Alex stared at Faelyn.
*So that's how it happened?*
*She came across Draven...*
*They fought...*
*And now she wants to serve him?*
Alex's expression became increasingly strange.
*What's wrong with this woman?*
She muttered under her breath.
"Is she even okay...?"
Faelyn's ears twitched.
"Oh?"
Alex looked up.
Faelyn smiled.
"Does it seem strange?"
She tilted her head.
"Or am I the one who's strange?"
Alex didn't answer.
Faelyn laughed softly.
"I suppose it might seem that way to other people."
"But to me..."
She placed a hand against her chest.
"There is nothing strange about it."
Her golden eyes gleamed.
"And it's not a decision I simply made on a whim."
Alex narrowed her eyes.
"Then what is it?"
"My instincts."
Faelyn answered without hesitation.
"My instincts were the ones that led me to him."
She smiled.
"And I've always trusted them."
Alex remained silent.
"It's not the first time they've guided me."
Faelyn looked toward the ceiling of the ship.
"Whenever I've followed them in the past, they've never led me astray."
She looked back at Alex.
"That's why I listened to them that day."
Her smile widened.
"And that's why I became certain."
Faelyn's golden eyes sharpened.
"He is the one I should serve."
Alex's expression hardened.
*Instincts...*
Faelyn continued.
"Perhaps that's also why I was able to recognize what you are."
Alex's eyes narrowed.
"What?"
"You're a Night Elf."
Alex's expression changed slightly.
Faelyn smiled.
"And that's how I know where my Master is."
Alex's eyes narrowed immediately.
"What are you talking about?"
Faelyn shrugged.
"When I said I knew where my Master was..."
She paused.
"I didn't have any evidence."
Alex's expression darkened.
Faelyn continued calmly.
"I didn't receive information from anyone."
"I didn't track him."
"I simply followed my instincts."
Alex stared at her.
For a moment—
there was silence.
Then her expression twisted with anger.
"What kind of nonsense is that?"
Mana began leaking from her body.
"Was that supposed to be a joke?"
Her grip tightened around her dagger.
"Because I don't find it funny."
Faelyn simply smiled.
"So..."
She tilted her head.
"You don't believe me?"
Alex's mana surged.
**BOOM!**
The floor beneath her feet cracked.
"Don't worry."
Alex's silver eyes became cold.
"I don't expect this to be easy."
She raised her dagger.
"But I'll force it out of you."
Faelyn's smile widened.
Her golden eyes began to glow with excitement.
"Then..."
Lightning slowly began crawling across her body.
"...come and try."
---
### The Crossfall Airship
Faelyn's smile remained.
"The Night Forest."
Alex stared at her.
"The Night Forest?"
Faelyn nodded.
"Normally, I would kill you."
Her golden eyes narrowed slightly.
"But my instincts are telling me to tell you."
She shrugged.
"So that's what I'm doing."
"The Night Forest is where my Master is heading."
She pointed north.
"He's heading north."
Alex's eyes widened.
*The Night Forest...*
*That's where he's going?*
"No..."
She shook her head slightly.
"That can't be."
Faelyn smiled.
"But it is."
"That's the truth."
Alex remained silent.
Faelyn continued.
"If you look at my Master's journey so far..."
"He has always been heading north."
Alex's expression changed.
"He was last seen in Eirundor."
Faelyn raised a finger.
"So if my instincts are correct, he should be somewhere in the next kingdom north of it."
She raised another finger.
"And if he continues heading north..."
Her eyes narrowed.
"He'll eventually cross the continent."
"And from there..."
She smiled.
"...he could enter Frosthelm."
Alex's eyes narrowed.
Faelyn continued.
"And beyond that..."
She shrugged.
"Who knows?"
Alex remained silent.
Faelyn's expression became more serious.
"At least..."
"That's my thought."
"It's the only explanation I have for why my Master would continue moving deeper into the continent ruled by the very Empire that's hunting him."
Alex stared at her.
Her mind began working through everything Faelyn had said.
*Always heading north...*
*Eirundor...*
*Then the kingdom north of it...*
*And eventually Frosthelm...*
Alex's eyes narrowed.
Faelyn watched her silently.
"And if my Master continues at the same pace..."
She crossed her arms.
"With the same actions he has taken so far..."
Her golden eyes sharpened.
"It'll only be a matter of time before other people reach the same conclusion."
"And once they do..."
Faelyn paused.
"...the Empire will eventually reach it as well."
Alex's expression hardened.
Faelyn looked toward the darkness outside the ship.
"And if that happens..."
"The Night Forest will have to prove that they aren't working with demons."
"Unless..."
She stopped herself.
Something had just occurred to her.
Alex's eyes narrowed.
Faelyn noticed the change in her expression.
Alex's mind raced.
