“Oh my god, if we were this close to the town, why didn't we just keep going!? We could've slept in an inn, had good food, been warm!”

“Meru, do you forget that you were the one who begged us to stop and camp there?”

“...no, not really…”

“Don't worry about it. We still got here today, and early enough in the day where we haven't wasted much time. Besides, I kind of liked camping under the stars for a change.”

“Well, while it was kinda fun, I don't want to do it again anytime soon. Unless we have a blanket or something.”

“Alright, alright,” Nox giggled, “fair enough.”

“So, what was this place called again?”

“I'm not entirely sure myself since we lost the map. Shouldn't be too hard to find out once we get inside, though.”

“Oh, yea...hey, Nox, quick question.”

“What is it?”

“I know that you said losing the map was no big deal, as we could just use a teleport spell to get back to Fetterlan if we ever got really lost, but why can’t we just use that teleportation spell to go to all these places instead of hiking to them all?”

“You didn’t have to join me on this, you know.”

“I know, but it seemed like a fun idea at the time. You know how much I like seeing new places.”

“Heh, you just don’t like having to travel there yourself.”

“Not on foot! If we had horses, this would be much more enjoyable.”

“Also, you said you came with me just for the adventure. Is that really the only reason you stayed with me on this journey?”

“Are you just prying for me to say that I went on this trip because I couldn’t bear the thought of being without you?”

“Maybe.” Nox shrugged.

“Well, then I came along because I just could not stand a single moment back in Fetterlan without you! You’re my light, my world, the sole reason of my existence!”

“You’re always so over-the-top,” Nox said, smiling.

“I only do it because you love it when I’m that way.” Meru replied, grinning at Nox. “Anyways, you still haven’t answered my original question. We did we have to hike out here? Why not just teleport?”

“I have to have been to the location previously before I am able to teleport there.”

“Wow. That’s lame and limiting.”

“My powers aren’t free of rules. Like everything else in the world, there are laws that my spells must follow.”

“Are there any spells that don’t have any rules attached to them?”

“No, not really. Each spell has some kind of restriction to it. Of course, there are a dangerous few of us mages that try to learn how to break past these restrictions and gain full control and potential of a certain spell.”

“How does that work out for them?”

“I think they end up falling off The Bridge from trying to reach too far into The Gap.”

As they approached the gates of the town, a man was suddenly seen sprinting out of the town, a loaded backpack slung over his left shoulder. However, the pair didn’t notice him, as they were focused on the two guards sprouting up on the guard towers, aiming at the man. Meru ducked down, and Nox stood in front of her, arms outstretched.

“You
two
  aren’t
        in
           any
        danger!”
           The man shouted, sprinting past the pair.

Nox lowered his arms, and looked at where the guards were aiming again. He then glanced at the man, just in time to see two arrows thunk into the ground next to him. As he was nearing the treeline, another two arrows thunked into nearby trees.

“Damnit, and I was just at the archery range for practice before this…” one of the guards muttered.

“Heh, did ya actually hit anything while ya were there?” the other guard jabbed.

“Go drown in the well.” the first guard retorted, climbing off the tower. The other guard soon followed down.

“Meru, get up.”

“Are you sure it’s alright to?”

“Yea. They weren’t aiming at us, anyways.”

“Good. I was afraid for a second.”

“I think we reacted a little quickly. I doubt people out this far will recognize us, or even heard of us. Put your hood up, and let’s head inside.”

“But Nox, what about that man that ran into the woods?”

“He’s not what we came here for. If he’s getting away with thievery, let him. We didn’t come here to help out the local authorities.”

Meru stood up and put her hood up, hiding most of her face. Nox did the same. Meru nodded at Nox, who turned towards the gate of the town and walked towards it.

“Sir, are you awake?”

“You’re probably going to have to shake him a bit, Nox.”

“I know how to wake up a man.”

“I’m awake, I’m awake,” said the homeless man, waving his hand around to get Nox away from his face. He opened his eyes and blinked a few times, taking in the sight in front of him. “If ya two hoodlums ‘re here ta mug me, I don’t got anythin’. Go rob someone else.”

“We’re not here to rob you, sir.”

“Then whaddya want outta me?”

“We wish to assist you, sir.”

“Assist me!? Ha! I’ve been offered help from many a people, and none of ‘em ‘ve yet ta actually commit ta it. ‘sides, I’m not willing ta resort ta thievery, so if yer thinking of draggin’ me along inta a heist then ya better scram.”

Meru glanced at Nox, who gave her a nod in response. They pulled their hoods down simultaneously, revealing their full faces to the homeless man.

“Wha...yer just a pair of kids! Seventeen, at best!”

“We act older than we appear, sir. Or, at least, I act older than I appear.”

“Hey!”

“Anyways...do you have a name, sir? Something that you go by?”

“Heh, well this is new. No one’s ever bothered ta know my name in a long while.” He thought for a moment. “Call me Brant.”

“Well, Brant, I am here on behalf of a large group of people who would be very interested in meeting you.”

“Heh, interested in me? Some homeless bum in an alleyway, waiting for his day of death to finally roll around? Who’re these people of yers?”

“A secret society of mages, along with affiliates and family.”

“Bullshit.”

“If you don’t believe me, then allow me to show you proof.”

“What, yer gonna make some magic? Are ya gonna pull a rabbit outta a hat er somethin’? Heh. Alright, ya amateur magician, let’s see what ya got.” Brant sat expectantly, waiting.

With that, Nox closed his eyes, leaned his head back slightly, and started moving his arms a little.

Brant and Meru watched.

“How long does it take ta pull a ribbon outta yer sleeve?” Brant complained.

“Just be patient.” Meru hushed. Brant grunted and kept watching.

Finally, Nox snapped back to reality, a ball of fire slowly spiraling within his hand.

“Oh, so you produce a fireball when he asks you for one, but when I ask for it you say that it isn’t necessary!”

“It is necessary to show him proof of what I am saying. Actions speak louder than words.”

“Hmph…I still think it was more necessary to keep me warm…”

“Look, that’s a neat lil’ trick and all, but fer all I know ya just got a match and lit a lil’ piece of yarn on fire.”

“Could a flaming piece of yarn do this?” Nox asked, as he made the flame grow in size. Brant’s eyes started to widen, and he backed up against the wall as the flame then began consuming Nox’s hand. Nox looked at his hand of fire casually, tilting it around and smirking at Brant. Having proven his point, Nox decreased the size of the flame back to what it originally was and let it linger. Finally, he snuffed the fire by closing his hand into a fist. Nox’s hand was not inflicted with a single burn by the end of it all.

