NOLMES. ZACRIYA KINGDOM.

"Your Highness."

Dolan Zacriya glanced up from the mountains of documents. He pushed one of the piles aside to clear his view, then leaned back in his armchair.

"Come in."

Quine Poet bowed, then stepped into the office chamber.

"I'm here to report an update about the mine discoveries at the Vyris's territory," she said. "Two weeks ago, our Expedition Army discovered several mines at the western outskirts."

"The ones initially blocked off by sight magic, correct? I'm aware."

"Indeed, Your Highness. At the time, spells shielded the mines from any outsider's view, but over time they seemed to have weakened, which is how our team managed to discover them." She nodded. "Archmage Magnus performed a content analysis on the mines, and the results just came in today—we found traces of laveric diamonds within the mines."

The Crown Prince's eyes widened.

"Laveric?"

Laveric diamonds were known to be exclusive to the Adalan Kingdom, only available for interkingdom trade at astronomical prices.

But to find them in Zacriya's mines?

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"The results are unmistakable, Your Highness," Poet said. "That being said, I hereby request permission to dispatch the Royal Mage Brigade to destroy the remaining barrier and extract the diamonds."

"Granted." Dolan tapped the table's surface, a rhythmic beat echoing through the office. "Be careful. And contact Professor Harkness as well. You will need her help."

Saire Harkness was one of the best archmages on the Eastern Continent, and her futurist Touch was also one of a kind. Having her tag along with the Expedition Army would do him much reassurance in the current state of things.

Poet nodded in understanding and excused herself from his office.

After she left, Dolan stood up from his chair and stretched his arms. A shot of soreness spread throughout his body, evidence from sitting still for long periods.

However, the Crown Prince took no notice of these physical reactions as he fell silent, contemplating.

Be they the Slums' explosion or the interkingdom slavery transportation, the recent situations unfolding between Zacriya and Adalan were giving Dolan Zacriya a premonition of imminent trouble. Two kingdoms that had rarely interacted for centuries were beginning to intertwine through various events, incidental or on purpose.

It was at times like these that he must proceed with caution.

His current priority was to investigate the secret organisation, Nest, which was suspected of being behind both the slave trafficking and the attempted assassination of the Queen. He'd have to consult the Vyris twins for an update on the situation, especially Mia, who had been helping him monitor the victims' conditions.

Aside from Nest, the Slums Revitalisation Project was also on its way, where the Resource Faction collaborated with the Education Faction to provide help to the Slum residents. And lastly, there was the annual Archmage Examination, approaching in just under six months.

The Crown Prince sighed softly.

Indeed, many things must be done for this kingdom to heal and grow. Only then might he achieve the "peace" the traveller wished for.

Dolan strode to the balcony. He pressed his palms on the marble railings. Clusters of stars glimmered above him as he peered outwards, past the hills and toward the foreign land in the west.

"Come to think of it, Edris must've arrived in Adalan by now."

***

"Will they really be okay?" Vice Commander Rimone eyed the two currently sitting across each other, with the regent laying sideways between them, unresponsive.

At Regent Trim's sudden outburst, the other guests had been escorted out by Lady Moon, and the Commander was communicating the situation to the royal family. This left only the Moon family's young master, the girl with him, the two Soul Patchers, and Rimone himself in the room.

Regent Trim looked two shades paler than usual, with his face contorted and eyes wide open, aghast as though he'd seen an undead. Although lying down, his muscles were stiff, and his fingers stretched all over the place.

Seeing his friend in such a state of misery, Rimone averted his eyes.

Surrounding Regent Trim, the two Soul Patchers began their preparation. The curly-haired man took out a syringe and a ring-like instrument from his suitcase, handing both to the feeble-looking man with dark hair.

"We'll go with our usual plan," Yukioe said. "I'll keep him stable with my mana while you patch with the Stitzer."

Edris held the Stitzer in his palm, silently eyeing the matte-coloured instrument. It consisted of two silver rings linked by a thin black cord.

"Mister Edris?"

Suddenly, he felt a tug at his side. Edris looked down to see Ives glancing at him with a small frown.

