Gentle light quivered through the soft, sun-bronzed room along with the ticking hands of the all-glass clock. Billows of tepid, equable air fluttered the chiffon overlay of the drawn, thin, charmeuse curtains. The drifting fabric cast blurred, undulating shadows that reached languidly toward the sleeping girl on the nearby bed. Her thick, sable hair was scrawled across the duvet which nestled up to her chin. A single arm was tucked neatly at her left side, on top of the puffy covers. Palm up, the girl's hand curled limply around the outstretched hand of a sedentary boy who had fallen asleep in vigil.

The weak flick of a few fingers faintly grazed the boy's rough knuckles, prompting the tips of his eyebrows to crinkle ever so slightly. Two pairs of lashes flickered in unison, and sore limbs creaked into listless motion.

"Darren?" The girl croaked quietly as her dim, lavender eyes latched onto his russet-brown ones. Her hand had slipped from his as she wearily sat up.

Darren's mouth was slightly ajar, vaguely shifting as he struggled to overcome his speechlessness. She had finally awoken, and he could only blink blankly at her stupor. She had been asleep for several days now, and he had only just woken up three days ago himself. Essairyn was stronger than Darren, so he was hopeful that she would wake up soon after him. But as the first day dragged into the second, and then slouched to the third and fourth today, a burning guilt began gnawing at his core should his friends never wake up.

"...Sairyn." He managed to whisper gutturally before swiftly leaning forward to embrace her gently.

Startled, but sluggish, Essairyn let Darren hold her for a second before reaching up to pat his back softly. "Hm, it's okay." She had read his micro-expressions when they contorted from dazed to distressed. If she weren't so enervated, her own face might've mirrored his in reaction.

Darren pulled back, holding her at arms length. His concerned eyes carefully inspected Essairyn to double check she was fine. This once over induced the corner of her lip to curl up in languid amusement.

"Just a little knock out and you're staring at me like a mother would a child."

Darren froze, and then glared at Essairyn. "Hey! It wasn't just a 'little' knock out! You were asleep for almost a week!"

Her eyes shot open in shock. "You're kidding me!!" She nearly shrieked. "I was asleep for that long?!" Her mind spun in all sorts of directions, trying to grease the gears for calculation of how she could possibly be knocked out for so long and how injured she must be then. In haste, she patted herself down to check for the function of her limbs and any lacerations. But finding none, she halted her hands in confusion and looked briskly around the room in full realization of her circumstances.

"Where... are we...? And—!!" She jolted, spinning around to face Darren with rising panic. "—where's Aispin?! Is he awake?" Her last question was softer in worried anticipation as she remembered him saying he wanted to take most of the hit. "And, Leœss? Akari?"

"Akari is fine—she was the one who brought us here." Darren peered grimly into her eyes before continuing slowly. "As for Aispin... he's just like you were—asleep. But...he's in worse shape than you. Whatever spell or trick he set up, he..." His eyes flashed about nervously. "..he definitely took the brunt of the reflected damage." Darren stared at the bed covers with narrowed, dark eyes.

"It was due to his actions that I guess you came out mostly unscathed, b-but, I'm not sure... it just... doesn't feel right. It doesn't make sense to me after brooding over it for several days now. Dr. Cyanmay said that the injuries don't line up based on the magic cast and reflected. But he's not certain either since he's not magically adept with only a weak mana flow..."

"Dr. Cyanmay? Is he someone who helped us? Is that where we are?" Essairyn asked while glancing up at the cozy ceiling and scrutinizing the homely furniture. It sure didn't look like a hospital or anything, so perhaps this was his abode.

"No wait, before you answer that, what about Leœss? Is he oh..." Her words trailed off as she witnessed Darren's expression plummet while tearing his gaze away. A dead silence ensued.

"....What happened." It was no longer a question.

Darren's face darkened even further before easing into a look of helplessness. He closed his eyes and let out a breath with his jaw squared. "He..." The words dripped at the grueling speed and bare silence of a leaky faucet. "...he.." Darren's involuntarily voice choked as he stumbled upon his words and gripped his white knuckled fists. "He's no longer—he's dead." The last two rushed out like a torrent, smacking Essairyn so bluntly in the face that her mind stopped functioning for a second.

"..excuse me..?" Her voice was barely a whisper, more like a withheld breath. She couldn't possibly comprehend the weight of Darren's words.

Without warning, she whipped aside the covers, startling Darren who reactively jerked back into his chair and almost fell backwards with it. He hardly rebalanced himself and the chair before Essairyn had swept past him toward the closed door and flung it open, nearly banging the knob onto the adjacent wall.

"Where is he?!!" Essairyn's desperately strangled tone diminished the weight of her vehement demand.

"I—" Darren halted, paused, and then stood up straight, plodding stoically toward her side. "Let's go see him." His mahogany eyes glimpsed her quivering fist. He grasped it gingerly with his own and marched staunchly forward.

It was as if Essairyn was walking through a vacuum of senses where the only tangible sensation was the crawling drip of dry perspiration that clawed at her back. She remembered nothing of the house and garden on the way to the simple gravesite marked by a few fresh flowers squeezed between hand-sized stones.

Upon reaching the seemingly insignificant mound of partly dried dirt, Essairyn's legs buckled beneath her. She flopped to her knees, encasing her shins in what felt like stained soil.

"You can't possibly—this can't possibly be—" Her jaw trembled to force back the ensuing wave of reality. "You can't—just—!" Essairyn's vision fogged with thick drops that tumbled pitifully onto ground that could never again be beautiful. Her fingers seized clumps of earth, applying enough pressure to crush the moisture out of them. The very soil cried with the lost girl.

"Y-you said—I promised—we were supposed to go meet your older sister and her family! To eat her terrible cooking, show that you became a real knight, and that—!" She covered her eyes with her forearm, plugging the loathsome tears while also supporting her falling torso with it. "What about Ami? What about Kyla? What am I supposed to tell your little sisters? What are they supposed to tell your little brother? Why—?!!"

Essairyn spluttered, gagging on her emotions from a tightening chest and throat. It wasn't like they had known each other that long or that well, but why, why did it feel like something vital was collapsing around her, leaving her in pitch darkness?

Oh. A clear voice echoed starkly in her head. It's because I miss them. The voice of her shadow quickened, blurring with the voice of her inner ego. She was not grieving for Leo. But for herself. His siblings had lost their older brother, but she had lost her entire family and world. His family had reminded her of all that had been snatched from her and which thought she had accepted.

But she had never truly given up her past life and loved ones. They were all always on the edge of her mind, prodding at the unfeeling walls that were erected to safeguard her heart and sanity from crumbling. She had been chasing death, prodding death, and now death had caught up with her, played a game with her, teased her with the lovely, tempting bliss of forgetfulness to only snatch away her walls through the death of another.