“Believe me now?”

Brant gawked and nodded, trying to comprehend what he just saw.

“Ah, don’t worry about it, Brant. I was pretty amazed by his magic when I first saw it, too! You get used to it pretty quickly, though.”

“How...what...why…”

“I’ll let you collect yourself before telling you anything else.”

“Just...why do these people want me ta join them?”

“We’re looking for more people to help out with our cause. Not everybody we seek out goes on to be a mage, but everyone helps out.”

“No, I mean, why me specifically?”

“Your pulse.”

“What?”

“Us mages have a connection to the spiritual world. Each person’s spirit has a certain pulse to it, kind of like a heartbeat, except that the pulse doesn’t just have a specific speed. It also has a specific quality of what is pulsing through it. When I approached this town, I was hoping to feel out a pulse similar to those whom reside in our society. That is what lead me to you.”

“I...well, I’m not sure how ta take all this, really.”

“We don’t send people to our society without their consent, so if you don’t want to be a part of this you don’t have to be. You have the day to make your decision, though. We’ll be around town until nightfall if you don’t wish to make your decision now.”

“No, I...I want ta join yer society. I don’t have anythin’ else goin’ fer me here anyways, heh. Just, one last question.”

“Sure. What do you wish to ask?”

“What’s tha name of yer society?”

“We are formally known amongst ourselves as The Folk of the Fjord, but most outsiders who spread rumour of us and our people just call us The Fjord Mages. If you’re ready to head to the fjord where our society lives now, I can send you. If you need to get anything, or say any last goodbyes by any chance, then I’ll give you a bit to do so.”

“Nah, I already said farewell ta those I cared ‘bout a while back. Just send me there now.”

“Very well. Stand up, please.”

Brant stood up and Nox approached. Nox placed a hand on top of Brant’s head and gripped a bit. With that, Nox closed his eyes, leaned his head slightly, and tightened his arm.

Suddenly, Brant was no longer there. Nox lowered his arm and fell to the ground, kneeling.

“Nox, are you alright?”

“You ask me that every time after I teleport someone else, heh. You should know that I’m okay by now. Just, a little winded from doing it.”

“Is teleporting someone else really that difficult?”

“Teleporting yourself somewhere is one thing,” Nox said, standing up, “but it takes more effort to get someone else to a different location that you’ve been to before, but they haven’t. It’d be much easier if he’d been to the Fjord before, or were a mage himself. Or both.”

“Well, I’m just glad we found someone else to bring back.”

“Likewise. Hopefully he had some skills before he became a homeless man, or at least is a natural in wielding magic.”

“Do you think he’ll become one of the Great Mages?”

“Heh, maybe. It’d make for an interesting story. A homeless man, with no future ahead of him, suddenly turned into one of the Great Mages within a secret society of mages, all due to two hooded teenagers approaching him one day. I hope we get to hear about it.”

“So, what now?”

“Now, we enjoy our time in this town.”

“You know, in hindsight I should’ve expected this, but I was secretly hoping the first place you took us to wouldn’t be the town’s library.”

“Knowledge changes based on where you are. A person residing in the desert will know more about how to survive in dry, arid weather than someone who lives in a forest.”

“Why do you always want to learn stuff? Doesn’t it hurt to keep expanding your brain after a certain point?”

“That’s not how knowledge works.”

“I just feel like if you keep learning so much, you’re going to forget some of the things you learned. Brains have a capacity, you know.”

“Perhaps, but I won’t learn anything at all if I don’t try to learn something at the very least.”

“You still could’ve gone somewhere more fun than a library to learn. I mean, we passed by two street performers and a fair that is going on in town right now. A town fair! That we conveniently came at the right time for! I haven’t been to a fair since I was five or six years old, Nox!!”

Several hushes could be heard around them from others within the library. Meru let out a soft sorry to those around her.

“It’s not even midday yet, Meru. You’re overreacting about all this.”

“You’re not taking this seriously enough. We haven’t had fun in a town we’ve been to since Grotnen! Grotnen!! That was…three weeks ago!” Meru whispered.

“Two weeks and four days, actually.”

“The point still stands!”

“Alright, alright. Look, we’ll go to the fair together after I look into one book here. Just one. I’ve heard that it’s only available in towns of the Western region, and it could be help us out at the Fjord.”

“Well, alright, but just this one book.”



They walked around the library in silence, searching shelf after shelf for the book.




“Meru, can you ask that that librarian to help us out?”

“Why not ask her yourself?”

“Can you just do it please? The book I want is called, ‘The Memoirs of Feran Jurstin.’”

“Alright, alright...hey, miss, can you help us?”

“Ah, of course, what do you need from me?” the librarian replied, closing a book and putting it down.

“My friend, Nox, is looking for a book that apparently he can’t find at any other library. Can you help us find it?”

“Certainly. What’s the name of the book you’re looking for?”

“The Memoirs of Feran Jurstin.”

“The title does sound familiar. If it is around here, it would be in the autobiography section. Come with me, please.”



“What’s the most entertaining book you’ve read here?”

“Aspiring to become a reader yourself, miss?”

“Maybe. Depends if it ends up being any good.”

She looked at the pair curiously for a moment, their hoods still covering their heads, then she grinned and replied, “I’m guessing you aren’t a very high-level reader, then. I’ll show you some short, exciting tales that I used to love reading when I was around your age. First, though, we’ll just take a left here and...these are all the autobiography books we have here. Now, the name was Feran Jurstin, correct?”

Nox nodded.

“Alright, then it would be near the J’s...aha, here we are!” the librarian said, pulling a leather-covered book with a small and taut piece of string around the cover to keep it shut. “Now, you can check this out for two weeks, and by then you’ll have to have it returned unless you want to pay a fine.”

“We aren’t actually from this town, we’re just visiting for the day. Is there a way to check this book back in from somewhere else?”

“If you return it to any other library in the Western region and tell them that you got this book from the Fetterlan library, then yes, it is possible.”

“I still wanna find that book you were talking about earlier!”

“Hush your voice a little, miss. We are in a library, you know.”

“Oh, sorry!” she whispered.

“Come over to the fiction section with me, and I’ll show you the book I had in mind.”





“Okay, now which shelf was it in again...ah, there we are. ‘Something Out Of Nothing’, by Harren Rew.”

“What’s it about?”

“Oh, trust me, you’ll enjoy it more if you find out how it goes on your own. Besides, I always say too much when it comes to books I love.”

