It wasn't until late afternoon that Amaya felt healed enough to be discharged from the infirmary warehouse. Rather, she was almost itching to be released, worrying about her responsibilities that she thought she was neglecting. Knowing how much of a hard worker she was, it only made Sero more fond of her.

As the pair left the medical site, they were faced with the aftermath of Apep's attack on the city. Despite Ascendants and common workers alike rebuilding what they could, the once-bustling streets were now littered with debris and charred remains of buildings. The air was thick with the smell of smoke and ash, making it difficult to breathe. Even the sky was stained with a grayish hue from the haze.

"Goddamn..." Sero muttered under his breath. Further ahead, he felt a mix of shock and awe at the completely leveled terrain where he and the other Janitors had fought the Catastrophe.

Amaya looked at Sero, concern written all over her face. "You okay, Sero?" she asked, gently laying a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah... just... holy shit..." Sero muttered, still staring at the devastation. "How the fuck did we survive?"

"You're too stubborn to die, and because of that, it means I won't either if I'm by your side," Amaya gave him a reassuring smile. "We'll figure it out together, okay?"

While she meant it as a comfort, Sero couldn't meet her gaze as he returned her smile. "Thanks, Amaya," he replied softly.

They walked over to a secluded area behind a pile of rubble, Amaya clutching him close as Sero emulated Lawbreak and teleported them over to the association building. As they strolled in, he felt a sense of guilt over the words the Spellblade used to comfort him.

With his ever-growing power, Sero was becoming more difficult to kill. However, along with his growth seemed to be enemies who far exceed that, putting him into peril more times than he'd like. Compared to when he had first come back to Earth, Sero had grown to be able to somewhat survive against a Catastrophe.

He glanced at Amaya, who had taken the lead, walking towards the conference room. She thought that it was safer near him, but Sero strangely didn't agree. Both his parents and Casey had been taken away, the former two due to things he couldn't control and the latter due to his negligence. Hell, even Elizabeth came close to dying and Sero had been powerless to stop it.

Shaking his head, Sero lightly forced his Rationality to activate, clearing his tumultuous thoughts. Right now, he wanted to focus on the present, doing what he could to protect it.

The two entered the conference room, where they saw Kit reporting to Dante, Dune, Enzo, and an unfamiliar woman. Sero ogled at her for a moment before catching himself, maintaining composure. Thankfully, Amaya didn’t notice.

"So, we have managed to track down the remaining members of a Culling sect that started the monster outbreaks in the north. They seem to have gone into hiding after Gregor and the Janitors put them out. But, I think we'll be able to flush em out soon enough," Kit said, gesturing to a holographic map of the city on the table. "Our informants have reported that they've been gathering supplies and consolidating their forces at an abandoned warehouse near the outskirts of the 7th Zone. We plan to strike within the next few hours while they are still weak and disorganized."

"Sounds good. Ione and Yelena's group in the west have confirmed that no suspicious activities have been going on, so they're looking to meet up with the Five Serpents," Dante replied, noticing Sero and Amaya walk in. "J'takk and Jack have also reported similar findings, and are trying to look for Merlin. Keep us updated, Kit."

"Copy that." Kit turned around, immediately lighting up with glee upon seeing Sero. "Oh, my little bookworm!"

"Hey, Kit–" Sero's breath was knocked out of him as the Paradox squeezed him in a tight hug. "Can't... breathe..."

Amaya rolled her eyes at the exchange, crossing her arms despite the smile on her face. "Hey, Kit. I'm also here."

"Sorry, sorry," Kit giggled sheepishly as she released Sero from her grasp. "You guys might be dating, but that doesn't mean I'll stop doting over him."

"Oh, we're not actually–" "We're still figuring it–"

Both Amaya and Sero tried to interrupt Kit, but she waved them off, a mischievous glint in her mismatched eyes. "Oh, come on, you two. I can tell when a cat's in love with a dog, and there's no reason why you two shouldn't be official."

"Wait, which one of us is the dog and which one's the cat?" Sero asked, momentarily forgetting his embarrassment as Amaya continued to sputter.

"So, this is Enzo's supposed student, huh? You look like you have a desire to get rich," Dune strolled up to them, grinning as his shades reflected the dim lights in the conference room.

"I'm listening." Sero became sidetracked again.

"I'm Duke Dunham, Merchant King of the Janitors, but you can call me Dune..."

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

As Kit continued to tease Amaya while Dune attempted to scam Sero, Dante sighed, sitting down at the head of the meeting table. The scar on his face creased as he rubbed his temples and glanced up at Enzo and the new woman. "You guys sure have some interesting people in your group."

"Hey, with how the world is, there's bound to be some weirdos," Enzo grinned, baring his teeth. "I guess it's to balance out the normal people like us."

In the background, Kit said her farewells to everyone and exited the meeting room, which prompted Dune to rope Amaya into the conversation he was having with Sero. It seemed like Sero was on board until Amaya began to reel him back in.

"With all due respect, Enzo, I'll have to adamantly disagree and say that you are nowhere close to being normal." Dante leaned back in his chair.

"Huh? What part of me isn't normal?"

"I don't want to get into it, but your passive alone is enough to start. Not to mention your unhealthy obsession for fighting strong people."

