The shared breakfast was a quiet, surprisingly comfortable affair. The fresh meal and company were welcome, and the conversation stayed light. Soon after, Vance and I completed the final stretches of our morning training.
As we began the walk back towards the town, the group fell into its usual configuration. Cassandra and Princess Aurelia walked a few paces behind, their voices a soft murmur. Cassandra was offering advice, her tone earnest.
"You must remember, Sister Auera, that true strength isn’t always about visible power. Your quiet observation... these are weapons too. Use them as much as you can."
I tuned them out, focusing on Vance beside me. We had already discussed the trial’s basics via our mental link. But I guessed that one final point still needed emphasis.
<Vance,> I began, my gaze fixed ahead. <Treat what I said on the track not as a joke, but as a genuine contingency plan.>
I felt his attention focused on me.
<The rules ban direct intervention from figures like the Baron,> I continued. <But they can’t stop a local healer from stumbling upon a situation. If you truly find yourself in a predicament—>
’...which you probably will, given your roles,’ I thought inwardly, the image of his selfless sacrifice in the vision flashing before me.
<—do not hesitate to call. If you’re worried about the appearance of receiving help, stage it. Make it look like you’re negotiating a deal with ’Lumin the Healer’ not your friend. You can apply it to other things as well. Like a trade of services for information on local herbs, a shared interest in clearing a monster nest to protect the town, and so on. Bypass the rule by adhering to a twisted version of its letters.>
I glanced at him. His steps didn’t falter, but his eyes widened slightly as the implication sank in.
<Alright,> he sent back, his mental voice firm. <I will keep that in mind as well. Thank you once again.>
<Good, I wish you luck.>
We reached the fork in the road where the path led down to the town. Cassandra and Aurelia caught up to us.
Aurelia looked at Vance, then gave me a small, graceful nod of farewell. I returned it with a respectful dip of my head. "A safe journey to you both."
Vance placed a fist over his heart in a silent salute, his promise clear.
"I am heading to work now, take care."
With a final glance at Cassandra, who offered a small, encouraging smile, I turned and headed towards the infirmary.
"..."
I pushed open the infirmary door, the familiar scent of antiseptic herbs and clean linen washing over me. The morning light streamed through the windows, illuminating dust motes dancing in the air.
As I prepared for the day’s patients, my mind returned to its calculations. The first trial had a one-month deadline. Assuming the other three trials were of similar length, or even if they took half that time, the final trial in the Hollowlands was still months away. I had enough time this time. Not a lot, but enough to prepare properly - to gather strength and, more importantly, information.
...I need to be stronger.
The vision had shown me that raw power wouldn’t be enough in the Hollowlands, but being completely outclassed was a death sentence.
I wondered if it was possible to advance significantly in a few months. Could I reach the next milestone in my Pathway? Or push my resonance to Tier 4, maybe even Tier 5?
It might be possible, but it would require an intense, single-minded focus. I couldn’t afford to split my efforts between all the nodes. The Mystic path, with its mental arts, felt non-negotiable; it was my greatest advantage and the key to surviving the unseen dangers. But between the Warrior’s physical prowess and the Channeler’s elemental fury... I would have to choose one to specialize in, to the temporary neglect of the other.
Shaking my head, I picked up a clean cloth and began wiping down the examination table. I would figure out the specifics eventually. For now, the immediate task was clear.
"Alright," I murmured to the empty room. "Let’s see who needs patching up today."
’And who needs a beating...’
______ ___ __
The carriage ride from the Eclipse Keep to the struggling town of Oakhaven was silent and tense.
"..."
Aurelia sat with her hands folded in her lap, watching the bleak landscape roll by. The "town near the Hollowlands" was even more forbidding than she had imagined. The air grew colder, the colors leaching from the world until everything was a palette of grays and washed-out browns.
Vance sat opposite her, his posture ramrod straight, his crimson eyes constantly scanning the environment outside the window. The silence between them was comfortable, born of long understanding, but today it was thick with unspoken anxiety about the trial ahead.
As the carriage passed a withered signpost marking the town’s boundary, Aurelia finally spoke, her voice barely a whisper.
"Vance," she muttered in a low voice. "Do you think... we can really do this?"
Vance turned his head from the window to look at her. He gave her a single reassuring nod.
Then, he raised a hand and began to gesture.
<We are not alone,> his hands said. <We have friends and we have each other. We will find a way.>
"...Mm." Aurelia watched his hands, a fragile smile touching her lips for the first time since they had left the capital. The fear didn’t vanish completely, but a flicker of determination now joined it.
"You’re right, we will find a way." She nodded back, her own resolve hardening. "We have to, at least for the people who live in here."
"QEEKKKK." The carriage jolted violently.
"KNNNE!"
"Darn!"
Panicked growls of the mounts cut through the tense silence, followed by the driver’s sharp curse.
Vance was moving before the sound had fully faded. His eyes locked with Aurelia’s for a split second, his hands flashing a quick, sharp sign.
<Stay. Inside.>
He didn’t wait for her acknowledgment. In one fluid motion, he pushed the carriage door open and slipped out, closing it firmly behind him. The sudden influx of cold air was brief, but it carried the sound that made Aurelia’s blood run cold.
"V-Vance!"