The journey back to Westmont was both long and short—long in distance, yet swift and uneventful, allowing Damien the rare opportunity to travel without complications.
No sudden ambushes or troubleso encounters. Neither were there unknown threats lurking in the shadows.
Just the steady rhythm of Aquila's wings, cutting through the sky as the beast carried him closer and closer to ho.
By the ti Damien saw the distant walls of Westmont, the afternoon sun peeked through the clouds, bathing the town in warm golden light.
His grip tightened slightly on Aquila's feathers as he took in the familiar sight.
It had been days since he left.
And he had no idea what kind of welco awaited him.
As he approached, Aquila's keen eyes locked onto the gate, and almost imdiately, the guards stationed there reacted.
From his vantage point in the sky, Damien didn't miss it—
One of the sentries at the tower froze, staring directly at him.
Then—in the span of seconds—
The guard turned and bolted inside.
Within monts, a ripple of movent spread through the town, passing from person to person like wildfire.
Even before he had descended, half of Westmont already knew—
Damien had returned.
Instead of soaring directly into town, Damien guided Aquila downward, choosing to land just outside the walls.
There was no need to make an entrance too dramatic.
As Aquila's talons touched the dirt road, the large griffin let out a low, satisfied growl, shaking its wings before folding them against its body.
Damien gave the beast a pat on its feathery mane, signaling it to remain calm.
The mont his boots touched the ground, he saw them—
The town guards.
They were already gathering near the gate, exchanging looks of shock, curiosity, and relief.
So of them had genuinely been worried.
Others were just trying to figure out how soone could vanish without a trace—only to return as if nothing happened.
Then, as Damien walked forward, a blur of motion shot out from the gate.
A very familiar blur.
Before Damien could even process what was happening, Arielle was already upon him.
Her hands were raised, fingers curled into fists—
And then—she started hitting him.
Her small fists pounded against his chest, one after another, her face twisted with frustration.
"You—!"
Thud!
"Idiot—!"
Thud!
"Reckless bastard—!"
Thud!
Damien stood there, unmoving, letting her hit him as much as she wanted.
He knew he deserved this.
He had vanished without a word, leaving behind nothing but silence and unanswered questions.
Her frantic punches slowed, her chest rising and falling heavily as she stared up at him, her eyes burning with unspoken emotion.
"You… do you have any idea how worried we were?!" she yelled.
Damien exhaled quietly before reaching out, placing a hand on her head.
Her eyes widened slightly, but she didn't pull away.
"I'm sorry," he said softly.
Her fingers clenched, but the anger in her expression slowly lted into sothing else.
Not frustration nor fury. It was relief.
Arielle crossed her arms, her gaze still sharp.
"You better have a good reason for this," she muttered. "You didn't just disappear, Damien. You vanished."
Damien sighed, running a hand through his silver hair before glancing up at the sky.
"It's… a long story," he admitted.
Arielle gave him a pointed look.
"I have ti."
Damien chuckled.
Of course, she did.
Before he could say anything more, a new set of voices approached from behind the gate.
"Damien!"
He turned—
More familiar faces. "You're alive?!" One of them shouted dramatically.
"I think so," Damien said dryly.
"Where the hell have you been?!" Another demanded, folding his arms.
"That's the thing," Damien admitted. "Even I'm not completely sure."
A small silence followed.
Then—
The second individual snorted. "Well, that's comforting."
Damien smirked. "I try my best."
Despite the teasing, there was no mistaking it.
Everyone here had been genuinely concerned about him.
He could see it in their eyes—the subtle glances, the sighs of relief.
Even Arielle, despite her usual rough deanor, had barely left his side since he returned.
And sohow—that felt nice.
Damien sighed, rolling his shoulders.
"Look," he finally said, glancing around at all of them. "I know I owe you an explanation. I'll tell you everything… soon."
"Tonight?" Arielle pressed.
Damien hesitated—then nodded.
"Tonight," he confird.
Arielle gave a satisfied nod.
"Good. Because if you vanish again, I swear, I'll track you down myself."
Damien chuckled. "Even though you won't know where to start, I don't doubt it."
With that, the tension slowly faded.
His unexplained disappearance was still a lingering mystery, but for now—he was ho.
Damien was led through the familiar halls of the rcenary Guild, his boots echoing lightly against the polished stone floors.
Though he had traveled far—through strange lands, dangerous encounters, and brutal fights—stepping into this place made him feel like he had never left.
This was ho.
His own allocated room awaited him, untouched from the day he disappeared.
And the mont he walked inside, exhaustion finally hit him.
His body, trained to survive in the harshest conditions, recognized safety.
