The pair ended up at a cozy Italian restaurant not far from Sero's apartment. The scent of garlic and basil filled the air as they were seated at a quiet corner table. Amaya glanced around the place, admiring the dim lighting and romantic atmosphere.

"This place is lovely," she commented. "Perfect for a date."

"Oh? So, you're saying we're officially dating now?" Sero smirked.

"No," Amaya scowled. "I told you to quit that. Just because we... admitted our feelings to each other doesn't mean that we should start with the labels."

Their waiter came over and took their drink orders. As he walked away, Sero leaned in close to Amaya, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "So, what exactly did you want to talk about over dinner, my lovely date?"

"You're seriously making me regret this," Amaya huffed, but couldn't help the small smile that tugged at the corners of her lips. "Fine. We can talk about your well-being. How's that for an official date topic?"

"Uh, no-go," Sero said, laughing. "I mean, sure, we can talk about that, but you didn't really have to bring me here to do it. You could've just texted or called me or something. Besides, I feel like I've been a burden to you lately."

"Don't say that," Amaya replied, reaching across the table to take his hand. "You know you're not a burden to me. I care about you, Sero. I've always cared about you." She paused, searching for the right words. "Well, the concern for you is different now than it was when we first met, but still."

Sero smiled, squeezing her hand gently. "I appreciate that. I really do. I know I've been... distant lately, and I haven't been the best company, but I want you to know that I do enjoy being with you."

Amaya blushed, pulling away as she avoided his gaze. "See, why can't you be like this more often instead of your usual lecherous side?"

They shared a laugh, and then the waiter returned with their drinks. As they sipped their wine, they chatted about work, movies, and music, easily falling into a comfortable rhythm. Sero found himself feeling more relaxed and at ease with Amaya than he had in weeks.

"So," Amaya said, setting her wine glass down. "I know it's a heavy topic, but the alliance has become more rigid in their countermeasures against Culling."

Sero didn't reply for a moment, gazing down at his food. "Did they come up with anything new? Besides just preparing for the aftermath of whatever the Culling plans to unleash?"

"Well, they've managed to locate a few more people with ties to the Culling," Amaya explained. "But they're all very low-level, just regular citizens. They're trying to find a way to get more information from them, but it's proving difficult. The Culling has been very careful about keeping their secrets hidden."

Sero frowned. "That's a shame. I mean, it's good that they're making progress, but it's just frustrating that we still don't know anything concrete. Besides the imminent arrival of a Catastrophe. By the way, it feels kinda weird that we're out on a date while the threat of the end of the world could happen at any second."

Amaya smiled. "I know, right? But I'm trying to live in the moment and enjoy our time together. And besides, if the world does end, at least we can say we had a nice last meal together."

"Hold on, don't jinx it," Sero made a face. "I finally got you to admit you have feelings for me, and I don't want things to end so soon."

They both laughed, and the tension between them seemed to dissipate a little. Sero found himself enjoying the warmth of Amaya's hand in his, and the way she looked at him when she smiled. It was a peaceful moment, and he didn't want it to end.

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After dinner, the two of them drunkenly teleported back to Sero's penthouse, laughing and stumbling the whole way. Once inside, they collapsed on the couch, still holding hands. Sero reached over and switched on the TV, flipping through the channels until they landed on a black and white film from the twentieth century. They watched in silence for a while, lost in the nostalgia of a bygone era.

"Hey, Amaya?"

She glanced over at him, her expression soft and content. "Hmm?"

"I was just wondering... out of all the things you could've done to snap me out of my frenzy... why'd you go for a kiss?"

Amaya blushed, looking away for a moment before turning back to him. "I just... I wanted to see if there was anything there. If there was any chance that you might feel something besides the need to cut down the Culling. And I thought that if I kissed you, it would be less... aggressive. Less like an attack. It was just a way to see if you could feel something other than anger."

Sero considered her words for a moment, then reached up and gently traced her lips with his finger. "And did you find out anything?"

She smiled, her gaze locked with his. "I found out that I like you, Sero. A lot more than I thought."

The Spellblade leaned in, giving Sero a quick kiss. He could feel the warmth of her lips on his, the softness of her skin, the way her body seemed to melt into his. It was a moment of pure connection, a brief respite from the turmoil that had engulfed them both.

"Let's get some rest," Amaya chuckled. "I'm pretty drunk and... I don't want to embarrass myself." She giggled, lying down on the couch. Sero smiled and nodded, feeling the warmth of the alcohol in his blood and the weight of exhaustion pulling at his eyelids.

"Don't fall asleep here, Amaya, I've got a bed," Sero whispered, his voice already sounding heavy with sleep. She gave a small laugh, the sound muffled by the couch cushions. "I'm just... enjoying the moment. I think I'm too tired to move right now."

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Not quite believing the situation himself, Sero scooped Amaya up into his arms, carrying her to his bed. He tucked her in, slipping underneath the covers and pulling her close in his arms.

She sighed contentedly, nestling her head into the crook of his neck. Her breath tickled his skin, sending shivers down his spine. He could feel her heartbeat, steady and strong against his own chest. As he stared up at the ceiling, lost in the soft rhythm of her breathing, he couldn't help but marvel at the strange turn of events.

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The next morning, Sero awoke to the ringing of both his and Amaya's cellphones. He glanced over at her, still sound asleep in his bed, and reached for his phone on the bedside table.

"Hello?" he croaked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Sero? You still asleep?" It was Enzo. Sero glanced at the clock; it was almost noon. "Wake your ass up and head over to the association. There's an emergency meeting right now."

Sero's heart skipped a beat. He glanced over at Amaya again, her features soft and peaceful in sleep. He wondered if he should wake her. She'd probably want to know what was going on.

