Side story 2, part 3: Of runestones and elements

-19.04.1052-

-Location: A library in Silvana-

-Time: About 11:30-

Aria's eyes glanced across a large bookshelf. The numerous tomes, each outfitted with a crudely drawn name, littered the shelves. Their sizes ranged from comparable to her palm to so large that she wouldn't have a comfortable way of holding them one-handed. Most of the titles were reachable despite her small height.

She shuffled on her feet. Stepping on the wooden floor, she soon reached a large library counter. Her emerald eyes gazed left and right, quickly locating the only other person present in the building.

"Miss Mina," she called out to the woman. "Do you have a moment?"

The person in question turned to her, revealing in full the somewhat petite woman not unlike herself. Jocelyn Mina, as the woman was called, was slightly taller than Aria. Her amber eyes had a discerning look to them as she recognized who was talking to her. Shuffling in her slightly sagging tunic and pants, she trekked closer.

"Miss Brinn," Jocelyn started, her voice punctuated by a slight rasp. "Civil clothing, it must be Sunday today," she commented off-handedly, quickly stepping behind a counter. "What do you need?"

"I came to return the books I've rented," the white-haired Mage answered, placing her bag on the counter. Undoing its seal, she rummaged inside, bringing out several books one after another.

Jocelyn's small hands quickly grabbed the titles, separating them into a few small piles nearby. Her dark-brown hair, normally cascading to her chest, was flung back to allow her full view of what she was doing.

Within a few minutes, Aria stood in one spot, calmly waiting for the librarian to sort the books into a few stashes. Jocelyn's hands moved swiftly, her finger pointing to a list of entries on a sheet of paper. Stealing a glance, Aria noticed that her name filled almost every position from the last month.

...and the month before that...

...

...and the one preceding it.

...

Within a minute or so, Jocelyn had finished. The books were put aside as her eyes glimmered.

"Unexpected, to be returning them all of a sudden. Some were gone for not even a week," her eyes squinted, visible curiosity within. "Something happened, I imagine?"

"So to speak," Aria's white hair waved with a nod. "I am leaving Silvana on an urgent business, so I wanted to return them."

"Leaving?" Jocelyn almost snorted. With a gesture of her head, she invited the white-haired woman to the side. "Do tell more."

Aria almost immediately walked to a small table nearby. Sitting in a chair, she gazed at the librarian. Jocelyn quickly joined her, her hands holding two cups and a large bottle. Uncorking it, she poured its contents. Sizzling and popping filled the air.

"What business are you leaving on?" Jocelyn inquired, putting the bottle aside and sipping her drink.

"I need to go to Lodiz for a couple of days," Aria replied. Grabbing the cup and bringing it to her mouth, she felt the somewhat sweet scent of the liquid before she let some of it in. The fuzzy sensation mixed with its somewhat sour taste, but it lacked any alcoholic undertone. It was a slightly strange drink for her preferences, but she'd had it enough times to not even wince.

"Lodiz?" Jocelyn raised a brow. "Why would that rotten bitch send you there?"

"I need to go and find someone in there for a case I lead, so she gave me a bit of work to do while I'm there."

The librarian made a short sound akin to a snort. "Sounds just like something she'd do. I swear, she's getting lazier by the year," Jocelyn's arms crossed over her chest. "It's been at least a year since I last had my request approved."

"Well," Aria responded. "It may look like that, but there is a deficit of people in the office. Everyone is strained with work (most of us barely get vacations, even)."

"Same response she's been giving me the past ten years, Aria," Jocelyn riposted with a cut tongue. "Would it kill her to ask some larger city for a couple heads? Westan is closer than Lodiz or Guill. But no, apparently she doesn't want to admit she can't handle what's happening! I had to go and grab some of the documents myself! That was almost two whole days gone from my life!" she burst out, visible anger written over her face. "Good thing we have that other guy around (Huran, was his name?) to handle the guards. I can't imagine what chaos it would've been if someone as inept as Nimmel got her hands on that..." her voice trailed off.