"It's fine. It's just…"

Edris shook his head.

"…My luck."

With a sigh, he looped one of the rings over the regent's thumb and the other over his own. The group regarded his actions intently, with Rimone especially anxious about how the event was unfolding.

During the short preparation process, he could feel a seeping hatred coming from the faction's Soul Patcher while lamentation emerged from the traveller. Anyone with eyes could tell the relationship between the two was far from amiable.

Rimone wrinkled his nose.

Was Trim really going to be alright?

"Prep complete." "It's fine. It's just…"

Yukioe pressed a palm to the nape of the regent's neck while his other hand grabbed onto the centre of the black tube. He exhaled, his emerald green eyes landing on the man sitting across from him.

"You better not screw this up."

Edris only stifled a laugh at his warning. But when he glanced up again, there was something different about his gaze.

The next second, Rimone's eyes widened.

He watched as the dark-haired man lifted the hand holding the syringe and, without warning, stabbed it into the side of his neck.

The action was sharp and without a moment of hesitation, in fact so abruptly done that only a second later did the others process what the man had just done.

With the syringe hanging at the side of his neck, Edris's head drooped down. Simultaneously, the cord connecting the traveller and the regent began to glow.

"Master!" Celio inhaled sharply and stepped forward, only for the curly-haired Yukioe to hold up a palm.

Beads of sweat formed on his forehead as the latter held steady, mana flowing out of his palm and into the glowing cord.

"He is currently in Trance, and must not be disturbed. Coming close would only lower his chance of succeeding with the patching process."

"What's that?" Ives perked up from behind, her round eyes showing a calm but concerned gaze.

"Can someone explain what's going on?" Rimone rubbed the sweat off his face.

"The instrument he's holding, the Stitzer, we call it." Yukioe breathed, squeezing out his words with difficulty. "It links the Soul Patcher to the patient, allowing them perform the patching in the patient's mental space. While one Soul Patcher is in Trance, the other sustain it with a precise flow of mana. It's only possible when the patient is suffering from an identity split, so seeing how he managed to actually enter Trance, the regent is indeed suffering from Splinter Syndrome."

"But why did Master have to…"

"Stab himself with the syringe? If he didn't, it'd be his own consciousness that erodes from the patching. A Splinter Syndrome patient's frenzy is contagious within their mental space, and Soul Patchers would be their primary attack target once they enter."

Celio was about to ask another question, but Yukioe crouched over, his body folding from a coughing fit.

"Quit talking to me," he gasped. "Unless you want both of them to die."

The next minute or two passed in absolute silence, with Yukioe sitting close-eyed, infusing a constant supply of mana into the regent and the Stitzer while the others watched in accumulating anxiety.

Vice Commander Rimone paced back and forth while Celio stared at the dark-haired man intently, awaiting the smallest signals. Little Ives sat by the corner of the room, silently taking in the entire picture.

"The healers would arrive in three minutes," Grace Moon walked in from the outside. Her eyes fell on the two Soul Patchers and Regent Trim. "How is Trim doing?"

"He's being stabilised," Rimone said, eyes bearing apprehension. "Mister Yukioe said Mister Edris is performing the patching process right now. In Trim's mental space."

Edris was still in an unconscious state, and droplets of sweat trickled from his face, splattering onto the hard floor. Yukioe's condition was also deteriorating by the second, his lips losing their colour but cheeks burning up.

Just as the tension in the room was reaching its peak, a flinching motion came from the regent on the ground. It started with a twitch of the finger, and then, the regent's strained muscles slowly began to relax, reverting to their resting state.

At that moment, both Yukioe and Edris opened their eyes.

The former released the hold of mana and fell back on the ground, while the latter clenched his chest, gasping for air.

The Stitzer linking Edris and Regent Trim loosened, falling onto the ground.

Before Celio could ask Edris about his condition, the dark-haired man yanked the syringe from his neck, picked up a second from the suitcase, and aimed it at the left of his chest.

Just as he was about to stab it straight to his heart, a hand grabbed onto his wrist.

