At 1:17 AM, Kael was beginning to wonder if his son had a personal problem with sleep. Noah had been awake for nearly an hour, crying whenever Kael thought he had finally settled down. He had checked the baby’s diaper, tried feeding him, and walked around the living room with him against his chest. Each time, Noah would quiet down for a few minutes before starting to cry again.
Kael glanced at the clock on the wall and sighed.
"Buddy, please. Your mother and I have things to do tomorrow," he told Noah.
Noah answered with another cry.
"Right. I forgot you don’t care about our schedule," Kael muttered.
He continued walking, gently rocking the baby against his chest. His legs were already tired, and his eyes felt heavy. He had planned to exercise in the morning before returning to work later that week, but after the night he was having, even getting out of bed sounded like too much effort.
Still, he didn’t want to wake Sera. She had spent part of the previous day working on her sketches and had helped him prepare dinner afterward. She had gone to bed later than usual, and he knew she needed her rest too.
Kael adjusted Noah against his shoulder and began humming a tune he barely remembered from childhood. When that didn’t work, he tried walking more slowly, but Noah continued fussing. Eventually, Kael sat in the armchair and held his son against his chest, gently patting his back.
The baby occasionally paused long enough for Kael to hope the worst was over, but the crying always started again.
Kael closed his eyes for a moment and thought, ’How can someone so small make so much noise?’
He immediately felt guilty, even though he knew he was only tired. Noah wasn’t trying to make his life difficult. He was a baby who couldn’t explain what he needed, and Kael was still learning how to understand him. Knowing that didn’t make the night any easier, though.
After another ten minutes, Sera appeared in the doorway with slightly messy hair and half-open eyes.
"Kael?" she called softly.
He looked up at her. "Sorry. Did I wake you?"
"Noah woke me," Sera replied as she approached the armchair. She glanced at their son before asking, "How long has he been crying?"
"About an hour. Maybe a little less," Kael answered.
"And you’ve been holding him the whole time?" Sera asked.
"Most of it," Kael replied.
Sera stared at him for a moment. "Why didn’t you wake me?"
"You needed sleep," Kael explained.
"So did you," Sera pointed out.
"I’m fine," Kael insisted.
She gave him a flat look. "Kael, you look like you’ve forgotten what sleep is."
"I’m just a little tired," he replied.
"You said the same thing yesterday when you were walking around like your legs had stopped working," Sera reminded him.
"That was different," Kael argued.
Sera raised an eyebrow. "How?"
Kael couldn’t think of a good answer, so he remained silent. Sera held out her arms and gestured for him to hand over the baby.
"Give him to me for a while," she said.
Kael hesitated. "You should rest."
"And you should stop acting like you’re the only parent in this apartment," Sera replied.
Her words weren’t angry, but they were firm enough to make him reconsider. Kael carefully handed Noah over, and Sera settled into the armchair. She checked the baby’s diaper before adjusting his position and rocking him gently.
"All right, Noah. Let’s see what’s bothering you," she murmured.
Kael remained beside her, ready to help if she needed anything. After a few minutes, Noah’s crying became less intense. Sera continued rocking him, occasionally changing his position when he started fussing again.
Kael watched her for a while before asking, "How do you do that?"
Sera looked at him. "Do what?"
"Make it look so easy," Kael explained.
"It doesn’t always look easy. Sometimes I’m just as confused as you are," Sera admitted.
"You don’t seem confused," Kael said.
"That’s because I’m too tired to show it," Sera replied.
Kael laughed quietly before rubbing his face. Sera looked down at Noah and continued patting his back.
"Sometimes he settles faster with me. Other times, he’ll settle with you. It doesn’t mean one of us is better at taking care of him. Babies are unpredictable," she explained.
"I know," Kael replied.
"Then stop treating every difficult night like you’ve failed," Sera told him.
Kael fell silent. He hadn’t realized how much pressure he was putting on himself until she said it. Every time Noah cried, he felt as though he needed to find the answer immediately. If he couldn’t calm the baby, he worried that he wasn’t doing enough.
However, Sera was right. There wouldn’t always be a quick solution, and neither of them could expect to understand everything at once.
"All right," Kael said. "I’ll try to remember that."
"Good. Now go lie down for a while," Sera instructed.
"What if he starts crying again?" Kael asked.
"Then I’ll handle him until I need you," Sera replied.
Kael looked reluctant, so Sera raised an eyebrow.
"Do I need to give you an official order?" she asked.
"No," Kael answered.
"Then go," Sera said.
He finally obeyed, although he stopped at the bedroom doorway to look back. Sera was still rocking Noah, her expression tired but calm.
"Call me if you need anything," Kael told her.
"I will. Now sleep," Sera replied.
Kael went to bed, telling himself he would only rest for a little while, just long enough to recover some energy before taking over again. However, the moment his head touched the pillow, his body seemed to remember how tired he was, and he fell asleep almost immediately.
Kael woke to the sound of Noah crying again. For a moment, he couldn’t remember where he was, but after looking at the clock, he realized he had slept for a little over two hours.
He sat up, rubbed his eyes, and headed into the living room. Sera was standing beside the crib, gently patting Noah’s back. She looked more tired than before, and her movements had slowed.
"How long has he been awake?" Kael asked.
"About fifteen minutes. He was quiet for a while, then started again," Sera replied.
"Why didn’t you wake me?" Kael asked.
Sera gave him a look. "I was about to."
Kael walked over and held out his arms.
"Let me take him," he said.
Sera handed Noah over without arguing. Kael settled the baby against his chest and began rocking him gently.
"Your turn to rest," Kael told her.
Sera rubbed her forehead. "I don’t think I’ll manage much sleep now."
