Bang! The dire wolf’s eyes bulged in the prelude of imminent death as it collided into the barn wall below the now closed, loft doors. Essairyn had just returned within range of the barn to lob a spear into the airborne wolf’s back. But sparing no time, her magic continued whizzing about, accompanied by the throes of dying wolves.

Safe behind shut doors, Darren released a tremulous breath of relief and slumped to his knees. Slowly, he calmed the remaining adrenaline rushing through his system, and fifteen seconds later, it was silent outside. He fretfully waited until he heard Essairyn’s familiar, mellow voice.

“Hey! You okay in there?”

Darren cautiously opened the loft doors. The elated face of an ebony-haired girl greeted him. He lightly smiled in return. It was finally over. As they cleared the barricade and comforted the jittery animals, Akari and Mrs. Welfort arrived at the barn. They had observed the gut-wrenching battle from the farmhouse windows and rushed over to join them upon its end.

When Mrs. Welfort fixed her gaze on the corpses strewn in front of the barn, she nearly retched. Bodies of wolves that had perished while still under possession were dissipating into black mist. In contrast, the remaining bodies of wolves whose demons had escaped preemptively before their hosts’ deaths retained a charred blackness as if poisoned.

“Whether I severely injure possessed creatures to draw out their demons and save them, or kill them directly without sacrificing extra time and effort, both feels wrong,” Essairyn deduced lamentably.

Akari’s ear flicked at the girl’s retrospective judgement. “While I get the dilemma, you should always just kill possessed creatures. No point in staking your own safety over unnecessary, inefficient kindness. Also, these phantoms can easily escape, so it’s not like you can draw them out and kill them effortlessly, or prevent them from jumping into another body.”

Essairyn nodded, thinking back to their nimble, gaseous forms from the few that fled.

“Speaking of safety, you got injured.” Akari nervously examined the girl’s wound on her right leg. After seeing it wasn’t serious, only about a millimeter deep, the fox exhaled a sigh of relief. “Next time, you need to be more careful battling beast demons. I know this is your fourth time, but demon wounds get infected easily and can develop into nasty afflictions. This turns the flesh into soot, similar to how beast demon bodies disappear or those scorched wolves over there.”

Glancing at the bodies behind Akari, Essairyn internally shuddered at the thought of her body deteriorating away into ash. “Thankfully, my body mostly healed while I was fighting. Now, I can probably finish healing it myself.”

Essairyn placed three fingers at the top of the five-inch long slashes and pressed downward, swiping her hand slowly across their length. Lavender light flushed beneath her fingers, and the skin seamlessly repaired itself. While Essairyn figured she could have also willed the injury to heal without touching it, doing so through gestural motions felt more natural and took less concentration.

“How deep was the wound initially?” Akari was curious about the speed of Essairyn’s self-healing abilities.

Essairyn chuckled mirthlessly and drew her forefinger and thumb close together, gauging the original depth to be about half a centimeter. Akari didn’t know whether to grouse or be relieved. The girl’s skin regeneration and toughness had resulted in only minimally deep lacerations from a dire wolf that seized her leg with three centimeter claws sharpened by the envelopment of black magic.

Unlike Akari, Darren didn’t think of the injury so optimistically. “I was worried that you’d be pulled down into that pack, and then I wouldn’t know what to do next…” Without Essairyn, braving this world would be invariably harder, and that realization greatly frustrated him. His lack of ability to properly help Essairyn made him feel like an incompetent leech. He hating this feeling which also reminded him of his failures on Earth. Typically, he could excel at most things he put his mind to, but whenever he met an insurmountable wall, he was pitched into darkness until he stumbled out through avoidance.

The fox huffed in disgruntlement. Perhaps Essairyn getting injured would make these kids wake up to the harsh reality and not take on more than they could manage. It never hurt to be extra careful, but Akari couldn’t determine whether Essairyn was unassumingly arrogant or compassionately courageous for leaping straight into dangerous situations. And this Darren boy had it worse for not being able to even gauge the severity.

