodded, her face still tinged with red, and quickly walked away before things could get any more awkward.


    Abel closed the door once again, rubbing his temple. "What in the world is going on today?" he muttered to himself. Putting some mana into the badge once more and seeing more information enter his brain, but before he could even delve deep into this new information as if on cue, there was yet another knock.


    He let out a dramatic sigh. Really?


    Opening the door, he was greeted by Jane—who immediately launched herself at him in an enthusiastic hug. Abel flinched, his arms awkwardly hovering in the air as he tried to step back without completely shoving her away. "Oh! Sorry!" she stammered, pulling back, her face flushed with embarrassment. Why would I do that? He thought to herself feeling embarrassed at her lapse of judgment, as she did not consider anything else other than the fact that Abel had saved her life.


    "Uh, it’s okay," Abel replied, mentally trying to recover from the sudden attack.


    "I just wanted to say thanks!" Jane beamed, her enthusiasm undeterred. "You really helped out during the expedition, I wouldn''t have been able to become an apostle without your heroics."


    Abel scratched the back of his head, still recovering from the hug. "I''m no hero, besides, it wasn''t just me. We all worked together." He stressed once more, wondering if Ronald was going through the same thing.


    "Yeah, but still. Here—let’s exchange contacts!" she said, holding up her badge. Abel, too tired to resist at this point, tapped his badge against hers. Cold Breeze flashed in his mind as her nickname. He nodded, not entirely sure how to handle her bubbly energy.


    "Bye!" Jane called out, smiling brightly before bouncing off down the hallway.


    Abel closed the door behind her, this time locking it. He stood in silence for a few moments, letting out a long breath as he finally processed the bizarre string of visits.


    "That was… something," he muttered to himself. He fell back onto his bed, the soft sheets embracing him as he stared up at the ceiling. The room was far too grand for his taste, the lavish furniture and spacious layout making him feel slightly out of place. Yet, it wasn’t the room that had him feeling overwhelmed.


    He closed his eyes, letting the day’s events wash over him. The new responsibilities as an apostle, the constant stream of surprises—it was exhausting. As he lay there, trying to relax, a headache began creeping in. Soon followed by a lonely sensation that made his chest feel slightly heavier, It wasn''t an overwhelming feeling, however, it was enough to get him thinking.


    "Maybe I’ll just… stay in here for a while," he whispered to himself, hoping that peace would finally settle in.