Like every morning, I'm woken up by my phone's alarm. I contemplate staying in bed and not going to work for a while after turning it off, like I always do, before finally getting up and leaving my room. As usual, Izei, my roommate, is sitting at the dining table, having breakfast.

He's on his phone, either reading the news or checking what's new at work. As a dungeon delver, he doesn't exactly have a consistent schedule, but that doesn't stop him from getting up at exactly the same time every morning.

I yawn loudly as I stretch on my way to the kitchen, where I grab a bowl, a box of cereal, and a milk carton. As I'm mixing the two ingredients together, Izei looks up at me and says:

"Hey, I'm probably not going to be here for dinner tonight, so don't wait for me."

We're long past the need for good mornings or other salutations. We've been living together, in this apartment, for nine years now. Our cohabitation wasn't supposed to be this long, but life doesn't always take the path you expect it to.

I nod, a spoonful of cereals already in my mouth as I walk to the table. After sitting down, I ask:

"Big dungeon, then?"

"Yeah. New one, just opened a few days ago. Initial scouting's done, so we have a good idea of what's on the upper floors, but my squad got tasked with going in deeper to complete the file. We have no reason to expect anything particularly unpleasant, but it'll still take a while to get it done."

"Still sounds kinda dangerous, no? Who's to say you won't stumble upon some crazy strong monster?"

"We don't know, but that's why we're going in with some veterans who have seen their fair share of 'crazy strong monsters', as you put it. I'm not worried."

"Then I guess there's no reason for me to be, either. Good luck!"

"Thanks. What about you? Still same old same old at work?"

"Still same old same old. Current client expects the impossible from us, and our boss is too much of a coward to tell them that we'll stick to the parameters initially laid out in the contract we accepted. So now we're scrambling to find impossible solutions to a problem that was just thrown at us."

"Sounds like your boss needs to grow a spine."

"He really does. Unfortunately, he's convinced that it'll be bad for the company's reputation if we don't accept unreasonable alterations to the contracts we already signed. But hey, someone always ends up compromising somewhere, I'm sure this time will be no different."

"Must be getting used to it by now, you've been there for a few years."

"Yeah... Honestly, the fact that it's been six years already with nothing having changed at all since I started makes me feel pretty hopeless."

He shrugs before concluding:

"I guess there were no crises serious enough to force an adaptation."

I nod, then turn my attention back towards my own phone.

As I'm standing on the subway platform, waiting for a train to arrive, I let my thoughts drift to their usual place. I'm 28, single, and I live with another guy who's 28 and single. We met in high school, where we became good friends, and decided to get an apartment together when he was looking for work and I was looking for a place closer to university where I could stay. We told each other that we'd keep sharing the costs until one of us moved out with a girlfriend, but that has yet to happen for either of us.

I'm starting to think we might have to rethink our agreement. He probably makes less money than me, but he should still be able to afford a place for himself. As we get older, we'll probably start coming across women who expect our lives to be in a bit more order while navigating the dating scene. Having our own places would show a level of financial stability, and... Ah, the train is here.

The day goes by like normal, with a meeting during which we try, yet again, to convince our boss to talk to the client about compromising somewhere, and some more work on the magical circuit we're developing. I leave the office at my normal time, take the subway back home, and enter an empty apartment where I let myself fall, face first, on the couch. I stay like that for a bit, but my grumbling stomach reminds me that it's dinner time. I grab one of the ready meals from the freezer, heat it up in the microwave oven, then turn the TV on to watch the news as I sit on the couch with my plate.

That could be considered my routine. If Izei happens to be there for dinner, we'll make an effort to eat at the same time, but our schedules don't always line up, usually because he's in a dungeon, but sometimes because I do overtime.

"And back to the breaking news. An expedition organized by the Spearhead company into a newly opened dungeon seems to have ended in tragedy, as several delvers were severely injured by the monsters found deeper within. According to Spearhead's spokesperson, no one has died yet, but several of their employees are in critical condition at the time of this reporting. The delve has, of course, been called off until more information is available, and the dungeon has been closed off until further notice. In a different field, the Himeri Consortium announced earlier today..."

As I take a bite of food, it suddenly hits me: Spearhead is the company Izei works for! He said he was going into a new dungeon tonight... Is he okay? Is he one of the injured delvers?

I drop my plate on the coffee table, then rush to my phone. Despite my panic, I manage to call him.

It rings. It rings again. And again. And again. I feel my heart accelerate as I get closer to the timeout. If he really is injured and in critical condition, he might not be able to answer the phone! Please, be safe!

As the last ringing tone nears its end, someone finally picks up:

"Hello?"

I feel my heart sink when I realize that the voice is not his. Someone else answered his phone. Then... he must have been unable to answer himself, right?

"Hi. I'm a friend of Izei, the owner of this phone. Is he nearby?"

"Ah, yes, he is! He's currently at the Central Hospital. If you're calling because of the incident in the dungeon, let me reassure you: his life is not in immediate danger. However, he will still need to spend the night here, as we need to do a full checkup of his health."

I let out a sigh of relief as I hear these words. He's still alive.

"Why did you answer for him?"

"He's currently busy with the primary physician. He gave me permission to answer. Ah, I guess I should clarify, I'm a nurse here."

"I see. Thank you very much for letting me know about his situation. Will I be able to come visit him tonight?"

"That should not be an issue, as long as you do so within opening hours."

"Perfect, thank you."

I hang up, shovel the last few remaining bites of food from my plate into my mouth, then grab my coat and head back out.

Thanks to the subway, it doesn't take me very long to reach the Central Hospital. I haven't been here very often, so I still end up having to stop and look up the way a few times, but I manage to make it to the front desk. Since Izei's life is not in danger, I'm able to calm myself down and not just rush there as fast as I can.

"Hi! I'm here to visit a friend."

"Are they one of the injured delvers?"

"Yes. His name is Izei Sol."

"Mister Sol... Yes, you'll find him in room B-257. Simply go to your right from here, up one floor, and you'll be there. However..."

She starts squinting as she focuses on something on her computer screen, then says:

"Ah, he's that one. Please make sure to not shout loudly or get angry when you see him, okay?"

I look at her in confusion, but decide to leave it at that and head to the room she indicated. Maybe he got severely injured or mutilated, which could surprise someone coming to visit, but... If it was really bad, they wouldn't allow visitors, right? So now I'm just curious.

I take the elevator up one floor, then walk down the hallway until I reach room B-257. I knock, and a nurse responds:

"Here to visit?"

"I am."

"Who?"

"Izei."

"Third bed on your left."

She looks rather busy, checking over the files of who I assume to be the patients here, so I'll forgive her for using few words. The room has multiple beds separated by closed curtains, so I approach Izei's and ask before pulling the curtain open:

"Hey, it's me. Can I come in?"

"Yeah."

I start hesitating after hearing that answer. That was... not Izei's voice. It sounded like him, at least a bit, but something was off. Did I get the wrong bed? Well, only one way to find out.

I pull the curtain aside and step inside the small area cut off from the rest of the room, before freezing upon seeing its occupant.

Sitting on the bed, a defeated expression on her face, is a woman. She looks to be in her late twenties, has short blonde hair and dark blue eyes, and wears a typical hospital gown. As our eyes meet and a pained smile forms on her lips, she says:

"I don't know how I feel about you seeing me like this, but thanks for coming anyway."

That voice, that haircut, those eyes, and even that smile... She looks and sounds exactly like Izei would if he was a woman.

As I slowly realize what's going on, a question escapes my lips:

"...Izei?"