[FORSAKEN CIRCLE SAFE HOUSE — NIGHT]
Alex expected Emily to imdiately explain why she had quit the Temple.
Instead, she simply stood in the doorway, backpack still on her shoulders, looking at him with a mix of determination and nervousness.
Raven broke the silence first, crossing her arms and studying Emily with narrowed eyes—those new erald green eyes that glowed faintly even in the dim light.
"So," Raven said slowly, "let see if I understand this correctly."
She circled around Emily slowly, inspecting her like a predator evaluating prey.
"The forr academy classmate who didn’t defend Alex when he was unjustly expelled... who stayed silent while the Temple labeled him a threat... who ignored him for months afterward..."
Raven stopped directly in front of Emily.
"...now wants to join his group of fugitive adventurers."
Emily flushed deeply but held Raven’s gaze.
"I know I made a mistake. I was a coward when I should have been brave. But I’m trying to make it right now."
"Mmm." Raven tilted her head. "I’ll be watching you, Temple princess."
"I’m not with the Temple anymore," Emily responded, voice firm despite the blush.
"That’s why I said ’forr’." Raven offered a slight smile—not entirely friendly, but not hostile either.
"Can we," Alex interrupted from the bed, "not fight before we even leave the city?"
Both won looked at him.
Emily laughed nervously. "Sorry. It’s just... I want you to know this isn’t an impulsive decision."
She took off her backpack, set it on the floor, and sat in the chair Viktor had vacated.
"After you escaped from the Temple prison," Emily began, hands folded in her lap, "there was... a eting. All the senior priests, paladins, high-ranking healers."
"About ?" Alex asked.
"About you. About the Fragnts. About what to do with the ’growing necromancy threat’." Emily made air quotes with her fingers. "Father Augustin proposed a motion for summary execution upon sight."
Alex’s stomach dropped. "Execution?"
"They voted," Emily continued. "Fifteen in favor. Eight against. The motion passed."
A heavy silence fell over the room.
"I voted against," Emily added quickly. "Along with Valeria and a few others. But we were the minority."
She looked down at her hands.
"For the next three days, I watched the Temple prepare hunting squads. Watched them increase the bounty on your head to 150,000 crowns. Watched them plaster your image on every notice board in the city, like you were a monster."
"And I realized," her voice cracked slightly, "that the organization I’d devoted my entire life to was... hypocritical."
She raised her head, eyes bright with unshed tears.
"They preach compassion, but order executions. They preach justice, but condemn without a fair trial. They preach truth, but lie about what you really are."
"And what am I really?" Alex asked quietly.
Emily looked directly into his eyes.
"Soone trying to do the right thing in impossible circumstances. Soone who saved my team in that dungeon when you didn’t have to. Soone who could have killed Marcus in that tournant, but chose rcy instead."
She wiped her eyes quickly.
"So this morning, I walked into Father Augustin’s office and submitted my resignation. Officially."
"And how did he take it?" Raven asked, now with genuine curiosity.
Emily laughed bitterly. "He was furious. Told I was making the biggest mistake of my life. That I would regret it. That without the Temple, I was nothing."
"And what did you tell him?"
"I told him," Emily straightened, "that the biggest mistake of my life was not defending my friend when he was unjustly expelled. And that without my integrity, the Temple ant nothing."
She offered a small smile—genuine.
"Then I left. And he shouted that if I walked through that door, they’d consider an apostate. I said ’fine’ and kept walking."
Alex didn’t know what to say.
Grim, still curled in his lap, turned his tiny skull toward Emily.
"Brave," he said simply. "Hard. To leave. Ho."
Emily smiled at the little skeleton. "Thanks, Grim."
"Welco. To. The. Team."
Raven watched the exchange, then sighed dramatically.
"Fine. I guess you’re officially part of Team Nightshade now. But"—she raised a finger—"at the first sign of betrayal, first hint that you’re spying for the Temple..."
"I’ll turn you into an undead and use your bones as decoration," Emily finished. "Yeah, you already said that."
"Good. Just making sure it was clear."
Alex laughed despite himself. "This is going to be interesting."
"Besides," Emily offered Alex a shy smile, "soone has to keep your HP levels up. Clearly."
She gestured at Alex, still in bed recovering from the three-day collapse.
"Valid point," Alex admitted.
---
[SAFE HOUSE — NEXT MORNING]
Viktor gathered them all in the main room before dawn.
On the table were spread out maps, coin pouches, bottled potions, and sealed letters.
"Supplies," Viktor announced. "For the journey."
He pointed at each item as he spoke.
"First: twenty thousand crowns. Your tournant prize, which I kept in safekeeping." He pushed a heavy coin pouch toward Alex. "Should be enough for several months if you’re frugal."
Alex blinked. "Viktor, that’s..."
"Yours," Viktor interrupted. "You earned it. I just kept it safe."
