By early evening, Parents’ Day at Nevermore had finally come to an end. Alex first went with Enid to say goodbye to her family — and, most importantly, to her parents.

The moment Alex appeared in their line of sight, Enid’s brothers immediately scattered, tails tucked, as if they had just seen a monster from their worst nightmares. Alex responded with nothing more than a faint smile, while Enid’s expression shifted into a slightly strained, embarrassed grin.

Saying goodbye to Enid’s relatives turned out to be awkward. Garth and Bess took turns hugging Alex and, without the slightest hesitation, asked him to take good care of Enid. Alex nodded without pause, accepting it almost as a responsibility.

There were also some “friendly” threats from Garth’s overly protective uncle, who seized the opportunity to demonstrate just how worried he was about his niece.

The farewell with Enid’s parents was even more tense. Esther once again thanked Alex for the conversation and for helping her realize her own mistakes. Murray, Enid’s father, simply shook Alex’s hand firmly — without unnecessary words, but with clear respect.

Enid hugged every member of her family with a wide smile, including Esther. The embrace was a little awkward, but she still thanked her mother for everything she had done for her. That was enough for Esther to understand that Enid no longer held her past resentment.

After saying goodbye to Enid’s family, Alex quickly kissed her on the cheek and went to say farewell to Wednesday’s parents. And once again — another wave of hugs, goodbyes, and gloomy family warmth.

That was when Alex noticed Marilyn. She behaved impeccably — like a kind, caring teacher chatting pleasantly with the family of one of Nevermore’s students. But Alex caught what everyone else missed: the brief, venomous looks she occasionally shot at Morticia and Gomez.

Deciding to play it safe, Alex sent one of his clones to keep an eye on the Addams family — just in case Marilyn decided to send Tyler after them. He did the same for Enid’s family. Just in case.

Alex had already realized that, in this timeline, Marilyn was truly insane. Had she been of sound mind, she would never have used Darkness to summon echoes of Jericho’s and Nevermore’s former residents just to cover her tracks in the cave where she trained Tyler, turning him into an obedient dog.

During the farewell with the Addams family, Alex didn’t even notice when he was invited to stay at the family estate. All he managed to do was nod politely with a smile.

He stood beside Gomez and Pugsley while Wednesday said goodbye to Morticia. Watching the restrained, awkward farewell between mother and daughter, Alex felt like an unnecessary witness to someone else’s intimacy.

Before the final parting, Morticia smiled and gave Wednesday her last words of advice, placing her school album into her hands.

“This album holds my memories,” she said. “And you must create your own. Here, at Nevermore.”

After that, Morticia cast a meaningful smile at Alex. He didn’t immediately catch the hint and merely tilted his head slightly as both women looked at him. Morticia stepped closer and gently hugged Alex before saying her final goodbye.

Alex stood beside Wednesday, watching as the Addams family car slowly drove away. Wednesday opened the school album — and almost immediately her gaze caught on one of the pages. Information about Larissa Weems. Without saying a word, Wednesday abruptly took off and headed toward the principal’s office at a brisk pace.

Alex lit a cigarette, following her with his gaze. He already knew how that conversation would go — and that Larissa Weems had lied to everyone, taking Rowan’s form to hide the truth and protect the academy’s reputation.

He also remembered another event that was meant to happen in parallel.

With a cigarette between his teeth, Alex calmly entered the Nevermore building, grabbed a fire extinguisher from the hallway, and headed toward the academy’s back courtyard. As he was heading out, he heard the anxious voices of students.

Coming closer, Alex saw a burning message scorched into the grass: Fire will rain.

“Alright, kids, make some room,” he said calmly, pushing his way through the crowd.

Stepping up to the flames, Alex exhaled smoke and aimed the fire extinguisher at the blazing letters. A few seconds later, the message went out. To be safe, he stomped over the grass, completely erasing the remaining traces.

After dealing with the aftermath of that very unfunny “joke,” Alex noticed Marilyn in the crowd. She was watching him with poorly concealed fury, but the moment their eyes met, her expression instantly shifted into the mask of a surprised teacher.

