"I don't really know how," Ângelo responded bluntly.
"And before I forget, my name is Ângelo and..." He turned his head toward the hole he had made in the glass. "Sorry about the window."
"...?" She blinked, not expecting such a normal answer. Even then, it didn't calm her at all.
A stranger had just jumped into her apartment in the middle of all this chaos. Monsters were rampaging through the city, the building felt like it could collapse at any moment—her life had just turned upside down. How could she not be on edge?
She slowly moved toward the door, keeping eye contact with the intruder.
"Hey."
Ângelo spoke, stopping her in her tracks. A shiver shot up her spine; his tone didn't sound friendly whatsoever. The man was covered in wounds and drenched in blood, his messy hair giving him a feral look. Could he be some kind of criminal? He even had a giant tattoo on his chest!
"You're sure you want to leave?" Ângelo's voice came out firm, his sharp gaze practically burning through her.
"What does he even mean!?" She hugged herself, imagining the worst.
Was he some kind of creep? Why did he ask that while looking at her like that? Was he planning on attacking her? Killing her!?
"I-I..."
While she struggled to speak, Ângelo stayed silent. Even though he looked menacing…
"What should I do now?.." Ângelo pondered, placing a hand on his chin. To be honest, he was pretty terrified himself.
This woman wasn't part of his plan, and he couldn't just let her walk out without knowing whether that gorilla monster was still nearby. Now that he'd burst into her home, he would feel guilty if something happened to her.
Scratching his head, Ângelo noticed she was on the verge of tears. That caught him off guard. He raised his hands, trying to calm her down.
"Hey, don't cry. Something might hear you."
She only grew more terrified by his wording and sobbed even louder.
Ângelo's heart sank. He didn't feel bad because she was crying—he was afraid the sound would attract the monster that had just chased him for his life.
"I'm sorry if I scared you, but you really need to calm down." He took a step forward, clearly more anxious with every sob. "I was being chased by a monster. It could hear you, so please…"
"..." Her crying slowly quieted. The idea of a monster showing up scared her even more than the intruder.
"Thank you," Ângelo sighed in relief.
"I think we started off on the wrong foot. Uh, what's your name?" he asked, scratching his neck. He genuinely didn't know how to navigate this.
As awkward as it was, he needed to break the tension somehow—and he was the one who broke into her home. Being polite was the least he could do.
She hesitated but eventually spoke. Even if he looked like an unhinged lunatic… he was oddly courteous.
"I'm… Luna," she said reluctantly, looking away.
"Nice to meet you, Luna. I'm Ângelo." He gave her a faint smile. "And again, sorry about the window. And the mess."
Ângelo looked down. Shards of glass and streaks of blood covered the floor around his feet.
"Ah… it's fine." Luna returned a small smile. Exchanging names seemed to calm her—if only a little. "You said a monster was after you, right? I can't blame you for barging in…" she murmured shyly, avoiding eye contact.
"Why is she so kind?.." Ângelo blinked, genuinely surprised. She could be lying, but it didn't seem like it.
Her hands and shoulders were still trembling despite her attempts to stay composed. She was terrible at hiding fear; her body gave everything away.
"But even if a monster was chasing you, jumping into the tenth floor…" She swallowed hard. "Did you… also see that strange screen?"
Ângelo froze, eyes widening. Did he… did he just stumble into another Awakened?
"You mean the screen talking about being an Awakened or something?..." he asked, just as stunned as she was.
"Yes!" she blurted out, then quickly covered her mouth. "Y-yes… it said that."
"..." Ângelo covered his mouth with a hand, thinking carefully.
Finding someone else who saw the system's messages was a relief—so he wasn't going insane. There were others with a system.
Just like him.
"You're not alone, isn't that great?" Whisp chimed cheerfully. But Ângelo's silence made the spirit nervous. "It is… right?"
"It depends. I'm apparently handicapped by the system. If others aren't… I'm at a serious disadvantage." Ângelo reasoned, rubbing his chin.
"That means…" Whisp swallowed.
"They're just as dangerous as monsters." Ângelo concluded.
"E-err… excuse me, sir?…" Luna raised a hand timidly.
"Sir?..." Ângelo felt a sharp sting in his chest. That completely derailed his train of thought. He wasn't even twenty yet…
"Why didn't you let me leave earlier? Is the monster still around?" Luna asked with a hopeful expression, finally meeting his eyes. This man didn't seem too bad. Maybe he really was trying to help.
Ângelo sighed, rubbing his temples.
"First off, don't call me 'sir.' I think we're about the same age." He pushed his bloody hair back. "Secondly, yeah—you shouldn't go out now. That thing… trust me, you really don't want it finding you."
Luna's jaw dropped. He wasn't older? How!?
Ângelo walked over to the window and leaned out. Smoke rose in the distance, and the creature's roar echoed faintly.
"And it looks like he's still pissed." Ângelo gulped. "Hey, Luna."
She stiffened. He was still terrifying. "Y-yes?..."
"Is your shower still working?"
"..?" That question caught her off guard—but it made sense considering his state.
"If not, I can clean up somewhere else. I don't want this smell in your apartment. It might attract more attention—"
"The water and electricity are still on! The building uses solar panels. You can use the shower." she replied quickly, fiddling with her hair.
She couldn't risk angering someone this dangerous-looking. Even if she normally wouldn't be so cooperative with a stranger, she didn't have many options.
"Oh, great. Thank you. I'll use it then. Also, do you have any spare men's clothes?" Ângelo smiled gently—so gentle it looked out of place on a blood-soaked face.
"W-well, I'll have to check, but I think my father left some things here before he… went out." Luna grabbed her arm, her voice dimming.
"Thank you." Ângelo nodded softly. He caught on quickly—it was a sensitive subject. "Where's the bathroom?"
"First door on the left," she said swiftly. "I'll look for the clothes!"
"Right. And… thanks for not kicking me out." Ângelo waved as he walked toward the bathroom.
"It's not like I could…" Luna whispered, glancing at Ângelo's lean, powerful physique. If he had ill intentions… What could she do? "He's talking so casually while drenched in blood… is he already used to all this?…"
Ângelo opened the door, revealing a high-end bathroom. Now that he looked around properly, the whole apartment was fancy. Huh.
"Oh, before I forget—we'll talk after I'm done bathing. We have a lot to discuss. I'm not sure if I'll stay here, but you have something I want." He closed the door behind him.
Luna hugged herself, eyes widening. What… What did that ominous line mean!?
Was he dangerous after all?
"Shit… everything hurts." Ângelo muttered, finally allowing himself to react now that the door was closed.
"There, there." Whisp materialized on his shoulder, patting his cheek with a paw.