The registration went smoothly and was quicker than Cashel expected. The doctor, whose name was Nathan, was surprisingly cooperative with helping him hide his rank and processing everything else.
He changed into the clean clothes Andeen had dropped off and was on his way out of the hospital when he spotted Nathan waiting outside.
"Is he waiting for something?" Cashel muttered under his breath as he walked past the reception area and bowed toward the nurses. One of them turned red almost instantly before turning to tell her colleague, but Cashel ignored it like he always had.
He walked out and found the doctor smoking with his gaze fixed on his tab. Nathan lifted his head as soon as Cashel stopped beside him and smiled.
"You really don’t want to hang around until she returns, huh?"
"I don’t think that’s necessary, I can get a cab back home," Cashel replied, then he turned to look at the building across the road. It was a bakery, and he recognised the name from the goods Andeen sometimes brought home. He quietly made a mental note to pick something up before leaving and reached into his pocket. "How much are you willing to take for hiding this from her?" he suddenly asked, making the doctor look at him with a frown.
Nathan’s frown faded a bit, then he also turned to look at the bakery and smiled. "I don’t need money, I have enough of that."
"Then what do you want? You were quick to accept my offer, so you must want something." Cashel stated without hesitation. He knew how hard it was to hide something like this from someone like Andeen, but if his hunch was right, Nathan could be the only one capable of doing it since he seemed close to her.
Then again, he couldn’t be sure.
"Andeen wouldn’t be pleased if she finds out you’re hiding something like that, Cashel."
He shrugged, "I don’t care. She’s already worrying a lot as it is. I wouldn’t want her to pull out her hair over the fact that her husband has a rank that could potentially put him on the front lines to die..." He paused. "Like she does."
Nathan stared at him in silence. He could only envy Andeen. To think someone like her, effortlessly straightforward, a little selfish but still carrying a strong sense of duty despite her condition, and barely cooperative, had managed to marry someone like Cashel.
He chuckled softly, "Well, I can only tell you that Andeen will be getting busier from now on, and it might get worse once your name appears on the Awakener register as a non-affiliated hunter..."
Cashel nodded, that was exactly why he had done it. Registering with the military would only make him anxious considering what happened before, and if he wanted to join Andeen’s team, that would be a death sentence. Aside from her, the rest of them were literally living in the dungeons without rest.
A non-affiliated hunter like Nathan, could take up any job and use their abilities as long as they were compensated well.
It would be easier to work, fight, and even make a lot of money along the way, especially with the state of Andeen’s job.
A military officer with an average income was downright brutal, and she didn’t mind because she was happy offering her services and not being treated like an invalid.
"...Anyway," Nathan continued, "let’s have lunch whenever you’re free. I should be off duty from this evening until two days from now. Maybe then I’ll tell you what I want." He turned around to head back into the hospital, but not before patting Cashel’s back. "You should watch your back even more now, and keep my niece safe, alright?"
The Special Awakened Military Division (SAMD) headquarters was located far north at the very exit of the country, miles and miles away from the city and the area where Andeen’s house stood.
She drove for three hours to get there and even had to stop by the barracks to hand over some documents. However, on her arrival at the building, she found a crowd at the entrance.
She frowned upon seeing the huge crowd. A few of them had cameras and phones, taking shots of whoever they were looking for. She parked in another building’s parking lot and stepped out into the sunlight and her glasses gleamed softly. She tapped her staff on the ground and lifted her gaze toward the top of the building.
"If they wanted me to come, they should have gotten rid of the reporters," she murmured under her breath, an exhausted sigh escaping her lips. Just the thought of flying to the top of the building and the hassle that came with it made her more stressed.
It felt like she was losing her sight and hearing completely.
However, she had no time to think about that. She tapped her staff gently on the ground again, calculated everything required, and then took a deep breath.
Her body lifted off the ground with ease. She floated into the air gradually until she was at bird’s height. If she could see, she could practically view the entire city from that height.
She flew toward the building and lowered herself gently onto the roof, already feeling regret at the thought of landing on the wrong one. That was until the sound of someone approaching caught her attention.
Startled, she spun around briefly and stretched forth her palms making thee stranger paused.
"Lieutenant Andeen...."
Andeen scrunched her nose at the strange smell of cigarettes and... soup. Her brows curved deeply at the stranger’s unfamiliar voice. "Can I help you?" she asked, still not lowering her hand. The other person laughed softly.
"You can relax. I was the one who summoned you." She smiled. "I just returned from overseas and was informed you got promoted again."
Andeen’s frown shifted to a confused look. She carefully lowered her hands and tilted her head. She could tell from the stranger’s voice that she was young, not younger than herself and strong enough to make Andeen cautious.
She turned her head toward the sound of the reporters and back to the lady. "May I ask why I was called?"
The woman hesitated. She pulled out a pack of cigarettes from her coat pocket and lit one easily with a rub of her fingers. "It’s General Rain..."
"Oh..." Andeen gasped softly. "I’m so sorry, Ma’am. I was having difficulty recognising your voice." She bowed slightly, but the woman just smiled.
"You shouldn’t be so formal with me." She inhaled deeply from the cigarette and released a big puff of smoke into the air. "How’s your health and your eyes?"
Andeen smiled warmly. "I am doing perfectly well, as you can see. And my eyes..." She trailed off and lowered her head. For a moment there was a look of sadness on her face that vanished just as briefly as it appeared, but she laughed anyway. "I am doing better without them. Although it’s hard to find my way around with my feet off the ground."
General Rain glanced briefly at Andeen’s legs, then back up to her face, her pretty pink-blue gradient eyes that had faded almost completely due to her blindness, and her beautiful face that many envied, especially for a girl who had gone through so much and yet still looked good.
She could only pity Andeen, but even more, she liked her a lot.
Rain looked over the edge of the building and chuckled softly. Parting her red-stained lips, she said, "I heard your husband just awakened..."