The morning light crept through the modest curtains of Solis's room in the inn, its golden hue bathing the wooden floor in warmth. He sat up slowly, his mind already ticking with the plan for the day. Today, they would journey west—toward the edge of the Pompom Village and into the borderlands of Sagacia, where Glenhill awaited. On top of that remote hill was said to live a sage, one who could see beyond the veil of time. If anyone could provide answers about the mysterious veil the Ashlight Circle sought to pierce, it would be him.
Solis rubbed his eyes and stood, taking a moment to peer out the window. The village is calm. For now. But the calm wouldn't last.
They couldn't afford to fail.
---
Downstairs, the group was already gathering. Ada twirled her twin swords lazily around her wrists, the blades slicing through the air in elegant arcs. Her mood was light and excited, clearly eager for the road ahead.
"Careful where you swing those things," Solis muttered as he passed her, dodging a blade by inches.
Ada grinned, unfazed. "Just checking if the balance is right. Never know when you'll run into a squirrel with a grudge."
"You'll give me a grudge if you take off my ear," Solis muttered.
Across the room, Vaidya and Razille were deep in discussion.
"...the bark of a Glinroot tree can be brewed into a tea that reduces inflammation," Vaidya explained, eyes alight with enthusiasm.
"I know," Razille replied, nodding. "But did you know that if dried under moonlight, its potency triples?"
Vaidya blinked. "Wait, really? How does that even work?"
Razille smirked. "Ask the moon."
Larielle stood nearby, checking her bowstring with practiced precision. As always, she wore the quiet, composed air of a leader. Her quiver rested against the table beside her, filled with arrows adorned with light-blue fletching.
Solis approached her. "Most Postknights I've seen prefer swords, spears, maybe an axe. But why... the bow?"
Larielle didn't look up. "Because I'm Sagacian. We grew up among the trees—our homes are on branches, our lives depend on agility and precision. You learn early that a well-placed arrow can do what brute force cannot."
She finally glanced at him. "Besides, it's not the weapon that defines a knight. It's how you wield it."
Solis nodded, silently embarrassed because of asking it like an idiot.
Maglina entered then, a gentle smile on her face. She walked to the door as the group finished gathering their things—checking bags, tightening buckles, and securing weapons.
"You're all set?" she asked, her eyes scanning each of their faces with quiet fondness.
Larielle gave a firm nod. "We'll be heading out in a few minutes. Glenhill isn't too far, but the terrain will slow us down."
Maglina approached them with her hands folded neatly in front of her apron. "Just be careful. That hill's quiet, but not always kind. Weather shifts fast up there, and not every trail leads where you think."
Ada twirled a blade once before sliding it back into its sheath. "A little wind and fog won't stop me. Besides, I'm curious to meet this sage everyone keeps whispering about."
Solis offered a small smile. "We'll be cautious. We're not just going for curiosity this time… there's a lot riding on what we might find."
Maglina's eyes lingered on him, as if searching for something beneath his calm tone. "I know. That's what worries me. You all carry more weight than you should."
Vaidya gave a light-hearted shrug. "Some days it feels heavy. Other days, it feels right. Today, I think it's the latter."
Razille added, "And we're not going alone this time. We've got each other."
Maglina stepped back toward the door and placed a hand gently on the frame. "Then good luck. And come back in one piece, alright? The village… it needs people like you. Whether you realize it or not."
There was a pause—brief, but full of shared understanding.
As they stepped outside, adjusting to the morning light and cooler air, Maglina stood behind them, waving slowly.
"May the trees whisper safely around you," she called, her voice soft but certain.
Ada turned back halfway down the steps, flashing a wink. "We'll bring you back a tale or two."
Maglina chuckled. "Just bring yourselves back. That'll be enough, sweetheart."
---
The road to Glenhill was untamed and winding. The further they walked, the less the path resembled a road and more a suggestion, faint footprints fading into overgrown brush.
Larielle led the group with quiet confidence, her eyes scanning ahead.
Ada moved in wide, energetic strides. "Is it just me or is this forest...too quiet?"
"You just like trouble," Vaidya replied, half-joking.
"Maybe," she replied with a grin. "Or maybe I'm just used to excitement."
Razille walked beside Vaidya, still engaged in their earlier conversation. "If we find any Silvercap mushrooms, they'd be useful. Especially if someone ends up injured."
"I'll keep my eyes open," Vaidya replied. "I read they only grow near old stone."
Solis walked at the rear, eyes sweeping their surroundings constantly. He remembered the lesson from his first real mission. One moment of distraction, and everything could unravel. His hand rested near the hilt of his blade, every muscle ready.
Ada's swords sliced through the air again. Solis flinched slightly.
"Ada," he said through gritted teeth. "Can you not play sword dance in a forest that might be crawling with enemies?"
Ada scoffed, not breaking rhythm. "Relax. I'm warming up."
"You're warming up my nerves."
"Would you two like a separate trail to bicker on?" Larielle called back dryly.
Vaidya chuckled under his breath.
Solis sighed. "Just... be careful."
The trail narrowed as they moved uphill. Trees towered above, their canopies blotting out the sun in places, allowing only shafts of light to dapple the path. Birds chirped in bursts, their melodies echoing between trunks.
"Feels like we're being watched," Ada murmured.
"We are," Larielle confirmed, slowing her pace. "Forest creatures. They keep track of unfamiliar movement. Just don't act like prey."
Ada sheathed her swords with a soft clink. "Noted."
As they climbed, the air grew thinner and cooler. Mist clung to the ground, curling around their boots.
Vaidya stopped briefly to inspect a patch of mushrooms growing at the base of a tree.
"Silvercaps," he murmured, crouching.
"Be quick," Razille said. "We don't want to fall behind."
They waited only a minute before he rejoined them, satisfied.
Time passed in steady steps, until a high slope marked the final stretch. Glenhill loomed above them now, the cottage barely visible through the veil of fog.
"That's it," Larielle confirmed, her voice steady as she drew her bow across her back and glanced upward. The narrow path spiraled gently along the slope, flanked by moss-covered stones and whispering trees that bent slightly in the breeze. "Stay sharp. The sage is reclusive, but not hostile."
"Reclusive enough to be considered a myth in some towns," Razille added, her voice carrying a hint of caution. "People come looking for answers… most return with more questions."
Solis stared at the silhouette of the cottage, half-swallowed by the mist, like a half-forgotten memory. His hand drifted instinctively to the hilt of his blade. "Let's hope he has answers," he murmured.
"We didn't climb all this way just for more riddles," Vaidya said, adjusting the strap of his satchel. He looked winded but focused, his boots stained with the earth of Glenhill's path. "The Ashlight Circle isn't going to wait for us to figure it out."
Ada stepped forward, resting her hands on the hilts of her twin swords. "I say let the sage try. I've got some pent-up questions—and maybe a few threats if he doesn't talk straight."
Razille shot her a look. "We're asking for wisdom, not interrogating a bandit, Ada."
"Same thing sometimes," Ada grinned, then tossed her ponytail behind her shoulder. "Depends on the attitude."
Larielle let out a breath that was almost a chuckle, the corner of her mouth tilting upward. "He lives this high up for a reason. I doubt our threats would move him."
Solis stared at the silhouette of the cottage. "Let's hope he has answers."