“Th-There aren't any m-mirrors in this house. Please—please go away...”

“Huh?” Urie was slightly taken aback, he gestured a circular outline in the air, “The mirror, you know? About this small with an intricate design? It was you that took it, yes?”

The green-haired boy furrowed his eyebrows and after taking a quick glance behind Urie, he replied, “Again, the mirror isn't in this house! Please, just go away! Don't cause any more trouble for me!”

Urie felt a force on his chest as he was pushed away lightly. He was about to insist on asking about the mirror again but was met by a refusal by way of having the door slammed just before the tip of his nose.

“H-Hey! I don't mean any ill will! I have something to say! Hey— I just want to talk!!!“

Urie said so, but his leg was already poised to kick the door open. Thankfully, he managed to stop himself before actually hitting the door and only tapped lightly on the wooden surface with his right sole.

“Aaaaah!!!” he scratched his head in frustration, “I wanted to settle it without conflict, but that person! I didn't even get the chance to explain anything!”

Urie conjured up a candlewick-sized flame on the tip of his index finger and uttered, “Should I just—?” before shaking his head and dispersing it. He whispered to himself, “Calm down, Urie. Don't let yourself fall into a bad habit.”

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to regain his composure.

“Let's try this again, excuse me—“

“—Go away!”

After giving the door another few knocks, Urie wasn't even given the chance to continue when the green-haired boy's voice from inside reminded him to abscond. His nose flared as he raised his right arm behind him, “Alright, that's it.”

Mana gathered into his hand as he prepared to blast open the door.

“Kid, what are you doing?”

“Gah—!”

He felt a strong grip on his right arm as it was held in place, and the mana he was preparing quickly retreated back into his mana seed.

“...”

“U-Uncle— s-sir, no— captain! There's good reason for this. Hear me out!”

“And? What good reason do you have for burning someone's door down?”

Urie reluctantly turned around and saw the person holding onto his wrist. Wearing the Flame Brigade's uniform, with crimson red hair and eyes that matched his fiery demeanor— Was he angry? No. That was just Luca Varethe's usual expression.

“This... Aha...”

Urie calmly gave him a run-down of the situation; how Neia's mirror had been stolen and that it was within the possession of the boy living in this house; how the boy wouldn't assent to Urie's inquiry and shut the door on his face.

“—It would be bad if the mirror was brought near Erden's Tower again. The Nifyr might be less active right now, but we don't know how they'll react if that were to come to pass.”

“You're right, kid. And it's certainly dangerous since Volcanus hasn't spoken in a while.”

Urie just basically repeated his conversation with Ashur.

“Oh, and—“

There was also the matter of Urie's awakening of his thermal vision which he named promptly, 'World of Flames', but he didn't get to explain as Luca pulled him to the side and walked to green-haired boy's front door. Confusion appeared on Urie's face but soon turned into a wry smile after seeing what he was about to do earlier being performed by someone else.

After a loud thud and the sound of the door being forcibly unhinged, Luca spoke with his lips arching up in a mischievous smile, “Kid, door's open, let's get that mirror.”

“Ahah... Yes...”

There was a drawback to being strongly attuned to fire. One which hasn't had much of an effect on Urie at first, but had recently started to show. Just like with Luca Varethe, Urie was unconsciously developing the tendency to be short-tempered and rash.

Although Luca had warned and constantly reminded him of it, after seeing the display of his mentor, Urie had second thoughts of whether he could keep himself in control in the future.

“Well... it's not as if there aren't any benefits to it...”

“What was that?”

“Oh, nothing. Where's the elven boy?”

Urie looked around but there was no sign of him. Other than the sound of weak groaning, there was no one there to receive them.

“...H—Help...”

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A cry of help emerged softly from behind the fallen wooden door.

“Huh?”

Luca, who was standing on top, quickly stepped aside and lifted it up. Buried underneath was the green-haired boy whose eyes had turned into swirls and had just passed out.

“Kid...”

“C-Captain?”

“I have patrol duty to attend to... so take care of this, yeah?”

“Hey, uncle—!”

Before Urie could protest, Luca had already disappeared swiftly into the night like a Nifyr that had recessed back into its own shadow. He was fairly quick when running away from trouble. Urie resigned himself as this wasn't the first time that this had happened.

“How unlucky. I hope this person doesn't hold this against me.”

Unfamiliar with the layout of the house, Urie made use of his convenient sight to locate a bed within the house which to his surprise, was right in the room next to the patient suffering from mana deficiency.

He carried the unconscious person to the room and as he laid him gently on the bed, he observed the boy's appearance.

“You wouldn't think he was a boy if you only saw him from behind.”

Since the boy had long hair and feminine features, he could easily be mistaken for a girl. Urie raised his fist and cried with a satisfied smile at finding a comrade since he too possessed such features— inheriting much of his mother's charm.

