The farewell party was held the night before their departure.

He had wanted to invite everyone who had made his life tolerable over the past year, including the people at the Guild such as Clerk Marco, and mercenaries Mattan, Grundle, and even Feroy the newbie who he never really got to know. There were also other notable friends he had made such as Vendor Bola, Father Jonas and even Healer Perg. As for Luna… well, some things were better left unsaid.

In the end, only Iris was invited. Envy had agreed that anyone else would draw attention from the Church.

Exill tried to keep a bright face while pouring each other drinks but the alcohol eventually revealed his morose inner feelings.

“Why the glum face?” Iris poked him playfully, leaning into his side as she tipsily lost balance.

“Hmph… why wouldn’t I be glum? Leaving this comfortable home and friends only to make a few extra Denars.” He lied.

“True, you are the greediest person I know. There are more important things than money you know… and you – you should stop enabling him by pinching pennies at every corner. You should get paid for your work!” Iris drunkenly pointed at Tsarra who looked irritated by their age-old argument.

“I’ve told you before. I’ll get paid when I’m ready!” The diminutive maiden hissed angrily.

Everyone’s brows rose when they witnessed her uncharacteristic temper. The silence held for only a few seconds until Envy struggled to stifle a giggle.

“I-I’m sorry…” she said between breaths, “It’s just that you’re so cute when you’re angry…” As everyone except Tsarra laughed, Exill couldn’t help but feel hot tears well up in his eyes.

This was what he was leaving behind.

In Enui folklore, it was said that a person’s lifespan was filled with many types of bridges, all crafted of dreams. There was a special word for the moment when a person stepped from one bridge to the next, abandoning one dream for another – ‘mætos’.

Tales told of adventurers and heroes who looked back in times of weakness, realising too late they had crossed the ‘mætos’, to find the place they had left was irretrievably lost.

This… this was his ‘mætos’, the inflection point to which he could never return.

“Aw, are you crying?” Iris dabbed at the corner of his eyes, and he quickly pushed her away, laughing in embarrassment.

“…I was reflecting on the cost of all this alcohol and snacks you singlehandedly managed to consume.” Exill endured her punches good naturedly while she complained that he was the reason Tsarra had become so twisted and miserly.

“Oh, did you hear about the duel between Trey and Mattan? Apparently that greasy lunk offended his wife again, obviously she...”

Exill excused himself while Iris shared news about their friends.

He softly closed his room door and looked out the window, from which the Labyrinth Tower was clearly visible, glowing softly against the night sky. His eyes were drawn to the poster of ‘My Vampire Master’ that hung beside it.

“Are you going to take that with you?” Envy asked, softly closing the door behind her.

“… I was wondering the same thing, but I was worried Tsarra would notice its absence.” He whispered.

“I’m taking mine.”

“You mean the one about the Squire losing his memories and falling in love again?” he shook his head mirthfully, “It’s strange… I never had much interest in watching those plays, but why does my heart sink when I think I won’t be able to ever see another one?”

He carefully took down the poster and rolled it up, placing it alongside his sheets of parchment lest he forget. Sighing softly, he turned to Envy.

“Let’s go back out there, they must be waiting for us.”

***

The next morning, all the preparations for leaving had been completed. Exill had already stashed away everything but the most important tools for the long journey ahead. He checked the treatment room cupboards were stocked up on essentials and turned to Tsarra who was ensuring the same.

“Can you close the door? I would like a word with you.”

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Her eyes widened at his instructions, remembering the last time they had been alone together in this room. However she swiftly followed his directions.

“While I am away…” Exill paused, trying to find the words to keep her safe. He pushed the notarized contract nullifying the vow of secrecy into her palm.

“If the Inquisition ever comes for you while I’m gone. I want you to fully cooperate with them. Tell them I forced you to sign the contract in exchange for freedom. They should protect you as a witness.” He was fully aware that no contract was infallible, and suspected the Inquisition had a trick or two to tease out information in either case. However Tsarra was having none of it. Her soft jade eyes lit up in anger.

“If I betray you, how will you ever return to Ark?”

“We’ve discussed this before. I have many unnatural powers, one of them being the ability to warp across great distances. I’ll come visit you from time to time.” He smiled brightly, putting on an air of false bravado.

“Then prove it. Use your skill to warp next to me.” Tsarra didn’t believe his words for a minute.

“I… look, it’s not something I can do at the drop of a hat, and it needs some preparation. Just trust me on this, and if the Inquisition comes after you, look after yourself first.” He ended the conversation there, patting Tsarra’s hair one last time while opening the door.

In the small reception room, the counter was piled up with his belongings. Envy was already seated on a bench by the entrance, having her hand held by Iris.