*If Draven really is heading north...*
*And if the Empire discovers his route...*
*Then the Night Forest could become involved.*
She tightened her grip on her dagger.
Alex looked at Faelyn.
"You really believe he's heading there?"
Faelyn smiled.
"I do."
"You don't even know for certain."
"No."
Faelyn answered honestly.
"I don't."
She shrugged.
"But my instincts have rarely been wrong."
Alex stared at her.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Then—
Alex lowered her dagger slightly.
"For now..."
She looked at Faelyn.
"I'll let you live."
Faelyn raised an eyebrow.
"If what you said is true..."
Alex's expression became serious.
"Then I don't have any time to spare."
She turned slightly.
"You can count yourself lucky."
Her body began to fade into shadow.
"You won't be dying today."
Faelyn stared at her disappearing figure.
Then—
she smiled.
"So I'm not dying today?"
She chuckled.
"Hmm..."
"How lucky."
Her golden eyes narrowed as Alex continued fading.
"But if you were someone else..."
Faelyn smiled.
"I doubt you would've said that."
Alex's body completely dissolved into darkness.
She disappeared.
The room became silent.
Faelyn remained standing there.
She looked toward the place where Alex had vanished.
For a moment, she said nothing.
Then—
her expression became thoughtful.
"So..."
She slowly crossed her arms.
"It seems the accusations about the Night Forest..."
Her golden eyes narrowed.
"...weren't completely unfounded after all."
---
Far away from the Crossfall airship—
Alex moved through the shadows at incredible speed.
Her expression was grim.
*Damn it.*
*The Night Forest.*
Her thoughts raced.
*So that really is where Draven is heading?*
She clenched her dagger.
*If that's true...*
Her expression darkened.
*Then this isn't good.*
The Night Forest was already under suspicion.
The Empire had previously accused the Night Elves of having ties with demons.
The accusations had nearly been put to rest.
*Grandma was already close to putting those accusations down.*
Alex's eyes narrowed.
*But if people discover that Draven is heading toward the Night Forest...*
Her expression became colder.
*Those accusations will start again.*
*And this time, they could become much worse.*
She increased her speed.
*I can't let that happen.*
The shadows around her surged.
*I need to find Draven.*
*Quickly.*
Alex's expression remained grim.
*The Night Forest.*
She knew she couldn't afford to waste time.
But another thought continued bothering her.
*How did he even end up heading there?*
*Was it really his intention from the beginning?*
She remembered the information she had gathered in Dresvalle.
The spatial port.
Draven's appearance.
His disappearance.
Everything that had happened since he entered Eirundor.
*He's been moving north this entire time...*
Alex's eyes narrowed.
*And nobody noticed the pattern.*
Until now.
Faelyn had.
And if Faelyn had figured it out through nothing more than her instincts—
others could eventually figure it out too.
Alex's speed increased.
**WHOOSH!**
She vanished into the darkness.
---
Meanwhile—
inside the Crossfall airship.
Faelyn remained in the damaged lower section.
The walls were cracked.
The floor was covered with cuts from the battle.
Broken pieces of the ship were scattered everywhere.
Several Crossfall members slowly approached.
One of them looked around.
"Guild Master..."
Faelyn glanced toward him.
"Hmm?"
"Who was that?"
Faelyn looked toward the place where Alex had disappeared.
"I have no idea."
She shrugged.
"She was just one of the many people looking for my Master."
The members exchanged glances.
Faelyn continued.
"And because of our actions..."
She smiled.
"...we unknowingly led one of them straight to us."
The Crossfall members lowered their heads.
"We apologize, Guild Master."
One of them stepped forward.
"But she must have been extremely skilled."
Another member nodded.
"She managed to fight you to that extent..."
"And even managed to escape."
A third member looked toward Faelyn.
"Should we give chase?"
Faelyn immediately shook her head.
"Don't bother."
The members looked at her.
"I already let her go."
She smiled.
"And even if you did give chase..."
Her golden eyes narrowed.
"None of you would be able to capture her."
The members fell silent.
They understood what she meant.
Faelyn turned toward the damaged interior of the ship.
"Just get the vessel repaired."
She walked forward.
"We're leaving as soon as it's ready."
The Crossfall members immediately bowed.
"Yes, Guild Master."
They turned and began moving.
"Get the repair crew down here."
"We need to reinforce the damaged section."
"Make sure the engines are checked as well."
The members quickly spread throughout the ship, carrying out Faelyn's orders.
Faelyn remained behind for a moment.
She looked toward the direction Alex had disappeared.
A faint smile appeared on her face.
"My Master..."
She turned away.
"I wonder if you'll be happy to see the little gift I sent your way."
Then—
she followed the others.
The Crossfall airship continued its preparations.
Soon—
they would set off again.