Ah. Was this my fault? She wondered. If she hadn't been so reckless. If she hasn't been so short-sighted. If she hadn't dragged people and just stayed alone, if she had just—!

"Essairyn."

A warm hand laid comfortingly on her shoulder. She gave one last heave while intaking a shaky, prolonged gulp of air before slowly inclining her head toward Darren.

"..yeah?"

"....." Darren swallowed his words, not wanting to say anything that could potentially tip Essairyn's tremulous balancing scales to one side, resulting in another bout of unwanted tears. While he believed that she needed to let the emotion out, he could also discern her desperate desire to cocoon herself in the security of her apathy. She hated not being in control of herself and her destiny, and she wasn't feeling steady enough to sift through the ambivalent quagmire of her twisted, inner shadows in relation to her somber reality.

So, Darren tugged gently at Essairyn, helping to lift herself up from the ground. Then, he grasped her dirtied hand and heedfully led her away from the gravesite resting on the outskirts of the outdoor garden. They walked through the flowers and foliage in serpentine directions. Essairyn hardly knew or cared where they were going. Yet, the golden glimmer on the brilliant greens and rainbows of the garden pierced through the haze of her dull, lavender orbs. She couldn't help noticing how truly beautiful this location, this world was as it continued without a care for the fallen.

That impression triggered a wry smile to plaster itself humorlessly over her mien. It was a beautiful world, one that she had always wished for in her perpetual daydreams. But it was also a beautiful nightmare. It had taken everything precious away from her. And now it was aiming to take what little attachments she had unknowingly built away from her again.

Reentering the quaint but moderately sized home of Dr. Cyanmay, Darren led Essairyn into Aispin's resting chambers where the doctor himself was tending to the patient. Instantly, Essairyn's heart and mind spurred awake at the sight. Similar to how she found herself tucked away in bed, Aispin was also cocooned by quilted covers and fluffy pillows. Soft waves of hair aimlessly crowned and framed his pallor like some sleeping beauty. Essairyn turned to the doctor, a middle aged man with a worn yet bright and kindly face.

Dr. Cyanmay felt the two youngsters' quietly intense stares on his back since they entered the room and approached the sickbed. Propping up his metal rimmed glasses back on the bridge of his nose, he wiped away the sandy blonde fringes obscuring his vision while getting up from the bedside seat. He extended a hand and greeting toward Essairyn who accepted the polite gesture.

"Please call me Eisso. Doctor is too stuffy of a title in my own home. As you can see," Dr. Cyanmay skipped straight to the point, "Aispin has been in a coma for a week, just like you had been until today. To be honest, I wasn't sure when you were going to wake up, but I did know that it would be sooner than Aispin at least. He's... in a bad condition, to put it bluntly. I've diagnosed it as critically extreme exhaustion and mana deficiency, but I fear that his soul was also somehow tampered with in the attack that your group suffered."

Essairyn deeply furrowed her brows. "His soul was tampered with? What exactly do you mean? How could his soul be possibly messed up due to that attack unless—" She involuntarily clenched her teeth in mer momentary pause. "—he used his soul to bear that blow? But is that even possible? He couldn't be that stupid or desperate unless the situation was...that..serious..."

As her words trailed off, a budding guilt bloomed in her gut as she acknowledged the possibility that Aispin had to take drastic measures because he foresaw the difficulty of beating Balgair more clearly than herself. If that was true, then she was truly stupid. And Aispin was truly selfless and stupid too. Running away might be for cowards, but if being one meant that Leœss would be alive and Aispin well, then Essairyn would rather be deemed a coward by foes and her self-critical ego any day.

However, Dr. Cyanmay quickly debunked her distress, explaining, "No, he didn't voluntarily use his soul to bear such a blow. At least, not in the sense that I believe you're thinking of. Magic flows through both the body and soul, the latter of which can be thought of as the nucleus of magic ability. Everyday, the soul is constantly being employed, that's how one stays alive. Aispin's soul was damaged due to his incompatibility with demonic energy. Or rather, the better way to term it is that his soul is unstable and was easily affected by demonic magic."

"An unstable soul?" Essairyn echoed.

But Eisso just shook his head regretfully. He didn't know magic and its intricate connection to the soul well enough to elucidate her on this theory. The only reason why Eisso Cyanmay could confidently theorize about Aispin's strange condition was due to being taught by his best friend back from his olden days of school. His friend was a brilliant genius and incognito leader of As'pyze along with the Knights Order. He was a man that Eisso could never hope to match but never tried to compete with as medicine was his own proud specialty. Medicine was more accessible to common people than healing mana potions, so Eisso strived to make his impact upon the land in this way.

"Although I don't know why he was affected by demonic magic to this great extent, Aispin is sure to wake up, it's just a matter of when." Dr. Cyanmay chuckled lightly, trying to lift the oppressive mood. "He might look like he's on the verge of death, but I assure you, his external and internal injuries are all healed. It's just the imbalance and disruption of his soul that's delaying him from waking."

Essairyn breath a small sigh of relief. "Then, is that what happened to me too, but on a smaller scale? For me to wake up later than Darren?"

Eisso readjusted his glasses in a thoughtful gesture. "No, your soul was fine. It was just in an extreme state of shock due to over-tapping your mana stores. While most humans have a low m'u requirement for survival, those with more powerful magical abilities tend to require higher levels to sustain their magically endowed bodies."

Essairyn slowly nodded as Eisso continued. "A body can become more sensitive to collapsing like this, so to speak, if the mage depletes their mana stores to a low level very often. I heard from Akari and Darren that you've overtaxed yourself multiple times before, so it's likely due to these repeated occurrences that a critical strike like this could knock you out for so long. Please make sure to take care of yourself better. Try to keep your m'u levels more consistent. Manage it with amulets or magic stones like the Ayvirdizite you have."

"Hm?" Essairyn's eyes widened. She had worn the gem so long as a necklace underneath her shirt that she had forgotten it could be used as a mana storage. But it hadn't yet been fully purified and stayed the same dull, dark green. Tapping her chest, she felt its familiar presence and pulled it out. Surprised by its now vivid green color, she looked up at Eisso for explanation.

"It became completely purified through the enormous magical explosion during your last fight. Empty mana storage gems can assist in recovering from magical depletion by retaining the magic which naturally escapes from your body. You regenerate m'u slower than usual with severe injuries, but to fully recuperate, you need more mana than necessary. This is why first aid procedures often include wearing magic stones. It maintains and cycles your own magic back to you when needed."

"Ah, I see," murmured Essairyn. "That makes sense. Thank you for your help, we couldn't have recovered this quick without you."

The doctor looked a bit abash as he smiled. "No, it wasn't that quick. I wish I could've done more, but I'm an expert in medicine, not magic healing."

