The sun was just rising when Isaac and Lira returned to the Adventurer's Guild.
The morning crowd was thinner than yesterday—just a few early adventurers reviewing job postings or sipping bitterroot tea in the hall. Lira's cloak fluttered behind her as she stepped up to the board.
"Anything simple?" she asked.
Isaac shrugged. "After the crystal incident, maybe we should start small. Keep our heads down."
Lira raised an eyebrow. "You shattered one crystal. You didn't set the place on fire."
"Yet."
Her smile twitched.
They looked through the quest listings. One stood out—a local herb-gathering job just outside the eastern woods. Basic pay, low risk. No combat classification required.
Lira tapped it. "This one?"
Isaac nodded. "Let's go."
They walked past merchant stalls and through the eastern gate, where farmland gave way to a winding path into the hills. Morning fog clung to the grass, and the smell of damp earth filled the air.
The gathering spot was quiet. Birds called in the distance. Lira crouched beside a patch of silverleaf flowers and plucked one carefully.
Isaac stayed alert but relaxed. His claws weren't needed.
It felt... peaceful.
Maybe for the first time since he woke up in that coffin.
After a while, Lira looked over. "You're not checking stats?"
"Not everything needs dissecting," he said. "Sometimes it's enough just to be."
She smiled, brushing hair from her face. "You're learning."
They filled their satchels and returned just after midday.
Back at the guild, the clerk raised an eyebrow as she checked the herbs.
"No trouble?"
"None," Isaac said.
She stamped the quest form and handed over a pouch of silver. "You're both listed as Unranked. Don't expect access to higher-tier missions until that changes."
Lira opened her mouth, but Isaac put a hand on her shoulder.
"We understand."
The clerk glanced at him again—subtly, thoughtfully. Then turned back to her paperwork.
That evening, they sat on the dormitory balcony, watching the lanterns flicker across Karlune's rooftops.
"You really want to stay here?" Lira asked.
Isaac leaned back against the wooden post. "For now."
"Even after the crystal?"
He nodded. "The System didn't reject me. It just… didn't know where to put me."
She smiled faintly. "So we'll make a place. One step at a time."
And for the first time in a long time, Isaac believed they could.