Cole spent the night in Mortimer's hospital room.

He had yet to receive any sort of comment, taunting, or information from the deity. The graveyard silence in his head was as pleasing as it was dreadful.

Apart from that, his mind wandered to Gothel and how she fared in Sant Flores. Then there was Vanity; Cole didn't think keeping his promise was possible. Additionally, there was the thing he saw—its mesmerizing yet ominous figure made him break out in cold sweats.

Pressing his fingers against each other, Cole tried to stack and properly arrange his thoughts from important to less essential. Two days were all that remained before he became a full-fledged member of the Eerie Gothel.

"What does this mean for the Corpse Diggers? And my realm?" Cole spoke softly.

Even the gentle morning rays trespassing through the window couldn't ease his troubled mind. Cole was left in a position where he was clueless on how to navigate; such were his normal days now.

Cole got up with a lenient groan, meandering around Mortimer's room. He didn't have the luxury of embracing a second's peace.

He had to plan, consider, and prepare; his previous experiences had opened his eyes to the harsher side of his new life and the various threats and challenges awaiting him.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

The door pushed open. Cole locked in as he monitored the person who entered. A woman wearing a white nurse uniform with unremarkable facial features entered through the opening.

Cole eased his strain, reverting to a less panicked, relaxed demeanor. Using his skills, he spanned a warm smile across his face as his tense glare dimmed to a light, soft stare.

Stepping to the side, he gave way for the nurse to carry out her work. She did a check-up on Mortimers vitals, physical condition, and recovery progress; nothing out of the ordinary, at least.

When she finished, the nurse gave Cole a blunt side-eye. "Are you... the nefarious Cole Raden I've heard so much about?"

By a thin thread, Cole nearly broke his composure yet managed to remain steadfast at the odd question. "I am indeed."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Erza Sanda, a member of the Eerie Gothel faction and a resident nurse at this hospital," she introduced herself plainly as she folded sheets. "I'm also the one in charge of your friend's care."

"I see."

"Would you mind having a drink with me once my shift is over?"

"Why not?" Cole answered smoothly with a playboy face.

Erza slapped Cole's chest as she left, shutting the door with a loud BANG!

Cole sighed and rubbed his neck; the random situations piling on him were beginning to make his neck stiff. Roaming around until he stopped at the window, Cole dug his head out of the frame and took in the familiar scenery.

Beneath the line of electric wires, shadowy figures of sorts and strange objects spied on him—nothing special really. Deciding to ignore them, Cole glanced through the collection of buildings and structures under the scorching sun. Nothing Cole hadn't seen before was present, so he shut the window.

"Is it just me, or have I lost interest in everything?" Cole asked himself as he spun to the chair. The last thing he wanted was to cloud his mind thinking of matters that would worsen his emotional state.

To his displeasure, absolutely nothing was going on. He didn't quite understand the feeling; briefly put, everywhere was so mundane it sucked the very blood in his body like a leech.

From the calm and easy breeze to the lukewarm temperature brushing through his skin, the quotidian behavior of swaying curtains and flying insects, and the repetitive scenery left and right, Cole sat down tapping his feet against the ground like he was anticipating something catastrophic.

All in all, nothing happened. The flow of time was as abstract as it was realistic.

A dull environment was nothing special for Cole; during slow workdays, he was rather acquainted with it, always wishing to have more uneventful days with family. This moment... was different.

It was as though his flesh was rotting away by sitting still.

"All is well," Cole ushered to himself, lowering his head beside Mortimer. He dozed off without even knowing it, entering the blissful escape of the dreamscape.

A few hours scurried by before Cole heard a repeated slamming sound near him which blasted him up from sleep. The person who woke him was Erza, wearing a casual skirt, a tiny jacket, and a long shirt underneath.

Her cherry blossom lipstick didn't improve her average features but was noticeable. Erza sat on Mortimer's bed, avoiding his unconscious body; she leaned forward and gave Cole a curious stare.

Cole toughened his face. "Good afternoon."

