Rook woke up to a sharp, clawing sensation that dug through his chest.

His eyes were forced to take attention to it, staring at the white stripes wrapped around his body. Some parts of it lost its purity; yellow patches and brown blots were drawn from underneath the surface. He would have screamed in pain by now, yet they proved to be a ruse - a call that he should sit up and be ready for what the day brings to him next.

A click of the doorknob, followed by what seemed to be a crumpling sound that hit the ground could be heard. Rook judged that the source could be from the main door to his left. Shoes that tapped against the floor followed by a soft thud made a short presence inside.

"...will check on..."

A familiar voice - there was no mistaking it. Did Euphemia go out all the while he was asleep? What did she do outside? Where did she spend the first hours of the day? Who was she talking to?

Euphemia was talking to somebody else, and there was no doubt about it. He wanted to track back the events that led to where he was.

Rook was on his feet and was about to reach for the door when a click stopped him from getting closer. The door opened, revealing a woman whose smile was more obvious than usual.

"You are finally up! Thank goodness Rook."

"Yeah. Thanks, again."

He found it hard to stare back at the cleric. What he should have done that night was something that allowed him to return the care Euphemia had not failed to give him. He should have been more careful when he dealt with that monster on his own. A wave of inadequacy raced in his mind; even with newfound strength in the form of Montu, his efforts still fell short.

"What have I been doing wrong?"

It was the first surge of doubt that entered Rook. He had what it took to take on the beast and defeat it, but only at the cost of his own life. Were all these events meant to lead him to one path - that where he would meet his end? He had been spared from death twice by the canoness; both of them were results of his attempts to keep her out of harm. Like him, Euphemia would have thought of a way to save herself during those times.

If only he had the courage to ask the cleric if he was becoming too much of a burden. If her travels were dragging on because of him.

Euphemia was there, and all Rook needed to do was to open his lips and speak. He stared at the cleric with his head drawing closer to her, but it reeled away at the last moment. She wouldn't laugh at whatever he intended to ask, Rook thought. He looked at the window; the curtain was tucked aside to give him a view of the rain retreating from the cityscape. Gray buildings became darker after being drenched in the torrent; the raindrops glistened against the backdrop as they found their way to the ground. His head was fixed to the view for a few moments and the cleric, concerned with Rook's sudden change of attention, tapped his shoulder and asked:

"Is something bothering you?"

"I... it's nothing. Nothing." Rook could find the will to ask again. He knew better not to take advantage of Euphemia's patience.

He hoped that the cleric did not feel his hesitation, wishing that she would not persuade him to answer. Rook's eyes were caught by Euphemia's stare; he could see that she was holding back from further asking. Those moments felt uneasy; a boy trapped between his doubts on what he can do and a will to strive and finally prove himself. He felt betrayed; perhaps he could ask the same question and hope that she would not tire answering it. Rook felt that servants of a church had a little more kindness in them than other people, but he couldn't figure out the feeling that he would drive the cleric to be truly exasperated of his ramblings.

"I trust you on that then." Euphemia drew closer to him; Rook swore that she could feel his breathing when her eyes passed by from head to chest. "You do look a lot better than before. I was afraid that it would take you longer to recover from your wounds."

"Of course I'll be better!" Rook felt a burst of air coming out of his lungs. "I would never have gone this far if not for your help."

"You are most welcome." Euphemia flashed a weak smile - she was very much like the cleric he knew from that night. "I still would not let you strain yourself for now. We are yet to know if you are at your best."

An unexpected wave of relief came from that dialogue; Rook thought that he'd pressure himself even more since he held back and opted to keep what he felt inside of him. This would be for the better, he thought. Euphemia was kind enough to trust him and keep him alive after two very dangerous encounters. He wouldn't have gone this far if not for the healing arts she possessed; his journey to this land would have all been for nothing if she wasn't there to back him up.

He stopped looking at beyond the door; Rook forgot to close his mouth when he came across the sight of another man standing by the door frame outside. There was an exchange of glances; Rook looked more surprised than the guest who scratched his head and made a nod. The boy did not know whether he should keep his baffled stare or be annoyed at a third person's presence.

"Euphemia, he's here?"

"Oh, do you know him?" The canoness looked at Kirk in return.

"I guess... only by the face."

"I don't think we'll have time for introductions during the time when we were trying not to become that monster's dinner." Kirk stood away from the door and took two steps inside the room. "Since the Holy Sister insists, the name's Kirk. Yeah, just Kirk."

