Megumi sank deeper into his mattress, his arm draped over one of his demon dogs, his head sinking into the pillow. The dorm room was the only place that didn’t demand anything from him. It was the only thing that still felt like it was his. He was drained—physically, mentally, completely empty.

His body still ached from the mission. It had been brutal. He made it back, but it didn’t feel like a win. It just felt like survival.

The silence around him was a relief, a temporary escape from everything. The curtains were drawn, blocking out the daylight, leaving the room in a haze of dimness. He didn’t want to hear anything. Didn’t want to see anything. He just wanted peace, if only for a while.

All he wanted was to lie there, letting the quiet and the presence of his shikigami settle him into a restless calm.