The sun had dipped below the horizon, casting a warm cascade of colors across the sky as the convoy came to a stop.

It was time to make camp for the night. Tents were pitched, a small fire crackled, and the aroma of a makeshift dinner wafted through the air.

Rin found herself sitting near the fire, a metal cup of warm broth in her hands, watching the flames dance. Maria settled down beside her.

"Enjoying the peace?" Maria asked, a faint smirk playing on her lips.

Rin grinned, taking a sip of the broth.

"Sometimes I feel like I'd rather be punching something but yeah."

Maria chuckled.

"Oh, I've been there. But, trust me, a little bit of rest is good for your knuckles."

"I'll take your word for it."

Maria adjusted her position a little as she looked at the others.

Up ahead, some of the workers were already asleep while the students stood as guards for the night. Rin noticed the way Maria's eyes lingered on Cara, who herself was staring at the trees.

"If you wanna talk to her, now would be a decent time," Rin suggested.

Maria gave an awkward smile.

"I do not want to bother her too much. Maybe I will later."

[Later? How much later do you need it to be?]

Rin nodded, though, letting the matter drop.

As the night wore on, Rin felt a restlessness stirring within her. The flickering firelight cast shadows dancing across her face as she excused herself from the group.

She needed a moment of solitude.

Away from the campfire's glow, Rin found a quiet spot near a cluster of trees.

She lowered her water bag from her shoulder and, with a gentle twist, released the strings tying the top together.

"Xhez? You want to come out for a while?"

The water sprite emerged shortly after, a shimmering form coalescing into a petite figure with liquid drops that fell from her frame.

Xhez stretched her limbs. The moonlight bounced off her making her look as magical as she was. With a motion that looked as familiar as breathing by now, Xhez cast her Illusion spell.

"Ah, it feels good to be out," Xhez declared. "The cold air feels nice."

Rin smiled.

"Glad I guessed right, then. Figured you'd want to stretch your legs."

They settled down on a patch of soft grass, the night alive with the symphony of nocturnal sounds. Rin looked at Xhez, her amber eyes reflecting the glimmering light of the stars.

"What's on your mind, Xhez?"

The water sprite's demeanor shifted slightly. The innocence that usually adorned her features took on a more contemplative air.

"I sense something, Rin. Some Spirit in the distance. I cannot clearly distinguish what the source is."

[Huh...]

"Probably some distant monsters. No need to do anything about it if they're far away, though," Rin sighed. "This whole land is apparently filled with them. If we made it our mission to take them all down we'd never stop."

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"I see. I will keep track of it, however, just in case."

"Good idea."

They took that opportunity to walk around for a bit.

The night air was cool and crisp as Rin and Xhez found a quiet spot near the outskirts of the camp, beneath the sprawling canopy of trees.

Rin, seated on a patch of soft grass, gazed into the flickering flames of the campfire as Xhez took on her humanoid form, the moonlight reflecting off her ethereal figure.

Their quiet conversation was abruptly interrupted by a harsh voice.

"What are you two doing out here?" Alea demanded, her tone sharp and accusatory.

The slender, pale girl with light green hair had silently approached, her suspicious eyes fixed on the duo.

Rin looked up, caught off guard by Alea's unexpected arrival. She glanced at Xhez, who remained composed despite the interruption.

[Shit.]

"Oh, hey, Alea," Rin said, attempting to sound casual. "Just taking a breather, you know? The camp gets a bit too crowded sometimes."

Alea scowled, crossing her arms.

"She wasn't with us in the cars. Where did she come from?" Alea pointed at Xhez.

Rin shot a glance at Xhez, who played the part of an innocent bystander.

Rin, feeling the weight of Alea's suspicion, struggled to find a convincing explanation.

"Well, you see, she was, you just didn't notice her!"

"I'm fairly certain I would have."

"Why? It's not like we talked much on the way here. When would you have seen her?"

