Morning sunlight slipped through the high windows of the AetherBound Guild Hall, turning the air above the main floor into soft, golden haze. The carved double doors creaked on their hinges as someone passed, but the hall itself was already wide awake.
Clank. Clatter. BANG.
"Milas, NOT AGAIN!"
A stack of wooden stools toppled near the training corner as Milas finished a particularly enthusiastic stretch. She straightened up, unfazed, rolling her shoulders like she was about to suplex the furniture next.
Near the center tables, Elira moved with practiced grace, a tray balanced on one hand, the other adjusting plates as she weaved between chairs. Her red hair was tied back, swaying with every sure, nimble step.
Right behind her, Tarin tried to follow her path and absolutely failed.
A spoon slipped from his apron pocket and hit the floor.
"Ah—!"
He bent to grab it and a roll of bandages tumbled out from the other side.
"W–wait—!"
Elira didn't slow down.
Tarin didn't stop dropping things.
At a table by the wall, Garron calmly sipped his tea, half-amused. Three small gravity stones orbited his hand in slow, lazy circles, shifting shape each time his fingers twitched—cube, sphere, thin flat plate—then back again.
Near the book corner, Liora sat tucked against the shelves, one leg crossed over the other, a thick tome open on her lap. Pink hair framed her face in soft waves; violet eyes moved steadily line by line. Every so often, she nudged her glasses back up with a gentle tap of her finger, the motion almost automatic.
Milas stretched again, muscles flexing, the floorboards creaking in sympathy.
And right in the middle of everything—
Jim Hogan was doing push-ups against a table.
Not on the floor.
On the table.
The poor thing groaned under every rep.
"ONE! TWO! THREE! FEEL THE BURN!"
Aria froze halfway into the hall, hands clutched to her chest.
"M–Mr. Hogan, p-please stop using the tables as training equipment...!"
Hogan flashed a blinding grin without breaking rhythm.
"Sister—tables were meant to be tested!"
CRACK.
The table's legs protested.
Aria covered her face with both hands. "They really weren't..."
The guild doors creaked again behind her.
Ryoto pushed them the rest of the way open with his foot, stretching his arms over his head with a long groan.
"Maaan... mornings are rough."
Aria turned, the tension in her shoulders easing just from seeing him.
"You say that every morning," she said, smiling softly.
"Because it's true," he replied, though the crooked grin on his face made it sound more like a habit than a complaint.
They stepped fully into the hall together—
And Aria's gaze caught on something near the job board.
Sylvi.
She stood in front of the Quest Board as if she'd been planted there, arms folded, feet set, eyes narrowed at the sheets pinned up in rows. Her short mint-green hair fell in uneven layers around her face, still a little mussed from sleep and the early walk downstairs. The light from the windows painted a faint sheen along the edges of her tool belt.
She didn't fidget.
She didn't glance around.
She studied the quests like she was dismantling them piece by piece in her head.
Aria tilted her head. "She's so serious already..."
Before Ryoto could answer, movement near the bookshelves caught Sylvi's attention.
Liora closed her tome with a quiet thump, slid off her chair, and padded over, hugging the book to her chest. Up close, she had the calm aura of someone who lived half in the real world and half between the pages she carried.
She stopped at Sylvi's side, leaving just enough space to be polite.
"You're the new girl everyone's been talking about," Liora said, voice soft but clear.
Sylvi's eyes flicked toward her, assessing. The girl in front of her wasn't loud or overwhelming—no blazing aura, no dramatic gestures. Just gentle pink hair, thoughtful violet eyes, and ink smudged lightly along one thumb.
"...Maybe," Sylvi replied. "Depends what they're saying."
Liora's lips curved into a small smile.
"I'm Liora Quillcrest," she said. "I handle the guild library. Records, maps, history... most of the boring things people pretend not to need."
Sylvi turned a little more to face her now, backpack shifting and clanking with the movement. From this angle, she caught details she'd mostly ignored last night—Liora's careful posture, the way her gaze drifted back to the quest board even while she spoke, quietly curious about what Sylvi was choosing.
"Library, huh..." Sylvi murmured.
It wasn't dismissive.
More like she was filing the information away.