“Well, now that’s over, I guess it’s just a matter of cleaning up and figuring out how to prevent this from happening again.”

The Welforts looked anxiously at one another after Essairyn’s statement. They only wanted to live tranquilly on their farm for the last half of their lives. It had been that way until now with the appearance of phantoms. Recognizing the anxiety on the older couple’s faces, Darren directed that they first clean up like Essairyn had suggested and then discuss over dinner.

Back at the house, they ate the mushy, overcooked stew in silence while Essairyn roved through her mind for possible causes as well as solutions. Although she expected more demons to pursue Akari, the dire wolves had instead targeted the barn and only redirected their aim to the farmhouse because of Essairyn. They were smart enough to know where the humans lived and sought to disrupt the girl’s battle strategy. But at no point did she get an indiction that they changed course due to Akari’s presence.

However, Essairyn needed more clues. After eating, she would have to inspect the barn with Akari and question her on demon possession in order to understand the depth of the phantoms’ obsession with the barn.

“Mr. and Mrs. Welfort.” Essairyn broke the oppressive hush. “I’m sorry that this happened to you again. But, I have an idea how to protect the farm from any further instances.”

Mrs. Welfort cut in before she could continue. “No, no, not at all Essairyn. It’s not your fault that this happened again.”

“Yes, those demonically possessed wolves might have been chasing after the ones from last night,” added Mr. Welfort. “Perhaps some rogue horde of demons attacked their pack? I can’t imagine any other reason for them to leave the forest in such a panic and not care about crossing over into human territory.”

Essairyn listened intently with a partially closed hand resting on her chin. “That theory is possible. Though, something might be causing the demons to go rogue, too.”

“Anyway,” the girl continued. “I can try setting up a magical barrier system around the farm. Demons dislike my type of magic, so it’s possible that it can ward them off.”

“Can you really do that?!” The couple started back in astonishment. “What rank are you, if we may ask?”

The girl hesitated before replying, “Umm, I’m not sure to be honest. I arrived in Sol’h’meyr not too long ago… That’s why we’re heading to the regional Academy campus in Byar’non.”

This further stunned the elderly couple. They never imagined that the gifted human mage was actually a new traveler and not an adventurer like they had first assumed. Essairyn’s ease and self-confidence suggested that she had been in Sol’h’meyr longer.

“Those darn wolves would’ve surely destroyed a crucial part of our living, so aren’t we lucky folks to have you two put onto our path!” Mr. Welfort cheered and turned to Darren with a shining smile. While the boy hadn’t demonstrated any magic, he had displayed considerable strength and fortitude with his pitchfork strikes. So, the Welforts were equally grateful and in awe of both.

After they finished eating, Essairyn explained her plan. She would cast a spell on the fence so that if demons came near, it would activate and expel them from the premises, much like a warning. Should the demons continue provoking it, the system would go into combat and eliminate the threats. The system could be supplied with magic, and it would save on magic by remaining dormant as long as demons didn’t come near.

With dinner and discussions over, Essairyn headed to the barn with Akari. Without the Welforts near, the fox asked, “That magical system you were talking about before, are you really able to cast such a protective spell?”

The girl honestly replied, “Nope. But it doesn’t hurt to try. I never guaranteed the Welforts that I would be successful anyway. But I’m sure I can make something or another that’ll help them since it’s not like they can defend themselves with a sword or other weapon. But wait, even if I made one with my magic, would it be useable even after I leave?”

The fox sighed. Akari didn’t know why she even asked such a question, for Essairyn’s answer was exactly as she had expected. This girl was always trying to do the impractical without formal magical knowledge.

“Yes, however, creation of magic weapons is a skill only demonstrated by full-fledged Knight-Mages. You wouldn’t have to be an incarnation of the Knight-Mages of old, would you?” The fox peered at Essairyn with jesting yet suspicious eyes. The girl merely shook her head with a light, entertained smile. She had been born on Earth, so there was no way that she could be connected to anyone living in Sol’h’meyr.