Next, the maps.
"The Vitality Springs are in Erald Valley, a three-day journey north." He traced the route with his finger. "The path is relatively safe. The dungeons in the area are mostly C and D rank. Nothing you can’t handle."
"And after recovery?" Raven asked.
"I recomnd Coral Port." Viktor pointed at a coastal city on the map, two weeks west of Erald Valley. "A large port city. Diverse. The Temple has less influence there—too many comrcial interests at stake."
"Is it safe for us?" Emily asked.
"Nowhere is completely safe," Viktor answered honestly. "But Coral Port is your best option. The Guild there hires independent adventurers without asking too many questions. And Captain Sera, who runs it, is... an acquaintance. An old friend."
He slid the sealed letters across the table.
"Letters of recomndation. One for Sera. Another for a trusted rchant there. And another for an innkeeper who rents rooms without requiring official registration."
"Basically," Raven said, "letters that say: ’these are fugitives, please help them anyway’."
Viktor smiled slightly. "That’s right."
Finally, the potions.
"Ten Ergency Potions. Five Major Health, five Major Mana. Use them only when absolutely necessary. They’re expensive."
Emily picked one up, examining it with a professional eye. "These are Temple quality."
"Yes," Viktor confird. "I have... sources."
He offered no further explanation. No one asked.
Alex looked at all the supplies, overwheld.
"Viktor, this is too much..."
Viktor raised a hand, stopping him.
Then he did sothing completely unexpected.
He walked around the table and hugged Alex.
Tightly. Fully. Like a father embracing his son.
Alex froze, surprised, and then slowly hugged back.
"You’ve grown," Viktor said quietly, loud enough only for Alex to hear. "A lot. In just a few months, you’ve beco soone who matters. Soone who could change the world."
He pulled back, hands on Alex’s shoulders, looking him directly in the eyes.
"But don’t let the power corrupt you. Rember who you are. Not what you are."
"I’ll try," Alex promised.
Viktor shook his head.
"No. Do it. With Fragnts, ’trying’ isn’t enough. Only ’doing’ or ’failing’. And failing..." His grip tightened slightly. "...would an losing you. And the world can’t afford to lose you. Not now."
Alex swallowed, feeling the weight of those words.
"I’ll do it," he corrected. "I promise."
Viktor nodded and released him.
He turned to the whole group.
"Take care of each other. Trust each other. And when you return—because you will return—I expect to hear incredible stories."
"You will," Raven said.
Grim nodded energetically from his perch on Alex’s shoulder (he’d climbed up there during the hug).
"We promise. We’ll return. Stronger."
---
[LEAVING CENTRAL CITY — DAWN]
They left just as the sun began peeking over the horizon, painting the sky orange and pink.
Everyone wore hoods, to stay inconspicuous and reduce the risk of being recognized.
Alex, Raven, Emily, and Grim (in his 80cm form, hidden in Alex’s backpack, just his tiny skull peeking out).
They walked through silent streets; most of the city still slept.
But to reach the North Gate, they had to pass by...
"Seriously?" Alex murmured when the familiar building ca into view. "The most direct route passes by the Academy?"
"Ironically, yes," Emily said, smiling despite the tension.
The Celestial Academy stood before them: an imposing white marble building, towers reaching for the sky, perfectly manicured gardens.
The place where it all began.
Where they’d labeled Alex a failure.
Where they’d expelled him.
"You okay?" Raven asked quietly.
"Yeah," Alex replied. And, surprisingly, he was. "It’s just... a building. It doesn’t an anything anymore."
They passed by the main gates (open for early-rising students), staying at the edges of the campus.
Then Alex saw sothing that made him stop.
The training ground. And there, running drills against a combat dummy...
Marcus Steele.
Even from a distance, Alex could see Marcus looked... different. Thinner. Harder. Like he’d been training obsessively.
Aurum, the golden dragon, rested nearby, watching his master with evident concern.
Marcus struck the dummy with a [Solar Strike], and golden energy exploded.
The dummy flew backward, shattered.
Marcus stood there, panting, fists clenched.
And then he turned his head.
He saw Alex.
His eyes went wide.
Absolute fury flooded his face.
"CARTER!"
He started running toward them, crossing the training ground—
An instructor—Master Vance, ironically—grabbed him.
"Steele! Get back in formation!"
"But that’s—!"
"I KNOW WHO IT IS!" Vance dragged Marcus back forcefully. "And you’re not going after him! Get! Back! To! TRAINING!"
Marcus struggled, but Vance was stronger.
"CARTER!" Marcus shouted as he was pulled away. "THIS ISN’T OVER...!"
The rest was lost in the distance as the group hurried their pace.
Once they were out of sight, Raven burst out laughing.
"Still mad, huh?"
"Extrely," Alex confird.
"Do you think he’ll ever get over it?" Emily asked.
