The first rays of the sun seeped through the opening my curtains left, falling on my face. It was warm and gentle so I turned my head at intervals, letting every part of my face get a feel of it. I woke up much earlier, but I was too tired to get off my bed. Laying on the bed, I stared at the ceiling above me, admiring the patterned carvings found on its edges. My gaze shifted to the chandelier which hung from it. It was gold-plated with a long column. I counted eight arms that curved upwards bearing orbs that shone yellow.

I asked myself,

“Was this always here?”

It felt as though I never looked up at the ceiling to notice that there was a sizable chandelier hanging from it. Thinking about it, I had always thought that the source of light in the room was just a glowing orb attached somewhere to the ceiling.

It had been two days since I went to the Stormcrow guild. I knew I had to go back there, to pretend to be a part of the guild but I just felt lazy to do so. I’d made up my mind that I was going to go there once I was able to get myself off the invisible shackles that constrained me to my bed.

Beside me were five pendants I collected from the bodies of the demons we fought at Landchet. I never told anyone I had them with me, though I didn't intend to keep the secret with me for long.

I picked up one of them and held it toward the ceiling as I looked at it for the umpteenth time. The centerpiece was round, roughly an inch in diameter. I couldn't tell what it was made of, but the object I looked at was black and glossy. Its embellishment, bail, and chain were made of silver and were consistent among all five.

My speculation was confirmed to some extent. When Yukina and I went up against a demon at Landchet, I believed that the demons in general must have an artifact of some sort that helps them defend against spells and attacks thrown at them. Though I wasn't sure about what these pendants were used for, or how they worked if they worked, I was convinced all five demons having the same type of pendant was no coincidence.

After staring at the pendant for quite some time, nothing changed, I didn't notice any visible reaction or feel any different. I tried to push mana into it as I did with femryn’s orb, but still, nothing. I sighed, tossing it aside. I asked Darya if she had any idea about the pendants. Unfortunately, she didn’t. She suggested I showed them to Eliora since she knew a thing or two about the demons. As much as I wanted to, I still hesitated because it might lead to conversations about what happened at Landchet. Initially, I was eager to talk about it but as time passed, that eagerness disappeared and I thought maybe it was best not to say a thing about it because how can I possibly explain that there is another being, entity, consciousness, or whatever Darya is, inside me? I think whatever reason they had for being silent worked in my favor.

After some time, I reluctantly left the bed after I had finally convinced myself that I had to go to Stormcrow. I got dressed, packed my backpack, and headed out.

I passed by the dining, hoping to eat something if there was any food kept there. Thankfully there was. Yukina and Evren were already eating.

“Morning,” I greeted as I dropped my backpack and sat down.

“How are you?” Yukina asked in a voice that was muffled and funny since she had food stuffed in her mouth.

“I think you should take care of the food in your mouth first,” I said to her, prompting Evren to laugh.

Yukina quickly chewed what she was eating, and said to me while wearing a frown on her face,

“Remind me not to ask about your well-being again.”

“Oh, come on. I was just joking,” I said to her.

Yukina didn't say anything as I started to feel uneasy.

“Hey, it was just a joke,” Eliora added, tapping Yukina’s hand.

I left my seat and walked and walked up to Yukina. She didn't look at me, picking up another spoonful of food.

“Stop acting tough,” I said, tickling her.

Yukina gasped and all the serious-looking expression on her face disappeared. When she freed herself from me, I ran putting a little distance between us. It didn't stop her from throwing a spoon at me, but I easily dodged it. The tension was gone as the three of us chatted while we ate.

* * *

The scenery around Stormcrow guild wasn't an unfamiliar one anymore even though it was only my second time being around there. On the first day, I made sure I familiarized myself with the environment, and even though there were places there that I knew little or nothing about, it was safe to say that getting around by myself wouldn’t pose much of a problem.

I went to the reception office and to the counter where the man who introduced me to Mr. Kai, sat. He recognized me immediately,

“Oh, you are back. Let me guess, a mission?”

I smiled faintly,

“Yes.”

Before he could utter another word, I said to him,

“I guess we will meet more often. At least I should know your name.”

“Oh,” he gasped.

“It’s Eldwin. Eldwin Whitestakes.”

I gestured, making a slight downward nod.

“So what missions are you interested in?” he asked.

“S-class ones. Dark cavern raids if I was being precise.”

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He looked at me with surprise plastered all over his face.

“S-class?” He asked.

“Do you need me to show you my badge?” I said to him in response.

“There is no need for you to lie about it. Besides, I know you have what it takes to be an S-class adventurer, so I won’t say I’m entirely surprised,” Eldwin said, trying to shake off the surprised expression he wore on his face.

I smiled as he said he wasn’t entirely surprised but the look on his face said otherwise.

“How many adventurers, S-class and above do Stormcrow have?” I asked.

“Two dozen at most,” he replied.

It was no wonder he was surprised upon hearing that I was an S-class. It had to be a difficult rank to achieve. Though for me, it wasn’t. Eliora, Yukina, and Evren all received S-class badges from their respective guilds, and I wasn't surprised. Yukina didn't even have to take a test, she just had to tell them she was a three-fold stillbringer and present proof that she went to Stonebridge Academy.

“So, are there any dark cavern raids available?” I asked him.