“I think we’re ready to check out, then.”

“Very well. I’ll take you to the front desk and we’ll check those books out for you right away.”

“Step right up and take your shot at the grand prize!” the event-runner shouted, her voice sneaking into Meru’s ears throughout the buzzing noise.

“Oh, Nox, oh oh oh! Look! It’s a ring toss!!”

“Yes, it is indeed a ring toss.” Nox said monotonously.

“Can we go and play it? Please?”

“We’ve already spent about a fourth of our savings on this place. I don’t know how much more money we want to use up.”

“Oh, we’ll get more money later. We can street perform in another town or something!”

“How would that even work?”

“Well, my martial arts skills are only common in the Northern region. I could show off some cool moves! And you could cast a spell or two, or learn some actual magician tricks!”

“I won’t use my spells when they aren’t necessary, and I won’t humiliate myself by learning little tricks that others pass off as ‘magic.’”

“Just pleeease let me do the ring toss once, alright? Just once! I wanna see if I can get the pretty necklace hanging there!”

“That’s...you have to get three out of the ten rings on there in order to get that, you know.”

“What, you don’t think I’m skilled enough?”

“These things are rigged against even the most skillful ring tossers. They’d be lucky to get half of their rings on even with their abilities.”

“Oh, fine…” Meru moaned, looking downward. However, when Nox turned around, she snatched the purse and swiftly ran off to the ring toss. Nox turned around, felt his back pockets, and chased after Meru upon seeing her dashing away.

“One game of ten rings, please!”

“That’ll be five nibbs,” the game-runner replied.


“Meru, stop!” Nox shouted, a little too late as Meru took her first shot.

“Ooo, nice toss, but it didn’t quite stick, it seems.”

“Nox, I already paid for the game. There’s no refunds.” She handed back the purse. “I’m really sorry, but I’ll make it up to you!”

“How!?”

“By winning this ring toss and getting that necklace!” she replied, throwing the second ring.

“Ah, nice shot! That’s one point.”

She threw another ring.

“Aw, miss!”

And another.

“Close, but no cigar.”

And another.

“Hey, sweetie, try not to hit the wall of the tent so hard next time, alright? This thing isn’t the most sturdy structure.”

And another.

“Aha, two points! You got four rings left, but ya need just one more point to get a tier two prize!”

And another.

“This was a waste of money, wasn't it…”

“Shut up, Nox, let me concentrate for this shot!”

And another.

“Aw, shucks, I thought you had that shot for a moment there!”

And another.

“One ring left, sweetie. Make it count!”

Meru breathed in, concentrating her aim for this final shot.



“Don't screw this up.”

“SHUDDUP!”




Meru threw the tenth ring.

“Do you think we lost them?” Meru panted.



“Well, Nox? Do you think we lost them?”



“Nox?”

Meru turned towards Nox and was met with a volcanic gaze.

“What were you thinking, Meru.”

“I was just--I just--I wanted to get that necklace, and--”

“You stole my purse. You tried to steal it again when you didn’t win the ring toss. Then, you stole the necklace itself.”

“Nox, I’m sorry, okay?”

“You know, I thought that we would have a fresh start coming into the Western region. And we did. But of course, you had to blow it all up within a day. Again.”

“I d-didn’t mean to do it, Nox, I just coul--”

“Why can’t you get past your old habits, damnit! You’re always stealing stuff from others! Ever since we took you in, you’ve been nothing but trouble to the entire fjord! I thought that would change once we went out here, where there are laws and rules that we can and will be imprisoned for breaking. But apparently, even the risk of consequence can’t stop you!”

“I’VE TRIED TO STOP, NOX!”

“No, you haven’t! You’ve always been a thief, and you’re never going to change. Not even for me…”

“Nox, please, I didn’t do this to hurt you!”

“And yet that’s what you end up doing anyways.”

“But I di--”

“Shut. UP.”



Meru sniffled.







“Y-you know that I d-don’t like this part of me e-either, right?” Meru choked out between tears.

“Then why don’t you do something about it?”


“Well?”


“It’s n-not that easy…”

“What is so hard about learning to obey a rule?”

“You’ve ne-never had to live with stealing from others before. You d-don’t know how it becomes a survival instinct after some point. That you s-stop thinking about the potential families you just handicapped, and are just thankful that you managed to secure yourself a meal for the next day.”

“Stealing is a choice, Meru. It’s not something we have to do.”

“Easy for you to say.”


“Look, just...let’s keep going. There’s got to be a place we can settle down and camp nearby.”

Meru shivered slightly in her sleep, her mind at rest but her body nearly freezing from the cold.

Nox was still awake, looking up at the constellations. The fire had already gone out, so he was surrounded by darkness on every side...except the sky.



He turned to look at her, wiping a tear out of his eyes.

He got up and knelt beside her shivering body.



“Why do I keep bringing myself to this…” he sighed. He looked at her one more time.





He placed a thumb on her forehead, closed his eyes, and leaned his head back slightly.





Suddenly, he snapped back to reality and slowly removed his thumb from her forehead. Feeling satisfied, he slowly wrapped himself around her cold, sleeping body.






She stopped shivering.

“Man, I knew that the Western region had cliffsides, but I never knew they were this common.”

“Meru, don’t stand so close to the edge!”

“Oh, whoops, sorry! I didn’t mean to freak you out there. Just got a little invested with the view. I mean, that sunset over the ocean is so beautiful, wouldn’t you agree? Especially at this height, and the waves crashing down below...it's all just so amazing.”

“I’ve seen sunsets just as beautiful as that, if not more so back at the fjord.”

“Aww, are ya feeling homesick, Noxxy?”

“I told you not to call me that. And, yes, I am feeling kind of homesick now.” He looked towards the ground. “I don’t feel truly safe except for at the fjord, I guess.”

“You should at least feel safer here than you did in the Northern region. We haven’t done anything wrong here yet, nobody will recognize us at all. It’s a new opportunity!”

“Yeah, a new opportunity…” he said, pulling the necklace out of his pocket.

“What ya got there?”

“Hm? Oh, uh, well you remember how we were at the fair last night, right?”

“...actually, now that you mention it, not really. That whole night was kind of a blur for me, now that I try to think back on it.”

“Well, while you were out playing ‘Whack-a-Gnome’, dunking for apples in a barrel, and...playing that stupid ring toss game...I found this nice little jewelry tent set up. I kind of wanted to wait until we got to place like this to show you, but--”

“YOU BOUGHT ME A NECKLACE!?” she screamed out in joy.

