Riku and Sylvia spent the rest of the day burying the remains of her companions.

Night came when they finished. They sat at opposite sides of a campfire, eating cold bread in silence. Sylvia had wrapped her arms around her knees, barely eating.

“Were you close to any of them?” Riku asked.

“No, only Arifin, but the others and I have been through too many life and death struggles. To say I won’t miss them is an understatement.”

“…”

“Why do you think Mazark’s men decided to massacre my companions? Many were innocent bystanders.”

"A large part of it must have to do with me. I’m sure he wants to drive me deeper in despair—not only did I get my village razed to the ground, I also got people who weren’t involved beheaded and their heads impaled. He wants me to know that I can keep running away from him, but no matter what he will find me and destroy the places I find salvation in—no place to call home. As a result, I will head to his layer and confront him. If you want to blame anyone, blame me.”

“It isn’t entirely your fault. We started off the feud by attempting to interfere with the workings of the world. Because we moved to stop Mazark’s plans before they came to fruition, we might’ve sped things up. What if I had been there…?”

“Don’t blame yourself for their deaths and don’t get caught up in the hypotheticals. What you should focus your mind on for now is the present.”

“I’ll try…”

“Good. There’s something on my mind, Sylvia. Did you happen across Arifin’s corpse when we were laying your companions to rest?”

“No…?”

“I didn’t either.”

“Do you think he’s alive?” Silvia asked.

"Possibly, but don’t you find it curious to how five invaders successfully infiltrated your campsite when you weren’t here; killing everyone but Arifin? I know Arifin has feelings for you…”

“NO! I don’t believe Arifin is a traitor and played a hand in this massacre!”

“Ok, calm down. It’s late; get some rest. I will take the first watch.”

Without a word, Sylvia threw blankets over herself and plopped onto the ground, breathing angrily. Riku chuckled and reverted his attention to the fire. He became lost in his own thoughts about the events that occurred in the past few days.

“Sorry for throwing a tantrum earlier. I couldn’t—and still can’t—wrap my head around the possibility of Arifin being a traitor,” Sylvia softly said, snapping Riku from his stupor.

"It’s ok. You’ve known him for years; whereas, I’ve only known him for a couple of minutes.”

“They say people who aren’t close to the person in question are more in tune with the particular person’s faults…”

“Forget I said anything. Go back to sleep.”

"Riku, what are we going to do now? I have lost all means of contact with the council.”

“Go sleep. We will discuss everything in the morning.”

“But…”

“Night.”