"You seem rather bored, Mr. Cole. May I ask why?"

"I'm not particularly sure; it's like everything is so exhausting."

'Why is she asking this?' Cole thought.

"Interesting." She crossed her legs and pressed both hands together like she was introspecting. "Have you heard of the Indulgence Ladder?"

"No?" Cole's brows flew to his forehead.

"If you're familiar with weebism, it's like experiencing a medium you wouldn't see yourself partaking in for the first time." She rubbed her palms together. "Once you take a liking to it, your mind naturally wants more of it due to intrigue and curiosity, and the more you partake in it, the deeper your enjoyment grows... until you burn out or... until you find another medium that quenches the exact same thirst."

"I understand the base of what you're trying to say. I'm confused by the actual definition." Cole politely cut in.

"Put simply, your body finds it difficult to readjust to normal life. It's common among new indulgers or those who have supernatural encounters."

"Don't worry though; like weebism, you'll be able to switch freely back and forth as much and whenever you like. For now, though, forget about living normal days by choice." She displayed a smug grin. "Look at me, I'm a full-time nurse."

Cole let her words sink in and settle. It made sense, after all; he didn't sense any hostility from her either, which reduced his suspicion.

"Why tell me all this?" Cole asked cautiously.

"Because I'm a nurse. It's my job to help people ignorant about their condition be slightly more aware."

'These indulgers are all weird people.' He stroked his chin.

"Thanks for the knowledge, ma'am. I happen to indulge in every medium, by the way. All peak."

"Me as well." Her grin lessened. "Honestly, I expected you to be some edgy guy with deep words and a tragic aura."

"....I try my best." Cole shrugged.

In the end, more time went by as both of them gisted away the boredom. Discussing the most unessential things from their favorite novels, comics, and series, arguing about which was more "peak" and then analyzing what made them better.

The passionate argument concluded without a clear victor, but even then, Cole felt better—not by much, but still preferable to his previous state. It felt nice having someone to while away time with, putting all the troubles in his mind on pause as he ranted like a spoilt child.

Low rays snuck through the window until no light entered from outside. They exchanged hysterical chuckles, mocking their ridiculous words and retarded points. Cole had only been greeted with this sort of relief a few times: when he rarely spoke to Mortimer, sparsely as he searched for the Homunculus, and when he had long chats with Gothel.

It was a warm, settling feeling he didn't mind.

Erza got up, dragged Mortimer's curtains together after shutting the window, and walked towards the door.

"Are you going home?" she inquired, her tone still exhausted.

"I don't have a home, at least not yet."

"That's not very good. Is it financial problems?"

"Nah, it's more complicated than that."

"Oh, the accomplice thing."

"Exactly." Cole wore a fraudulently gleeful face. "Don't worry about me, I'll sort myself out soon enough."

"Or you could just come live with me," she suggested, her voice bearing a straightforward seriousness.

Cole parted his lips for a bit. "If I say yes?"

"Then I'll drop my location; you can move in when you're ready. My home also has different protection seals, and I'm an Adherer; you wouldn't be any safer elsewhere. It also reduces the risk of putting your friend's life in danger again." She pointed to the window. "You must have noticed strange creatures monitoring you through the window, some indulgers as well."

"I've dealt with most of them during my shift. More will come and they will attack. It also benefits me since my workplace won't get damaged." Her tone and expression deadened.

Cole had yet to catch a whiff of animosity from her.

"I'll think about it, but I won't sleep in the hospital tonight, so don't worry."

"Suit yourself." She waved. "Good night, Cole..."

BANG!

The pounding in his chest eased a bit; he loosened his body as he sat from debilitation. Immortal or not, Cole was far from ready to go against any indulgers, especially the top tiers.

'If I remember correctly, Snider was afraid of me because I said I'm an "Adherer." Assuming they're an elite bunch, I don't want to get in any of their black books considering all the problems stacking on me.'

'Ah well...'

He darted his eyes to Mortimer.

'She had a point.'

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