"Rook." The boy saw Kirk extend his hand, but he did not make any efforts to return the courtesy. "Just Rook. Aren't you going somewhere else?"

"I wouldn't mind a detour for a while. I'd say you two will need my help in the future."

"Thanks for helping us back in the forest, but I think we can manage, right?" Rook looked at Euphemia; her eyes started to become unsettled with what was happening.

"I asked him to stay."Euphemia's answer was short; the silence that followed was longer. "Did something happen with the both of you back in the forest?"

"Nothing of that sort, Euphy-... Euphemia."Kirk seemed to not lose his cool, even when Rook found his presence unwelcome. "He must still be tired or confused with everything that happened. I think we all feel the same way at some point."

"Then I hope that we all could get along with each other someday." Euphemia's smile drew the attention of the two men towards her. "Since we are all here, I would like to tell both of you that we'll be leaving Aurelburg tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Rook lost his eyes on Kirk after the announcement. "Where are we going next?"

"I'll be taking you north of this city." The cleric stared at the window just in time to see the last of the raindrops dissolved in the wind. "I wasn't able to get what we've come for, but we have witnessed something completely unexpected."

"Not that I'm trying to cut in but, it's that monster I guess...?" Kirk leaned on the door itself.

"You are right; I've only read them in the books as part of my literature lessons." Somehow, part of the light managed to show half of the cleric's face; her veil was keeping a good job at not revealing everything at once. "That monster, and the men who tried to kill us before that are related. I wonder if they were there to keep it unseen."

"Men... you were the ones behind those I've found lying on the ground?"

"That would be me, Kirk." Rook answered the question for Euphemia. "Were they dead?"

"Not really. They would be if they were left there on their own, if they stay in the woods for too long."

Three men who could have died by his hand, or most likely dead by now: they deserved it anyway, Rook thought. He felt something missing inside of him when he thought of those who received the business end of his gun. Sure, the machines he managed to destroy at Altrecht were nothing more than tools of whoever owned or created them. Nothing would bother his mind other than the fact that those things slaughtered men and wreaked havoc in the town. They had to be destroyed, nothing else. It was the same with the towering Antikwald monster that almost killed him; it was made of flesh, blood, and bone, but then it only acted on its instinct. Him, Kirk and Euphemia were supposed to be nothing more than morsels for its teeth to grind, and it had to die because it threatened them. The gunmen who might have been guarding it were something else. They could only be doing what was ordered of them, but they were still people who were no different than everyone inside this room. Was he supposed to feel differently when those he took out were more than mere automated piles of metal?

"Are you starting to figure things out?" A female voice rang in his thoughts.

"I think so Metis." Rook was staring at his palms. "Those guys tried to kill us, right? I had to take them down."

"You just did what was needed to keep all of us alive. Just think that they wanted us dead because it was something that had to be done."

"I was the better shot than them, I guess."

"I think so too."

"Rook, are you all right?"

The boy's thoughts returned only to see Euphemia's face up close. His reverie with Metis drew worry towards him, and the cleric's expression was proof of it.

"Yeah. I'm good. Sorry if I wasn't paying attention back then. Did I miss anything?"

"Not much," Kirk answered. "You got the Holy Sister's concern. Maybe you need more sleep."

"Uh, no. I-ah, l'm okay, really." Rook's made a smile right after flailing his arms. "See?"

"Very well." Euphemia took a deep breath; the veil kept half of her smile hidden. "I'll take you to the clothiers this afternoon. There's food at the table. Eat as much as you like."

"Thanks Euphemia."

"You're welcome. If there's anything you need, just call my attention."

The cleric went ahead and left the two men; the swordsman's eyes followed her until she disappeared to her bedroom. Rook took notice of it right away and diverted Kirk for a few moments.

"Hey, sorry about earlier. I-"

"Don't mention it." Kirk stood up and prepared to leave the room as well.

"Not that I don't trust you or anything but, don't do anything funny with her."

"You got quite the eyes, but I'm sure that I won't do anything to cause you or the Holy Sister distress. Come to the table, or you'll miss out on a lot."

Rook didn't look at the swordsman when he left; faint clicks of his boots could be heard until they were gone. There was no way he would let Kirk get all the food of course. The boy closed the door behind him and followed Kirk and Euphemia to the table.