Ed entered Theo tent. He lifted the curtain with care, enveloped his feet with magic, and retracted his aura. He hoped Cally wouldn't realize his coming, or anyone for that matter. No one would mind if he entered Theo's tent, but he didn't want to be seen, or to be known. He turned his head left and right to observe the inside of the tent. Even with his night-vision magic, it was pitch black as no candle was lit and no magic lamp turned on. Normal tent wouldn't be this dark even without a light source. But Theo requested his tent to be covered by sound-proof and light-proof barriers to prevent his night activity from troubling his neighboring tent. Which was good, just not for him right now. It was creepy, sneaking around in complete darkness. Who knew what might be lurking in the shadow. What if a ghost was hiding and waiting for him to come near? What if a ghost pops out and scream right in his face? What if when he walked next to Theo's bed, a ghastly hand grabbed his leg and pulled him under? He could scream for help, but what if he's killed before he could scream? Or what if the ghost covers his mouth so he couldn't scream? Ed's blood pressure rose. The hair on his body stood on ends while sweat flooded his forehead. His legs were shaking. His heart pounded hard. His breath shallow and ragged. He swallowed the spit in his mouth. And cursed how loud of a sound it made. He slapped himself. "Stupid, stupid Ed! Don't think anything, don't think anything, don't imagine ghost." He walked from the entrance of the room to his destination on the other end while repeating the same word over and over again. He made a lot of sounds doing so, but he didn't care anymore. He had to distract his own mind from thinking and imagining about ghosts. G-good job Ed, you're not afraid. You're a brave man. Don't think about ghost. Don't think about ghost! Don't think ab- His heart stopped. His body froze. He almost screamed. He wanted to scream., but the sheer terror suffocated him and made him unable to let out even a groan. A pair of burning shining ruby eyes appeared right in front of him. Staring right into his eyes a few paces away. It took him almost a minute before his mind cooled down. And a minute more before regaining the control of his own body. He knew who it belongs to, but couldn't help being scared and shocked. The gaze was so fierce it pierced his will and his heart, yet it contained neither malice nor hostile intent. Looking back at the gaze was like looking at a sword on display. You can see how sharp and how dangerous it was, and if you knew the history you might feel intimidated or scared by it, but no matter what, it couldn't hurt you unless you touch the edge yourself. the knowledge didn't help him calm down though. "What are you doing here, mage?" He summoned all his courage. "I-uh-I-" Even knowing she wouldn't hurt him gave no comfort. The complete darkness, the unknown, the pair of blazing eye, it was nightmare come true. It wasn't as bad as a ghost suddenly grabbing his leg and dragging him under the bed, but still a nightmare. "I-I-I'm here for the book." Cally went silent. She averted her burning yes away from him and took something from the nearby table. "Here." The darkness made it hard to see, but she was holding his book and giving it to him. Ed's hand was shaking. Was this a trap? Why did she give the book by hand? Why didn't she just pointed it out? Would she grabbed his hand and pulled him if he took the book? What then, would she kill him? Burn him alive? Or do some other horrible unimaginable thing? Many unrealistic scenarios where he ended up dead, disabled, or being tortured for a prolonged amount of time ran rampant in his mind. His imagination was wild. "Mage." "A-Ah, yes?" Her voice woke him up from the vicious hell his mind created for him. "The book." "Y-yes, o-of course." After much hesitation and self-convincing, Ed edged closer and took the book from her. "T-thank you." He walked back without turning his body. He kept his eyes on her. Who knew what nefarious plan she schemed behind his back. "You're not like the other." "W-what?" "You don't harbor any ill intent towards me. And even though you're scared of me, you make no conscious effort to put a distance." "W-w-well." Ed scratched his head. His mind went blank as he didn't expect to hear her speak that way. "I-I have my reason." He turned his body but stopped for a second. "A-and I'm not scared of you!" He kicked the ground with all his strength. His imagination ran wild about what would Cally do behind him. His breathing became shallower, his heart beat faster and harder with each step he took. His anxiousness and fear grew the closer he got to the exit. Would she attack when he exited for maximum terror value? Would she attack once he was outside to give him false hope? His heart was convinced she would attack him, though his rational mind knew she likely wouldn't. But if there was something his heart and mind agreed on, it was he shouldn't look back. Ed raised the curtain leading outside and tensed his back. He expected something to hit his back, or at least a scare. It was embarrassing to admit but he knew anyone could see he was scared shitless. And Cally without a doubt wouldn't let such opportunity pass. He knew how much she hated Theo, and picking on his friend would likely give her some satisfaction that she never got since she lost her power. He could already see her laughing face and