"If you ever need anything—books on Ether theory, town registries, transport maps, old monster sightings—I can help you find it," Liora went on. "I'm there most of the day."
Sylvi glanced back up at the quest sheets.
Information.
Resources.
Patterns.
"Good to know," she said, simple and direct.
For a second, their eyes met—weapon engineer and archive keeper.
Then someone called Liora's name from across the hall.
"Liora—did you move the regional atlas again?" Garron asked without looking up.
Liora sighed very quietly. "That would be you, actually," she muttered.
She dipped her head to Sylvi. "I should get back before he organizes the shelves 'his way' again."
She stepped back, starting to turn, then hesitated.
"Ah... and—" she added, a little more shyly, "welcome to AetherBound."
Sylvi blinked.
No one had said it quite like that yet.
"...Thanks," she said.
Liora's smile brightened by a fraction before she headed back toward the shelves, book already opening again as she walked.
Sylvi stood there a moment longer, gaze drifting over the bustling hall.
Red-haired Elira weaving between tables.
Tarin chasing after fallen utensils.
Milas stretching like she was about to punch the sun.
Garron and his floating stones.
Liora disappearing back into the forest of books.
Loud.
Chaotic.
Alive.
She turned back to the board, jaw setting.
That was when Ryoto elbowed Aria gently, nodding toward the same spot.
"Yo," he whispered. "Looks like someone's already scoping out her first job."
Aria followed his gaze and couldn't help a tiny, proud smile. Sylvi's back was straight, her attention locked on the papers like she was choosing parts for a new engine.
"I guess she couldn't wait," Aria said.
Ryoto grinned. "Can't blame her."
He strode forward with zero hesitation.
"OI, SYLVI!" he called, loud enough for half the hall to hear. "Already snatching your first quest without us?"
Sylvi turned slowly, one eyebrow lifting in that familiar, unimpressed arc.
"Who said you two were coming with me?"
Aria hurried up beside him, hands lightly clasped in front of her.
"Well... f-first quests are usually done with guildmates," she said. "It's safer that way."
Ryoto jabbed both thumbs at his chest.
"So yeah," he said. "We're tagging along. Deal with it."
Sylvi crossed her arms tighter, mouth tugging down in a frown that didn't quite reach her eyes.
"Tch. Whatever," she muttered. "Just don't slow me down."
The flicker of relief behind her irritation was small—but Aria saw it.
Ryoto smirked.
Aria giggled under her breath.
Sylvi turned back to the quest board, gaze sweeping over the pinned notices one last time—until it stopped on a slightly crumpled sheet near the middle.
The handwriting was rushed. Desperate.
She reached up and tugged it free.
Aria leaned in to read.
Ryoto leaned over both of them, completely ignoring personal space.
Client: Merchant of Golden Meadow
Issue: Repeated bandit ambushes on delivery routes
Three people kidnapped — son, driver, assistant
Rank: 2-star (C-Rank)
Reward: 9,500 Solims
Ryoto let out a low whistle.
"Bandits, huh?" His grin sharpened. "Now this I can feel the fire in me."
Aria sighed, though there was a resigned smile on her face.
"Ryoto... not everything needs fire."
"Everything needs fire," he countered.
Sylvi rolled her eyes, but her fingers tightened on the quest sheet. Bandits. Routes. Missing people. Problems she could aim at.
"...I'll take it," she said quietly.
Before either of them could answer, a calm voice flowed in from behind them, smooth and warm as sunlight through leaves.
"Taking your first mission already, child?"
Sylvi held the quest sheet tightly between her fingers, the parchment slightly wrinkling where her thumb pressed. Ryoto and Aria stood on either side of her—closer than she expected—but she didn't move away.
Seraphine's presence was calm, almost like a warm blanket placed around the moment. The Guild Master studied the quest, then lifted her gaze gently back toward Sylvi.
"A rescue for your first mission..." Seraphine murmured, the staff in her hand tapping softly against the wooden floor. "A difficult beginning... but your heart is steady. That matters more than strength."
Sylvi looked away, chin angled down, mint bangs shifting over her eyes.
Steady?
Her?
Not exactly.
But hearing it felt... strangely reassuring.
Aria stepped closer with her soft smile.
"We'll be with you the whole time."
Ryoto crossed his arms, grin wide.
