Chapter 263: Homecoming and Hollow Rooms
The return was quiet.
The transport touched down just after midnight, skimming the edges of the capital before descending onto a private helipad reserved for A-Rank citizens. They didn’t lead us through any formalities. No cameras. No crowd. Just a silent escort and a familiar path.
Our apartment tower rose like a monolith through the fog, slate-black with silver edges, its highest windows catching the moonlight. We lived on the highest available floor. The penthouse suite for A-Ranks, though we could’ve upgraded by now. System-flagged, eligible. But none of us cared. Not anymore.
We just wanted to be home.
The door opened automatically, recognizing us. The air inside was cool, untouched. The hallway smelled faintly of eucalyptus and linen, like it had always waited for us. Alexis exhaled like she’d been holding her breath for days. Evelyn walked in last, her head slightly turned as if still listening for something that wasn’t there.
The place was exactly as we left it: two master bedrooms, three guest rooms, an open kitchen, couches arranged with obsessive symmetry. Camille immediately wandered into the closest bedroom, muttering something about melting into sheets. Alexis helped Evelyn find the other room, and Sienna paused in the hallway just long enough to look back at me.
"You should sleep too."
I nodded. But I didn’t move.
Instead, I walked to the main bathroom. Turned on the lights.
Stared.
The mirror didn’t lie. My face was caked in dried blood. Not all mine. Probably not even mostly mine. Hair matted. Eyes sunken. My shirt was still clinging to me like paper. I peeled it off slowly, then stepped into the shower.