Lyssa stretched her arms and turned toward the door. "You'll still need two more members before you can take a quest," she said flatly. "Find them, and meet me at dawn — East Gate. Don't be late, Ren. You either, Arin."
Before either of them could respond, she was gone — her cloak brushing past the doorway, the faint scent of ale following in her wake.
Arin blinked. "...Was that her way of saying 'nice to meet you'?"
Ren snorted. "Pretty sure that was the nice version."
They stepped out into the busy street, the afternoon sun warm on their faces. Merchants were shouting, adventurers rushing by, and somewhere a bard was butchering a song about heroism.
Arin turned to Ren. "So... any idea who we can get?"
Ren rubbed the back of his neck. "Not really. But we'll need a healer and a mage if we're gonna stand a chance out there."
"Right," Arin said, glancing down at his empty coin pouch. "Lyssa's a knight, and we're… uh, not much different."
Ren chuckled. "Yeah, two swords and no brains between us."
Arin sighed, scanning the crowd of noisy rookies near the training yard. "Guess we start looking, then?"
Ren nodded. "Yeah. There's always rookies hanging around the guild trying to find a team. Some of them might be desperate enough to join us."
"Great," Arin muttered. "So our first quest is recruitment."
Ren grinned. "Welcome to adventuring, partner."
---
The guild courtyard was still crowded with rookies when Arin and Ren began their "recruitment quest." Most of the new adventurers looked either too terrified to hold a sword or too full of themselves to take orders.
After half an hour of fruitless searching, Ren groaned. "This is hopeless. Everyone already has a team."
Arin sighed, leaning against a post. "Maybe we should try the next town—"
"—It's clearly violet!"
Both boys turned at the sudden outburst. A few paces away, two girls stood in front of a flower stall, locked in what could only be described as a fierce argument over… color.
One, with short silvery hair tied in twin ribbons, held up a flower like it was evidence in a trial. Her white robe, trimmed with pale blue, marked her as a priestess — though the small cluster of charms and the faint glow on her staff suggested she wasn't a novice.
The other, nearly identical except for her shoulder-length violet hair and darker eyes, crossed her arms stubbornly. She wore a short navy cloak over a sleeveless black tunic, the faint shimmer of arcane runes glowing along the hem — a mage's attire.
"It's lavender," she insisted, tapping the flower with her finger. "Violet is deeper than this."
Her twin gasped. "You take that back, Niri!"
"No way, Nara!"
Arin blinked. "...Are they fighting over a flower's color?"
Ren grinned. "Priestess and mage twins, huh? You know what that means?"
Arin nodded. "Potential recruits?"
"Exactly."
They exchanged a quick nod before walking over.
"Excuse me," Arin began. "Are you two—"
The silver-haired priestess, Nara, turned instantly, eyes bright. "If you're here to settle this, say it's violet."
Niri shot him a glare sharp enough to cut steel. "Say lavender and we'll get along just fine."
Arin froze. "Uh…"
Ren snickered behind him. "Good luck, leader."
After a tense pause, Arin managed a weak laugh. "How about we call it… pretty?"
The twins blinked, looked at each other — then burst out laughing.
"Fair enough," Nara said, lowering her staff. "You're not bad."
"Or too serious," Niri added, smiling faintly. "What do you want, anyway?"
Ren stepped in. "We're forming a new party — looking for a healer and a mage. You two look like you could handle yourselves."
The twins exchanged a glance — that silent, wordless kind siblings used when deciding something important.
Finally, Niri smirked. "A knight, two swordsmen, a healer, and a mage…"
Nara clasped her hands together. "Sounds balanced!"
Arin grinned. "So, you're in?"
"Why not?" Nara said. "I'm Nara — priestess of the Dawnlight Chapel."
"Niri," her sister added. "Mage of the same chapel. Don't get us mixed up — she's the loud one."
Nara gasped. "I am not loud!"
Ren chuckled. "We'll take you both."
And just like that, their small, mismatched team was complete — two boys, two girls, one grumpy knight waiting at the East Gate, and a future none of them could yet imagine.
Ren stretched his arms with a grin. "Alright then — that's settled. We've got our team."
Niri tilted her head. "So… what's next?"
Arin smiled. "We meet our captain at dawn, at the East Gate. First expedition."
Nara clapped her hands excitedly. "Our first quest! Do we get matching cloaks? Maybe an emblem?"
Ren chuckled. "Let's actually survive the mission first."
Niri smirked. "Fair. But wait — we still don't know our party's name."
Arin blinked. "Oh, that. The receptionist already wrote it down earlier."
Ren snapped his fingers. "Right — Silver Dawn, wasn't it?"
"Yeah," Arin said, scratching the back of his neck. "I kinda panicked when she asked and said the first thing that came to mind."
Nara giggled. "Silver Dawn… it actually sounds nice."
"Better than Ren's suggestion," Niri teased.
Ren frowned. "Hey! The Blazing Beasts had personality."
"Had stupidity," Nara corrected.
They all laughed.
Arin smiled a little, looking up at the sky where the first stars were forming. "Silver Dawn… it means a new start, right?"
Mira's words echoed faintly in his mind — You really are your mother's son.
Ren clapped him on the shoulder. "A new start it is then."
Niri nodded. "We'll meet at dawn, fittingly enough."
"East Gate," Nara added, raising her staff like a vow.
As the group began to part ways, the sunset bathed the streets in silver light — as if blessing their choice.
And so, Silver Dawn was born — a name that would one day be whispered across continents.
They exchanged goodbyes, the twins heading off down the street — only to start arguing again almost immediately.
"It's clearly violet, Niri!"
"It's lavender, Nara! Open your eyes!"
Ren burst out laughing. "You think they ever agree on anything?"
Arin grinned. "Let's hope they agree to show up tomorrow."
Their laughter followed the twins into the fading evening light — bright, young, and full of promise.
And so, Silver Dawn was born — under laughter, argument, and the first stars of their journey.