Aria didn't answer. Though she didn't want to admit it, she did understand Jocelyn's position. Endless sifting through documents was a reality she was a part of. How many of those pertained to a request for an update on important documents in Silvana's only library? Even the white-haired Mage wasn't sure how many of those went through her hands, let alone how many were made altogether. She did not want to think how few of them were actually approved of.

A few moments of silence ensued. Aria sipped her drink quietly, her eyes scanning Jocelyn's form. The librarian's chest puffed up as her anger lost momentum, transitioning into a heavy sigh. However, not a word left her mouth.

Aria decided to break the silence.

"Jocelyn," the Mage started slowly. "Do you know what runestones are?"

"?" the brown-haired woman tilted her head. "Runestones? I read some about them. A product of advanced alchemy. Mana stones infused with runic power. Why do you ask?"

"I just, uh..." Aria's hand went to the pocket of her jacket. She grabbed the item inside, instantly feeling a bit of warmth in her chest rise as she brought it up. "Could this be a runestone?"

Jocelyn squinted, her hand going to meet Aria's. For several seconds, her amber eyes seemed to glisten with pure curiosity as she grabbed the item, inspecting it closer. She hummed lowly, lost in thought.

"Could be," she eventually shrugged. "I'm not an expert, but this is definitely a mana stone. The inscription atop looks like an alchemical symbol, though I'd have to check which one this was. Where did you get this from?" she asked, her gaze expectant.

"Travis gave it to me a few days ago. He didn't say where he got it from, though."

Aria's words hung in the air for several moments. Jocelyn's eyes widened slightly at the mention of the man. Suddenly, she gave a small chuckle.

"Travis, huh? Met him lately?"

The white-haired Mage nodded. "He visited me after returning from the capital and gave it to me as a gift."

"Is he holding himself well?"

Aria glanced to the side, a bit of uncertainty in her gaze. "I... I don't know. He seemed to be all right, all things considered, but I couldn't help but feel that he was hiding himself. Right after returning to Silvana, he set off for Quear Mountains."

"Quear? Didn't you say once he was level 1 last month? Does he have a **** wish?" Jocelyn's brow raised.

The white-haired woman didn't answer, but her expression was that of agreement. She knew well that it wasn't easy to level up. Especially if someone was traveling rather than searching for hunting grounds, the difficulty of increasing one's level would only increase.

Though, another thing stirred within Aria's mind. Guided by a question, she focused on Jocelyn better.

"Jocelyn, Travis was your student at some point, right? What was he like?"

The amber eyes of the librarian turned in her direction. No specific emotion showed itself. Rather, her look seemed calculative as she scrutinized Aria.

"Am I being questioned, Miss Brinn?" she asked, her tone suddenly chill.

"Not at all. It's just personal curiosity."

Mina's expression softened slightly as she recognized that Aria was speaking truthfully. Her mouth grimaced.

"Well, what's there to say," she started, her gaze escaping to one of the bookshelves. "He's not a very bright man. It didn't seem that way at first, but the more I got to know him, the more it became obvious," Jocelyn said. However, contrary to her words, her tone didn't so much as hint at negativity. "I was honestly surprised that he knew how to read fluently (it's not that common, you know? And it was especially surprising when I learned how little he knew of some things.). But he was always an advocate of justice, and stood with me when people were rude. He was kind and pretty easy to talk to, too. It's like some kind of an aura he has."

"An aura?"

"I don't really know how to express it," Jocelyn made an abstract gesture whilst sighing. "Maybe I simply had to do all this on my own for too long. Travis made his three months here feel like three years for me. Bottom line is, I liked having him around. I guess the best part about him was how stubborn he is."

"Stubborn?" Aria frowned slightly.

"Yeah. He's the type of guy who will not give up until he achieves his goal, given or set. I mean, he's had enough class changes to last him a few lifetimes. And until the end, he had never stopped giving it his all. In a wicked way, I kind of admire him for that. He just does not give up. He's a dunce, yes, but a persistent one."

