Holding the missive outside the window, I use a flash of magic to reduce the parcel and all documents contained within to carbon in a flash, letting the ebony soot drift away on the breeze.

I promise I won't waste this gift you've given me, Morvin.

I feel the wind blow against my back as I turn away from the window, lost in thought.

Assuming Arnford and Sara didn't survive, that makes Alice and I the last of the royal line, provided we didn't have some old grandpa to take temporary control of the throne. I suppose that makes me the effective heir to a kingdom even if, in the strictest sense, I'm not Arnstein.

The one thing I regret is not asking Morvin to acquire the information on Zeph's past sooner. Knowing my lineage is a major key, but a single piece does not make a puzzle. Ultimately, simply knowing that doesn't give me a complete grasp of Zeph's future plans and how I tie into them.

The most readily apparent plotline is to use me as a tool to accrue political power or perhaps even create a puppet ruler. Though I find both of these scenarios to be extremely likely, I can't rule out the potential for more arbitrary motivations. Zak said Zeph had committed some sort of heinous crime, could that mean he seeks the downfall of Djudiria through some means that aren't clear to me?

By far the simplest motivation would be financial gain through ransom, but the fact he hasn't done so yet makes it highly unlikely that's the end goal. Though it does bring up an unpleasant train of thought.

Alice… I sent her straight into the heart of Bolisia, the enemy of Djudiria. If Zak hasn't realized our identities and sends her there under the assumption that she'll be safe it could result in terrible consequences if she slips up.

My thoughts stir in a chaotic turmoil over this possibility. In the end, there's nothing I can do but grit my teeth and hope for the best.

I sent Zak with her, I'll just have to trust that he'll look out for her no matter what happens. And besides, I didn't realize it at the time but Alice is smart. In the few weeks I spent with her she never revealed our identities, even to me. She knew revealing that fact would make us incredibly vulnerable, and the mental fortitude to keep from slipping up when she's as young as she is is incredibly impressive.

Still, none of this changes what I have to do here, in this city.

Somewhere out in that wooden labyrinth is a man I must kill with my own hands. I feel I'll be damning myself if I don't fulfill the final promise I made to his victim.

I set off to look for Albatos and Orelio. I don't have to look very hard, they're both lounging about in the room that was given to Orelio and me.

Orelio looks up as I enter before going back to play with the bauble in his hand. Albatos' gaze practically overflows with suppressed rage, "Well, would you care to explain yourself? What in the everliving fuck did you think you were doing wandering the streets by yourself, how exactly did you end up in prison, and why did our gracious host see fit to restrict all access to you for the past two days?"

"Morvin's dead," I respond with a flat face.

Orelio drops whatever it is he's holding and looks at me in surprise. The fire in Albatos' eyes dies down a little, but doesn't come close to extinguishing, "I know."

"Then you should know it's pointless to try to reprimand me. I already watched someone die, so believe me, I'm well aware I fucked up. Unfortunately, I can't answer the other two questions."

"What?" He asks, narrowing his gaze.

"I stumbled upon something I shouldn't have by accident, and I've been contractually bound to maintain my silence about it."

"What? They…" I watch as Albatos' veins bulge and he curls his fists in fury, his rage having found a new target.

I put a palm up toward him, "Calm down. I negotiated terms to ensure there wouldn't be any conflicts with my current contract with Zeph. And quite frankly, the contents of that contract don't have anything to do with us in any case, so it doesn't matter. What matters is we've been exposed, and we have been since the first day we got here."

I go over both of my unfortunate encounters once more, and by the time I'm done the fire in Albatos' eyes has cooled, leaving the cold and cynical mind I know him for.

"Shouldn't we, uh, leave?" Orelio says with an uncertain voice from his bed.

"That would be an astonishingly stupid thing to do," Albatos replies, "While it's true we're cornered in a sense, there are several advantages to staying put that we'd be foolish to discard in panic. For so long as we remain we'll be surrounded by the best security the city has to offer, so leaving would simply make us vulnerable on the road. If this city had an airway station it'd be a different story, but it doesn't."