Alex considered. "Honestly... no. Marcus isn’t the type to get over things. He holds onto them until they consu him."
"Marcus’s problem, not yours," Raven stated firmly.
And she was right.
They reached the North Gate without further incident, showed their fake IDs (courtesy of Viktor) to the guards, and stepped out into open country.
Central City fell behind them, shrinking into the distance.
For the first ti in months, Alex felt like he could breathe properly.
---
[FIRST NIGHT — CAMP IN THE FOREST]
They covered twenty kiloters before stopping—far enough from the city to be safe, but not so far that they exhausted themselves on the first day.
They found a small clearing by a stream, perfect for camping.
Emily, it turned out, was surprisingly skilled at setting up camp: the tent was ready in minutes, and she lit the fire efficiently.
"The Temple teaches basic survival skills," she explained when Raven made a comnt. "You never know when a healing mission will take you into the wilderness."
Raven, on the other hand, was struggling with her tent.
"How the hell does this work?" she growled, staring at the stakes with confusion.
"Let ," Emily laughed, and went to help her.
Alex established a simple periter with Grim: they checked the surroundings for threats.
Nothing. Just ordinary wildlife.
When they returned, Emily had prepared dinner: a simple stew from the rations Viktor had packed, but surprisingly tasty.
They ate in comfortable silence; the day’s exhaustion finally catching up with them.
After cleaning up, they discussed sleeping arrangents.
"We should take turns keeping watch," Emily suggested. "Two hours each."
"Grim doesn’t sleep," Raven pointed out. "He could watch all night."
Grim (in his 80cm form, sitting by the fire) nodded.
"Correct. I. Don’t. Sleep. But..." He paused. "I. Get. Bored."
Despite their tiredness, everyone laughed.
"How about this?" Alex proposed. "Grim alerts us if there’s real danger. But we take turns keeping him company, so he doesn’t get bored."
Grim turned his skull toward Alex.
"Master. Has. Best. Idea."
"I’ll take first watch," Emily offered. "I’m not that tired yet."
"I’ll take second," Raven said.
"I’ll take third," Alex finished.
With that settled, Raven retreated to her tent.
Alex started walking toward his, but stopped.
He looked back at Emily and Grim by the fire.
Emily was telling Grim about her healing studies at the Temple. Grim listened attentively, his little red lights glowing steadily.
They looked... at peace.
Alex smiled, then entered his tent.
But two hours later, when he should have been deeply asleep, he found himself still awake.
Thoughts tumbled through his head. About Maya. About Viktor. About Seraph. About Fragnt 1, there in his chest, pulsing softly with his heartbeat.
Finally, he gave up on sleep.
He left the tent.
The fire had died down to embers. Emily was still awake, sitting on a log with Grim in her lap (the skeleton seed to enjoy being held).
She looked up when Alex approached.
"Can’t sleep?" she asked quietly.
"No," Alex admitted, sitting beside her. "Too much on my mind."
Emily nodded understandingly.
They sat in silence for a while, watching the embers glow.
Grim turned his head from one to the other, red lights flickering, like he was watching a tennis match.
Finally, Emily spoke.
"Can I ask you sothing?"
"Sure."
"Why did you let join? After... everything that happened."
Alex considered the question.
"Because people deserve second chances," he finally said. "I’ve had several."
Emily looked at her hands.
"I’m sorry I didn’t defend you. At the Academy. When they expelled you. I should have said sothing. I should have..."
"I know," Alex interrupted gently. "And it’s okay."
"How can it be okay?"
"Because that was... another life." Alex gestured vaguely. "That person—the Alex who got expelled—doesn’t exist anymore. This Alex..." He touched his chest, where Fragnt 1 resided. "...is different."
"Better?"
"I don’t know," Alex admitted. "Just... different. And that difference includes understanding that everyone makes mistakes."
He looked at Emily.
"You’re here now. Trying to make it right. That’s what matters."
Emily wiped her eyes quickly—there were tears there, glistening in the ember light.
"Thank you," she whispered.
They sat in comfortable silence for several more minutes.
Grim, apparently satisfied that the conversation had ended appropriately, began making a small sound: almost like purring, but made of bones gently rubbing together.
Emily laughed quietly. "Is he... purring?"
"No. Purring," Grim denied. "Just... noise. Happy."
"Content noise, then," Emily corrected, smiling.
Alex watched them: his Temple-exile healer and his skeletal companion. And he felt sothing warm in his chest.
Team.
Not just allies. Not just travel companions.
A real team.
"Go to sleep," Emily said after a mont. "I’ll finish this watch."
"Sure?"
"Sure. You need proper rest if you’re going to recover Vitality."
Alex nodded and stood.
He paused at the entrance to his tent.
"Emily."
"Yeah?"
"I’m glad you’re here."
She smiled—a genuine, warm smile.
" too."
Alex entered the tent.
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