Fenna finished reading the last line of the report without blinking.
She placed the sheet back on the pile, took a moment to reread the passage where the testimonies described the final room as feeding on the ambient humidity, then the mention of the water shield. She knew the theory and the patterns. But dungeons never exactly matched what we thought we knew. She put down her pen and blew softly, as if to chase away fatigue before it set in. The hubbub of the Hall rose in waves, muffled and steady, like a sea that never stopped lapping against the quays.
There was a knock at the door. An assistant poked his head in, his face as neutral as a wall.
"Fenna. The Verdant Cradle duo is here. Kai and Rin are asking to see you in the hall."
Fenna nodded, unsurprised. "Very well. I'll be right there."
When the assistant disappeared, Fenna gathered the complete report and closed it with a thin ribbon. She grabbed a second sheet, shorter, more official, the one with the decisions. The two names were already written at the top, the rank not yet assigned, but the sheet was ready to be signed as soon as the rank was entered.
She stood up, mechanically smoothed the crease in her sleeve, and went out.
In the Hall, amid people avoiding each other without looking at each other, contracts changing hands before they were even posted, and eyes sizing everything up, she spotted them immediately.
Rin, who was impossible to miss, was already looking in her direction, waiting for her to come. And next to her, Kai was looking at the available contracts, but this time not on the general board, but on the Skills search board.
Fenna walked over and called out to them, without coming down this time. "Rin. Kai."
Rin raised her chin. "Ah, Lady Fang."
Kai turned his head slightly.
Fenna responded with a simple smile. "Come here, it'll be quicker."
She didn't give them time to wonder if they should follow her. She simply turned and walked. They followed.
The living room awaited them, silent, warm, cut off from the noise by thick curtains and a door. Fenna sat in front of the report, already laid out on the table.
"Please, have a seat."
Rin sat down first. Kai sat down next, back straight, hands resting as if to prove he was hiding nothing.
Fenna opened the report and placed it so she could read it without waving it around.
"I'll get straight to the point. The Verdant Cradle mutated during your visit. It's not the first dungeon to evolve, but... the scale is unusual for a Renewal."
Rin spoke slowly. "We noticed."
Fenna didn't respond. She scanned a passage with her eyes.
"The report mentions an adventurer with fire magic. And an adaptive response from the dungeon: arrival of a water supply, reinforcement of the shield, aggressive use of the new element. This led to a sharp decrease in the number of survivors for more than twenty-four hours."
She looked up at Kai, without accusation.
"Are you that fire mage?"
Kai took a second. Not to think about the answer. To weigh up the consequences.
"I think so, yes."
Rin simply looked at Kai with support.
Fenna nodded.
"I need to know more about the extent of your Skills. Dungeons are living systems that need to be studied to better understand their nature. And you've clearly had a significant impact on this one."
She tapped the report with the tip of her quill.
"The more details I have, the more we'll understand."
Kai clenched his jaw.
"And... if I refuse?"
"Then we won't be able to understand why, for the first time, a fire mage appeared in the Verdant Cradle. Nor how it was able to evolve so much," Fenna replied calmly.
Rin tilted her head. "Is that all?"
Fenna held her gaze. "As far as we know, since it's impossible to enter a Renewal dungeon other than through Providence, you haven't committed any crime."
Rin frowned. "But... if Kai hadn't had fire, we could have avoided this?"
Fenna paused briefly, then replied without embellishment.
"Maybe. Or maybe it's just a coincidence, or a reaction to another Skill. Maybe another Renewal triggered this evolution, but he didn't survive. Nothing is ever guaranteed. But the fire here is clearly intriguing, and the timing seems too perfect."
Kai ran a hand over his knee, a discreet but telling gesture.
She continued, without changing her tone, as if stating a fact that needed to be made clear before paranoia set in.
"And hiding your Skills is a right like any other. It's a shame we can't better understand what might have happened, but I can't force you to do so."
Fenna turned a page. Her pen stopped at another passage. She didn't allow time for an answer, not yet. "There's something else."
Fenna spoke bluntly. "According to the report, your appearance changed between your exit from the dungeon and your departure from the camp."
Silence fell suddenly, sharply.
Kai didn't move. But his gaze became colder, more closed. Fenna saw it and didn't press the issue as her predecessor would have done. She put down her pen.
"I'll be transparent. Some Skills attract envy. Others attract contempt. And some... are simply strategic to keep to oneself."
Fenna stared at Kai, her eyes a little more serious than usual.
"This information could also allow us to give you more specific missions, with the rewards that go with them. Certain Skills are particularly sought after, as you must have seen downstairs."
This time, she stopped and waited for him to talk.
Kai hesitated for a long time. Part of him wanted to end this lie, another part knew how Thalior was perceived by some. He hesitated to lie as well, and give a list of Skills without Thalior in it. Then Rin put a hand on his shoulder. She didn't seem to be suggesting one choice over another, just that she would follow whatever answer he gave.