"Is that Amaya's ringtone in the background?" The Demonic Judge asked, sounding curious and amused. "Surprised you two got together so quickly. I made a bet with Kit and said it would've taken longer for you two to start dating-"

Sero growled, glancing back at Amaya. He considered waking her up, but decided against it. "Look, Enzo, I'll be there as soon as I can. What's going on?"

"Right, well, long story short, the old man is taking the rest of the Janitors 'cept me and Max- I don't know why he thought that was a good idea- to the northern Zones above the 25th. Apparently there's been a surge of outbreaks, but none of them were as devastating as the one that happened here. Some of the alliance heads went to check on the eastern and western Zones, so it's just Meredith and Dante here. Oh, and that Empress woman."

Sero frowned. He hadn't expected Enzo to be so brief. "So why the emergency meeting?"

"Why do you think? It's because Dante wants to organize the remaining forces here," Enzo paused for a moment. "And also... he wants to make sure you understand that you need to stay here and keep low."

Sero frowned again. "What do you mean? Is he thinking I'll just run into danger blindly?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

"No," Sero scowled, carefully climbing out of bed. "I get that I don't have the best track record right now, but I wouldn't just run out to go fight."

"I know you well enough that you wouldn't, but the rest don't. Just get your ass over as soon as you can. Bring Amaya with you, too."

"Got it, Teach. I'll be there." Sero hung up the phone, still feeling a little confused. He walked over to Amaya, gently rousing her awake. "Hey, Amaya. You need to get up. There's an emergency meeting at the association."

Amaya groaned, burying her face in Sero's pillow. "I was having the most amazing dream..."

"Yeah, I know, me too. But you need to get up," he said gently, giving her shoulder a squeeze. "It's important."

She grumbled something unintelligible before sitting up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Fine, fine. Let's go." She swung her legs over the side of the bed, wincing as her muscles protested. "What's going on, anyway?"

"That's what we're going to find out."

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As the both of them quickly got ready, Sero filled Amaya in on what Enzo had told him. She grew concerned hearing the rising surge of outbreaks spreading north and blushed when Sero revealed that Enzo was now aware of their relationship.

"Ugh, this is going to be so awkward," Amaya muttered as they rode the elevator down.

"What?" Sero asked, looking at her curiously. "What do you mean?"

"It's bad enough that everyone's bound to find out about us, but since you're still hot in the media, it's going to be even worse when word gets out."

"They're not going to care about that," Sero said. "They'll be too busy dealing with the crisis."

"That's a good point, but I'm also thinking about you, Sero. Since you became an S-rank, the media's been keeping a close eye on you. Thankfully, they only know about your encounter with Malice, but if they caught wind of your... battles against Culling, they'll definitely start to dig up more about you," Amaya gave him a side glance. "Do you realize what that might mean?"

It finally dawned on Sero. "If I make any mistakes, the people close to me will also be affected by the media."

"Exactly," Amaya nodded. "So you need to be extra careful. Not just for yourself, but for all of us."

"Fuck," Sero sighed as he realized that Dante probably thought of this a long time ago. It made a lot more sense why he was so keen on keeping Sero out of things, since the Sin Reaper didn't want him to give the alliance a bad image along with not making a mess of things.

The two climbed into Amaya's car, speeding to the Ascendants Association. They made their way to the conference room, where Dante, Meredith, Enzo, Max, and Elizabeth were waiting. Kit was nowhere to be seen, but Sero figured that she was with Gregor and the others heading north.

"Hey guys," Elizabeth stiffly greeted them. Sero sensed an awkward tension as he nodded back. Amaya gave her a small wave, taking a seat next to Sero. Enzo caught his eye, shooting him a raised eyebrow. It seemed like the Demonic Judge could also tell there was something off between the three of them.

"Glad you two could finally join us," Dante said, taking a seat at the head of the table. He didn't meet Sero's eyes as he said it, which only made the tension in the room feel more uncomfortable. "As you can see, we have a lot to discuss. I trust you two were informed already?"

"Yeah, Enzo briefed us on the situation," Sero replied, glancing around at the others.

"Good. Then we can proceed without delay. The brunt of our forces is traveling north to help out with subduing the outbreaks spreading upwards. Ione and Yelena are checking the western areas while J'takk and Jack are taking the east. All of us still here are tasked with keeping tabs on their progress as we continue to monitor the 25th Zone for any threats or suspicious activities."

"What about the information we have on Culling?" Amaya asked. "Do we have any idea what they're planning?"

"Nothing concise yet," Dante scowled, distorting the scar across his face. "So we're pretty much still on standby. Of course, we don't have the original manpower like we had before, which means we have to be twice as cautious." The Sin Reaper finally glanced at Sero. "That brings us to the next topic. Sero, some of us have been having concerns with you."

"Me?" Sero asked, feigning innocence. "What's up?"

"I'd rather you not play dumb," Dante's eyes twitched with annoyance. "Clearly, at nearly every incident, you have been at the center of it all. I really don't care if you were directly responsible for them or not, but it's been looking like you're a magnet for bad luck. The last fiasco with the murder of the kidnapped children only proved to me that you cannot obey orders, nor can you be trusted in tense situations."

"Dante," Elizabeth interrupted, "that was an accident. Amaya and I were also with Sero at the time."

"Yes, and even you two couldn't prevent the worst from happening," Dante shot back. "The point is, Sero, you're a liability. And with the stakes as high as they are, we cannot afford to have anyone making rash decisions or putting our people in danger. That's why I have no choice but to follow the majority vote of the alliance and take you out of this completely. You will be on standby as a reserve force. Unless you can show that you can handle yourself in the field, you will work here at the association."