Heading back into the city, Nobina had an uneasy feeling. Nia had warned her to be careful about the shadows, but the fact that she was there meant that Nia was either watching her or seeing a threat after her. If it was the latter, she would have said something. Regardless of which one it was, Nobina wanted to be back in the guild inn, where it was almost assuredly safe compared to being exposed out in the empty streets.

Passing building after building, the lights slowly began to disappear one by one. Only the streetlights, which remained lit for the sake of the guards and the general safety of the people, would remain once the time turned midnight.

“I got to get to the inn before Mimiki falls to sleep,” Nobina told herself as she continued to make her way to the guild inn.

It didn’t take too long to reach, but it was a tense feeling the whole way through town. Once Nobina was inside, she was greeted by a surprise guild receptionist manning the front desk of the inn.

“Nobina? Out pretty late tonight. Getting a few drinks in?” she chuckled.

“Uh… no,” replied Nobina, waving her hand. “I was just… getting a night walk to clear my head.”

The receptionist gave a nod.

“Ah… Night walks are a fantastic thing,” she chuckled. “The peace and quiet versus the busy day are night and day comparisons.

Nobina couldn’t help but laugh, nodding her head.

“I guess so. But yeah, I was just going out for a walk. No drinking considering tomorrow is a big day. Got a party to lead.”

Mimiki was mostly going to lead the party when it was time to head out, but Nobina was technically the face of the operation. She knew better than to downplay herself, especially when it wasn’t necessary.

“Oh, I heard about that,” said the receptionist in surprise. “Usually don’t get lots of news working the graveyard shift, but it’s great to meet someone who’s doing something to help relieve the town.”

“It was great meeting you as well…”

“Manina,” she smiled.

With that, Nobina thanked her and headed upstairs. Mimiki’s room was on the floor under Nobina’s, not too far from the stairway. Once she reached it, she knocked, hoping Mimiki would answer quickly.

“Coming,” came Mimiki’s voice, offering Nobina relief.

Once the door was open, Nobina was greeted by a rare sight. Mimiki was wearing nightwear, which she never really did wear back in Agora. Nobina wanted to ask about it, but she knew they had more pressing matters to attend to.

“Ah Nobina,” smiled Mimiki. “Was thinking you weren’t going to show for a moment. Please. Come inside.”

Entering Mimiki’s room, Nobina could see her gear already ready for the next day. To her surprise, there was also another set of gear right next to it.

“Is that…”

“Yeah,” smiled Mimiki. “I made sure to get your gear ready as well. I know your usually busy and might not know what’s best to get, so…”

“Thank you Mimiki,” said Nobina, giving her a strong hug.

Mimiki was shocked at the hug at first, but feeling how tight it was, she sensed there was something more to the hug than mere thanks.

“Nobina… Tell me what’s wrong,” said Mimiki, returning a comforting hug.

Nobina wanted to just speak her mind about everything, but Nia’s warning kept her from speaking immediately. Instead, she decided to ask her about Nia and her warning. The two took their seats at Mimiki’s bedside, getting ready for a long chat.

Relaying the information to Mimiki, she nodded, thinking about the words Nia had spoken.

“Nia definitely isn’t after you, Nobina,” said Mimiki, nodding. “She knows we are good friends, so she must be keeping tabs on you. As for the warning, it might mean that some powerful entity might be watching you.”

There weren’t too many people coming to mind, but one recent demon did rear its head.

“The demon perhaps?” asked Nobina.

“Possibly? We don’t know much about it besides its link to a dragon-wolf. They could be specialized in stealth or have a fellow stealth demon companion. We can’t know for certain,” said Mimiki.

The thought of being followed bothered Nobina, but it wasn’t as worrying as it usually would be. Instead, now Nobina was thinking about her own destiny.

“So… Do you think it’s safe to talk right now about secret stuff?” asked Nobina, a worried expression forming on her face.

“I believe so,” said Mimiki. “If we had someone watching us, there’s nothing we can do about it. Not that you shouldn’t be worried about saying anything extremely important. If it has to be said, please say it.”

Nobina, thinking about everything, had only one thing to say.