"And don't worry—we're the best backup you could ask for."
Sylvi snorted.
"Backup? Sure. I'll act like that's why I brought you along."
Aria whispered, "She says that, but she's actually happy."
Ryoto nodded like a wise sage.
"She's terrible at hiding it."
Sylvi's eyebrow twitched.
"You two are impossible."
Before Ryoto could fire back, Seraphine raised a hand and the three straightened.
"You've chosen your path, children," the Guild Master said. "Now plan your steps wisely."
Aria nodded immediately.
"We should head to Golden Meadow as soon as possible. The sooner we talk to the merchant, the better."
Ryoto puffed up his chest.
"We can walk! Easy. Just a warm-up!"
Aria turned to him with a deadpan stare.
"Ryoto... it's five to six hours on foot."
Ryoto froze.
"...Oh."
"It's faster by wagon," Aria continued gently. "One or two hours at most. If we leave at sunrise, we can visit the merchant, investigate the ambush site, and still return before dark."
Sylvi shrugged.
"As long as we get it done."
Seraphine nodded approvingly.
"A sound plan. Prepare your things tonight. Rest well. Missions taken lightly often lead to cracks in judgment."
Ryoto snapped a dramatic salute.
"Yes, Master Seraphine!"
Aria bowed politely.
"Understood."
Sylvi gave a small nod—stiff, but respectful.
Seraphine stepped back, her voice warm as ever.
"Then tomorrow... your first journey as guildmates begins."
The moment lingered just long enough for Sylvi to feel it—
a spark of something
dangerously close
to belonging.
She quickly turned away.
"No point wasting time," she said. "I'll pack up whatever I need tonight."
Ryoto stretched, already energized.
"I'm gonna go check if Tarin made any snacks! A man needs fuel!"
Aria sighed.
"You ate six rolls an hour ago..."
Sylvi blinked.
"...Six?"
Aria giggled softly, then turned back to Sylvi.
"Tomorrow will go well. I'm sure of it."
Sylvi held her gaze for a second—longer than she meant to.
"...Yeah. Maybe."
Aria's smile warmed.
Not pitying.
Not pushing.
Just there.
"Goodnight, Sylvi," she said softly.
"Sleep well."
Ryoto yelled from across the hall, mouth full of bread, "SEE YOU TOMORROW!"
Sylvi rolled her eyes...
but the faint curl at the corner of her mouth betrayed her.
She folded the quest sheet carefully and tucked it beneath her jacket.
"Tomorrow," she repeated quietly.
And for the first time in a long time—
The word didn't feel like a threat.
It felt like a beginning.
They left at sunrise.
The air outside the AetherBound Guild was still a little cold, the sky washed in pale orange. Ether-lanterns along the main street were dimming one by one as the real sun took over.
Aria tugged her cloak a little tighter around her shoulders, satchel strapped across her body. Ryoto arrived with nothing but his usual confidence and a small pouch tied at his belt.
Sylvi adjusted the strap of her heavy backpack, checking the fit of the goggles resting on her head and the holster at her hip. She'd cleaned the revolver late last night in her new room; even now, she gave the cylinder a tiny spin with her thumb, just to feel it.
A small wagon waited by the street—the same kind used for short trips between towns. The horse snorted, stamping a hoof.
The driver, a man in his forties with a round face and sun-browned skin, raised a hand in a bright wave.
"Morning, AetherBound!" he called. "Heading to Golden Meadow today, right?"
Ryoto waved back immediately. "You got it!"
Aria bowed slightly. "Good morning."
Sylvi gave a simple nod. "As long as you get us there fast."
The man chuckled, patting the side of the wagon.
"Name's Bram. Been running this route for years. If Golden Meadow's your stop, you're in good hands," he said. "Hop on, hop on. We'll be there before the sun's overhead."
They climbed up—Ryoto first, then Aria, then Sylvi, who tested the wood with one boot as if judging whether it might collapse under her cargo.
It didn't.
Bram clicked his tongue, gave the reins a small flick, and the wagon started rolling.
"Next stop, Golden Meadow!" he announced cheerfully over his shoulder. "Nice little place. Good bread. Better people."
Ryoto leaned back against the wooden side, hands behind his head, letting the town of Lantern's Reach slowly pass by in reverse.