Alea snorted, clearly unconvinced.

Before Alea could press further, Xhez abruptly turned away, her illusory form shimmering in the moonlight.

"Um, Rin..."

"Yeah?"

"Something is drawing closer."

"Hey!" Alea tried to interject. "Why are you ignoring me!?"

"Uh..." Rin looked back and forth between them. "How strong are they?" She finally asked Xhez.

"Hard to say. Many different sources of Spirit are intermingling. I cannot tell."

[Agh... This could be trouble.]

"Let's check it out!"

On that note, RIn and Xhez just started running.

"H-HEY!?" Alea barked out, but RIn and Xhez left her behind.

Rin and Xhez sprinted through the night, the urgency of Xhez's sensed Essence drawing them closer to the source.

As they approached, the symphony of nocturnal sounds transformed into a chaotic cacophony, the clashing of steel against scales, the growls of rabid monsters, and the occasional roar of a much larger creature.

Emerging from the shadows, Rin and Xhez found themselves in the midst of a frenetic battle.

A lone girl with a bow was fending off a pack of rabid, red-eyed monsters. Their feral snarls echoed in the night as they lunged at her, teeth bared.

Without hesitation, Rin leaped into action. Her fists moved with practiced precision, striking the monsters with a lethal combination of speed and strength.

Xhez, by her side, unleashed bursts of magical energy, disorienting and slowing the creatures. Together, they formed a formidable duo, working in seamless harmony.

The monsters, overwhelmed by the unexpected resistance, began to retreat.

The girl, a skilled archer, fought with a grace that belied the chaos around her. Her arrows found their marks with lethal accuracy, but the relentless onslaught of the monsters seemed unending even as some of them dispersed.

Rin and Xhez seamlessly integrated into the battle, their combined efforts creating a synchronized dance of martial prowess and magical finesse.

The monsters, overwhelmed by the unexpected reinforcements, soon lay scattered and defeated on the forest floor.

However, as the dust settled, Rin and Xhez noticed a massive drake standing nearby.

[Crap!] Rin thought, looking back and forth between the girl and the draconic creature.

Without a moment's hesitation, Rin and Xhez moved to confront the drake, determined to eliminate any potential threats. But before they could launch their attacks, the archer girl turned on them, her bow drawn, and her eyes narrowed with suspicion.

"Stop!" she commanded, her voice cutting through the tense air.

Rin halted mid-motion, her hands poised for combat. Xhez, too, ceased her spellsign, her spell backfiring and pushing her back, their attention now fixed on the enigmatic archer.

"W-What happened!?" A fourth person entered the fray.

Alea, appearing as if from the shadows, stepped forward.

[Of course, she followed us.]

Her eyes locked onto the archer, her distrustful expression mirrored in the barrier spell she erected between them in case she launched that arrow.

"Identify yourselves," the archer demanded, her bow still trained on Rin and Xhez.

Rin, trying to defuse the tension, raised her hands in a placating gesture.

"We're just passing through. Saw you were in a tight spot and thought we'd lend a hand," Rin explained.

The archer's eyes flickered briefly with uncertainty, but her defensive stance didn't waver.

"We saved you from those monsters," Rin argued with a gentle tone. "If we were here to harm you, we wouldn't have bothered."

The archer's piercing gaze shifted from Rin to Alea, her expression still guarded.

"That... There is truth to your words," the archer murmured. It was hard to read her face in the darkness.

"And who's your, uh, scaly friend?" Rin nodded toward the drake.

Alea, on high alert, raised her hands, ready to cast another barrier spell if needed. The drake, however, showed no signs of aggression. Instead, it seemed to regard Rin, Alea, and Xhez with a calm, calculating intelligence.

"He is not a threat," the archer said, her tone softening slightly. "This is Ysmor, my drake companion."

[What?]

"Fine," the girl muttered to herself. "I will hear you out in detail. Who are you people?" The girl asked, and Rin moved to answer.