“Yea. I know you have a better one back at the fjord that we had to leave behind, but thought that I might give you something to replace it until then. Something to remind you of home while we travel around. Do you like it?”

“Oh, it looks great! This is so unlike you, Nox! I don’t know if you’ve ever purchased a gift for anyone, even your family.” She looked at him, the necklace around her neck. “Thank you so much, Nox. How much did it cost?”

“Heh, don’t worry about the cost. We can always get the money back later.”

“Yea, you’re right. Hmm...oh, I know, we could be street performers!”

“How do you suggest we go about that? We don’t know any street tricks to perform.”

“Well, hmm...oh, I have my martial arts skills! That’s only common in the Northern region! And, uh, hmm...uh...oh, you can lea--”

“I’m not going to learn little tricks that wanna-be mages call ‘magic.’”

“Aww...well, I guess I’ll be the one performing, and you’ll be the one walking around with the hat for money!”

“Look, we can figure it out once we get there. But for now, we do have these books that we got from the library yesterday that we still haven’t touched.”

“Oh yeah, you’re right! We actually have something to do while resting instead of sitting around, looking at stuff, and talking to each other!”

“Is there something you don’t like about talking to me?”

“No, not really. It's just nice to have something else to do, you know? We talk all the time already. It’s starting to get a little repetitive at times, I think.”

“Heh, well, I will always enjoy talking to you.”

“Awww, thanks Noxxy!”

“Again. I told you not to call me that.”

“Aw, whatever, I know you secretly like it!”

“Do not.”

“Do too!”

“Look, let’s just get to our books.”

“Sure.”



“Hey...why is mine empty?” she questioned.

“What do you mean it’s empty?”

“Almost every page is blank. Some of them have little doodles and scribbles, and some of the last few pages are just some information about the author. Everything else is just blank, though.”

“Well, she did say something along the lines of it being fitting for your reading level.”

“Hey!”

“I’m joking, I’m joking!” he giggled, as she hit him with the book a few times. “Seriously though, that is pretty weird that the whole book is empty. What was the title called again?”

“Something Out Of Nothing.”

“Well, it’s certainly nothing, I’ll give it that.”

“Well, since mine is blank and boring, why don’t you read me a bit of yours?”

“Read?”

“Yea. Like, a bedtime story or something.”

“I don’t think this is bedtime-story stuff.”

“Oh, it doesn’t matter what it is, I’m just trying to get you to read with me. I’m bored! I don’t wanna stare at a sunset and think to myself all night. I hate being in my own head.”

“Fine. But only if you agree that you won’t beg for warmth again when night hits and the temperatures drop.”

“Aw, what? That’s no fair!”

“Your constant begging really gets annoying after a while. I would really like it if you’d stop, regardless of if I read this to you or not.”

“Ugh, fiiine. Can I at least tug at your shirt for warmth, though?”

“...sure, alright. Better than breaking the silence with your voice every three minutes.”

“Deal! Okay, now read for me! And make sure to get a really good voice for it.”

“Uh, like what? A deep voice, a dramatic voice, what kind of voice do you want me to do?”

“Just, whatever you feel is the best voice for this story! Something that fits the main character. Don’t worry, I won’t be picky.”

“Okay. Something that fits the main character…I think I got it.”

“Here’s your daily slop,” the guard muttered monotonously,

“Wait, hold on a second,” I exclaimed.

“What do ya want?” the guard grumped, glancing at me.

“Well...uh, someone to talk to, really.”

“I’m not payed to stand around and talk to the imprisoned.”

“Are you paid to make sure you watch the prisoners, so that they don’t attempt an escape?”

“Well, yes, but there’s no way you’re escaping.or even attempting to escape that cell anytime soon.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” I smiled.

“You aren't going to make me paranoid that easily.”

“I'm not trying to make you paranoid,” I leaned in closer, gripping the metal bars, “I'm just saying that you might not be doing a very good job.”

“You are in no position to say how I'm doing. You only see me five times a day, six at most.”

“I think you meant to say, you only see me five times a day, six at most.”

The guard glared at him. “Just go to sleep. Lights out is coming soon.”

I grinned as he walked away.

“Back to see me again so soon? That’s the eighth time today.” I smirked.

“Purely coincidence. There’s another prisoner near your cell who’s been causing trouble. They told me to pass by him more,” the guard defended.

“Are you sure it’s not just because I made you paranoid?”

The guard turned away.

“Or maybe you find me, dare I say, entertaining?”

The guard started walking away.

“Okay, see ya tomorrow, then!”

“If you interrupt my duties again, I will make sure you’re punished for it.” the guard threatened.

“Ha, what can be more punishing than the death sentence?”

“Trust me when I assure you, you don’t want to find out.”

I grinned as he walked away.

“Ah, good morning!” I greeted.

The guard just stared at me.

“Aww, someone’s a little grumpy this morning. Wrong side of the bed? Someone important to you die last night?” I leaned in closely, “A bedbug that you just couldn’t kill, gnawing at you in your sleep?”

He gripped a baton on his right side.

“I don’t want to keep waiting for it. Just do it already,” I whispered.

With that, he swiftly pulled out a set of keys and opened up the cell door. I backed up as he entered, baton in hand. He swung, missing and hitting a wall. I took this opportunity to get around him, but was stopped by him walking backwards and ramming me into the other wall.

“You aren’t getting away that easily,” he grunted, turning around, grabbing my shoulders, and tossing me onto the floor. He picked up his baton again, but I managed to kick it out of his hands as he was gripping it. He turned towards me, clearly not caring about getting the baton anymore as he pinned me down with a foot on my chest and started punching me near the jaw.

“God, you’re so easily agitated,” I laughed out, although the laugh didn’t last long as I took another hit to the jaw.

“Ah bet you get off on beating prisoners.” Another hit to the jaw.
“Awh know yoo can do bettah than that!” He took both of his hands, clasped them together into one big fist, put them in the air, and swung them down on my face.\

I smiled as I faded away.

I regained consciousness later that day, my head pounding with the worst headache I’ve ever had in my life. My jaw ached as I looked around to see that I was in the prison’s hospital room.

“Ah, you’re awake again!” the nurse said joyously with a somewhat surprised tone.

“Did I win?” I mumbled.

“Well, physically, no. The guard that beat you up, though? They found him beating you to death just in time for them to stop him before you lost too much blood.”

“Where is he now?”