Aria watched the buildings go—from familiar shop fronts to quieter homes, to the last cluster of houses near the town edge. She lifted her hand in a few quick waves to people already starting their day.
A baker they knew lifted a loaf in greeting.
A little boy pointed and yelled something about "the girl with the wind."
Aria's cheeks colored, but she waved anyway.
Sylvi watched all of it in silence.
Her gaze tracked the Ether-lanterns going dark, the smoke curling lazily from chimneys, the way people waved at Aria and Ryoto like it was the most natural thing in the world to see them ride out on a job.
They're really part of this place, she thought.
She wasn't.
Not yet.
Bram started humming some road tune under his breath. The horse's hooves beat a steady rhythm on the packed dirt.
"So," he said after a moment, not turning but clearly ready to talk if they wanted, "first time to Golden Meadow for any of you?"
Ryoto raised a hand. "First time on a job there, yeah."
Aria nodded. "I've only passed by before."
Sylvi shrugged. "Never heard of it until yesterday."
Bram laughed, not insulted in the slightest.
"Ah, that's how it goes. Folks know the big cities. But small towns like Golden Meadow... that's where the best stew is, if you ask me."
Ryoto's eyes lit up immediately. "Stew, huh..."
Aria looked at him sideways. "We are going there for work."
"We can't save people on an empty stomach, Aria," he said solemnly, as if stating a universal law.
Sylvi snorted softly, almost too quiet to notice. "Priorities."
Bram seemed satisfied with that small exchange and let the conversation fade. He hummed again, happy just to be the one pulling them along the morning road.
The town shrank behind them until it became a warm smudge on the horizon.
For a while, they rode in companionable quiet.
Aria watched the trees on either side of the road grow taller, the fields giving way to patches of forest. Light filtered through leaves, drawing shifting patterns over the wagon floor. Every once in a while, a bird startled from a branch and shot into the sky.
Her thoughts drifted to the quest paper.
Three people kidnapped.
She pressed her fingertips lightly against the strap of her satchel, feeling a faint tremble.
If that was someone from Lantern's Reach...
If that was Ryuji, or Sylvi, or Ryoto...
No. They're strangers, but they still matter.
Her jaw firmed just a little.
Sylvi sat opposite her, elbows on her knees, eyes half-closed like she was resting. But Aria could tell her mind was awake; every sound made her fingers twitch, every bump in the road made her adjust her balance instead of slumping.
You're nervous too, Aria thought. You just don't want anyone to see it.
Ryoto broke the silence first.
"So," he said, leaning forward a bit, "what do you two think we're dealing with? Ten bandits? Twenty?"
"We're not guessing headcount like it's a game," Aria said, though there was no sharpness in it.
Sylvi opened one eye.
"If they've been hitting the same road repeatedly," she said, "they're either confident, desperate, or stupid. Maybe all three."
Ryoto grinned. "Confident and stupid is my favorite kind. Easier to knock down."
Aria frowned thoughtfully. "The merchant said they left marks, right? If they don't even bother hiding their tracks..."
"Then they're sloppy," Sylvi finished. "Sloppy enemies make mistakes. Mistakes make openings."
Her fingers tapped once on the wood.
"...We just have to get to those people before someone decides they're more trouble than they're worth."
That quiet sentence landed heavier than anything else she'd said.
Aria's throat tightened. She nodded.
"We will."
Ryoto didn't joke that time.
He nodded too.
The rest of the ride passed with little bursts of conversation—Ryoto asking Bram how many towns he'd seen, Bram bragging about nearly tipping a wagon once and still saving all the cargo, Aria laughing at the story despite herself.
Sylvi listened, eyes on the road ahead, expression slowly easing from guarded to thoughtful.
Eventually, Bram pointed ahead with his whip.
"There she is," he said. "Golden Meadow."
The town unfolded as they approached—a cluster of stone and timber houses built around a wide central square. The wood had a warm, honey-colored tone that lived up to the name. Ether-lamps hung from iron hooks along the street, still faintly glowing in the brightening day.
Stalls were being set up near the square. Fabric awnings snapped lightly in the breeze. Somewhere, a woman laughed loudly enough that they could hear it even from the road.
