REBORN AS A NECROMANCER : BUILDING THE ULTIMATE UNDEAD ARMY-Chapter 37: Level up?

The morning sun was filtering through the hallway windows when Kaine and Marcus reached the apartment building. Marcus looked completely normal now—his head properly attached, his color returned to its usual pale but healthy shade, no trace of the horrific injuries from the night before. The ghoul walked silently beside him, carrying himself with that characteristic stillness that made him seem more like a shadow than a person.

Kaine was fishing for his keys when Rebecca’s door opened.

"Well, well," she said, leaning against her doorframe with her arms crossed. "Look who decided to come home."

She was wearing an oversized sweater that hung off one shoulder and pajama shorts that showed off her legs. Her hair was pulled back in a messy bun, and there was something territorial in her stance that made Kaine pause.

"Morning, Rebecca."

"Don’t ’morning Rebecca’ me," she said, stepping closer. "I know you didn’t come home last night."

Kaine blinked, surprised by the accusation in her tone. "You were listening for me?"

"I wasn’t listening for anything. I just happened to notice that your usual four AM weapon cleaning session didn’t happen." She moved even closer, close enough that he could smell her shampoo. "So where were you?"

"I had to crash at a friend’s place."

"Male or female?"

The question caught him off guard. He found himself about to say ’male’ automatically, then stopped. Why was he even considering lying to her? It wasn’t like he owed her an explanation about where he spent his nights.

"Female," he said finally, and immediately wondered why admitting that felt like confessing to something.

Rebecca’s expression shifted, something flickering across her face that looked almost like jealousy. "I see."

"It wasn’t like that," Kaine said quickly, then immediately wondered why he felt the need to clarify.

"Like what?" Rebecca asked, but there was a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth now.

"Like... whatever you’re thinking."

"I’m not thinking anything." She stepped back, but not far enough to give him much space. "Just curious about my neighbor’s nocturnal activities."

Marcus had been standing silently throughout this exchange, his pale eyes moving between them like he was watching a tennis match. Rebecca glanced at him, then back at Kaine.

"Your friend looks tired," she observed.

"Long night," Kaine replied.

"For both of you, apparently." Rebecca moved aside as Kaine unlocked his door. "Mind if I come in? I have some information you might find interesting."

Before he could answer, she was already following him inside. Marcus disappeared into the bedroom with his usual silent efficiency, leaving them alone in the living room.

"Make yourself at home," Kaine said dryly.

"Thanks, I will." Rebecca settled onto his couch, tucking her legs under her. "Mrs. Kowalski was snooping around your door yesterday evening."

"What?"

"Your landlady. The one with the wandering hands and the obvious crush on you." Rebecca’s tone was casual, but there was something sharp underneath it. "She was out here for about twenty minutes, trying to look busy while obviously waiting for you to come home."

Kaine rubbed his temples. Mrs. Kowalski was sixty-three, widowed, and had been making increasingly obvious advances ever since he’d moved in. She’d started with bringing him homemade cookies, progressed to asking him to fix things in her apartment that didn’t actually need fixing, and recently had begun finding excuses to touch his arm whenever they spoke.

"She’s harmless," he said.

"She’s territorial. There’s a difference." Rebecca leaned forward, studying his face. "You look like you didn’t sleep much."

"I didn’t."

"Was your friend’s couch uncomfortable?"

Something in her tone made him look at her more carefully. She was watching him with that same intensity she’d had when she was grilling him about his profession, like she was trying to solve a puzzle.

"Something like that," he said.

Rebecca reached for the remote on his coffee table, flipping through channels until she found the morning news. "Let’s see what exciting things happened in the city while you were having sleepovers."

The lead story was still the X and O murders. The reporter was standing outside what appeared to be another crime scene, her expression appropriately grave as she discussed the latest developments.

"Three more victims found overnight," she was saying. "Police are now confirming that the killer appears to be targeting individuals at random, though the ritualistic nature of the murders suggests a specific psychological profile."

"This is insane," Rebecca said, settling back against the couch cushions. "Some people on social media are claiming it’s not even human. That it’s some kind of female bloodsucker."

Kaine turned to look at her. "You think that’s more believable than a regular serial killer?"

"What?" Rebecca laughed. "No, I was just... I don’t know. It’s probably just some guy with serious issues. Though I have to ask—if it was a male homicidal maniac, would that be more believable to you?"

"Point taken," Kaine said, smiling despite himself.

"I’m just saying, anyone could be the killer. Your neighbor, your landlady, your mysterious female friend." She bumped his shoulder with hers. "Me."

"Are you confessing to something?"

"Maybe I am. Maybe I’m confessing to being curious about why you’re being so secretive about where you spent the night."