Shaking his head, Alex lifted his gaze to the balcony outside Larissa Weems’s office. The headmistress herself was standing there — with Wednesday beside her.

Alex raised his thumb, signaling that everything was fine.

Lowering his hand, he looked around at the Nevermore students, who were staring at him in obvious amazement.

“Next time, handle it yourselves. It’s just burning grass, not a forest fire. For the love of all that’s holy, are you even taught what to do in case of a fire?”

“Um… no,” Enid’s embarrassed voice came from the crowd.

After Enid answered Alex’s question, an oppressive silence settled in.

The Nevermore students simply stood there, staring at him as if he had just asked a question from advanced magical mathematics. Alex wearily massaged the bridge of his nose and glanced up at the windows of Larissa Weems’s office — a silent, almost doomed question in his eyes: what do they even teach at this academy if no one thought to bring a fire extinguisher to put out burning grass?

Letting out a heavy sigh, Alex handed the fire extinguisher to the groundskeeper and moved through the crowd of students. As he passed Enid, he smiled and gently squeezed her nose.

Enid squeaked in surprise.

Chuckling, Alex kept walking and soon disappeared around the corner of the hallway. He could feel Marilyn’s angry, burning glare on his back and mentally noted that it was time to start preparing for her possible breakdown. If, in a fit of rage, she decided to accelerate the ritual to resurrect Joseph Crackstone, the consequences could be far more serious than what had happened so far.

On top of that, Alex also had to take into account a possible retaliatory move from the British branch of the Men of Letters.

Back at the hotel, he quickly changed clothes and, feeling Dean’s attentive gaze, opened his laptop. Alex began filling out the report he planned to send to the FBC. After all, he was still listed as an agent — even if only nominally. And if he was using the Bureau’s privileges, then he was obligated to handle the paperwork responsibly.

Noticing that Alex was seriously absorbed in his work, Dean turned the TV volume down so as not to disturb him.

Several exhausting days passed for Alex after the end of Parents’ Day and the strange incident at Nevermore. In addition to submitting his report, he had to take on more work — at Jessie’s personal request, he began helping agents from the Bureau of Control. He couldn’t refuse.

Completely immersed in his duties, Alex quickly forgot what normal sleep felt like. It didn’t surprise him that Jessie had placed the Bureau on full combat readiness after he warned her about the approaching awakening cycles of especially dangerous entities. That was something they truly needed to prepare for in advance.

Fortunately, Alex had his own “express delivery service” in the form of Castiel. The angel could teleport from the bunker without any trouble, bringing the necessary materials and tools.

Dean helped as much as he could — essentially acting as a distributor: he received arriving Bureau of Control agents and handed them the devices Alex had created.

Alex rarely took breaks. Mostly, he paused when Enid called. He combined these few moments of rest with a conversation with her, a cigarette, and a cup of coffee, before returning to work, simultaneously answering the next round of calls.

Alex still hadn’t figured out which idiot had leaked his number, but now he was forced to play the role of a living reference guide. Questions came one after another: how to kill this or that creature, how to contain a curse, what to do in case of infection. Most of the calls came from the Bureau of Control agents themselves.

Alex strongly suspected that Ahti was behind this — the cosmic entity in the guise of a janitor, who clearly enjoyed such “pranks.”

In this way, Alex had quietly turned into an information hub and a sort of mentor for field agents. He even suggested to Jessie to involve American hunters in cooperation, though he knew full well how difficult that would be. Hunters absolutely despised people in suits, considering them useless wimps.

And so Alex and Dean’s workdays passed — under constant tension and anticipation. They both understood: their main suspect was still hiding in the shadows and would make a move only when certain no one could stop him.

Dean was in a grocery store, picking up lunch for himself and Alex. Stepping outside, he held two bags of food and leisurely headed back to the hotel where they had already spent several weeks, settled in Jericho.

Approaching the building, Dean habitually expected to see another Bureau of Control vehicle at the entrance. Finding none, he raised an eyebrow in surprise and walked inside.

