Night cloaked the village of Zenith in still darkness, the stars glimmering softly above.
A gentle knock echoed through the hallway.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Inside one of the guest rooms, Fenra stirred, rubbing her sleepy purple eyes. She shuffled to the door and slowly opened it.
Standing outside was Raizo, his expression calm but serious.
He whispered, "Fenra, wake up. Silvia too. We're going now."
Fenra blinked, still groggy. "But… why?"
Raizo looked over his shoulder, making sure no one else was listening.
> "Do you remember what I told you? My ability—Gluttony. The one that devours stats and abilities?"
Fenra nodded, suddenly more awake.
> "That demon… I think he was talking about my ability. If we stay, we'll only put this village—and my parents—in danger. We have to leave now. Quietly."
Understanding the weight of his words, Fenra nodded firmly. "Got it. I'll wake Silvia."
Raizo nodded back and closed the door.
But before waking Silvia, Fenra couldn't help but smirk.
> "Heh… Just one little prank before we leave."
She grabbed a pen nearby and gently drew a whisker-like doodle on Silvia's cheek, stifling a chuckle as she admired her work.
"Fenra, hurry up!" Raizo whispered from behind the door.
"Okay, okay!" she whispered back.
She turned to the sleeping elf and gently shook her. "Silvia. Wake up. Let's go."
"Five more minutes…" Silvia mumbled, half-asleep.
Fenra sighed, then pinched her pointed ear.
"Ow—!" Silvia jerked up, clearly about to shout—until a hand gently covered her mouth.
Silvia's eyes widened in surprise to see Raizo standing there, his hand over her lips.
Her cheeks turned a deep red.
> "Shh…" Raizo whispered softly. "Keep it quiet."
He slowly lowered his hand. Silvia nodded silently, still a bit dazed and flustered. Fenra, watching them from behind, puffed her cheeks and looked away—jealousy prickling in her chest.
> "Let's go," Raizo said, stepping back.
The two girls nodded.
The trio opened the window and jumped down silently under the cover of night. Their feet hit the soft grass, and they immediately began walking toward the outskirts of the village.
Silvia leaned in close and whispered, "Why are we sneaking away?"
Raizo looked at Fenra. "You explain it."
Fenra nodded. While they moved through the silent streets of Zenith, she whispered to Silvia:
> "That demon we fought earlier… he was talking about Raizo's ability."
Silvia blinked. "What do you mean? What exactly is Raizo's ability?"
Raizo looked ahead but gave a small nod to Fenra, giving her permission to explain.
> "It's called Gluttony," Fenra said softly. "Whoever Raizo defeats—monster or human—he gains their stats. Strength, mana, abilities. And there's no limit."
Silvia's eyes widened. "No limit…?"
Raizo answered quietly, "None."
They reached the edge of the village. In front of them stood the tall wooden gates of Zenith, unmanned this late at night.
Silvia turned to Raizo. "Aren't you going to say goodbye? To your parents? Your brother?"
Raizo shook his head.
> "No. When I was a kid… I left the village the same way. Quietly. No goodbyes. I think… it's easier this way."
The girls didn't speak, sensing the heaviness in his voice.
The gate creaked open slightly as they pushed through.
—
The moonlight stretched across the quiet roads, gently illuminating the backs of three figures—Raizo, Fenra, and Silvia—as the Dilhaze party made their silent journey away from Zenith Village.
Back in the Hayagashi residence, a quiet breeze crept through the hallway.
Lucas, half-asleep, rubbed his eyes as he wandered toward the restroom. The house was peaceful... until a gust of wind suddenly blew open a door with a soft creak.
Lucas flinched slightly, alert now.
"...Huh?" he mumbled, stepping toward the open door.
It was the guest room where Raizo's companions had been staying.
Lucas pushed the door open gently—and immediately noticed the open window, the curtains fluttering.
> The beds were empty. Fenra and Silvia… were gone.
Lucas's eyes widened in realization. "What the—"
He turned and bolted down the hallway.