“They told him to go home for the day and take it easy for a while. Rumour has it that he’s going to be fired sometime this week, as that’s the fourth time he’s beat up a prisoner from minor verbal disruption.”

“Fourth? Huh...I thought it was only two, not including me.”

“During his first month it happened. Poor chap, he ended up losing a leg from that man.”

“I’m just glad I won,” I said, resting my head down.

The nurse looked at me suspiciously. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I knew that by confronting him and getting him into my cell, I’d either be able to escape the cell and try to get out of here, get him fired, or speed up my execution by a week. There was no way I could truly lose.”

“You know, I’m a little surprised,” the nurse admitted.”

“How so?”

“Usually the clever ones don’t end up in prison.”\

“Heh, trust me, I’m not clever.”

“Then what would you say you are?”

“Hmm...I’m probably more witty than I am clever.”

“Aren’t witty and clever the same thing?”

“If they were the same thing, why invent a different word for the same definition?”

“I suppose. Well, I have other patients to take care of. You rest up, I’ll check up on you later tonight.”

I smiled as she turned away and walked out of the room.

“That was a pretty good reading voice.”

“That wasn’t much different from my regular voice.”

“I know.” she smirked.

He blushed a bit.

“So, what is a memoir anyways?”

“Oh, a memoir is a recounting of an important or historical event from the perspective of someone who was there.”

“Who was Feran Jurstin, then? Since this is his memoir. What was he involved in?”

“The Great Escape.”

“Woah, really? That would explain why he sounded like he was in a prison! Man, that’d be cool. Being in the very prison of The Great Escape.”

“Well, maybe it wasn’t as exciting as you’d think it would be. We’ll find out what Feran thought of it later, I guess. For now, though, it’s starting to get late. We have a long hike ahead of us.”

“Aww,” she pouted, “but we hiked twenty-some miles already today!”

“Which means we only have another thirty-some to go before we hit the next town, according to the trail posts.”

“Why are the towns so spread out here…”

“I would assume the mountainous terrain and cliffsides at almost every lake and the oceanside would have something to do with that.”

“Why couldn’t we have gone to the Eastern region first? It’s so tiring scaling rocks every half hour. With the Eastern region, we could’ve explored the farmlands and plains and forests! Here, we have to deal with icky mountains.”

“It was faster to get to the Western region from where the Fjord is located in the Northern region. We can’t waste time going around and recruiting, Meru. The Fjord needs our help as soon as possible.”

“Why’d they have to send us? They could’ve sent a team of trained mages. Instead they chose us.”

“I bet they knew that we’d work together better than any other team of mages in the Fjord could ever dream of doing. We’ve been together side-by-side for years now, and you know how competitive some of the mages are with each other.”

“Still seems stupid to me.”

Nox sighed, looking at the ground. “It is pretty stupid.”



Nox looked back over the cliffside, seeing the last few rays of the sunset tuck themselves under the horizon.

“C’mon, let’s get a fire going.”

“Nox?”

“Yes, Meru?” he grunted, pulling her up onto the mountainside.

“Before I came into the Fjord, who did you get along with most?”

“Huh...good question.” He sat there for a moment and pondered it. “I guess Romain. He was always interested in perfecting his skills rather than competing against others, like myself. I remember we trained together by the riverbed in the evenings, after classes would end.”

“Did you like him as much as you like me?”

“I couldn’t feel the same way about anyone else, Meru. What we have is something much stronger than a lot of friendships.”

“So, he was just kind of a friend then, right?”

“Yea, he was just an acquain--wait..are you getting jealous of my past relationships with people in the Fjord?”

“No, I was just wondering about your past. You don’t talk about it a lot, what you did before I came around.”

“Well, I guess that’s because it was pretty bland,” he admitted. “A lot of things just blended together into meaningless memories of the same things. In the mornings, I would wake up, study a bit on what we learned the previous day, and purchase a loaf of bread from Darin.”


“Ooo, Darin’s treats are always the best! You were able to afford a loaf of bread from him every day?”

“Well, my parents gave me an allowance for studying so much. I ended up getting a small fortune for my hard work and determination.” He looked out at the mountainsides. “Although, in hindsight, that hard work and determination didn’t end up being the most entertaining lifestyle. Especially in comparison to now.”

“What was your favorite type of bread?”

“Hm? Oh, right. Pumpkin Spice was always my favorite.”

“Ick, Pumpkin Spice? Why not try something more exotic, like the Southern Frost?”


“I was always more of a fan of Northern region foods. I guess my tastes liked staying local, rather than going somewhere foreign.”

“Wait. So you didn’t like the bland and boring repetitive life of the Fjord, and like this whole traveling around the regions thing better, but your taste buds preferred local foods?”

“Yea, I guess so. People can like travelling, but still enjoy certain foods, you know.”

“I dunno, just seems a little contradictory to me. Anyways, what would you do in the afternoons?”

Nox got up and started walking along the mountainside trail again. Meru followed in suit.

“My afternoons were spent in class, mainly. You already know what a school day is like, right?”


“Yea. The Great Mages tried to make me learn for a week, remember?”

“Yeah, right. So you already know about that stuff.”

“It’s really boring and straining. They kept trying to make me isolate my mind and stuff, but I could never do it successfully and just kept hopping from random thought to random thought.”

“Yea, learning to cast spells is definitely not a thing for everybody. You probably would’ve had better success if you started training at a younger age.”

“So, then the evenings were with Romain, right?”

“Precisely. Some would try to show off what they learned that day. Others...well, you know about the duels that sometimes invade town life as well, heh.”

“Ugh, those were always so annoying. Why can’t they create a barrier, or go to a different part of the Fjord?”

“If they went outside the boundaries, they would’ve risked being seen and followed.”

“So what if a few outsiders see the Fjord? You guys let me in!”

“Yes, but those were under very, very different circumstances.”

“I know, but haven’t I proven that outsiders aren’t so bad?”


“Well, haven’t I proven that?”




“Nox?”


“You convinced me, Meru, and that’s all that really mattered.”

“Wait, what do you me--”

“Meru, look!”

“No, wait, what did you mean by th--”

“Meru, shhh, look!” Nox hushed. He pointed ahead to a small cave opening, a large Lizardling resting inside.

“Woah,” she whispered.

“I’ve only read about Lizardlings before. I thought they only resided in the Eastern region.”

“Maybe it’s lost.”

“Oh, yeah right, as if something as competent as a Lizardling could get lost from its habitat and family.”

“Wow, that’s kind of rude. People get lost from their homes and families all the time.”

