"Where is Darwyn? It's been almost an hour. Why hasn't he sent word?" Muradin grumbled impatiently. He crossed his arms, his heavy frame leaning against the wooden table. "You really have no idea where your brother is?"

Elena simply shook her head, her expression unusually grimmed. Something was off about her today. She hadn't slept here last night. Most likely, she'd gone back to Elarion Woods. And since she'd returned, she had barely said a word. The only thing she had told them was that she had successfully retrieved their stolen belongings, but she insisted on discussing it only when everyone was present.

"The last time he spoke to me, he said he was heading to the Eastern District to gather information," Orin murmured, absentmindedly fidgeting with her fingers. There was a hint of worry in her voice.

"Let's wait a little longer," I suggested, glancing at the others. "If he doesn't show up soon, we need to go look for him. That area isn't exactly safe."

The group nodded in agreement, but the atmosphere remained tense. Instead of celebrating the return of our stolen items, we sat in awkward silence. Even Muradin, usually the loudest among us, had resorted to drowning his impatience in ale. He was already on his third bottle when, at last, the door swung open.

"Mister Gwydion! Where have you been? What happened to you?" Orin shot up from her seat and rushed toward Darwyn.

He looked like a mess. His emerald-green eyes, usually sharp and full of mischief, were weary. His light brown hair, usually neat, was disheveled and unkempt. He wasn't injured, at least, but something was definitely wrong.

"S-sorry, there was something important I had to take care of," Darwyn said, rubbing the back of his neck, his voice laced with regret.

Muradin let out a booming laugh, breaking the tension. "Hah! I was about to finish all this ale by myself. Drinking alone isn't nearly as fun, you know." He raised his half-full bottle and smirked. "Go wash your face or something. I've still got a few left to go."

Darwyn exhaled, forcing a tired smile. "No need. I'm fine. Just toss me one," he said, holding out his hand. "Besides, I'm curious about the results of your investigation," Darwyn said, his gaze shifting toward Elena. It was only then that he seemed to notice something was off about her. His expression hardened with concern.

"Elena, are you alright? What happened?"

Elena's eyes were distant, hollow. "Nothing," she replied flatly. "But the important thing is, I got our items back." She held out a small pouch before placing it on the table. "Everything is in there, and I've already taken my share." She handed me a slip of paper, her voice devoid of emotion.

Darwyn stepped closer, his worry intensifying. He placed his hands gently on her shoulders and tried to meet her eyes. "Are you sure you're okay? Tell me what happened."

"There's nothing to tell," Elena said coolly, avoiding his gaze.

Orin shifted uneasily before speaking in a soft voice. "Sis… you can talk to us. Whatever it is, you don't have to carry it alone."

Muradin, never one to sit still in moments like these, huffed and cracked his knuckles. "Just tell me who hurt you, and I'll smash their skull in!" he declared with enthusiasm.

"I said I'm fine! Are you all deaf?!" Elena suddenly shouted.

The room fell silent. No one moved, no one spoke.

A single tear slid down her cheek before she abruptly turned and ran out the door.

None of us dared to stop her. Even Muradin, usually oblivious to social cues, understood that this wasn't the time to push her. She needed space.

Something terrible had clearly happened to her.

A sick feeling twisted in my gut. I had a suspicion. One I didn't want to entertain, but I couldn't shake it either. Especially considering how beautiful she was…

A sudden, seething rage boiled up inside me.

***

We emptied the unfamiliar pouch onto the table, carefully arranging its contents. I tried to read through the list Elena had prepared, but my mind was elsewhere. No matter how hard I tried to focus, my eyes kept returning to the first line, reading it over and over again. My thoughts kept circling back to her.

What had happened? Was she truly okay?

"Erynd, let's get this done quickly and rest," Darwyn said somberly, giving my shoulder a firm pat.

After trying to fully concentrate, we finally managed to run through the list.

The summary was straightforward: each of us had received at least one high-value item, except Orin. Muradin now had the Korrogoth's Bulwark Armor, a black fortress of a chestplate, while Darwyn had acquired the Infergoth Bow, imbued with fire-elemental energy. Elena and I, on the other hand, had obtained rare Soul Fragments.

