"Mister Traveller—over here!"

Edris turned toward the source of the voice.

Beyond the cobbled paths, Grace Moon was waving at him at the tea pavilion in the middle of the garden space. Across from her sat Evans Moon, the Commander of Adalan's Imperial Army and Celio's esteemed father.

Edris gave a slight bow, then made his way to the summerhouse.

"Did you sleep well?" Grace asked, smiling at his approach.

"Yes, Lady Moon."

"Doesn't look like it." She eyed him up and down. "Must be that Labyrinth token. Got so excited you couldn't sleep?"

Not waiting for him to react, Lady Moon lifted a hand, hurrying him over to the stone stool.

"How sickly you look! Please, have some warm frion tea. You must be familiar with them after travelling to Zacriya."

"I'd like to assume that you did not call me here for tea." Despite his calm statement, Edris strolled to the pavilion and, under Lady Moon's amused gaze, took a seat. "How may a traveller like myself be of help?"

"This is why I like hanging out with clever people." Grace nodded to herself, then nudged the man beside her. "See, Evans? Told you little Celio's got a good eye for finding intellectuals."

"Just someone good with words." With his buff arms crossed in front of his chest, Evans Moon huffed in response.

"You're just jealous!"

"Hilarious."

Edris eyed the two's interaction, confusion building inside him.

Grace and Evans Moon—the two leaders of the Moon family. Edris was well aware of their influence and capabilities within the Adalan Kingdom, which was why he'd decided to yield to the guard's request at Yukioe's cabin.

He'd thought it to have been another one of Celio's requests to see him, as after running away from home, there was no way his protective mother would allow him to wander around freely, at least alone.

However, the situation right now had strayed from his initial expectations. Not only was the young beast tamer absent from the discourse, but the Commander was also here.

— The beast tamer brat is not within the household radius.

At Ace's statement, Edris creased his brows indiscernibly.

"Anyway!" Grace laughed, turning to face him once again. "Enough small talk. There is only one reason we called you here first thing in the morning."

"You must have received the double placement token," Evans spoke to him for the first time, his stern gaze piercing right at him.

If it were anyone else, they would have reflexively averted their eyes after being confronted with such pressure from the Commander himself.

Edris stared back, waiting for him to continue.

"It is time for you to put it to use."

Edris blinked twice.

"Pardon me?"

"Hey, hey! This is why people don't like talking to you. You never speak with context." Grace groaned, turning to Edris with an apologetic smile. "What Evans means is that, while the token was meant to be a thank-you gift, we'd like you to use it to enter tonight's Labyrinth."

— Her context is not any better.

Mentally agreeing with the deep voice in his head, Edris continued to stare at her in silence. Perhaps feeling guilty from the lack of context in her own explanation, Grace Moon cleared her throat.

"Celio is going into the Labyrinth tonight."

Edris narrowed his eyes. "Why?"

"A pretty serious fight unfolded between father and son last night, so he went ahead and disappeared again, but this time—a token in the treasury disappeared along with him."

"So you believe he's heading to the Labyrinth? And you want me to go down with him?"

Grace shrugged, resting her elbows on the table and her chin on her palms. "We know how much Celio is attached to and admires you, so we want you to go into the Labyrinth with him. And help him survive."

"Or just prevent him from going." Edris raised an eyebrow. "There's still time, and I'm sure it won't be hard for you to find his location."

He was sure if Grace had wanted, she could've entirely knocked out Celio the moment he entered the treasury, maybe even earlier. However, she'd allowed him to steal the token with eyes half closed.

"He will have to go through it sooner or later," Evans said. "It is a part of the test. Necessary for becoming the Commander."

"Natural for his growth. Plus," Grace chimed in, her voice a tad softer. "It was quite unexpected. Seeing him so adamant about something, I mean."

Edris listened to their words in silence, a blank expression on his face.

He found himself unable to comprehend their line of reasoning, but that was the least of his worries at the moment.

Silence ensued in the pavilion. Aside from the trickling sound of the bamboo fountain, all was quiet.

"Haha."

A light chuckle came from the dark-haired man, whose shoulders shook as he suppressed another laugh.

"Lady Moon. You must've reached some strange misunderstanding about me." He glanced up through his lashes, a gentle smile on his face. "Celio is much stronger than I am. He'd have a lower chance of surviving if I were to enter with him."

"That is not of your worries," Evans said.

"Celio is like a bird learning how to fly. He's a stubborn bird, a bit simple-minded, too, but with guidance, he'll take off in no time. And to do so, he'll need a source of inspiration." Grace smiled toward him, and Edris felt goosebumps surging up his spine.

"That's you, Mister Traveller."

"…"

"We had our doubts before meeting you, but after that dinner, you've proved your worth," Grace said. "In fact, your achievements in Zacriya aside, not anyone can become a Soul Patcher without considerable skills and talent. And from your performance with Regent Trim, you've certainly deemed yourself competent.

She smiled, a glint in her eyes.

"So competent you didn't need us to step in after all."

The words of refusal choked halfway in his throat upon hearing those words. Edris stiffened, his gaze cautious as they studied the smiling woman across from him. Although she was petite and smiley, at that moment, it felt as though he was constricted by the same authoritative presence during their first encounter.

— I did not notice them outside the door during the patching operation.

"Concealment magic, huh?" Edris exhaled with an airy laugh, putting down his gentle facade as he watched Grace's smile deepen.

He should have known.

What were the chances the Commander rushed in with healers only immediately after the operation succeeded? There was no such thing as a coincidence or perfect timing—just schemes and observations from the shadows.

The entire situation was a test, and Edris didn't like it one bit.

"You'd place Adalan's royal advisor's life in danger just to test my value? That's not very righteous now, is it?" He leaned back, voice afresh. "Celio would be exasperated if he found out about his own family's intentions. He seemed to be quite familiar with him too."

