I did not stop to salute anybody before we went on our road to Jane's treehouse, of course, except my Harlow, I saluted her very dearly.

Then Alistar, Roana, and I departed that morning at the eighth bell.

We took our way through Crab River, where we met Alistar's kobfriend, Lem, which accompanied us for a while.

I took my chance to Trace her.

Lemmy Trink, Rogue Level 20 (6418/20000), Fisher Level 26 (19578/26000)

Health: 100%

Stamina: 89%

Agility: 15

Constitution: 15

Strength: 10

Focus: 5

Perception: 14

Willpower: 14

Strengths: Agility, Constitution

Weaknesses: Focus

Class Skills: Fast Escape (Agility), Needle Throw (Focus), Incoming (Perception)

Sub-Class Skills: Fisher Fortitude (Constitution), Following Eye (Perception), A waiting business (Willpower)

Race: Kobold

Sex: Female

Height: 173 cm

Weight: 78 kg

Age: 20

Origins: Deepmound

Family: Trinna Trink-Stash, Vermont Trink, Ylda Trink, Yashi Trink

A fisher at heart. She had likely got her Rogue's levels by fishing. I doubted she had ever seriously fought monsters. Deepmound was deep in the mountain, as the name suggested, they were somewhat sheltered, but it was a nice place.

Still, she was lovely. I couldn't just judge people based on my life experience.

So, while they entertained themselves and Roana got to know Lem better, I had Loki fight as many beasts as possible.

He had leveled and was now to the brink of level twenty-five while we headed back to the Hillhouse on our trip from the Wide Peaks, and he had only roughly two hundred Soul fractions to go to reach the next level.

Since the crab gave roughly five Soul fractions each, he could amass what was left as we walked through the riverside.

We had almost reached the river forking point to the forest when he leveled up.

I smiled, ready for what was to come.

Loki has leveled up to 25.

Constitution + 2, Strength + 2, Perception + 1, Willpower + 1.

The Netherlion started shining in a relatively more powerful light than the previous time he evolved.

I Traced him to see his status.

Loki (Juvenile Golden Netherlion), (Titan), Level 25 (17/25000)

Health: 100%

Stamina: 89%

Strength: Phantasmic State, Senses

Weaknesses: None

Abilities: Ghastly Senses, Phase

Agility: 20

Constitution: 27

Strength: 24

Focus: 20

Perception: 24

Willpower: 21

"Your cat is shining," said Lem, surprised.

"He likes to show off," I answered, receiving a few chuckles from the other two. Then, I focused back on what the whispers were showing me.

Loki (Juvenile Golden Netherlion) (Titan), Level 25, is about to evolve into Adult Golden Netherlion (Titan). Choose the ability that fits you best.

Fading Dash:

a burst of speed that may be used to attack your target or escape. Ethereal while Dashing (based on Agility and Focus).

Agility + 5

Focus + 5

Flow Beacon:

the ability to emit a beacon of stored Flow. It can emit up to five Crystals worth of Flow in the surrounding area (the amount of emitted Flow increases with the Evolution stage). The Flow is stored during the day and can be released whenever needed.

Constitution + 5

Focus + 5

Mass Taunt:

roaring will draw all enemies toward you (based on Strength and Willpower).

Strength + 5

Willpower + 5

So, it seemed that I could always pick the excluded abilities.

Do you wish to feed one Dark Crystal and twenty-five Crystals to the evolving Juvenile Golden Netherlion (Titan)? (Following Evolutions will require Crystals, Dark Crystals, and higher forms of it.)

But that last part was unexpected. I expected that I would have to give Loki many Crystals, but I was not expecting the Dark Crystal to be a requirement. I couldn't simply evolve him anymore without those things.

"Damn," I said out loud. "He won't evolve without a Dark Crystal. First time I hear something like that."

"It's better this way; he'll stay cuter," Roana pitched in.

"What's a Dark Crystal anyway?" Lemmy asked.

We shared a look among us, then laughed like fools.

Three months ago, we had no idea what Dark Crystals were, or at least Alistar and I didn't.

"What?"

Then Alistar launched into a glorious explanation of Dark Crystals, but more importantly, how grandly his adventure in finding out what they were had been.

In the meanwhile, Loki's light was receding, and the whispers disappeared.

I tried summoning them again, and thankfully they were still there. They would wait.

Also, I took that time to take a look at my Animal Instincts Skill. Unlike my Hunter Skills, it was taking its sweet amount of time to get its Promotion.

Skill points for Animal Instincts Promotion:

- Animal Instincts Major Perk: 712/2000

- Animal Instincts Minor Perk: 637/1000

The Major Perk was lagging behind, probably because we did not battle while really in danger since I had received the Perk. It would take a long time before that Perk would get his Promotion. Still, it was better than nothing.

