The morning light hit the apartment with a cruel, clinical brightness. Chase walked into the kitchen to find a scene that looked less like a home and more like a recovery ward. Vincent was sitting at the breakfast bar, staring into a cup of black coffee as if it held the secrets of the universe. Kaelen was sitting three stools away, her eyes red-rimmed and her posture uncharacteristically slumped. They weren't talking, but the air between them was no longer a vacuum of terror; it was a fragile, aching bridge of shared history.
Alex was hovering nearby, trying to make toast without accidentally imbuing the bread with sentient life, while Rixsa lounged on the sofa, watching the tension with a mix of fascination and genuine concern.
Chase rubbed his face, the reality of his living situation finally sinking in. The apartment was a two-bedroom unit meant for a bachelor, not a sanctuary for a disgraced Goddess, an aristocratic demon, a perverted scout, and now, a legendary human commander with a soul-crushing void in his eyes.
"We can't stay here," Chase muttered, more to himself than anyone else.
"The space is... intimate," Vincent said softly, his voice still carrying that melodic, hollow ring. He reached into the pocket of his thin black shirt and pulled out a small, jagged object. It was a crystal, pulsing with a deep, rhythmic violet light. "I have no currency of this world. But I have this. It is a Heart of the Void—a remnant of a god my legion felled during the Schism. Its value is... significant,I think."
Chase took the crystal. It was warm, vibrating with a raw power that made his fingertips tingle. He knew exactly what it was worth. In the right markets, this could fund a small country.
"I'll handle it," Chase said. He stepped onto the balcony and pulled out his phone, dialing a number he rarely used.
"Chase? To what do I owe the pleasure of a call before noon?" The voice on the other end was sharp, melodic, and hummed with the confidence of someone who owned half of the East Coast.
"Sienna, I need a house," Chase said, cutting through the pleasantries. "I have a... high-value asset to liquidate. I need something simple, private, and large enough to house a few 'eccentric' friends. Just a quiet place where we won't be bothered."
"Simple?" Sienna laughed, a sound like clinking crystal. "Brother, you've spent twenty years being simple. It's boring. Send me the asset. I'll handle the paperwork."
Three days later, Chase stood in front of a sprawling, white-stone gate.
"Sienna," Chase hissed into his phone as he stared at the property. "I said simple."
"And I said simple is boring," his sister replied cheerfully. "Besides, you're the Lead Lore Strategist at OmniCorp. You can't live in a shoebox. I found a deal you couldn't pass up."
The "deal" was a massive, three-bedroom, two-bathroom modern beach mansion perched on a private cliffside. It was a masterpiece of glass and steel, with floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out over the crashing grey waves of the Atlantic. It had a state-of-the-art kitchen, a private gym that Chase suspected could double as a ritual chamber, and enough square footage to ensure that Kaelen and Vincent wouldn't have to breathe the same air unless they chose to.
"This isn't a home, Sienna," Chase groaned, watching Alex run toward the infinity pool with a look of pure, divine joy. "This is a fortress."
"Exactly," Sienna said, her tone suddenly serious. "I've seen the news, Chase. The 'Lattice' reports are getting weirder. If the world is ending, you might as well have a good view and a thick wall. Enjoy the house, little brother. Don't let the demons scratch the marble."
Chase hung up and looked back at his motley crew. Vincent was standing on the edge of the cliff, his lavender hair whipped by the salt spray, looking more at peace than he had in the office. Rixsa was already claiming the master suite's balcony, and Kaelen was touching the glass walls with a hesitant, curious wonder.
"New rules," Chase announced, his voice carrying over the sound of the ocean. "Rule one: No sentient capital in the infinity pool. Rule two: Vincent, the gym is yours for training. Rule three..."
He paused as a black executive car pulled into the long driveway. The door opened, and Lilith stepped out, her red eyes sweeping over the mansion with a proprietary smirk.
"Well, Chase," she purred, smoothing her skirt. "I see you've finally upgraded your territory. I hope you saved a room for me. We have a lot to discuss about your new... roommate."