The group walked into the Room of Knowledge, the scent of parchment, herbs, and ink mingling in the air. Elder turned toward them, his expression expectant. "Already finished?" he asked.
Keen nodded. "Yes. They have the device," he replied before pausing to take a steadying breath. "And they taught Grey about Will."
Elder's gaze shifted to Aedric and Leora. Without hesitation, he walked toward Aedric and clasped his hand firmly. The gesture startled the young man, whose eyes widened in shock.
"Thank you," Elder said earnestly. "One day, if we can, we will repay your kindness."
Aedric looked to Grey for guidance, unsure of how to respond. Grey simply offered a faint smirk. "I don't think gratitude really needs a translator," he said.
Aedric blinked before nodding. "N-no, I suppose not," he stammered, his uncertainty melting into a small, awkward smile. Leora giggled softly behind him, her earlier tension fading slightly.
"Alright," Elder said, releasing Aedric's hand and stepping back. "Keen, Grey, help pack these books. We'll have to leave some behind. The herbs too."
Grey remained still, an idea forming in his mind. Instead of following Elder's orders, he sat down cross-legged on the floor.
"Grey," Elder said, his tone tinged with confusion. "Get up. We have work to do."
But Grey didn't respond. He closed his eyes, focusing outward instead of inward, recalling Aedric's earlier guidance. Slowly, faint traces of Will began to gather in his hand. As the energy coalesced, Grey reached for the golden ring hanging around his neck. The room seemed to fall away, leaving him in a space vast and silent.
In his mind's eye, a massive, empty expanse unfolded. It was like a stone chamber, its size overwhelming. It felt infinite, yet enclosed—large enough to hold thousands of Elder's tomes and scrolls, countless cabinets of herbs and ingredients. The walls hummed faintly, ancient and still.
"Amazing," Grey whispered as he opened his eyes, his vision returning to the room around him.
"Grey?" Serene's voice carried a note of concern as she stepped closer.
Leora's gaze locked onto the ring in Grey's hand. Its delicate golden patterns gleamed in the dim light, a small green stone embedded within its band. Her expression hardened slightly. "That's—Grey, where did you get something like that?" she asked, her voice sharp.
Although hesitant, Grey decided against lying. He had already revealed the ring, and if they chose to take it from him when he left the village, there would be little he could do to stop them. He took a breath, meeting Leora's gaze evenly. "Someone gave it to me long ago," he admitted, his tone calm but guarded.
"It's his, Leora. You know better than to ask about someone's interspatial ring," Aedric said, chastising his younger companion.
Leora looked down at her feet, pouting slightly. "I was just curious," she muttered.
Grey chuckled. "It's no problem. Really," he said, waving it off.
Aedric turned to Grey with a faint smile. "If you're planning to pack everything into bags, you could've asked us for help. But seeing that—" he gestured toward Grey's ring, now being slid onto his finger—"there's no need. You could probably fit this entire room in there."
Shot, sitting nearby and clearly exhausted, perked up. "What's he saying, Grey? I'm not living being kept in the dark."
Grey shook his head. "They're saying I could fit everything in this," he replied, holding up his hand to show the ring.
"How could you fit everything in there?" Serene asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.
Brawl, lounging against a wall, shrugged. "I mean—they did pull a whole cart out of thin air. I guess it's not that crazy."
Determined to test the process himself, Grey stood, focusing on summoning Will. It was harder to gather the energy while standing, but after a moment of concentration, the faint glow of nodes formed around his hand. He reached for a nearby bookshelf laden with scrolls, channeling the energy into his ring.
With a faint shimmer and a collective gasp from everyone but Leora and Aedric, the bookshelf vanished entirely, leaving only an empty space where it had stood.
"A lot of dust was under there," Shot remarked, her voice tinged with disgust. "When's the last time this place was cleaned, Elder?"
Elder gave her a blank look before gesturing to his frail frame. "Do I look like I'm built for cleaning, little lady?" he said with a chuckle.
"He called you little… and a lady," Serene teased, her laughter light and infectious.
After the group enjoyed a brief reprieve, Brawl broke the silence. "Well, work's done here, I guess. Just toss everything in, Grey—it'll give us more time to say goodbye to everyone." His words hung in the air for only a moment before they were interrupted by a young girl's shout echoing through the room.
"Put me down! I can walk on my own!" The voice was familiar to most there—Tear's unmistakable tone carried through the door, followed closely by Forge's calming baritone. "You kept running away from her, Tear. That's why she's carrying you."
"That's 'cause I barely know her! Grey told me—" The door swung open, cutting off her words. Tear fell silent, looking around the room with a pout. She was being carried princess-style, her arms crossed, and a very annoyed expression on her face as Wild stood there holding her.
With a huff, Tear squirmed free, hopping to the ground as though nothing had happened. Grey opened his arms to greet her, but she ran straight past him, diving into Serene's waiting embrace.
"Serene!" she shouted, clinging tightly to her, "What's going on?"
Grey stood there, shocked.
Elder, ever calm, answered instead. "I have something to tell you all," he began, his voice steady. "You all, other than Keen and I, will be leaving."
"I get to go to the woods now!" Tear yelled excitedly.
Elder raised an eyebrow and cast a questioning look at Grey. Grey quickly shook his head. "Serene's the one training her—don't look at me," he said defensively.