A small fountain burbled at the center, the water catching the light.
It felt different from Lantern's Reach.
Smaller. Quieter.
But alive.
Bram guided the wagon toward a row of hitching posts.
"Here we are," he said. "Client's shop should be just off the main square—big sign, something about trade or spice, I think. Hard to miss."
He turned to them with a cheerful grin.
"May your job go smooth. And if it doesn't... well, that's why people call AetherBound, eh?"
Ryoto hopped down first. "You bet."
Aria followed, landing carefully. "Thank you for bringing us."
Sylvi climbed down last, nodding once in Bram's direction.
He flicked the reins again.
"Good luck, kids," he said as the wagon rolled away. "I'll be back through by sundown. Hope I hear good news by then."
The three of them watched him go for a moment.
Aria exhaled slowly. "Okay..."
Ryoto clapped his hands together once. "Merchant first, then the road."
Sylvi already had the folded quest page out, eyes scanning for the address written in small letters near the bottom.
"There," she said, pointing to the left. " 'Meadowline Trade House.' That should be it."
The shop was easy to find—a two-story building with wide front windows and crates stacked neatly outside. A sign above the door showed a stylized wagon wheel over a sheaf of grain.
Inside, the air smelled like spices and dried fruit.
Behind the counter stood a man in his late thirties with tired eyes and neatly tied-back hair. He looked up as the door opened, hope flaring almost too quickly across his face.
"Are you... from the AetherBound Guild?" he asked.
Aria stepped forward, hands folded properly in front of her.
"Yes," she said. "We came about your request from Golden Meadow. My name is Aria Roseheart. This is Ryoto Ashborne and Sylvi."
Ryoto gave a short, friendly wave. "We're here to help."
Sylvi, arms crossed, nodded once. "Tell us everything."
The man's shoulders sagged with relief.
"Thank goodness," he murmured. "My name is Daren Holt. I filed the request three days ago. I was starting to think no one would come."
"We're here now," Aria said gently. "We'll listen."
Daren came around the counter, rubbing his hands together as if trying to steady them.
"It was the south road," he began. "We've been sending small caravans to the neighboring towns. Bandit activity has been getting worse, but... we thought sticking to daytime runs would keep us safer."
"It didn't," Sylvi said quietly.
He shook his head.
"No. My son was leading the wagon this time. Two of our workers went with him. They never came back."
Aria's chest tightened.
Ryoto's expression grew serious, all playfulness gone.
Daren continued, voice catching now and then.
"Another trader passing by saw the aftermath. Broken crates, signs of a struggle. No bodies... no wagon. Just drag marks and tracks, heading off the road and into the trees." He swallowed hard. "I went to look. I shouldn't have, but I couldn't sit and do nothing. I followed the trail as far as I dared. I saw... shadows further in the woods. Men. Laughter."
He clenched his fists.
"I was unarmed. If they'd seen me, I would've just been captured too. So I turned back and filed the request."
"You did the right thing," Aria said quickly. "If you'd gone further alone, they might not have anyone left to ask for help."
Ryoto nodded. "We'll follow the same trail. If they've been hiding nearby, they'll still be there."
Sylvi's eyes were already narrowing, mind working through possible layouts in her head.
"How many voices did you hear?" she asked. "Roughly."
Daren thought about it.
"Six? Maybe eight? I was too far away to be sure."
"Enough to be a problem, but not an army," Ryoto muttered.
"Did you see a base? A campfire? Buildings?" Sylvi pressed.
"Just a shape," Daren said. "Like a cabin or shack between the trees. I didn't stay long."
Aria took a breath.
"We'll go there," she said. "We'll do everything we can to bring your son and your workers back safely."
Daren's eyes grew wet.
"I know I'm asking too much," he whispered. "But if they're still alive..."
Sylvi's voice cut in, firmer than both of them expected.
"We're not here to collect a reward for a lost cause," she said. "We're here because it isn't too late yet."
He looked at her, surprised by the conviction under her flat tone.
Ryoto stepped forward, jabbing a thumb at himself.
"You can rely on us," he said. "That's what a guild is for."
After a few more questions—confirming the exact spot on the southern road where the wagon had gone missing, how long ago it had happened, what goods they were carrying—the three of them stepped outside again.