Lem took her way back to her village before we crossed into Little Bush territories. Luckily there had been no Gnolls patrols on our way through the riverside.

The beating Roana and I had inflicted them had probably been a rather hard setback for their expansion.

I had no idea what really happened to that village, and even though the voices said that it had gone entirely destroyed, I knew it was unlikely. The fact that while I fought the nun, she hadn't mentioned it was part of my conviction.

Alright, in the wake of the Netherlion Titan, they might have received another rather harsh beating; it might have as well wiped them out given how close they were to the cave from which that Titan hailed. Still, Gnolls did not have only one village, and they likely had the entire eastern region under their control.

"Are you ready to face your sister, oh mighty Hunter?" Alistar asked once Lem left.

"No. Not even a bit, actually may I go home?"

"Yeah, which one would that be?" Roana Joked at my expenses. "But most importantly, are you going to tell her about your parents?" She continued, more seriously.

"Those are... good questions… Which I really don't know how to answer right now." And, indeed, I couldn't.

It could have been second bell in the afternoon once we reached the Clearing, nobody was there, but there were fresh traces of training. We would likely find them at the treehouse.

And find them we did.

"Loke!" Nova shouted, standing up from the chair.

She ran at me, looking like a crazed monkey, then practically tackled me. And I raised her into a big hug, but a few seconds later, she started punching me in the guts.

"Ouch! You've been increasing your Strength! Stop that!"

"You son of a Moon-walker! Why did you leave me alone again!" She shouted.

"I'm sorry little monkey," I tried saying and getting another punch in response, "but really, what could I do? It was too dangerous to take you with me, and once you know of the consequences I had to pay for doing that, you'll be happy you stayed."

She stopped punching me as she heard that, "Why…? What happened?" she asked, worried.

In the meanwhile, Jane was scolding Roana rather harshly, and I was ready to swear I saw a boot flying at Alistar too; I wondered if I would receive the same treatment as him. I was probably going to get the worst of the deal.

Once I took Nova by the hand to lead her to the table to sit and speak with her about what the mayor's decision was, Faruq saluted me too.

"I knew you'd make it, Captain. But I'm curious, how did it go?"

"There'll be time for the explanation; just let us start from the beginning," then I tried greeting momma Jane.

"Hey M. J. How are you tod-" I couldn't even finish the phrase that a sharp-edged plinth of wood flew at my face. Indeed something she was carving.

"Almost took my newly healed eyes!" I shouted back as I massaged my forehead.

"Oh, yeah. There was indeed something different in you," Jane said, stoic, before trying to throw something else at me.

That was indeed harsh mode Jane in action.

At least she had recovered her true self. She had been in gentle form for too long; I was starting to worry, actually.

"Come on, before you kill us, there are things you should know."

"Faruq has already warned us about the Inquisition; his father has received their visits as well," Jane said.

"Well, that's not all. Let's start from what happened when we did what we had to do.”

We recounted how it had all gone while Nova poked at my eye and the other parts that had entirely recovered.

But when I started mentioning the village's decision, she lost her worry-free attitude.

"I don't understand," she said. "What does that mean?"

"It means that I'm going to have to find someplace to stay, but I can't surely leave you alone. So, you will come with me, right?" I said more than asked; I was surely not going to leave Nova living alone in that village.

"Yeah, that goes without saying, but… are you sure you didn't understand it wrong? I mean, the mayor can't have said that…"

"It's for the village good as a whole," Faruq pitched in, "I would have done the same. As sad as it seems, it was really the only option Edward had." He kept nodding.

"Yeah?" Alistar pitched in, "I would have sent the Church of the Sun to fuck themselves. They should have come to heal us. I bet they knew of our predicament but never even bothered to, and now there they are, trying to get back into the spotlight," he shook his head, "I thought I had found my faith back; it seems I judged too quickly..."

He was right about that first part. Many villagers went to the City to ask for salvation, even invoking the name of the Sun or telling them that even members of the clergy were perishing of the plagues. But the Church of the Sun never answered the villagers’ plea; whether their members had died to the plague or not, they did not come in our aide.

"It doesn't matter anymore, really. I don't exactly know why," I answered, "but I feel… almost relieved."

I had their eyes on me; I could feel them.

But although I might have felt that way, Nova for sure didn't. She had a lot of love to give, and she had personally cared for the villagers for years. How could she abandon them like that?

Her eyes did not meet mine as I said that. They stayed down on the ground. I knew she understood me, but she did not share what I felt, not in the slightest.

"Well, you can stay here. That's for sure," said momma Jane. "Just try and not release any other Titans while you're here, okay?"

Roana and I turned toward her, "There are others?"

She chuckled, "Not that I know, no."