Aria took a few seconds to dissect Jocelyn's words. Her own observations of the man did align at least partially. She didn't know Travis enough to discern if he was as much a fool as Jocelyn painted him but she could without question confirm that he was a determined and kind person. He saved her in that hellscape they've been through. Even though he might've died himself, he risked it to save her. And on top of that, he never lost hope they'd return. Aria felt her heart thump with warmth at the thought.

"Though..." the librarian continued, her face expressing a ponder. "Thinking about him and Quear Mountains... If it's him, he might be onto something."

"???" Aria looked at the woman, shocked. Didn't they just agree that going to Quear Mountains was a **** sentence for the man? "What do you mean?"

"Travis isn't smart, but even he would know going to Quear for the current him is stupid. That's why I think he has a way to get around."

"A way? What way?"

"Do I look like I know, Aria?" the librarian asked, her tone laced with sarcasm. "A companion, a unique class, or maybe just good equipment. All I can tell with certainty is, he doesn't take unnecessary risks unless he has a way."

Aria didn't reply in any way, her eyes closing. Bringing the cup to her lips, she sipped the fuzzy drink, her thoughts diverging.

Suddenly, she let out an **** chuckle.

"A water, isn't he..." she said quietly.

"A water?" Jocelyn's amber eyes glimmered, surprise lurking within as she gazed at her conversationalist.

Aria's eyes shot open. Recognizing that she let her thoughts slip, she cleared her throat.

"Well, it's a superstition running in my family. It says that everyone is one of the four cardinal elements, depending on their personality."

"Oh? Haven't heard of comparison like that before," Jocelyn's gaze turned intrigued. "So, why's he a water?"

"Water is the element of change," Aria explained. "It adapts quickly and fills in every spot it can. People who are a water are just like that, learning to go on even when it's difficult. They have a deep sense of connection with others. They can strife through many things. And I think it fits Travis the most."

The brown-haired woman fixed her attire a little, her expression expressing a ponder. Eventually, she nodded. "Then, what do the other elements mean?"

"Fire is the element of power. It burns wildly and passionately. People who are a fire have the desire and will, the energy and drive to achieve their goals," Aria stopped momentarily, giving Jocelyn a pause to digest her thoughts. As the librarian nodded, she continued. "Earth is the element of substance. It's sturdy and stands strong, just like the people who resemble it. They are steadfast and strong. Their endurance knows no limit, and they often are grounded in the reality they are in," again, she stopped. Aria could see that Jocelyn's amber eyes shone, her mind no doubt surging with the new information. "Air is the element of freedom. It flows freely everywhere. People like that are free and chaotic, unbothered by most concerns. They are intelligent and curious, not afraid to take on new challenges. It's also said they're great elemental contractors."

As she finished, Aria immediately took a long sip of her drink. The prolonged moments of silence were only broken by her and Jocelyn's quiet breaths as the librarian followed her lead.

"So," the other woman said. "Is this accurate? What element would I be?"

"...earth, probably," the white-haired Mage answered.

"Really? I'd rather see myself as fire," Jocelyn replied with a hum.

"Well, it's not like anyone is just one element. We're a collection of the traits they represent. This whole 'assessment' says more about what element best suits you. You are firm in your beliefs, that's why I think earth suits you best. You remind me a lot of Gerial."

"Pfft," Jocelyn smirked. "Are all bookworms 'earth' in your eyes?"

Aria smiled in response. "It's not about reading books. Foll loves reading as well, but he's clearly affined with air more than anything else. It's all about the personality. You're grounded in reality, hence earth fits you best."

The brown-haired librarian let out a faint sigh. Something clearly stirred in her mind, invisible yet obvious.

"Then, what element do you think you are?"

Aria's mouth opened, but it almost immediately closed. Jocelyn's inquiry sent a pang of uncertainty down her gullet. The answer she wanted to give, once so clear to her, was now foggy and uncertain. If it were a month ago, she'd respond 'water' in an instant. It was the element she always felt an affinity for and believed it fit her. She liked change, after all. She enjoyed improving her magic.