“Mimiki… I want to go home.”

The silence right after Nobina said that was deafening. Mimiki had a mixture of expressions, from surprise, irritation, and sadness, before settling on worrying. As for Nobina, she had sat there, waiting for Mimiki to either chew her out or ask why.

“Nobina,” said Mimiki, who was struggling to find the words to say. “Is this… due to your Path?”

She gave a silent nod. Tears began falling from her eyes as she tried to hold them back.

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“How long will it take for me to get strong enough Mimiki? Strong enough to prevent disaster? Strong enough that I can feel like I’ve repaid this debt I continue to build? It’s so much… and it’s not getting smaller.”

Mimiki didn’t say a word, merely thinking about what Nobina had said. At one point, it seemed she was stumped as well, letting Nobina speak more of her mind.

“This Gaze and everyone around me… They’ve given me so much and done so much for me, yet… I might be the cause of all the chaos that forms around me. At first, it might have been coincidence, but you can’t tell me it is still that. After all, look at our current situation.”

Mimiki gave a nod.

“Yeah… I think we can associate it all with your Path,” she replied, not denying what Nobina was saying.

“That’s why I want to go home so badly,” said Nobina. “Was it chaotic? Yes. But it was controllable at least… kind of. After the goblin nests were culled, I felt certain that things would be fine.”

As Nobina said that, she felt as if she was lying to herself. So far, her Path has found a way to make it so there was always something going on. First goblins, then demons, and now dragons. Nobina did not want to know the extent it was having on her destiny, but at the same time, she wanted to know how to finally grant herself peace.

“Do I have to give up my dream for peace?” asked Nobina to herself.

“Don’t you dare do that,” said Mimiki, standing up in fury. “Your dream means the world to you Nobina and I do not want that even as a consideration.”

“But if it meant stopping all of this, why not?” asked Nobina, standing up herself.

Mimiki couldn’t counter, letting Nobina press her problem.

“I can’t say I will do anything for my dream,” said Nobina, trying to be honest with herself. “I wouldn’t let you guys get hurt for it. I wouldn’t let innocent people die for it. There’s only so much I am willing to sacrifice. All I want to know is how to finally bring myself peace! Is that too much to ask?”

Nobina found herself panting as she tried to catch her breath. A headache was forming as the urge to lie down and rest increased.

“I just want peace Mimiki… Is that too much to ask?”

Moments later, Nobina found herself lying back in Mimiki’s bed. As she did, she saw Mimiki slowly lying down next to her.

“You know Nobina… I don’t have all the answers,” said Mimiki somberly. “I know that I want you to protect your dream, but I don’t want you to suffer because of it.”

Both of them turned to each other, looking each other in the eyes. Nobina felt herself relax more and more as she stared into Mimiki’s eyes.

“Mimiki… Even if you don’t have all the answers… Thank you for listening to me,” smiled Nobina.

“Of course,” she smiled back.

Soon, Nobina found herself falling asleep, and Mimiki fell asleep soon after.

Nobina found herself waking up in an empty room. Looking around, she noticed that she was still in Mimiki’s room. Turning to the window, she noticed it was still night. She wasn’t feeling too tired, so it must have been close to daytime.

“Where did Mimiki go?” asked Nobina to herself.

Getting up, Nobina made her way towards the door, where she heard Mimiki speaking.

“No way,” said Mimiki’s voice on the other side.

“By the authority granted to me by Lord Kasanta himself, stand aside or you will be arrested for treason,” boomed Immana’s voice.

Nobina’s face drained as she realized something serious was happening. Moments later the door opened, with two guards entering followed by Immana. Right behind her was Mimiki, looking absolutely defeated.

“What’s going…”

Before Nobina could finish, her bag glowed. The guards immediately went for their swords, but Immana held up her hand.

“Let her open it,” said Immana, causing them to relax a bit.

Nobina, not wanting to waste any time, opened the bag to reveal a few baked goods that were steaming. She recognized the mango scent, which seemed to give Immana and Mimiki pause as well.

“What is that… amazing smell?” asked Immana.

“Let me see,” said Nobina, taking the note that came with it.