"Edris."

Yukioe's calm green eyes met Edris's bloodshot ones, ensued by a whole three seconds of silence.

— Edris. Wake up.

At the same time, Ace's deep voice echoed in his head, washing over his consciousness like a bucket of cold water.

His pale eyes flickered, and Edris lowered his arm. The syringe dropped onto the ground with a hollow clink, breaking the long-held tension in the room.

"Master…?"

Edris did not respond, and Celio subconsciously swallowed.

After a second, the dark-haired man slowly glimpsed up, and his eyes had regained their original calmness. Under everyone's nervous gaze, Edris exhaled with a smile.

"The operation’s complete."

His voice was soft and slightly husky, probably due to the patching operation's toll on his body. But the two words from his lips functioned like stability magic, lifting an invisible burden off everyone's shoulders.

"Oh, Serenity. Oh, Serenity. I haven't felt this anxious for a while," Vice Commander Rimone wheezed out a sigh of relief. "You two have my sincerest thanks. I'm sure Trim will act the same once he wakes up."

Just as he finished his sentence, the doors burst behind them, and Commander Moon led four Soul Patchers into the dining space.

"We performed an emergency patching, so his condition is stable for now. But please do bring him to the faction for further treatment," Yukioe entered a short exchange with one of the Soul Patchers, who responded with a nod.

They carried the regent onto a stretcher, and giving the people in the room a bow, exited out the door.

"Wow! What a day." Grace Moon whistled, eyeing the shrinking shadows of the healers. Her lighthearted voice was like an anomaly in the room still recovering a lingering heaviness.

"As for our heroes today…" She seemed to pay no attention to the atmosphere as she turned toward Edris and Yukioe with a grin.

"What about it? Still down for dinner?"

***

Naturally, Edris refused her offer. With the series of occurrences on his very first day back, he didn't think his heart could handle it if something else were to happen during this dinner.

Lady Moon had also offered him to spend the night at the Moon's courtyard house, one strongly backed up by Celio, who had his proposal to head out with Edris rejected by Lady Moon.

Naturally, Edris had refused that as well for the sake of his well-being.

However, he did accept the basket of nimblets Lady Moon put forward when he was taking his leave.

Eyeing the pile of berry scones glazed with cream, the traveller felt his mood improve as he turned to the Moon leaders with a smile. Celio watched him with teary eyes, pleading with Edris to take him along. Edris was about to respond with "no can do" when he felt another tug on his sleeves.

Ives had been holding his hand ever since he woke up from the operation, and she was refusing to let go. The seven-year-old gave his hand another tug, and under Celio' 's incredulous gaze, stepped closer to his side.

"Let's go."

"Ives, you traitor!" The beast tamer gaped, then hiccups after meeting the Commander's eyes.

Ives calmly looked away.

"Master, I will come to you first thing in the morning tomorrow! Be careful on your way out!" Celio sniffed.

"My son is right. Please do take a good rest. You've done a lot today." Grace yanked the beast tamer back by the collar while shooting Edris a motherly smile.

The latter mustered a smile back.

"Now then, if you'll excuse me."

— You almost died today, again.

On their way out the gates, Ace's deep voice sounded in his head, and Edris sighed.

"The 'again' was unnecessary."

At his mumblings, Ives looked up at Edris, and the latter gently ruffled her hair.

— But it's true.

"It's been a while since I've performed an operation, but it doesn't mean I've regressed or anything." He exhaled, a lingering fear trailing at his back. "I just didn't expect the regent's mental space to be so…"

Edris shivered.

Despite his reflexive retort, Ace was right. Patching the regent proved to be much more overwhelming than his initial expectations. Even when he worked as a Soul Patcher, Edris didn't think he'd ever seen a corrupted space like his.

"No. In fact, his mental space shouldn't have been so grim, especially if it was latent development.”

Typically, the patching operation would be considered a success after the Soul Patcher extracted themselves from the patient's mental space and returned to the real world. Up until that point, Edris had everything under control.

The problem was after it.

