The first thing David became aware of was the ceiling .
It was white. Pristine. No cracks, no water stains, no cobwebs lurking in the corners like his hostel ceiling. This was a ceiling that had its life together. A ceiling that paid its rent on time.
The second thing he became aware of was the face hovering directly above him, blocking most of that perfect ceiling.
A young man. Tall ,even sitting, David could tell he was tall. Athletic, slim build. Light brown skin. A sharp, clean-shaven buzz cut and moustache the color of pale gold. He was grinning down at David with the energy of a golden retriever who had just found a lost sock.
"Rise and shine, King," the man said, his voice warm and annoyingly cheerful.
David blinked. His brain felt like it had been replaced with wet cotton. He tried to sit up, failed, and settled for propping himself on his elbows. The room swam into focus like a small, clean space. A bed that wasn't his. A window showing daylight. No smell of cooking beans or roommate arguments.
"Where…" David's voice came out as a croak. He cleared his throat. "Who are you?"
The blonde man tilted his head, still grinning. "You don't remember me? The pink aura guy? Fixing the walls? Psalm 46? 'He maketh wars to cease'?" He made a dramatic, sweeping gesture with his hands, pink light flickering briefly between his fingers.
David stared at him blankly. The face was familiar, vaguely. The pink light triggered a memory of shattered bricks knitting themselves back together.
"Oh. You're… the repair guy."
"Eloghosa," the man corrected, placing a hand on his chest. "Ohi Eloghosa. Nonchalant and certified tallest vanguard in the convenant. And well i healed you with my faith" Wiggling his fingers with pink sparks bouncing.
"Thanks but how long was I out?"
Eloghosa opened his mouth to answer, but David's brain had already moved on, still sluggish, still catching up. He looked around the room again the clean sheets, the medical equipment beside the bed, the soft morning light.
"This isn't my hostel," David said slowly.
"Sharp observation. Top-tier detective work."
"So where am I?"
" Limited tech limited. GRA. The cover for our base. Very exclusive, very secret, very hard to find on Google Maps." Eloghosa pulled up a chair and sat backward on it, resting his arms on the backrest. "You collapsed like a sack of plantains after shaking Ezra's hand. Impressive commitment to the bit, honestly."
David groaned, letting his head fall back against the pillow. The memory was coming back now, Axum the mirrors, the green light, the giant with the black flail. And then… nothing.
"Right," David muttered. "I did that." "Wait did you say limited tech limited?."
"You did that." "And yes I did."
A beat of silence. Then David looked at Eloghosa again, studying him. The blonde buzz cut caught the light. He looked young maybe David's age, maybe older. Impossible to tell.
"How old are you?"
Eloghosa's grin froze. His eyes narrowed with theatrical suspicion.
" Is this some kind of setup?" He leaned back, pointing a finger at David. "Is this one of those moments where I say my age and then you say something incredibly mean and I have to pretend it doesn't hurt?"
From somewhere behind Eloghosa, a familiar voice chimed in.
"Grown ass man, by the way."
David's head turned. Jonathan stood in the doorway, arms crossed, his usual stoic expression softened slightly by something that might have been amusement. Beside him, Praise slipped into the room, holding a steaming bowl of noodles.
The smell hit David like a freight train. His stomach growled audibly.
Praise was in clad with a rare, genuine smile and walked over to hand him the bowl. "Eat. You must be really hungry ."
David took it with trembling hands, the warmth seeping into his palms. He didn't wait. He shoveled a mouthful of noodles into his face and nearly wept.
Eloghosa watched him eat, then turned to Praise with his best puppy-dog eyes. "So… where's mine?"
Praise didn't even look at him. "You ate already. Twice."
"That was breakfast. This is second breakfast."
"That's not a thing."
"It is in the Shire."
"We're not in the Shire."
Eloghosa sighed dramatically and slumped in his chair. "No one appreciates me."
