Sunlight streamed through the thin curtains, painting gold streaks across the quiet room.
Jay blinked awake to find herself half-buried in warmth — and in Keifer's arms.
For a moment, she forgot everything. The wars, the chaos, the secrets — all melted under the steady sound of his heartbeat.
"Good morning," he murmured, voice still husky with sleep.
Jay blinked at him, cheeks warming. "You're heavy.
"He grinned, refusing to move. "You're comfortable."
"Keifer."
"Jay."
Her sigh was dramatic; his smile wasn't.
He leaned closer. "So… how does it feel? Officially mine?"
She shot him a look. "Like I made a deal with a very charming disaster."
Keifer chuckled. "I'll take it."
She tried to wriggle out of his hold, but he just tucked her closer. "Five more minutes."
"You said that ten minutes ago."
He opened one eye. "And I'll say it again."
Finally, she shoved a pillow in his face and rolled off the bed
."Get ready," she said. "We have guests downstairs. And they'll set the kitchen on fire if I'm not there."
"Correction," Keifer said, muffled by the pillow, "they'll set it on fire even if you are there."
By the time they reached the kitchen, it was already chaos.
Drew was holding a whisk like a weapon. Percy was covered in flour. Cin was holding a fire extinguisher — ready.
Yuri was glaring at an omelette that refused to cooperate. Adam was laughing too loudly while Michael was trying to separate salt from sugar.
Jay froze in the doorway. "What… are you all doing?"
"Breakfast!" Percy said proudly. "We're cooking for the birthday girl."
"You mean burning," Cin muttered.
Rafael sipped his coffee quietly in the corner, eyes half-lidded. "I told them to order food."
"They said no," Adam said, "something about 'birthday spirit.'"
"More like birthday funeral," Michael added as the toaster sparked.
Jay pinched the bridge of her nose. "Out. All of you."
"But—""OUT."
They scattered like startled pigeons.
Except Keifer.He just leaned against the counter, smirking. "Need help, Chef Jay?"
She glared. "Only if you want to die with them."
He laughed but tied an apron anyway. "Then I'll die happy."
A few minutes later, the kitchen was calm again — or as calm as it could be with Jay and Keifer in the same room.
Lia walked in, hair tied loosely, casual elegance in every step. "You're cooking without me?"
Jay turned, smiling. "You were sleeping."
"I was pretending," Lia said. "I knew I'd smell smoke soon."
Keifer grinned. "You know us too well."
Jay and Lia started cooking together, moving with practiced rhythm — chopping, stirring, laughing. It felt familiar — too familiar.
"Watching them is terrifying," Percy whispered to Adam from the hallway.
"Yeah," Adam agreed. "They smile too much. That's when you know something's about to explode.
"Rafael muttered, "I'm hiding the knives."
When Jay accidentally flicked water at Keifer, he retaliated with flour.
She gasped, smacking his arm. "Keifer!"
"You started it!"
"Because you were smirking!"
Lia sighed fondly. "Children. My kitchen."
Adam peeked in, wide-eyed. "Are we… safe to eat this later?"
"Only if you value your life," Michael whispered.
Finally, after much chaos (and a near oil spill), breakfast was served.
Pancakes, eggs, and laughter filled the long marble table.
Jay sat beside Keifer, her gang nearby — Adam teasing her, Michael shaking his head, Sam quietly smiling as always. It felt like home.
But as they laughed, Jay's gaze flickered — toward Keifer's wrist again. That same black and white bracelet.
Her laughter dimmed. Later, when everyone had gone to lounge in the garden, she called Adam, Michael, and Sam aside to her room.
"Hey," she said quietly, sitting on her desk. "Do you remember… the bracelets Mentor Seri gave us?"
Adam nodded slowly. "Of course. Said it was a mark of loyalty. Why?"
Jay twisted her wrist, showing her own. "Keifer's mother gave him one exactly like this."
Michael's smile faded. "That's… strange. "Sam frowned. "You think she knew her?"
Jay hesitated. "I don't know. Maybe it's just coincidence. But…"
Adam's expression softened, remembering something distant. "Do you remember the night she disappeared?"