The fox clicked her tongue dismissively and continued. “Items created purely out of magic will eventually dissipate into the magical atmosphere. But they can remain intact for a long time depending on the skill of its creator.”

“Oh, that’s pretty neat! But, how exactly can it stay by itself without me?” Essairyn tapped on her chin. “From my experience, I can’t handle more than two large objects until one disappears. So isn’t it impractical to make them for anyone but yourself? I would be limited in using other magic as long as the magical item exists.”

Akari scoffed disapprovingly. “That’s only because you’re creating the magic circle through an unconventional means by first creating a flying disk, an object, as you said. You can actually cast the flying spell directly and be able to equip any weapon too.”

“Oh. Ahahah… Looks like casting magic the traditional way definitely has its perks.” Essairyn sheepishly smiled. It was just like her to do everything the hard way instead of the easy, known path. This was yet another motivator in learning how to properly cast magic.

Akari chuckled at the girl’s reaction. “Anyway, let’s start this investigation. There has to be something leftover from yesterday’s wolves that attracted the demonically possessed ones to go after this place.”

Nodding, Essairyn surveyed the dimly lit barn and resting animals while Akari trotted to a pen and jumped up on the fence. Sniffing each area as she walked forward from pen to pen, Akari suddenly halted.

“Essairyn!” The fox seethed as her hackles rose. “There’s a demon hiding its presence in here!”

At her shout, the ragged outline of a shadow manifested in the gloom. Unblinking crimson eyes opened and a sawtoothed smile spread across the face of the demon. “Oops, you found me! Hehehe!” The demon lurched toward the fox, and she barely leapt away in time as its shadowy claws hooked around the fence.

“Akari!” The girl shouted as she sprinted and hurtled a blade of magic toward the demon who narrowly dodged.

“H-human, m-mage?” The demon frowned with serrated teeth showing. It confusedly edged back from the girl and flicked its wild gaze back to the retreating fox. “M-must eat, ss-pirit!!” It charged at Akari with a cavernous mouth.

Raising a magical barrier, Essairyn blocked the demon’s beeline toward the tiny fox. But Akari had managed to leap away at the last second even without the girl’s help. Roaring in agony as it crashed into the transparent wall, the demon spun around in wary fury. Red cuts were sprayed over its body, and a seared splotch smoked in its center.

“E-elemental?!” The demon cried out in surprise before darting toward a spooked animal. The poor cow bellowed in fright as the demon latched onto it and began ripping through its side.

Absolutely appalled, Essairyn dashed toward the aggrieved cow. She couldn’t send any magical attacks from afar without possibly hurting the animal, so she materialized her sword. Vaulting over into the pen, she swiped her blade at the gorging demon. But it swung over onto the other side of the cow and grinned tauntingly at the girl who had missed. Frustrated by the speedy demon, she hooked the sword up by the handle and stabbed it on the other side. But the snickering demon evaded and latched onto another animal a few pens away.

Incensed at being playing with, Essairyn swore to give this demon a painful whooping. If she couldn’t catch it, then she’d have to ensnare it. So, she hoisted barriers around the pen it resided in, and the daunted demon reflexively jolted and smashed into one of the walls. But before it could escape from the broken wall, Essairyn formed another box around the previous. Realizing it was being trapped, the demon grew alarmed. If it kept trying to strong-arm its way past the barriers, then it would cause its own doom. Aggravated, it shot back to the injured animal within the trap and resumed feasting with renewed vigor.

Revolted by the blatant act, Essairyn grimaced and tromped over to the encasement. Spikes formed along the inner walls, and the demon’s eyes flashed from side to side in trepidation. Just as it was about to spring from the collapsing cow, the spikes speared it mercilessly. The demon dropped to the ground, now a ball of skewers.

Before it could dissipate, Essairyn layered smaller boxes around the demon and withdrew the spikes. This demon could speak Sol, so she wanted to keep it alive for questioning. She was prepared to heal the demon if able and necessary, but puzzlingly, the demon merely smoldered with a few sprinkles of dust. It was still well and alive.