The receptionist behind the desk noticed him and politely nodded with a smile — in the past few days, he had seen more agents than in his entire previous life.

Once on the correct floor, Dean took out the key and opened the room door.

Inside, the usual scene greeted him. Alex was sitting at the table. On the windowsill, a laptop displayed half-filled documents, while the table itself was cluttered with tools, parts, and storage boxes for cursed and anomalous items — including containers for holding creatures.

Walking further into the room, Dean set the grocery bags on the kitchen table and began unpacking them. While doing so, he glanced at Alex. He was completely focused, carefully carving symbols into a wooden box. He wore simple thin-framed glasses, his hair was messy, and he had on a black T-shirt and shorts.

“Dude, you need to sleep. It’s the third day in a row you haven’t slept,” Dean said, watching him.

“Sleep? What’s that? Can you eat it?” Alex replied without looking up from the box, continuing his work.

“At least have some coffee. I don’t get how you manage to stay awake for three days straight, work nonstop, and only take breaks for a smoke or talking to your girls,” Dean shook his head and placed a mug of hot coffee in front of him.

“Nothing complicated. Sleep is for the weak. When necessary, I can be weak. Now is not the time. We have little time, and we need to be ready for anything that might happen,” Alex said, adjusting his glasses.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say. Better explain what box you’re making,” Dean said, sitting at the table and pulling a plate with a burger closer.

“Remember Bagul? Sam and the girls never fully got rid of him. So I’m making a container to seal him,” Alex replied, taking a sip of coffee.

“So the evil spirit that likes to kidnap children… they never finished him off?” Dean asked, taking a bite of his burger.

“You could put it that way. They could have destroyed the families he’s parasitizing… but you understand,” Alex blew the wood shavings off the box’s surface.

“So all that’s left is to seal the creature. Got it,” Dean nodded.

“Exactly. Castiel!” Alex called, looking up.

In the same instant, Castiel appeared in the room — in his usual sharp suit, with his blue tie slightly loosened and a beige trench coat. Dean lazily raised a hand in greeting without stopping his chewing. Castiel nodded and looked at Alex.

“Cass, the box is ready. Give it to Sam so he can put all the tapes in it — and then forget about them,” Alex said, holding out the container.

“Do I need to do anything else?” Castiel asked, taking the box.

“Only if you can slow down time and give us a couple of extra days. If not — that’s it,” Alex said, rubbing the bridge of his nose tiredly.

“There is such a spell. But the materials for it are extremely rare,” Castiel replied seriously, not catching the joke.

“I was joking. Thanks for the help, brother,” Alex said with a slight smile.

“In a family, it’s natural to help each other,” Castiel nodded.

He disappeared as suddenly as he had appeared.

Alex shook his head, finished his coffee, and pulled his laptop closer, returning to the next report. Dean froze, staring at him.

“Since when did you get so close to Cass?” he finally asked.

“In what sense? We’ve always gotten along fine. Yeah, he’s sometimes weird, but overall — normal,” Alex looked up at him.

“I mean that you called him your brother,” Dean said, pointing with his burger.

“Probably a slip of the tongue. Tiredness. My brain’s melting,” Alex said thoughtfully, rubbing his chin.

He hadn’t even realized he’d said it out loud.

Dean squinted slightly and nodded at Alex’s explanation, accepting it. It was entirely possible that Alex had simply misspoken due to exhaustion.

Alex, meanwhile, paused for a moment, reflecting on Dean’s words. Unlike the other angels he had encountered in this world, Castiel carried none of Chuck’s usual aura of repulsiveness. On the contrary — there was something oddly familiar about him.

Alex didn’t dwell on the thought. Even for him, the idea that Castiel could somehow be connected to his family sounded absurd. He consciously shelved it, deciding not to obsess over guesses and feelings he couldn’t yet explain.

Finishing another report, Alex opened a file containing the briefing from one of the teams sent to isolate the forest area around Blair. He nodded slowly while reading the commander’s comments, then flipped through a few more reports before wearily rubbing his face and shutting the laptop.