In addition to those, there were several other Soul Fragments, various pieces of equipment, and monster parts that could be sold, as well as a substantial amount of Mana Stones. Elena had even taken the time to list out their estimated prices and how the earnings should be divided. The sheer effort she put into organizing everything, despite whatever she had just been through, was astounding.

I let out a slow breath, realizing that with this, my debt will be paid off more than half. If I used the stones I had set aside for Sam, my debt would be almost fully paid. He didn't need them yet, anyway… right?"

"What about Celerion and Frostmane Yeti fragments?" Darwyn asked, breaking my train of thought. "Would Frostmane Yeti be useful for Elena? It should synergize well with Frostclaw Fenrir, shouldn't it?"

I shook my head. "Unfortunately, no. Its stats and skills are better suited for melee warriors or tankers, and even Muradin wouldn't benefit much from it."

"Hah! No worries," Muradin chuckled, thumping his chest. "I've already got plans for my build."

"We should hold onto the Celerion Soul Fragment for now," Orin suggested. "It's rare. Selling it too soon would be a waste."

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"I agree," Muradin added, giving Orin a hearty slap on the back. "Besides, we already have plenty of Mana Stones."

I swallowed back a sigh. Plenty of Mana Stones for them, maybe.

But for me?

I still had debts from the Horrogoth Soul Fragment to pay, so I couldn't afford to learn any new spells yet.

"Hey, what's this? I don't remember us picking this up."

Orin's voice broke the silence as she pointed at a small black emblem lying among the loot. Intricate gold carvings lined its edges, and in the center, elegant golden letters spelled out Blackrock.

My heart nearly stopped.

Another Blackrock emblem…

"Blackrock? Never heard of it," Muradin muttered, frowning. Darwyn, too, seemed deep in thought, searching his memory for any familiarity with the name.

But I knew it.

I was almost certain Blackrock was an organization. The same group of players that had ambushed us in Deepnest Tunnel.

Which meant… there was a high chance Elena had encountered one of their members.

Was Dorian one of them?

A sharp tension coiled in my chest as I ran through the possibilities in silence.

"Hey, Eryndor. You're awfully quiet. What do you think of this?" Orin tilted her head, holding up the emblem between her fingers. Her large eyes widened in surprise as she examined its details.

I forced a neutral expression and shrugged. "Hmm… I don't know much about Blackrock either."

Muradin reached over and plucked the emblem from Orin's hands, turning it over in his thick fingers. He squinted at the carvings. "Hmm, never seen this symbol before. You recognize it?" He passed it to Darwyn.

Darwyn traced the surface of the emblem, running his thumb over two engraved letters, D and S, with a familiar tower etched faintly in the background. His eyes narrowed. "Wait… isn't this Tower of Ascension?"

"It does look like it. Then this must belong to that damn Guard," Muradin scoffed. He didn't seem particularly interested in the emblem any longer.

"Well, if that's all, I guess our meeting's over." He stretched and started gathering up his things. "I'll be in Oros for a while. Probably two or three days until the Tower reopens. So, I guess I'll see you lot in a few weeks."

With that, he casually stuffed the equipment he needed to sell into his pouch.

"Since Elena isn't up for it, I'll handle selling the monster parts and Soul Fragments," Orin declared, picking up the items. "But what about the emblem? What do we do with it?"

"I think we should hold onto it. At least for now," Darwyn said, handing it to her. "And like Muradin, I have some business to take care of. I'll see you all again when the Tower is about to reopen."

Wait… That means it'll just be me and Orin staying here?

I felt a sudden heat rise to my face, my heartbeat inexplicably picking up speed.

"Can't I come with you, Mister Gwydion?" Orin pouted, crossing her arms. "You still haven't told us why you were late to our meeting!" She narrowed her eyes at him, feigning anger.

