“Heading out again, eh?”

“Yeah, for a long while too. I already resigned from my job.”

“Just like back then, eh?”

“... You could say so.”

Tamarkrh stepped in the horse-driven cart, a bag slung over his shoulders. In his hand was a new, expensive book, titled On The Mechanics of Magic, authored by a certain companion he knew. Well, new in the fact that it was published within the last five years. Books were quite rare in society to his knowledge, with libraries being a symbol of wealth and power in his hometown. The horse neighed, and as the driver patted its neck, signaling for it to move, Tamarkrh waved at his father, unsure if he would ever see the old man again.

He sighed. He had just become used to the town once again after nearly an entire decade, and unfortunately, he would have to leave it again. Well, he wasn’t one that particularly liked staying in one place anyway, or at least that was what he told himself.

He still didn’t know why exactly he had sent those letters to his adventuring companions, not met since that short, unfortunate expedition ten years ago. Was it the urge to go to that place again, to find out exactly what had befallen, had cursed that seeming paradise? Was it the urge inside him, the thirst for what remains unknown? Or was it merely to embark on an adventure, quenching his thirst after all these years? Maybe there was no reason, but whatever the case, he was now setting out for the coast, to hear the sounds of the seas again. Just once more.

The first day of the eighth month. That was the day which he had arranged for them to meet at the harbor. Whether they would come, he could only wish, but at least he would uphold his side as the sender. It wasn’t a long journey to the harbor, but as he stared at the sky in all its brightness, time felt a bit slow, as if it was allowing him to relish every moment he had in the light before he ventured out to the darkness.

Those days felt like a dream, maybe closer to a nightmare. No one questioned the missing Istha, no one even approached them immediately, for they had no treasure to bring back. Istha’s family had, apparently, died in a fire as a result of their own magical experiments. When they parted ways, they were like strangers, not even bothering to look back once at the companions that ate, worked, slept with them for the past months. The exploration was a total failure. Their bodies were exhausted, their energy felt like it was sapped away. Ten years, and only now Tamarkrh decided to set out once more.

He had only regularly kept in touch with Nal through Rhu, the two of them living together this past decade. Nal, being thoroughly fascinated with Rhu’s abilities, had decided to “research” him, whatever that meant. Through the letters over the years, Tamarkrh received reports of slow but steady progress, with Nal even deciding to dive into magecraft, becoming a certified mage himself. Rhu, meanwhile, worked as Nal’s assistant, and soon also received his own certificate.

And what had Tamarkrh, the leader of the party, done? He too had dabbled in magecraft, but nowhere near an academic level. However, he was hired as a blacksmith through some connections in his town, and the job was quite satisfying. From small nails to large axes, every object he created felt like an art piece. But there was something missing, he felt, some sort of power and beauty that still lacked in his works. Not that it was important, but just a lingering thought whenever he entered the forge.

The harbor came into view, the annoying caws of birds familiar to his ears. Ships of varying sizes lined up the docks, sailors shouting and walking about, crates of goods being transported around. He wasn’t particularly fond of the noises, but it did feel a little nostalgic. Paying the fare to the driver, he hopped off and began walking on the wooden planks. The bag, holding many supplies, was quite heavy, but he was used to it. He was no longer as fit as he was ten years ago, but there was still that same fiery passion for adventure.

He noticed two familiar faces walking in his direction, both donning a mail vest and shin guards. He felt as if he was looking at two soldiers just out of patrol if not for their luggage and a rugged, slightly ugly cloak over their clothes. They waved at him politely, but their smiles were enthusiastic. Well, they haven’t met for ten years, so the excitement was natural.

“Tamarkrh,” Nal called. “You’ve aged a bit, haven’t you?”

Rhu nodded, examining Tamarkrh with great interest. “Beard,” he whispered, noting Tamarkrh’s stubble on his chin.

“Well, it has been a long time,” Tamarkrh chuckled, just as he noticed another man approaching them. The man’s head was nearly completely filled with gray hair, spectacles tucked into a pouch, and held tightly by his right hand, a staff decorated with a single jewel. He had all the appearance of a rapidly aging man, yet there was still sharpness in his eyes, reflecting the same stubbornness those years ago.

“Hey,” Kaius said, attracting their attention. “I hope I wasn’t too late.”

“You sure aged quite a bit,” Tamarkrh remarked.

“You are one to talk.”

Turning his head around for the source of the voice, Tamarkrh found three figures walking almost in sync, all of them clothed in hardy robes. However, their seemingly humble clothing did not hide their hands, in each a single undecorated ring of a silver-colored metal. For whatever reason, he didn’t know, but he was definitely glad to see Luri, Deilsa, and Ulin once again.

