Cain and the others walked down a quiet hallway, bathed in yellow light that filtered through the translucent window on the left, stretching into the far end. The hard, cold floor covered with metal made their footsteps bounce like a distant echo.
Time passed as he followed his comrades, who led him to the end, and stood in front of the elevator that was operating. When a 'ting' sound rang, the door slid open and welcomed them with a narrow but empty room, perfect for accommodating their group.
The five of them entered, Peter standing in front of the small monitor. He pressed the screen that would lead them to the first floor. The door hissed, closing by itself and turning on the white neon hanging on the upper corner.
"Woah!"
His body swayed as the elevator began descending, exerting a gravitational pull that made him feel as if he was floating. Rika, beside him, wrapped her arm tightly around his waist. Her face was pale, as if afraid Cain would fall into a ravine.
"Are you alright?"
Cain nodded, giving her a strained smile. His expression was twisted, not knowing how to deal with Rika, who had somehow softened, as if the fangs in her mouth were forcibly removed.
Not that he didn't feel happy with her change. Rika's mellowed side saved him the fate of a harsh sermon, coming from her usually sharp mouth, especially towards him.
However, deep down in his heart. Cain felt something was wrong and interpreted Rika's changing nature as an escape from her own identity.
He shook his head up and down, trying to tell the girl he was okay.
'I don't know what caused her to change like this, but...?'
The boy shot a glare at the blonde boy, who stood next to them, humming. His facial expression loosened as if nothing had happened in the world. Realizing the gaze that was drilling him, Abel turned and tilted his head sideways, seeing Cain glaring at him.
Cain looked at Abel for a few seconds. But several beats later, Abel winked, which caused his body to shudder in disgust. Without understanding Cain's intention, Abel raised a thumbs-up.
"Hmm,, hmmm, hmm..."
Instead of stopping humming. Abel even started singing, and his voice was melodious too, which added more wrinkles to Cain's forehead, accompanied by his twitching eyebrows.
'That's not it, idiot! And your voice is so damn good!. You really have many talents besides your handsome face, curse it! Heaven is truly unfair.'
As if Abel's idiocy was not enough, the other three began to follow up on the song. Peter nodded his head while tapping his boots on the floor. Louise's body swayed left and right, both her eyes closed as she started to hum melodiously.
Next to him, Rika only stood still to help Cain, but from her melting expression, it was very clear that the red-haired girl was holding herself back only for Cain.
Cain averted his gaze and let out a long sigh. He felt exhausted dealing with the group that had been out of his supervision for a month.
'Oh my god, what have they been doing for a month?'
Although he cursed in his heart, it couldn't hide the corner of his lips that lifted thanks to the mischief of his group; it brought warmth to his cold heart.
A 'ting' sound echoed in the room, followed by the door opening, which made them step out, entering the main hall on the first floor.
"This way!"
Abel turned to Cain and walked ahead of the others. He took a left turn, tracing a long corridor at the end of which was a glass door that opened automatically when they got close.
Cain's nose twitched, the tangy scent of the sea sailed in the air, and entered his nose. It made his expression flat, then he turned his neck to look at his other comrades.
However, contrary to what he expected, his four comrades acted normally, as if the aroma of salt filling the room was a normal thing.
A thought crossed his mind. His eyes widened, and he directed his gaze towards the counter at the end.
'Don't tell me, this place serves real food?'
If thought about more deeply, of course, there must be some because Cain was in a health facility.
A loud thumping from his heart echoed in the boy's ear, making Cain lick his dry lips. A sharp glow in his eyes radiated high expectations.
Cain, who was silent in the back, soon faced the counter table. In front of him, an android spoke in a rigid, programmed tone, revealing the dishes they had prepared.
When he looked down, his expression dimmed. Spread across the counter table were packaged jellies that were not much different from what he ate at the training facility.
'I was wrong to expect something in this world.'
As he sighed, Cain's body seemed to recall his habit of taking two packs of jelly, chocolate, and coffee. But, because his stomach was protesting, he added two more. The four other comrades also took some, including Rika.
He turned around, witnessing the sea of chairs lined up neatly, coated in silver metal. The gray-haired boy pointed towards a table near the window. They moved away from the counter, receiving a warm service by the android that spoke: {Enjoy your lunch}
Cain took a seat near the window; the view of the military barracks, with their gray buildings illuminated by a blue glow from neon, gave a futuristic, practical impression. A perfect place for its inhabitants, who were rigid at commands and rules.
He tore off the cap of his chocolate-flavored packaged jelly. Cain put the tip in his lips, then gave a slight squeeze as the contents filled his mouth.
The soft, bouncy sensation made his cheeks puff out. The sweet taste stinging his tongue triggered his brain to release dopamine throughout his body, which made the growling in his stomach subside and his face relax.
When he finished his first pack, his hand started moving swiftly. As usual, after chocolate, Cain started his second meal with coffee flavor, followed by chocolate, and finished with coffee.
The four comrades who witnessed it held their breath, nervous that their leader would choke with that hasty way of eating.
Seeing the four wilted packages on the table, Abel opened his mouth.
"Do you want more?"
Cain rubbed his stomach and shook his head.
"No, it's enough, thank you."
Abel waved his hand, telling the leader to stop with the formalities, which invited a smile on Cain's face. The gray-haired boy swept his gaze through the team and spoke.
"What did I miss during this month?"
The four others exchanged glances, and everyone turned towards Rika, who began to explain.
"Nothing big. The four of us just continued our training in this place while waiting for you to wake up."
"You trained in this place for a month?"
Cain asked, and Rika nodded as she was sipping the jelly, then swallowed it first before continuing.
"Although it's called training, we only applied what had been taught, running in the morning and simulation battle."
"I see, does General Dosh not have a problem with all of that?"
The girl was silent. She brought her chocolate-flavored jelly package closer to her mouth and turned to Peter in front of her. Peter, who hadn't opened his food, glanced around the area and moved his body closer.
"Yes, at that time you were unconscious, leader. I gave the full report to the General, then he asked me to remain silent and gave us permission to stay here on the grounds of quarantine."
His voice was indeed low, but it was laced with heavy intention, which made Cain narrow his gaze.
'General Dosh, it seems I have a reason to talk to him later.'
"Oh, Leader when you were asleep. Senior Luna and Senior Chloe sometimes visited you, too."
The news that came out of Louise's mouth attracted Cain's attention to her. He blinked a few times, wondering what business they had to bother visiting him?
'Strange, my relationship with them isn't close enough for them to visit me?'
Cain paused for a moment to look at each member's face.
'Is it because they were worried about them?'
In the first place, the gray-haired boy still owed Senior Luna an apology, and Chloe, he didn't really know why, but maybe came here to see her brother's condition. In the end, Cain shrugged his shoulders and would repay their kindness next time.
The four of them enjoyed their food in peace, exchanging casual conversation that dispelled the fatigue and worry about Cain's long sleep. Because now, after waking up, Abel, Rika, Peter, and Louise could breathe a sigh of relief seeing their leader sitting with them again.
"Hey, does anyone know where my gear is?"
Instantly, Cain's question made time seem to stop, and the four others widened their eyes when they saw him.
"I've been asleep for too long. So at least, I want to train myself and return to my peak performance."
There was no answer, only four people who felt exasperated seeing the restlessness of their leader, even though they knew that he had only recently woken up from his long sleep.
But, within his black pupils glaring at them, something crackled, spewing sparks of electricity that struck the consciousness of the four of them.