Ah, of course. What was I thinking…

Darwyn let out a small chuckle before resting a hand on Orin's shoulder. "Mmm… I promise I'll tell you later," he said, offering her a reassuring smile. "But for now, let me take care of my business on my own."

Orin squinted at him suspiciously, as if trying to gauge whether he was telling the truth. Then, after a brief silence, she sighed in defeat. "Fine. But you better keep your promise."

And with that, our meeting came to an end.

Muradin was the first to leave, followed shortly after by Darwyn, with Orin tagging along beside him to say goodbye.

As for me…

I retreated into my room.

Too much had happened today, and my mind was still struggling to keep up.

***

"Sir Erynd, pretty cool, right? I call it Hydrovolt Lash!" Sam beamed, brandishing his newly mastered spell. With a flick of his wrist, a whip of electrified water lashed through the air, striking the practice dummy with a sharp crack.

I stared in astonishment. He had combined Lightning Strike and Aqua Whip. Something I never even knew was possible.

"For now, I can only fuse these two spells," he admitted, twirling the shimmering whip between his fingers. "But in theory, using the same principle, I should be able to create other combinations as well!" His eyes gleamed with excitement as he launched into an enthusiastic explanation, detailing the technical intricacies of how he pulled it off.

I simply listened, smiling. It was remarkable. Even with limited resources and little guidance, Sam had managed to push his abilities further than I had thought possible.

As if that wasn't impressive enough, he also revealed another breakthrough. He had learned to master control of his Mana output. Normally, spells had fixed Mana costs, but Sam had figured out how to adjust the intensity of his magic, scaling the power level based on his needs.

"Imagine the possibilities, Sir Erynd!" He grinned. "Why waste a full-powered spell on a weak opponent when I can dial it down? And if I need an extra kick, I can boost it beyond its normal limits! I realized I could do this during our fight in the Pit." I couldn't help but recall the massive Fireball he shot to finish off The Giant back then.

I exhaled, shaking my head in admiration. "You're a genius, Sam. A reckless one, but a genius nonetheless."

He laughed. "Well, I prefer the term innovator."

"Alright, I think that's enough training for today," I said, exhaling as I stretched my arms. Then, shifting my tone to something more serious, I added, "There's something I need to talk to you about."

Sam looked at me curiously. "What is it?"

"What do you think of Luther? Did anything happen while I was at the Tower?"

Sam hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. "Mmm... Everything's fine. Sir Luther has been really kind to me. He's looking out for me, you know? He even has a job now, and as far as I can tell, he hasn't touched a drop of alcohol."

I studied his face, searching for any trace of doubt, but he seemed certain.

"Besides," Sam continued, his voice softer now, "I've known him since I was little. He was always around my house, keeping an eye on me and my mom... even if he wasn't always sober." He let out a small sigh, his expression darkening. "And Mom never minded me talking to him."

The way his voice wavered at the mention of his late mother made my chest tighten. I placed a hand gently on his head.

"Hey, Sam... Your mom would be so proud of you. I'm sure she's at peace now."

Sam didn't say anything, but I could see the sadness in his eyes.

After a brief pause, I took a deep breath and said, "Would you be okay with Luther becoming your temporary guardian? I'd love to be the one, but..." I hesitated, feeling a bit guilty. "I'm still too young. And more importantly... I'm a druid, not a human. You don't have to answer right away, but please let me know once you've made up your mind."

To my surprise, Sam didn't take long to respond. His lips curled into a small, confident smile.

"Of course, I'm okay with it. Sir Luther isn't a stranger to me, after all."

I nodded, relieved. "Alright, then. Let's talk to him about it once we get home."

I suddenly recalled my last conversation with Luther. His face was still vivid in my mind. An unsettling mix of sadness, anger, and shock. The way his jaw had tightened, how his eyes had darkened... It was as if he was struggling to hold himself together.

Even now, I still couldn't fully believe what he had told me. His explanation had been difficult to accept, even though, deep down, I had already harbored my own suspicions.

"Was it really true?" I found myself whispering the question under my breath.

I exhaled sharply, shaking my head. At some point, I'll have to tell Sam the truth.

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