Now, however, she felt lost. The memory of her disappearance resurfaced. In the face of adversity, she almost immediately lost all hope. Just like a fire that burned fiercely but was snuffed out without air, all her determination and resilience burst like a bubble. This was unlike Travis, who did not stop believing in hope until the end. The realization sent an unpleasant shiver down her spine. Her fingers curled as she retreated her hands slightly.

"Aria?" Jocelyn's voice suddenly pierced through her thoughts. "Are you alright?"

"...yes. I'm just a little confused," she gave an answer. "I'm not really sure what my element is."

"Huh. You had no problem telling me what other's are," the librarian's voice, laced with subtle sarcasm, or perhaps laughter, bounced right off Aria's ears. Seeing that her words elicited no reaction whatsoever, Jocelyn sighed. "That aside," she said, deciding to change the topic. "When are you leaving for Lodiz?"

"Today evening," replied Aria.

"How long will you take?"

Aria shrugged. "Why?"

"Well, if you have a minute, I'd kill to have you` check a few titles in Lodiz's library. Wait, I'll get a list."

-Location: Southeast of Silvana-

-Time: About 13:30-

Aria raised her hand a little. The white shirt on her torso fluttered slightly as the wind welled up around her, tracing the exposed skin of her radius and converging at the tip of the ash-gray staff she held.

The tool of the trade was slightly longer than she was tall. Its tip branched out slightly, which allowed the weapon to hold a gemstone of a red hue. The gem crackled with mana as she concentrated.

Then, she aimed it at a pair of rats approaching her position.

'Wind Cutter.' the spell was formed before they managed to get any closer.

Several powerful slices went through the air, immediately mutilating the bodies of the rodents. Given their levels not reaching even the double-digit territory, there was no way for them to survive the onslaught. They were flung backward violently, dead.

The white-haired woman lowered her weapon slightly. The mana around her dispersed into thin air as sweat appeared on her cheeks. Her verdant eyes darted to her right, then to her left. There was nothing more to kill in the area.

Savoring the sense of mana in her veins, Aria discharged it from her staff, letting it flow back into her core. A light sigh escaped her mouth; her magic power was nearly exhausted now.

She relaxed her hold of the weapon slightly. Closing her eyes slowly, she searched for the next place to hunt.

It must've been an hour or so already since she came around to train. Aria's body was already protesting, having been through multiple phases of mana exhaustion but she did not let herself rest for long. Reaching into the bag resting over her shoulder, she pulled out a small potion filled with dense, blue liquid.

Downing the contents instantly, she felt the extremely bitter taste of whatever made the mana potion up. Her face grimaced involuntarily.

'Magic Detection.' she commanded her spirit. An intangible wave of mana emanated from her position. It traversed between the plant stalks, skipping over the dead groves and skimming past the mulchy mire.

Until.

'...!' Aria felt a tingling sensation guiding her in a direction. She halted her movements. Her head snapped right.

Immediately, a small boar came into her view. Judging its level to be low, Aria fired a large Icicle, wounding the beast. Its dark fur bristled as it whined in pain, taking note of her location. It huffed deeply before charging at her.

However, the tiny woman was already prepared. The staff in her hand quickly found its way to the ground. Together with it came a wave of mana that traveled down its ashen-gray surface to meet the mire.

Just before the beast reached her position, several spikes of earth erupted from around her feet, going in its direction. They were small, reaching about as high as Aria's knees, but for just a level 10 or so boar, it was more than enough to hold it down.

Unable to react in time, the beast hit the obstacle. Blood poured as it whined loudly, stepping back to reassess its state.

Aria, however, was already in the middle of casting another spell. A ball of fire floated above her palm, radiating a pleasant amount of warmth.