Glaring in contempt at the writhing demon, she interrogated, “Why are you in this barn, and what’s your relation with the dire wolves and the phantoms?” She scrutinized the scowling demon’s abnormal body. It looked like the first tier demons that had fled some of the dire wolves’ bodies, and it evidently had the wily little phantoms’ speed too. But this one was more solid than gaseous besides being able to talk in the common language. Is this some kind of in-limbo demon between first and second tier? But that wouldn’t explain why it could talk but the second and third class demons from before couldn’t.

The simpering demon was tight-lipped, but it finally caved with the girl’s scathing gaze. “Y-you think you’re s-strong e-elemental? J-Just you wait, we d-demihumanss will take b-back our landss!”

Essairyn was momentarily taken aback by the misunderstanding, but she went with the flow in order to grasp the situation. “What lands of yours do you mean?”

The demon spat, “The borderlands! Our c-cities! Y-You e-elementals destroyed our nation and t-turned the world on uss! Futile! Futile! Y-you’ll n-never win! All hail Taithar! Our Savior!” Then, it crashed and ricocheted onto the walls. Neither able to stop nor release it, Essairyn could only watch as the demon self-destructed.

“Akari,” she murmured after the demon dissipated. “What was that? Why is it so angry at the elementals? What did the elementals do?” Even though she knew she wasn’t an elemental, Essairyn acutely felt the raging indignation of the demon’s words directed at her.

The fox could only shake her head, honestly perplexed by it all too. “I don’t know what happened since I was last alive. Although the elementals loathed the demons for fighting against them in the Great Elemental War, they never outrightly declared war on the demons.”

“Demons fought against them in the war? What about the spirits? Were they also on the side of Water and Light?” After reading the history of Sol’h’meyr, Essairyn felt like the other elementals were in the wrong for trying to kill Cyrienne. Supposedly, the rain goddess would wreck havoc upon the world because the power balance would be destroyed. But it sounded like a bunch of propaganda. Clearly, Cyrienne had restored the lands instead of seeking revenge. Essairyn reckoned that the jealous gods had purposefully deceived the public, rewriting history to fit their agenda.

“No, the majority of spirits were neutral, called themselves opposers to war and supporters of peace. But that’s bullshit––they just didn’t want to get their hands dirty. A bunch of hypocrites, I say, asking for peace when the elemental gods didn’t want to peacefully live all together.”

Shocked, Essairyn was reminded of Akari’s past words that demons weren’t necessarily evil. Qualities that might be considered conventionally ‘bad’ could be attractive in some cases. And in this situation, she surmised that the demons embodied the frustration and anger of the humans caught up in a war that wasn’t theirs.

Akari released a heavy sigh. “However, the main reason why elementals hate demons and not spirits is that even after the war ended, the spirits who fought against them caused them no trouble while the demons continued to rebel.”

“Damn.” Essairyn didn’t know what else to say. Sol’h’meyr’s history was indeed more complex than what that brief booklet had told. The current situation arose out of age-old conflicts, but neither she nor Akari knew why it boiled to this tipping point. “Then did you also fight, Akari?” Perhaps this was the reason why the fox had looked miserable the first time she spoke of the Great Elemental War.

“No, I was just a baby then.” Akari hesitated on telling the next sequence of events. Deciding that it would only complicate matters, she skipped the details and remained silent.

“I see…” Essairyn sensed that there was more to the story, but yet again, the fox’s mouth was sealed on matters of the war and its relation to her. “Well, I suppose we’ll find out eventually with all these demon disturbances…” She blinked in deep thought. “SHOOT!” The sudden shout made Akari yelp.

“What’s—?!” The fox jumped and saw the girl racing over to one of the injured cows. “No way! You’re not going to heal them now are you?! They’re on the brink of death! There’s no way you can— HEY! Are you listening to me!??!” The fox dashed over to the girl who had put her hands on the fallen cow’s side. The animal’s breath sputtered, and its eyes glazed over.

