The next morning, in a group chat called “Bros.”

  Aaron: “Hey, you guys up for paintball?”

  Kevin: “Kay, I’m in!”

  Wilson: “Paintball again? We’ve gone so many times already. How about we do tennis instead?”

  Aaron: “Come on. PerfectSniper just made a brand-new jungle map, and I heard they’ve even got real camouflage suits now. Let’s go give it a try.”

  Wilson: “Really? That actually sounds interesting. Alright, let’s do it then.”

  Kevin: “Bro, you’re all done for. Jungle maps are my territory. Just wait to get wrecked.”

  Wilson: “Wait, you’ve played on that map somewhere else already?”

  Kevin: “No, but remember how I destroyed you guys on that forest-style map of Valorant last time? Just you wait.”

  Wilson: “You’re so dumb.”

  Paul: “So what time do you guys want to meet up?”

  Aaron: “Let’s meet there at ten.”

  Kevin: “Alright!”

  Wilson: “Sounds good to me.”

  Paul: “I might be a bit late, though. Around thirty minutes or so. You guys go in without me first.”

  Aaron: “Aunt Lena making you go to extra classes again?”

  Paul: “Nope, thank goodness. It’s just that tomorrow I have to head to the Strand Bookstore early in the morning. It is the release date for volume eight of Alaza Book of Ruins, and they’ve even got signed copies from Julian Everett. I’m planning to line up starting at six in the morning!”

  Wilson: “…”

  Aaron: “…”

  Kevin: “… you freaking nerd.”

  Aaron: “You could just ask Johnny to go for you.”

  Paul: “No way. The last time I asked him to stand in line for Baron and Scales, he came back with some random romance novel called Baron and Nails. Can you believe that?”

  Kevin: “If it were me, I’d probably get the wrong one too.”

  Paul: “That’s exactly why I can’t trust anyone else with this stuff.”

  Aaron: “Oh, by the way, I’m bringing Luther along. You guys better watch how you act and don’t mess with him, okay?”

  Kevin: “Which Luther are we talking about here?”

  Wilson: “!”

  Paul: “!!”

  Aaron: “Oh, right, you haven’t met him yet. But Wilson and Paul already met him. He is my new best friend and tutor. Paul, Wilson, what’s with those reactions?”

  Aaron: “I’m serious, guys, remember what I said. He’s got some family issues, so he’s not great at talking to people. Just ignore anything that feels a little awkward, and don’t act surprised, please.”

  Kevin: “That’s rough … alright, I’ll try my best. If I say something wrong, please let me know right away. Don’t try to hint at it, because I’ll never get it, you guys know how I am.”

  Paul: “Got it.”

  Wilson: “Same here. Though … us tagging along won’t be a problem, right?”

  Paul: “LOL.”

  Aaron: “?”

  Aaron: “What do you mean? How can we play paintball with just two people? Quit saying nonsense. Alright, see you guys at ten.”

  …

  11:00am, PerfectSniper.

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  “I’m teaming up with Luther, and the three of you can be on the other team,” Aaron said. “That’s good, right?”

  “Luther, have you ever played this before?” Wilson asked.

  Luther shook his head. He hadn’t even known what paintball was until today.

  Kevin asked:

  “Dude, do you really want to split teams like that? Want me to join your side?”

  “No need.” Aaron shrugged. “I can take all three of you on my own.”

  The three boys exchanged annoyed glances, then smirked.

  “Well, we shouldn’t hold back if he’s saying it like that. Let’s teach him a lesson today,” Paul said with a half-smile.

  “Don’t get mad or call us cheaters when you lose,” Wilson added, lifting an eyebrow.

  “Let’s kick his ass!” Kevin said.

  “Alright, alright. You’ll see soon enough.” Aaron grinned.

  Forty-five minutes later.

  Pew!

  Luther sidestepped to the right to dodge the paintball, then raised his gun and squeezed the trigger. Paint splattered across Wilson’s helmet, making the boy drop to the ground with a thud.

  “I’m done! You two are cheating!” he yelled, tossing his gun onto the ground.

  Paul and Kevin also gave up soon after, both wearing deep frowns.

  Even though he couldn't compare to Aaron, Luther’s reaction speed and physical ability still far surpassed that of a normal human.

  Acher burst into loud laughter.

  “Two young divine beings going up against a bunch of mortal kids. It’s not wrong to call this cheating.”

  Although Luther had been awful at shooting at the start, Kevin’s team hadn’t managed to hit him even once. He was just too fast for them. And once Luther began to get the hang of the game and his shots grew more accurate, even if he only hit one out of ten, the three boys’ situation took a sharp turn for the worse.”