her snort. The eyes that looked him down and sneered him were clear in his mind. Just like everyone's else. "Thanks." Ed tensed his back even more. Did Cally try to lower his guard with that thanks? Or was there some other tricks? Was she going to ridicule him if he replied that? But his curiosity overpowered his fear. He turned his head slowly towards her. Nothing happened. Her fiery gaze was still in that same corner of the tent, though it felt softer and calmer. She still meditated in that same spot and hadn't moved an inch. He still suspected a trap or trick though. "The book is great, but like the author warned, you shouldn't take the Fire Elemental part at face value. There's a lot of misunderstanding and misconception there." Ed raised his brows and looked at the book he held. It was 'On the Nature of Magic: Fire, Heat, and the Cause' by lord Mercurius Mars. "R-right." Ed didn't know how to reply. He turned and walked away. He returned to his tent and put the book inside his already stuffed bag. All his stuff was already inside it, but it wasn't because Theo was going tomorrow. He lied to Theo previously. He wasn't troubled by the dinner but by something else, though he also believed Theo noticed it. It was the look, the queer strange look they gave him. The servants, the soldiers, the adventurers, even the Miracle member looked at him the same way. Freak It wasn't so bad when they didn't know his true age, they assumed he was a child lost in the camp. Or a genius child that followed Theo the hero. But now ... He had met other human with dwarfism before and he was grateful to retain a child-like face and normal body proportion. He was grateful to be born to house Lion and was a friend to Theo, else people won't stop with just giving him a queer look. Still, it hurt his heart whenever he noticed their look. Only Theo, Lyana, and surprisingly, Cally gave him an indifferent look. Then there was Vivi, who only have two looks in her eyes. The look she gave Theo and the look she gave to everyone other than Theo. It creeped him out how drastic she changed whenever Theo wasn't around. She regarded everything like a game, like everyone else was a lifeless doll or toy. He jumped on the bed and buried his face on it. He sighed. What is with Cally? Lord Mercurius Mars in his book wore that Elementals wasn't likely to judge based on appearance and wasn't prone to prejudice. He speculated this was most likely due to the nature of Elemental, that size didn't determine their power, unlike most species. An elemental the size of a mountain might not have enough strength to lift their finger while one the size of ant might have the explosive power to destroy a country. A higher level elemental could even change their shape and appearance without a change to their power in the slightest. He never saw Cally in her true form. He had never seen her true power nor her overpowering presence the way Theo and Val described it. He knew next to nothing about her, and had almost no personal reason to fear her that much. But the enigma that was her circumstances, and the sheer amount of scary stories he heard about her. He felt bad for fearing her that much. He stood up from his bed and waited. And waited. And waited until the time was about midnight. He took out a book from his bag. The cover was thick, the paper white, the cut neat. it wasn't a cheap book but a high-quality one. He opened the book and took out a letter already prepared inside, hidden between the pages. He felt terrible doing this again. It was no different than when he ran away from home. Following Theo in his journey was fun and exhilarating, he met a lot of people and experienced many things he would never imagine before, and would preferably not experience again. But he had things and dreams he wanted to pursue too and that dream didn't lay in the direction Theo was heading. He put the letter on his bed and convinced himself this was the right choice, the right path, the right thing to do. He hauled his bag and with heavy heart, left the tent. The tent was loaned to him by the Church, so someone will take care of it after he left. One less thing to worry. He waited until midnight to make sure Theo didn't know he was leaving. It was cowardly, sure, but he didn't want to tell him directly. Imagining it was enough to burn his chest and cause a headache. Will he be disappointed? He didn't think so. Theo will probably be happier without him following around. That way he could spend more time with his women. Though Ed wasn't brave enough to test it. "Ed!" A jolt ran through Ed body. His back and face broke out in sweat while his joints petrified. With great effort he turned his head towards the source of the sound. Theo was sitting on a box next to his tent with a tired smile on his face. "T-theo, w-what are you doing here? How long have you been there?" His chest burned and his head rung. The gear of his brain tried to work but only got stuck on itself. He couldn't think anything, not how to get away from this predicament, not even a cheap excuse. "Come with me." Theo stood and walked without confirming whether Ed followed him or not. He didn't appear to be concerned by Ed's strange behavior. Theo sauntered with short strides and slow pace. It eased Ed as he didn't have to put much effort into his short leg, but it also frustrated him. It felt like Theo was walking slowly so he didn't get left behind. Ed hid his woes and anger and