“Look, my point still stands that this Lizardling shouldn’t be here naturally. Something is weird here. Plus...it’s wearing clothing…”

“Wait, what? Are you sure that’s not just it’s scales?”

“No, definitely cloth. The colors just manage to blend with each other a bit. Look its spikes protruding from its back, though, and you’ll see the torn cloth.”

“Oh, I see now. Hm...well, what should we do now? Ask what its doing away from its home?”

He stared at her blankly. “We’re not just going to walk up to a Lizardling and ask what its doing.”

“Well, why not?”

“Because Lizardlings are known for being an aggressive species! If we aggreviate this one, then we’ll risk getting ourselves injured or dead.”

“Just use a spell or something to defend us against it if something goes wrong.”

“You know how long it takes for me to summon a spell!”

“Well then, just, I don’t know! Go faster? Prepare yourself a little earlier? Look, I’m going to go up there and talk to it.”

“Meru, NO!” He whispered loudly, dragging her back. The lizardling shuffled around a bit and let out a small moan.

“Nox, you’re going to scare it by staying sneaky around it.”

“You’re going to scare it by just walking up to it from behind, while it's sleeping, and say hello to it! Are you crazy?”

“Hmm...do you know a spell that can, like, pacify people and things?”

“Actually, yea...I do.” he said, glancing at her with a hint of guilt.

“Well, can you perform it, then?”

“Erm, well, I’m not really sure if--”

“Are you able to do the spell?”

“It requires me to get close and put a thumb on its forehead. So, it’s possible...just a little uncomfortable.”

“Look, I’m right here. I’ll shout out and break your concentration if something happens.”

“I’m not afraid of startling the Lizardling. I know I can defend myself from it.”

“Then what are you afraid of?”



“Well?”

“It’s really stupid.”

“Then go and perform the spell on the it!”

“Okay, fine!” he whispered aggressively, standing up and walking over to the sleeping Lizardling without fear. He knelt down, and looked over at her, who was giving him a thumbs up. He placed a thumb on its forehead, leaned his head back slightly, and closed his eyes.

He tried to concentrate.


He really tried to concentrate.



He broke away from the spell. He looked at her, and shaked his head “No.”

She frowned a bit in disappointment, then signaled for him to get over to her.

“Why couldn’t you do it?”

“I couldn’t concentrate for some reason. Must be a spell that Lizardlings are immune to,” he lied.

“Lizardlings are immune to certain spells?”

“Well, sure. Their scales make them naturally immune to fire spells. They must be immune to other types of spells, too.”

“Shouldn’t you know what those types of spells are?”

“I don’t know everything, Meru.”

“You sure do seem like it sometimes.”

“Let’s just keep moving,” he said, climbing down the mountainside hastily. Meru shrugged, and followed in suit.

“This place is really nice. I like how they have a trail down the cliffside to the beach, and that the beach is part of the town, too,” she said as they entered the town’s gates.

“Remember, hood up.”

“Oh, right! Sorry.” She put her hood up. “You know, sometimes I feel like we’re more suspicious with our hoods up then with our hoods down. Sometimes our faces can just blend into the crowd, you know? With hoods, though, people can’t see your face, and so you don’t blend into the crowd anymore.”

“This is the best way to conceal our faces without having to purchase other things, like bandanas or hats or something.”

“Still feels weird and creepy sometimes, and I’m the one that’s wearing the hood.”

“Alright, fine, we’ll put the hoods down for now if it makes you feel better. I’ll keep an eye out for anything else we can use to cover our heads or faces.”

She put her hood down, walking around with a bit more confidence.

“Oh, hey, Nox! Look! A street performer!!” she exclaimed, pointing towards a street corner.

“Yea, he’s a street performer alright. Your point?”

“We could go perform with him, triple his profit, and then split the money three ways.”

“Wait, you were serious about the street performer thing?”

“You never take these things seriously, Nox!”

“It’s only because I always think you’re overreacting.”

“Well, maybe you aren't reacting enough.”

“Look, Meru, I’m not going to street perform unless we have some way to hide our faces. Someone could recognize us.”

“Who’s going to recognize us? We’re a decent way into the Western region, and we haven’t done anything wrong here yet.”

“I’m just concerned, alright?”

“A bit too concerned, if you ask me,” she claimed, strolling over to the street performer. He shouted her name, then followed after her.

“They held each other tight as they wandered through the night, they were so excited,” the street performer sang, strumming a few chords on her guitar in correlation. “We got just one shot at life, let’s take it while we’re still not afraid!”

Meru was at the front of the small crowd gathered in front of the performer now.

“Because life is so brief, and time is a thief, when you’re undecided.”

Nox came beside her and gripped her wrist.

“And like a fistful of sand it can slip right through your hands.”

Meru responded by holding his hand. The street performer looked over as Meru did this.

“Young hearts, be free, tonight!” The street performer sang, looking right at them. “Time is on your side! Don’t let ‘em put you down, don’t let ‘em push you ‘round! Don’t let ‘em ever change your, point of view.” The street performer sang, winking at the pair.

She smiled. He blushed. He let go of her hand.

They continued to watch the street performer until the piece was done. There were a few claps from those still watching, Meru included, and several walked up to throw a nibb or two into her guitar case. Meru walked up as well, a single nibb in her hand.

“Thanks. You two are cute together, y’know,” the street performer responded.

“Wait, Meru, where did you get that nibb from?”

“Well, thanks for saying that!” Meru chirped to the street performer.

“Meru, did you take that nibb from my pouch?”

“How long have you two been together?”

“I swear, if you stole from me again…” Nox grunted, recounting the nibbs in his purse.

“It’s been about five years at this point, I think. I lost track a while ago.”

“Well, hopefully it’ll last another five years. You two kids from around here?”

“No, actually. We’re from the Northern region.”

“What!?” the street performer exclaimed, “You’re from way up north?”

“It’s not that far away,” she giggled.

“It’s farther than most people are willing to travel these days. Do you two have any friends or family you’re traveling with?”

“Nope, it’s just us.”

“Huh. So, what are you doing all the way down here, then?” The street performer leaned in with intrigue. “Forbidden love? Rebellious souls? Home get destroyed? Honeymoon vacation?”

“None of those things.”

“Then what! You can’t leave me hanging here!” the street performer said, smiling with anticipation.

“Well...hey, Nox! Can you come over here for a second?”

“Meru, you did steal a nibb from the purse! What did I say abou--”

“Yo man, chill out a bit. Your girlfriend took a coin, big deal. It’s just a single nibb.”

