The trio walked out of the Moon estate, the air immediately lighter as they stepped back into the bustling heart of Adalan’s capital.

The sun was beginning its descent, casting a warm, golden hue over the city, making the streets come alive with a different kind of vivacity. Edris led the way, with Celio and Ives following close behind, their pace unhurried as they weaved through the crowds.

As they continued their little stroll, Celio noticed a small restaurant nestled between two larger buildings. The exterior was quaint and unassuming, but there was something about it that caught his attention—a certain homey charm that stood out amid the grander structures surrounding it.

The next moment, his stomach rumbled.

“...”

Ives blinked twice. She looked up at the sign, which spelt ALCHEMIST'S EATERY, then at Celio, her curiosity piqued.

"Let’s stop here," Edris suggested with a knowing smile, ignoring the beast tamer’s flushed face.

The moment they entered the petite eatery, they were approached by an elderly woman with a tender smile. "Welcome, dears. What can I get for you today?"

Celio returned the smile, nodding in greeting. "We’ll take a look at the menu first, if that’s alright."

"Of course, take all the time you need," the grandmotherly figure replied. She led them to a table near the back, serving each a glass of water before bustling away to attend to other customers.

The restaurant was an intimate space, the scent of freshly cooked food filling the air. Only two other tables were occupied aside from their own. The walls were painted in warm tones, adorned with framed photos and various trinkets that gave the place a personal touch.

Celio peered around, his eyes landing on a particular photo on the wall.

An old woman, looking to be the restaurant owner, stood beside a young boy with curly hair and freckles, both of them beaming towards the recording orb. There was a certain warmth in the sight that spoke of close family ties, and the beast tamer found himself unable to peel his eyes away.

Edris had just finished helping the seven-year-old decide on her order when he shifted his attention to Celio, only to notice that the boy had fallen into a daze.

"Celio, is something wrong?"

Celio blinked, seeming to shake himself out of whatever had gripped him.

"No… It’s nothing," he muttered, forcibly shaking himself out of his trance.

Edris didn’t press further. He signalled a hand to the old woman, who gave him a prompt nod as she returned to their table.

They ordered their meals—Edris choosing the Adalan-special dessert, a "layered honeycomb poundcake" that was the size of his face, while Ives opted for a dish she had never tried before—golden potato cake. Celio, still somewhat quiet, ordered the restaurant’s special, a basil cod on a stick.

"I saw that you all took interest in the pictures on the wall earlier,” the old lady mused, recalling their divided attention as she approached.

“Yes, we did,” Edris admitted with a smile.

“That’s my grandson," she explained, her voice tinged with both pride and reminisce. "That picture was taken years ago, right when we arrived in Odeen. At the time, he was preparing to become an alchemist at the Mage Faction in the Zacriya Kingdom. That’s why we moved all the way here from a small town."

Celio’s expression softened as he listened.

"He must be very dedicated."

"Oh, he was," she said, lips upturned. "Ever since he was a little boy, my grandson was obsessed with fiddling with all types of creations. When he was confirmed as an Awakened, oh, if only you saw how excited he was! With that talent, he was supposed to head to Nolmes for the professional alchemist exam two years ago…"

Her voice trailed off, and she took a deep breath.

"But he passed away before he could take it."

The words hung in the air, heavy with the weight of separation. Edris, Ives, and Celio exchanged glances, letting silence fill the space.

"The walls here still have some of his creations on display," she added, gesturing to various small inventions that adorned the restaurant space. There were intricately designed glass vials, odd little mechanical devices, and beautiful, glowing orbs—each a testament to the boy’s talent and creativity.

"He must have been amazing," Ives said softly.

The woman gazed at the little girl, her smile returning, though it was tinged with lingering melancholy.

"He was. People tend to be wary in bringing up the deceased here, but it’s different with me.” She glanced at the walls of inventions. They rested on the shelves as testaments of his existence. “My grandson was always a talkative one. Loved learning about others and sharing about himself, wanting the whole world to know who he was. I certainly don’t mind talking about him, don’t think he’ll mind either."