"What is righteousness? And what is injustice?" Grace shook her head slowly. "If only the world is so simple."

At that moment, something in the air changed. And Edris knew the conversation was coming to a close.

"You will be rewarded," Evans said curtly, his stern voice echoing through the pavilion. "If both you and Celio return alive, I, representing the Moon family and the Imperial Army, will lend you any requested support once, in any situation, in any event of your wishing."

"And if I still refuse?" Edris asked, eyes flickering.

"Then you will lose access to the token, and we will pretend this conversation never happened." Grace shrugged. "The choice is yours."

At that moment, Ace's deep voice echoed in his head.

— Killing intent.

"I appreciate your thoughtfulness, at least superficially." Edris exhaled, half-laughing. "Though I doubt I ever had a say in this."

Pretend the conversation never happened?

If only it were so simple.

They never intended to give him a choice in the first place. The moment Edris learnt that they'd forsake the regent's life just to prove a point, his situation had become plain as day. With the Moon family's level of confidentiality and hidden presence in the kingdom, would they really let a traveller like him go after telling him all this?

"See? This is why I like talking with clever people." Grace smiled, taking his hand in for a firm handshake. "I'm glad we were able to reach a consensus."

— You are truly unlucky.

No kidding.

Edris smiled back, though the action did not reach his eyes.

***

"What took you so long?" Yukioe narrowed his eyes, scrutinising the dark-haired man upon his return. With an apron looped over his neck and one hand holding a butcher knife, he was in the middle of making some meat stew.

Simultaneously, Ives dashed out of her bedroom, jumping straight at Edris, who almost toppled back from the momentum.

Caressing the back of her head, Edris didn't immediately answer Yukioe's question. Not too fast, not too slow, he took off his cloak and strolled over to the kitchen counter, and Ives obediently sat at the dining table, awaiting dinner.

Yukioe, still stirring the stew, followed him with his gaze. Under his speculating eyes, Edris grabbed one of the few remaining nimblets in the basket and tossed it in his mouth.

"Hm." He frowned. "Tastes better when it was fresh out of the stove."

"Why did she call you there?" Yukioe wasn't planning to let him go on the matter as he pressed again, yanking the basket away when the dark-haired man planned to take another nimblet.

"Just this and that." He shrugged. "Oh, and I'm entering the Labyrinth tonight."

Yukioe's stirring hand halted, and Ives glanced up from her chair.

"Did something happen with the Moons?" His expression fell grave as he lowered the stove fire.

"Like what?" Edris laughed half-heartedly. "Since when were you so unduly? Calm down, I just thought it'd be nice to experience some thrills in life."

Yukioe wrinkled his brows, obviously unconvinced. After a moment of silence, he snapped his fingers, and the blaze on the stovetop reactivated with a sizzle. He returned to stirring the stew, his back facing Edris.

"Do you want me to come along? The coupon is a placement for two, right?"

Edris stopped chewing. With a mouthful of nimblet, he stared at his previous coworker for three whole seconds before choking out a laugh.

"Hey, what are you saying?"

"I'm serious." Yukioe spun around with a glare. "I'm a Soul Patcher too, Edris. I know how dangerous the Labyrinths are. We'll have a better chance surviving together since if one succumbs to whatever crazy things in there that cause the Splinter Syndrome, the other knows how to implement treatment."

"Yukioe, really. I'm moved to tears." Edris swallowed the nimblet and cleared his throat. "But no thank you. I'd be grateful enough if you just refrain from speaking to others about me as if I'm dead while I'm in there."

A psychological tradition long passed down in southern Adalan in reaction to the appearance of Labyrinths. If someone they knew had entered the Labyrinth, before that person returned alive, they'd be considered dead by default by everyone around him.

The Labyrinth goer would be avoided in all conversations, as though they no longer existed. And in the few situations where they were mentioned, often accidentally, they'd be reminisced as if they were dead.

This strange phenomenon arose from centuries of Labyrinth pulls, where countless have appeared and disappeared from the Labyrinths, the only way for Adalarians to cope with this unpredictability was to deny their existence at once.

"You now…" Yukioe sighed. "We both know that's just how Adalarians are when it comes to Labyrinths. Random people get pulled in every three months. Some are a part of a family; others have lovers. People have lost count of how many times they've been disappointed while waiting for their return.

"When it comes to the Labyrinth, hope is no longer something that keeps them going—it weighs them down."

"All the reason why you should stay." Edris shrugged. "I need you to bear hope for me, so when I come back, you're so moved that you give me free preventional treatment. I don't want us both to get Splinter Syndrome when we return. Then there'd be no one to patch up our souls for free."

"…"

"Alright, alright. I'll stop joking around." He held up both hands in defence upon seeing Yukioe's glare. "But thanks, Yukioe. I mean it."

"…You don't mean anything you say." With a soft scoff, Yukioe returned to stirring his pot of stew. "And don't thank me. I'm not giving you free treatment. When you return with all the gemstones, I'm taking half as repayment for ditching me for the past year."

"Half?" Edris raised an eyebrow. "My friend. You think too highly of my generosity."

"I wasn't asking for permission." Yukioe glimpsed behind his shoulder, the fire lighting up the side of his face, adding to his green eyes a warm hue.

"Just come back alive, alright?"

Contrary to the seriousness of his tone, Edris's laugh was feathery and lighthearted.

"I survived thirteen years wandering out in the world like this. Who do you think I am?"

According to the information Grace Moon provided him, an average of thirty out of a hundred and eight people come out of the Labyrinth as survivors. If it were anything else, Edris couldn't say for sure, but this was survival they were talking about.

Survival.

He was quite good at it, if he were to say so himself.