The three of them moved forward. With every step, Mariana grew smaller behind them.
The sun was rising slowly. Morning had fully arrived. They were walking through the Mimor forest — Mimor being the name for the trees with golden leaves.
Nain walked behind the other two. All three moved in comfortable silence, eyes drifting over the world around them.
"Why aren't there any goblins or other monsters here?" Jhed asked.
"Because they've all been killed," Shine said.
"So the dungeon must be empty too."
"No. There are large three-headed serpent monsters inside," Nain said.
"So — why did you come along?" Jhed asked.
"I wanted to see the world. I've never left the city since the day I was born. Everything I know about the world, I learned from books." Nain said it with a quiet joy on her face unlike anything she'd shown before.
The sounds of birds and rustling leaves filled the air around them. Jhed's satchel sat on his back. Golden Mimor trees surrounded them on all sides, and each time one of their feet landed on the fallen leaves blanketing the ground, it gave a soft, dry crunch.
"I still can't believe it — how exactly did you kill Miruth?" Nain said. "Can you walk me through it?"
"Sure." Shine told her everything — exactly how they'd done it.
"So that's how you killed him," Nain said, genuinely astonished.
"If you wanted to come with us, why didn't you prepare anything?" Jhed asked.
"Why did she even come? Because of her, finding my way back to my own world feels even further away." Jhed thought to himself.
He felt like Nain joining them would only delay his return home — though he still had no idea whether returning was even possible. He hadn't yet grasped the simple truth: his body back in his old world was already dead. By now it would have decayed. Or perhaps only bones remained.
"I was scared — I didn't know whether I should come or not," Nain said.
Shine had gone quiet. Because they were heading somewhere that frightened him — a place that had been getting closer with every step, and with every step, his dread grew heavier.
"I don't want to go back there," Shine thought to himself.
Jhed glanced over at him. He understood why Shine was afraid. But he said nothing. Because bad memories don't disappear just because someone understands them — Jhed knowing wouldn't make Shine's fear go away. It was strange, in a way — that someone with a power as extraordinary as Shine's could still be afraid of something like this.
Jhed recalled their conversation from the night before.
["But why are we going there?" Shine had asked.
"I still owe him two silver coins," Jhed said.
"I don't like that place at all," Shine said, with real bitterness.
He hated Animal deeply. But Shine had forgotten something — that many other S-Class adventurers just like him were still trapped there, enslaved to Animal. What about them? He should have known that in two months, he'd have to return to Animal regardless — unless Jhed chose him again.
Shine had only been loaned to Jhed.
"If I don't pay him those two silver coins, he'll make me his slave too," Jhed had said. "You wait outside — don't come in. That's all. Don't be scared." Jhed had placed a hand on his shoulder.]
"Look — there's a house over there. Who would live so deep in a forest like this?" Nain said.
All three of them stopped in front of it. This was Animal's house — Animal, the S-Class adventurer who rented people out. He was the one who had loaned Shine to Jhed.
They approached the house. Shine's feet wouldn't move properly. Sweat had broken out across his skin. His hands trembled from fear. His stomach churned.
"Come on, Shine," Nain said.
"Yeah... yeah." Shine moved forward.
"What a large house," Nain said, looking it over.
"Both of you wait here. I'll go in," Jhed said, and stepped inside.
Shine and Nain stayed outside.