“I have to at least try Akari! The poor cows! What will Mr. Welfort think?” Her forehead wrinkled in consternation.

“No.” Akari’s words were stern. “Healing Banran was crazy enough, but you’ve used up too much magic these last few days. Especially after two fights in a row, you’ll only be putting yourself at risk by trying to heal them!”

“But…”

“NO BUTS ABOUT IT!! You’re NOT going to heal them!!!” Akari was nearly gasping in emotion.

“Akari..?” Essairyn was surprised by the fox’s outburst. Does she really care about me that much? Even though we don’t know each other that long and started on the wrong foot…? The girl softened her gaze. The fox could very well be protecting her own protector, but somehow, Essairyn knew, hoped, it wasn’t just that.

As if realizing her own mistake, Akari coughed and recollected herself. “If you’re aren’t going to listen to me, your guide in this world, then I might as well find someone else!” Dang it Akari! You let your emotions get the best of you again! How many times do I have to remind you that you need to keep your distance! You can’t get close to anyone, not after…

“I’m sorry, Akari.” Essairyn’s words were heartfelt. “You’re right. I can’t do everything. If I don’t conserve my magic, I won’t be able to make that protective system tomorrow. Then the Welforts and the rest of the animals will be in danger once again…” She sighed. She had to get a grip on herself and not be carried away.

With heavy hearts, the two headed back to the farmhouse to inform Mr. Welfort that two of his cows had died because of a rogue demon that had been hiding in the barn. Seeing the doleful looks on their faces, he knew that it had been a rough fight. He grieved a bit at the loss of two cows, but at least the situation could no longer escalate had the adventurers left before encountering the sequestered demon.

That night, they all slept fitfully with only a few winks of rest before waking up at eight o’clock. But like well-oiled machines, the Welforts went about their typical chores with the assistance of Darren while Essairyn studied the fence and layout of the whole farm. Akari followed her on the loop around the premises.

“So, what do you think? Can you do it after all?”

Essairyn thoughtfully inclined her head. “Yes, I laid magic on the fence surrounding the whole farm, so I can give it a shot now.”

Closing her eyes and taking a deep, steady breath, she focused on connecting herself to the ring of magic. She imbued a string of commands and courses of action depending on the situation into the magic flow, imagining as if invisible words were coiling around it. When she felt the magic fully suffuse and stabilize, she released her hold on the fence and backed away.

Not even a breath later, the whole farm flushed in lavender as the ring of magic flared and discharged spiraling streams into the air. They hatched themselves together in a lattice, and blooms of magic circles sprung up from their centers.

Spellbound, Darren and the Welforts stopped to gaze at Essairyn’s handiwork. The girl herself was pleasantly surprised by the unexpected spectacle. And unbeknownst to Essairyn, but discerned by Akari, a faint lavender glow emanated from her pupils.

After the spell settled into the crevices of the fence and earth, Essairyn surveyed her work with pride. Magic crafted from the will of the imagination was truly magnificent. She had lost quite a bit of m’u, judging from the spacious feeling circulating throughout her body, but it was well worth the cause. Of course, she still needed to test that it would indeed function as intended.

“Hey Akari, can you stand over there for me?”

The fox was momentarily confused by the girl’s question, but suddenly, realization dawned on her. “No way! You’re not going to use me as a guinea pig are you?!”

“Ayy, it’ll be fine. I just want to see if it warns intruders before attacking them.”

Akari’s face burst with indignation. “What?!! You’re kidding if you think I’ll put myself at the risk of being zapped by your magic!”

Essairyn waved her hand leisurely. “I’m 98% sure it’ll work properly.”

“What about the 2%? And why 2%?!” The fox was flabbergasted by this girl’s logic.

“Because 99% seems too sure without being completely sure.”

The fox face-pawed herself. This girl was completely serious. Sighing deeply in a defeated tone, she glared at Essairyn while walking over to the spot directed. Akari decided she might as well entertain the girl.