Nox stepped closer to Meru and whispered, “Did you make conversation with her while I was looking through our purse?”

“Pfft, you don’t have to whisper, silly. Yea, I talked to her a bit. She’s actually curious about what we’re doing all the way down here.”

“You told her we’re from the Northern region!?”

“Is that a problem?”

Nox opened his mouth about to respond, then glanced at the street performer and took a moment to rethink his words. “Erm, no. No, not at all. Just...why is she curious?”

“I just wanna know what the origin of this ‘Lovebirds In Flight’ story is. If it’s really that huge of a problem, I won’t push for an answer, I’m just a little curious is all.” the street performer elaborated. “Also, you don’t need to whisper so loudly,” she giggled.

He looked at the street performer awkwardly, then whispered to Meru, “Tell her we are helping out friends and family.”

“We’re out here helping our friends and family in the Northern region.”

“Oh? How so?”

“Well, we…” she glanced at him, who nodded for her to go on. “...live in a smaller population, so we’re trying to gather people and supplies to bring back to them and help our people.”

“Huh, that’s cool! You two must be really experienced with travel and stuff if your village trusted you two to go out and represent them.”

“Yea...kind of.”

“Heh, I guess you never traveled outside of the Northern region. Very few travel outside of their home region these days. Some people are too scared, I guess…” The street performer sighed, looking down at the ground. A few moments later, her eyes met with Meru’s again. “Say, there wouldn’t happen to be room for a musician in your village, would there? Quite frankly, I’ve been looking for a better place to settle down for a while.”

“Well, Nox? What do you think?” Meru asked, turning towards Nox.

He simply stood there, his awkward and somewhat scared gaze shifting between the two.

“Ah, I get it. You’re still unsure about me ‘cause you just met me. Look, if you want to learn more about me and find out that I am trustworthy and whatnot, I can show you guys where I’ve been staying in this place. Trust me, it’s almost as good as an inn room and it doesn’t cost a nibb. Would you be willing to spend a night with me?”

Nox kicked the ground lightly and spun around, looking at nothing in particular and thinking about it. He kept glancing back at them occasionally.

“Nox, I don’t get you sometimes. You’re okay with some new people, and then you act really werid around others. What’s wrong with talking to her? Like a normal person?”

“I’m not a normal person,” he mumbled.

“Hey, look, if you’re nervous, then let’s start from square one.” The street performer stood up and approached him, casting a shadow over his body. “My name is Dana. It’s nice to meet you, Nox,” she greeted him, holding out a hand.

Nox reached his hand out and grasped hers, shaking it a little.

“I-it’s...nice to meet you.”

“So, do you want to spend the rest of the day with me? Learn about me more?” Dana asked.

“S-sure. That would b-be fine.”

“Alright. Come on, I know this place that has some awesome steak.”

“Isn’t that really expensive around here?” Meru asked.

“Only if you get it fresh.”

“Nox, why were you acting so weird around her? When we ran into people we were recruiting, like Avis, Shorn, and Brant, you didn’t have any problems interacting with them. Why are you choking up around normal people?”

“I don’t know, maybe it has something to do with their pulses?”

“Their pulses?”

“Yea, you know, their spiritual pulse. I can sense her’s is different from ours, and the rest of the Fjord’s. I don’t know why, but I can speak perfectly fine with people of likewise soul pulse.”

“Well, it might just be a you problem then, ‘cause I didn’t have any problems talking to her.”

“Yea, that much was evident.” Nox leaned his head back against the brick wall and sighed. “It’s just really annoying sometimes. It’s like, I’m intimidated by her somehow. But I have no real reason to be that way.”

“Maybe we can use tonight as an opportunity to bring you out of your comfort zone, then. You can’t change unless you are willing try.”

“I don’t know, Meru. We shouldn’t even be here right now. Someone could recognize us. We should’ve been five miles south of here by now, camping by the cliffside.”

“Relax a bit, Nox.” She giggled a bit. “Weird how I have to tell you to relax sometimes, huh?”

“I’m not the robot you think I am sometimes,” he responded, smiling a little. It quickly faded away. “Point still stands, we can’t spend too much time in one place. Much less a town.”

“It’s just one night, Noxxy.”

“I told you not to call me that.”

“Settle down a bit and give her a chance, alright? Who knows, she could be a nice fit for the Fjord if we get to know her. You always only choose people with the similar pulses or whatever. Maybe we need some people with personality instead of people with similarity.”

“Sometimes you’re smarter than I give you credit for.”

“Aww, thanks! Oh, anyways, she’s coming back. Now, try not to freak out, okay? I’ll be here to talk for you in case you do freak out, though. No worries.”

Dana walked back with another steak. “Here’s a second one to split between us, Nox. I’m still surprised you managed to gulp that one whole steak by yourself, Meru.”

“I’ve only eaten rations up until today! Those steaks are so filling and delicious,” Meru said, salivating at the taste still lingering in her mouth.

Dana took out a small dagger, causing Nox to flinch a little. She held it in the air and stabbed it into the steak, cutting it in half. Nox relaxed again. When she was done cutting, she handed one of the halves to him, who took it with a shaking hand. They ate in silence, Meru looking at him expectantly.



“So,” Meru broke the silence, turning to Dana, “tell us some basic things about yourself.”

“Basic?” Dana swallowed. “Well, my full name is Dana Rew. I’m past twenty, but not past thirty. Yet. I know how to play guitar and people say I have a pretty good voice, so I go on the streets and play some tunes I know from my friends and family. I’ve been homeless for a few months now, and I can thank my brother for that. I used to live farther from the cliffsides, but since these towns are more populated, I’ve stuck around this area of the Western region for a while now. And I think that’s it for basics.”

“W-what hap-pened between you and-d your brother?” Nox stuttered, trying to control his voice.

“Well, we both depended on each other. So, if one wasn’t able to hold up their part, then both of us would be screwed.” Dana paused.




“So, it didn’t really help,” she continued, “when he went and died on me.”





“I’m...sorry about that, Dana,” Meru empathized.

“You don’t have to be sorry for me if you never knew him,” she giggled a little.

“I can feel sorry for the way you feel, though.”

“W-what was your b-broth-ther like?”

“My brother, Lonnet, he was more sensible than me. He always had fun planning things out and making sure we were in a good living position, but I was the one who would always carry out those plans for him and make life more enjoyable for him.”

“How long had you two been living together for?”

“Probably since around your age, so six or seven years if I had to guess. Our parents, well...they kicked us out of the house and refused to let us back in at that point.”