“I see,” Edris said. “In that case, how should we address your grandson?”

The old woman looked at him, seemingly surprised at the question. A moment later, she breathed out a quiet laugh.

“Hector,” she said. “His name is Hector.”

***

When they finished their meal, the group headed up to the counter and paid for their food.

"Thank you for sharing your stories with us," Edris said sincerely.

The elderly woman smiled warmly at them. "Thank you for listening. And for enjoying the food. Come back anytime, you hear?"

As the trio stepped back out into the street, the city was beginning to shift into its evening rhythms.

The golden light of the sunset cast long shadows, and the air was cooler, carrying the scents of night-blooming flowers and the lingering aroma of Adalarian spices from the street vendors.

Celio suddenly froze, his beast-tamer senses kicking into high alert. His head snapped up, his eyes narrowing as they scanned the area with caution. Edris, immediately noticing the shift in Celio’s demeanor, followed his gaze.

There, sitting by the cobblestone steps of a secluded alleyway, was the masked figure they had seen earlier at the Moon's pavilion. The man appeared to be waiting for them, his posture relaxed but purposeful. He didn’t move, just watched them with an unsettling stillness that made Edris’s hackles rise.

Celio tensed, and Edris placed a firm hand on his shoulder before taking the lead. They made their way toward the alley, and as they approached, the masked man rose to his feet.

He glanced behind his shoulder, a gesture for them to follow him.

Edris exchanged a glance with the others, cautiously trailing behind the masked man.

After a few minutes of weaving through the streets, they stopped within a narrow alleyway, away from the prying eyes of the public.

Under Edris’s speculating gaze, the man pulled back his hood, revealing his face.

Wavy brown hair framed his face, which was small but held androgynous features that gave him an almost foreign appearance. Below his face, a long scar stretched across his neck, extending down to his collarbone.

Recognition immediately dawned upon Edris: the man was a member of the Lucid Clan, likely the one the Moons had sent to protect Celio in the Labyrinth.

The man’s introduction was as curt as it was unexpected.

"Owein," he said simply, his voice flat and devoid of emotion.

Edris arched an eyebrow. Celio and Ives exchanged cautious glances, the tension between them palpable. They remained silent, their wariness evident as they studied the man before them.

Owein seemed to take in their expressions with a practised ease, his own intentions unreadable.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Without any attempted explanations, the man pulled out a document and handed it to Edris, who gave him a look.

“And this is?”

"This is from yourself," he said, his tone matter-of-factly. Perhaps out of habit from the nature of his work, he then added, "I didn’t show it to anyone else."

The dark-haired man eyed his outstretched hand, unmoving.

After what had happened with Celio’s parents, Edris found himself reflexively on guard against unplanned surprises.

Not to mention, the idea of receiving something from "himself" was quite unsettling, to say the least.

Sensing his hesitation, Owein suddenly leaned forward, his movement so abrupt that the group wasn’t given any time to react.

Under their startled gazes, the man whispered something into Edris’s ear. The moment hung in the air, charged with a tension that neither Ives nor Celio could decipher.

Edris’s eyes widened slightly, his previous wariness slowly overshadowed by something else.

As the distance widened between them once more, a hint of amusement now tugged at Edris’s lips.

Ives and Celio glanced at each other, sharing the same sense of confusion. At least, the subtle shift in the man’s demeanour has dispelled some of the tension in this whole situation.

Edris unwrapped the document packaging and began to flip through the pages. With each page, his smile grew wider, a mixture of amusement and satisfaction. The rest took in his actions in utter perplexity.

By the time he reached the final page, Edris had dropped the package back into its wrapping, laughing half-heartedly, though there was a note of something else in his voice—something the group couldn’t quite place.

"As expected from myself," Edris said, his tone light and indifferent. "Of course I would pull her to gain my trust."

He must admit—Edris was quite impressed with himself.