His muscles relaxed, his mind drifted, and as he collapsed onto the bed, he was out within minutes.
"Hehe… I'll let you sleep for now." Arielle chuckled as she exited the room for Damien to get enough rest.
When Damien woke up, the first thing he noticed was the scent of food.
His eyes flickered open, adjusting to the soft glow of the lanterns in the room.
He sat up slowly, feeling the stiffness in his limbs, but what caught his attention was the tray of covered als sitting neatly on a small table beside his bed.
Arielle.
He could tell imdiately.
She had always been quietly reliable, never saying much about her small acts of care, but they were always there.
Damien smiled slightly, shaking his head.
So things never changed.
He slid off the bed, stretching out his arms before making his way over to the table.
But just as he was about to uncover the al, the door swung open.
Arielle.
She stood at the doorway, arms crossed, her sharp gaze locking onto him imdiately.
"Don't even think about eating that," she said, nodding toward the al.
Damien raised a brow. "Why?"
Arielle stepped inside, closing the door behind her.
"Because," she said, walking up to him, "you still haven't told where the hell you've been."
Damien sighed, rubbing his forehead.
He had expected this.
From the mont he saw the al, he knew it wouldn't co for free.
"You made this just to blackmail ?" he muttered.
Arielle smirked. "Obviously."
Damien exhaled deeply, turning away from the al and heading back to his bed.
He sat down, making himself comfortable, his silver hair still slightly ssy from sleep.
"Fine," he muttered. "I'll talk."
Arielle gave a satisfied nod and pulled a chair over, taking a seat across from him.
"Good," she said. "Start from the beginning."
Damien ran a hand through his hair, leaning back against the headboard.
"The beginning, huh?" he murmured.
Then, he closed his eyes for a brief second—replaying the mory.
And he began.
"The last thing I rember before it happened," Damien said, "was lying in this very bed. Right here and drifting ino sleep."
Arielle frowned slightly, listening intently.
"I was exhausted," he continued. "I had been training all day, so I didn't even think twice before falling asleep."
His fingers tapped absently against his knee, his mind drifting back to that exact mont.
"And then… I woke up."
Arielle narrowed her eyes.
"That's it?" she asked. "You just woke up?"
"Not here," Damien clarified.
He opened his eyes, locking his gaze onto hers.
"I woke up… in the middle of an abandoned temple of sorts. A place I had never seen before."
Arielle's brow furrowed. "An open field? Where?"
Damien shook his head. "I had no idea. There were no other landmarks, no roads, just grass stretching as far as I could see."
Arielle leaned forward slightly.
"How long were you there?"
Damien sighed.
"I don't know. Ti felt... weird. But after wandering for hours, I realized sothing even stranger."
Arielle raised a brow. "What?"
Damien's expression darkened slightly.
"The place was too quiet."
Arielle frowned. "Too quiet?"
Damien nodded.
"No birds. No insects. No wind. Just... silence."
Arielle crossed her arms, the air between them growing heavier.
"So, let get this straight," she said. "You went to sleep here in Westmont… and then just woke up in so abandoned old temple that was unnaturally silent?"
"Pretty much," Damien confird.
Arielle huffed, shaking her head.
"That's ridiculous," she muttered. "Things like that don't just happen."
Damien smirked. "You think I don't know that?"
Arielle clicked her tongue, looking away briefly.
"Alright," she finally said, turning back to him. "What happened next?"
Damien's gaze darkened slightly.
"That's when the real problems started."
Arielle leaned in, waiting.
Damien's voice dropped slightly, his words carrying a different weight now.
"Because that was when I realized… I wasn't alone."
Arielle's fingers tightened around her arms.
She already knew—whatever ca next wasn't good.
"Sothing else was there," Damien murmured. "And it was watching ."
Arielle's breath hitched slightly.
"Watching you?" she repeated.
Damien nodded.
"I couldn't see it," he admitted. "But I could feel it."
Arielle remained silent, allowing him to continue.
"It was like... being surrounded," Damien said. "Like sothing was studying , waiting for to make a mistake."
Arielle's frown deepened.
"And then?"
Damien smirked slightly, but there was no amusent in his eyes.
"Then," he said, his voice dropping lower, "the silence broke."
Arielle stiffened.
"Broke… how?"
Damien's silver eyes glead slightly as he recalled the mont.
"A voice," he murmured. "From nowhere. Just a whisper—"
Arielle's entire body tensed.
The temperature in the room seed to drop slightly.
Damien let the words linger in the air, letting her process them.
After a long pause, Arielle finally spoke again, her voice quieter this ti. "And then… what happened?"
Damien exhaled slowly, prepared to answer.
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