Nox crouched down, looking at the damaged jeep.

Slowly, he pried the door open, the metal groaning softly as it gave way. The interior lights flickered weakly, revealing two figures inside.

One was slumped against the seat, blood staining the side of his uniform, his breathing shallow but steady.

The other had already unbuckled herself and was half out of the vehicle, clearly trying to move quietly despite the chaos outside.

She froze the moment she saw him.

For a split second, her eyes widened behind the dust and grime on her face, then she straightened, forcing herself to calm down.

"Are you hurt?" Nox asked, his voice coming out deeper and distorted slightly by the mask.

She shook her head. "No, but he is."

She gestured toward the injured man. Judging by his posture and the way his hand still hovered near his weapon despite his condition, Nox didn't need much imagination to know he was a guard.

A capable one, too, before things went wrong.

"I was trying to get him out before the Eclipsed noticed," she added quietly.

Nox glanced around.

The Eclipsed were gone, but with the umbra energy still lingering in the air, he was sure more would be attracted to this spot.

"You picked a bad place to break down," he said flatly.

A corner of her mouth twitched, "that's one way to put it."

Without another word, Nox reached in and hooked an arm under the guard's shoulder, lifting him with ease. The man groaned faintly but didn't resist.

The girl watched him closely as he set the guard down a few meters away, propping him against a rock.

"…Thank you," she said after a moment. "If you hadn't shown up—"

"It's fine, I was just passing by anyway," Nox cut in, "also, we need to move now, before they come back."

As if on cue, a distant howl echoed through the wasteland.

Her expression hardened. "Can you get us back to the city?"

Nox hesitated.

Escorting them meant staying longer than he wanted to and he was done with his test, he very much wanted to go back to his dorm and get some sleep.

But he couldn't leave them like this?

He sighed internally, 'damn it.'

"I can," he said, "but stay close."

She nodded immediately.

"I'm Pr— I mean, Seraphine," they hadn't gone far when she spoke again, her tone careful, "may I know your name?"

"No."

"…I see." She studied him for a moment.

"Then at least let me repay you. Escort us back safely, and I'll make sure you're rewarded."

Nox didn't respond.

He teleported short distances at a time, ensuring that they kept ahead of the Eclipsed.

Now, he could teleport them directly into the city, but what if they were some type of criminals?

The guards at the gate will ensure they're not, before letting them into the city.

By the time the golden barrier came into view, the guard was barely conscious, but alive.

Relief washed over the girl's face as the city gates opened and medics rushed out.

She turned to thank him—

But found empty no one in the spot he was previously standing.

The masked stranger was gone, vanished without a trace, as if he had never been there at all.

She clenched her fists, before smiling faintly,

"…What a strange man."

High above the city, on a distant rooftop, Nox removed himself from sight, watching the scene below for just a second longer before turning away.

Seeing as how medic rushed over the moment the guards at the gate spotted them, he guessed she wasn't a criminal, probably someone important.

"Trouble," he muttered to himself, "definitely trouble."

And yet… he didn't regret it, no, it actually felt pretty fulfilling saving someone, and the mask really was awesome.

He stepped to the edge of the building before hopping down without any hesitation, letting gravity do its job.

Again, the sensation of fall was absent which would've been dangerous if he had jumped off without realizing.

A few seconds into the fall, golden light covered him before he teleported away reappearing close to the Academy's gate.

He teleported once more, appearing in a secluded area of the academy. Willing the mask to come off, it gently unstuck itself from his face.

Slowly, he observed as a dull grey light covered him and the combat suit became his academy uniform again.

Nox was sure that his hair had turned black again, which he confirmed when he stared at his reflection on the building close to him.

He was back to being himself and there was a small smile on his face.

"Maybe I should do this more often?" He muttered before turning towards the path that led to the dorm building.

***

It was a short walk to the dorm and Nox soon found himself in the elevator leading up.

With a ding, the elevator door opened and Nox walked out of it, slowly heading towards his door.

He paused at the door for a while, before putting his card on the scanner and the door unlocked itself.

The moment he stepped in, the two that were already in there froze.

Devon lay with his back on the bed with his head hanging down, facing the door.

Cass, on the other hand, sat by the study desk, a large book open before but he didn't seem interested in reading.

Which was very much unlike him.

There was silence between the three for a while before Devon suddenly stood up and approached him.

"Yo, I ain't dreaming right?" He said as he placed a hand on Nox's shoulder.

Before Nox could respond, he turned to Cassian and said, "Cass throw your book or something at me, cuz I swear I see Nox before me."

Cass remained frozen in his seat for a while before standing up and approaching.

"The chances of us having in the same exact dream at the same time is really low," he muttered, "so I doubt this is a dream."

Nox smiled a bit, he wouldn't admit, but he did miss them.

Before anymore words could be exchanged between the three, a knock came causing the three to turn to the door.

"You guys expecting someone?" Nox asked and a grin immediately appeared on Devon's face as he looked at Cassian.

"Actually," he started, "ya boy managed to pull a girl in the month you were gone."

Nox looked a bit confused as he looked at Cass who immediately shook his hands in denial, "I-I told you already, s-she's not my girlfriend, that's just a weird rumor."

"'s that right?" Devon the walked to the door and opened it, revealing Linda standing there.

She adjusted her glasses before asking, "may I come in?"

"Ain't this a surprise," he said, grinning wide. "Look at that, Cass. Speak of the devil and the devil actually show up."

Cassian's ears immediately turned red. "D-Devon, please—"

Linda ignored him entirely and stepped inside with practiced calm, her eyes landing on Nox almost instantly.

They widened.

"…You're back," she said disbelief evident in her voice.

"Yeah," Nox said, "I returned a week ago, but I guess I decided to take a nap."

Linda nodded before giving him a once over and saying, "you look different."

"Hmm," he nodded, "I grew out my hair."

The three turned an looked at the hair on his head, Devon and Cass hadn't even noticed until attention wad called to it.

"That's right," Devon said, "you gon cut it?"

Nox thought for a while before shaking his head, "I think I prefer it this way, I might change my mind though."

"Aight," Devon nodded, "if you ever need a barber, I'm your guy."

The three froze and looked at him in surprise before he also turned back to them and asked.

"What?"

"You're a barber?" Linda asked.

"Nah," he shook his head, "just thought I'd start practicing, and what better practice dummy than your own friend."

Nox's eyes twitched as Devon spoke, he didn't seem to be sarcastic in the least bit.

With a sigh, Nox walked deeper into the room before crashing in his own bed, "I think I need some sleep."

"Nah," Devon shook his head, "you've been sleeping for a week already, time to tell us what went on in that rift."

Nox sat up, and looked at the other two who seemed to agree with Devon's words and had made themselves comfortable, while looking at him.

"Alright then," he said with a sigh, "I guess I could stay up for a bit longer."

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