Most major cities in this world have airway stations to serve as airports, even Hornhaven had one despite it being significantly smaller than Voset. Unfortunately, the absurdly huge trees surrounding the city on all sides make takeoff unfeasible.

"Yeah, we've still got about two months until we're supposed to rendezvous with Zeph, and I don't particularly like the thought of finding some cave to hole up in until then," I add.

Albatos nods, "We're in an extremely advantageous position. All we need to do is let the guard do its job and our enemies will naturally be weeded out."

I wonder if it'll really be that simple.

"Moving on, I suppose it's our turn to inform you of what's been happening while you were asleep, Stein. I was actually en route with Andora to the prison when that tink you accompanied blew a hole in the city."

"Really?" I ask, surprised.

"Indeed. It took a few hours for the chaos to subside and start properly gathering information. I happened to overhear a report being given to Andora that a white haired boy was captured in the lowest sector. It didn't take much to infer that was where you fled, so I beseeched Andora to give you your freedom. It was evident from every eyewitness report that you weren't the one at fault, so she agreed that it would be prudent to organize your release immediately."

"And that's about the time Hithe and I were causing trouble, huh?"

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"Exactly. However, that spot of misfortune did help me gather some useful data, though it's discouraging."

"Data? Oh, right!" We've been testing a multitude of ways to try and force my blessing to activate, similar to how it had before, but nothing's been working. So the leading hypothesis we've come up with is that it either A; only activates when a wound is genuinely life threatening, or B; when I'm unconscious. Option A was deemed too dangerous to experiment with, and our testing of hypothesis B hadn't led to any promising results.

Hithe's explosion should have created the perfect opportunity to recreate the scenario from the forest, "Well? Did it activate?" My first thought is that it likely didn't considering how long I was out, but thinking back to the forest it only healed my truly life threatening wound while leaving the rest of my injuries.

With a shake of his head, "No, and it's the most vexing thing. You were in far worse condition than when I found you at the bottom of that cliff, yet it still didn't activate. Thankfully, there were already healers present when I arrived, so they were able to stabilize you. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, though you were fading in and out of consciousness."

"I can't remember any of that."

"The wounded usually don't."

A silence settles in the room as we both think to ourselves. Eventually, Orelio asks, "So, does this mean I'm still supposed to beat Stein up every day?"

Albatos slowly shakes his head, coming out of his own thoughts, "No, I think that'd be unproductive. If that situation wasn't enough to draw it out I don't think any scenario we try will change anything."

"Good," I say, curling my fist, "Because I think it's time we start training for real."

The elf gives me a calculating look, but before he can say anything I continue, "I realized how weak I am in that fight. Even using a projection there was nothing I could do in that face of that domain. I don't ever want to feel like that again, where I have to abandon something because I lack strength."

Albatos strokes his whiskers, "Very well. There will be no breaks from here on, understand? I'll be pushing you so hard you'll be begging me to quit."

"I'd like to see you try and break my spirit. I've never been more motivated than I am right now," I say with a cocky smile.

"Wait, we're going to train even more? I don't suppose there's any way I can step out early, can I?" Orelio says, a distraught expression on his face.

"But who then will be my sparring partner, buddy?" I respond with my best attempt at a comforting smile.

"You people are demons," He says, flinching away.

"We start in an hour," Albatos says, "Get ready and be in the training hall by that time or so help me God I will make you expend every ounce of mana you have and watch as you suffer." With that final remark, he leaves the room, slamming the door behind him.

Nonstop training every day, huh? I suppose that would be a good way to make sure somebody can't slip away again. Not that I'm complaining. This should be the perfect way to boost my strength.

***

With nothing to do the hour before training, I wander the mansion, looking for familiar faces. Seeing none around, I venture outside. I'm drawn as if by instinct to the garden that had been the meeting place with Morvin. Looking over the garden I breathe in the flowers and try to remember that scene I witnessed the first day we were here, of him sitting on the bench, looking over the garden. I try to ingrain that image in my mind, as it's a much better way to remember him than that bloodied figure lying in a dark workshop.