“Are you leaving now?” The genial Guild clerk asked, standing up to bid him farewell.

“Yeah… we’ll be leaving now.” He turned around to give Tsarra a quick embrace, that lingered for a second or two.

“Come back safe.” She said, surprised by the hug.

Exill bit his lip, and reluctantly pulled away. He then turned to Iris, who was still holding Envy’s hand. “Please check in on her often.” He earnestly embraced Iris.

“Don’t worry, I’ll drop by in the mornings as usual.” She smiled demurely when he pried his hands out of her grasp one last time.

With no more words left to say, he left… closing the clinic door, and marking an end this chapter in his life. In retrospect, he would point to this time at the dinghy clinic as one of the happiest moments of his life.

“Are you alright leaving like this?” Envy asked softly, sensing his inner turmoil.

Exill looked away, trying to hide tears of anguish. He was not okay, but it was for the best. The hard choices were the ones that might look wrong to others, but he knew he was right in the long run.

“You know… it’s strange. I’ve never been interested in visiting that restaurant across the street that opened up last month, but it feels like I’m missing out.”

“I heard the service there is bad.”

Exill chuckled at her deadpan delivery, but felt the knife twist in his heart even more. There was so much else in this city he never had the time to explore, and will never have the opportunity to experience again.

“Did you say goodbye to your friends?” He asked, and glanced back in the dim alleyway when she didn’t immediately answer.

Envy merely nodded in reply, and was silent while keeping pace with him, occasionally looking back to see if they were being followed. There was reason to be cautious, but not overly so. After all, if the Inquisition was determined to get a hold of him, it would have done so long ago. Their departure was a measure of safety, meant to put distance between him and a suspicious Inquisitor.

‘Out of sight, out of mind.’ He sighed inwardly.

They weaved through the familiar back streets until they reached the western perimeter gate. There, they saw Koopra’s familiar silhouette, sitting hunched over the driver’s seat. A frail looking old woman and a boy who couldn’t be older than ten were the only other passengers for the trip.

“I’m Witchdoctor Exill and this is my escort Envy. We will be travelling to port Holmsburn.” Exill greeted the two once he clambered on board.

The old woman peered at him through rheumy eyes and her face broke into a genuine smile. “Hello young man, I am Seamstress Nora, though I don’t do much tailoring anymore, well… not since I had that bad fall three years ago, but you can call me Nana. This here is my grandson Alden, and we are also travelling to Holmsburn to visit family.” Her voice wavered as she patted the boy clinging to her.

Exill handed Koopra eighty Denars in the form of eight large copper coins, wincing inwardly at the large expenditure right from the get-go. However, the hunched Navigator firmly returned twenty Denars with a wide grin on his face.

“Special discount for me favourite Witchdoctor, I owe you me life.” He sang, clasping Exill’s fist with his muck ridden hands.

“Thanks, I appreciate it Koopra.” He smiled in return.

The cart jerked forward, and it steadily picked up speed, propelled by the stubborn feathered brel who should have been retired a year ago. They made good time on their journey and Exill wistfully looked back until even the Labyrinth Tower faded from view.

As they passed the site of the ambush a month ago, Exill examined the seat rests and side panels of the cart. The boards were split in some places and jagged splinters jutted out, posing a hazard to the passengers.

“Savin up for an upgrade… ole’ Tooty needs retiring soon as well. Many such expenses my friend!” Koopra grinned ruefully while affectionately patting the aged brel’s rear.

They took a short break for mid-afternoon lunch at a familiar clearing, and it only reminded him of Tsarra’s absence, for the magic lessons he had taught her amongst the groves. When they made camp for the night, he noticed Nana was massaging her somewhat limp right hand, grimacing in pain.

“Let me take a look.” He finally gave in, unable to mind his own business.

Nana launched into a monologue while he grimly inspected her wrist, finding it had broken and set badly, causing her great discomfort. There was little he could do at this point, but Nana weakly waved him away as she kept stroking her grandson’s hair while he lay sleeping on her lap.

“I’m just glad you took a look at it. My husband, Spirit rest his soul, was always nagging at me to have it looked at by a healer, but times were hard you see. Always something that needed doing or fixing.” She smiled softly as she swept the hair from little Alden’s forehead.

“It can be like that.” Exill reflected on the massive debt he had recently escaped from.

“His father died during the war, and my daughter shortly after… I’m not long for this world, Witchdoctor sir. We’re going to Holmsburn to live with my son, boy’s uncle. Has a good fishing business been what I hear, fresh air will be good for the boy too.”

Exill nodded, listening to the old woman’s stories of her youth until he too eventually dozed off by the fire.