"That's not considered normal?"

"You just now noticed that, sugar?" the woman joined in, teasing Enzo as he seemed visibly confused. She turned her head towards Sero and Amaya. "What are your names, sweethearts?"

Sero abruptly froze in place, unashamedly gawking at the woman. She had shoulder-length blonde hair that framed her delicate features perfectly, and piercing golden eyes that seemed to see right through him. Her body was curvy in all the right places, accentuated by her form-fitting black leather jacket and tight blue jeans. Amaya poked him hard in the ribs, snapping him out of his trance.

"Ouch- I'm Sero," he managed to squeak out, still a little flustered. "And this is my... friend, Amaya." He gestured to her. She gave him a look, clearly not appreciating being introduced as such.

"Girlfriend." That earned him a sharp elbow to the ribs.

"Cuddle-partner?" A full punch to the gut.

"Sorry about him. I'm Amaya," the Spellblade introduced herself as Sero gasped for breath, on the ground on all fours. "I'm an Ascendant Liaison for the association."

"I'm Madison," the woman grinned. "I’m a member of the Janitors. Nice to meet you two."

"I'm setting up Madison here in the 25th Zone, just until she makes enough to open her own clinic," Dune interrupted, helping Sero to his feet. "Tragedy aside, it's good timing, too. Miss Dawn will make a killing here, no pun intended."

"Oh? Are you a Healer-class Ascendant?" Amaya asked respectfully. "Just curious, since Healer-classes are usually found in medical fields."

"Sure am, sweetheart. The Deathwalker-class, to be more specific." Madison smiled proudly. "I've always wanted to help people in the front lines, you know? And with the way things are going now, we'll need all the help we can get."

"What kinda... Skills do you have?" Sero asked, stifling the feeling of greed rising within him. "I'm curious about what kind of healing abilities something named a Deathwalker has."

Once again, Amaya gave Sero another hard jab to the ribs.

"Oof, sorry," he gave an apologetic grin. "Couldn't help myself."

Madison laughed, waving her hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it, sweetheart. I get that a lot, actually. People are always fascinated when they hear Deathwalker and Healer in the same sentence." She grinned, showing off a set of perfectly straight and white teeth. "But it's not like I bring people back from the dead or anything. My powers just let me extend the time they have left, you know? Make them feel better, help them cope with whatever's ailing them. It's not nearly as glamorous as it sounds."

"You kidding me? Madison literally helped me continue fighting when I was on the verge of death," Enzo butted into the conversation, "Paired with my Relentless passive, I was basically a powerful zombie. Not that I ever wanted to be one."

"Yeah, her abilities might not be centered around traditional healing, but they're very potent in a pinch," Dune added with a grin.

"Boys, boys, it's not that big of a deal, really," Madison laughed again, waving her hand dismissively. "But I'm glad I could help. And if you ever need me, just call, alright? I'll be there."

The Deathwalker winked at Amaya and Sero as she passed by, leaving the conference room. "I need to help organize the medical groups around here, so I'll see you two around. I'll be waiting for the rest of the Janitors to come here."

"She's really cool," Sero said with a grin as Madison left. "I think it's awesome that she can help people like that." His grin disappeared when he noticed Amaya staring daggers at him. "I still think you're the most gorgeous woman I've ever met."

"Ugh, you're so annoying," Amaya sighed as she rolled her eyes. "Anyways. Sero and I are here to help with whatever needs to be done around the city."

"Not much to be doing," Dante finally stood up from his seat, walking over to the four. "As far as reconstruction efforts, Meredith and Maximillian have that covered. Kit's keeping everyone in touch and Madison just left to help with support and recovery."

"Enzo and I are helping Dante with contingency plans if Culling decides to pull another fast one on us," Dune added. "Guess if there's anything you two can think of to help, go ahead and do so."

"Actually," Enzo stepped up. "I was thinking you two deserve a break after Apep's attack. I know the Zone's in shambles, but the Boss is coming back with Gwyn and Cass. Dune, Max, Madison and I are here along with Dante and Meredith. So, take the day off."

"Wait, what? But I thought–"

"As much as I find it weird, I agree with Enzo, Amaya," Dante interrupted. "Like I said, pretty much everything's been covered. Of course, I don't want you two to completely let your guard down, but..." the Sin Reaper glanced at Sero. "I do owe it to you. You stepped up and fought as long as you could against that Catastrophe. If you hadn't countered his attack earlier, I think we might've died there."

Sero blinked. He always thought Dante disliked him for several good reasons, but it sounded like the Sin Reaper was just worried about him. Maybe there was more to Dante than he thought. "Well, if you insist... I guess we could take the day off," he said, glancing at Amaya.

She seemed to struggle with the idea for a moment, but finally nodded. "All right. Thanks, Dante. We'll try to stay out of trouble."

"That's what I'm worried about," the Sin Reaper sighed. "No matter where, trouble always seems to find you, Sero."

Sero grinned, shrugging it off. "Well, I'll try not to make a habit of it. And if I do, you can just kill me, like you said before, right?" he joked. Amaya gasped and smacked him on the arm, dragging him away before he could say anything else.

Dante closed his eyes and bowed his head, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Enzo looked disappointed while Dune snorted with amusement.