How long has it been now? A day? A day and a half would be more accurate. It was weird to be separated from him for so long. Even though she had the utmost confidence in him she couldn’t help but worry that something terrible had happened. It was something like a sixth sense that they had developed after being together for so long.

Quin looked up to Yadon as something more than a boyfriend, but as a person that she admired and strived to become. Even though he was gone she continued to do her training routine. Push-ups, sit-ups, cardio, some weight-lifting. She did her best to keep her body in shape. Still, her mind wandered…

Her worries wouldn’t disappear until he returned. Until they all returned and gave her that sense of clarity. Anything could happen out there in this bloodthirsty world. Even though Yadon was someone who fought against fate some somethings were out of his control.

Right now all she could do was toss around in bed in nothing but her bra and panties. Her room was dark and slightly warm. She shifted her head against her pillow to glance at a picture that rested along with her desk, moving a hand to grab it.

The picture was of her and Yadon taking two months when they started dating. She was still getting a feel for him back then, but he was confident that she would be the woman he married when they got older.

She held the picture close to her heart before closing her eyes. He was going to be ok for her sake. She just had to believe.

The next morning Quin was awakened by her mom who informed her that the Captain was there to see her. This made her feel uneasy. Of course, something must have happened, but still, she couldn’t assume the worst of things.

She rushed to put on some appropriate clothing before rushing downstairs, dashing through the living room and out towards the door. Standing outside was none other than her captain.

“Captain…!”

“Quin, listen. What I’m about to say isn't easy.”

“...”

“Yadon isn’t coming back home right now… one of the Basilisks turned him into stone.”

Although it was a different answer then she was expecting she was still shocked nonetheless. She stared at Jace with confusion. “Stone…? He’s been petrified? But, he’s still alive…?”

“So we’d like to believe. Coming back from stone is easier said than done, but there should be away. It was my responsibility to make sure that everyone came home safely.”

“I was so worried… I couldn’t stop thinking that something terrible could happen, but now I have hope. This isn’t a permanent end…”

“Right now the researchers are going to be working with Bram to try and find a way to revert this. The answer might lie with Zain. He’s the one responsible for this.”

“I wish there was something I could to help. Wait… where did you put him?”

“We figured it’d be best to leave him there.”

“Back at Ingrann? That’s so far away…”

“We didn’t want to risk moving him and accidentally breaking something. We’ll be having guards watch over the area. He’ll be safe.”

“Sigh…”

“Now I just need to inform his parents, I’m sure they’d want to know…”

“Jace let me do it, please. They should hear it from me.”

“Are you sure? I can go with you at the very least.”

“It’ll be fine. I can handle it.”

Once she took her time getting ready and consuming the needed nutrients Quin prepared herself mentally and emotionally to spill the beans to Yadon’s parents. She knew from the very beginning that they weren’t approving of him becoming a Seer and now it seemed like they were right.

Quin’s mom didn’t agree with her decision going over to them when they were known to be unsupportive of their son. Once they got together and talked about joining Seer his parents changed for the worse. They lost faith in their son and continued to try and break his spirits. It got to the point where he had to leave their residency all together just to function.

Since then Quin’s parents have felt more like family to him and have been supportive of a lot of their needs. It was thanks to their support that the duo was so confident in their relationship.

With her father’s approval, Quin left her home and ventured onwards through the neighborhood. Yadon’s parents didn’t live too far from them. They were both a part of the middle district of Terra where the moderately wealthy lived.

The homes were well kept and decorated. The lawns were cut closed and the trees were pruned weekly. Their environment was thriving even in the essence of the city. Often children were seen fooling around either with a ball or through pranks.

I have to do this alone… I have to see if they truly care about Yadon.

Quin soon stood across a fairly average home with two lawn chairs out front that were empty. She walked up to the fine oak door and casually knocked against it. It took some time before a middle-aged man opened, his expression hardening once he saw Quin.

“What do you want?”

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news… but it’s about your son.”

“... I don’t want to hear it. That boy made his choice.”

“Are you serious?”

“Damn serious. A failure like him had no business trying to be a goddamn hero. He wouldn’t listen to reason and he got himself killed.” The stubborn man shook his head and proceeded to close the door, but he was soon stopped as Quin kept it from closing.

“He’s not dead.”

“Then what is it? Paralyzed? Handicapped?”

“Petrified… but that doesn’t mean he can’t be saved.”

The man looked on confused, not accustomed to the crazy world of magic that was out there before his wife called out to him. She then saw that he was talking to someone and soon made her way into the conversation.

“Honey… why is she here?”

“She was coming in to explain.”

Quin looked at the man and then turned her attention to the mother before entering. She sighed before explaining what Jace had told her. She told them the dangers that the Basilisk held and how Yadon fought bravely, but in the end, was taken by surprise by an unknown variable.

“That’s the same thing as being dead. I don’t see those geniuses being able to cure that.” The older man sighed and ran a hand against his temples.

“That… that idiot… why did it have to be him?” She covered her face and couldn’t help but shed a few tears.

Quin stood there petrified herself from the emotion that was being displayed. They seemed so heartless after he joined the academy, so she wasn’t expecting this human emotion from them.

“Don’t… don’t act as if you care now. It’s too late for that.”

“We always cared, missy. Maybe a little too much.”

“Hah, you cared so much that you pushed him away? Don’t make me laugh.”

“We cared enough to try and crush his dreams. As harsh as we may have been we figured if it saved our boy’s life then it was worth it.” He mentioned as he placed a hand around his wife.

“No matter how crazy or reckless your son’s dreams were you should have supported him… you’re his parents. Don’t you understand how badly you hurt him?”

“His dream was suicidal just look at where that got him. My boy had all the physical strength to carry him to a great job. He blew it trying to better this world.”

“Yadon feels strongly about what he does… I hoped you could have to respect him.”

“We will pay our respects and we ask that you do as well. We’ll be holding a funeral for our son soon.”

Hearing this Quin’s hand began to tremble… anger flashed through her body as she bawled her hand into a fist. She wanted to hit him so badly… no even worse than that she wanted to shoot him, but she couldn’t…

If she stayed here any longer she might lose her sense of restriction and so she decided to depart. “You’re wasting your time… because he’s not dead.” She mentioned before storming outside.

. . . .

After dealing with Yadon’s parents Quin was in a bad mood. She decided to make a quick stop at a local bakery and was picking at a caramel sundae. She was positioned in the back of the booth by the window where she could see people walking around in the daylight.

Those were simpler times… before she met Yadon she was just an ordinary girl. There was nothing special about her; she was just average. An average girl at an average height and average weight. Her grades were painfully average and so was her appearance.

She often blended in with the other kids and that is what made her invisible. That’s right… that’s what she was before she met Yadon. Invisible. Back then nobody could see her for who she was. In fact, during those times she didn’t even know who she was.

The first time they met…

“... Quin…?”

She was alone…

“Quin?”

She had always been alone…

“Quin!”

Hearing her name she snaps back into reality before looking up at the mystery person… but they weren’t much of a mystery after all it was none other than Junji.

“Fancy meeting you here.”

“Yeah.” She moved a hand to wipe her face. “What brings you here?”

“Needed to get some coffee before I go about my day.”

“Right it is pretty early.”

“Yeah. I also got a message about Yadon. It sucks but there must be some way to save him.”

There has to be…

“Yadon wouldn’t die from something like this. I have complete faith in him.”

“I knew you would. You guys are totally relationship goals. Say did you want to get some exercise?”

“Huh?”

“You and Yadon were always into training, huh? Well, you don’t want to get rusty do ya?”

“I suppose you’re right. Count me in!”