She shook her head gratefully. He was being too humble. From her observation on the way back from the outside garden, she had spotted some lab equipment scattered conspicuously among the potted plants on top of shelves and tables inside the house. Loose papers were similarly strewn around the outermost rooms, close to the exterior garden and what appeared to be a greenhouse. From these scenes, Essairyn deduced that Eisso was an adroit doctor who was passionate about experiments and corresponding documentation. Then again, perhaps she was easily impressed and convinced by the breathtaking whorls of liquid color bubbling inside the glassware and spiraling tubes.

"No Dr. Cyanmay, we really do appreciate it." Darren insisted. "You didn't have to open up your home and tend to us for a week, but you did."

"Well, I couldn't possibly refuse Cae—Akari's request for help." Eisso figuratively perspired on his back upon almost revealing the identity of the man who had helped the spirit fox god transport the injured team to his home. While Darren did not think much of his slip-up, Essairyn latched onto it, rolling the syllable over in her mind.

"So Akari wasn't injured too badly?"

Eisso bobbed his head firmly at the girl's question. At least he could deliver some good news. "Akari is all good. In fact—well, it's better that you see for yourself."

Just as they exited Aispin's room, a little girl came dashing toward them, skidding to a stop in front of her father who hadn't yet shut the door.

"Wait, daddy! Let me replace these flowers in the vase!" She bounced on her toes and looked up with eager, round, hazel forest-green eyes at her doting father. Eisso smiled, easily acquiescing to her demand. After she hopped inside and carefully exchanged the flowers in the vase by Aispin's beside, Eisso introduced his daughter to Essairyn now that she had woken.

"Whoa! You're such a beautiful lady, Miss Sairyn! But not more beautiful than my husband Aispin!" She giggled with twinkling eyes and a small hand over her mouth. Her light mocha brown wavy curls jounced jauntily upon her shoulders as she tipped backwards on her heels.

Her bold statements had shocked Essairyn to speechlessness. She didn't know how to respond to the little girl of six except with a chagrined grin. Kids... they have no filter, saying whatever is on their minds. I know I'm not as good-looking as Aispin, but that's a direct strike to my delicate—not really—ego! Also, I don't know about how he would feel being called beautiful instead of handsome by a little girl, but then again, I had the same reaction seeing him for the first time, haha... Essairyn leaned forward with her palms on her thighs to thank the spunky little missy while also giving her a teasing tousle to her locks.

"Eeee~!! Sister, you can't do that, hehe!" Lyressa Cyanmay covered her head while grinning brightly, contrary to her words of protest.

"Hoh!" Essairyn smirked and gently pinched Lyressa's cheeks. The little girl reminded her of Kyla, Leœss's sister. Essairyn's smile took on a shade of bittersweet. As she swiftly stood up, Eisso offered an apology while chuckling.

"She fancies being a princess, and it seems Aispin is the prince she found for herself."

"Haha, I totally understand," Essairyn giggled while giving a soft pat to the back of the child's head. "It was nice meeting you, princess Lyressa."

Upon being called a princess, the little girl couldn't help but blush happily with the brightest of grins before skipping away to go back to play. Eisso then guided the two to Akari who was seated in the grass a short distance away from the house.

Hearing them approach, the fox whipped her head around as if in surprise. This made Essairyn curious, and her senses subconsciously sharpened. The softest susurrus of the nearby trees piqued her attention, and her gaze jerked up reflectively. Seeing nothing in the tranquil forest which surrounded Doctor Cyanmay's house, Essairyn turned back to Akari. From her reaction, it seemed as if Akari had been talking to someone. But Essairyn also felt that perhaps due to what she had just experienced, she was also sightly on edge.

However, if their lives had dangled so precariously on death, Essairyn couldn't comprehend how the little fox could possibly get them to this place. Akari couldn't have possibly dragged three grown adults, even with the help of Eisso whom Essairyn observed was a single father. Her mind instantly flashed to the mysterious figure who had always helped her in times of bot minor and major troubles. It...couldn't be you again, could it? Essairyn inwardly shook her head. Regardless if "C" had helped her again, he always remained hidden from her in the end.

"Essairyn..." Akari croaked, slowly approaching with shining eyes and slightly bent back ears. She had not expected the bedridden girl to be standing before her today. While she had believed Essairyn would recover because she always surprised her and came through in difficult situations, the spirit fox still had been distressed of course. Just like how Essairyn was beating herself up inside about causing Leo's death, Akari had also been blaming herself for not being able to help stop Balgair due to her injuries. She used to be one of Sol'h'meyr's strongest gods, and yet in this reincarnation too, she had once again been powerless to save those she cared about.

Essairyn opened her arms and stooped down to embrace a tearful Akari. The fox proceeded to bury her face into the girl's chest, feeling comforting warmth and a soundly beating heart. She opened her mouth, trying to push out words of relief and gratitude that Essairyn had awoken and was well, but Akari was simply too overcome with unanticipated emotion. She hadn't realized—no, she hadn't admitted until now in this moment after almost losing her—how much cared for Essairyn.

"It's okay." Essairyn tenderly petted the fox. "Thank you for saving us."

Her simple, sincere thanks made Akari jerk her head up in protest. "No—I didn't—I...couldn't help any of you when I was needed the most. All this time...I've just been taking advantage of your kindness in traveling with me. I don't deserve such thanks when all I've done is caused you problems or just stood by on the sidelines."

Essairyn sighed deeply. "No, you're wrong, Akari." She gently lifted the fox's flattened ears. "I couldn't have gotten this far without you." She peered warmly into Akari's glistening eyes. "I haven't ever regretted adventuring with you. Ever. So don't feel so responsible. If anything, I—"

"Don't you dare say it was your fault." Akari glared at the girl, knowing exactly what Essairyn was about to say.

Sighing again, she rubbed the fox's cheek. "Okay, I won't. Besides, it doesn't do us any good. We're simply luckily that Dr. Cyanmay lived around here. Seriously, how did you even find him in time? Did you know—no, you couldn't have because of your reincarnation. So wait—how did you—?"

Akari fidgeted nervously in Essairyn's arms. The girl had every right to be suspicious and confused at how a small spirit animal could possibly locate a home in the woods that happened to house a doctor of all professions. It couldn't have been a pure stroke of luck because their conditions were critical. So Akari didn't have time to roam around looking for help.

Seeing Akari figuratively sweat, Eisso quickly interrupted. "I found you all. With all the loud noise and mana disturbance, I had rushed over and seen everybody on the ground. The village was a place I had been keeping a close eye on ever since it was destroyed. We are mainly self-sufficient here, so I don't usually go out to the village. I can show you the device which sensed disruption in the atmosphere's magic flow too."

