"We're finally back!" Reia said, her voice bright with relief as her feet touched the familiar cobbled streets of Enrain.
Fayde glanced sideways. For someone who used to flinch at every sidelong glance from a passing Human, she looked surprisingly at ease now.
Her eyes scanned the crowd with quiet curiosity, ears twitching at the sound of a street bard tuning his lute down the road. She didn't say anything else, but she didn't need to.
Fayde knew it wasn't the city making her feel safe, it was him.
She had always walked a little outside the boundaries of belonging. Among her own people, she had been respected but distant, a constant hunter more comfortable in the wilds than at the hearth.
Among Humans, she had been invisible at best, a target at worst. That had started to change the day they met.
Fayde hadn't treated her like a curiosity or a threat. He had accepted her without judgment, without hesitation. He hadn't asked her to prove herself. And because of that, she had started offering him everything, slowly, without realizing it.
She still hadn't said the words. But after what they had survived in the dungeon, she didn't hold back anymore either. He saw it in her eyes every time she looked at him.
"It is good to be back. It's too bad Allein and Nes didn't want to join us." He already knew the real reason they hadn't entered the town, but Tris didn't, so he was keeping up appearances.
"I'm exhausted. We should head to the Guild first since we just got back."
There would be paperwork and other things to take care of. Things like calculating rewards, checking their status, ranking up as adventurers, and so on.
"Fayde…" Tris's voice was uncertain. She hadn't been the same since the dungeon.
"Yeah, Tris?"
"I'll head to the Guild later. There's something important I need to do."
"Okay…" He hoped she wasn't feeling uncomfortable around him now.
"Don't worry. I won't be gone long."
She said her goodbyes and walked off at a steady pace, not looking back.
"She seems to be in a rush," Reia said.
"What do you think could be so important?"
"Who knows? It's not like she doesn't have a life outside of us. I don't think it's strange for her to have family or friends she wants to see, especially after coming back from a place like that dungeon."
"That's true, I guess."
Reia always seemed a little tense around Tris. Maybe it was because Tris was the only other Human in the group, and other Humans still made Reia uneasy. Fayde had hoped the two of them could become close friends. It wasn't that they disliked each other, but there was definitely a quiet tension between them.
"I'm sure she has her reasons. Let's head to the Guild."
"Okay…"
The streets were as lively as ever. Merchants hawked their goods on crowded corners, adventurers lounged near taverns swapping exaggerated stories, and townsfolk bustled about with their daily routines. After days trapped in the darkness of the dungeon, the sounds and smells of the city felt like a welcome return to life.
Fayde and Reia made their way toward the Adventurer's Guild, walking side by side. Reia looked around with quiet wonder, her tail swaying lightly with each step. Her foxlike ears perked at the sounds of laughter and distant music. She smiled to herself, and Fayde watched her out of the corner of his eye.
"Does it feel strange?" he asked.
She tilted her head. "What do you mean?"
"Being back here. Among Humans again."
Reia thought for a moment, then shook her head. "Not as much as I thought it would. Maybe it's because I'm with you."
That made Fayde smile, even if he tried to hide it. He didn't say anything else, but he felt it too. Something had changed between them, something deeper than before. It wasn't just the bond they now shared, it was trust, and something more unspoken.
When they reached the Guild building, the familiar creaking of the heavy wooden door welcomed them in. A few adventurers looked their way, but most were too caught up in their own conversations to care. Behind the counter, the Guild receptionist raised her head, eyes widening when she saw them.
"You're back! We weren't sure what happened to your party after the tremors started."
"We made it out in one piece," Fayde said. "The dungeon's been cleared."
The receptionist quickly waved over one of the staff members and began pulling out paperwork.
"Orban told us the last group to return would probably be the ones responsible. Looks like he was right."
Reia smiled politely while Fayde filled in some of the required information. They confirmed the Lizard King had been slain, described the temple at the bottom floor, and explained the absence of the Dungeon Core. That last part left the staff uneasy, but none pressed further.
"I'm going to need the proof of the monster kills," the receptionist said.
Fayde handed over several of the items they'd taken from the Lizardmen and the Lizard King's corpse. It was more than enough.
The process took some time, but eventually they were done. Their rank was upgraded, and the Guild posted their success on the board. Word would spread quickly. Other adventurers were already whispering nearby.
Reia stepped closer to Fayde once they left the counter. "It feels kind of strange, doesn't it? Like everything changed, but nothing really has."
Fayde nodded slowly. "Yeah. I guess that's what it means to survive something like that."
They stepped outside into the fading afternoon light. The town was still busy, but the energy felt different now. A little quieter. A little more peaceful.
"Come on," Fayde said. "Let's go get something to eat."
Reia grinned. "Only if you're buying."
He rolled his eyes but couldn't help laughing. "Yeah, yeah. I owe you anyway."
