Outside, the sun dipped lower, painting the sky in deep orange and fading gold.
It had not set yet.
But it was close.
Inside the house, a heavy stillness lingered.
Aldric sat slouched in his chair, one leg stretched out, lazily drinking from his bottle. The case of drinks rested open on the table.
Draven sat on the couch without moving.
Lucifer and Elenya slept peacefully in his arms, their breathing soft and steady. The slime rested like a small crown atop his head, barely shifting. The cat lay sprawled across his leg, tail flicking now and then.
Lyriana sat nearby, quietly eating a pastry she had taken from the bag earlier.
The cultist sat opposite Aldric, a bottle in her hand now, sipping calmly.
Aldric lowered his drink slowly and looked at her.
"…Aren't you a bit young to be drinking?"
The cultist glanced at the bottle, then back at him.
"I'm already an adult."
Aldric stared at her.
"Adult," he repeated flatly. "You're what? Nineteen?"
"Yes."
He snorted. "Nineteen is considered an adult?"
She frowned slightly. "It is."
Aldric leaned back in exaggerated disbelief. "Humans…"
Lyriana sighed quietly.
Aldric gestured lazily with his bottle. "Thirty more years and you'll be an old gizzard. Might even be dead."
The cultist blinked at him.
"…That's not how aging works."
"For humans?" Aldric shot back. "That's exactly how it works. Fragile. Short-lived. Dramatic."
She narrowed her eyes. "You're being insulting."
"I'm being factual."
Lyriana swallowed her pastry and interjected calmly. "You're being annoying."
Aldric waved her off dismissively.
The cultist crossed one leg over the other. "Nineteen is legally an adult."
Aldric grinned. "Legally."
She stared at him. "Yes."
He leaned forward slightly. "And you think that makes you mature?"
She hesitated.
"…I am mature."
Aldric took another long drink, then pointed at her bottle. "You're drinking because you saw me drinking."
She frowned immediately. "That is not why."
"It absolutely is."
Lyriana shook her head faintly.
Near the couch, Vaelith stood beside Draven.
Unmoving.
Her red eyes remained open and unblinking, scanning the room before drifting occasionally toward the window where the light continued to dim.
Draven had not spoken once during the exchange.
He simply sat there.
Silent.
Still.
His gaze rested somewhere distant, though he missed nothing.
Lucifer shifted slightly in his sleep.
Elenya murmured softly.
Draven adjusted them both without looking down.
The slime subtly tightened its hold atop his head, as if sensing the approaching shift in atmosphere.
The cat's ears twitched.
Aldric glanced toward the window.
"Still up," he muttered.
Lyriana followed his gaze. "Not for long."
The cultist took another sip, quieter now.
Outside, the orange glow deepened into crimson.
Shadows stretched longer across the floor.
Vaelith's voice was soft but firm.
"It is nearly time."
Draven finally lifted his eyes toward the window.
The last rim of sunlight clung stubbornly to the horizon.
His voice was calm.
"We move the moment it disappears."
No one argued.
Even Aldric went quiet.
The room seemed to hold its breath—
Waiting for the sun to die.
---
Aldric leaned back so far in his chair that it creaked in protest.
"We've been sitting here for hours," he muttered, rolling the bottle between his palms. "Staring at each other. This bastard doesn't even have a damn TV in his own house."
No one responded.
Aldric scoffed. "If it were left to me, I would've killed him ten times over already. At least then we could've taken over somewhere with actual entertainment."
Lyriana gave him a flat look. "You say that as if murder is a hobby."
"It can be," Aldric replied casually.
Draven suddenly spoke.
"Vaelith."
The single word shifted the atmosphere.
Vaelith stepped forward instantly. "Yes, my lord."
"Take them."
Draven carefully transferred Lucifer and Elenya into her arms before slowly rising to his feet. The cat hopped off his leg the moment he moved, landing softly on the floor.
Vaelith held the infants securely, her expression calm and protective.
She turned slightly, retrieving the folded cloak and bow resting nearby, and handed them to him with quiet precision.
Draven took them without a word.
Across the room, the cultist straightened.
"My lord… are we leaving?"
Aldric frowned. "How? The sun's not even gone yet."
The last light still lingered faintly through the window.
Draven slung the bow across his body, fastening it into place with practiced ease. The cloak settled over his shoulders, dark fabric swallowing what remained of the room's light around him.
He turned and walked toward the table.
Everyone watched.
He reached into the shopping bag, casually picking out a pastry and one of the unopened drinks.
Then he continued toward the door.
Aldric blinked. "Wait."
Draven spoke calmly as he walked.
"I'm going out."
He opened the drink with a quiet hiss.
"Get ready."
He took a bite of the pastry.
"We leave the moment I return."
Aldric stood halfway from his chair. "Where are you going?"
No answer.
Aldric narrowed his eyes. "You going to rob someone?"
Draven didn't slow.
He opened the door.
Cool evening air slipped inside.
The sun was barely clinging to the horizon.
Draven stepped out—
And shut the door behind him.
Silence lingered in the room.
Aldric stared at the closed door.
"…He's definitely going to rob someone."
Lyriana exhaled softly.
Vaelith stood unmoving, the twins resting peacefully in her arms.
Outside—
The final sliver of sunlight trembled on the edge of the world.
And then—
It vanished.