CHAPTER 57: RELOCATION

Noel was still pacing, muttering to himself about constructs and magical explosions, when I cut in.

"I’m not heading to the 9th floor tomorrow."

He paused mid-step and turned to me, surprised. "Oh? You’re... not?"

I shook my head and stood up, rolling my shoulders. "We’re finding a new place tomorrow. Somewhere low-profile. Just the two of us."

His eyes lit up with a brief, boyish grin. "You serious? Like, moving in together?"

"Yeah," I replied. "You’re too exposed, Noel. That apartment of yours is basically a public landmark with how often the Astral Community sees you entering and leaving."

His smile faltered slightly, realism settling in. "You know that might be a problem, right? The last time we left together, people saw us. I’ve got eyes on me all the time, and if they see me moving into some random place with a mysterious roommate, they’ll connect the dots. They’ll think I’m with Blank."

I tilted my head and smirked. "Let them think."

He frowned. "Nile—"

"I have this." I reached into my inventory and pulled out the matte-black, rune-lined mask. "Faceless Cloak Mask. Rare reward from the floor I just cleared."

Noel narrowed his eyes as I slipped it on. My outline shimmered for a second—then vanished.

"Auto-cloaks the user when walking slowly or standing still," I explained from somewhere unseen in the room. "And when crouching or hiding? Fully invisible. Undetectable by scan-type spells under Tier 5."

"...Okay, that’s actually busted," Noel muttered.

I reappeared a moment later, pulling the mask back off and grinning. "So when we go out looking for a new apartment, I’ll be a ghost. No one sees us together. No one tracks me. You’re just some guy moving on with life."

Noel crossed his arms, still a bit skeptical, but the excitement was back in his eyes. "You really thought this through."

"I have to," I said, glancing at the corner of the room where the Rift’s timer glowed faintly. "After what just happened on Floor 8, I’m not just some outlier anymore. I’m a variable they can’t predict. And if they can’t control it—"

"They’ll try to eliminate it," Noel finished quietly.

I nodded. "So we move in silence."

There was a long pause. Then Noel smirked. "Well, guess I better start packing."

-

The next morning came with golden sunlight bleeding through the blinds, far too calm for everything we’d just survived. I rose quietly, still sore from the backlash of last night’s wave, but functional. Noel was already up—buzzing with nervous energy as he made instant coffee and mumbled to himself about city zoning laws and "finding the one that we can use as a base and house"

We packed light. Essentials only. I stored most of my gear inside my Rift Inventory, then slipped on the Faceless Cloak Mask and activated its stealth mode. With slow, deliberate steps, I vanished from visible space.

Noel glanced at where I had just been and chuckled. "This still freaks me out, man. You could be anywhere."

"I’m right behind you," I replied calmly, voice low.

He flinched. "You’re enjoying this too much."

-

We headed out together, catching a commuter line that took us into the heart of Davao City, now a modernized hybrid between human resilience and Rift-influenced reconstruction. Massive neon-tier displays looped real-time Rift clearances, news about new entity sightings, and guild recruitment ads. People bustled through the marketplace—some carrying spell-imbued phones, others in light armor or cloaks, clearly Vassals themselves.

Even here, the Crimson Rift cast its long shadow.

"Top floor or nothing," he said with a grin, scrolling through listings on his phone. "If we’re gonna live together, might as well do it like we own the skyline."

Eventually, we stood before the Lucent Heights Tower—one of the tallest residential buildings in the city. It wasn’t built for Vassals or Riftwalkers specifically—those kinds of tailored infrastructures didn’t exist yet—but it was luxurious, private, and perched high above the chaos of the world below.

We didn’t hesitate. We took the most expensive unit they had: a massive corner suite on the thirty-eighth floor, just beneath the rooftop. From the floor-to-ceiling windows, we could see all of Davao stretched beneath us like a living canvas—the coast glinting in the far distance, the city pulse running through the veins of every street, and on the horizon... the faint shimmer of the Crimson Rift, like a scar on the sky.

The apartment was pristine. Hardwood floors. Clean marble counters. Wide-open space. A second bedroom. And the rooftop above us—shared by only a few residents—was mostly abandoned, with a small garden area and benches facing the skyline.

We stepped out onto that rooftop just as the sun pushed above the city.

"This view," Noel said, hands in his jacket pockets. "Not bad, huh?"

I pulled my hood up and leaned against the rail, eyes on the Rift. "We’ll make this home. Until the world catches up."

He looked over at me, then chuckled. "You mean until you clear the rest of the Rift."

I didn’t answer. I just smiled.

As the wind swept gently across the rooftop, rustling the leaves of the small garden, Noel leaned back on the bench, exhaling contentedly.

"So..." he started, glancing at me sideways, "what’s next?"

I smirked. "A car. We’ll need something fast, quiet, and useful for more than just driving downtown."

Noel’s eyes widened, already buzzing with energy. "You’re telling me we’re getting a new ride?! Like a Lambo?! Don’t play with me, man!"

I shrugged, amused. "We’re not exactly broke anymore."

He laughed, practically skipping to the elevator. "Alright! No more cabs. No more walking. Nile and Noel roll up in style now!"

As we descended toward the parking levels and street, I pulled my mask up just slightly over my face. Just enough.

The streets of central Davao gleamed under the late morning sun as we pulled up in a nondescript black SUV, one of the dealership’s loaners. It didn’t matter though—because where we were headed, anonymity was about to get a whole lot harder.