The guild doors opened quietly and Jin stepped inside, just like when he first arrived it was rowdy but none of it pulled his attention for long, instead he went straight for the receptionist desk
Eina noticed him the moment he stepped in.
Relief showed immediately on her face, like she had been waiting to see him walk through those doors.
"…You're up," she said as he approached "the doctors finally let you leave?"
"Yeah" Jin gave a small nod. "Although they said I shouldn't push myself too hard as I'm still recovering."
She hesitated for just a second after that, then exhaled softly. "…I heard about what happened." Her voice lowered slightly, more careful now. "About your party… the dungeon…" she paused again then continued while bowing her head a bit "I'm sorry."
"Don't be…It wasn't your fault." He replied in his ever calm tone. "Things just went the way they did."
Eina raised her head, letting the moment pass for a bit before shifting back to work mode. "…Are you planning to take on another quest?"
Jin shook his head lightly. "Unfortunately I can't."
"…Still recovering?" she asked. "Or perhaps…..planning on retiring" she continued "Recently two people from that party submitted their resignation"
"…Not exactly." He paused briefly, then added, "thought I wasn't allowed to take quest without a team."
"…ah" Eina blinked once, then her expression shifted slightly as it clicked before letting out a soft laugh "That reminds me" she paused as she turned her attention elsewhere, toward two familiar figures off to the side.
Caelus and Cypher.
"…Are you two still looking for another member?"
Caelus looked up, a bit confused. "Sure… why?"
To which Eina gestured towards Jin letting them know that he was in need of a party
Caelus turned and recognized him immediately. "…Oh. It's you." He said in excitement "How're you feeling?"
"I'm good," Jin replied. "Ah... thank you once again for saving me."
Caelus scratched the back of his head, looking away for a second. "Yeah… it was nothing." He paused, then added more casually, "If you're looking for a party, you can join us."
"Seems you're somewhat acquainted" Eina clapped once with a smile on her face before marking it down, making it official
Jin stayed where he was for a moment, before finally speaking up. "…So when do we start?"
Caelus answered without thinking too much about it. "Tomorrow." He stretched his arm lightly again, like the decision had already been made earlier. "Took on a lot of requests these past few days and we decided to take today off."
"Mhmmhm" Cypher nodded twice as she set down her beer. "Basically you're free to do whatever you want for the whole day."
Jin accepted it with a small nod. "…Understood."
There was a brief pause before Cypher's attention shifted back to Caelus. "…What about you?"
He already had an answer. "Training."
"…Again?" Her expression didn't change much, but there was a hint of amusement there. "All that because of one swing?"
Caelus exhaled lightly. "That 'one swing' deleted the monster."
She laughed out loud, but she didn't argue further. "Suit yourself." Then she set down her cup and stood up "well, better get going my little apprentice"
"Tch don't get ahead of yourself cause I asked you to train me" Caelus nudged her a bit "Ah Jin if you don't have much going on, you could always come watch us at the training ground"
Jin watched them leave as he wondered how he'd spend the day
_____
The guild doors closed behind Jin and the noise slowly faded the farther he went away from the guild. He walked really slowly without a clear destination, simply observing and taking in details he would have ignored before.
The city felt peaceful for some reason; People moved casually, conversations could be heard from every turn, and even the wind was calm.
At some point, he came to a halt as two familiar figures stood ahead. It was Lyra and her older sister, and just like he noticed them, they noticed him too. There was a brief moment of silence before recognition settled in. Lyra looked better than before, but not completely.
"…You're out already," Mira said first.
Jin gave a small nod as he approached. "Yeah."
Lyra looked at him carefully, like she was checking for anything off. "…How are you feeling?"
"Better," he replied. "Doctor said I should avoid stressing myself for now to avoid reopening some wounds." Jin's gaze shifted to Lyra. "…And you?"
She hesitated for just a second, then nodded. "I'm good." Her voice, though quiet, was steadier than before. "I've been attending some sessions to help with my mental state."
Jin nodded once. "Glad you're doing much better now."
"Thank you" Lyra smiled "better get going, was nice talking to you again"
"You too" Jin replied
They both bid each other farewell before they parted and Jin continued his walk
Eventually, the noise of the city faded as he found himself near a lake, the surface still and beautiful except for the slow movement of ducks drifting across the water. He sat down on a nearby bench without thinking much about it, resting his arms lightly as he watched.
Time passed without him noticing, at some point, he picked up small crumbs left nearby and tossed them toward the water. The ducks gathered almost immediately
He stayed there for a while before finally getting up and leaving
_____
By the time evening came, the training grounds was unrecognizable
Caelus was on the ground, completely exhausted as he stared up at the sky like he had just survived something far worse than a simple training session. Sweat clung to him and his limbs were heavy from repeated strain.
Earlier, he had been swinging a sword over a hundred times. Then into conditioning and eventually something that looked less like training and more like punishment.
Cypher stood nearby, completely fine with no sign of sweat. If anything, she looked like she had barely started.
Jin arrived quietly, taking in the scene without interrupting. The difference between them was obvious at a glance. One was barely holding himself together. The other looked like she could continue for hours.
Cypher noticed him first, her attention shifting slightly as she asked about his day.
Jin paused before answering "Peaceful….. didn't realize I needed that"
Caelus let out a weak breath from the ground, clearly not sharing the same experience. After a moment, he pushed himself up slightly, sitting now, his curiosity surfacing despite the exhaustion. He asked what Jin specialized in. Since he was now an official member of their party so they could know where to place him
Jin didn't answer immediately, Instead he raised his hand and constructed the bow similar to the one he used in the dungeon then an arrow followed before finally, he drew and released, easily striking a distant target with ease.
"So you're an archer…..Coooool" Caelus stared for a moment longer than he intended, his interest clearly caught. "That said though….." he grabbed Jin by the shit "THAT WAS COOOOL…..WHAT KIND OF MAGIC WAS THAT, CAN YOU TEACH ME"
"As much as I wouldn't mind, I can't teach you" Jin shook his head slightly.
Caelus frowned a bit. "No as in… you can't teach it, or no as in it's complicated?"
"…Neither." Jin's gaze as well as his voice remained calm as ever. "It's a lineage art."
Caelus blinked. "…Lineage?"
Jin gave a small nod. "Certain families are born with unique abilities that can't be learned or copied by anyone outside of that family. These abilities can range from either special magic types to completely unique powers." He paused cycling through different weapons as he went from a bow to a spear, a sword, a claymore, some chains and eventually they faded back to nothing
"…Then what about me?" Caelus said after a moment, "If stuff like that exists… wouldn't the family I came from have something too?"
The thought slipped out before he could stop it.
"Well, not every single family has a Lineage Art" Jin's eyes shifted toward him. "…What family are you from?"
Caelus paused, then a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he looked away. "…That's a secret for now."
"…I see." Jin replied
The conversation faded not long after that.
Cypher stretched lightly, glancing up at the dimming sky before speaking. "…It's getting late, we should probably head back."
No one had any objections, especially Caelus who was burned out from training.
They left the training ground at a slow pace, and its Cypher carrying Caelus on her back as he was too exhausted to walk