Once Lan was healed up, he tried to pay Lily for her work, but she insisted that they count this one as part of the original payment, and so with a suggestion that he could come by anytime and not just when he needed healing, Lan headed back to the city.

At some point with Lily, the idea of not telling his family about his new class had started to feel more and more like the wrong choice, so he was glad that the hour had made the decision for him, at least for now.

However, Lan’s thoughts of escaping his frustrations were short-lived when he reached the Inn and found Locke and the others around their table.

Instead of drinking, they looked deep into conversation and even after Locke spotted Lan and waved him over, their attempts to act normal only made them look like they were trying to act normal. But even that fell away when Lan asked them which combat class they thought the team could use, and the others made excuses as to why they needed to leave early.

Leaving Lan to watch dumbfounded as they all left, unsure what to think. A part of him was disappointed, but they hadn’t exactly turned him down; he hadn’t even had the chance to ask, and Lan wasn’t under the delusion that they would be afraid to tell him no, but at the same time, it was clear that they were trying to avoid the subject.

Maybe it had something to do with The All Guild’s Campaign. With their much higher levels, maybe they thought he would be in danger or a hindrance if he were to join them. And despite drinking with them, they hadn’t hinted at wanting him to join their party as far as he had picked up on.

Not sure how to feel and not liking what his mind defaulted to, Lan headed to his room. Which turned out for the best. What he had been through took a lot out of him, and healing was not much better on the body. So he was asleep long before his head reached his pillow.

Lan didn’t wake with the sun’s rising for a second day in a row. Instead, by the time he opened his eyes, the light through his window stretched along the floor, having passed his face without him even stirring.

Rising and changing into some of his last few clean clothes, Lan looked at himself in the mirror. He could do with a haircut, but the person he had seen in the mirror hadn’t just been a symptom of delirium.

‘So this is me now?’ Lan said, watching the figure in the mirror copy him. he wondered if his family would even recognise him, Lan thought before recoiling from it. Whatever decision he made, it had to be today, yet trying to make it was tearing him apart.

Every shred of common sense told him not to say anything, to just drop the hairpin off at the door and leave. He could even write a letter with some story about having to stay away a little longer.

That way, they wouldn’t have to worry about him, and if he came back either after the All Guilds Campaign or once he felt he was strong enough, he could explain it to them. So why did the thought of doing what was right, what he knew was right, leave him feeling like he would be sick.

Not wanting to think about it anymore, Lan threw on his boots and left the room.

Down in the main hall, Lan was greeted by a sight that was becoming familiar: a nearly empty inn with a few people dotted around and the heavenly smell of fried cured meat in the air.

The crowning jewel of the scene was Leah standing behind the counter with her endless energy and a smile that seemed a law of the world.

Hearing him coming, Leah looked up, Good morning… Lan?’ she blinked at him as she took in his appearance. Clearly not believing her eyes, she leaned over the counter as her smile reformed with a cheeky edge. ‘What happened to you? You look… pretty.’

‘I am still trying to work it out myself. Although I don’t know if pretty is a compliment in this case. But I will accept ruggedly handsome, though.’ Lan joked although she seemed to take him seriously as she stared at him.

‘No, handsome doesn’t even come close to what I am looking at,’ she said distantly as if thinking out loud. ‘To think this was what was hiding under that gloomy stranger that walked in off the street one day. ‘It’s a little like the feeling from looking at an elf but different from that.’ She added wistfully as she leaned on her arm.

‘Now I know that you are teasing me.’ Lan laughed as she grinned back.

‘I’ll let you keep thinking that.’ She said as she rose up, ‘Breakfast?’

Just mentioning the word was enough to reawaken a primal part of Lan’s mind, making him feel like his stomach had dropped out, leaving a void in his body.

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‘Please.’ Lan swallowed hard, getting a knowing smile from the angelic barmaid.

A few minutes later, Leah returned with a plate overflowing with twice as much food as the last time.

To his self-assigned credit, Lan was able to wait until Leah placed the plate down before lunging at it. However, there was no credit to be won in what came next as Lan tore into the food like a wild animal.

Despite the scene he was making, Leah propped herself up on her arm and smiled at him.

‘I had a feeling you would be hungry,’ She said, and Lan turned to hide his embarrassment.

‘Sorry about this,’ Lan swallowed.

‘That’s fine,’ Leah laughed softly, ‘Everyone is like that in the beginning.’

‘Really?’ Lan asked between bites, getting a knowing nod from the unique barmaid.

