Outside the shop, Vanessa drops a small purse into my hand. She says quickly, "Don't say anything. It's just a small part of what I owe you, or have you forgotten the deal we all made then. Besides, you look like you need it."

Once we get back home, Vanessa explains to me that there are some important things she needs to do before leaving the house. And just like that, I found myself with a whole day in front of me, but I have no idea what to use all that free time to do.

Inside the house, I quickly find the maid who had woken me up this morning. After asking her a few questions I am led to a large empty room. The moment she leaves I begin to train. But, with nothing left to occupy my mind, my memories come rushing back. I remember how arrogant I had been, how stupid. I had such good friends and yet the only thing I did was ruin all their lives. Anger begins to well up inside me, then frustration, shame, and hate. I push myself harder and harder, trying to use exhaustion to get rid of the storm of emotion inside me. But it doesn't work, it just gets worse and worse. I can hear Vanessa's screaming, and see Kedihn's expression fall when he realizes what I've done. Tears begin to fall from my eyes.

Unable to take it anymore I let out a shout, blue flames spew out of my mouth engulfing everything in front of me. I hear a roar in my ears as the fire spreads, leaving me surrounded by blue flames. I stop and let out a deep breath. Almost immediately the flames are extinguished. I fall to the floor as tears flow freely down my face.

Thoughts of all that has happened since I came to Tinael, most especially about Vanessa, flash through my mind. I had thought she would hate me, expected it even, but it's almost as though she has forgotten everything that happened that day. Letting me stay in her home, getting me new clothes, everything she has done so far doesn't make sense. Doesn't she remember what I did that night? The insufferable ways I had acted even before that? Shouldn't she hate me to the core, or at least be scared of me.

Taking deep breaths, I try to calm myself. I need to leave the house. I get up and begin wiping my tears. All of a sudden an image of the maid knocking on the door flashed through my mind. I instinctively look around me and feel a twinge of guilt when I see the scorch marks across every surface.

A second later I hear the expected knock. I take one more breath before going to open the door.

"Is everything o-", the maid's words die in her mouth when she sees the room behind me and smells the smoke.

"Everything's alright," I say with a calmness I don't feel. "I'll tell Vanessa about the room, so please don't say anything about it to her. I'll be back in the evening."

With that, I gently close the door of the room behind me before proceeding to leave the house. It's about time I visited Willos anyway. I leave the house and head to the Rose District. There's a small wall that separates the District from the rest of the city and I soon find myself before it. The guards stationed at its gate glare at me as I walk closer, probably judging me based on what I am wearing. Still, I don't mind as I come to a stop in front of them.

Raising my hand slightly I release a small burst of blue flames. For a moment they freeze, then like clockwork, they move aside and gesture for the gates to be opened. I walk through without any obstruction. Someone who doesn't understand what is going on would probably be a bit surprised. Is the security of the Rose District so weak that any Sadabi is allowed to enter? Isn't that foolish? What if I were a spy, or something equally evil? Well, if asked that question, the guards would probably just shrug. Most Sadabi who pass through the gates belong to the Kingdom, and angering them would lead to no good outcome. If the Sadabi were here to cause chaos, however, who better to stop him than those behind the gates, of whom a substantial amount includes some of the most powerful Sadabi in the Kingdom.

Behind the gates, the Rose District doesn't seem to have changed too much, looking very much the same as when I left, with one or two small changes here and there. The opulence on display, however, never fails to impress me. The large mansions, with equally large estates, well-manicured plant life, and the amount of money visible in everything, including those as small as shoes, can daunt even the bravest of men.

Doing my best to remember the path to take, I quickly trace my way to the estate of House Moreal where Willos currently stays. Despite me moving quickly it still takes a few minutes to get to the estate, but in the end, I find myself looking at the giant sigil engraved on the gates of the estate. I reach into my pocket and pull out what looks like a smooth stone carved into the shape of a torus. Guiding my yui into the stone, I send a quick message to Willos telling him that I am outside the estate. After that, I return the stone to my pocket and wait.

Not too long later, the gate swings open, revealing a plain-looking maid, with two guards beside her. The maid's bow is low as she makes way for me. "Master Arell, please follow me."

I nod and follow her, leaving behind the two guards, who promptly closed the gate behind me. She leads me to a small building, away from the main mansion. After knocking on the door, she stops and motions for me to go inside. I walk into the building and am immediately greeted by the sight of an older man, arms open wide and with a dazzling smile on his face, walking quickly towards me.