On the way back, I lost sight of the woods, meaning that my eyes no longer looked for hidden secrets in the crannies of the forgotten shadows. Again, everything was as if my previous thoughts had been pushed to the background of her appearance. My thoughts raced at the idea of her. By her visage, I felt as if something pulled me forward. Was this the systems doing? The system needed to be more direct. It spelled everything out for you with a checklist, requirements, and prerequisites.

This was something else, something from within.

As my thoughts became labored, I decided to stop and rest on a fallen log.

It was only a few minutes walk back to the hill, yet I felt I needed the small respite. Along the woods, a quiet cricket chirped to keep the peace. The warcries of the goblins had become a distant memory; even the battle with Rudgar, which was only just yesterday, would soon be drowned out by time.

Fireflies began to flutter in my field of view, swarming around me in a dance that told of the night's mischief and the possibility of flight—a dance of light.

Slowing my breath, I went inside myself. Rivers that were once burnt away, torched by my own hands, now ran free with an inner fire. Back at the shattered lands, I was only a semblance of the man I could be. As I peered inside and saw my inner workings returning to life like the fireflies around me, I saw that progress was being made.

A rich fire filled a corner of my soul that had once been dull and lifeless. This, no doubt, was the direct result of Rudgar's doing. He forced me forward, coming to terms with the fact that the chosen one walks a path of destruction. I would destroy everything and everyone who opposed my purpose. I had to grow callous and brutal on the plights of those around me.

Even now, as I prepare to delve into the dungeon with Jude and her men, I must be ready to make the choices that would benefit our cause, no matter the cost.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Rafael was busy tuning his instrument as I crept up from the corner; I tried to sneak up on him like a cat playing a game.

That reaper makes your movements slower than usual. It also reeks of death. To a bard or anyone astute in observation, you won't get within thirty paces before you're spotted captain."

Nah, I think it's just you. You ain't normal. Hell, no one from the scattered lands is normal. I've got something on my mind, something I've been meaning to ask you. I figured now, while they slept, we could do some talking.

Is it about her? About Alice?

Like an arrow, his direct words found an opening in my armor. Reeling back, my face wore it all.

I take it by that cringe that it is. I only know a little captain. I know things started to change when she arrived at the shattered plains. She was like a whirlwind. We went from a strangling group of survivors to a group risking it all to make it across. We would have failed without your arrival. Even then, it feels odd. The more I think about it, the more it feels like she came just when she needed to, as if she knew the final piece you would follow soon.

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Silence filled the next few moments, and Shadeo's heavy snores overtook the placid night. Now, the fireflies that had danced earlier were on full display. Acting like nature's lanterns, they flew in the sky, leaving light trails in their wake.

And after we reached Sharkbite's reach, she just up and left...

Yup. Odd, isn't it? When our raft made the port, she took off down the road without a word. As if her goal was complete, nothing else mattered.

As if she never cared to begin with. As if we never mattered. Just tools for her to get ahead.

There was venom in my words. Rafael caught on, so he asked me next.

What's your relationship with her?

This is an old story, one buried long ago. Moreover, so much has happened. Yet, here we are talking about skeletons and lost lives.

She must have meant a lot to you, captain.

At one point, she meant everything, Rafael. But...

I pointed to the thousands of jewels that created the black quilt of night.

But now she's just another point in the night sky—one of many, but one that burned hotter than many.

So, the captain has a poet's heart and a lover's soul.

He smiled, revealing a set of perfect teeth and a handsome face that rivaled the fireflies that fluttered around him in beauty. Even nature knew how close to perfect this man was, for they danced around like a child who found a new truth. Indeed, he was a captivating Bard. One who could be spearheading some traveling troupe, performing for crowds larger than villages, in a sea of fans, he should be lost. Not here, stumbling around with a group of adventurers lost and only getting more so by the day.

Why are you here, Rafael? My soul's warren tells me you have all the skills and power to do whatever you wish in this realm. No obstacle stops you but yourself.

With a laugh and a strum of his lute, Rafael began to play…

Emerald Hills and Dafadills

The captain wishes more

Explore and live and die some more

I tell him, please ignore

Reapers gripped into the lore

I tell him, please implore

Why would a Bard such as me wish to stay aboard?

Well, the answer isn't sweet

The method isn't neat

I wish to...

Explore!

His voice ran with a tang that brought passive buffs around us.

(Relaxed)

(A night with stars and song)

Do you think it's gonna be worth everything you are giving up?

I asked as my body had now grown calm and my eyes heavy.

Captain, haven't you seen it all? What is out there isn't a war. Those adventures aren't adventurous. Curiousness hasn't killed the cat; instead, the cat lives up to the same pattern of living that each of them lives. We are stuck. Adventurers have figured out the game and now play perfectly. What's the fun in that? Where's the song in that?

Chewing on his words, I thought silently about their taste. He was right. But it also meant that I wasn't the only one who saw the cycle we had locked ourselves into. Who else knew? Who else felt trapped as we do? Would they break out soon, or are they waiting for someone to spearhead the charge?

And worst of all.

Was that person supposed to be me?

Without thinking, I asked.

Would they follow me?

Forever and always.

Rafael responded with a slight bow, a meager thing. He looked disheveled and tired from the trek, yet he glowed in a radiance finer than the most pompous apostles. This is what happens when a man puts his faith in another.

With a sigh and much thought, I nodded and found a place between Shadeo and Rodger as I decided to get some sleep before the delve in the morning.

As I drifted off to sleep, her figure followed me from the woods into my dreams. Guided by Rafeal's singing, they put me to bed.