Sense

A week passed in a heartbeat. 

The morning sun cracked through the familiar slit of Ren's curtains. The thin layer of golden light lay calmly on his eyes. He slowly blinked awake, taking slow, peaceful breaths. A faint murmur drifted somewhere beyond his door. His hand instinctively reached for his phone on the night table.

8:34 a.m.

He squinted at the brighter light, pressing his fingerprint on its surface. It opened to the front page: a picture of the four of them taken years ago stared back at him. Sayaka held their father's hand, and he held their mother's. He paused, it was a painful reminder that he now had to be the one to protect them.

Swiping from the top down, he noticed a lot more notifications than usual. He had subscribed to multiple media anchors, a decision he thought would keep him in the know-how. However, this was the first day since that decision where there were so many breaking-news alerts.

"I'll check it out later," he whispered, voice still raspy. He pressed a button on its side before placing it down where it had been.

He pulled the covers off his body, exposing a defined torso.

I am still not used to this, 
he thought as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed.

"Morning Aira," he said, as he raised a hand over his mouth, hiding a yawn.

"You're really taking it easy, huh?" she replied, her body slowly materializing in her favorite spot in front of the window.

"Schools are still closed after all." He lifted a T-shirt over his head, fitting his arms through the fabric. "There isn't much to do, and other than the one time where Sayaka and I went shopping, we still have food for awhile."

Aira didn't respond. Her face didn't show the usual disappointment he was accustomed to. Instead, they held a neutrality that led to even more questions. Regardless, he was happy that she, for the most part, had backed off.

Besides, the news made it known that those things out there don't enter homes, he thought, as he stretched his arms above his head.
"If we just stay put, we can wait for the other Seraphs to stabilize the world."

"Our fall was only meant to help even the scale," Aira responded, her folded wings clipped by the faint sunlight. "It will mean nothing without motivation."

She was right. No matter how much Japan was adapting, there were still question marks, and everyone had to be careful.

"I am sure I am not the 'hero' that will impact the direction of the war," he looked at her steadily. "I know there must be someone else out there who's level-hungry who will end it. And when that finally happens, I will return to my normal life."

"You mean if there still is a normal world to return to," Aira murmured, low and direct.

"I'll take my chances."

Ren carefully opened the door, now used to his physical strength. The scent hit him instantly: soy and miso. Breakfast.

He stepped into the hallway, each quiet footfall mixing with the low hum drifting up from the TV below. The closer he walked toward the stairs, the clearer the murmur became, and the denser the food-scented air grew.

He headed down, each step softer than the one before, gradually drowned out by the steady noise beneath him.

The clear sound of a television echoed in the living room. 

He turned the corner. 

A pair of heads faced away from him, staring fixedly at the TV. He inched forward, studying the scene. A thick blanket covered their legs as Sayaka and his mother sat together in silence.

For a second, Ren felt warmth settle in his chest. They were safe. They were home.

Then the screen stole his attention.

A news anchor stood beside a large digital counter.

"...bringing the total number of missing Seraphs to thirty-seven."

Ren’s eyes narrowed. He wondered if this was the cause for the countless alerts on his phone.

"What’s going on?" he asked.

Both women snapped out of their focus and turned toward him, their faces tense. Sayaka picked up the remote, muting the screen. "It was twenty-nine yesterday," she said. "Whatever is managing to kill leveled Seraphs is speeding up. Some think it's one entity."

"What do you think?" Ren asked, lowering himself onto the single seat diagonal from them. The chair creaked as his body sank into it.

"Rafael thinks it's at least a medium demon." She pointed toward the muted screen. "As you can see, the headline says that only Seraphs in the Yokohama area are being hunted down. Lesser demons wouldn't be strong enough to only target Seraphs. They would be attacking regular people too."

Their mother sat quiet, a faint smile painted on her face. She didn't understand half of what was going on, but did her best to keep up. She had just recently got used to the idea her children could see angels she could not.

Ren pondered her words. Then, he remembered the Seraph Legion.

"What is the Seraph Legion doing about this? Isn't this their entire purpose?"

Sayaka pulled out her phone from under her, tapping quickly on the screen. "It says here that the SL President, a level fifteen Seraph, is working with the Japanese government to pinpoint the movements of the demon, and that for now, he’s recommending Seraphs not to level alone."