When he returned to the physical reality, Edris found that the regent's patched identities had travelled back with him, and continued to erode his mind.

The sudden erosion aimed at breaking his mental barrier, along with his heightened sense of awareness from using the Sacrificial Hourglass, had caused his mind to blank. If it weren't for Ace and Yukioe, his consciousness might have actually been eroded in the end.

"I'm surprised you decided to call out to me with the little mana you had, though. I'm quite moved." Edris raised an eyebrow at the pink fluff in his pocket.

— A small sacrifice for a greater return. You can't die yet.

Before Edris could return with a rebuttal, Ace spoke again.

— In front of you.

Redirecting his gaze afar, Edris noticed a curly-haired man standing outside the gates, as if waiting for his arrival. Behind Yukioe were the streets of Odeen, illuminated by countless street vendors. Even late at night, Odeen's social scene was as vibrant as ever.

Yukioe seemed to have a million pent-up things to say to Edris, but all were converted to a single glare he threw his way. Standing against the light, his already-stern facial features looked even more daunting than the one in Edris's memory.

Ah.

Edris pieced his face into a gentle smile and waved.

He'd forgotten about this trouble-of-a-past-coworker.

***

Perhaps it was due to Celio or the Moon leaders' request, but the guards at the gate entrance escorted them even when they were out of the Moon dwelling's vicinity.

Street after street, the guards escorted them until they reached a wooden cabin at the outskirts of central city. Only when Edris urged them to go home for the third time did the guards comply.

However, he came to regret this decision.

The moment the guards were out of sight, Edris was confronted with a fist in his direction.

The momentum threw the dark-haired man sideways, stumbling for balance.

— Impressive punch.

Ace’s voice was coated with rare amusement, an unshared sentiment in the current situation.

Ives immediately drew out her mana, only to be stopped by Edris, who chuckled under his breath. He wiped the blood on his lips with his thumb and glanced up through his lashes.

"I thought you'd go for the nose."

Yukioe, rotating his wrist, narrowed his eyes. "Even though you still look like a malnourished slab of fish, I guess you did get a tad stronger. I was hoping to at least knock a few teeth out."

"You know, with a personality like that, the Healing Faction's the last place I'd expect you to be."

"And who do you think pushed me to this point?" Yukioe laughed coldly. "You know nothing about me, just like I know nothing about you, even after knowing you for half a decade. I heard about the dumb shit you've done in the other kingdom; was this what you were planning when you disappeared without a word a year ago?”

His gaze fell on the little girl at Edris's side.

"And this brat is your new friend? And the Moon family's son as well? You seem to be doing quite well, getting cosy with all these people."

"Yukioe, you're angry."

"Angry? Me? Oh, I don’t know, my friend who ditched me without a word a year ago just appeared out of nowhere at the Moon's dinner. I suppose I’m not exactly the happiest person in the world right now." He spat. "I thought you got pulled into the fucking Labyrinths or something, so I even closed down the clinic and joined the Healing Faction to search for you in the database, but I couldn't find you.

"A whole fucking year passed, Edris. And just when I decided you were actually dead, I heard about this 'Adalarian traveller' blowing up Zacriya's capital, so I contacted Zacriya's factions and guess what I saw? Your fucking face on the Wulin Tournament poster."

The curly-haired man stepped forward to Edris and jabbed a finger at his chest. "I was in the middle of carving your tombstone when I received the news, so I told myself if I saw you again, to make sure I didn't waste money on this fucking grave—"

His green eyes flickered, reflecting within the street lights around them.

"—I'd kill you myself."

Upon hearing these words, Ives stepped in front of Edris again, narrowing her eyes at the man in front of them. However, she felt a reassuring pat on her shoulder the next second.

"It's dark. You wouldn't want us sleeping on the streets, right?" Edris sighed, eyes melancholic as they peered toward Yukioe. He pressed a hand on Ives's shoulder and slowly stroked her hair with the other. "She's only seven."

"…"

The lively chatters of citizens inundated the space between them. Yukioe continued to glare at the two, eyes narrowed, and lips strained. He took a step sideways.

"Come in."