Pleased, but half in disbelief that the grudging fox acquiesced, Essairyn whistled and started up the magic system. The fence fleetingly illuminated a pale purple before dimming into normalcy. From an outsider’s perspective, the fence looked completely ordinary.

“Okay Akari, now think of bad thoughts, threats, that you want to attack the farm,” instructed Essairyn once the fox reached about five meters away. She didn’t want the spell to discriminate demons, spirits, or any other creatures. As long as the intruder had malevolent intentions while approaching the farm, the spell would pick up on the negativity. Or so, she hoped.

Akari stood still and narrowed her eyes at the fence. Bad thoughts, huh? The fox slowly closed her eyes. That was something of which she had a lot. Akari didn’t want to remember them right now, but just for a moment, just this once she’d willingly recall them for Essairyn. Inhaling a shaky breath, a myriad of images cascaded across the forefront of her mind. Smog. Gunpowder. Blood. Death. Carnage. Ruins. Desolation. A lone man. Waxen skin. Silver ashen hair. Gorgeous crimson eyes. Mad, demented, possessed, destroyed. Her heart.

Her rage.

A beam of lilac light pummeled the ground, just centimeters away from Akari. Unflinching, she flicked her starless eyes open. The duskiness whirling in those depths evoked disquiet in Essairyn.

“Are you okay, Akari?” The girl’s voice was tentative. She noticed that a smoky aura hovered faintly around the fox. But it quickly faded after she spoke.

“I’m fine.”

The curt words stung a small corner of Essairyn’s heart. But she didn’t blame Akari for not confiding in her, for she herself hadn’t reached that point either. It would take some time before they could fully break each other’s walls.

Essairyn dipped her head in a half nod and gestured for Akari to return. The fox dispassionately trotted over, and they located the Welforts to inform them of the protective spell’s success. Along with Darren, the couple followed her to the fence and listened attentively as she demonstrated the system’s abilities and method of maintenance. After her explanation, the Welforts graciously thanked her and rejoiced in their new security. They would be able to live their daily lives with ease of mind once more.

With her job done, the trio was ready to depart for the last leg on the road to Byar’non. But before they left, Mrs. Welfort gathered the items she had prepared for them in advance while Mr. Welfort retrieved an item from under their bed. The woman finished first and hustled back to the trio. She presented them with stacked, cylindrical containers of food. They also received three bottles of cow’s milk and a handful of coins.

“I’m sorry I can’t offer you anything more sophisticated or useful on your journey, but I hope this along with the item my husband is getting will be enough to express our gratitude.” Mrs. Welfort hurriedly fussed and bowed her head. She wished they had more to spare, but they lived modestly and self-sufficiently after giving most of their life savings to their children. Most of the possessions they had came from adventurers repaying their hospitality.

Essairyn and Darren warmly assured the benevolent old woman that it was quite all right. The gracious couple had opened up their house to strangers, so receiving gifts was the last thing on their minds. Right after this exchange, Mr. Welfort returned with a long object wrapped in thick cloth.

“We received this from a well-traveled adventurer. Many years have passed since then, but we still hadn’t found a proper use or person whom to give it to as our children are nonmagical like ourselves. Based on your fight yesterday with the wolves, we think that this may be suitable for you, lass.”

The man handed over the bundle to Essairyn, and she took it gingerly in her hands, thinking it was delicate. But contrary to her speculation, the article had a solidness to its weight. She looked up at Mr. Welfort questioningly, and he nodded for her to unwrap it.

As she uncovered the item, he explained, “It’s wrapped because it doesn’t like being touched by most people. This was why it was hard to pass it onto any adventurers we met. It would forcibly reject everyone. But, it does have an affinity for magical users. Although, it seems to prefer women…” He looked awkwardly at Darren, and his wife smiled ruefully. Past images of the item literally shocking people who tried to touch it resurfaced on their minds.

