Watch was proving to be a drag. Kaztos added some wood to the fire, giving it the fuel needed to go another hour. He then scanned the perimeter of the camp, looking for anything out of the ordinary. There wasn’t anything to be seen. Good news, since Kaztos was sure no one would like to be woken up this early into the night. Everyone had gone to bed just over an hour ago. He had drawn one of the short sticks and received the first watch. Kaztos settled back onto their lookout spot, staring at the surrounding wilderness.

  Since leaving the ruins, they’d been traveling for three days. So far, they had found nothing outside of some wild animals. A part of Kaztos hoped they would find something exciting, but could appreciate the quiet journey given to them. That bear attack hadn’t been fun in the moment or in hindsight. No, where they were heading held enough excitement — the plateau.

  When Kaztos first heard of the caves, he thought that’s where they must head. It seemed like the most obvious solution. Those caves would take you to the beginnings of the rest of the world up top. The only problem was the monster that guarded it. One that Kaztos thought wouldn’t be a problem. Sure, it was dangerous, but they’ve faced powerful creatures before. What would make this any different?

  Back at headquarters, Kaztos could admit that he glossed over just how deadly this monster was. It was one thing to be given a vague report of what happened. Kaztos assumed things weren’t as bad as reported. Perhaps only some died to the beast while others fell in different incidents. The monster was just attributed all the deaths. But Dilanas’ report of how the massacre went down changed things. And it couldn’t be called anything else now.

  Sure, Kaztos hadn’t heard about it from the woman herself. But Zeltara used her notes to give a detailed retelling to the rest of the group a few days ago. Suddenly, Kaztos’ earlier bravado felt foolish. It didn’t help the morale of their group either. There’s been an underlying tension permeating the last few days. Entering those caves at this point would be suicidal, so why are they still heading towards them?

  Zeltara and Halidorn haven’t mentioned entering that death trap. However, they weren’t dismissing the possibility either. Both of them had been keeping their cards close to their chests. The two often had whispered conversations with each other. Kaztos could only wonder what they were planning. It wasn’t like those mindless abominations back in the wasteland. This was a calculating monster, capable of using people as bait and talking in the common tongue. Though it was rich coming from Kaztos, they needed to be cautious here.

  Speaking of which, Kaztos needed to keep his head in the present. He took a deep breath to calm down. Getting worked up while on watch wouldn’t help anything. They would figure something out. Kaztos wasn’t sure what Zeltara had planned, but he knew for sure that she had one. He just needed to trust her.

  A sudden gasp yanked Kaztos from his thoughts as he swung his head toward the noise. He saw that Saiya had woken up, her eyes unfocused. She seemed to have trouble with her breathing as it came in heavy heaves. Her face dripped with sweat despite the cool temperature.

  “It was just a dream, Saiya. Everything is fine,” Kaztos said in a soothing tone. Her gaze snapped to him as she calmed down. He figured it must have been a nightmare. “There hasn’t been anything around on my watch. It’s been a quiet night.”

  At first, Saiya just seemed to stare at him. Her posture was tense, as if she were expecting an attack. Then, her shoulders relaxed. Kaztos thought for a moment that she would go back to bed. Instead, she got up and came over to him. She sat down against the lookout post, staring into the darkness. Kaztos got off and settled in next to her. He then continued to stare out at the camp perimeter. Saiya would start when she was ready. If she wasn’t willing to speak, then Kaztos would at least give her the comfort of company.

  For a few minutes, Kaztos enjoyed the soft breeze that went through camp. The rustle of the tall grass and the sound of crickets reached his ears. He never took the time to appreciate the wilderness outside of Urada. Something he regrets now. But experiencing it now made him happy. Kaztos could do without the minor chill though. He hoped that the coming winter in a few months would be mild.

  “I had a nightmare,” Saiya said. Kaztos glanced over and saw her continue to stare off into the darkness.

  “Whatever you saw there wasn’t real.” His attempt at comfort fell flat as she grimaced.

  “No, not this one. It was a memory of that night.” Kaztos understood. He didn’t know as much as Zeltara, but there was only one night she could be talking about. It haunted Saiya the entire time Kaztos knew her. The reason she was an orphan.

  Saiya continued. “I thought it had been going away, and it was for a bit since meeting you. But ever since that conversation with the priestess, the nightmares have been coming back. This is the first time they’ve been this bad in a while.” Kaztos doesn’t respond, allowing the conversation to pause. Saiya got annoyed by this. “Why aren’t you asking for more? I know you’re curious.”

  “I am curious,” Kaztos admitted. “But it hurts for you to talk about it. You try to dodge any questions we have. So, I won’t push for more until you’re ready to talk.” Saiya brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.

  “Maybe I want you to push.” Her words came out as if she were telling a secret.

  Kaztos put a hand on her shoulder, hoping to offer some comfort. She doesn’t brush it off. “Why?”

  Saiya said nothing for a minute. From her expression, Kaztos could tell that she was building up the courage to say something.

  Finally, she said, “Maybe I want you guys to ask about it.”

  “Why would you want that?” Kaztos asked. “It makes you uncomfortable whenever it’s brought up.”

  “It does, but talking about it made me feel better.” Saiya looked over towards the sleeping area. “Remember the party we had with the caravan? I ended up talking about it to Zeltara that night. I remember feeling a sense of dread when I tried to get the words out. But I felt such a light feeling afterwards. Like a weight left my shoulders.” Saiya turned back to Kaztos. “I don’t think I have the courage to talk about it on my own. I try, and it feels like my throat closes up. But when you guys ask, it feels like I don’t have to push as far. That time with Zeltara, it was the first time I ever talked about it.”

  Kaztos considered her words as another thought came to mind. “How would we know not to go too far? You want us to press, but what if you genuinely do not want to talk?” The last thing he would want was to cause his friend pain by being insensitive. Kaztos knew he rushed into things, and there was a time and place for that. A conversation wasn’t one of those times.

  “It should be easy to figure out,” Saiya said. “If I don’t want to talk about it, I’ll make it abundantly clear. I think we both know I’m willing to speak my mind when it’s important.” Kaztos had to muffle a laugh at that.

  “I feel like that’s a trait all three of us share. It’s what allowed us to become quick friends.” It was a trait he appreciated in both of them.

  Saiya seemed to fight down her own laughter. “I think that might be why we argue so much too. I swear, not a week goes by without me wanting to slap both of you at least once.” Kaztos was trying not to let covered chuckles through. He didn’t want to wake up the whole camp.

  He managed to swallow his growing humor. “The feeling isn’t quite mutual, but I can admit that you two try my patience sometimes.” Kaztos smiled. “I bet this is what having sisters feels like. I always wanted siblings.”

  “Siblings, huh.” Saiya looked off in the distance. “That sounds nice.” The two settled down. For a moment, the only sounds in the clearing were the crackling of the campfire and the song of a hundred crickets chirping. “There’s another reason I want to talk about it now. I remembered something.”

  Kaztos asked, “What do you mean? Isn’t it all a memory playing in your head?” Saiya shook her head.

  “It’s always so muddled when I dream about it. Think of it as a half-finished painting. The general events play out, but details are missing. There are gaps both in what was there and in the events themselves. I’d describe it as choppy. Like a ripped-up tapestry. It’s worse the longer I’m awake. Everything gets blurry until it’s just a mess in my head.” She grabbed her forehead. “If we wait any longer, I could forget.” Kaztos hesitated.

  He didn’t know what to do. This felt like a metaphorical poking of the sleeping bear. There was a reason Saiya’s mind chose to forget this. Keeping her memories away might be for the best. But how could he know if that was the right decision? That didn’t even touch on the fact that it wasn’t his decision to make. It’s Saiya’s. Kaztos could only hope that this didn’t backfire.

  “Alright, we can talk about it if you think it would help,” Kaztos said. “Just tell me if you want to stop.” Saiya nodded. Kaztos prepared himself. “You said that you remembered something new tonight. Can you still remember what it was?”

  At first, Saiya said nothing. Her face had an expression of intense concentration. Kaztos wondered for a moment whether she had forgotten during their conversation. After a minute, she said, “It’s coming back to me now. The dream played out the same as always, memories of the day my parents died. But now I remember a few extra details. I can see a few more things that weren’t there before.”

  Her explanation confused Kaztos. “Do you mean that you’re imagining new things in the dream? Or were they real?”

  “They’re real. What I remembered was a book with a purple backing. It stuck out to me because it was in a language I didn’t understand.” That caught Kaztos by surprise.

  Common, both written and spoken, had been the official language of The Holy Dominion for a millennium. Even before the formation of The Dominion, it had been the far and away majority language after Dwarven and Elvish died out. There was still Al’Yandan, but only a small fraction of the world understood it today. So, that a commoner family had a book that wasn’t in common was beyond strange.

  Saiya continued. “That wasn’t the strange part. It was the fact that it was on the kitchen table, just sitting here.”

  “Perhaps your parents were just reading it?” Kaztos asked.

  “That wasn’t it because I’ve never seen them read it before. They don’t even talk about it as far as I know. The only reason I even know of its existence is because I found it on the shelf one day while trying to find something to read. When they saw I had it, my parents took it away and warned me not to touch it again. They hid the book away after that. To see it again that morning was a surprise.”

  Kaztos wondered about the significance of the book. It was a strange thing, to be sure. For her parents to be so secretive about it spoke poorly of what it was. But there wasn’t enough there to make any kind of guess. “Was the book open or closed?” It was weird enough that they owned this book. If they could read it, then that was another thing entirely.

  “It had been closed during breakfast. I remember making sure not to comment on it so my parents wouldn’t be upset. I was a bit of a goody-two-shoes back then.” That made Kaztos try to imagine the person Saiya used to be. Was she one of those traditional girls who were polite and played with dolls? Kaztos honestly couldn’t imagine it. “But that evening, before everything happened, I remember the book being open to a page in the middle. There was a drawing there, but I can’t remember anything about it.”

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  That confirmed it for Kaztos. Saiya’s parents were more than mere commoners. He didn’t know how. They could have just been retired scholars of some kind or something else. Either way, it could be a clue to what happened that day.

  “To be honest, it sounded like your parents were involved in something unusual. What were their professions, if I may ask? Were they farmers, laborers?” Maybe something in their profession could explain it.

  “Now that you mention it, I don’t know. Neither of them left home often, so I don’t think they had a job. Back then, I thought little of it since that’s how it always was. But now it’s apparent how strange that is. We weren’t wealthy by any means but always had enough to get by.” Strange was putting it mildly. Kaztos tried to wrap his head around it.

  Saiya lived in a house on the outskirts of Urada. Both of her parents often stayed at home, enough that neither could likely hold a job. From the few comments Saiya made on the subject, they were very loving towards her yet restrictive. She often spoke about being kept close to home at all times as if that were normal. They were secretive and didn’t seem to want Saiya snooping around if that book was any indication. That it wasn’t written in common added more to this mystery.

  Kaztos sighed. “There’s a lot there. Your parents were up to something. I just can’t seem to figure out what it could be.” Saiya now had a concerned expression.

  “Before, I’d say that you’re reaching. But since we’re putting the pieces together, I feel like something was wrong. It was all normal while I was living with them. Now, I can look back and see that things weren’t normal.” This situation was complicated. Kaztos wanted to help her, but he couldn’t without more information.

  “Was there anything else new you recalled in your dream? Another clue that could help us?” Saiya nodded.

  “There was one more thing. But it’s all blurry, shadows in my mind. That night, there was something there. A person, or a presence maybe. I don’t remember seeing anything, but I could feel it. It felt cold, very cold.” Saiya grabbed her head. “I don’t know. It was there in the room while my parents lay on the ground...” She trailed off. Kaztos didn’t need her to finish that thought.

  He could tell this was bothering Saiya, but she insisted on talking about this. Kaztos just hoped she wouldn’t push too much trying to find answers right now. “Was there anything else you noticed about this presence? Was it doing or saying anything?”

  “Yes, I could feel it moving around the room. It went towards the center, where something laid on the ground. It, it was the book, I think. I remember seeing purple?” Saiya’s eyes squinted as she held her head in her hands. Sweat formed on her pale skin. “The presence grabbed the book. Then I remember it getting closer. That’s when I passed out. It’s all back after that.”

  “Was the book ever found?” Kaztos asked. Saiya shook her head. “The book is at the heart of this mystery. I can only guess why that is, but it’s something to think about.” He shrugged. “I’m sorry, this hasn’t been much help.” Saiya shook her head.

  “No, even talking about it has helped. The details that were slipping away are firmly in my mind now. I don’t think I’ll forget them now. It’s another step closer to remembering what happened that night.” Saiya turned her gaze towards the empty sky above them. Kaztos looked up too. Even now, the lack of the moon and stars disturbed him. Another reminder that things weren’t going back to normal.

  Looking back down, Kaztos could tell that Saiya was lost in her own thoughts. She seemed tired, yet didn’t seem ready to go back to sleep. Kaztos knew she was replaying that day in her head. He needed to distract her so that she could rest for the night. If she went to bed now, it’d probably just be more nightmares.

  Well, she offered her something private from her life. He should return the gesture. “I’m sure you already know, but things were different for me back in Urada.” Saiya’s head tilted towards him, but her gaze still sat firmly towards the sky. “I grew up closer to town in a large mansion. We had nice furniture and our own back lot. It was more than almost anyone else had in town. But do you know what I think we both had in common?”

  Saiya finally turned to look at Kaztos. “What?”

  “I think that, like you, I was lonely. There wasn’t much in the way of material possessions I couldn’t get. Even with how poorly my family was doing, we still had a sizable amount of wealth. But the one thing I wanted but couldn’t seem to get was friends.” Kaztos closed his eyes. “The only people in that big manor were myself, my mother, and our retainer Yilatas. Neither of them liked to talk to me much. The academy was worse. There was only ridicule to be found there.”

  “Was there anyone you could turn to?” Saiya asked.

  “There was one person, priest Vellatar. He was often a shoulder to cry on when I needed it.” Kaztos blushed. “Not that I ever needed to cry, of course. I just meant-” Saiya’s voice interrupted him.

  “I get it. So you didn’t have anyone around.” Kaztos opened his eyes to see Saiya waving her hand dismissively. She already looked better than a few minutes before. “Honestly, I could almost envy that. Living at the orphanage was an adjustment. I wanted to be left alone, but they didn’t have the means for personal space.”

  “I can see how that could be a struggle. On the other hand, it could be like having dozens of siblings. Like I said, I always wanted a sibling. But that wasn’t ever a possibility.” He looked over to see her nodding off. It seemed like his plan to help her sleep was working.

  “Why couldn’t you have siblings? Did your father run off or something?” Saiya muttered. Kaztos paused and turned back towards camp. Everyone was still asleep. Should he talk about this? It was something he had heard only once himself. He looked back at Saiya, who looked half asleep. She was brave enough to talk about something that deeply affected her. The least he could do was return the gesture.

  “I don’t know who my father is. You see, my mother had me out of wedlock. She never told me the details, only saying he abandoned us after finding out she was a Molinar. I’m sure that part is true, but that can’t be the entire story. I know how my mother is like. She probably had some hand in ruining the relationship herself.” While Kaztos respected his mother, he couldn’t exactly extend that to loving her. He tried his best, but she never seemed to put in any effort.

  “It sounds to me like your mother is a harlot.” The sudden insult almost drove Kaztos to laughter. It was crude and something that wasn’t true. But his mother certainly didn’t act the part of a noblewoman in a lot of ways. Most of those for the worse.

  With humor in his voice, Kaztos said, “Please don’t talk about her like that. She is still my mother. Besides, I doubt she was doing something like that. She’s a bit too proud for it.” Saiya smirked as she closed her eyes. No doubt satisfied with that jab. “It’s just something I don’t want to get out. People already think poorly of the Molinar family. If people figured out I was a bastard, it’d be much worse. Mother always told people she had a husband who had died before I was born.”

  “Well, I don’t care if you’re a bastard. You’re still a good person. A better noble than anyone else I met.” Kaztos couldn’t help it. He laughed.

  “Thank you, Saiya. Though how many nobles have you met?” She didn’t answer. “Saiya?” He turned to see that she had fallen asleep. Kaztos smiled. He didn’t need to wish for siblings anymore. He found his own unorthodox family.

  Kaztos sat there for a minute before standing up. It was about time for him to wake Uya for her shift. He carefully picked up Saiya and carried her back to her sleeping bag. After tucking her in, Kaztos gave her one last glance. She was smiling in her sleep. At least he accomplished something tonight. Their conversation left him with much to think about. What was that presence, and where had that book come from? Kaztos wasn’t as smart as the other two, but he would figure this out. Until then, it was time to get some sleep. After shaking Uya awake, Kaztos entered his sleeping bag and closed his eyes for the night.

  The morning after having a watch shift was hard. Losing those few hours of sleep meant that every action that morning took just a bit of extra effort. Luckily for Kaztos, his energy kicked in proper once he had a time to stretch. At least Saiya looked like she had a good night's sleep. That helped motivate Kaztos to get ready more than anything else. Breakfast was calm as they used the remaining campfire embers to heat some food. By now, Kaztos had gotten used to the fact that his meals would not be of the best quality. Life in Urada spoiled him that much.

  After packing everything up, Zeltara and Halidorn stood in front of the group. Halidorn said, “Alright, everyone. Assuming we don’t run into anything, we should reach the plateau today.” Kaztos thought it was almost guaranteed. Already, they could see it in the distance. The huge formation ran along the east as far as their eyes could see. Based on the size, Kaztos could tell it was at least hundreds of feet high. “Once we reach it, we’ll be looking for the first expedition’s abandoned camp. Hopefully, there will be something there that may help us. If not, then there might be supplies we can take. Any questions?”

  “Are we going to enter the cave?” Uya asked. Even she looked uncertain about the prospect. Nobody else seemed willing to entertain the thought.

  “We’ll talk about that once we’re there,” Zeltara said. “Don’t worry, we aren’t going to be reckless. If it doesn’t look right, then we’ll figure something else out.” Not the definitive answer Kaztos was sure most of them were looking for. However, the implication behind the words was enough for Kaztos. “Anything else? Then let’s get a move on. We should get there by early afternoon.” The group of seven headed out east once more through the tall grass.

  Kaztos missed the forest from earlier, as the plains proved to be more annoying to navigate. Grass that almost went up to their waist was bad enough. What made it worse was still wet from the rain a few days ago, which meant his clothes were damp by the time they found a place to settle down. That didn’t even touch on the fact that any sort of wild animal could be in the grass, ready to attack when they accidentally ran into it.

  For the next few hours, Kaztos talked with Halidorn and Uya. Before today, he had tried to ask for any advice they were willing to offer them. Kaztos knew they were novice adventurers and wanted to know anything that could help them. Team Yinsdal were good sports about it and offered any help they could offer. Today, Kaztos just wanted to exchange some small talk. He got the feeling that this would be the last time they’d be talking for some time. It was best to make the most of it while he could.

  As they traveled, the plateau grew larger in the distance. Kaztos underestimated how high it was. Rather than a few hundred feet, the rocky terrain must have reached over a thousand feet in height. There was little if any incline to the walls, meaning one would have to climb straight up to reach the top. It made sense that no one wanted to try. One mistake, and you’d be falling to your death. Just imagining it made Kaztos uncomfortable.

  Upon reaching the plateau, the group came to a stop. Randon walked up and put a hand on the wall. He turned and asked, “What now?”

  “Now, we go looking for the cave,” Zeltara said. “Let’s settle in here while someone goes check in each direction.” In the end, Uya and Rya were chosen to search for the cave. The rest settled in for a break. Zeltara and Halidorn were talking among themselves. Meanwhile, Randon continued to examine the plateau wall.

  Kaztos prepared to settle in and wait when Saiya walked up to him. She said, “Thank you for the help last night. I wouldn’t have been able to sleep after that if it weren’t for you.” He smiled.

  “It’s nothing. I’m willing to listen whenever you need it.” Saiya nodded.

  “You too. If you ever want to talk about... you know what, just let me know.” Saiya then walked to a nearby tree and sat down in the shade. She pulled out a book and started to read. Kaztos really needed to find something for himself to pass the time. He didn’t realize there would be so much waiting as an adventurer.

  Uya returned after half an hour. She approached the group and said, “Found it. It’s up north, about a fifteen-minute walk away.”

  “Good, then let’s wait for Rya and then head over,” Halidorn said. Rya arrived back empty-handed about ten minutes later. The group made their way north towards the cave. Kaztos could feel his nerves build as they walked. They were heading towards the place where dozens of adventurers had met their end. People stronger and more experienced than him. They were assuming that whatever was in the cave couldn’t come out. While the limited evidence pointed towards this being true, they couldn’t know for sure. Kaztos could only pray that nothing bad would happen.

  The first thing that came to Kaztos’ mind was that the entrance to the cave was large. He didn’t know what to expect. Maybe a small opening. Instead, it was several feet taller than him and looked wide enough to fit two carts side by side. Before the entrance was an abandoned camp. There wasn’t much. A few sleeping bags, the remains of a fire pit. But one thing that stood out was that there were no belongings anywhere. No bags or backpacks. From what Kaztos knew, the adventurers entered the cave in a hurry. They wouldn’t have time to grab everything before entering. Something would get left behind.

  “Someone’s been here,” Halidorn said. Everyone turned towards him. He pointed to the ground. There were several sets of footsteps. “Based on the tracks, I count four people. They must have come by within the last few days since that rainstorm would have washed them away otherwise.” It made the hair on Kaztos’ neck stand on end. Someone was out here, and they could be nearby. Were they other survivors of the first expedition, or something worse?

  Zeltara took a quick look around the area. “Great. They took everything we could use. What are we supposed to do now?”

  “Check the sleeping bags,” Saiya said. “There could be something there.” Seeing no other option, they searched the area. Kaztos went through three bags with only a few insects for his efforts.

  “I found something!” Uya called out. Everyone turned to see her holding a piece of paper. “It looks like a map of some kind.” Halidorn and Zeltara walked over to her.

  “Let us see that,” Halidorn said. The two team leaders looked over the map. “There’s something here. A location to the south. It might be a town.” That got the group excited.

  “So there is something out here!” Uya cheered. “I can’t wait to go visit.” Randon walked behind Halidorn to look at the map.

  “I wonder why we didn’t know about this? Headquarters didn’t mention a town there.”

  Zeltara said, “If I had to guess, whoever drew this map was keeping this a secret. Remember, you’re rewarded based on your contribution. They stood to potentially lose money if they shared this.” Randon nodded. Rya and Saiya finished checking the sleeping bags. I didn’t think they had found anything else.

  “So, what now?” Kaztos asked. “Are we still going in?” Zeltara looked ready to answer when a scream came from within the cave. Everyone turned and pulled out their weapons.

  They stood there and listened as a man called out for help. He pleaded with them for a minute, but nobody took a step forward. Kaztos felt tempted, but he knew this was a trap. Whoever was in there was already doomed. The screams came to an abrupt stop. Then a distorted chuckle could be heard from the cave. It grated on his ears like a misused chalkboard. Kaztos couldn’t see farther than five feet inside, but he could imagine the monster just inside the darkness. The chuckling stopped, and the cave fell silent again.

  After a moment, Zeltara said, “No, we are not going in there. Not until there’s no other choice.” There wasn’t anyone there who disagreed. Kaztos didn’t want to set a single foot into that cave.

  “Then what’s the plan? Why did we come here in the first place if we’re not going in?” Uya asked. Kaztos wondered that himself.

  Halidorn sighed. “We were hoping to grab some supplies and perhaps find more information about the area. Besides that map, this was a bust.”

  “Halidorn and I were talking, and we decided what to do while we walked here,” Zeltara said. “Team Yinsdal is going to explore the south. Meanwhile, Team Outsider is going to check out the north.” Kaztos nodded. He could agree to that. Saiya looked happy just to go somewhere other than the cave.

  Randon asked, “Are we just going our separate ways then?” He looked saddened by the prospect. Kaztos knew he had been getting along with Saiya.

  “Unfortunately. We need to cover as much ground as possible. That, and Team Outsider has made its position clear,” Halidorn said. Zeltara nodded along.

  “You guys are fun to be around, but we need to spread our wings a bit. Don’t worry, we agreed to meet up again in a month at the ruins. If we find anything, we’ll go to Mousafont and report our findings. We can then resupply if needed.” Rya raised her hand. She flinched when everyone turned to look at her.

  “What happens if we don’t find anything?” Halidorn frowned.

  “By that point, we’d be running low on supplies. We’ll have no choice but to use the cave. It’s the only known way up the plateau at this point.” That put a damper on the group. Rya looked almost petrified at the prospect. Kaztos could only hope they found another way up.

  Uya looked sad. “So, I guess this is goodbye then.” She then ran over and gave Zeltara a hug. “Stay safe, kiddos!” She let go of Zeltara and then ran over to Kaztos. Uya squeezed him for several seconds before she looked at Saiya. The blond girl wasn’t there anymore. Instead, she seemed to be behind Randon, who was laughing at their antics. Uya pouted but didn’t pursue her.

  Zeltara said, “Be more worried about yourselves. We’ll be fine.”

  “We’ll hold you to that,” Halidorn said. “You guys are friends now, so we better not hear of anything happening to you.” Kaztos gave him a wide grin.

  “Of course not! We can handle almost anything. Thank you for your guidance over the past few days. We appreciate it.”

  Meanwhile, Randon and Rya seemed to be finished talking with Saiya. They turned to them. Randon said, “This is goodbye for now. Hopefully, our time apart won’t be too long.” Rya nodded in agreement.

  “I hope so too. Take care,” Zeltara said. The two groups finished their farewells and began going their separate ways. Kaztos looked back until Team Yinsdal was out of sight. Now it was just them walking along the plateau wall north.

  “Well, looks like it’s just us again,” Saiya said. Zeltara gave the blond girl a sly look.

  “It sounds like you prefer our company. Were they too loud for you?” Saiya nodded.

  “Yes. And with them gone, it means I’m halfway to enjoying some peace and quiet. I just have to get rid of you two.” The mirthful look on her face made them laugh.

  Kaztos said, “Maybe that would be the best. It’d mean we don’t have to deal with you anymore. We’ll be free to cause a racket without you complaining.” The three continued to trade barbs. It left Kaztos with a grin on his face. He felt content. They were setting foot out on their own. No more trainers or mentors. Just the three members of Team Outsiders against the world. Kaztos knew they were ready for what lay ahead. They wouldn’t accept anything less.