Kaine found himself studying her profile as she watched the television. There was something about the way she was sitting—close enough that their legs were almost touching, her attention seemingly focused on the news but her awareness clearly centered on him.

"It’s complicated," he said finally.

"Most interesting things are."

They fell into comfortable silence, watching the news cycle through its usual morning routine. The X and O story gave way to weather, then traffic, then a segment about a local restaurant that was apparently famous for its breakfast burritos.

"You know what I realized?" Rebecca said during a commercial break.

"What?"

"I’ve been living next door to you for a week or more now and I still don’t know anything about you. Not really.The truth or dare game helped but ...ehhh...I want to know more,"

"What do you want to know?"

"Everything. Your childhood, your family, your first kiss, your biggest fear, your favorite color." She turned to face him fully. "All of it."

"That’s a lot of information."

"I have time."

There was something in her voice that made him look at her more carefully. She was watching him with an expression he couldn’t quite read—curiosity mixed with something warmer, more personal.

"Blue," he said.

"Blue?"

"My favorite color. It’s blue."

Rebecca smiled. "See? Was that so hard?"

"Terrifying, actually."

"Good. Fear builds character." She said.

They continued watching television, working their way through the morning programming. Rebecca made occasional comments about the various shows and commercials, her observations sharp and often funny. Kaine found himself relaxing in a way he hadn’t in months, the constant tension he carried loosening slightly.

Somewhere around noon, exhaustion caught up with both of them. Rebecca’s head found its way to his shoulder, and Kaine didn’t move to discourage it. Her breathing deepened, and he could feel the warm weight of her against his side.

He meant to stay awake, meant to maintain the careful distance he usually kept with people who could become complications. Instead, he found himself drifting off, lulled by the soft sound of her breathing and the comfortable weight of her presence.

When he woke, the television was showing afternoon programming, and Rebecca was still curled against his side. One of her hands had found its way to his chest, resting over his heart, and he could feel her breath warm against his neck.

A familiar translucent screen materialized in his field of vision, invisible to everyone but him.

[QUEST COMPLETE: SURVIVE THE ENCOUNTER]

[REWARD: 500 ME GAINED]

[SKILL UNLOCKED: PHANTOM ARROW]

[DESCRIPTION: MANIFEST SPECTRAL PROJECTILES FOR RANGED COMBAT]

[COST: 25 ME PER ARROW]

[DAMAGE: HIGH PENETRATION]

’Phantom Arrow, huh? That could be useful,’

[MORTAL ESSENCE: 1050/750]

[LEVEL UP AVAILABLE]

’I’ll deal with that later,’

Kaine dismissed the notifications with a thought, not wanting to risk any visible reactions that might wake Rebecca. She stirred slightly, her hand moving across his chest, and he found himself holding his breath.

"Kaine?" she murmured, her voice thick with sleep.

"I’m here."

She lifted her head to look at him, her hair mussed from sleep, her eyes still soft with drowsiness. "What time is it?"

"Late afternoon."

"I should probably get going." But she made no move to get up, instead settling more comfortably against him. "This is nice."

"Yeah," he agreed, surprised by how much he meant it.

"I haven’t slept that well in months."

"Neither have I,"

They stayed like that for another few minutes, neither wanting to break the spell of comfortable intimacy. Finally, Rebecca sat up, stretching and running her fingers through her hair.

"I should let you get back to whatever mysterious things you do during the day," she said, standing and smoothing down her sweater.

"Nothing mysterious. Mostly just sleeping."

"Right. Because you work nights." She headed toward the door, then paused with her hand on the handle. "I’m making dinner tonight. Well, attempting to make dinner. And pie. Definitely pie."

"Sounds dangerous."

"Very. Want to come over and help me not burn down the building?" She asked.

Kaine found himself smiling. "That would be great."

"Good. Come over around seven. And bring your friend if you want—he looks like he could use a good meal."

After she left, Kaine sat on his couch, staring at the space where she’d been. The apartment felt different now, quieter but not empty. Her presence lingered in the air, in the indent her body had left on the cushions, in the subtle change in how the space felt.

Marcus emerged from the bedroom, moving with his characteristic silence. He settled into the chair across from Kaine and tilted his head slightly, a gesture that somehow conveyed curiosity.

"I know," Kaine said. "It’s complicated."

Marcus nodded once, then returned his attention to the television, apparently satisfied with that explanation.

Kaine leaned back against the couch, his mind wandering to the evening ahead. Dinner with Rebecca, casual conversation, the kind of normal human interaction he’d been avoiding for months. The thought should have made him nervous, should have triggered all his usual concerns about maintaining distance and avoiding complications.

Instead, he found himself looking forward to it.

’What the hell is happening to me?’

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