As the door to Xain's room swung open, Zee, Larkin, Grace, Alcor, the demon, and the angel entered, the latter looking particularly reluctant. Xain quickly noticed that Zee wasn't concealing her ears. Without hesitation, she approached Xain's bedside. "Thank goddess you're okay!" She exclaimed. Xain struggled to maintain a straight face, his internal monologue shouting, *Why did Zee and Grace have to both come in here!* Grace read his thoughts and was confused as to why he would think that.
"Like I said, Zee, I'll be fine. Are you okay?" Xain asked, still attempting to keep his composure. Zee nodded, "I'm better now that I've seen you," she replied, prompting a sheepish laugh from Xain. *I'd be blushing right now if I weren't practically naked under here,* he thought. Grace, in the midst of his thoughts, began coughing. "Do you have a cold?" Alcor asked, and Grace shook her head, suppressing her laughter. *Damn, that sudden confession surprised me,* Grace thought.
"Resilience is an admirable trait, Xain. However, if something like this were to occur again, I would recommend you not conceal it," the demon advised. Xain looked away, uncertain about how to respond. "Nah, don't listen to this thing over here. Shit like that makes you manly, so keep at it," the angel chimed in. Xain turned to look between the angel and the demon, not sure about whose advice he should take.
"What the hell were you thinkin', going back into that damn church! Thank the goddess Mr. angel punk over here," "The fuck did you just call me?" the angel asked, but he was ignored. "Stopped fighting, or else we'd be burying a corpse right now," Larkin scolded Xain, his frustration evident. Xain, feeling the weight of the criticism, covered his ears in an attempt to shield himself.
"I'll admit that was dumb, but still, can you blame me?" Xain defended himself as everyone else nodded in unison. "Yes, yes, we can," they all responded, except for the demon and angel. Under the sudden verbal assault, Xain hid beneath the blanket, taking refuge from the barrage of criticism. Alcor, breaking the silence, sighed and said, "You're the only person I have ever seen go back into danger while being severely injured to the point they wouldn't be able to help in the first place."
Xain, feeling defensive, retorted, "Then why didn't you stop me?" Alcor replied calmly, "I had a patient to take care of—a patient who you yourself handed to me." Xain looked down at the blanket, unable to find a retort.
"Are you sure you're okay, Xain? Maybe Alcor should take another look at you? Oh, and maybe I can use my magic to boost his, so he can heal you better," Grace suggested with a mischievous grin. Alcor turned to her, questioning, "You can do that?" Grace confidently nodded, "Of course, I can. I just have to have my hand on you the entire time. We can start right now." However, this was a lie; Grace merely wanted to tease Xain. Speaking of which, Xain, with a hint of panic in his voice, replied, "I don't think that's necessary. Alcor healed me up just fine."
"No, I have not. Your injuries are still delicate. Grace's idea is worth considering," Alcor insisted. Xain vigorously shook his head, "Nope, nope, nope. I don't need that, not now. Seriously, not now. And you know exactly why, Alcor," he added, looking at Alcor pointedly.
Grace barely contained her laughter, savoring the unfolding embarrassment. Xain's face turned crimson, and Zee, standing beside him, shared his embarrassment, "I-I should probably go if you're go-going to d-do that," Zee stuttered, quickly making her way to the door. However, her thoughts weren't entirely innocent, and Grace, being able to read and see these thoughts, blushed as well. "W-wow, that's one hell of an imagination," she remarked, catching glimpses of Zee's thoughts. Larkin chimed in, "Is that why you're hiding under that blanket?" Xain, hiding his face with his hands in embarrassment, nodded, while both Larkin and the angel chuckled.
"Damn, now I'm even more relieved I didn't off you, kid, 'cause you're a blast to poke fun at!" the angel remarked, not containing his amusement whatsoever. "Are you saying I'm not funny? I'm just a moron you can laugh at!" Xain retorted, to which the angel bluntly responded, "Yes." Xain recoiled from the straightforward reply. *Good goddess, he's giving me Erkie vibes,* Xain thought.
The demon chimed in, "If it means anything, I find your sense of humor quite entertaining, Xain. You're not just someone to laugh at but someone to laugh with," This unexpected compliment brought a tear to Xain's eye. Sniffling, he asked, "You really think so?" The demon shook its head, "No, Xain, it's not a matter of thinking. It's an undisputed fact that you're a humorous individual." Xain wiped away a tear, saying, "Thank you." The demon nodded in acknowledgment, while the angel grumbled, "By Michael, are you two irritating."
Meanwhile, as Larkin observed the banter—or whatever one could call it—he couldn't help but think, *It still feels so weird seein' an angel and demon talk.* However, Larkin noticed something, a detail he had picked up on when they were talking with the angel while Xain was unconscious. "Why do ya keep sayin' Michael?" Larkin questioned the angel.
"Huh?" The angel sounded confused. "Like you keep sayin' 'by Michael' and 'for Michael's sake' and stuff. Shouldn't you be saying goddess or, I guess, Sarandel?" Larkin continued, and as he did, he noticed both the angel and the demon start to look off. It wasn't sadness, anger, or any specific emotion—it was just off; that was the best way to put it.
"I ain't from Sarandel's realm; I'm from heaven, where the archangel Michael rules," the angel explained. The demon added, "I advise you not to ask me or him more about our origins. It's a complex subject." Sensing the discomfort, everyone in the room exchanged glances, silently agreeing not to pursue the matter further.
*Maybe I can ask Erkie when he gets back. Speaking of which, what the heck is he even doing? It's getting to the point where I'm starting to worry about the guy,* Xain thought, genuine concern for Ercale settling in.
"Anyway, now that you're awake, I can finally say why I'm here. So listen up, all of you, 'cause what I'm 'bout to say is very important," the angel declared, capturing everyone's attention, including Zee's, who was outside the room. "What I'm about to tell you doesn't just impact the lives of the villagers here, nor does it any of yours. What I'm about to tell you affects the entirety of Aetheria," the angel continued. Grace, able to read his thoughts, went wide-eyed. "There's no way," she muttered as the angel stated, "A demonic invasion is about to happen again, and soon, if I don't stop a man named Verandez Rasanto."
I don't know if this chapter was good; I rushed to finish it, so the quality will almost definitely be worse. So sorry about that.
Anyway, Au revoir!