“I’ll need to ask Jesse for a raise. I’m clearly underpaid for these consultations. By the way, Dean… did the paycheck happen to come through?” Alex asked, taking off his glasses and looking at his brother.

“And what do you think?” Dean snorted, dripping with sarcasm. “Do you think all this food materialized out of thin air?”

“How should I know? Maybe you used my card again,” Alex said, rolling his eyes.

“Nope, dude. The paycheck came through yesterday. And I told you. All I got in response was your thoughtful ‘hmm,'” Dean smirked.

“And how does it feel to get your first official paycheck? After all those stolen credit cards and fake identities?” Alex asked with a slight smile.

“Don’t even know. I’m an agent in name only. Unlike you — you actually act like a real bureaucratic monster. But yeah, I got the money. Weird feeling,” Dean said, shaking his head.

“That’s because technically you’re a freelancer. A mercenary working for the Bureau of Control. Same benefits, more freedom,” Alex shrugged.

Dean gave a knowing hum. Meanwhile, Alex went to the fridge, grabbed some food, and put it in the microwave. A minute later, he returned to the table and began eating.

He hadn’t taken more than a couple of bites when there was a knock at the door.

Alex and Dean exchanged glances. Alex shook his head — no one was supposed to come today. Dean shrugged and went to answer it.

On the doorstep stood Enid, holding Thing — the living hand of the Addams family.

“Alex, your pink girlfriend and the living hand are here!” Dean shouted, letting them in.

Alex turned his head and saw Enid. Thing sat in her hands, lazily fidgeting with its fingers. Alex couldn’t help but notice that Enid looked especially cute: a light pink skirt, white leggings, and a pink top highlighted her cheerful look.

Enid stepped into the room and immediately noticed the chaos on Alex’s work desk — tools, boxes, strange devices. She smiled, bounced over to him, and quickly pecked him on the cheek.

Dean watched this, shook his head, and returned to his lunch.

“Hope you’re not too busy with work?” Enid asked cautiously, pulling a chair over and sitting next to him.

“Not at the moment. If no one screws up or dies, I’ve got a little free time. Why?” Alex said, turning toward her.

“I think it’ll be better if Thing explains everything himself,” Enid replied, pointing at the hand.

Thing nimbly jumped onto the table and began gesturing wildly with its fingers, clearly preparing to convey something important.

Alex and Dean turned their heads toward Thing. It immediately stood on its wrist and started rapidly signing in its own gestural language.

Dean, as usual, understood absolutely nothing, but Alex caught everything without a problem. Watching Thing’s “story,” he suddenly remembered that he had completely forgotten about Wednesday’s birthday. Morticia had mentioned it to him recently — hugging him goodbye, she had casually said that Wednesday’s special day was coming up.

Nodding, Alex quickly pieced everything together and realized what Thing and Enid wanted from him. It all boiled down to one thing — helping to set up a little surprise for Wednesday.

Of course, no one had considered the fact that Wednesday absolutely hated surprises.

But noticing Enid’s enthusiastic smile, Alex decided to tactfully stay silent and not ruin the moment.

When Thing finished explaining, it stood on its fingers again and looked expectantly at Alex. Enid also looked at him with puppy eyes, practically begging him to agree.

Only Dean still remained completely clueless.

“Maybe someone can explain what’s going on?” he asked, shifting his gaze from Enid to Alex.

“Wednesday’s birthday is tomorrow,” Enid said cheerfully. “We want to throw her a surprise in the crypt. And we need Alex to make a super-delicious cake.”

“Ah, I see…” Dean drawled. “Well, good luck with that. And, dude, take a break. Your brain’s already fried from all this work. You even called Cas your brother — that’s a red flag. Throw a party, hang out with a group of not-so-average teens, and finally get some sleep.”

He spoke in the tone of a caring older brother.

“You haven’t slept at all these past few days?!” Enid snapped, grabbing Alex’s hand. “You said you were resting fine!”

“That’s a lie,” Dean calmly interjected. “All he’s been doing is drinking coffee, smoking, and working again. So many agents have been through here these past few days, I’ve lost count.”