Essairyn nodded her head firmly, completing believing Eisso's explanation without second-thinking about perfect it sounded. Since he had even offered showing her the magical device, and she had spotted many in his house, his account was credible. For Akari, his words were a godsend. It saved her from the tricky situation and having to lie to Essairyn so soon after she woke. Darren too did not find anything suspicious as this was the same story he had been told.

"Let's head back inside then." Darren suggested as he helped Essairyn stand with Akari still cradled. "You should eat something after all those days of taking nutritional shots. And once you're fully recovered, you can help Eisso with his treatment for Aispin. Even though you also have limited magical knowledge, I have a feeling you might be able to figure something out."

She gave a small, unconvinced smile. "Let's hope. Since it's demonic-related, my magic may just reveal something new."

Darren smiled, nodding confidently. His eyes flickered to Akari, wanting to scoop her out of Essairyn's arms so that she wasn't burdened. But he knew that she was comforted by the fox, so he merely lagged behind her to make sure she didn't stumble as they returned inside.

Following Darren and Eisso's recommendations, Essairyn ate as much as she could handle. She had expected her stomach to not be able to intake a lot, but her ravenous appetite went unhindered, even with the mediocrely cooked food. Funnily enough, it was Lyressa, the child, who seemed to be a better cook than the adults. The little girl innocently scolded her father who spent more time researching and tending to his greenhouse garden than improving his cooking skills. Essairyn had woken up in the late afternoon, so this meal ended up being her early dinner before they urged her back to rest.

Assuaging their concerns, she reluctantly went back to bed. Since was she still a patient, Dr. Cyanmay refused allowing Akari to sleep with her. So Essairyn just aimlessly stared up at the ceiling before looking outside the window. From the dimming gold and darkening violet of the skies, she knew night was just around the corner.

Nestling under the covers up to her nose, she laid on her side while poring over the short day. The peacefulness of her current state starkly contrasted with the adrenaline of what felt like just a few hours ago battling with Balgair. She reran the scene multiple times over in her mind, trying to unravel how he could have used an anti-mage skill while still being able to cast magic himself. Since Aispin had been affected by demonic energy, she couldn't help but think that Balgair was connected to H.T. Only people from that mysterious organization could have such strange powers based on what occurred in Farinheld.

As her recollections looped back to the current circumstances, Essairyn furrowed her eyebrows. Although Eisso's story made sense, she didn't understand why Akari had been so hesitant to explain that the doctor had to step in for her. Is there someone missing from the picture? Had she actually been speaking with someone before we arrived? The only person that came to mind was "C," but Akari had no reason to hide it if that was the case. Both of them had met the man previously, so he wasn't a completely unknown factor.

She sighed restlessly, not able to pull away from this tingling intuition. After a minute passed, Essairyn sat up with determined eyes. She wouldn't be able to sleep without verifying for herself. So, quietly, she slipped out of bed and fiddled with the window's latches. Fortunately, her room was on the first floor, so she snuck out and left the window cracked open for when she returned. Essairyn was sure that they wouldn't check back on her, but she couldn't just exit the house through the doors when they had asked her to rest.

Padding barefoot across the lush grass and cool earth, she surreptitiously circumvented the house to where Akari had first been. Essairyn carefully picked her way through the brush of the adjacent forest until no one could see her from the outside. Halting in her tracks, she lifted her head to the trees, peering at the wan light of the evening roving through the branches. Taking a deep breath, she opened her mouth to speak to the woods.

"I know you're there. So please come out. Isn't it about time you properly introduced yourself to me, 'C'?"

Silence ensued, making Essairyn's spine prickle. Then, a low, charming chuckle resounded from above. A pale hand brushed aside a cover of leaves, revealing a familiar figure. He tipped his chin onto his right palm, his elbow resting against a bent knee while the other leg swung lazily over the tree bough on which he sat.

"You caught me, lady. But I suppose you already knew  from before?" His question was more of a statement, making Essairyn faintly smile.

"I suppose. Although I don't understand the need to hide. You've been helping me all this time. Did you also help last week? Why?"

The man's smile was hidden from her by their distance and the dark, but Essairyn could somehow hear it in his voice. "I just happened to be going the same way."

She frowned, unamused. "Riiight~ you were. Then you just happened to stay in the woods for a week, too."

He laughed airily before winding his way down from the tree. As he landed and approached her, Essairyn immediately took notice of his missing cloak. Her heartbeat couldn't help but quicken in anticipation as she wondered if she would finally see his face. To her disappointed surprise as he stopped in front, she could not see his features. But she had indeed seen his face, a face with bandages covering his eyes and most of his forehead. Similar white wrappings covered much of his arms and bare chest. Shockingly, blood seeped through in a few spots, making Essairyn's gut wrench unknowingly.

"You... are you okay? Why're you injured?" Her frown deepened until a sudden realization struck her. "Did you get hurt from the demons at Farinheld?"

The man snickered softly. "You've forgotten that was two weeks ago, and also, did I appear to be injured when I was with you that time?"

Essairyn scrunched her nose in deliberation. "You always wear a cloak, how am I supposed to even see if you are? Then, you got hurt from Balgair? But...how? I didn't see you, and why would you still have injuries these severe?"

His lips curved into a forlorn smile. "My employer granted me stores of magic to fight against H.T. while investigating their true goal. It's easy to detect a powerful mage's aura, so for a low rank like me, it's easier to go undetected. Unfortunately, in that last battle, I used it all up." He shrugged nonchalantly as if not having the magic to heal himself was no big deal. This made Essairyn frown deeply.

"You've helped me yet again. But this time, you got hurt in the process. ...I really don't understand why you would willingly throw yourself in the fire when clearly I was being quite stupidly rash. You don't even know me—what stopped you from ignoring what was happening and just go and save yourself?"

A sigh escaped him as he adjusted his wrappings that had loosened a bit from climbing down the tree. "You really took on more than you could handle, Essairyn."

Her eyes flashed wide at him for knowing her name before they narrowed dubiously in thought. Is he some kind of mercenary spy? But his graceful mannerisms and aura reminded her of aristocrats like Kajarn.

"I gained consciousness shortly after everyone passed out and was able to take you all to Eisso's home. Akari was quite frantic when she awoke and carried you and Aispin who were the most injured while I carried Darren."

"Wait, Akari carried two people? How can she when she's so—" Realization struck Essairyn again. That's right. She had supposedly fended off several demons at Farinheld. Even if she had been grown a little, it didn't make sense that such a small body could effectively hold off so many demons when she had fared so poorly against one on two different occasions the first day they had met. Essairyn also hadn't fully taken Akari's declaration that she used to be one of the greatest spirit gods. But, if that were true, then it would make sense for her to have higher than average growth speed as she reclaimed her former powers.

"Looks like she has a lot to explain to you."

Essairyn raised a brow at his remark, giving a look that said, "And you don't?"

