Cass and I have been waking up before morning and going to sleep very late these last days just for the sake of establishing a partnership between my organization and this town's Adventurer's Guild branch, so we can develop another point in our intel system.

Because of that we haven't been in touch with Elijah, who's sleeping while we leave and come back, and with Aria, who has been gone since our first night here. The negotiations just ended this afternoon, we went back to the inn to get some rest, neither of the two was there.

Though, this isn't surprising, after all I doubt Aria would like to be in here while the sun is still up, much to Elijah's disappointment I presume, he has always been an indoors person.

But something was off, his weapons, a pair of matte, sharp black daggers weren't here.

"We should look for them, I've got a bad feeling" - Cass says, I nod in agreement.

They have little reason to leave the village, Aria, being a demon, makes any monster hardly be a threat, so Elijah shouldn't need his weapons on him. Asking around we find out that Aria has been two days non stop at the library reading about geography, geology and botany, according to the librarian.

Last time we talked the mood was rather gloomy because of Mira's disease, taking from there I assume she was researching where the flower might grow... But this is even more reason to not leave the village, no Desolaris can be found around here.

"Cass, can you go to Mr. Victor's house and ask if he knows anything?"

"But..." - He clearly would rather not go, reasonably, of course, none of us want to show our faces there again.

"...Please?"

"Can't be helped I guess..."

"I'm going to check the east entrance, we'll keep in touch through [Telepathy Net]"

"Alright"

I start waking, although nothing implies they're in danger, anxiety starts to build up, so I start to move faster, before I know it I'm running.

Getting there I find nothing unusual, of course, there's no danger, right? My anxiety... I really am afraid, huh.

Afraid of losing a dear friend and longtime companion, but even more afraid to lose my best friend once again...

Elves live for around five thousand years, I refuse to spend all the rest of my life without my friend who I just recently found.

My vision has gotten blurry. I slap and squish my cheeks.

"Fwocus, Ayla, fwocus!"

I look beyond the gates of the village, a black haired girl without a single scratch or dirt on her skin and clothes, but with a clearly really tired face. On her back a beastman with black fur full of wounds and bleeding. I rush without a second to waste.

(Cass! East gate, fast! Now!)

(What? ...On my way!)

"Aria! What the hell happened?! Where were you two?! Why is Elijah so hurt?!"

"Oli? Get a healer for Elijah..." - Aria says in a weak tone, as if about to pass out.

"Also, we got it, take these to Mira" - She finishes while handing me a flower pouch.

My eyes can hardly believe it. They really found that flower!

While I had my eyes on the pouch, Aria collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

"Aria! ARIA!" - Demons don't sleep, she said so herself, don't tell me...

"Ayla, I'm here!" - Cass got to us, after seeing the state Elijah is in, he immediately casts healing magic.

"Why is she asleep? Is she-"

"She has pulse and is breathing, she just... Passed out, I guess in the end demons really can sleep..."

"What even happened here?" - Cass asks.

"They did it, Cass, they did it!" - I show him the flowers. His eyes start to tear up.

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The adrenaline is wearing off, so I start to tear up too, reasonably, after all...

Mira will live!

—

Opening my eyes I see a wooden roof, a slightly moldy wooden roof, along with a worn out white wall, currently I am lying in bed, not the comfiest, not the worst. This is the same room of the inn the three heroes and I have been staying in.

I sat up, accidentally waking up the gray haired elf who was sleeping half in a chair, half leaning in the bed. She wakes up, slowly opens her sleepy eyes, after processing what's in front of her, she jumps into my arms.

"Aria! AriaAriaAriaAria! You're finally awake!"

Her reaction reminds me of the recent events.

"Elijah! What happened to him? And Mira? Did she get the medicine?"

"Elijah is fine, Cass healed him and he woke up some time after. Mira too, I gave the flowers to an apothecary and she is getting better, but worry about yourself for a bit!"

"Seriously, why don't you care for yourself as much as you care for others? You've been out for a whole day! How many times did you say 'Demons don't sleep' to me? I thought you had died, entered a vegetative state or something..." - She finishes crying, hugging me tight and dunking her face on my chest.

A whole day? I... I passed out for a whole day?

"I–I didn't know I could pass out... That never happened..."

SLAP!

"You're a sleep deprived insomniac! Why would you think you're a reliable source? You really can't see how worried I've been?" - She slapped me in the face, then cried her eyes out even more.

