The next day, Raven was already up when Amelia came out of her room.
He was at the table, checking the straps on his gear like it was the most normal thing to be doing first thing in the morning, face blank as usual.
"You're late," he said, not even glancing up.
She frowned. "It's not even sunrise."
"Exactly."
Amelia went to the counter and started fiddling with the kettle just so she would have something to do. The silence in the room felt more awkward today than it should have.
Her grip tightened on the handle. 'Why is this even getting to me? He still killed my father.'
Raven stood. "Eat something. We leave in five minutes."
She kept her eyes on the mug she was holding. "I'm not hungry."
"Then eat anyway. You'll need it."
Her teeth ground together, but she tore a piece of bread from the loaf on the table and took a bite.
He watched her for a second, then turned for the door without saying anything else.
Outside, the air was cold enough to bite.
They walked for miles until the faint glow of the rift shimmered in the distance. She followed him, hands shoved deep into her pockets. They didn't say a word.
'Say something. Anything. Stop acting weird, or he will notice.'
"You said this is basically our last day here?" she asked.
"Yes."
"Why? Are we going somewhere?" She looked at him with a bit of shock, and her eyes narrowed.
"Moving," Raven replied in his normal, uninterested tone.
"Where?...and why?"
"Some other country, cause our time here is up."
"That's… good. I guess."
"Good?"
She shrugged. "It's boring here."
He glanced at her. "Boring is safe. Safe lets you train without distraction and grow stronger."
"Hey its not me that decided to move, so don't give me that look."
She quipped, matching his gaze to show her annoyance.
He smiled slightly and continued moving without acknowledging her at all.
Realising that she was getting worked up for no reason and feeling like she had been tricked, Amelia huffed and looked away.
They reached the rift. Without a word, Raven stepped through. She followed, the familiar jolt in her stomach making her inhale sharply.
Inside, the air was damp and cold, the stone corridors lit with the faint glow of crystal veins in the walls. The scent of moss and iron clung to every breath.
Raven moved ahead at his usual pace. "Stay close. You know the drill."
She quickened her steps to keep up. "Yeah, yeah. Watch. Learn. Try not to die."
"That last one is important."
The first monster appeared almost immediately, a hulking creature with spiked shoulders and a jaw that split too wide.
"Yours," Raven said, stepping back.
Amelia's stomach tightened. She summoned ice first, shards forming in her hands before shooting toward the creature's chest. It roared and charged. She dodged left, switching to lightning. A crackling arc leapt from her palm, striking its side and making it stagger.
Her heart pounded. She stepped back, another streak of lightning forming in her hands. Faster. Keep moving.
The creature lunged. She rolled under its arm, sending a spray of jagged ice into its ribs. It howled, slowed, but still didn't fall.
Raven's voice came from behind her. "Too slow. Aim for the joints."
She gritted her teeth, circling the creature. This time, when it swung, she ducked and sent a burst of lightning into its knee. The crack echoed through the corridor. It collapsed to one side, giving her the opening to drive a spear of ice through its throat.
It hit the ground with a dull thud.
She stood there, chest heaving, the smell of burnt flesh and ozone lingering in the air.
"Better," Raven said, walking past her.
"That's all I get? No applause?"
"This isn't a theatre."
She muttered under her breath, "Could have fooled me with how much you watch."
He didn't respond, but she thought she saw the corner of his mouth twitch before he stepped ahead again.
They moved deeper into the dungeon, the air growing heavier. Another creature appeared — smaller, quicker. Raven didn't even slow. His blade flashed once, and it fell into two halves.
"Not yours."
"You're spoiling me."
"Saving time." He rebuked.
She almost smiled before she caught herself.
Hours passed like that. Some fights were hers. Some weren't. Each time, her movements grew sharper. Cleaner.
They paused in a wider chamber. Amelia sat on a broken slab of stone, watching him clean his blade.
"You always this quiet?" she asked.
"Yes."
"Even around people you like?"
He looked at her. "Do you think you're someone I like?"
Her chest tightened. "Obviously not."
"Then you have your answer."
She took a long drink from her bottle and looked away.
They moved again.
The next fight came fast, two monsters at once.
She hesitated only a moment before diving in, lightning tearing through one while she twisted away from the other. Ice flared up just in time to block its claws. She shattered it with a follow-up strike.
Both fell.
She stood there, breathing hard.
Raven nodded once. "You're improving."
"Thanks," she said before she could stop herself.
The word hung between them. He didn't answer, but his gaze lingered a second longer than usual before he turned away.
At the dungeon's heart, the boss roared from above, massive and plated in jagged armour.
Raven slowed.
"Together."
They moved in sync. His blade carved open armour.
Her lightning scorched exposed flesh. The Ice locked its legs in place before it could even scream in agony.
'It's so weak that I could probably blow it away without even moving.'
'But its good enough that it helped Amelia grow… she won't be completely dead weight from now on, I guess.'
Blood steamed against frost-bitten stone.
"Finish it."
"Yeah, you don't need to tell me something so obvious."
She took her time casting the most powerful and sharpest ice blade she could, sending it straight into the monster's revolting face.
Thuck.
Its body crashed into the floor, commencing the end of their troubles.
[You have levelled up…]
"That's it," Raven said. "We're done."
On the way out, the quiet pressed in again.
Her father's voice surfaced where she didn't want it, sharp and sudden. The anger followed, familiar and burning, but it didn't come alone.
She watched Raven's back as he walked ahead, his pace never changing, never once looking back.
Amelia kept her distance and kept moving, letting the dungeon swallow the rest.