To this nonverbal message, he smiled wryly. "You can simply think of me as a vagabond on a mission. I'll have to go back to my employer in order restore my magic supplies before I can continue. But until Farinheld, my encounters with you were just by coincidence from being on the same path. Rather..." He paused while peering down at his hands. "I myself don't know why I helped you this particular time. I could have ignored it as you said. But somehow..." He looked up at her with earnest curiosity. "I just found myself moving before I even realized."

Essairyn could not see his expression underneath his bandages, but she could hear the sincerity in his mellow voice. "Haah..." She ruffled her hair while reflecting back on all of their meetings. After finally getting a sense of who he was and finally being able to have a decent conversation with him, she didn't know what to do. He had helped her too many times without her ever being able to repay him. She didn't even know if it was possible now if he returning back to wherever he came.

"You..." Essairyn gazed steadfastly at him. "What's you name?"

The man was silent as he considered. He knew after all their encounters, she was bound to learn who he really was. Essairyn still had much to learn in this world, but she had already seen his ring from her first day in Farinheld. This woman was too observant and clever to not eventually discover his identity. It was only a matter of time and adventuring to new places.

"......Caelen."

Surprise flickered in Essairyn's orbs. The name had come as a whisper, but she had still heard it. A brilliant smile bloomed across her face. Finally, she had a name she could call him. Regardless if it was his real name or not, it was still something.

"Caelen." The name rolled off her tongue pleasantly.

The man colored a bit at her repeating his name with a soft voice and charming giggle. "You look rather happy. Was it that important?"

Essairyn pouted crossly. "Of course! Do you have any idea how many times I wondered? But I never got a chance to ask you? Because you always disappear before then!" She gestured with her hands for emphasis, prompting him to chuckle at her animation.

"I apologize, lady. Now you know."

His teasing tone at the end caused Essairyn's cheeks to puff up slightly in another pout. With a small sigh, she flicked her gaze away. "...Does it hurt?"

Caelen hummed in question. "These wounds? Hmm~ no. The blood you see is mostly old. I couldn't use any magic as I healed, so I ended up not being able to apply more bandages from my magic cache."

Essairyn tilted her head sideways. "You can't access your inventory when your magic is low?"

He chuckled. "You didn't learn it in school?"

She coughed. "I guess..I forgot. Or, I didn't pay attention...ahem. Is there any way I can help somehow...?"

"What? Are you thinking of lending me magic in your state?"

"Ah—!" A blush crept over her face at having been found out so easily. "Then, I could go back and fetch new ones for you?"

"When you should be sleeping and from a home that isn't yours?"

"Ah—!!" Essairyn almost huffed in vexation. She really felt like she was being teased unfairly. It reminded her of her first meeting with him in Reisparte market. She was sure that he had found her lack of knowledge about currency quite amusing. Whipping her head to the side, she crossed her arms and frowned deeply while thinking what to even do or say. It didn't help that he looked quite entertained by her fluster.

"I can't access my cache, but Eisso already gave me spare bandages."

Essairyn whipped her head back. "Then you should've told—!! Ugh—!" This man was so frustrating. She couldn't win in their conversations, and yet, that only made her want to engage with him more, if only, to verbally beat sense into him. She held her head, shaking it. "Seriously, I don't know what to do with you."

Laughing softly, he fetched a roll from his pant pocket and handed it to her. "How about helping me as you offered before?"

She gave him a "are you serious" scowl before helping him anyway. She thought of it as the least she could do to thank him. But as soon as she began unraveling the wrappings, she halted in shock.

"Liar." Essairyn knitted her brows as she stared at a deep gash of ice-covered blood on his arm. "You said it didn't hurt."

"But, it really doesn't hurt."

"..."

After pausing, she quickly unwrapped all of the bandages on his arms before reaching for those around his chest. A little surprised by the sudden, forceful movements, he blocked her hand, and she glared at him angrily.

"What are these wounds? Did you faint or something after taking us to Eisso? Where did these—" She placed a palm over one gash, beginning to will her magic into it. The action made Caelen jump as he objected.

"Stop. Are you crazy? Don't heal me with your magic. Hey—!!"

The two toppled onto the ground from him trying to escaping her lunge.

"You stop! You're still bleeding for goodness sake! Can't you hold still?!"

"I said no magic! Are you seriously going to risk that when you just woke up after a week?!"

"Gosh darn it just stay right there! I won't do it, okay?!" Essairyn huffed as she grasped his shoulders. Muttering her annoyance, she unwound the bandages around his chest, revealing more gruesome yet oddly beautiful gashes from the way that the frost covered the blood. Just what are these? It's like a layer of ice is closing up the wound, but the wound looks fresh underneath. She hesitantly grazed one gash lightly under his collarbone, making him flinch and catch her hand.

She peered at his face with a questioning, worried expression. He merely looked back silently through the cracks in his bandages. Mumbling her apology, she quietly began rewrapping his wounds. Various possibilities flashed through her mind as she attempted to figure out how he had gotten these. By the end, she had come to a single conclusion.

"You inflicted these on yourself."

Caelen stiffened momentarily. "...Yes." A pregnant pause followed as Essairyn waited for him to continue. "...I redirected some the damage over to myself, but I don't have a high regular m'u like you. So I have to spread it out over time or else I won't be able to take it. This spell takes some time to cast and works by ensnaring the attacking magic into a contract of sorts through the ancient language."

"......You..are the crazy one. How could you—...do this to yourself?" Essairyn sighed, deeply confused and troubled about this man's motives. She glared at the wounds angrily, making herself increasingly irked and hurt the more she stared until a hot tear dropped from her eye. In disbelief, she hurriedly wiped it with the back of her hand and stifled further emotion. Before Caelen could even ask, she answered in advance.

"I don't know."

Essairyn was tired of being hurt and getting people hurt. The day was still fresh with the torrent of emotions from earlier, and in this moment, it all came rushing back. The pain of losing her loved ones in her past life and the fear of losing new ones in this life. While it was true that she did not know this man as well as she knew her traveling companions or even those from the Neu'arth Academy campus sent for the Farinheld mission, he had still been with her from the start. Thus, she felt an odd connection and sense of familiarity with him. It tore her heart that he would voluntarily cut himself like this. Self-injury was a frightening thought to Essairyn who had once fallen into a pit of despair in her past life.

"...such a fool. ....You're a real fool."

Caelen tipped his head a little to the side. "Now that's not very nice." His silly smirk further irritated her. He was dangerously close to being smacked for taking his situation so lightly. "I didn't lie when I said that it hurt. The original spell is quite painful though, haha. But I combined it with a freezing spell that numbs the pain. So I really can't feel anything."

Relieved, Essairyn asked quietly. "You know ice magic?"