He decided then and there that it was time to pay Mia Vyris the visit. He held up the address that Yukioe had handed him when he first got out of the Labyrinth, showing it to the man.

"Do you know where this is?"

Owein took the address, his expression shifting subtly as he absorbed its content. After a moment or so, his eyes flicked back up to the dark-haired man, his voice calm but tinged with puzzlement.

"Dene Jungle."

"…The Dene Jungle?”

Owein nodded, confirming his suspicions.

Edris’s brow furrowed. Owein’s expression remained neutral as he watched him process the information.

Dene Jungle.

If he recalled correctly, that was the patch of deserted land between the capital and Mount Echo that was notorious among adventurers and hunters for its low survival rate.

Mia Vyris was telling him to go there?

***

Mia dropped her sandwich mid-bite.

Her head perked up, and the half-eaten piece tumbled from her fingers onto the cluttered table below.

It had been two days since her conversation with Edris in the Playroom, and the man still hadn’t reached out to her.

She had heard the stories about the traveller’s impressive exploits in the Zacriya Kingdom, tales that continued to entertain her to this day, but now she was beginning to wonder.

Had she been too harsh in setting the meeting point in the Dene Jungle?

Her gaze drifted around her little lair, a space that bore the unmistakable marks of intense preparation. The walls were plastered with hastily scribbled notes, some pinned up, others dangling precariously from half-torn pieces of tape. Books lay strewn across the floor, their pages filled with arcane symbols and ancient formulas.

Empty elixir bottles clinked together as one rolled by her feet.

She kicked the bottle away. Should she just find the traveller herself? It wouldn’t be difficult, given her abilities, but something in her baulked at the idea.

“Who am I kidding?” Mia let out a laugh.

She was Mia Vyris, after all. Chasing after someone didn’t quite align with her motto.

Just as she resolved to push the thought aside, a sudden shift in the ambient mana caught her attention.

Her senses sharpened, and her breath hitched in her throat.

"Magnus."

For the first time in days, Mia felt the distinct presence of her brother.

The sensory left as subtly as it came to her, but she knew it’d been there. Either the mental signal had been restored, or her brother had managed to escape from whatever irregular region of mana restriction he had been trapped in. For all she knew, it could be both at the same time.

Mia's heart skipped a beat, and without a second thought, she shoved the sandwich back into her mouth, hastily chewing as she threw on her robe, the fabric swirling dramatically behind her as she took off out the door.

Sprinting through the dense forest, her feet barely touching the ground as Mia raced toward the Northern Lands.

The trees blurred past her, the wind whipping through her hair, but her focus was singular.

She had dropped Dolan a message beforehand, a curt notification of her intentions, but she wasn’t about to wait for those slowpokes to process her dispatch permit. Her brother was near, and she wasn’t going to waste any more time.

The landscape shifted as she neared the swamp region of the Dene Jungle. As she went deeper, the ground beneath her feet softened, and the air thickened with humidity.

Although Mia had heard notorious things about the Dene Jungle, upon arrival, she realized it was the optimal training location.

The unpredictable climate and spontaneous dangers made it the ultimate study site, a continuous fuel for her creativity in improving the Playroom.

One day, poisonous fog might roll in, the next, tombs might appear from the underground. It was a place of endless possibilities, and also endless peril.

Mia moved cautiously through the swamp, her senses on high alert.

Despite the hunch that she was actively trudging deeper into the dangers, she persevered, fighting against the air that grew thinner with every step.

The next moment, Mia froze.

Her focus was ahead, narrowing on the creature approaching from a distance. At first, she thought it was a water serpent by the way its movements were likened to a slither.

Soon, she realized her guess had been optimistic.

Following the tiny head of a serpent was a massive lower body. Tentacles squirmed uncontrollably on its sides, threatening to attack at any moment.

"Oh." Mia’s nose scrunched in disgust. "Ew."

Without hesitation, she leapt forward, launching into battle with practised ease. A faint red glow followed her body as she channelled her mana. The murky substance climbing up her waist crackled around her as she unleashed a barrage of spells, sending them immediately into retreat.