kept his silence. Theo probably didn't mean it, most likely he walked slowly because he wanted to, because he had no reason to rush. He followed Theo until they reached a small hill outside the encampment, where Theo finally stopped and sat on the foot of a withered tree. Gray ashes covered the ground, the grass, and the tree bark. He never realized it before, but ashes literally covered everything around Mount Etna. He sat next to Theo. "S-so, what are we doing here?" "Nothing ..." Theo seemed to have more to say, but he didn't let it out. They both waited, neither one opened their mouth. But Theo was relaxed with no hint of tension or worry while Ed was the complete opposite. His heart was beating fast. Did Theo know his plan all along? If he did, what would he do? How does he feel about it? After a while, the strange calm atmosphere became unbearable for him. "You know it, didn't you? You know I'm going to run away?" "Heh!" Theo smirked. "Everyone knows. You're really shit at hiding things, Ed." Ed's face turned red, both from anger and embarrassment. He stood up. "I'm still going! You're not stopping me, Theo! I-I-I have my own dreams t-" "I know." Theo interrupted him. "I'm not going to stop you, Ed." Eh! He didn't know how to react to that. "On the contrary," He stood up. "I'm here to help. I'm going with you until the Greywater." Ed bit his own lips. He planned to go south to the port city of Greywater then take a boat from there to Lethrand. How could Theo know his plan? His chosen route of travel? He wanted to rip his hair out for being so easily read. "Angry that you're so easy to read?" He really wanted to smash his head on the tree right at that moment. "W-wait! Didn't you plan to go to Eternal City? That's what you've been telling everyone." "Well, I only said I PLANNED to go to the Eternal City, not I'm GOING to the Eternal City. I can do that after accompanying you to Greywater." "Why?" He ground his teeth and balled his fist. "WHY?!" He punched Theo in the stomach, but his arm strength was pathetic, which only further frustrate him. "I don't need you to accompany me! I don't need you to help me! I don't ..." his jaw was trembling and his tongue tripped on itself. "I'm not a kid anymore! I'm not weak! I don't need you to ... I don't want you to babysit me!" He spat the word out. He knew he shouldn't trust the prophecy, being 'The Dragon' meant nothing, zero. He was pathetic, weak, cowardly, and no amount of prophecy is going to change that part of him. What did he do when everyone was fighting with all their might against the Fire Invasion? What did he do when Theo was fighting teeth and nails to stop Calamity? Nothing. Nothing but be a burden for everyone. He slowed everyone down with his small body, they took more rest because his weak constitution and low stamina. When they were ambushed by the Fire Elemental, what did he do? He tried acting hero and failed miserably, losing consciousness in the process and adding work for everyone. Though in the end Zarathustra helped them, it was not his power, but the power he borrowed from Zarathustra. What a man he was. He turned his body away from Theo. His cheek became wet against his will. "I-I-I- AUGH!" Ed held the back of his head, it hurt like hell. "W-what was that for?!" he yelled at Theo, the person responsible. "Oh, shut up, Ed. I don't do this for you. I rather go to Eternal City than babysit you. So shut your crap, I will accompany you to Greywater whether you want it or not." Theo glared him, though it was a playful glare, not an intimidating one. "And stop with it with whatever you're complaining. Don't just complain, prove it. And stop crying, Ed. There's a reason why people don't see you as an adult, you know." Ed looked away, his face red in embarrassment. He wiped the tears from his eyes and sat on the foot of the tree. He took a deep breath and calmed his raging heart. He realized he was being childish there, taking his emotion and rage out to Theo who's not at fault. Theo sat next to him. They kept their silence and enjoyed the cold night breeze. Though too long and Ed afraid he would catch a cold. "So, why? Why did you want to escort me?" "Escort? Babysit, Ed. Well, you're 'The Dragon' remember? And a class five mage at that. You'll be famous in no time, and do you think Theo, the Hero is going to pass such easy opportunity to gain more fame? Hell no." He smiled like the devil and laughed. "Theo, the Hero and Ed, the Dragon doesn't that sounds good?" "I ... guess so." He smiled and laughed a little. It was funny how Theo meant and didn't mean what he said at the same time. At least that what Ed thinks. "Anyway, remember the shadow that tried to do something to you?" Theo's voice tone became grave. "He was going to take your blood. Apparently, someone knows about your power and the dragon inside you." Ed raised his brows. "W-what? H-how? Who?" Very few people knew about Ed's true power. Old man Thoros back in Aeston, Sara, Theo, Lyana, Vivi, his father, and his previous butler, Barney. Neither one was likely to spread the news around. And from the reaction of the merchants, soldiers, and adventurers, no one seemed to know about him and his power. "I don't know. But I know whoever hired the shadow knows about your power and wants to do something with it. And Ed ..." Theo paused. He didn't continue talking till Ed returned from his shock and paid full attention. "The order came from someone in Lethrand."