“It seems that everyone got my letter,” he said happily. It was certainly beyond his expectations.

“Well, it has been a long time,” Luri said, a gentle smile on her lips. “How have you been doing?”

“Oh, I just worked as a blacksmith all these years. You?”

“Well, us three decided to learn magecraft,” Ulin answered. “To be honest, I don’t know what a hunter needs for her to learn magecraft, but here we are.”

“What a coincidence,” Nal said. “Rhu and I have also been learning the art, and frankly speaking, I believe we both have become quite proficient at it.”

“That’s another skill in the toolbox,” Luri complimented.

“And well… I have been learning too,” Kaius added.

“I haven’t been learning, at least not as much as you six,” Tamarkrh admitted. “But I have dabbled in it a bit.”

“What’s with all of us and magecraft?” Kaius noted. “I’m sure being a mage wasn’t on the top of our priority list ten years ago.” They laughed, but it certainly was peculiar, wasn’t it?

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” Nal said. “But as we all here are mages… well, except one, I’d like to share some findings and theories that might be helpful.”

“Please do go ahead,” Ulin chuckled, mimicking Nal’s tone and style of speech.

“Please, Ulin…” Nal mumbled for a moment in disapproval. “Anyway, back to the topic. Through the years of research, observation, and experimentation, I found that the island most likely absorbed the energy available in the area, which unfortunately for her back then, her energy from the magic was like food to the island. The increased energy flow of a mage means a higher energy release, and given her youth and recklessness at the time, the island was more than ready to absorb the energy used for her magic.”

“Well, this is quite the predicament,” Tamarkrh laughed weakly. “All of us except me have become mages.”

“However,” Nal continued. “As mages, it also means a greater potential to control our energy flow. Our conduits here…” He took out a pendant, inside a small jewel. “They allow us to release the energy easier as a gateway, but at the same time, we can also control and shut it easier. She had only used her conduit to release energy, not to hold in energy. Funny that she came from a family of mages and hadn’t learned this back then. As for the darkness…”

“What about it?” Kaius inquired.

“There cannot be any proper study on it, but from my memory, I did come to some conclusions. First, it seems the sudden onset of darkness accelerated the rate in which the island absorbed energy. I’m sure we all remember our sudden exhaustion and coldness. And about—”

“Rhu?” Deilsa interrupted.

“Yes, about Rhu. I was wondering why the fog didn’t affect him, so I decided, with his consent of course, to study what made him so different from us. Other than the obvious fact that he prefers not to talk, I found that he had the natural ability to control his energy flow. Whether it is genetic or learned at some stage, I do not know, but so long as we know how to control our flow, we should be able to examine the island without too much strain on our bodies.”

Tamarkrh stared at Rhu, his friend unbothered by Nal’s explanation of his findings. The fact that Rhu was rather… special was known during their time together as comrades. In fact, he was quite disappointed that Nal, supposedly the most intelligent of them all, had failed to recognize parts of Rhu that Tamarkrh himself had found out shortly into their friendship. Oh, well, it wasn’t much of a bother anyway.

“I assume everyone here will protect me, the only one not a mage?” Tamarkrh joked.

“Well, you are our leader, so we’ll have to protect you either way,” Deilsa answered.

“Where’s our ship?” Ulin asked.

“Oh, yes,” Tamarkrh realized. “Follow me.”

After a short walk, they reached one of the harbor’s several piers, where a medium-sized ship sat anchored, the wood sturdy and the sails in fine condition. Of course, like any ship, the deck reeked of seawater, but otherwise, it felt almost new.

To Tamarkrh, it reminded him a little of their first ship, now already reduced to nothing.

“I rented this from one of my old friends,” he explained as they walked on, Kaius still admiring the fine woodwork. “It’s a good ship, so please don’t make a mess of it.”

It did not take long for them to prepare the ship. The rausum stones, properly stored in the engine room, were the responsibilities of Ulin, but otherwise, their jobs remained the same as it was ten years ago.

They were about to embark on another journey, not one of exploration, but one of investigation. Like then, they did not know what exactly to expect, but fueled by a common passion of adventuring, they set off, the sails raised high, the engine rumbling as the ship set off into the horizon, facing the setting Elyfesta. It was about to become a rare sight.

They were now almost all mages. The island, the tower had sufficiently lured them in.

Only a few steps remained.

On the barren island, a statue, cracked with age, stood on top of the tower. The stone had now been sufficiently embedded in its chest, crimson light emerging from the cracks.

And then, for the first time in a decade, the statue’s arm moved.