  Aaron had stayed on the sidelines the whole time, watching without interfering.

  They’d lose their shit if I joined in.

  “How about we switch to a free-for-all mode? Every person for themselves,” he suggested.

  The other three looked at one another and then shook their heads in unison.

  “No way. We’re not letting ourselves get bullied anymore,” Wilson said. “Let’s go get lunch. I’m craving chicken wings.”

  They headed over to Dan & John’s, which was packed on a Sunday noon. The group ended up waiting over thirty minutes before getting a table.

  Kevin, still gnawing on the last bit of meat from a spicy garlic wing, asked:

  “Bro, you have never played paintball before for real?”

  “First time,” Luther replied with a small nod, feeding Acher piece by piece just like he always did whenever they ate out together.

  “Man, your reflexes are insane! Want to join the basketball team? I guarantee you’ll be a star!”

  Aaron set down a fresh glass of lemonade in front of Luther and cut in before he could answer:

  “Hey, don’t try to rope him into basketball. He’s still tutoring me; he doesn’t have time for that.”

  “Just give up on Aaron. He’s hopeless,” Wilson teased, “no matter how much you teach him, nothing sticks.”

  “Aaron’s smart,” Luther said, making the brown-haired boy grin from ear to ear.

  Paul, Wilson, and Kevin all laughed along.

  See? It works, doesn’t it? I told you they’re good guys. You can think of them as brothers. Aaron sent a message through the covenant.

  Good suggestion. Thank you, Luther replied.

  The cloak draped over his shoulders was a bit thinner than usual; that had been Aaron’s idea to help Luther blend in better with Paul and the others using his natural charm.

  Just as Aaron was about to lead the group over to Morgenstern’s for ice cream, he noticed Luther’s eyes droop slightly.

  “We’re heading back,” he called to the others. “See you guys tomorrow!”

  “Why are you leaving so early? It’s barely two in the afternoon,” Kevin checked the time and said.

  “We’ve still got extra study later.” Aaron shrugged.

  We’re past his usual nap time. He gave Luther a quick glance. Better to head home so he can make up for it.

  Paul and Wilson watched the two walk off before glancing at each other, a quiet suspicion flickering in their eyes.

  “So what we on now?” Kevin spoke up. “Wanna hit some paddleboarding? Or we could go sneaker hunting; I heard Flight Club just dropped a few pairs of Dior 1s.”

  Paul ignored him and asked Wilson:

  “You noticed anything strange?”

  “I’m not blind.”

  “Could it be …?”

  “Aaron’s never shown any sign of that before …” Wilson muttered.

  They’d grown up together, after all.

  “But he also has never shown much interest in any girl before, right?” Paul countered.

  “That’s true … actually, if it’s Luther, I kinda get it. Being around him feels … nice,” Wilson said. “I can’t explain it.”

  “I know what you’re talking about,” Paul agreed. “It’s like … the calm, fresh air on a peaceful early morning.”

  “That’s spot on! You really are a nerd!” Wilson said.

  Paul shot back:

  “What the hell does being a nerd have to do with that?!”

  “Anyway, even if Aaron is like that, I couldn’t care less,” Wilson said with a shrug. These three were basically his brothers, and brothers were meant to support each other.

  “Same here. But, to be honest, I’m not so sure. The two of them looked completely at ease, without any sign of being startled or nervous. Let’s just wait and see,” Paul said.

  Wilson gave a small nod.

  “Man, what the heck are you all even talking about?” Kevin asked, his face full of question marks.

  “Kevin, I think you getting a girlfriend at twenty-seven would still count as early,” Wilson said.

  Paul burst out laughing, and both of them ran off with Kevin cursing and chasing after them.

  …

  Ravenswood House, three days after the longnight spider mission.

  Aaron read the message from Martin and said:

  “Tony’s family moved away. I heard they went all the way to Italy.”

  Perched nearby, Acher preened his feathers and commented:

  “They’re being smart. Even though you kids destroyed the rift, that house has already become a weak point connected to the dream realm. It’s better not to live there anymore.”

  “Good for them. If it were me, even without any danger, I wouldn’t want to stay there. Gives me the creeps,” Aaron sighed.

  Luther nodded in agreement.

  “Hope they’ll. Be safe,” he said.

  “They will be. Aaron’s blessing will make their lives much better,” Acher said matter-of-factly. “Not enough to turn them into magic users, but they’ll be healthier and get sick far less often.”

  “Really? I thought it could only remove curses and heal the mind,” Aaron said, surprised.