The Audacity Of Kael

Kael and Aurora continued working on their project in relative silence, the only sounds in the room being the scratching of pencils and the occasional click from Sean's phone as he scrolled through whatever was keeping him entertained.

Aurora sat closer to Kael than she probably needed to, but she was too nervous to move. Every once in a while, her shoulder would brush against his, and her heart would skip a beat. Kael, on the other hand, was focused on finishing the section about Heaven's strategic maneuvers during the war.

Just as the quiet settled in, the door to Kael's room swung open, and Kikidori strolled in like he owned the place.

"What's up, kid?" Kikidori said, leaning casually against the doorframe. His fiery eyes scanned the room, lingering briefly on Aurora, who froze like a deer caught in headlights. "Who's the shy girl?"

Kael didn't even look up. "Get out," he said flatly, flipping the page of his notebook.

Kikidori raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. "Excuse me?"

"I said get out," Kael repeated, his tone even more dismissive. He didn't even spare his father a glance, continuing to scribble notes like he was talking to just another one of his friends.

For a moment, the room felt like it had frozen in time. Sean slowly looked up from his phone, his mouth slightly open in disbelief. Aurora's pencil slipped from her fingers, clattering onto the desk. Both of them stared at Kael like he had just sprouted wings and declared himself ruler of the universe.

Kikidori stared at his son, his expression unreadable. Then, with a shrug, he turned and walked out, closing the door behind him. "Okay," he said nonchalantly, his footsteps retreating down the hall.

The silence that followed was deafening.

Sean was the first to break it, lowering his phone and blinking at Kael. "Dude," he said slowly, "did you just tell the Prince of Hell to get out of your room?"

Kael shrugged, still not looking up. "Yeah. He was interrupting."

Aurora finally found her voice, though it came out as a squeak. "A-and he just… listened to you?"

Kael nodded, flipping another page. "Yeah. He knows better than to bother me when I'm working."

Sean let out a low whistle, shaking his head. "Unbelievable. The amount of audacity you have is insane."

Kael smirked faintly. "What can I say? I'm his kid. It comes naturally."

Aurora, still wide-eyed, looked between the door and Kael. "I-I don't understand," she whispered. "He's the Prince of Hell. Why didn't he get mad?"

Kael shrugged again. "Because he doesn't care. He's lazy like that."

Sean leaned back on the bed, still looking at Kael like he was some kind of mythical creature. "Man, if I talked to my dad like that, I wouldn't survive the day. And I don't even have a dad!"

Kael finally looked up, meeting Sean's gaze with a smirk. "Well, I guess that's why your dad wasn't Kikidori."

Sean shook his head, laughing under his breath. "You're unreal."

Aurora, still processing everything, silently picked her pencil back up and tried to refocus on the project. But her mind kept drifting back to what she had just witnessed.

The rest of the study session passed in relative quiet, though the tension from earlier was replaced with a newfound sense of awe.

End of Chapter 48