After Sarah walked into the bedroom to tend to her beloved, Jace was left alone in the quiet living room.
'That hug caught me off guard,' he thought, a slight flush still warming his cheeks as he sat back down on the plush couch.
'It's been a long day,' he sighed, leaning his head against the cushions.
He watched the shadows of the plants dance against the wall in the fading crimson moonlight.
His eyes struggled to stay open, growing heavier with every passing second, until they finally drifted shut and he succumbed to a dreamless sleep.
——
It was early morning when Jace finally stirred.
The pale, golden light of the new day filtered through the curtains of the apartment, accompanied by a refreshingly cool breeze.
Jace woke up and sat upright, his morning grogginess vanishing in an instant as he realized he was sleeping on a couch in an apartment that was definitely not his.
Yesterday he had been far too tired to move; his spirituality had been completely drained by the battle and divinations.
It was well past midnight when he had finally relaxed, and sleep had claimed him the moment he relaxed on the couch.
Standing up, he stretched his stiff muscles and looked around the home.
It looked even better in the soft light of day. There were various elegant showpieces on the shelves and several large bookshelves lining the walls.
He took a moment to scan the titles; the books were not educational or technical like the ones he usually kept. Instead, they were filled with fantasy, romance, and dramatic novels.
Jace tried to picture the stern, professional Natalie sitting by the fire reading these sweeping love stories, but he chuckled softly to himself; he just couldn't imagine it.
'These novels must belong to Sarah,' he figured, easily visualizing the young woman lost in the pages of a romance.
Speaking of Sarah, he turned around and walked toward the bedroom.
The door was slightly ajar. He opened it a bit more and peeked in discreetly to check on them.
Sarah was lying with her head on Natalie's shoulder, while Natalie had a protective arm wrapped around her waist.
Both seemed to be sleeping peacefully, the tension of the previous night finally gone from their faces.
He quietly closed the door, deciding it was best to leave for his own apartment before they woke.
Nyx the cat was still asleep on a single-seater chair. Jace walked up to her and called out her name in a soft, melodic voice. "Nyx... Nyx! Wake up."
The cat opened her brilliant emerald eyes and let out an angry, sharp meow at him for daring to disturb her slumber.
"I'm sorry," Jace apologized to the cat wryly, a small smile playing on his lips. "So... do you want to come with me? Or would you like to stay here?" he asked, curious to see what the creature would decide.
The cat thought for a moment, letting out a deep yawn while stretching her paws forward in a long, feline arc.
"Let's go," Nyx said with her childish voice, looking away with a slightly huffy, angry expression.
Jace chuckled inwardly, wondering if the cat was actually a 'tsundere.'
They slipped out of the apartment quietly. Jace bought a few supplies while looking around the morning market and finally hailed a carriage.
Within ten minutes, the horse-drawn vehicle pulled up near Jace's building.
—
Nyx entered the apartment the moment Jace opened the door, her tail held high.
She immediately started looking around with intense curiosity, sniffing the corners to find a good place for her to sleep.
She noticed that the apartment they had just left was significantly more luxurious than this one, but Jace's place was surprisingly well-kept and clean, so she didn't seem to mind the change in scenery.
After observing Jace for a while, she noticed that the boy was quite sad and lonely—much like her.
Since Jace didn't seem to have any hidden, bad motives toward her, Nyx decided she would follow him for now.
It was a naive thought, perhaps, but then again, she was just a cat—and a young one at that.
In the living room, Jace brought out a large ceramic bowl. He opened the packet of cat feed he had just purchased and set the bowl down on the floor.
Nyx, smelling the food, immediately ran to it and started eating with gusto.
Jace looked at her with a genuine smile.
He was still curious as to how a cat, even a Beyonder, managed to put a formal bounty on someone, but he didn't press the issue; Nyx likely wouldn't tell him her secrets just yet.
He didn't mind the mystery.
Everything had gone well, and he had gained a new Beyonder companion.
For now, he stripped off his formal clothes and collapsed into his own bed, as he was still lacking several hours of proper sleep.
——
In the evening, Jace traveled back to the North Boroughs by himself, arriving at the home of the psychopath, Edward Lane.
Yesterday he had been in such a hurry that he hadn't been able to see things thoroughly, so he was back to finish what they started.
Jace entered the bungalow and started looking around the interior.
He realized the furnishings were quite luxurious and expensive.
'The cannibal sure did have some taste,' he thought, running a hand over a mahogany desk.
The bungalow was spacious, featuring three bedrooms, two guest rooms, and even separate servants' quarters.
There was a large drawing room for entertaining and a quiet study.
Above, a large water tank provided a steady supply of water, and the garden outside was well-manicured.
The area was quiet and isolated—perfect for someone who valued privacy.
Jace smiled to himself.
He decided that after he became a Sequence 6 Faceless, he would take over the identity of Edward Lane and claim the property as his own.
But that would take a few months; until then, he decided to clean the place thoroughly, removing all signs of Beyonder activity and the cannibalistic horrors within.
Like In the kitchen, he found some food with meat in it. While it smelled delicious, Jace knew with certainty that it was definitely not normal meat. He disposed of it quickly.
There were also still bodies in the basement—the corpse of Edward and another of his unfortunate victim.
—
After a few hours of grueling work, Jace had cleaned the entire house.
He buried the bodies in the backyard, and along with them, he buried Edward's gruesome trophies of his kills.
He also searched for money and other hidden valuables, which resulted in him finding about 4,000 pounds—a significant fortune.
Edward had possessed two Sequence 7 level artifacts, and Jace thought he might have more low-level items hidden away.
He searched every floor and finally found one more: a black glove.
From his divinations, he discovered it was a sealed artifact corresponding to Sequence 8 of the Planter pathway.
After divining its specific powers, he found them quite useful, and the side effects were manageable.
By now, it was already late into the night. Exhausted but satisfied with his haul, he decided to sleep right there in the bungalow.