"You can still lie down. Even if you don’t fall asleep, you should rest," Kael suggested.
Sera considered his advice before nodding. "All right. But if he keeps crying, don’t spend an hour trying to handle everything yourself."
"I won’t," Kael promised.
She started toward the bedroom, then turned back.
"And Kael?" Sera called.
"Yes?" he answered.
"If you need help, wake me. Don’t wait until you’re completely exhausted," Sera told him.
Kael gave her a small smile. "I promise."
Sera disappeared into the bedroom, and Kael returned his attention to Noah. He tried holding him upright for a while, then gently rocked him as he walked around the living room. Noah fussed occasionally, but Kael didn’t panic. He checked whether the baby was comfortable, paid attention to his movements, and gave him time to settle.
Eventually, the crying softened. Kael sat in the armchair and held his son close as Noah’s eyes grew heavy and his little body gradually relaxed.
"There we go," Kael whispered. "That wasn’t so bad, was it?"
Noah made a small sound.
"I’ll take that as a yes," Kael replied.
He remained seated for several minutes, making sure the baby had settled properly before carefully placing him in the crib. When Noah stirred, Kael paused and watched him instead of immediately picking him up. The baby shifted his head, moved his hands, and eventually settled again.
Kael let out a quiet breath. He was learning, even if not quickly enough to make every night easy. He was beginning to recognize that he didn’t need to panic every time something went wrong.
He returned to the armchair and rested his head against the back. The apartment was quiet again, so he allowed himself to close his eyes for a few precious minutes.
By the time morning arrived, neither Kael nor Sera had slept nearly enough. Noah had woken several more times, forcing them to trade places. Whenever one parent became too tired to continue, the other took over. They didn’t always manage to settle him quickly, but they had stopped trying to handle the entire night alone.
At around seven, Kael sat at the dining table with a cup of water while Sera prepared a simple breakfast. She moved slowly, and he suspected he looked no better.
"How much sleep did you get?" Kael asked.
"Not enough to calculate accurately," Sera replied.
"That bad?" Kael asked.
"I think I dreamed about changing diapers," Sera answered.
Kael laughed before yawning so widely that his jaw hurt. Sera pointed at him.
"Don’t laugh. You’re not doing any better," she said.
"I wasn’t laughing at you. I was laughing at the dream," Kael explained.
"You haven’t even heard the details," Sera pointed out.
"Do I need to?" Kael asked.
"No. You’ll probably have the same dream tonight," Sera replied.
Kael groaned. "Please don’t say that."
Sera smiled faintly and placed a plate in front of him. They ate quietly for a few minutes. Neither had much appetite, but they knew they needed something in their stomachs.
When they finished, Kael glanced toward the living room.
"I was supposed to train this morning," he said.
Sera stopped collecting the plates. "And?"
"I should probably postpone it," Kael replied.
"Definitely," Sera said.
Kael looked at her. "You didn’t even pretend to consider it."
"Kael, you barely slept. I’m exhausted too, and Noah had a difficult night. This isn’t the time to start exercising," Sera explained.
"I know. I just don’t want to lose progress," Kael admitted.
"You won’t lose your progress because you take a day off," Sera assured him.
Kael looked unconvinced, so Sera set the plates down and faced him.
"You’ve been talking about getting stronger, but you also need to learn when to rest. If you push yourself every time you’re tired, you’ll eventually make yourself sick or hurt yourself. Then you’ll have an even harder time looking after Noah," she explained.
Kael considered her words. She wasn’t wrong. He had been so focused on keeping his training consistent that he sometimes treated rest as an inconvenience rather than part of the process. However, there was no point in forcing himself through a workout when he could barely keep his eyes open.
"All right," Kael said. "No training today."
"Good. I’ll put my sketches aside for a while too. I can work on them later when I’ve rested," Sera replied.
Kael nodded, and they decided to keep the day simple. They would take turns looking after Noah, eat when they could, and rest whenever the baby allowed it. Anything that wasn’t urgent could wait.
It wasn’t the productive day Kael had imagined, but it was what their family needed.
Later that morning, Noah finally settled into a longer nap. Kael sat beside the crib, watching his son sleep. Sera had gone to lie down in the bedroom, and for the first time since the previous evening, the apartment was quiet enough for him to hear the refrigerator humming in the kitchen.
A notification appeared in front of him.
[Family Care Task Completed.]
[Task: Share the Responsibility of Caring for Your Child During a Difficult Night.]
[Evaluation: You accepted help, took turns caring for your child, and adjusted your plans to account for your family’s needs.]
[Reward: Family Bond +1.]
Kael read the message before dismissing it. The reward was small, but it felt appropriate. He hadn’t defeated a monster, gained a new ability, or improved his physical stats. He had simply learned to accept help when he needed it and give Sera the same consideration.
That mattered too.
Kael looked at Noah again. The baby was sleeping peacefully, completely unaware of the trouble he had caused throughout the night. Kael shook his head with a tired smile.
"You owe us both a good night’s sleep, little man," he told his son.
Noah didn’t respond.
"Of course. No comment," Kael added.
He carefully checked that Noah was comfortable, then moved away from the crib and settled onto the sofa. He planned to rest for a few minutes before checking on Sera, but instead, he fell asleep almost as soon as he closed his eyes.
For once, he didn’t feel guilty about it. His training could wait, as could his research into the Hunter’s Association and his plans for returning to work. He could deal with those things after getting enough rest to think clearly.
Kael was learning that being responsible didn’t mean pushing himself beyond his limits. Sometimes, it meant recognizing that his family needed him rested more than they needed him productive.
After the night they’d just survived, he decided that a few hours of sleep were probably the most useful thing he could do for them.