He left the boy and walked over to the other bed encased in a film of a minor fire spirit's mana.

“So this is what someone with mana defficency looks like.”

With her small hands to her chest and a smile on her cherry lips, the girl appeared as if she were just in the middle of a deep slumber. There were no indications that she was ill other than the fact that she looked a bit emaciated and was covered in an orange cocoon.

“I wonder, are they twins? If you stood them together, you wouldn't be able to tell them apart.”

The unconscious girl looked almost identical to the unconscious boy. That was probably the case. Perhaps she was the motive behind the mirror's theft.

Urie was deep in thought when the grass-patch boy abruptly regained consciousness.

“Excuse me... Urie Loeth, was it?” he spoke hesitantly.

“Ah? You're awake? This— uhm...”

“Elliot, call me Elliot.”

Seeing as the boy wasn't flying into a rage and had given his name, Urie decided to ask once more, “Elliot, sorry for knocking you out, and please hear me out about the matter of the mirror.”

Elliot shrugged his shoulders and smiled helplessly, “...It's fine, I know everything. I was listening in on your conversation with the member of the Flame Brigade. I guess getting knocked out was my punishment for eavesdropping.”

“Aha... that.... well...” Urie scratched his head guiltily.

“...The mirror isn't here, rather, it's no longer here. I'm sorry.”

“What!? But didn't you steal— I mean, wasn't it with you just yesterday?”

“Yes. I did steal it, but I'd already given it away to someone right after.”

“Who?”

“A member of the Elder Council. He said that... his name was Ashur?”

“Grandpa Ashur!?”

Urie was surprised as well as baffled. If it was Ashur that had received it, then why bother having the conversation with himself this afternoon? He rubbed the bridge of his nose and thought inwardly, “I'd ask him what the person he gave the mirror to looked like, but that would be useless since elves don't remember other elves through outside appearances.”

A few seconds had passed before Urie spoke again to break the silence, “Gran— That Ashur... why did you give him the mirror?”

“He's the one that spoke to me about it in the first place. He told me where to find it and said that if I'd gotten him the mirror, he'd show me a way of waking up Ellie, my sister... Though I swear on Willow, the greater wood spirit's name! I didn't know about it being used to attract Nifyr!”

“So you'd heard up to there...” Urie muttered. Although that technically wasn't the use of Neia's mirror, there wasn't a need to divulge any further information.

He observed Elliot's expression carefully, he didn't seem like he was lying. Giving him false hope of curing his sister— Urie wondered if he was manipulated into stealing Neia's mirror... but by who and for what purpose?

“Wait. If Ashur's name had been used... Could it be? Was he being set up?”

Alarmed, Urie approached and placed his hands heavily on Elliot's shoulders, “Elliot, listen carefully,” he spoke with a serious tone causing Elliot to shudder, ”Whoever it may be that comes asking, don't say the name Ashur. Make up an excuse, anything.”

“Are—Are you going to turn me in!?” Elliot stuttered. He was scared. Anything that had to do with Nifyrs were a serious matter, especially to the elves. He pleaded, “You can't! Please!” if he was turned in, his sister would be left alone.

“Promise me that one thing and I won't,” Urie replied, though he never had any plans to turn Elliot over to the Elven Guard in the first place.

“Alright. I give you my word...” Elliot agreed and let out a sad, resigned sigh in the direction of his sleeping sister. He had taken a risk in stealing the mirror and had nothing to show for it.

Urie felt a prick in his chest at the sight of Elliot's lament, “H-How long has she been asleep?” he regretfully asked.

“Huh?” Elliot was slighty surprised by the sudden question, ”Oh, it's been a little over three years now since she was brought back in this state by a member of the Flame Brigade...”

“Three years... What about your parents?”

Elliot replied with a shake of his head.

Urie wanted to ask further, “What happened to them? Where were they? Did they...?” and so on, but opted to rein in his curiosity as he started to feel uncomfortable. It was time to leave.

“I'll come back at another time... Oh, and about your front door—“

Recalling the unhinged front door, Urie had a thought, “I have no idea how to fix it. I'll get someone from the Flame Brigade since technically, it's uncle Luca's fault...”

He stated, “—Someone will come to fix it,”

“Alright, and don't worry. I'll keep my promise.”

“Hey...” Urie stopped at the doorway. He felt horrible as he was pretty sure that his earlier question was the cause of the gloomy aura that had draped over Elliot.

He was unsure of when or how, but to get back to his family and reunite another, he was eventually going to bring Neia's mirror to the tower and unseal this region. Doing so, the elves would once again be able to communicate with the wood spirits and cure themselves of their ailments.

Urie solemnly declared, “Your sister will wake up someday. Have faith...”

He wanted to share with Elliot some of the hope he himself carried within him.