Ayla, since the Oli days, has always been the person I'd turn to when I had something on my mind. If I messed up, she'd support me, if I did something bad, she'd scold me, if I got sick and missed a school day, she'd go to my house and stay with me. Once again I'm reminded why she is my best friend. I can't afford to let her go, nor can I make her worry so much.

"I am sorry... I am so sorry. I promise that I won't make anything reckless without telling you"

"...As long as you understand. Seriously, I can't lose you again." - She finishes while using my clothes as tissues for her tears.

"You won't lose me, never" - After all, I also can't lose her.

"Indeed, really touching, sniff sniff..." - A beastman says teasingly while entering the room.

"Cut it out, will ya. Let us be" - Ayla responds Elijah.

"Come on, it isn't my fault that you two sound like a couple"

If I had a coin for every time someone called us a couple, I'd have two coins. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.

"Just shut up! I never called you and Cass a couple just because you go running to him every time you get injured!"

"Well, maybe I'd run to you too if you could heal, but you caaan't, isn't it right?"

Ayla growls at Elijah, who's laughing. This comedy show apart though, healing is magic, isn't it? I wanna learn it. This last fight showed how I lack actual means of attacking, I need to get stronger.

"I want to learn magic" - I say. Ayla looks at me for a second, a smile slowly forms on her face.

"My, my! So you're finally interested in learning something other than games! Only took dying and being reborn! I'm so proud"

Oi, that's mean.

"Alrighty then, I'll teach you magic on our way to the capital!"

"If she's going to learn magic, isn't it better to send her to the Academy? Cass has to finish his studies there too, so we should be in the capital for the next two years. If she'll be with us, might as well make her go to school again"

Oi, who told you I wanna go to school again?

"True... So I guess I can teach her the basics and some spells just for the entrance exam, then make her skip the first year. Eh, we can figure it out later"

Before I can say anything on the matter, Cass enters the room and looks at me.

"Oh, you're awake... Um, guys..."

"Ah, yea, Cass said he wanted to talk to you in private, so, uh, good luck!" - Ayla finished with a sarcastic smile and left the room, along with Elijah.

"..."

"..."

Awkward...

"...So, what do you want to talk about?"

"..."

'This is the first time you direct your word to me and you stay silent' is what I want to say, but it seems like a bad idea.

"...Wanna go on a walk while you think? I'm quite tired of being in bed for so long"

"Sure, some fresh air will do me good too, I suppose" - He responds, with eleven words, no less, a new record.

We leave the inn and start to walk aimlessly, even after some time he didn't speak another word, so I decide to force him a bit.

"You shouldn't ask to be alone with a girl to 'talk' and stay silent y'know. I dunno what is on your mind, but whatever it is, stop overthinking and just say it."

"Ahh! Alright!" - He screams a bit and slaps his cheeks.

"This is about Mira, and Elijah, and everything. There's just so much on your mind that I need to say, but I don't know how to put it into words."

Uh-huh, at least he spoke, but I still have no idea where he's getting at.

"I used to hate you, I gave you the silent treatment, then you saved Elijah's and Mira's life, I don't know how to face you, it's just..."

"I'm so sorry!" - After this he falls to the ground, kneeling.

"Umm... for what? You didn't do anything deserving of an apology..."

He really didn't. Apparently, he didn't talk to me because he hated me. I personally don't blame him at all. I've done things worthy of hatred, like giving him that nickname and doing nothing as a class rep. I don't really care if he hates me or not, of course, I'd rather he doesn't, but I don't see it as something he needs to apologize about...

Wait, wait wait wait! He started crying!

"Eh? Why are you crying?!"

I–I dunno what to do! I don't wanna be the person that made a hero cry! Think, Aria, think! I use my skill, everything slows down, even myself. Alright, so he hated me, now he doesn't and doesn't know how to face me. He also has a lot of things that he doesn't know how to put into words...

He stopped hating me because I helped Mira and Elijah... In his position, if someone saved people I care about... I would like to thank them? I suppose? Ahh! Who knows!

"Um, sometimes people say sorry while they actually want to say thanks, don't they? Um... Ehem..."

After a moment he starts to wipe his tears.

"Thank you, for everything"

"You're welcome!" - I force a smile, hope he doesn't notice, hehe... It's dark, so he might not even be able to see my face.

Oh, it's dark, night fell so quickly, we left before evening...

"It's quite late, we should go back to the inn, wanna help gettin' up?" - I lend a hand to help him get up.

"########"

"What did you say?"

"Thank you again, Aria"

"You're welcome again, Cass"

After that we walked back to the inn.