“...There!”

Drenched in sweat, Alicia fell back as her legs gave way, surrendering to fatigue after mending the guard’s arm. He tried to catch her but was a bit too slow.

“Are you okay?” asked the guard.

Cyg ran over and tried to offer her a hand, but she waved it away.

Alicia said, “I just need a moment to rest. But more importantly, how is it?” She was fully expecting the man to have a worse time than her after having all of his mana purged, but he proved to be sturdy.

The man flexed his hand, bent his elbow, and rolled his wrist. “A little stiff. Something feels... wrong, but hey, an arm’s an arm! Who can complain about that?” His other hand ran over the new appendage, searching for the scars and marks that used to be there. “You’re a lifesaver. Literally. I don’t know what I can do to repay you!”

“You can do that by getting out of here,” she said with a woozy grin, the words slipping out thanks to mana deprivation. “No, really. You can do us all a favor and get out of the witch’s hair.”

After a chuckle, he replied, “The snake stuff is out of me right? Then you don’t have to tell me twice. Thrice?” He wobbled a little while walking, but he was confident enough to get back alone. “You two take care—I’ll make sure not to be a bother by getting bit again.”

“Safe travels,” Cyg said as Alicia bid him goodbye. They watched him disappear into the forest before turning to each other. “I guess we’re free to go.” He offered a hand again, and this time, she took it.

“About time.”

They made their way back, Cyg staying beside her in case she ever stumbled, but she kept her composure throughout. She took it slow at first but eventually settled into a normal pace after a few minutes. It must be the difference in their constitution, Cyg believed.

And as expected, Merry was there at the doorway, waiting for them with a raised eyebrow.

“Strange, I thought I was going to receive a guest. Did you take care of it yourself, Alicia?”

“Yes,” she replied, standing straight and a little prideful, “I managed to successfully treat him and send him off.”

The witch placed a hand on her chin and hummed. “Oh? Impressive. You’ll have to tell me all about it,” she said, motioning them inside. “What was it that he came for?”

* * *

On Sunday after Merry had left, Cyg was preparing the treat in the kitchen while Alicia dismantled the cauldron. They weren’t sure if they needed to prepare a bird for Bassy, and perhaps the basilisk would come racing over solely from her call, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

“Can you hand me over that?” Alicia said, pointing to a towel draped over the back of a chair.

“Sure,” Cyg replied as he put down the knife. After handing over what she asked, he dawdled instead of going back to work.

Taking notice, she redirected her attention and asked, “...What is it?”

“Err... what’s it like being an elf?” he said, “I mean, if you don’t want to answer, you don’t have to.”

She considered her words. “It sometimes sucks. And sometimes doesn’t. Of course, it’s nice being naturally gifted with magic.”

“So, elf society is just filled with mages? I bet their cities look incredible.” All he’d ever heard of them was that they were all in some far-off land or mostly inaccessible to those of differing blood.

“Are you interested?” Alicia asked. Part of her wanted to hold back, but another part wanted to just get it out. Return the gesture, even. “I’m not exactly representative, but then again, I had a half-blooded guest tell me that my experience was as genuine as anyone else’s.”

“What do you mean?”

“Most elves have long since settled down, but my family and the circle we belonged to were nomads.” The apprentice spoke as she absentmindedly peeled back layers of metal. Her voice wasn’t quite soft, but it didn’t have that much of an edge to it either. “If you’re not familiar with it, it’s natural for us to follow the ebb of the Sea as the seasons change. Eventually, technology improved so much that the weakest of us could survive even during times of scarcity, so many decided the tradeoffs of constantly moving around weren’t worth it.”

“Scarcity, like running out of food?”

“That would be one. The larger the circle, the more of everything must be provided. Besides, living where the Sea swayed simply felt better. It’s the difference between breathing up in the mountains and down on the ground, not that I would know.” They weren’t like nomads of other races. With magic they were able to carry knowledge far better than ordinary oral tradition. They were moving towns. “We were encouraged to keep pets, as a way of staying connected with our surroundings while also having an anchor. Our family had a cat, a kitten given to me by my parents before I could even walk, and I named her ‘Dinah’, though I can’t recall where I ever got that name from,” she said, “She was such a dear quiet thing, and was excellent at catching any rodents sneaking into the storehouse. Everyone loved her.”

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

“A quiet cat? I bet she was a joy. The only one I’ve ever seen was a stray that really liked to scratch me for some reason.”

“Oh, she was smart too! Knew when to keep her claws back...”

“I see...” Her use of past tense was not lost on him, but he didn’t quite dare to ask about it.

“When a pack of blight beasts crossed paths, we lost her. No, I lost her,” she said, continuing before Cyg can comment. “They arrived seemingly out of nowhere, circling our barrier for a while while only observing. I think the elders called it a ‘divine trial’. When we moved to evacuate, they decided to attack. The barrier waned for a moment, and Dinah panicked and fled. My parents warned me not to go after her, that it was hopeless, but could I abandon her? When we stopped for the night, I snuck out and went back to search for her. I didn’t even get far before I was caught—not by my family but by one of the creatures.”