Alex shot Dean a look that clearly said: I am about to smack you over the head with a stick.

He had deliberately disabled the fairy drone monitoring his condition so the family wouldn’t know he had thrown himself back into work. But now the drone was on, and Dean’s words had been heard by everyone.

Alex could practically feel the family chat exploding with messages like: “You’re working again instead of resting.”

Enid looked at him with that very same stare — the same way his wives usually looked at him. Alex deliberately pretended not to notice.

The only thing he could do now was nod, showing that he would take a break for a few days. He understood perfectly: any arguments about saving people and preventing casualties would simply not work. No one would listen.

Without saying a word, Alex grabbed fresh clothes and headed to the bathroom.

Ten minutes later, he emerged no longer looking like an overworked teenage workaholic.

“Alright, my little pink fluffball,” he said, putting on Nero’s black-and-red coat. “Let’s go buy everything for the birthday cake.”

Enid smiled — she clearly liked that Alex had finally agreed to take a break. The thought that he hadn’t slept all these past days genuinely worried her.

She lifted Thing and placed him on her shoulder, then immediately bounced over to Alex and, beaming, took his hand.

Alex responded with a smile, gently stroked her hair, adjusted the strap of his backpack, and was ready to go.

“Have fun, you two,” Dean smirked, watching them leave.

“And, Dean,” Alex added before Enid pulled him out of the room, “keep an eye on my laptop. I need to stay updated on what’s going on.”

“Dude, take a break. The world won’t fall apart without you. It didn’t without me. Almost,” Dean said, dryly coughing.

“I’ve sent three teams to three cities,” Alex replied seriously. “I need to know what’s happening there.”

Enid, still holding Alex’s hand, suddenly stopped.

Dean looked at him, and noticing the serious expression on Alex’s face, raised an eyebrow. Without a word, he understood: complete chaos was beginning again in the world — and someone seemed determined to keep tossing crap into a giant fan.

All this time, Dean had increasingly doubted that Amara was truly the main villain. Everything she had told him in dreams only strengthened those doubts. He had even directly asked her about the shards of her power that had leaked into the world, but Amara masterfully played the part of someone who knew nothing.

Dean also knew that the Blade of Cain could destroy the so-called shards of Amara’s power. And he had learned that… from Amara herself. She repeatedly insisted that she had given him the blade only so he could protect himself.

“Alright. Which cities?” Dean asked, nodding. “I’ll make sure nothing happens.”

“The first — Silent Hill. The second — Shepherd’s Glen. And the last — Ashfield. All three cities are connected,” Alex replied calmly.

“You mean that extinct Order of fanatics might start stirring something again?” Dean frowned at the familiar names.

“They’re not extinct. Just hiding, like rats.”

Alex looked him straight in the eyes.

“And they never stopped trying to create their ‘perfect world.’ This is also connected to what we’re looking for. Better read the document I put together. Everything’s in there.”

The tone in Alex’s voice made it clear: this wasn’t a topic to discuss out loud.

Dean shifted his gaze to Enid. She thoughtfully held Alex’s hand, alternating her glance between him and Dean.

He nodded, understanding the hint. They had already agreed to keep things under wraps and not speak openly about sensitive matters in front of others.

Dean knew about this Order from Alex’s stories — in his opinion, Alex was a walking encyclopedia of cursed places and grim events. Nodding once more, Dean made it clear he would monitor the situation and study the documents as soon as Alex and Enid left.

Alex smiled, squeezed Enid’s hand tighter, and walked out of the hotel with her.

They strolled toward the grocery store, planning to buy everything needed for Wednesday’s birthday cake.

Enid kept glancing at Alex thoughtfully. The strange conversation about the Order of Fanatics and the cities he mentioned kept running through her mind. She usually tried not to pry into Alex’s work, but her curiosity was getting the better of her.

The memory of his mission in Bright Falls was still vivid in her mind — especially how… impressive he had looked in the role of an agent.