'Constrict.' she thought, almost as if she were sending a mental command to the fireball. Instantly, she could feel the mana around the ball shift slightly as it was fighting off her control. She felt a wall of mana stand around her spell, stopping her from exerting her own power over the spell.

But eventually, after a second, it started to give in. Unnoticeably at first, the fireball started shrinking. First, it became the size of a large coin. Then, it doubled down to the size of a marble. Eventually, it stopped when it was about the size of Aria's nail. The concentrated spell was flaming with nearly the same ferocity as before but its color had shifted into faintly orange-white. The heat pulsing from it was incomparably stronger. Aria started feeling uncomfortable with it being so close to her.

Aria's hand moved. With but a swipe, she was already aiming at the boar who had circled her previous attack. She smirked.

'Perfect.'

The Fireball shot forth instantly, creating a ripple of air that moved her hair. Unable to dodge, the boar was pierced right through its head. It fell to the ground, dead.

The ball of fire, however, was not done, exiting through the beasts's other side. It hit a tree and bounced off into the forest. Aria watched its movements, just barely able to catch up. One tree, then another, the spell flew around, scaring off birds perched on the branches. And then... it flew straight at her.

Aria was not able to react as her own spell closed the distance within a short second. Instinctually, she raised her hand, forming a barrier.

However, she was just a smidge too slow.

"OOOOW!" she shouted momentarily, falling onto the mire butt-first. Her hands went to her forehead, feeling the area she was hit in.

Hissing with pain, Aria pulled out a small potion filled with red liquid. Sipping it quickly, she suddenly let out a sharp rasp before relaxing slightly. The pain was diminishing by the second, thankfully.

'Thank gods it lost most of its strength.'

Feeling the spot on the skin, she confirmed its placement. A mark would surely be left for at least a day or two.

'Dammit.'

A slight huff left Aria's mouth. She wiped the painful tears that emerged.

'I wasn't trying to give it a bouncing property... I need more training in that. I wonder how Foll was able to control that so easily when he was twelve. A normal Mage would've blasted their hand off with a single misstep, and even a Brinn is expected to only learn that when stepping into adulthood.'

This was one of the things no book ever spoke about: the concentration of magic in spells. Controlling it was a technique developed solely by the Brinn family multiple generations ago. Many would kill to learn something like this, but it wasn’t as easy as learning a skill. This was her family's exclusive ability.

'And I still use way too much mana for that.' she grimaced, getting up. 'I need much more practice.' a sigh escaped her mouth. 'It's really a shame my work takes up so much time. I would've been at level 30 already if it wasn't for that.'

Gripping her staff tightly, Aria shifted it in her hands before aiming in a direction. Exhaling slowly, she concentrated her power. The gem atop her tool crackled loudly, arcs of electricity going around. A few seconds passed as the white-haired woman focused her gaze in the distance.

A jingle-like sound went through the air, sounding almost like a warning.

'Come on, just a little more...!' she begged, hoping for her silent request to reach the staff. 'Ease up, rotate...'

*CRACK!*

Aria's blood froze at the sound. Doing her best to control her reactions, the woman attempted to discharge some of the mana. The arcs of electricity began running wild, threatening to blow in her face.

*CRACK!*

The sound repeated. Aria felt the tool shake in her hand vigorously, just barely able to contain the power. Gritting her teeth, she tried to **** the spell to obey.

"!" her hand trembled as she felt her control slipping. The mana she'd built up was going rampant.

The energy almost immediately transformed into a powerful bolt of electricity. The powerful flash of light that accompanied it paled in comparison to the near ear-splitting sound of the lightning tearing through the air. Aria covered her ears as soon as she could, wincing in discomfort.

As the show subsided, Aria rubbed her eyes, waiting for them to recover from the sudden flash. The ringing in her ears persisted for a couple seconds.

'That was strong. Much too strong.' a sigh escaped her mouth at the thought. 'Controlling it is not possible without my old bracelets...'

Almost as though to emphasize her thought, Aria rubbed the silvery accessories. They felt rather warm.