"Anyway… You can really give me an answer later, sis. If you want to stay, I'll see what I can do about it, okay? There are a lot of families that would surely offer you accommodations," I switched my attention back to Nova.

She answered with a nod and a guttural, "Un."

Yeah, she had many things to think about now; there was no need to add the new knowledge I had about our parents to the pile.

"You could both come and stay at Veinforge, you know. People there don't really know anything about the Night Hunter, and anyway. We are a rather reserved bunch," said Faruq.

"Thanks, man; I appreciate it. We'll consider it," Faruq smirked.

He probably already knew that what I had given him was a straight no.

After that, the conversation slowly died down, and we used that day to rest.

It was night when I decided to take a breath of fresh air.

Loki was sleeping near Nova; I did not need to wake him up. I just had to use some of my energies up, let them out, on something maybe, something alive.

I knew that it was the Shade calling for me, but it was hard to resist it.

I climbed on top of the treehouse, breathing in the cool scent of the night. The coming Shade Season would bring a lot of change in the air. The plant life would adapt to it, the darker monsters would start coming out, and Ethereals presence would become much more significant, even during the day, or at least it would, here in the forest.

The Drylands were different but not less perilous. We would start seeing even some Dark-ice elementals, and the Sand elementals would start generating even on the south and eastern side of the region.

"Are you heading out?" Roana asked, interrupting my musing

"I had already noticed you," I lied.

"No, you didn't. Anyway, can I come with you, or do you need some… time for yourself?"

I did not ask right away, but when I was about to, she answered for me.

"Go. Just know that I'm here, and… I'm really looking forward to having you stay here, with us."

I smiled, "I do as well."

"Loke," she asked, meekly, which was weird for Roana, "Is it… serious, with Harlow?"

Oh, that was something I was not expecting.

"I… it is."

"Alright, I guess that's how it should be. But it doesn't change things for me. I'm here, and I will always be."

"I will always be here too."

She shook her head, "No, you won't. But that's in your nature." She turned her head then. "See you tomorrow for training, Loke. I'm going to wipe the floor with you."

"Damn, thanks for reminding me.”

It was time to leave her alone too.

My knife flew in the night, and I transferred as far as I could go and as up as my knife throw allowed me to.

Before I knew it, I was near the zone in which the Titan had died.

It was barely a couple of hours at a regular pace from the treehouse, but I could reach the place much sooner, thanks to Trick Shot.

I knew what had brought me there.

I remembered what the Titan had in store in his body when it died.

There were thousands of Crystals waiting for the taking.

And although expecting that some of those, especially Dark Crystals, had gotten lost while the winners excavated the Titan's body was a far cry, I hoped that some of those had found Gnolls' hands.

Who knew, maybe the Avians had given them as compensation from what they had gone through.

And things with such high value might have been stored somewhere.

I just needed to find the closest Gnoll encampment and study it.

It would not have to be done tonight; I had months of training ahead of me, probably even the whole Shade Season.

I landed on the ground, exactly where the Titan had died; part of his carcass was still untouched.

The land had been entirely razed to the ground, destroyed. An entire portion of the forest had been eradicated, devastated.

The place itself looked as if a fiery hurricane of mighty proportions had materialized in the middle of the forest and laid waste to it before disappearing just as instantly as it had come.

Around me, I could notice portions of the lands that had gone entirely untouched by the Titan's massive body. It was probably thanks to the Titan's phasing.

Here instead, the ground was also burned to a crisp, and the same could be said about the vegetation.

Sundoor's Sand-Crawlers and Featherland ships had given it all that they had.

The Titan's corpse did not emit any smell. I had no idea why his body would not smell, but it was evaporating way faster than something that big should have. The reason was probably because of the incoming Season, its atmospheric change, and the density of Shade in the air.

I neared the carcass, uselessly looking for any shiny remains. There were none. Instead, I had to look for Gnolls' remains; maybe they would lead me to their camps.

I had to go deeper.

It was almost fifth bell in the early morning when I decided to backtrack.

I had gone far enough, leaping among trees and the sky that I had actually started to get tired.

I had really found no trace of any Gnolls or remains of them whatsoever.

But I wasn't gonna give up since I was so full of energy at night and had no real way to vent it, given… well, Harlow's absence, I could as well use my nights for a treasure hunt.

Anyway, I hurried back, I had once again given it my all and was surely going to catch a cold, but I had Nova with me. She could heal ailments.

Everything would be fine.

Long months of training waited ahead of us, and we had to use that time as best as we could.

I just hoped that by the time we became proficient in the Forms, the Inquisition didn’t mess with our chance of going Dungeon delving.

At some point, a sneeze announced to me that I had indeed spent too much time outside. Yeah, it was time to head home.