‘The Call of the Hunter is a powerful driving force when the blood is up, and The Call is singing in one’s mind. In those moments, we can push our bodies further than average for our level and overcome the odds by performing miraculous feats, but it often leads to neglecting our bodies. I know my first time out alone, I got so hungry that I had to stop myself from eating the rabbit I caught before it was cooked,’ Leah said, chuckling at the memory. ‘And that’s not the only thing. Sometimes, we push our bodies harder than they can take. I have heard stories about people dying on their feet trying to end a fight.’ She added as she tapped a finger to Lan’s forehead.

‘What?’

‘I heard the stories about how you looked when you walked into the guildhall. Those marked are like a burning star. It is beautiful to watch them when they burn bright, but it is always painful to watch one burn themselves out, so be careful. And always take some provisions with you,’ Leah added as a matter of fact before vanishing back into the kitchen.

Once again, grounded and with food in his stomach, the thought Lan had been trying to push back rallied and charged forward.

He had almost burnt out in the goblin camp. He couldn’t put his family through knowing that.

‘What’s wrong?’ Leah said, removing his plate and leaving a new one in its place. Which was unexpected. Not only had Lan lost track of time, but there was still food on it the last time he had looked down. Realising he had still been eating despite his musing, Lan learned that he wasn’t done when his stomach rumbled.

‘Oh, I'm fine, just lost in thought.’ Lan tried, although Leah’s endless capacity for compassion broke right through the lie.

‘Really, because you look down all of a sudden. It’s almost like the first time that we met.’ She said, leaning over the bar to examine his face before grinning at him. ‘You know you can tell me, right? It’s a barmaid’s job to listen to the plight of the Inn’s patrons.’

‘Really? And here I thought it was saving them from charging soldiers and getting them a job risking their lives.’ Lan grinned back.

‘We do that too.’ she half shrugged, and the two managed to hold it for a moment before both cracked and laughed.

It was odd, despite having only spoken very little to each other. Leah had seen more parts of who he was then and now than anyone. The worst part was it didn’t matter if he tried to put up walls. She just saw right through it. But he didn’t think that was a bad thing.

‘It’s just a few things that have been on my mind.’ Lan started.

‘Oh yeah?’ Leah asked, leaning on her hand.

Not even sure how to put it, Lan started with the second thing on his mind, ‘Well,’ Lan began before diving into the story about what happened after everyone realised what his level meant for the party he joined and how Locke and the others had acted.

‘Hmm,’ Leah hummed, seeming to consider what Lan said. ‘If I were you, I would just ask them if I could join. You should have seen them when you were in the forest, like a bunch of lost puppies, so they clearly like you. If you just tell them you want to, I am sure it will go well,’ Leah stated with all the certainty in the world.

Enough to make Lan pause; she made it sound so simple, too simple, but it did leave him wondering if he had ever made his intentions clear. He had danced around the question but had never said it?’

‘Uh… right.’ Lan frowned.

‘Now, what’s the real thing on your mind?’

For a moment, Lan stared blankly at the remarkable woman before chuckling.

‘I’m like an open book to you, aren’t I?’ he said, getting a smile from Leah.

‘That’s not bad, is it?’ she shrugged.

‘No,’ Lan smiled before thinking about what to say. ‘Can I ask you a question?’

At Leah’s nod, Lan went on.

‘If you know that you were about to do something dangerous, that you were already doing something dangerous, and I mean dangerous for you, that is.’ Lan added quickly, remembering that he was talking to a second-generation adventurer, ‘Would you tell those close to you, knowing that all you would be doing is making them worry.’

‘I would tell them.’ Leah said seriously without hesitation, leaving Lan to blink silently at her.

‘Even if doing so puts needless pain on them?’ Lan managed after a moment.

With a soft and oh-so-kind look in her eye, Leah smiled at Lan, ‘I know that if I found out that someone that I cared about had been risking their lives without telling me, I would feel betrayed at the very least. Not just at finding out that I had been lied to for however long it was, but think about it this way… what if you never come back? And they have to find out that you lied when they receive news that you didn’t make it. No, I would tell the person.’

At that moment, Lan knew why thoughts of not telling his family seemed to be pulling him apart. He was doing it again. Not seeking help from those who cared for him. He acted like he needed to bear all the weight on his own as he suffered quietly, all while hurting those who cared for him. The same voice that told him that staying with Dell was what was good for all was what told him now to hide what he was from them, and just like before, it would only lead to him hurting those he loved.

If this was the life he wanted to live, he owed it to them to tell them now, look them in the eyes, and let them know that he would come back no matter what he faced.

‘Thanks, Leah.’ Lan smiled, with a newly resolute fire in his chest, ‘It’s funny. I think this is the same place I was sitting when you helped change my life the first time.

‘Know what? I think you are right.’ Leah smiled back as she leaned on her hand. ‘I don’t know about changing your life, but I’m happy I could help.’