"It sounds like this 'president' is just a glorified chuunibyou." Ren said. The scent of broth, fish, and rice lingered in the air. Their mother slipped out from under the blanket, walking back toward the kitchen. The sounds utensils clicking could be heard moment after.

He continued, "All I am getting from this is that he really wants to push guilds and parties."

"I don't think that's a bad thing," Sayaka responded, her body already extended across the sofa where their mother had been. "It shows he's trying to take control of the situation. Besides, it also says he will be the first one to face the demon once they pinpoint where it will strike next."

Ren leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees.

Level fifteen, huh? he thought. That was insanely high.

One thing bothered him. Sayaka said the demon's kills were speeding. That means it was getting stronger. 

"Well," Ren shrugged. "It doesn't seem to be affecting Setagaya yet, and as long as we stay indoors, we should be fine."

He stood up, turning toward the kitchen. Sayaka watched him disappear behind the wall. 

She took a breath, placing her phone down.

"I hope he's right, Rafael." She lifted the back of her hand toward her face, her Seraph mark glowing faintly.

__________

Evening settled over the house without incident. Hours passed by in a calm rhythm; light chores, quiet conversation, the occasional clatter of dishes from the kitchen. But for the most part everyone did different things.

Sayaka closed her room door behind her, pulling her phone from her coat. With a click, she pressed the button on its side, revealing the time.

6:18 p.m.

She slid the phone back into a pocket and walked toward Ren's room.

Ren sat at his desk, door opened. Sayaka halted by the entrance and exhaled, long and bored. "I’m thinking of heading out," she said. "Just for a bit. If the area’s still safe, I might as well get some experience in." 

Ren looked up from the chair. "Do you have to?"

"Yes, I do." She took a step into the room. "I don't know why you're so scared, when we need to level to secure our safety. How does that not make sense?"

"Because I don’t feel like saving you again," he said flatly. "Besides, all leveling means is a constant battle between life and death for that experience. If we stay put and wait it out... Treat this like a pandemic; we will be fine."

She stared at him, eyes narrowed, "then come with me. We can level together." 

Ren stood, towering over his sister.

"Why are you so stubborn. I thought you were the older one."

Sayaka smiled before turning away. "I will only be gone an hour. Max."

"I won't come for you if you're not back by then," he shouted as she descended the stairs. They both knew it was an empty threat; that he would search for her. Besides, he didn't want to sadden their mother... Not again.

He stood at his door way, the click of the front door closing below echoed the home. He quickly stepped toward the window, moving the curtain apart as he watched her walk down the street until disappearing behind the walls of neighboring houses.

A soft voice called from behind him. His mother stood in his doorway. "Ren, if you aren't busy, can you help me with the dusting? I want to clean the electronics downstairs."

"Yeah," he answered, turning toward her. "I'm free."

He moved past her at the door way and began down the stairs, walking toward the storage closest that held the cleaning supplies.

He grabbed the duster from within along with a spray bottle and made his way to the TV first, spraying it lightly. A few seconds into the motions, something tugged at his attention.

That feeling again.

It had been happening ever since the day he came back with Sayaka. After he allocated his points. His mother was currently upstairs in another room, yet he could sense her more clearly than he should. Not visually. Not through sound. Just... awareness... Almost like he could feel her presence around him, as if she was next to him. 

It was no different when Sayaka was in the home. He had to drown the sound with music whenever either of them decided to use the washroom. 

Seraph sensitivity, probably. Nothing more. He tried to shake it off.

But as he did, he noticed the room dimming.

Ren paused, raising his eyes to the ceiling light. It wasn’t flickering, it was just weaker, like someone had quietly turned the brightness down.

"Great," he muttered. "Guess I have to change it."

He crossed the living room, opened the storage door once more, and crouched to sort through a stack of boxes. Spare bulbs rattled as he lifted one, then froze. Even the bulb itself looked dull, the glass strangely muted. He looked up at the dulled storage room light.

Maybe it’s a power issue, not the lights…

Before he could think of another explanation, a sound knifed through the house.

A scream.
Short. 
Familiar.

His mother.

Ren dropped everything: the bulb, the box, the lid, and bolted for the stairs. His feet hammered on the wood as he vaulted several steps, nearly losing balance as he turned the corner. He shot past his own room skidding to the doorway of the room she was in. 

And stopped.

"…what... Mom... how..."

His voice cracked, caught between disbelief and a violent surge of panic, as he stared into the room.

__________

FUN FACT: Seraphs can't see or hear each other's angels.