"I already knew, but…" Ingrid heaved a sigh, her shoulders slumped. "Alcohol really has no effect on us…"


    "Isn''t that a good thing?" Sara asked. "You can enjoy the drinks without a worry."


    "And where is the fun in that!?"


    As they walked through the narrow hallways of the old city, Simon couldn''t help but grimace as he nced behind him. His mind still refused to believe that the two girls he passed earlier that day weren''t human.


    If they kept their highly suspicious disguise on he wouldn''t have realized it in a million years, and it didn''t that his reporter friend was talking to them naturally as if there was nothing strange about it.


    "Say, these kids that stole my phone…" The taller alien, the one named Juni, walked by his side asking questions. "They lost their parents, right? Shouldn''t they be in an orphanage if that''s the case?"


    Simon suppressed a grimace, turning away from her masked face.


    "Yeah, they should."He replied.


    "Then why are they living in such a ce instead?"


    Why, indeed. Simon didn''t expect much from the girl who only knew the life of a brainwashed weapon until recently, but hearing her talk the same way a sheltered rich brat added to his anger.


    "Everyone got their reason."


    When he thought about it, he realized that he had nothing against the two girls. They were aliens from another dimension, sure, and they were capable of ttening the entire settlement in a matter of minutes.


    But they weren''t exactly out to hurt him or his people, and though he didn''t have much trust in the Resistance, he knew that they wouldn''t have let those two into the settlement if they posed a danger to the citizens.


    "Do you think they''ll take the test tomorrow?" Asked Juni.


    "I wonder." Pausing for a moment, Simon turned to the tall alien. "Is it true?"


    "What?"


    "The… Awakening thing, I mean."


    "Ah! Yeah, it''s true."


    Theck of hesitation in her answer cleared any doubts the brown man had. It was a bit difficult to believe that they were on the precipice of yet another world-changing event. It was even more difficult to believe that their kids had the chance to gain powers beyond their imagination just by being alive to witness that event.


    "If only I was born a few yearster…"


    Until yesterday, no one in their right mind would make such a wish. Who would want to be a helpless child in the midst of an apocalypse? Many still hold that mindset, of course, but when faced with the prospect of gaining abilities that could overpower the strongest of cmities, one can''t help but see the appeal.


    "Nothing to do about that." Said Juni. "Just remember to go to the designated shelter tomorrow. You sound like a nice person, Simon. It would be very sad if you turn into a Fallen."


    A chill ran down Simon''s spine. The Valkyrie didn''t say it out loud but he could easily guess what she truly meant by those words. Thankfully when they turned around the corner they came across something that helped take his mind off that topic.


    "We''re here."


    An empty street turned into a makeshift yground where the children from the area gathered. Some were jumping rope, others yed tag. Some ran around kicking a stic bottle as if it were a ser ball.


    The area was surrounded by crumbling abandoned buildings. Piles of trash spilled from the corners, making it appear as if a dumpster was not that far away. Theughter and cheerful cries of the children burned away the gloomy veil that should''ve covered the ce.


    It was like a safe refuge where they could forget all about the cruelty of the world and enjoy the childhood taken away from them by the decade-long war.


    Juni seemed to positively glow at the sight, and if Ingrid hadn''t appeared just in time to stop her, she would''ve run off to join the kids and y their games. Once she got her friend under control, the Nephilim finally got to have a good look at the makeshift yground.


    The scenery of ying children was enough to bring warmth to the coldest hearts, and though she didn''t have one, Ingrid still felt the sensation.


    "Ingrid?"


    Juni''s voice snapped her back to reality. She couldn''t see her expression due to the mask and sunsses, but the hint of concern in Valkyrie''s tone told her that something was wrong. She notices that the hand she used to stop Juni is still grabbing her.


    Not only that but she unintentionally put too much strength into it, forcing her friend to increase the output of her Force Field to keep it from breaking.


    "Ah, sorry!" She said, quickly letting go of her. "I spaced out for a moment."


    Simon had moved toward a group of older kids sitting on the steps of a nearby house. The kids noticed their arrival a while ago and halted what they were doing, observing them with cautious eyes. One of them got up and went to face the brown man. At the same time, another one moved away from the group before disappearing into the nearby abandoned building through a broken window.


    "What do you want?" Was the first thing that came out of the kid''s mouth.


    Simon''s left brow twitched and he couldn''t stop his lips from curling up. Being the boss of the gang that ruled over this entire side of the city, he should''ve been well known to all of the residents, especially the orphans who would end up working for him at some point. The kid facing him wasn''t oblivious either.


    He appeared to know exactly who Simon was but chose to face him and showed no fear while doing so.


    "I''m looking for someone called Rollo." Said Simon.


    "As I said." The boy''s re grew sharper. "What do you want?"


    Simon''s irritation grew exponentially, blood pumping to his head. There was nothing he could do, however. If his reputation didn''t scare the kids into submission, he couldn''t just beat them until they told him what he wanted.


    Of course, it was only a matter of time before this problem was resolved. But before he coulde up with a way to do so, the taller alien walked past him and faced the young boy.


    "Hi! Are you friends with Rollo? You see, my phone was stolen earlier and I was told I could get it back if I asked him. Can you show us where he lives, please?"