Ashley yawned as she bent her legs and placed her feet against the edge of her desk. She straightened her legs, lifting the front legs of her chair off the ground, and balanced herself on the wobbling chair. She raised her arms, folding her hands behind her head and stared up at the ceiling of her office.

“Hey! Light Lord! We’re talking to you!”

“I’m listening,” Ashley said and squinted at a bug hovering near her light. Her arm slid down and grabbed a pistol that was strapped to the leg of her chair. She pointed the weapon at the bug and pulled the trigger, shooting a small ball of light that vaporized the poor bug upon contact.

“You’re not even looking at us!”

Ashley holstered the pistol and heaved a sigh as she lowered her head, glancing at the device positioned in the middle of her desk. Above it, there was a small holographic projection of the faces of eight different people, the lords of the tower. “I’m sorry, Fire Lord. I’m not a biologist; I didn’t know I needed to use my eyes to hear.”

“You…!”

Bang!

The door to Ashley’s office flung open, the doorknob slamming into the wall. With a clacking sound, Ashley lowered her chair back to the ground and blinked at the unwelcome guest. She reached forward, and towards the projecting device.

“Don’t you dare leave the—”

With a gentle press of Ashley’s finger, the projections of the lords disappeared. “Puddles,” Ashley said, her expression unchanging as she looked at her guest. “It’s not bring-your-dog-to-work day. What are you doing here?”

A white dog the size of Labrador walked into the room. “My name isn’t Puddles anymore!” the dog said. “It’s Sir Selddup now.”

“Don’t be like that. Selddup is just Puddles backwards, isn’t it?” Ashley asked. “What’s wrong with me calling you Puddles?” The Light Lord climbed out of the seat and walked around the desk to squat in front of the dog. “Did you find Vur?”

“Yes, yes,” Sir Selddup said. “You can stop nagging me about him now. He passed my test and joined the Gluttonous Gourmets.” The root bracelet around Sir Selddups ankle flashed with an amber light, and a black rectangular prism appeared. “Also, he has a message for you.”

“For me?” Ashley asked and picked up the recording device. She pressed on the play button, and Sir Selddup’s voice came through, asking a question.

“What do you think of the Light Lord?”

Vur’s voice responded. “She’s slow.”

“And?” Sir Selddup’s voice asked.

Munching sounds were the only response. Then, Sir Selddup’s voice came through again. “My food’s here!” And the audio recording ended.

“There you have it,” Sir Selddup said. “Vur thinks you’re slow in the head.”

Ashley stared at Sir Selddup before sighing and patting his head. “And you wonder why I treat you like a helpless puppy.”

Sir Selddup bit at Ashley’s fingers, his teeth snapping together against empty air. “What’s that supposed to mean!?”

“Who’s a good boy?” Ashley asked, running her fingers into Sir Selddup’s scruff. She moved her hands back and forth and scratched behind the dog’s ears. “Who’s a good boy?”

“Stop it! Stop!” Sir Selddup said and wiggled his head away from the Light Lord’s hands. “This is undignified! I’m the leader of the Gluttonous Gourmets, the explorer known as the Furry White Doom! People pee their pants and cry for their mamas when they see me approach! Unhand me!”

“Don’t be like that, Puddles,” Ashley said. The root bracelet on her wrist flashed, and a piece of honey-glazed jerky appeared in her hand. She waved it in front of the dog’s face, and Sir Selddup immediately stopped struggling. “Here’s a delicious treat for a good boy.”

Sir Selddup bit down on the piece of jerky and dropped to the ground, resting his belly against the floor. He ignored Ashley’s hands as they ruffled his fur coat. With a few bites and gulps, the piece of jerky disappeared into his mouth, and he licked his lips, getting every last bit of honey out of his fur.

***

Kim Hajun stood by a door hidden deep within an alleyway. His brow furrowed, and he glanced down at his root bracelet. From the information obtained in his prophetic dream, he knew Pan always left the smithy at the same time every day, purchased the same dinner from the same place, and returned home at the same hour. In that case, why wasn’t Pan here yet?

Kim Hajun clenched his hands and narrowed his eyes. In his prophetic dream, nothing had ever happened to Pan until the Oebu Sin destroyed the tower. The blacksmith’s schedule hadn’t even been broken when Kim Hajun had showed up with legendary materials. The hours the smith worked were always the same, so why in the world was Pan deviating from his known behavior now? Once again, there were more variables.

Kim Hajun exhaled. Since Pan wasn’t going to show up, then Kim Hajun would have to find the blacksmith himself. He exited the alley, following the route that Pan would’ve taken from the tavern to the alley in reverse. Along the way, Kim Hajun saw a few people, but none of them were Pan. Kim Hajun kept his mask and cloak on as he pushed open the door to the tavern. He glanced around despite knowing the smith wouldn’t be sitting around eating since the man hated the company of people. As expected, the smith wasn’t there, and he wasn’t at the counter ordering food either.

Without saying a word, Kim Hajun turned around and left the tavern before heading to the smithy, making sure to walk along the road Pan would take. It was odd. At closing hours, smiths would walk down this road to return to their residences, but the road was surprisingly empty despite how late it was. A grimace appeared on Kim Hajun’s face as he made his way down the road; he couldn’t help but think of the strange chimera that had ambushed him. What if he wasn’t the only one that knew the future? What if someone else had showed up to stop him and got rid of Pan knowing how crucial the man would be to saving the tower? It was a wild guess, but Kim Hajun always prepared for the worst and hoped for the best.