'Had I not stopped, the overload might've broken them.'

Then, she inspected her staff. The wooden surface felt very warm to the touch, and the gem atop bore a large crack on its side. Aria sighed, hiding the tool in her bag.

'I best not try that anymore. Not until I--'

*RUMBLE!*

A loud sound interrupted Aria's thoughts, making her jump in her spot. The noises of an aged tree falling apart somewhere ahead of her immediately made her look toward it. It took naught a second for the white-haired woman to realize why it fell. Aria's eyes glanced upon the red-hot marks etched in the tree, smoke, and water vapor rising from its old bark. Her heart skipped a beat when she realized that the wood started burning from the temperature.

'No no no!' she squealed internally. Her small legs moved despite fatigue. She gathered whatever mana she had left in her body, trying to form a ball of water under her palm. However, her efforts ended in her mana simply depleting, unable to do her bidding.

Aria stopped a dozen or so meters from the fire. It didn't take long at all to start consuming the mire beneath, the smell of burning pine resin rising immediately.

The white-haired Mage immediately shoved her hand inside the bag by her side. A few tense seconds passed as she tried to feel where she put the mana bottle.

'Damnable thing!' she screamed internally, feeling many things brush against her fingers, but none being her target. 'Can never find what you need!'

Something suddenly passed by Aria with a whoosh, startling her as she finally grasped the mana bottle. Her eyes darted in the direction it came from.

A tall woman, vaguely familiar, stood near her. Her dark outfit hid most of her almost unnaturally pale skin, exposing only her proportional face with sleek cheeks. The stare of her gray eyes was sharp as she shot a quick glance into the forest around her. A glint of surprise, or perhaps confusion, glimmered as she looked at Aria.

"What happened?" she asked, her attention again diverging to the forest. Her hands, each clutching a dagger, were poised as she assumed a slightly defensive pose.

Aria made a surprised noise, taken aback by the tall woman's question. After all, wasn't it obvious what happened? No, in the first place, how was this woman in here, and why did she seem familiar?

"W-What?" Aria stammered. Suddenly, realizing what the woman's question pertained, she shook her head. "W-Wait, I'm not being attacked!"

The woman squinted with surprise. Her eyes locked with Aria's.

"What?"

"I'm not being attacked! I'm serious!" Aria uttered quickly, opening the mana potion and downing it.

The woman's attention turned to the tree Aria fell. Her initial **** with a Waterball had already been stifled, and the fire slowly resumed its spread.

"...let's wrap this up first."

-A few minutes later-

"So, you were training?" the woman asked. Her stilettos were hidden by her waist, but her hands were crossed on her chest. The gaze of her gray eyes seemed ever dangerous, sending chills down Aria's spine.

"Yes," Aria nodded.

The tall woman shot a glance into the forest, almost as though unsure of the validity of Aria's words.

"I heard a scream before, and soon after, this," she commented, kicking a bit of earth atop the tree they'd put out. She appeared to be asking for an explanation.

"It was my fault," the small Mage admitted. "I made a miscalculation and lost control."

'...she seems quite cold.' Aria assessed inwardly, seeing the Rogue (who knew elemental magic, apparently?) glance around with wariness still. She was not letting her guard down for even a millisecond.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Thank you for your help, but I am not in danger," she confirmed again.

The tall woman sighed, her posture finally relaxing a little.

"Then, try not to burn the forest again, Officer," she said a little off-handedly before turning in a direction.

"Huh?" 'Officer? But I'm in civil clothing. Wait... isn't she...?' "Wait a second! Miss Storm Rogue, right?"

"?" the black-haired woman stopped before turning. "What is it?"

"I, uh..." Aria halted her words as she felt the woman's hawk-like stare scrutinizing her. It felt more reserved than before. "I wanted to ask you about Travis."

A prolonged moment of silence transpired. Storm Rogue's gaze turned surprised, and then suspicious.

"He's no longer my student. I think we made that clear last time."