Essairyn inspected the unveiled item: a longsword that seemed to be made of ice-blue glass. The guard had two feather-like structures angled on either side that attached to two supports which melded into the blade. One support was straight while the second sprung off from its middle and jutted up and down in a diamond shape. White engravings traced the form of the blade, hilt, and pommel.

Awestruck by its pristine shimmer and simple, elegant design, she immediately grasped the handle in order to test the sword. This elicited a small gasp of caution which quickly turned into surprise from the Welforts. Even though Essairyn matched their estimates of what the sword would accept, they couldn’t restrain the probable notion that it would still reject her. For even if someone could touch it, the sword would suddenly become much heavier when picked up, as if discouraging anyone from ever actually using it. But as fate would have it, the sword swung easily away from its swathes. Essairyn maneuvered the ice sword gracefully through the air and practiced a few, forceful flourishes.

“Amazing…” She breathed in rapture. “This sword is so light yet so sturdy.” She rocked the sword back and forth while peering closely at its composition and luster.

The Welforts sweat-dropped, not knowing what to make of this absurd statement after all the countless times that they and others failed in performing the same actions. “Well, it looks like the sword likes you, so hopefully it will be useful in battles. But you can probably sell it for a good price too. We didn’t sell it ourselves since we felt it was a waste of a good sword; though, no one we met knew what it was worth anyway.” Even if Essairyn wasn’t compatible, Mr. Welfort still planned on giving it to the travelers in lieu of lacking coin.

“Ahh, okay. Thanks!!” Essairyn broke out into a brilliant grin. She loved the appearance of the sword and could already imagine how it would feel in battle. This was the most useful item she could receive in order to slow her drain of magic while fighting.

Meanwhile, Darren was staring grumpily at the ice sword. It prefers women? What kind of stupid sword is this? It sounds like it has a mind of its own… He wished that the sword was given to him instead. Although he admittedly had done less than Essairyn, he had nothing with which to protect himself in dangerous situations.

Darren squeezed his eyes before sighing and turning his head away. This was his second day in Sol’h’meyr. When he woke up this morning and realized that he was still in the unfamiliar bed of the Welfort’s eldest son, he nearly jumped out the second floor window to check if he was dreaming. But instead, he sat upright under the covers, listening to the sound of his own body and the chirps and bustle of the new day. After finally heading downstairs, he was greeted with the scent of steamy breakfast and silly chatter between Essairyn and Mrs. Welfort as they fried eggs. Before they noticed him, he wiped away the wetness in his yes and choked out a good morning––

“Darren?” Essairyn’s gentle voice brought him out of his brooding.

He whipped his head around to her concerned eyes. “Yeah?”

Essairyn looked like she was going to say something else, possibly ask if he was okay, but thinking better of it, she dropped the question. “Let’s go then. Thanks again Mr. and Mrs. Welfort! Take care and be safe!” She waved cheerily at the elderly farmers and then placed the sword inside her magic cache as they left.

The walk was silent. Essairyn glanced fretfully at the boy beside her. She didn’t understand why his mood had turned sour since they left the Welforts. He couldn’t possibly be missing the farm, so why is he downcast? Wait… the sword? Did he want…? She poked him in the side. Darren jerked away from the sudden prod and blinked at the girl.

“What?”

She looked at him from the corner of her narrowed eyes, not answering his question. Then, she suddenly sprinted off with Akari in her arms, yelling, “The last one to Byar’non is a rotten egg!”

The flabbergasted boy watched as the girl raced ahead like a little kid. “Seriously…” He face-palmed and shook his head. He did not feel like chasing after her. He really wasn’t in the mood. But after a few seconds alone, the heightened silence swiftly loomed over him.

“Argh! This girl, I swear—!” He carped while chasing after her. Although they hadn’t been talking, the mere presence of someone else was consoling despite Darren not wanting to admit it to himself. He also knew that Essairyn was trying to cheer him up in her own clumsy way. Tch, so you think you can beat me? Just wait until I catch you!