Michael nodded. "How could we forget? We waited the whole night." Sam murmured, "And the letter…"
Adam sighed. "She wrote 'Don't find me.' I thought it was a test. But it wasn't."
They all went silent for a moment — grief mixing with old respect. Even after everything, none of them blamed Serina.
"She must've had her reasons," Sam said quietly. "She always did." Jay nodded, brushing her fingers against the bracelet again. "Yeah. She did."
The silence stretched — heavy but peaceful. Then, from the hallway—
"HEY!" Percy yelled. "WE'RE TESTING THE SOUND SYSTEM FOR TONIGHT!" Music blasted.
Jay groaned. "Of course they are." Michael sighed. "We're surrounded by toddlers." Adam smiled faintly. "But they're our toddlers."
Jay chuckled — tension fading. "Come on. Let's get ready. Tonight's going to be huge."
By evening, the mansion had transformed.
Soft lights lined the walls; crystal chandeliers shimmered.
The gardens outside glowed under golden lanterns. The atmosphere was warm, elegant, alive.
Section E cleaned up well — even Percy looked almost respectable in his suit (until he started dancing before the party began).
Jay entered last — simple black gown, her hair tied up, a faint diamond pendant glinting at her throat.
Keifer couldn't look away.
"You're staring," she said.
He smiled softly. "I'm allowed. You're my girlfriend now."
Jay smirked. "That's not a license, Keifer."He leaned in slightly. "It should be."
aries snorted from behind. "Please. We just recovered from your midnight proposal. Don't start another movie here."
Percy added, "Yeah, save the romance. I'm still traumatized from your flour fight this morning."
"Traumatized?" Michael said dryly. "You filmed it."
Percy grinned. "Exactly. For trauma documentation."
The group gathered around a large three-tier chocolate cake."Speech! Speech!" Percy shouted.
Jay crossed her arms. "No speech. Just cake.""Speech or no candles," Drew warned dramatically."Fine," Jay sighed, laughing. "Thank you for not burning the house down and for surviving my cooking."
They cheered.Keifer leaned down, whispering near her ear, "Make a wish, birthday girl."Jay smiled faintly and closed her eyes.
When she blew out the candles, everyone clapped — even Rafael cracked a small smile.
But Keifer didn't clap. He quietly slid a small box toward her.Jay blinked. "Keifer—"
"Open it," he said.
Inside was a silver charm — simple, shaped like a wing, faintly engraved with her initials.
"I wanted to give you something that reminds you of freedom," Keifer said softly. "Because you spent too long caged by everything — memories, battles, loss. You deserve the sky again."
Her throat tightened. "Keifer…"He shrugged, smiling. "Don't cry. You'll ruin your eyeliner."
Jay chuckled, wiping her eyes. "I hate how you always know what to say."He whispered, "I learned from the best."
Around them, everyone started cheering again — some pretending to gag dramatically.
Percy shouted, "TOO MUCH ROMANCE! SOMEONE THROW WATER!"felix added, "This is why I'm single."
Soon the table was piled with gifts
.Adam handed her a sleek new dagger. "For emergencies. Or Keifer."
yuri gave her a custom journal. "You write better than you fight."
michael a keychain with a safety button hidden to call
Sam offered a quiet smile and a music box that played an old melody — the one Serina used to hum
.Lia gifted her a crystal bracelet, , percy a bracelet , cin a hoodie with disaster but cool , on it aries gifted her sneakers , david a locket with mutya on it
Jay laughed, eyes shining. "You guys are impossible."
Drew grinned. "We call it personality."
For a moment, she looked at all of them — her team, her family, her chaos — and felt peace.
She leaned against Keifer, whispering, "If this is a dream, don't wake me."He smiled. "Then sleep forever.
keifer gifted her mutya name locket , percy a keychain with a safety button hidden to call , cin a hoodie with mutya on it aries gifted her sneakers , david a bracelet
Because as the clock hit eight, the air changed.
The grand doors opened.
The guards straightened.
Everyone turned.
A new figure stepped inside — a presence that made even Rafael and percy stiffen unconsciously .The air seemed to hum with quiet authority. but their was flicker of
Jay's smile faltered.
Because whoever had just arrived — wasn't here for celebration