Elder sighed, walked up to Tear and patted her on the head. "No, Tear," he said gently. "You'll be going far away. You'll see the world."
Tear's eyes widened with curiosity rather than fear, her earlier excitement undiminished. "The world? How big is it? Serene and Grey are coming, right?"
Elder chuckled softly. "I don't know how big it is—much bigger than here. But yes, Grey will be there, and Serene too." He glanced over at Keen. "And Stilra."
Keen shifted uncomfortably, the weight of Elder's words settling over him. For a fleeting moment, he had forgotten the inevitable: his daughter would be leaving him. Maybe forever. The thought struck him like a blade, but he knew there was no choice. The village needed its hunters—him included. There weren't enough left in Spider's and his squad to protect the village in a crisis. Not to mention, he was the next leader of the village.
When he returned home, he'd have to explain this to Patrona and Stilra.
"Stilra is coming? That's great!" Tear exclaimed, clapping her hands together.
She wriggled free from Serene's arms and turned toward Elder. "When do we go?"
Grey stepped in to answer for him. "Two days, more or less," he said, crouching down to her level. "So we can spend some time with Carver and Harthy first. But then… we have to say goodbye, Tear."
Although Tear's excitement still lingered, Grey's tone sobered her. He wanted her to understand the reality of their departure before it caught her off guard.
"We don't know when we'll be back, Tear," he continued. "It could be… a long time." He hesitated, carefully choosing his words. "We might never see them again."
Tear's enthusiasm dimmed visibly. "Never? Why not?" she asked, her voice quieter now.
Grey picked her up, her small frame feeling almost weightless in his arms. He gave her a reassuring smile, though the heaviness in his eyes betrayed him. "I don't know if it's certain. But we have to go. This is something we all need to do."
Seeing her downcast expression, Grey felt a pang of guilt. He decided it was time to lift her spirits again.
"Wanna see something amazing?" Grey asked, walking with her to another shelf.
Her head remained low, her gaze fixed on the floor. She looked as though she might cry at any moment. "You gotta look up, Tear, or you'll miss it," he teased, drawing out his words playfully.
She lifted her head slightly, just in time to see his hand touch a bookshelf. Her eyes widened as the shelf, along with the books it held, vanished entirely. "Ho—How did you do that!?" she gasped.
"I'm magic now," Grey said, grinning confidently, proud that he'd drawn her attention back to him.
Aedric and Leora stifled laughter behind their hands, amused by Grey's bold and strange explanation for what they considered a simple action.
"Who are they?" Tear's attention shifted away from her brother in an instant, her curiosity now focused entirely on the two strangers.
"No one—just travel companions," Grey replied quickly. Hoping to reclaim her interest, he added, "Want to see what else I can do?"
Without waiting for an answer, Grey entered the space within his ring, imagining himself grabbing one of the tomes. When he opened his eyes, a faint burst of light appeared, and a red tome materialized in his hands.
"Woooow," Tear said in awe. "That's amazing! What else can you do?"
Serene and Shot burst into laughter as Grey rubbed the back of his head, muttering to himself, How much do I need to do to impress her for longer than a few moments?
"Um—throw you," Grey said finally.
"Why do you want to throw me?" Tear asked, hopping down from his arms. She approached Aedric and Leora without hesitation, her curiosity now entirely focused on them. "Hi! I'm Tear," she said brightly.
Aedric, now understanding this as an introduction, crouched to her level. His movements were a little stiff as he awkwardly mouthed the word, "I'm…" before saying his name aloud.
The room was finally empty, leaving only Grey, Tear, and Serene. Tear walked hand in hand with Serene, chatting animatedly. Her turquoise hair bounced with every step as she tilted her head back to look up at her favorite person.
"Serene, do you think there'll be giant monsters out in the world? The kind that need big spears to hunt them? Or… or maybe really fast ones that Grey can't even catch?"
Serene chuckled, squeezing Tear's hand gently. "If Grey can't catch them, I don't think I'll have much luck either. Maybe you'll have to take the lead, Tear."
Tear gasped dramatically, her wide pine-green eyes sparkling with excitement. "Me? Leading? But… what if I trip? You'd all get eaten because of me!"
"Don't worry," Serene replied with mock seriousness, her emerald eyes narrowing as though contemplating a grave scenario. "If you trip, I'll make sure Grey gets eaten first. He's bigger, so it'll take longer."
"Hey!" Grey interjected, glancing back over his shoulder with an exaggerated look of betrayal.
Tear burst into giggles, tugging Serene along.
The trio stepped into the crisp evening air, the snow crunching softly beneath their boots as they approached Serene's house. The warm glow of firelight spilled through the edges of the door, and faint voices carried from within.
As they reached the door, they heard Carver's familiar laugh booming inside. Tear's ears perked up instantly.
"Carver!" she shouted, her voice echoing as she tore her hand free of Serene's and dashed toward the door.
"Tear, wait!" Grey called after her, his voice laced with exasperation. She was already gone, pushing the door open with both hands and bounding inside like an excited pup.
"Carver!" Tear's delighted squeal echoed through the room.
Grey lingered outside with Serene, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Who said she'd get bored of him again?" he muttered sarcastically.