Entering the store, Alex stopped by the shelves, pondering what kind of cake Wednesday might like — even though she hated celebrating her own birthday.

Enid watched him, hesitating whether to ask a question or stay silent.

“If you want to ask — ask,” Alex said calmly, placing a carton of eggs in the cart. “It’s not like I need to hide it.”

“What’s this Order you mentioned to Dean? He said it had died out long ago,” Enid asked, still holding his hand.

“Hm…” Alex thought for a moment. “It’s a group of fanatics who try to revive a goddess and build their ‘Heaven on Earth’ through rituals and sacrifices.”

“And they really did all that… with victims and everything?” Enid asked cautiously, glancing around to make sure no one was listening.

“Yeah.”

Alex sighed.

“In 1976, they really screwed up. I won’t go into the dark details — you don’t need to know. Let’s just say, since then, Silent Hill has been a ghost town. No one lives there, everything is shrouded in thick fog. The Bureau of Control monitors the city, but people still go there… and disappear.”

“But why go to a city like that at all?” Enid wondered. “Is there anything important there?”

“You’re a werewolf, you understand all this supernatural stuff,” Alex said calmly, checking his shopping list on his phone. “Ghosts, curses, and so on.”

He looked at her.

“Silent Hill is a cursed city. People don’t go there for thrills. The city itself… calls them.”

“How can a city call someone?” Enid frowned. “It’s just… a city. What about the other two?”

“That’s harder to explain.”

Alex moved to the next aisle.

“There’s a cult in Shepherd’s Glen too. Right now, they’re quiet, not doing anything. But in Ashfield…” — he paused for a second — “there used to be a serial killer named Walter Sullivan. He died in ’91, hanged himself in his cell. He carved numbers on his victims’ bodies. No one ever understood why. I think Wednesday knows about him.”

“I’m pretty sure she does,” Enid said with a smile, nodding.

Alex gently stroked Enid’s hair.

After paying for the cake ingredients, he paused for a moment. Since he had really decided to take a break today, he needed a place where he could make the cake in peace, without distractions. Enid immediately suggested going to Nevermore.

Alex raised an eyebrow, but after a brief pause, he agreed.

Enid skillfully ordered an Uber, and soon they were on their way to the academy. Upon arriving at Nevermore, Alex first went to Larissa Weems’ office to get permission to use the kitchen.

The conversation with the principal was… strange. Larissa Weems didn’t say it directly, but she made it very clear, in her insistent way, that she would be delighted if Alex could keep Wednesday occupied and prevent her from poking her nose where it didn’t belong.

At such hints, Alex could only respond with a dry cough, making it clear that he had no intention of giving any guarantees.

After getting permission to use one of the kitchens, Alex and Enid finally went to start cooking.

“So what kind of cake are you going to make?” Enid asked cheerfully, almost bouncing around while Alex laid out the ingredients.

“Considering Wednesday’s tastes… I think it’ll be a black chocolate cake,” Alex replied calmly. “And don’t worry — I’ll make it tasty enough that everyone can eat it.”

He stroked Enid’s hair again.

“Mmm! So… when are you going to start working your magic and make the most delicious cake in the world?” she asked enthusiastically, nodding vigorously.

“First, everything needs to be prepared,” Alex smirked. “Only then do we move on to the magic.”

Enid put on the most serious face she was capable of in a situation like this. Seeing that expression, Alex couldn’t help but laugh, then got down to cooking.

After the ingredients were prepared — with Enid actively helping — the process went smoothly and was even enjoyable. When the cake was ready, Enid decisively took over the decorating, confident that she knew exactly what Wednesday would like.

When the inscription appeared on the surface of the cake in frosting:

“Happy Birthday. You’re one year closer to death.”

Alex immediately knew — it was a perfect hit.

He chuckled quietly, watching Enid carefully decorate the cake in gloomy tones, adjusting every detail to suit Wednesday’s taste. At that moment, Alex caught himself thinking that, in this timeline, Enid and Wednesday’s relationship was developing much more gently — and perhaps not without his involvement.