"Yes, I'm—" He cut short as he realized he had revealed too much about himself by accident. She had caught him regardless if she meant to or not. Essairyn didn't let his stop bother her as she exclaimed with sparkling eyes.

"You're an ice elemental?!" When she had seen the icy wounds, that possibility had come to mind. But Caelen quickly rejected the notion.

"I'm a human, just like you. But my ancestry is mixed with elementals."

"Umm...wouldn't that just make you both though?"

"Uh—" Caelen blinked. "It's— different. We've...always been different from the elementals." His vague answer and forlorn tone only made Essairyn more curious, but she had a feeling he wasn't going to divulge anymore.

"Then, these injuries go away once the spell is finished?"

"Yes, now that you woke up, they'll be going away soon as the spell has completed."

"I see... that's good then..." Essairyn went silent as she pondered how long it would be until he had to leave. After her perilous experience with Balgair, she knew that two weeks of schooling wouldn't be enough if she wanted to survive and protect her friends in this mysterious world. Traveling to study at the Knight-Mage Academy in Neu'arth, where academia in all forms of magic was the most renown, was her best bet in getting stronger and avenging Leœss. So, today might be the last time she would ever see Caelen.

As if reading her thoughts from her pensive expression, Caelen lightly tapped the side of Essairyn's head and assured her. "Our paths will cross again as long as you continue chasing after H.T. So make sure you don't get hurt again. Don't be too reckless and take care of yourself."

His gentle words squeezed her heart, making Essairyn confused. Instead of responding, she quietly unraveled the wrappings around his head now that she had finished bandaging his arms and chest. As the white cloths dropped away, the rest of his facial features appeared in the dwindling light. Caelen was still peering up at her, but Essairyn was still stunned when she took in his countenance.

Strong brows, long lashes, high cheek bones, he was more handsome than she had anticipated. His intense, viridescent orbs connected with her lavender ones, making her a little nervous. Suddenly, it just hit her than she had been touching this shirtless man all over. And on top of that, she had even knocked him to the ground. Mortified, Essairyn cradled her head in her hands. After a moment's silence, she quietly asked, "Your eyes...they've also been affected by the spell?"

Caelen touched his face. Blood had poured out of the sockets when he had casted the spell. Since he had previously used this spell multiple times to withstand greater damage than his m'u capacity could handle, the blood and accompanying pain wasn't a surprise. It had stopped hurting once the spell-casting was finished, but the resultant effect was an almost red sclera that still bled every so often.

"This will disappear soon too."

And so will you. Essairyn thought dispiritedly. She lifted the remaining clean bandages and began rewrapping his eyes. "Next time, please do don't this. I'm already indebted to you enough."

"It's fine. It was my choice."

"...Are all strangers as kind as you? No, I know not everyone is like that..with H.T. and all. But still...I guess good samaritans exist in this world too."

"Who?" Caelen tipped his head curiously, making Essairyn realize that he wouldn't know what a "good samaritan" was in this world. But before she could explain, he rebuffed her compliment. "I'm not kind. I just live and do as I'm told in order to survive. Me helping you was just...rebelling."

"Pft!" Essairyn muffled her snort with her hand. "What are you? A kid? Rebelling at your age, haha."

Caelen gave a sheepish, lopsided smile. "Perhaps. I am a momma's boy."

Essairyn choked back her laughter and waved her hand dismissively. "Okay, okay mister Caelen. Now then, I'm all done." She stood and reached out a hand to help him up. "Again, next time that I see you, please don't appear in front of me injured. Stay well."

He nodded with a soft smile. "Will do. Good night, Essairyn."

His farewell stirred up the perplexing sadness she had felt just earlier. For one last moment, Essairyn quietly stared at him as if etching him in her memory.

"...Good night, Caelen."

After that night, she really hadn't seen Caelen again. And Akari didn't have much to divulge about him from her conversations as they had only discussed Farinheld and the disappearance of Balgair's body after the fight. This discovery was beyond disturbing, that he had been able to walk away from what was supposed to be a death blow. At the very least, though, he had been too weak to try killing them in their unconsciousness. But this was also concerning and made Essairyn wonder if he had any help. Perhaps one of the villagers had picked up his body.

Essairyn tapped the wooden table she sat at listlessly. "I should make a trip back to the village..." She murmured to herself, bored of not being allowed to do anything but mostly eat and sleep for the last two days. At least Akari could keep busy scouting the area around the abandoned village. But in that time, Aispin also hadn't woken, making Essairyn wonder if Caelen's spell had only affected her. Then again, Dr. Cyanmay still held the resolute belief that his soul had been tainted by the demonic energy because his body had fully healed before Essairyn even woke.

Sighing, she flopped over onto the table in defeat. Outside of resting and eating, Essairyn slyly snuck practicing magic spells in her free time. They were minor spells that wouldn't impair her recovery, and she always allowed the magic to flow back in her body before release. But Aispin's and Caelen's injurious spells made her all the more determined to fully grasp ancient language and the art of proper spell casting. While her unorthodox methods allowed her vast flexibility to manipulate magic into many forms beyond the typical scope of human mages and standard spells, it took more mana as a price.

Lifting her body back up, she glanced around the room and initiated one of the spells she had been practicing. Not a second later, the spark of magic fizzled when Essairyn jolted in surprise from a shout in the house. Disconcerted, she jumped out of her chair and ran out of the parlor. In the hallway, she saw an open door to Aispin's room where the noise originated. Dashing inside, she was met with a grief-stricken father holding his limp daughter.

"What happened—?!!" Essairyn, and Darren who had rushed inside after her, both yelled and stooped down to where Eisso had caught Lyressa from hitting the floor.

"Huuh..." A low grumble from the bed caught their attention.

"Aispin?!?" Essairyn jumped up in conflicted joy. "You're awake! But Lyra...why is she?"

Eisso shook his head miserably. "It's my fault. I left the door to my study open. The main treatment I discovered to be effective against the demonic energy affecting Aispin's spirit utilizes a poisonous flower which can be cleansed with the tonic from Yhirdene Cove. The poison latches onto demonic magic, so both of them can purified from the body at once. But I recently ran out of this tonic and left the study to send a mail request for more." He turned his head toward the flower vase by Aispin's beside.

"Lyressa is such a good child, I didn't expect her to enter my study when she knows not to... I suppose she really attached herself to Aispin and thought placing the flowers in here would help instead of the wildflowers she picks every day for him." Seeing the concern that flashed across all of the adventurer's faces when he mentioned those very poisonous flowers were inside this room, Eisso reassured them.

"Only if you touch them with open cuts are these flowers dangerous." He opened Lyra's enfolded hands which had minor scrapes from playing out in the woods. "She likes sitting in this chair beside him, so I imagine when she called me over upon seeing Aispin stir, the poison had already infected her bloodstream."