She released another attack, and a bolt of mana blasted towards the tentacle monster. It shot forth, only to lose momentum the next second as the monster neutralized its trajectory.

Not giving her opponent time to break, Mia went for another spell. This time, dozens of mana-condensed arrows lined up along a curve behind her. With a flick of her wrist, the arrows shot past her simultaneously, whipping up a whirlwind of mud in their path.

The creature swung its tentacles, combatting the flood of arrows headfirst. The sharpened tips pierced through the tentacles, only to be blocked by more that came their way.

The next instant, Mia’s vision blurred, and the serpent monster was no longer in her view.

She swerved around, just in time to evade an attack aimed at her side.

She slid back, enlarging the distance between her and her opponent before casting another series of spells. The creature followed her movements closely, and in a sweeping motion, its body lowered with a flickering crimson light.

Before Mia could process what was going on, the creature had vanished from her field of view once more, its massive body reappearing right behind her.

Teleportation?!

Gritting her teeth, she ducked down, barely saving herself from the creature’s swinging tentacle that was undoubtedly aimed at her neck.

She knew the Dene Jungle was home to countless creatures of threat, but she didn’t expect to encounter one that knew teleportation. Did they also have to cast enchantations for that?

For a brief moment, she even considered catching the monster alive. The Mage Faction would be thrilled if she brought back something that knew teleportation. If they managed to tame it, the creature could help enrich the teleportation course curriculum exponentially.

Mia shook herself out of her fantasies.

Priorities, Mia. Priorities.

She blasted another wave of arrows at the creature, who avoided it with another act of teleportation.

…Something feels off.

The more she fought the monster, the more familiar its movements became. It wasn’t until the brief moment when both sides hesitated, their attacks faltering, that the truth began to sink in.

Mia’s eyes widened in recognition.

That was no monster.

The next second, her body slumped to the ground, appearing as if she had been struck down.

From an outsider’s view, the pink-haired mage had succumbed without warning mid battle. Only herself knew it was because she had retreated into the Playroom.

Not only was it capable of acting as a mutual mental space, but she’d also perfected it into a sanctuary-like environment, a checkpoint where she could purify her mana channel and regain control over her mind.

Mia reopened her eyes, only to find herself almost entirely submerged underwater.

All this time, she had been treading through a dead lake, the murky waters lapping at her ankles, rising to her neck as she ventured deeper into the land of illusion.

Now that the mirage had been broken, the lake drew back on itself, receding into a mere stream and carrying with it the remainder of hallucinations.

The slimy serpent creature dissipated into the air, and what replaced it was a man all too familiar.

“Magnus.” Mia gasped.

Her twin brother stood across from her, his entire body just as drenched as hers. His eyes fluttered, finally regaining their focus as he snapped back into reality.

From Magnus’s perspective, the creature he had been fighting—a seven-eyed beast that wielded razor shells as its weapon—had suddenly dropped dead, its form sinking into the lake without warning.

He had been deliberating whether he should proceed with the attack when suddenly, a completely different figure popped up from the swamp, her ruby eyes sharp as they zeroed in on him.

Before Magnus could react, his surroundings had changed. Lifting like a curtain being drawn back, the dense fog that had clouded his vision dissipated, revealing the truth of the landscape.

Standing before him was no other than his twin sister, drenched from top to bottom and arms crossed her arms before her chest.

"...Mia?"

“Took you long enough.”

Mia strode towards him, her hair dripping wet and her expression a mirror of his. For a moment, the twin simply stood there in unspoken stillness.

Then, Magnus let out an untimely chuckle, breaking the silence once and for all.

"You look miserable."

"Likewise." Mia shook her head at her brother’s reaction, a smile also on her face.

However, her eyes soon drifted to something behind him, and Mia furrowed her brows in confusion.

There, hovering just above the water’s surface, was a small, pink fluff.

“...”

Since when did her brother become an elementalist?