The rest of the school day unfolded with the kind of noisy, chaotic energy only immortals pretending to be teenagers could produce.
By the time the lunch bell rang, the six were already sprawled across their seats in homeroom,robes replaced with their casual human clothes, faces relaxed, spirits far too carefree for beings who just felt the flicker of demonic energy in the hallway during a short break .
Caleb had his head tilted back against the wall, tapping a pen against his knee. He and Jason were arguing in whispers about who had sabotaged whose alchemy notes centuries ago. Susana had already opened three snacks she "borrowed" from the cafeteria. Ethan was dozing off with a book over his face. And Logan… well, Logan was staring blankly at the ceiling like he was contemplating the futility of mortal school assignments.
They did not look like warriors chosen by the heavens.
They looked like tired exchange students who desperately wanted a nap.
Alex and Tyler entered the class together, waving at them.
Tyler scanned the group. "Hey...wait. Something's missing. Why do you all look like you gave up on life?"
Susan popped a piece of candy into her mouth. "i did," she said casually.
"Eh?" Tyler asked, confused.
"what? You don't believe me?" Susana asked, stretching her legs under the desk, "this mortal world is pretty much boring that I'm already giving up on it"
Alex stopped in his tracks. "What? You guys always speak like you aren't humans "
Ethan lifted a single finger without looking at them.
"correct" he said, as if it explained everything.
He lifted the book covering his face slightly. "do we look human to you?." He paused. "i mean...dont you think we should be more of gods than humans?"
Alex's eyebrows shot up. "Why do you guys say this like it's normal?"
"Because it is," Susana answered brightly.
Tyler blinked. "…right."
They sat with the group, and immediately the immortals snapped back into their usual noise.
Jason leaned over to Alex. "So, what's the school gossip today?"
Alex opened his mouth,only for Jason to cut in dramatically.
"WAIT. Before gossip, we need to talk about that boy."
"Which boy?" Tyler asked.
"The one with the ego the size of this entire building," Jason said.
"Derek," Caleb supplied. "The bully."
Jason sighed. "Ah. Yes.Him."
Alex snorted. "What happened? Did he bother you again?"
"Not exactly," Caleb said. "He attempted to."
Jason smirked. "He walked up to us like he owned the world."
"He has the confidence," Tyler shrugged.
"He has the confidence of a chicken trying to fight a dragon," Lora corrected.
Alex laughed. "So what did he say?"
Jason sat up straight, dramatically imitating Derek.
"'You new kids think you're special or something?'"
Susana burst out laughing, covering her mouth. "And Ethan replied—oh my gods—he said, 'We don't think. We know.'"
"It was accurate," Ethan said defensively.
Tyler nearly choked. "You said WHAT?!"
"He challenged us," Jason said dryly. "He insulted Ethan first."
Ethan who was still half-asleep, frowned. "He said I looked like I'd cry if someone breathed on me."
" Ethan would cry if someone breathed on him," Lora teased darkly.
Ethan glared weakly.
"So what happened?" Alex asked.
Caleb leaned back. "Well, Derek tried to push Susana"
"Keyword: tried," Susana said.
"What did you do?" Tyler asked, nervous.
Suzt stretched her fingers lazily. "I shifted my body a little, he missed, and ended up hitting the desk instead. I didn't even touch him."
Jason added, "He screamed like someone stabbed him."
Alex and Tyler exploded into laughter.
Then Alex wiped his eyes. "Oh—oh wait. What about the girls? There's always girls."
"Oh, the girls came," Caleb said, rubbing his temples. "ALL of them."
Ethan made a sound of pain. "Why are humans so loud?"
"They swarmed us," Jason said dramatically. "Like butterflies. But aggressive ones."
Tyler grinned wickedly. "Let me guess—they wanted to flirt."
Caleb shut his eyes as if remembering the trauma.
"One of them asked what shampoo I use."
"Another one said I have 'quiet villain energy,'" Ethan whispered, horrified.
Susana nodded proudly. "They tried to grab Logan's arm."
Alex looked at Logan. "And you let them?"
Logan just stared at him as if staring at an idiot before shaking his head. "I said, 'Please don't touch me, I'm allergic to loudness.'"
Suzy almost fell out of her chair laughing. "He meant 'perfume,' but he said 'loudness.' I nearly died."
Caleb crossed his arms. "One girl told me she loves my accent."
Tyler blinked. "But… you don't have one."
"Exactly," Caleb said. "She was just saying things."
Jason continued, "Another one asked me for my number."
"And you?" Alex asked.
"I gave her yours," Jason said.
Alex froze. "YOU WHAT?!"
The immortals burst into laughter.
The rest of the classes went similarly—chaotic at best, completely unbearable at worst. One teacher tried to get them to participate, but Ethan fell asleep, Jason was caught drawing runes on his desk, Logan answered every question too correctly, and Caleb contradicted the textbook
By the final bell, they had fully melted into their lazy mode.
Caleb sprawled across the grass outside, chewing gum.
Jason was poking Tyler's hair with a stick.
Susan was braiding Alex's sleeve threads out of boredom.
Alex was scrolling through someone else's abandoned notebook like it was a sacred scroll.
Ethan was reading, his face half-covered with his hair
Logan… was trying not to murder the pigeons that kept flying too close.
"You guys look like you've lived here for years," Alex said.
"We adapt," Caleb said with a shrug.
"We thrive," Suzy added.
"We cause suffering," Jason corrected.
"We didn't cause any suffering," Ethan protested rolling his eyes.
"You almost made a teacher cry," Alex said.
"That was an accident!"
Their banter didn't stop until the driver finally arrived,a calm older man who had seen enough immortal nonsense to never ask questions anymore. Shen Rui'an.
He honked once.
The six got up slowly, groaning like ancient beings forced into mortal responsibilities.
Alex and Tyler watched them stand, stretch, complain, and move like a pack of chaotic siblings.
"You guys are crazy," Tyler said.
Caleb grinned. "Thank you."
"And terrifying," Alex added.
" true" Lora said.
Logan paused beside them, meeting their eyes with a calm, steady look.
"Tomorrow," he said, "will be the same."
Susana held up her snack. "And louder."
Ethan tucked his book under his arm. "And messier."
Jason shrugged. "And probably more dangerous."
Jason pushed them all toward the car. "And fun."
They piled in, laughing and complaining and arguing all the way—immortals pretending to be normal, chaotic but bonded, unaware that the specter they feared was drawing ever closer.