Everyone was silent.

"Then..." Essairyn carefully spoke first. "Will you be able to heal her like Aispin? Until you discovered this treatment, he made it through with other medicine in the meantime."

Eisso was wordless as he lifted his daughter's body up and began walking out of the room. "It was my mistake. I should have never left the door open."

"Dr. Cyanmay?" Essairyn continued nervously as they all followed him to another room. "Are you ok—"

"I'm no doctor if I can't even save my own child. I've been researching an alternate method of mirroring the Sytas Meisyirus flower's medicinal functions without the need for the Yhirdene tonic since it is largely inaccessible to the populace, but before I could even make one breakthrough, my own daughter—" His arms quaked from his surging emotion.

"Eisso." Darren laid an assuring hand on the other man's arm. "Please tell us what we can do to help. You already reordered the tonic, correct? So—"

"No, it's too late." Eisso shook his head regretfully as he gently placed Lyressa on the bed. "If I had only sent a request earlier before I ran out, maybe I could have traveled to Byar'non's relay station in time to pick it up. Alas, a child exposed to the poison cannot live long. I can only extend her two days' time by just another day at best. The shipment will arrive in one day, but it takes at least four days to travel from here to Byar'non and back."

Essairyn's chest tightened as she gripped her hands. "Is there really nothing else we can do? Maybe you'll be able to extend her time by two—"

"Thank you, Essairyn, Darren. I'm going to tend to my daughter now. Please excuse me."

They watched Eisso's retreating back with hushed sorrow. Essairyn and Darren both knew the pain of losing someone, but their grief could not compare to that of a single father loosing his only child, his remaining connection to his beloved, deceased wife.

"There must be something..." Essairyn murmured in thought as they went back to Aispin's room. "I feel absolutely terrible that in his time of need, we're helpless yet again to return all of his kindness."

Darren sighed heavily. "After Leo's death, I thought we could finally get away and return to happier times by going to Neu'arth. But in the end, it still turned out like this..." A sudden flash of hope sparked in his mind. "Wait, maybe Aispin knows something! He finally just woke up, but he's way more knowledgeable in magic than we are. Maybe—!"

Both of their eyes' widened in unison and they swung into Aispin's room eagerly. The black-haired boy was sitting up in bed with glassy eyes staring off into space. Upon his friends' loud entrance, he jerked his head toward them.

"Hey." He greeted weakly. "I heard everything from the next room. I'm sorry that this happened; I feel responsible. I didn't know the daughter of the very doctor that saved me would suffer because of me too."

"No," urged Essairyn as she drifted to his side. "It's not anyone's fault. But since you heard us, then can you think of anything that we can do to help?"

Aispin contemplated. "The only thing I can think of is if we could teleport like how Kajarn and Lyam escaped. But Byar'non is far, and you'd need a lot of magic for one way, much less two."

Conflicted, Essairyn frowned. Although she had quickly recovered most of her strength the last couple of days, even with three more days of accumulating magic in her Ayvirdizite, she was in no condition to try and teleport such a distance without any prior experience on how teleportation was done. If this had been before Farinheld and Balgair, then her past self might have jumped at the chance to learn and risk it for her benefactor. Still, she couldn't just give up because she had become more level-headed.

"Can you teach me how to teleport? I know I might not be able to master it in time and that it's dangerous, but without giving it a serious shot, I'll never know. Besides," she paused and held up a hand to Darren who was about to protest. "I'll be careful and start small. If I really can't do it, I won't attempt a long-distance teleportation." Darren released a breath of relief and Aispin nodded in agreement.

"I can't teach you right now in this condition, but starting tomorrow, we can begin. Fortunately, since we've already been to Byar'non, you can choose a place there that you're most familiar with, and the teleportation will be safer for you."

"Yes!" She bobbed her head. "I can easily visualize my old room, so that first step of teleportation won't be a problem!"

Aispin smiled at her determination. "Okay, that's settled then. Now, can you two tell me what happened since I fell unconscious? I heard something about demonic energy affecting. How long have I been out, anyway?"

His two friends exhaled simultaneously. It would be quite the long story, so they decided to first make food for Aispin so that he could eat while listening. The quicker he recovered, the better Lyressa's situation could become.

Thus, over the next two days, Aispin recovered and carefully taught Essairyn how to teleport. Although he had never teleported long distances himself as it was a huge waste of magic, having studied at the premier school of magic, all magically adept student were taught the process. It was a skill that could be deployed in battle strategically and was commonly referred to as "blinking."

For longer distances, the process of breaking down the body was much slower. Besides the main risk of transporting oneself over the world's flow of magic, another risk was being possible killed while casting. A body not fully formed made it vulnerable to any average person rushing in and disrupting the process. Fortunately, connecting together was quicker than breaking apart due to the special, magnetic-like linking of an individual soul and identity.

Now that Essairyn was being taught the proper way to cast teleportation rather than experimenting on her own, her speed of learning steeply increased. All three of them, along with Akari and Eisso who were initially against the idea, were shocked at Essairyn's learning curve. It was true that a magical genius could perform unimaginable feats. This discovery elated Essairyn. After several failures of not being able to protect people with her own power, her proficiency in learning teleportation restored her hope in her magic and herself.

On the fateful last day, Essairyn stood outside of the forest surrounding the Cyanmay's home. An open location was safer than an enclosed space. But in order to not put herself at risk by reappearing in an open street, her destination was still her old dorm. Hopefully, no one else would be living in it. But in case someone did, they had chosen a time for when a student would still be in class.

"Wish me luck." Essairyn smiled with confidence and waved goodbye. The paper slip from Eisso which allowed her to pick up his delivery was store safely in her inventory. As a magic cache was already nestled securely in the fabric of the world's magic flow, teleporting with it was not an issue.

"Yes, good luck. Be safe." They all cheered for her.

"If you don't come back within today, I swear to gods, I will destroy—"

Essairyn chuckled, cutting off Akari's vicious words. "Don't worry, little one. I'll be back."

Akari huffed and lifted her snout in the air defiantly. "You better be, human."

Essairyn nodded, closing her eyes in concentration as she began casting teleportation. A flurry of light particles surrounded her body in a cylinder the diameter of the magic circle appearing underneath her feet. The maelstrom of magic spiraled frenetically, faster and faster until Essairyn was barely visible. Bit by bit, the clarity of her three dimensional body fizzled out like static until both she and the magical column whorled up into nothingness.

The brief moments that Essairyn existed atmospherically felt strange. No matter how much she practiced, she could never get used to the feeling. But she couldn't dwell on this, at least while teleporting. One had to focus only on the destination in order for safe, undisrupted travel.