Her voice was laced with wariness. She was no doubt contemplating whatever Aria wanted to ask her.

"I'm aware. What I wanted to ask is more personal than professional."

"Which means you're not expecting an answer to it, are you?"

'She really picked a nuance like this in an instant...' Aria felt a bitter aftertaste in her throat at the realization. Was it the woman's wariness that made her sensitive to how people spoke, or was there another reason for her to search for such vulnerabilities so quickly and efficiently? She decided against pondering.

"I would be grateful if you answered."

Storm Rogue sighed but rolled her eyes. She would at least listen to the question.

"If Travis, being level 1 last month, came to you today and said he's going to Quear Mountains to level up, what would you say?"

The black-haired woman didn't answer for a few seconds. Her expression didn't give way to any particular emotion, a calculating look visible as she looked to the sky briefly. Seemingly deciding to not look for any prophecies in the milky clouds above, she sighed.

"Absurd, " a single word left her mouth.

"?" Aria's brow raised, her expression expectant.

"A level 1 can't grow enough in a month to justify going to Quear Mountains. That's just suicide."

"Isn't it?" the white-haired Mage nodded in agreement.

"Did he say something about going there?"

Aria nodded tentatively. Her uncertain gesture seemed to catch Storm Rogue's attention, who turned her gaze to the distance, possibly in the direction of Quear Mountains. She seemed to contemplate something deeply as her brows furrowed slightly.

Suddenly, a corner of her lips turned upward a little.

"Interesting," she said quietly, almost as though her words were not aimed at Aria.

"???" Question marks appeared above Aria's head, who did not understand the sudden (positive?) reaction. Just what was Storm Rogue thinking about all of a sudden?

"Well, I wouldn't worry much, Officer," she broke the silence. "If he said he's going there, he must have something on his mind. Travis I know realizes his limits, even if he's always trying to push past them. He wouldn't do something that's so clearly outside his power."

The answer made Aria feel a tad bit relieved. It was similar to what Jocelyn had told her earlier. Having a second opinion made her realize that perhaps, her own thoughts were not wrong. The swirling sensation of uncertainty in her chest waned. It was still present, but now it was manageable.

"Why do you ask, though?" Storm Rogue's words brought Aria out of her brief ponder.

"No particular reason. I am looking for him, so I wanted to know if, when he told me he's going to Quear Mountains, he could've been serious."

Storm Rogue squinted, a faint glint of reserve crossing her features. There was something about Aria's words that piqued her attention. "You're looking for him? Why? Is it about his MID being fake?"

"Oh? No, not at all," Aria replied. "I'm looking for him for personal reasons."

"Oh."

Then, a brief silence stretched between the two. The taller woman's eyes skittered to the side, shooting one last glance through the forest. There appeared to be something on her mind, but she decided against speaking her mind. Instead, Storm Rogue said a short goodbye and walked away, not intending to prolong the talk.

Aria exhaled deeply. The exhaustion, both from using up her mana several times and walking around for nearly two hours, was now getting to her in full.

'I think I've trained enough.' she thought, a wry smile creeping onto her face as she looked at the tree they had put out. 'I need to finish my preparations. I'm leaving in a couple hours.'

-Meanwhile-

Cecilia stopped after a few minutes. Shooting a careful glance behind, she confirmed that the small girl did not follow her. She hummed quietly, her gaze escaping to the sky.

'Huh. He never said he had a personal connection to the authorities. And a Brinn, on top of that...' a frown crossed her features at the thought.

She wasn't exactly sure when it occurred, or what exactly it was. All Cecilia knew was, that between her giving Travis the quest to go to Autir and the man leaving Silvana the next day, something happened. Him changing his class was one thing, but the higher-ups from the city leaving for a few days was another. However, no matter how she tried, the woman could not see a connection between the two other than the white-haired girl. Had she something to do with all this...?

'Something's definitely strange.' she deduced. 'All of this happening at once... no, there's definitely a connection. I should keep a closer eye on what's happening. At least until Violet returns.'