“Hm… looks like these are mango pies and also chocolatey nut-nougat crème pies. And the note said, ‘Peace is an ideal. Ideals come with hardship. Never give up.’ The note then finishes with the potted plant.”

Taking the pies, Nobina offered them to Immana, Mimiki, and the guards. The guards were hesitant to take them, but seeing Immana and Mimiki take and eat them brought them to partake as well.

“Hot,” said Immana, pulling it away after the first bite. She then blew on it a few times before taking another bite. “Yet… so good.”

“These are amazing Nobina,” said Mimiki. “Like a sweet nutty taste…”

Both the guards gave nods of agreement as they ate.

“Glad you like them,” smiled Nobina, taking a bite out of her own mango pie.

As the group enjoyed the pie, Immana seemed to come to a realization.

“Right,” she said, regaining the seriousness of the moment before. “I’m sorry Nobina, but your pies will not deter the judgement of Lord Kasanta. By his order, you are to remain isolated until a Path specialist can confirm your path. However, if you reveal it to me fully and completely, I will discuss releasing you early. If you are aware of it, however, and do not tell us… Then you might face significant punishment.”

Nobina knew how serious it would be to reveal the full extent of her Path. However, she knew the truth would come out eventually, whether she wanted it to or not.

“Immana,” said Nobina. “I’m… willing to tell you what I know, but only if you allow Mimiki to join me and this remains between you, me, Mimiki, and Lord Kasanta.”

Immana gave a nod.

“Fine. It will save us a lot of trouble and I’d rather not make you my enemy or Lord Kasanta’s enemy. You hold too many cards for it to be worth it,” smiled Immana.

“Then why threaten her like you did?” asked Mimiki, irritated by how casual Immana was being now.

“I wouldn’t harm her unjustly,” chuckled Immana. “I was merely seeing if she folded to some words I spoke.”

“So… you made a false threat nonetheless,” replied Mimiki. “Do you think she’d be fine with that?”

“Believe what you want, but Nobina is a reasonable person. I would hope she holds no grudges against me,” Immana replied, turning her attention to Nobina. “Shall we get going?”

Nobina gave a nod, taking her Gaze Bag and Special Bag with her. The six of them headed out to the carriage that was waiting downstairs. The sun finally began to rise the moment they stepped outside.

“Such a beautiful day,” smiled Immana, looking as satisfied as could be.

“Yeah,” said Nobina, not showing as much optimism.

Things were going to get even more complicated, yet Nobina found herself unable to do anything. She still had the items in her special bag, but she knew they wouldn’t do anything for her at that very moment.

“What about Giggles?” asked Nobina.

“Ah. Yes. Giggles is currently still in the Guild Monster Containment area. We have a few A ranks merely guarding Giggles, but we are prepared to send you to them if they act out. However, you must meet your obligation first.”

Nobina gave a nod.

Once the four had boarded the carriage, and the guards remounted their horses, they set off to the estate. As Nobina looked out the window, she began wondering what was in store for her once she spilled the beans. At worst, she imagined being sent far away, but would they even consider killing her for being such a risk?

As that thought entered her mind, the carriage came to an immediate stop.

“What’s going on,” called Immana.

“Ma’am,” said the driver. “Please step outside and take a look.”

Immana and the group disembarked the carriage to the sight of a flying Griffin, one of the creatures under the royal family’s command, heading towards the guild.

“Isn’t that a messenger from the royal family?” asked Nobina.

“It should be,” responded Immana, her gaze not leaving it. “Though, I can barely make out two riders. Someone must be being transported by Royal Griffin. A rare sight for sure.”

All four of them stared as the Royal Griffin began its descent in front of the guild. People began making room as the strong winds of the winged creatures blew right where it was planning to land. Eventually, the Griffin reached the ground, with two people disembarking. One of them was an individual wearing armor with a symbol of the Royal family. The other….

“Fay!” yelled Nobina, running directly towards the other individual.

“Nobina!” yelled Fay back, running towards her.

The two embraced in an unbreakable hug, with both zoning out everything besides each other. Tears welled up in each as both of them merely took in the moment of their reunion. One they both never thought would happen again.