The elevator doors slid open to the sixth floor, and Kairos stepped out with hesitant strides. The hallway wasn't the sterile, cold white of the Bureau; the lights were warm, and the atmosphere felt lived-in.
As he walked, he noticed small nameplates on the doors. Ardent. Vale. Caelis.
"This is the living floor," Mira said, swinging past him with her usual boundless energy. "Try not to look like you're about to bolt for the exit."
"I'm not," Kairos lied.
"You are."
Lucien stopped at the last door on the right and handed him a keycard. "You have access to all floors except storage, unless you're supervised."
Kairos stared at the plastic card in his palm. "...You're giving me full building access?"
"Yes." There was no hesitation in Lucien's voice.
Kairos looked down at the card again, his voice dropping. "Why?"
Lucien tilted his head slightly. "Why what?"
"Why me? You don't know me. I caused a scene. I was a PR nightmare. The public only pushed for my release because it was a political move. You didn't have to take the fall for me."
The hallway grew quiet. Mira stopped pretending to scroll through her phone, and Garrick paused mid-step. Kairos swallowed hard.
"You weren't unstable," Seris said, her voice cutting through the tension like a balm. Kairos looked at her, but she remained calm. "I felt it. Raphael doesn't lie. You weren't exploding, Kairos. You were misaligned."
Garrick nodded once, his arms crossed. "Power without a foundation is just a collapse waiting to happen."
"You lacked balance," Kaida added, her arms folded. "Not discipline."
Orion adjusted his glasses, his tone analytical. "And statistically speaking, elemental harmony scales efficiently under a guided structure."
Mira leaned in closer, a playful glint in her eyes. "Plus, we didn't have an all-element user yet."
Kairos blinked. "...That's not exactly reassuring."
Lucien finally spoke, his voice steadying the room. "You asked for help."
"I didn't."
"You did." Lucien stepped closer—not to intimidate, but to ground him. "You held back when you could have let it burn everything. That's control. You just didn't know how to wield it."
Silence lingered. Kairos looked at each of them. He found no doubt, no suspicion, and—most importantly—no fear.
"...You're all insane," he muttered quietly.
Mira beamed. "Correct."
"Get settled," Lucien gestured toward the door. "Then come down to the second floor."
__
The second floor was loud. Unlike the quiet of the dorms, the common area was bright and alive. Mira had already claimed half the couch; Garrick was moving a box of kitchen supplies like it was made of air; Kaida was busy rearranging books on a shelf; and Orion was focused on recalibrating a massive wall-mounted display.
Kairos stood at the entrance, taking in the domestic chaos. "You actually live like this?" he asked.
"Like what?" Mira replied.
"Normal."
Garrick snorted. "We're definitely not normal."
"Relatively normal," Orion corrected.
Seris appeared beside Kairos and handed him a mug. "Tea."
He accepted it carefully, feeling the warmth. "...Thanks."
A sudden crash echoed from the kitchen. Mira had tried to test one of her summoning sigils "for fun." A small spectral cat darted out from the smoke, knocking over a bowl before scurrying across the floor.
"That isn't funny!" Kaida snapped.
"It's adorable!" Mira argued.
Kairos stared at the creature. "You summon animals?"
"Hecate—Threshold Summoner," she said proudly. "Crossroads, spirits, the fun stuff."
The spectral cat leapt onto Kairos' shoulder. He froze, stiffening. "...Why does it like me?"
"Probably the wind element," Orion mused.
"It's judging you," Garrick added with a smirk.
Kairos exhaled, and for the first time since he had been pulled from the street—he laughed. It was a short, surprised sound, but it felt real.
__
Later, they gathered in the third-floor strategy room. The lights were dimmed, replaced by a blue digital projection of the city skyline hovering above the central table. Kairos sat at the edge, quieter now, watching the professionals work.
"Awakening occurred ten days ago," Orion reported. "The initial announcement projected fifteen days until the first gate manifestation."
Kairos straightened in his chair. "...Fifteen."
"Yes," Kaida confirmed.
Garrick leaned against the back wall. "That leaves us with five."
The number hung heavy in the air. Five days. Kairos glanced around the room. "You're all acting like that's a manageable timeline."
Lucien met his gaze across the table. "It has to be."
"We prepare for what we can," Seris added, folding her hands.
Mira sighed softly. "A lot has happened in just ten days."
"Guild formation," Orion counted.
"Government evaluation," Kaida added.
"Kairos's transfer," Garrick finished.
Kairos looked down at his hands. The four elements stirred faintly beneath his skin—not raging, but steady. Quiet. "...Five days," he repeated.
Lucien nodded once. "Five days."
Nox stood near the projection wall, his eyes fixed on the faint atmospheric fluctuations rippling across the digital model. They were subtle, nearly invisible to the naked eye, but they were there. This time, Nox thought, we're not behind.
Kairos looked up at the ceiling. It was solid concrete and steel. It wasn't fluorescent white, and it wasn't a cage. He wasn't alone.
Five days. For the first time, it didn't feel like a countdown to an ending. It felt like the start of a preparation.