"...No way."
Reaching Raizo's room, he knocked sharply.
No response.
He hesitated for only a second before pushing the door open.
> The bed was untouched. The window was lock?
Raizo, too, was gone.
Without wasting another moment, Lucas sprinted down the hall to the master bedroom. He knocked hastily.
The door creaked open. Lay and Reyna, both in their robes, looked at him with tired but alert eyes.
"Raizo is gone!" Lucas said breathlessly.
Lay and Reyna looked at each other.
And then, softly—with a calm, knowing tone—they both said in unison:
> "Not again."
Lucas blinked. "What do you mean, 'not again'?"
Lay stepped forward and sighed. "When Raizo was just eleven, he did the same thing. Slipped out through the window in the middle of the night. No warning. No goodbye."
Lucas was stunned. "And… you're not going to go after him?"
Reyna shook her head gently, smiling with a mother's quiet faith. "No."
Lay added with a proud grin, "Because he'll come back to us. Stronger. Wiser. Just like before."
Lucas paused, then slowly nodded in understanding. "...I see."
He turned around, walking quietly back down the hallway.
As he entered his room and lay down once more, a small smile crept across his face.
> "You're still like that, huh, little brother?"
And as the village slept once more, the Dilhaze party continued their journey—carrying with them the weight of the unknown… and the strength to face it.
—
Meanwhile.
The dirt path stretched endlessly before them, dust rising gently with each step the Dilhaze party took on their way back to Brunhild. The sun slowly climbed over the horizon, bathing the trees in soft morning gold.
As the birds chirped and the wind danced across the river nearby, Raizo slowed his steps, glancing back at his companions.
"Let's stop here for a bit," he said, his voice calm. "There's a river nearby. How about we make breakfast?"
Fenra and Silvia nodded with matching smiles, both glad for the break.
Raizo walked over to the riverbank. With a short chant, he cast:
> "Fulmen's strike—shock and pierce!"
Lightning Magic: Lightning Arc!
A small electric pulse flowed through the shallow water. Several fish floated to the surface, stunned. Raizo calmly gathered them.
Meanwhile, Silvia stretched with a yawn. She rubbed her face, then blinked when she caught something odd in her reflection on the river's surface.
> A dark, goofy scribble marked her cheek.
Her emerald eyes narrowed. Slowly, she turned to Fenra, who was now whistling and looking up at the sky like nothing was wrong.
Silvia's fist clenched.
Without a word, she cupped some water—and splashed it right into Fenra's face.
"W-WHAT THE—?!" Fenra shrieked, flinching as the cold hit her. "So cold! So cold!!"
Silvia smirked, proud. "That's for drawing on my face, mutt."
Fenra wiped the water from her eyes, scowling. "You're gonna pay for that, pointy-ear!"
She grabbed a handful of water and hurled it back, drenching Silvia.
Silvia gasped. "Cold!!" She hugged her arms, shivering, as her long golden-blonde hair dripped.
The two glared at each other.
Raizo turned around, carrying the fish, eyebrows raised. "Are you two seriously splashing each other like children?"
Both girls froze.
Then slowly… they sat down, soaked and blushing.
"Thanks for making the fire, Raizo," they muttered at the same time, cheeks pink as they huddled closer to the warmth.
Raizo exhaled, crouching beside the fire as he began preparing the fish. "You two are always fighting."
Silvia and Fenra looked away, red creeping further into their faces. But they weren't just embarrassed about the splashing. They remembered what Reyna had told them back in Zenith.
> "If you don't confess, maybe someone else will."
That thought lingered like smoke from the fire.
Both clenched their fists under their cloaks—neither saying a word, but their hearts burning with silent resolve.
Fenra forced a small smile. "Oh… it's nothing."
Silvia matched her expression. "Yeah. What she said."
Raizo sighed, flipping the fish over the flames.
"Whatever you say…"
The fire crackled.
The fish sizzled.
But between the silence, the sparks of something else simmered—a quiet rivalry that was just beginning to blaze.