David, mid-bite, finally managed to swallow and speak. The noodles were restoring something fundamental in his soul. He looked around the room, locking eyes on Jonathan's quiet watchfulness, at Praise's gentle concern, at Eloghosa's ridiculous energy and decided to just get it over with.
"So," David said, setting the bowl down for a moment. "I guess this is where you give me the speech. 'You're part of this world now. Phobias will come after you. You should become a Vanguard.' That whole thing."
He took a breath. The decision had already been made, somewhere between the shattered mirrors and the two patches of ash on the floor.
"I already decided. I'm in."
Silence.
Eloghosa stared at him. His expression shifted from playful to genuinely confused.
"What do you mean, 'you already decided'?"
David frowned. "Isn't that why I'm here? The recruitment pitch?"
"No, man." Eloghosa shook his head slowly, still looking baffled. "I just came to ask you your type of woman."
David blinked. "What?"
"Your type. Of woman. You know tall, short, loud, quiet, the whole thing."
Jonathan's face became very still almost like he had flashbacks. Praise's hand flew to her mouth. She was trying not to laugh.
David looked between them, utterly lost. "Is this… some kind of test? A psychological evaluation? To see if I'm stable enough for Vanguard duty?"
"No." Eloghosa's grin returned, wider now. "I heard it on Jujutsu Kaisen and I've been asking everyone since. Maybe you're right it is an . Tested and trusted or is the trusted and tested , well it works a scientist proved that ."
Praise snorted. Jonathan pinched the bridge of his nose.
David just stared.
"My type, by the way," Eloghosa continued, completely unbothered, "is a short, dark-skinned girl. That's it. That's the whole thing. Got my priorities straight you know ." While staring at Jonathan, who seemed to be getting uncomfortable.
David opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again.
"You're… you're serious."
"Deadly."
David exhaled, long and slow. The absurdity of it after everything, after Axum and the Crusade and nearly dying ,this was the conversation. He found himself laughing. Not a polite chuckle, but a real, genuine laugh that made his ribs ache.
"Well," David said, shaking his head. "Well i have eyes in someone already. That's about it too."
Eloghosa's eyes went wide with what looked like genuine respect. He leaned forward and placed a hand on David's shoulder with solemn gravity.
"You're way more impressive than I thought."
"…because I have a crush ?"
"Because you answered without hesitation. Clean. Confident. No rambling." Eloghosa sat back, nodding approvingly. "I remember when I asked Jaron. He literally avoided me for two days."
From the doorway, Jonathan's voice came again, flat and dry: "Grown ass man. By the way."
David clutched his stomach, still laughing. Praise was laughing too now, her shoulders shaking. Even Jonathan's lips twitched.
"Indeed," Praise managed between giggles. "A grown ass man."
Eloghosa waved a hand dismissively. "You're all haters. Every single one of you."
He stood, stretching his tall frame, and for a moment his playful demeanor settled into something warmer. Sincere. He looked down at David with a small, genuine smile.
"I'm Ohi Eloghosa. Nice to meet you, Osayi David . Welcome to the Vanguards."
David nodded, the weight of those words settling over him. Welcome. He was in now. No going back.
Eloghosa's smile faded slightly. "Oh, and by the way your parents have been trying to reach you for the past two days. You should probably call them."
He turned and walked toward the door, Jonathan and Praise following. The door clicked shut behind them.
David sat in the sudden silence.
Two days.
Two days?
His hand shot out, grabbing his phone from the bedside table. The screen lit up.
167 missed calls.
274 unread messages.
A cold spike of dread drove straight through his chest.
"Oh no," David whispered. "Oh no, no, no."
His father's contact photo stared back at him.
He was dead. Not from Phobias. Not from Axum's logic. But from whatever was waiting on the other end of this phone.
David Osayi, monster-fighter, four-time Communion-lander, newest recruit of the Covenant, stared at his phone and realized:
He was terrified.