Elaine groggily rolled over, her head pounding as she felt an unfamiliar mana filling her senses. It was comforting, and it lulled her closer to sleep. However, it was as if she was over-saturated with sleep, and couldn’t go back. Reluctantly, she rose from the bed combing her hair with her hand and throwing off the covers with the other. She rolled her neck around to loosen it up. She sat there for a minute, legs hanging off the side of the bed.

Her eyes were clouded over and distant. Her face was slack, as if she had no control over it. Suddenly, she snapped back to attention, taking a few moments to look around. She felt remnants of a strange sensation, as if she had a terrible nightmare and forgot about it. She shivered, and hugged herself to fight off the room’s cold. Her eyes wandered, looking for some hint of new clothing.

“You’re finally awake,” A soft voice drifted in from the open door. “How did you sleep?”

“Good, thank you grandmaster.” Elaine nodded to Isil, who was leaning on the door frame.

Isil frowned slightly. Elaine noticed, and instantly opened her mouth to apologize.

“Child, there’s no need to be so formal. You may just call me Isil. Or, if you’d prefer, Izzy.” Isil seemed to have trouble saying the last sentence, as if unfamiliar with the nickname.

“Sorry...” Elaine replied softly.

“There’s no need to be. The bathroom is down to the hall to the right. I left some clothes in there. Breakfast will be done by the time you’re out. Be sure to come eat.” Isil told her mirthfully.

“Sure.” Elaine replied absentmindedly.

Isil smiled and waved lightly, leaving the room. Elaine sat on the bed for a few moments, idly eyeing her master’s comatose form. She was worried about whether or not he would be alright if he wasn’t hooked up to medical equipment. She rubbed her palms together, her train of thought causing her to brood on the subject more than she should. She was only interrupted when a loud metallic crash came from outside.

Elaine sprang to her feet and rushed out the door, following the noise. As she made a turn, she grabbed on to the corner of the wall, using it to stop her momentum as she saw the source of the noise. In the surprisingly modern-looking kitchen was a frustrated Isil picking up several metal trays off the floor. Isil quickly noticed Elaine’s presence and paused in her movements to turn towards her.

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“Please remind Alex to take care not to booby-trap the part of the hideout a person is supposed to live in.” Isil shook her head and returned to picking trays.

“Umm… Are you alright?” Elaine asked hesitantly.

“Yes, yes, I’m fine,” Isil waved her off. “Go ahead and take a shower, I’ll pick these up.”

“Well, okay then…” Elaine nodded, backing awkwardly.

Elaine walked through the halls, keeping her eyes open for the bathroom. She didn’t have to look hard, however, as the door had a bathroom sign on it. She opened the door slowly, somewhat worried that it might be a public bathroom rather than a private one. Her fears were washed away as she peered in. It was indeed a private bathroom, and decently large at that. On the far wall was a shower-bathtub combo, but large enough for two people to comfortably take a bath at the same time. On the left wall was a slightly opened closet and a rack of white towels. On the right wall was two sinks and another door, which, considering the lack of a toilet, likely meant that it was behind the door.

The clothes Isil had mentioned were lying on the countertop next to the toilet door. She inspected them briefly, slightly concerned about how all the clothes were just her size. She hadn’t even told her master her clothing sizes, so why were these clothes her preferred sizes? She set them down for the moment, opting to ask Isil after she had taken her shower. She moved the shower curtain to completely cover the shower, then turned on the water.

Elaine took her time in the shower, taking her time to mull over her current situation. Isil had dispatched of an extremely intimidating force, so it was likely the Fifth World couldn’t send anyone else after them. For now, they were safe, but since the Fifth World was willing to go to such lengths as to send five high demons after them… Elaine shivered despite the warmth of the shower.

Elaine shut off the water and grabbed one of the towels off the nearby rack. She wiped her body vigorously, as if trying to rub out her dark thoughts. She hung the towel over the shower bar and dressed herself in the surprisingly comfortable clothes. It consisted of a gray shirt with a small company logo and loose blue jeans. She shoved her hands in her pockets, intending to spread out the crumpled-up pockets when she noticed an object in her left pocket. It felt like a small, round object, about the size of a marble.

She pulled it out of her pocket and looked over it. As far as she could tell, it was a green, glass marble. She shrugged and put it back in her pocket, finding nothing out of the ordinary about it. Why there was a marble in her pocket in the first place was curious, but not important. She opened the door of the humid bathroom, nearly shivering as she adjusted to the much cooler air. She turned her head towards the right, smelling the familiar fragrance of bacon and waffles. Her stomach growled and little but of drool threatened to escape her mouth. She had hardly had a good meal while she was on the run with Alex.

She entered the kitchen, noticing that a plate had already been put out for her. She spotted Isil on the other side of the counter, plate overflowing with food. Elaine watched, dumbfounded, as Isil wolfed down a waffle in seven bites. It was only until Elaine suddenly needed to cough that Isil stopped eating like a starving person. She cleared her throat and wiped the crumbs off the side of her mouth with a napkin.

“Fill your plate and let us talk. I want to hear everything about the ‘Fifth World’...” Isil motioned to the seat.

Elaine nodded, picking up her plate and putting a waffle and a few slices of bacon on it, grabbing the syrup as she made her way to the table. She sat down in the seat opposite Isil, who was now eating her food much slower and more elegantly. The two sat in silence for a while, before Elaine decided to break the silence.

“I don’t know much about the Fifth World, master knows a lot more.” Elaine said sheepishly, still somewhat afraid to hold a conversation with Isil.

“I’m afraid I can’t ask him at the moment.” Isil spoke humorously.

“Well, alright then… Here’s what I know...”