“Ah, here you are. We’ve been looking for you everywhere. Are you done already?” a friendly male voice called out from the kitchen entrance.

Alex and Enid turned at the same time and saw Ajax and Xavier.

Alex smiled faintly, paying no attention to Xavier’s usual cold look. Enid, on the other hand, smiled broadly.

The boys entered the kitchen and looked at the cake, then at Alex, once again wondering how one person could combine so many different skills — including cooking.

“We’re almost done,” Enid said with a smile. “Just a few final touches, and the cake will be ready.”

“So the plan is still on?” Xavier asked, leaning lightly against the table.

“Yes,” Enid nodded energetically. “We just need to lure Wednesday to a place where she won’t suspect anything… and then surprise her.”

“We’ll take care of that,” Xavier said with a short nod. “All you have to do is invite her.”

Alex listened calmly to the discussion of how exactly they were going to surprise Wednesday and caught himself thinking that if, instead of a secret birthday celebration, they simply kidnapped her in the middle of the night, Wednesday would probably be far happier about that than about a rendition of “Happy Birthday.”

He wisely kept those thoughts to himself.

While Enid discussed the plan with Ajax and Xavier, carefully tucking the cake into its box, Alex got to work cleaning the kitchen. He didn’t even want to delve into the details of how they intended to lure Wednesday — in any case, he’d just go along and hand her the gift. All that remained was to wait until midnight.

As it got closer to twelve, Alex finally learned how Enid and the others planned to get Wednesday out of her room and bring her to Joseph Cracklstone’s crypt. Seeing the ridiculous note made out of magazine clippings, he decided to pretend he hadn’t noticed.

Soon, the whole group made their way to the crypt.

Alex felt quite comfortable there — unlike the others. Alongside him at the crypt were Xavier, Ajax, the mermaid twins Kent and Divina, Yoko, and even Bianca, who looked as though she would rather be anywhere else.

Alex couldn’t help but wonder how they had managed to convince Bianca to come, given that she absolutely detested Wednesday.

“I wanted to ask…” Divina began cautiously, addressing Alex.

“Ask what?” he replied, exhaling a stream of cigarette smoke.

“After the Raven Ball, you and your partner looked… well, let’s just say not great,” Ajax interjected, asking a question that clearly worried everyone. “And now you’re alive and unharmed. How?”

“Ah, that,” Alex shrugged. “I’m pretty resilient and recover quickly. Simply put… I can do this.”

He placed his hands on the top of his head.

As soon as he removed them, a pair of wolf ears appeared on his head, and a tail peeked out from under his coat, lazily swaying from side to side.

Silence fell.

Everyone stared at Alex in complete shock.

“So, you’re a werewolf?” Bianca raised an eyebrow.

“No,” Alex said calmly. “I just know how to use magic the way I want. It’s easy for me. For everyone else… well, that’s their problem. Does that answer your question?”

“So, a witcher? Or a warlock?” Xavier frowned, crossing his arms.

“Neither,” Alex shrugged. “I’m just smart enough to understand how it all works.”

“Did you even go to school?” Divina asked with genuine curiosity. “Or does the Bureau you work for provide some kind of special training?”

“Yeah, went to school,” Alex nodded. “For a whole two months. Then it got boring, so I finished externally and got my diploma.”

Everyone looked at him as if he were a walking genius. Alex just rolled his eyes wearily.

At that moment, voices from afar signaled Enid and Wednesday approaching, and a flashlight beam flickered in the darkness.

“They’re coming,” Xavier whispered.

Everyone immediately ducked inside the crypt to hide. Alex remained calm. He already knew how this birthday greeting would end.

To be continued…

(Anyway, I’m still trying to figure out where we’ll move on after the short Supernatural plot. Although Silent Hill and Derry are in the same state, so that shouldn’t be a problem. As for Wednesday’s plot, there’s not much left, if I remember correctly. I watched the show back when it was first airing. But I think it’ll end with a beating and Tyler being taken away to the Bureau. And then hehehe.)

Early access to chapters on my patreon: p*treon.com/GreedHunter

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep