Amidst the circle of dust, she sees a translucent figure, reminiscent of Athena. The spirit smiles, gratitude shining through her gestures. She nods, as though thanking them.
Atelier looks at Kreiss. His gaze on Athena is longing and filled with sorrow. When she slides her eyes to the lake again, the spirit is gone. "You owe me an explanation," she coughs, peeling herself away from Kreiss' arms.
Kreiss avoids her hard stare and leaves quickly to check on Skulljape. Atelier goes to join him.
The dragon moans as Kreiss inspects the wound. "It doesn't look too bad, but he won't be able to move for a while," he tells her.
They set up camp. Atelier keeps her eyes on Kreiss, watching his every move, from building a fire – which Skulljape is unable to help with this time – to tending to the dragon's injury. Kreiss remains silent throughout, and it makes her anxious. When it becomes too much for her to bear, she speaks up. "Are you finally going to tell me?"