Nox looked a little shocked.

“Why would parents ever kick you out voluntarily?”

“I know, right? It still boggles me too. They just had, like, really short tempers or something if I had to guess We were still maturing, so we weren’t exactly the best of kids, but we didn’t do anything that I thought was worthy of us getting kicked out.”

Nox looked at her a little curiously.

“How did you guys survive out there on your own?” Meru asked.

“Well, at first, we almost didn’t. We had little to no knowledge of how to live off the land as we lived in a town and got everything handed to us as kids. We didn’t know how to find or make shelter, we both had issues with killing stuff for food, we didn’t know what plants and berries were good to eat. Hell, we didn’t even know how to make a fire. We ended up traveling to the next nearest town we knew of, since our parents would’ve tried to run us out of our hometown if they saw us there. That’s where I ended up getting this,” Dana said, pointing to her guitar.

“I d-doubt you bought it-t,” Nox assumed.

“Well, no I didn’t buy it,” Dana explained, “I worked for it. With my brother. The guy who owned the guitar was the owner of a local restaurant. He saw us begging on the streets one day, and decided to pity us by giving us a chance to work for food rather than for money. Soon enough, I could hear him playing guitar in the upper floors, where his room was located, and I asked if I would be able to work for lessons on how to play.” She took a bit of her steak and chewed it. “Lonnet ended up having to split some food with me for a while, ‘cause I exchanged what I was working for.” She swallowed. “He even questioned why I was learning to play guitar, since it wasn’t practical to him. I ended up proving him wrong, though, when I started getting money from street performing about six months later.”

“So, were you always homeless, then?”

“No. I ended up saving enough money to buy food for ourselves, which allowed Lonnet to work for profit instead of just for food. Over a year and half, we had enough cash on us to purchase a small place in town and manage it. Had some fun times in there. Heh, I remember one time, a drunk guy stumbled into our home mistaking it for his own and we ended up letting him stay there for the night. Let me tell ya, drunk people can spill some interesting stories and secrets sometimes.” She smiled at the memory.

Nox continued to look at her curiously.

“What’s that look for, Nox?”

Nox broke from his gaze and turned towards Meru. “Oh, n-nothing. I’ll tell you l-later.”

“Alright, weirdo.” Meru turned back towards Dana. “If you’d mind us asking...how’d it end up happening?”

“It’s been about a year since it’s happened, and I’ve...moved on mostly. So, I’m comfortable enough with it. Um, so…” she started, getting a little teary, but wiping it away, “We were able to work our way upwards to food, a guitar, and a small home. Medicine was still pretty expensive, though, with all our other expenses. So, when the Western Wind Disease came through our town, not many people made it out alive.”

Meru went over and hugged Dana, who had tears flowing down her cheeks.

“So many people died....you couldn’t go outside without seeing at least two corpses and a sick person begging for help. And it was in the entire Western region! We couldn’t escape it! Not in time, anyways...that didn’t stop us from trying, though.” She paused.



“He didn’t even get a proper grave out there. I just...I was so weak and tired, I had to keep going. I couldn’t bury him.”


Meru hugged her tighter.

Dana shuddered a bit.



Nox looked on curiously.

“What do you mean you don’t believe her?” Meru exclaimed.

“Keep it down, Meru, she might hear us.”

“Well, I’m sorry if you just claimed that Dana’s touching and emotional story was fake!”

“Don’t you find it a bit weird yourself? She was so open about giving us the information of her brother’s death so quickly. She knows very minimal about us and gave us information that most people would need a deep bond in order to get.”

“Maybe she’s just a more open person than most.”

“That’s not the only thing, though. Her reasoning for why their parents kicked them out seems very lacking and subjective. She never explained how she got the guitar from the restaurant owner, as she only worked for guitar lessons, not the guitar itself. She never explicitly said that her brother died of the disease, just that they tried to leave the Western region because of it. There are a few minor things that just seem missing.”

“If you’re so concerned with the itty-bitty details, then why not just ask her about them?”

“I don’t think she’d tell me the truth. In fact, I don’t think she’s told us anything true about herself, except for maybe her name and the fact that she had a brother that died.”

“I’m pretty sure you’re overreacting, Nox.”

“You’re not taking this seriously enough! We can’t trust her. We should leave and camp outside for the night.”

“What!? First of all, it’s too late in the day to go out and look for a place to camp out there,” she said, pointing towards the setting sun. “Second! She offered us a place to sleep the night. I say we take up the offer, and that you give her one more chance to prove that she is trustworthy. If you still don’t like her, we can leave tomorrow.”



“Well, Nox? Are you okay with this plan?”


“I want to say yes and to just go with this plan so much, believe me. This plan is simple, and I should be able to just go with it. I can’t bring myself to it, though.”

“Why not, Nox?” Meru demanded.

“I don’t know. It’s not something I can really describe.”

“Maybe you just aren’t comfortable around people.”

“What?”

“You’ve always felt skeptical and pessimistic towards people that you don’t like right away. You didn’t get along with me right away, either, and you had that stutter when talking to me back then, too. I figured it was just something you were born with and you outgrew it with time, but your stutter coming back...it just makes sense now that you are afraid of people that don’t have the same pulse or whatever. And it’s not a fair way to treat people.”

“There isn’t a fair or correct way to treat people, Meru. I thought you weren’t that naive.”

“There are some ways to treat people that are better than others. The way you’re going about it, though, is not a better way of acting towards people you aren’t familiar with.”

“All I know is that I’m a mage with the ability to sense something deeper within people, while you’re just a human who trusts people too much sometimes.”

“You’re just a human too, you know! Just because you can perform some unique tricks doesn’t make you any better than any other human.”

“They aren’t measly little tricks, they’re spells! And yes, it does make me better than other humans, as I can do things that they can only fantasize about.”

“That doesn’t mean you have to act superior than them. You’re still one of us.”

“Look, we don’t have time to argue about this. She’ll be back any minute now, we can’t let her see us fighting like us. We need to leave now.” Nox turned to walk out of the alleyway. He turned around. “Come on, Meru.”

“You’ll have to force me to leave without staying a night with Dana.”

“What? Come on, Meru, don’t be like this! We’re wasting time.”

“You’re being ridiculous. Give her more time! Ask her about those minor details! Be sensible!”

“I am being sensible.”

“You’re being erratic. And not the fun kind of erratic, like I do all the time. Just calm down a bit and give her this chance, okay?”


“Agh, fine. If something ends up happening to us because of this, though, it’s your fault.”