I move outward, toward the gate, where I'm stopped by a guard.

"Am I forbidden from leaving the premises?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"No, but we've been ordered to escort you wherever you go. Please wait a moment while I assemble a retinue for you."

I do as instructed, and ponder the implications of being followed everywhere I go from now on. It certainly means I won't be able to continue investigating, though I've more or less already learned what I sought.

Once I have two stout faced guards in standard uniform and swords at the hip, I move out. Waiting on them ate into my already limited free time, which means this excursion will be much shorter than I want it to be.

We make our way through the administrative district and arrive at the forges. Unlike before, they're all running at full capacity. For a moment I wonder if that means our smiths have been booted to make room, but my worries turn out unfounded as I find them at their regular station.

Isao and Bodelee are looking over a piece of metal, a work in progress sword if I'm not mistaken, and are deep in conversation about quenching or something.

"So you're finally up," I hear from beside me. Looking over, I see Bodelin lounging on a chair, tinkering with some odd gizmo while he looks at me.

"Yep, figured I slept long enough, you know?"

With a snort he responds, "I'll say."

"Oh! Stein, you're finally up!" Bodelee exclaims, attention drawn by our voices, "You little rascal, I was beginning to worry about you!" Both Bodelee and Isao abandon their project and gather around me.

"Thanks, I'm glad to be up and around again." Something clicks at the back of my mind and I can't help but ask, "Isao, didn't you have a storytelling session or something today? Or am I getting the days wrong? It's hard to keep track when so much happens, you know?"

Isao gives a hearty laugh, "Not to worry, I don't blame you at all. Frankly, I don't think I'd remember something like that in your situation either. No, that got moved to a later date, unfortunately. It was decided that holding such an event wouldn't be appropriate given recent events and the riots that have plagued the city ever since."

"Riots? Why?"

"Well, I suppose it's more fitting to say civil unrest. Almost every adventurer in the city is up in arms attempting to find the man responsible for that atrocity. The local residents are split between the idea that the guards are incompetent and the adventurers should root out the issue, and that the best resolution would be for the adventurers to step aside and let the guards handle it. Currently, adventurers are scouring every area of the city in their search, but they've repeatedly been impeded by the guards who claim they're trespassing."

How ironic, the guards and the adventurers both pursue the same ends, but in their search the adventurers are likely coming close to the discovery of the abyss, which in turn makes the guards divert forces to prevent that from happening. Though they have the same goal, they're getting in each other's way and making it so nothing gets done. It's not surprising there's civil unrest when both sides have probably formed ideological factions.

I wonder if that's supposed to be the spark Hithe mentioned. Hmm, perhaps not. Hithe didn't have any knowledge of what happened outside the prison before I arrived, and he seemed to refer to the spark as something that's yet to happen. Still, this situation could easily spiral out of control, and if it does then I could potentially take that to be the spark.

"I understand. So do you know when you should hopefully have a chance to give your performance? You never intended to stick around in this city for that long, right?"

"Indeed, it's becoming more of a bother than I expected. But still, what use is hoarding all the knowledge I have to myself? I think it should be freely given, and it's fine if I have to wait a bit longer for that to happen. The manager of the house I'm borrowing suggested we wait about a month before making another attempt, so it's possible I may even be able to get it to align with the winter festival."

"Do they even do that here? It seems almost pointless when the weather seems to be an eternal summer."

"Hm, I admit I thought the same. But still, I think people will take any chance they can to celebrate, after all, life's better when it's full of joy."

With a small nod, I say, "Yeah, you're right."

"Well," Bodelee cuts in, "Was there anything you were needing, Stein?"

"Nah, I was just checking in since I didn't see any of you around the manor. I should probably get going, Albatos says we're going to begin a training hell starting today."

"Good luck, try not to die," Bodelee says with a solemn look and a pat against my back.

I give him a playfully sad smile, "I can't promise I'll make it back. Watch after Orelio for me. He's been such a good pet, it would be a shame if he no longer had a home."

Bodelee gives a solemn nod with a grim face, and Isao watches our bit with a bewildered expression.