“Yes. A team is being set up for a raid at a dark cavern near Ausbane. Coincidentally, just one more person is needed to complete a team of seven. Great timing.”

“Sign me up,” I said.

“Already doing that,” he replied, writing something on a piece of paper. I patiently waited for him to finish before asking him,

“Where are the others?”

“Follow me, I will lead you to them.”

It was my second meeting with Eldwin and the sequence of events that took place whenever we met seemed to follow a similar pattern. It starts with talking at the counter, Eldwin writing down something, before leading me out of the reception office. I just hope that I don’t get to fight someone as I did in our first meeting. Eldwin led me to a room with people already present in it, six of them in total. They seemed to be having a discussion until we interrupted them by opening the door which made a creaking noise.

Six of them turned in our direction. The gender number was evenly distributed; three males and three females. I heard Eldwin clear his throat,

Err…. The last member of the team is here. Svan Choryth, an S-rank adventurer.”

I bowed slightly. Just bending my neck so only my head would face the ground, without involving any other part of my body.

Eldwin raised the sheet of paper he was holding,

“Since all requirements for the raid have been met, you all are cleared for the raid. I am officially submitting the raid request for the record.”

None of them said a word. I felt sorry for Eldwin, he must have felt awkward, getting no response after he finished speaking. Before he left the room, he whispered to me,

“Good luck.”

I wanted to introduce myself but after witnessing how Eldwin was ignored I decided not to. Besides, Eldwin had already done the introduction for me. I wanted to know the details of the raid, but that wasn't going to happen given the situation. Every one of them in the room gave off a rather hostile impression. I didn't know why they acted like that. They appeared to be discussing with each other before Eldwin and I entered the room. Maybe their unwelcoming persona had something to do with the fact that I was a Choryth and I couldn't help but wonder what House Choryth had done to them.

“Let's go,” a middle-aged man spoke.

The man who spoke stood out from the rest. He was tall and muscular, twice my size by comparison. There was a scary-looking battle axe strapped on his back, it was a huge one and I was certain that I couldn't even lift it let alone wield it. His face could tell stories of his life as an adventurer as it was roughened up with scars. No doubt, he had to be the leader of the group.

All of us left the room and I followed behind without asking questions. Horses were already prepared, seven of them for every one of us. It didn't take long before we arrived at our destination. We alighted from our horses and walked on foot due to the rough terrain. While the rest of the pack chatted in front, I trailed behind.

“I have a strong feeling that they would ask for your help sooner than later,” Darya said to me.

I chuckled,

“I hope it doesn't come to that because it would mean that we would encounter a difficult situation.”

“You are pretty calm considering how everyone has been treating you.”

I was quite startled upon hearing another voice that wasn't Darya’s, as I turned immediately to see who spoke to me. A young lady was standing beside me and I didn't notice when she trailed behind and walked beside me. I was torn between saying, “who are you? And, I don't care at all.” I turned in the lady’s direction again to have a good look at her. Her appearance would be the judge of what response I would give to her. She wore a sleeveless bluish-green gown fastened with a brown waist belt. Her arms were covered in full-length sleeves, and her gown was split on the left side, exposing a good portion of her thigh which had straps bearing two daggers. She stood a few inches shorter than I was, round face, long black hair, and a pair of deep-set eyes. I sighed,

“Pass,” I said inwardly.

“I don't care at all,” I said to her.

“I figured,” she replied.

“I am Laurel Favian. A-class adventurer. I prefer to be called Favian, so call me Favian.”

I nodded, not sure of what to say to her.” since she probably knew who I was.

“And you are Svan Choryth, I know.”

She paused momentarily before she continued.

“Those guys ahead, they are not happy with the fact that the Choryth House is imposing a direct rule over Stavren, and there are rumors that the attacks on other Houses were ordered by you guys,” Favian whispered.

My guess was right. Their behavior toward me had something to do with the fact that I was a Choryth after all.

“What about you, what do you think?” I asked her.

“I don't know, I want to believe their speculations are wrong, so I am hoping to hear from you,” she replied.

Well, as I said before, I don't care. They are free to make wild speculations and I am not going to try to prove to them that they are wrong. At the moment, I am only interested in the dark cavern raid.”

“So they are wrong then,” she said, shrugging.

“It's my first time going inside the dark caverns, I hope you guide me well,” I said to her, abandoning our little conversation about House Choryth and what other people thought about it.

We caught up with the rest of the group who were standing at the cavern’s entrance. I heard the voice of the big guy again as he spoke up. He seemed to be addressing everyone, not sure if I was included.

“In and out, fast and clean.”

I whispered to Favian who was standing beside me,

“What is the objective of this raid?”

“To collect the crimson stones,” she whispered back.

I knew what the crimson stones were used for. They were used to make artifacts that enhanced the potency and strength of spells conjured by casters. Also, these Crimson stones were only found in the dark caverns which made them so expensive.

“It doesn't sound like a difficult thing to do,” I said to Favian, still in whispers.

“Yes, it doesn't. But this is the dark caverns and things can easily take an unexpected turn. For any raid on the dark caverns to be approved, it has to be at least a seven-member party, all A-class adventurers and above.

I nodded. It was just a matter of time before I find out what the dark caverns really looked like.