"I'll think about it," he finally said. "But for now, I'd rather not say anything."
Fenna nodded, looking disappointed. "I hope you'll make the right choice."
Rin snorted, half relieved, half surprised. "You're surprisingly decent."
Fenna gave a tiny smile, the first one that seemed fake. "I try, but unfortunately it doesn't often pay off."
She closed the file and took out the official form. "Then, let's move on to registration."
She spoke with the precision of someone who had done this a thousand times, never forgetting that for others, it was their first time.
"Declared names: Kai. Rin. Origin: Solene for Kai, Renewal status only for Rin. Duo confirmed."
Kai raised his hand slightly. "I already had a rank in Solene. From the Sapphire Blaze guild, if that helps."
Fenna replied immediately. "Elronde works a little differently from what I've heard about Solene."
"Here, we rank groups first. A group is worth more than the sum of its members, because it survives where individuals die. Coordination, cover, decision-making... all of that is important."
Rin sat up straight, already ready to love the concept if it could give them a better rank.
Fenna continued. "As you registered as a duo, I'm assigning your duo the E-Rank."
Rin froze. "E?"
Kai blinked, surprised too, but more cautiously.
"We came out of a... D-rank incident," Rin blurted out. "With a boosted Matriarch. And we're E?"
Fenna turned a page of the report and read aloud, without dramatization. "Indeed, 'Mara and Joren confirm that Kai and Rin faced the Matriarch mostly alone. Intervention by the witness duo limited to Spriggans and survival.'"
She looked up at Kai and added more coldly than usual. "But there were four of you who went out. The context was exceptional, and the details are unfortunately still unknown. And above all... I don't know the exact extent of your Skills."
Rin opened her mouth, anger ready to burst out like a spark.
Kai placed a hand on her forearm. Gently. A silent reminder.
Fenna continued, still calm. "It's not against you. It's a responsibility. If I give you too high of a rank and you don't live up to it, you'll fail, and the guild will lose credibility."
Rin clenched her teeth. "So we pay because we don't want to tell everything."
Fenna accepted the wording without contradicting her. "I've always been transparent and respected your expectations. It can't just go one way. But I'm not worried. If you deserve to move up, it will become apparent quickly."
She handed him the sheet and a second pen. "And if you form a stable party, your rank will be reevaluated as a group. It can happen very quickly. Especially if you agree, one day, to clarify your profiles further."
Kai took the sheet and signed it. "Very well. We'll see each other again soon enough."
Rin signed in turn.
Fenna stood up, opened a drawer, and took out two silver plates. She placed one on the table in front of them, then took the other in both hands. Mana emanated from it. She handed it to Rin, then took the second one and repeated the process.
Rin read the inscription that appeared on it. "Kai and Rin, E-Rank duo."
Rin stared at them, then slowly looked up. "Why is your name first?"
Kai sighed. "Probably because I'm better?"
Rin tapped the plate with her finger.
Fenna couldn't help but let out a breath. "You are officially registered," she concluded. "You can move around Elronde and the guilds freely. You will be able to take on general missions. And if you wish to discuss opportunities later... my door remains open."
Kai took his plaque and turned it between his fingers. "Thank you."
Fenna walked to the door and opened it for them. They pushed aside the curtains, and the noise of the Hall washed over them like a wave.
They walked outside the Hall. Rin took two more steps, then turned to Kai, already looking elsewhere. "Okay. Where are they waiting for us again?"
"Valdo's Naughty Toast," he replied, still deep in thought.
Rin burst out laughing. "That name is criminal."
Kai shrugged. "As long as it's cheap."
Rin started walking again, already impatient, already alive. "I really hope there's a bath nearby."
Kai followed her, not letting the silence settle in. "Are you okay with being E-Rank?"
Rin didn't stop and kept up her enthusiasm. "It's better than nothing, and anyway, we're aiming for a party."
Kai lowered his head. But Rin continued more seriously. "I know what some people think of Thalior. And it's not up to me to decide whether you should reveal your Skills or not. Besides, I didn't even reveal all of mine, even though she didn't seem interested in me."
Kai asked honestly. "But do you think I should?"
Rin stopped this time and turned back to him. "Not publicly, and especially not under duress. Only to people you trust."
Kai felt relieved, then asked her again. "And can we trust her?"
Rin understood something she refused to acknowledge. Then she smiled, feigning innocence. "How should I know?"
Kai looked at her seriously and insisted. "Lady Fang... Is she sincere in her intentions?"
Rin opened her eyes wide, then replied, defeated. "Yes..."
Kai set off again, trusting her answer, not as one trusts a person, but as one trusts a Skill. And for the first time since the Renewal, the city didn't just seem huge to him. It seemed... accessible.