Once she felt her body solidifying and her boots touching the wooden floor, Essairyn knew that she could finally open her eyes. Seeing, the familiar inside of the room, she left out a relieved breath. I did it. A widening grin graced her face. Now, let's get that package and go. Lyressa is barely holding on, so the sooner I get back, the better. Thank goodness Eisso is a brilliant doctor. He underestimates himself when it comes to his loved ones. So I have to make sure that Lyressa recovers.

She touched the gem of her necklace hidden underneath her shirt, measuring the amount of stored magic left. Eisso had poured all the magic he had available in his study into her Ayvirdizite. With this extra mana and that which she had stored up from herself, it was just safely enough for a round trip to Byar'non and back. Essairyn was lucky that she learned teleportation quick enough that she could save some magic from practicing additional attempts.

Reaching the relay station, she sighed in relief. Everything was going well. After they saved Lyressa, they could prepare to travel for Neu'arth. Aispin had also agreed to go, sharing the same sentiments as Darren and Essairyn about becoming stronger and investigating H.T. in a way that didn't put them directly in harm's way. They all realized now that they had been too rash, thinking that a trio of young adults and a 'newborn' spirit fox could do anything to undercover H.T.'s nefarious schemes and headquarters.

Essairyn had not been in a relay station many times during her previous stay in Byar'non. But she was familiar enough to know how to send and where to pick up mail in the high-ceiling, spacious station with walls of compartments. The speed of service powered by magic made it convenient for patrons to deliver and receive any packages without assistance from staff. Payment was done either electronically or magically through their in-house machines with sleek touchscreen interfaces.

Expeditiously, Essairyn located Eisso Cyanmay's package through the delivery portal and walked to the shelf that the magical dispenser would retrieve it from. Once the package was safely in her cache, she nodded happily and proceeded to exit the relay station. But as she approached the exit, she froze upon spotting a familiar back that sent shivers down her spine. No... It can't be—!!! He's—!! She dashed toward the doors which were now closing on the person.

"Leœss!!!" She practically screamed, startling all of the people nearby. The man in question seemed to jolt and turn his head halfway just as the doors shut. No no no no— Essairyn would not let this man get away, not after how much she cried after his death and how much the loss pained Darren and Aispin.

At lightning speed, she burst through the doors and raced ahead while whipping her head about to locate him. He had not gone far. Or rather, he couldn't because Essairyn had pounced on him as soon as he tried making a break for it.

"You ******* idiot!! I can't believe you didn't actually—"

"Shut up!!" Leœss slapped a hand over her mouth. "You caught me, okay? So don't make a scene in broad daylight."

His words incensed Essairyn to the point of chomping on his hand, making him jump back while sputtering curses. "You will NOT make any excuses. If I have to drag and tie you up until you spill the truth, so help me I will—"

"Jeez, I get it already, Essairyn. No need to scare me into it." Leœss sighed with his hand behind his neck, massaging the sore areas where she had jumped on him.

"Peh!" She nearly spat on the ground. "You were the ones that scared us. How can you speak so normally after making us think you died?! Was that even your body buried under the ******* dirt?! And then how can you actually try to run away from me without an explanation? Of course I'll—"

"Ahhhhh," Leœss droned with a palm over one ear. "I get it, I get it!" He kneaded the furrow of his brows with his fingers. He couldn't believe that Essairyn was actually in front of him. She was the last person he expected to appear along with everyone else who had traveled with him. Why aren't they all still chasing after Kajarn and Lyam to the northwest? We already moved out of Byar'non for now.

Seeing his expression, Essairyn narrowed her eyes. "I recognize that face. Don't try to talk your way out of this one, buddy! You saved Balgair, didn't you? Why else would his body have disappeared? No... you...you're actually part of H—!!"

"Yes." Leœss interrupted. "Those are just our initials. And the body you found of me was a double I had saved for emergencies. It got blasted pretty hard, so you wouldn't have been able to discern that it wasn't me. Although, I didn't really think I would actually need to use it. But who knew that Balgair was going to go berserk on you like that? I guess Kajarn's words about you really infuriated him."

Essairyn frowning, not quite following all of his words. Regardless, it was clear that Leœss had betrayed their trust. Not only had he known about H.T. prior, he was even part of that murderous group. Without Akari and Caelen, they could have died—Leœss had left them for dead. Well...I guess he still didn't kill us when given the chance. She sighed mockingly to herself.

At her expression, Leœss also sighed. "I also recognize that face. You lost all trust in me, right? Or rather, you're simply suspicious of me after thinking I lied. But did I actually lie? I never lied to you once, Essairyn, whether you believe it or not."

She turned her head, looking at him skeptically from the corner of her eyes. While she wanted to believe him, she simply couldn't. This made Leœss ruffle his hair in exasperation as he continued.

"You never personally checked back on the abandoned village after that time, right? You should go back and learn the truth from the villagers. H.T. is not what you think it is. We are not your enemy, Essairyn. You just haven't been in this world long enough to know who the true enemy is. You thought all those captured people at Farinheld were used in some kind of experiment, right? With demons?" He smirked, placing a hand on his hip. "You would be partly right. But they weren't victims, but volunteers."

"What?" Essairyn's voice raised in pitch. "That's ridiculous! You really think I'd believe people would willingly become demons? Unless you threatened them?!"

Leœss laughed. "Oh Essairyn. You really don't this world. But you've seen how power affects this land. How Darren and I were treated, and even you yourself, at school. People with no magical power are stepped on while those with power are restricted. What do you think the Oath is for? Wannabe knights have no idea what they're getting themselves in for. It's all just 'noble' way to keep everyone in line so that all the people up top stay in power."

"You...can't be..."

"Can't be right?" Leœss smiled smugly before his face softened into a gentler expression. "Essairyn. I really like you and everyone. You and Darren, even Aispin, treated me fairly as equals, as friends. Thank you."

Essairyn clasped her hands into quavering fists. This ludicrous situation was playing with her emotions and rationality all at once. Have I actually been blind? But how? When everything is so clear through their violent actions? I don't understand. If H.T. is not some terrorist kind of group, then just what are they?

Leœss stepped closer, making Essairyn unconsciously flinch back. She wasn't ready to hear the 'truth', wasn't sure whether to believe anything he said. Leœss smiled, knowing that he had finally pried open her door just a bit.

"Hyd' Tyml, meaning The Hand of God. We will grant the wishes of the people, for the humans of As'pyze which have suffered under elemental control in our own lands and servitude in theirs. Remember the Borderlands? Well, you should go study up about it, maybe take a field trip. Maybe then you'll finally see the truth. Essairyn." Leœss placed a hand on her shoulder and peered into her lavender orbs whirling with confusion.

"Don't listen to what others say, what the Knights say, what the elementals say, go and learn for yourself. And when you do..." His hand departed and he walked past her frozen figure in the street.

"The Revolution will be waiting for you."