“How are you even alive...?”

“I was lucky, how else? I ran into a cave where it took a bite out of me, and I collapsed the place. I dug myself out after a day, and Merry eventually bumped into me,” Alicia mumbled, “Like you, I owe her my life, and not a second goes by where I forget it. Yet...” There was a pause as she struggled to get the words out. Instead, she left it, opting to change courses. “I don’t know if anyone ever went to search for me. Merry said they didn’t, and that she took care of the blight beasts after bringing me here. Sometimes I wonder if it’s because they blamed it on the Gods or if they dismissed me as lost, just like Dinah.”

“Sorry, I made you dredge up some terrible memories,” Cyg said, “And for your loss, too.”

“It’s fine. Like you, my feelings have lost their luster long ago.”

The thief bumped his shoulder into hers. “We’re gonna make our great escape, and then you can go prove them wrong. Just imagine their faces when you rub it in. I’ll help you out since I’ll have nothing to do after, if you don’t have any complaints with that.”

Alicia rolled her eyes as she bumped back into him. “Oh, please. I don’t even know if I want to see them. What would I say after all this time? Would they even recognize me? How would I even find them after all this time?”

“What? You want to go your entire life wondering about that what-if?”

“Given the alternative...”

“If your parents aren’t happy to see their long-lost daughter still alive, I’ll go kick their asses for you,” he said with a huff.

She held back a laugh. “Thank you, I’ll keep it for consideration. Let’s get back to work already,” Alicia said, “I don’t want to ruin the mood too much. Today’s the special day, after all.”

Soon, they were done. The wagon-cart was ready, and the treat was all prepared. All that was left was to set it all into motion, and the tension was so thick and suffocating they were grateful for the light breeze.

They ventured halfway to the edge of the domain before stopping, travelling in the opposite direction of the town to gain more time. This version of the vehicle was large enough for two, reinforced with metal, and had a water-tight container in the back. It took more work to push, but with the two of them, it was hardly a problem.

“Bassy!” Alicia shouted, “I have a treat for you!”

A good distance away was Cyg and the bird, at the ready. They waited, waited, and waited, their doubts growing with each passing minute. But then, Bassy popped into view, significantly less excited than all the previous times. She stalked closer, holding her attention squarely on Cyg. He met her “gaze”, and the creature challenged him by closing the distance to a mere five paces and passing the threshold.

He tossed a spike, swapping with the setup back at the house. It was too far away for her to reach now, and just by getting near him, the basilisk sealed her fate. The trees added to the obstacles in her path as she tried to run down the thief, dodging bombs and tearing through the foliage. If this was one of their earlier encounters, Cyg would’ve been gobbled up by now, but the thief had seen it all. Even if she could read his mind, there was nothing she could do.

The first spike struck her and sent her fleeing, and Bassy couldn’t gain enough distance before the second one finished the job, curving around a tree to catch her in the back. Unceremoniously, miserably, the basilisk collapsed with all her strength drained. He had won again, but there was no time for fanfare.

Next was getting all the blood into the container, a process that had them hurrying throughout as the invisible clock ticked away. They knew Merry was coming, but the canopy blocked the view of the sky. Unable to utter a word, the two gripped the edges of the cart as Alicia steered it, each bump on the ground making sure their breathing never steadied. Farther and farther, they went.

Then, they felt it. The brief resistance of the domain pushed against their souls as they exited, a grand signal of freedom. The cart continued forward a little while more before turning, to follow the perimeter of the domain in clockwise fashion. Even now, they were full of adrenaline. The moment felt like it lasted hours.

Eventually, they reached the river and chose to stop, finding that it was sufficiently far from where they crossed the threshold. And, most importantly of all, the witch was nowhere in sight.

“So...” Cyg said, finally breaking the silence. “We made it?”

A pause, one of disbelief. “...We made it!” Alicia got up in the cart and did a little hop of joy. “I can’t believe it, after all this time!”

Smiling with her, the thief stretched his arms and legs. “Now what? I’m probably going to go to town and check on everyone before I bail. I don’t think it’s safe to stay—”

The Outer Sea rippled outward from the house, and then it pulled back. When the tide made contact during its retreat, it dragged Alicia along. She toppled over in surprise, and Cyg grabbed her arm before she fell over and out. It first felt like her soul was being scattered in every direction, but very quickly its scope narrowed, forming a wisp pointing to the center of the domain, as if she was constantly being tugged backward.

Why, it resembled a compass.

“What...” Cyg said, “What is this?”

Alicia’s heart sank. Despite only learning about it second-hand, she knew it could be one thing only. “It’s a one-sided familiar contract being reinforced,” she answered, “She’s calling my soul to her domain.”