The sun had climbed higher, warming the stone beneath their boots.
Aria hugged her cloak a little closer around herself, fingers brushing the strap of her satchel.
"Three days," she said softly. "If they're still being held, they must be scared... and tired..."
"Then we move fast," Sylvi replied. "Standing here worrying doesn't change anything."
Ryoto cracked his neck, rolling his shoulders.
"Let's go find them."
They left Golden Meadow by the south gate, following Daren's directions. The town fell away behind them more quickly than Lantern's Reach had; this road was quieter, with fewer travelers.
Before long, they saw it.
Broken wood in the ditch.
A torn scrap of fabric caught on a thorn bush.
Deep ruts in the dirt where wagon wheels had once cut through.
Aria slowed, eyes wide.
"This is it..."
Sylvi hopped down from the road into the ditch, crouching near the shattered remains of a crate. Dried fruit, half-mushed and covered in dust, clumped around splintered boards.
She ran a finger along a blackened mark on one piece of wood.
"Burn damage," she muttered. "But not from a spell."
Ryoto peered over her shoulder. "Torches?"
"Looks like it." She straightened, scanning the ground. "They weren't subtle about it either."
Boot prints overlapped in the dirt—some leading back toward the town, some deeper into the trees. In the softer earth near the edge of the road, long lines carved through the soil.
Aria touched one of the marks lightly.
"Drag lines?" she whispered.
Sylvi nodded.
"Wagon first. Then... people."
The forest beyond the road was dense, branches forming a loose canopy that filtered the light down into a soft, green haze. Somewhere inside, a bird called sharply. The air smelled like moss and old leaves.
Aria's heart beat faster.
She tightened her grip on her satchel strap.
"Do you think they're close?" she asked.
Ryoto's gaze fixed on the path of prints ahead, expression hardening.
"If the merchant saw them three days ago and they didn't bother moving their base," he said, "then yeah. They're close."
He looked back at Aria and Sylvi.
"You two ready?"
Sylvi adjusted her backpack straps and rolled one shoulder.
"Been ready since we left the guild," she said.
Aria nodded, trying to steady her breathing.
They stepped off the road and into the trees, following the trail.
The deeper they went, the softer the ground became. The tracks grew clearer—heavy boots, occasional scuffs where someone had stumbled. Here and there, a broken branch, a discarded rope end, a boot print filled with old rainwater.
None of them talked much.
Ryoto walked in front, pushing aside branches, eyes darting for movement.
Sylvi kept to his side, scanning for patterns more than danger.
Aria followed just behind, senses stretched thin for any sound that didn't belong.
She thought of Daren's face. Of the way his hands shook when he spoke his son's name.
Please be okay, she thought. Please still be okay.
After what felt like both ten minutes and an hour, Sylvi raised a hand, stopping them.
"Listen," she whispered.
They did.
At first, Aria heard nothing but leaves and distant birds.
Then, underneath it—faint, but there—
Laughter.
Not happy laughter. Sharp, mean laughter. A voice shouting something they couldn't quite make out. The clink of metal. The low crackle of fire.
Ryoto's eyes narrowed.
"They're here," he said.
The trees ahead thinned just enough for them to see into a small clearing.
A crude wooden shack leaned against a rocky outcrop, smoke trailing lazily from a crooked chimney pipe. Barrels and crates were piled nearby in messy stacks. Two men with rough armor and mismatched weapons lounged near the entrance, passing a bottle between them.
Behind the shack, partly hidden by trees, Aria thought she saw the shape of a wagon.
Her breath caught.
"There," she whispered.
Sylvi's eyes scanned everything—the distance to cover, the positions of the guards, the angle of the shack's door, the likely blind spots.
Her hand settled on the holster at her hip, fingers resting near the grip.
Ryoto flexed his hands slowly, every muscle in his arms coiling like they were waiting for a signal.
Aria swallowed, heart pounding.
Three kidnapped people.
At least two bandits outside.
Unknown numbers inside.
No one spoke.
The wind shifted, carrying the smell of smoke and unwashed bodies.
Ryoto glanced back at the girls, expression set.
"Well," he murmured. "Looks like we found them."
The clearing seemed to hold its breath with them.