They walked off together, not in a rush, just enjoying the moment.
________________________________________
Being an agent of the Empire was a thankless job. The missions were dangerous, often extreme, and success brought no recognition. Whether it meant living in the wilderness for weeks or assassinating a high-value target, the work was grueling, and failure was never tolerated.
Even so, she had never experienced a mission quite like this one.
At first, she had assumed the target was unremarkable. A strange magic signature, perhaps, but otherwise nothing that stood out. But the longer she observed him, the more uneasy she became. There were too many irregularities surrounding him, and his behavior didn't match any known profile.
She had followed him closely, taking care not to interfere. After each encounter, each battle, her reports became less confident. He was beginning to display traits and abilities that couldn't be explained by normal logic. Something was off.
And now, after what she had witnessed in the dungeon, she was certain of it.
The anomaly within the Divine Sphere was still unexplained and undefined, but it was tied to him. She didn't know how, and she didn't understand the nature of that power, but she knew without question that the man known as Fayde was at its center.
She moved quickly through the town, keeping her hood low. Her partner would be waiting for her at the safe house that had been secured ahead of their mission. It was an old, abandoned home on the edge of Enrain, quiet and out of the way. Perfect for covert activity. She reached the entrance and gave the agreed upon knock: two, then one, then three.
The door creaked open. A subordinate peeked out, confirmed her identity, and ushered her inside.
She moved directly to the hidden cellar beneath the floorboards, descending into the cool, damp space that served as their operations room. A single lantern lit the room, casting flickering shadows across the wooden beams and the table at its center, cluttered with documents and coded messages. Her partner sat behind it, quill in hand, preparing a report for the capital.
He looked up as she entered.
"You're back. Do you have news?"
"I just returned from the dungeon. I observed Fayde and those foul Demihumans."
He raised an eyebrow. Normally composed, today she looked genuinely shaken.
"I came straight here," she said, breathless. "It's him. There's no doubt in my mind. He's the anomaly."
Her partner's expression darkened.
"Explain."
She took a breath, then began her report. She described the events in detail, Fayde's impossible burst of power, his annihilation of the Lizard King, and most disturbing of all, his apparent ability to return the Foxkin girl from the brink of death. She recounted the strange black mist, the feeling of raw energy, and the transformation she had witnessed.
By the time she finished, her partner was staring at the wall, his hands clenched into fists.
"Blasphemy," he muttered. "The power to bring back life is sacred. It belongs to the Divinities alone."
His voice grew louder.
"This man is an affront to the divine order. This cannot be allowed to continue."
She said nothing, waiting for him to calm himself. She had known he would react strongly. He always did when it came to matters of faith. But this was beyond anything they had prepared for.
They had expected a rogue magic user. What they had found was something else entirely.
"Are you certain of what you saw?"
"There is no doubt."
"This needs to be reported immediately. We must capture him, or kill him as soon as possible."
The female agent didn't harbor hatred toward the target, but she knew what had to be done. This was her sacred duty, the mission she had devoted her life to. She would see it through without hesitation.
"He's dangerous. I would have acted already if it were possible, but every one of our plans has failed. How do you propose we capture him?"
The man laughed quietly, his voice cold and unsettling. His laugh always sent a chill through her. Very few people made her feel true fear, but he was one of them. And now, Fayde was another.
"We will use someone else this time."
She narrowed her eyes, confused.
"What do you mean by that?"
"I've received reports that the kingdom has been trying to locate the Foxkin village. They plan to forcibly conscript them to fight in the upcoming war with the Kingdom of Jaspel. Since this information could be useful to our mission, I took the liberty of investigating it. We already know where the village is. So, what do you think will happen if we pass that information along?"
The meaning became clear. There was no way the Foxkin would agree to serve the Kingdom of La'gun. Relations between the two were already strained. If the kingdom attempted to force them, the Foxkin would resist. The woman traveling with Fayde would surely go to their aid. And naturally, so would he.
It was the perfect opportunity.
They could separate Fayde from the Beastkin allies who had interfered before and finally eliminate him.
"You will continue to follow him," the man said. "If you find a chance to capture him, take it. If not, we'll let La'gun do the hard work for us. I'll give you a magic tool to mask your presence from those disgusting Demihumans' senses."
"And what about you?"
"I'll remain here and wait for your next report. If the plan fails, I will return to the Empire and request reinforcements directly."
Tris didn't like the way he issued orders. They were supposed to be partners, but he rarely treated her as an equal. Still, the plan was sound. She would go along with it, for now.
Their meeting concluded, she slipped away from the safe house and began tracking Fayde once more.
Meanwhile, her partner made his way through the quiet streets, heading for the manor of the local lord.
He was ready to fulfill his part of the plan.
He would tell them exactly where the Foxkin village could be found.