The restaurant is called The Morning Table, and it lives up to its name. Simple wooden tables, benches, decent lighting, and the smell of fresh bread and eggs. Nothing fancy, but the food's good and the portions are generous.
We're all squeezed around a large table near the window.
Vesper looks half-asleep, her head propped up on one hand while she picks at her food with the other. Liora had to practically drag her out of bed this morning.
[Seraphina] "The festival last night was absolutely delightful! I haven't had that much fun in years."
[Lucien] "The Glimmerfin scooping was surprisingly difficult. The paper scoops tore the moment you touched the water."
[Seraphina] "But you won me that adorable dragon plush at the ring toss! I'm making him the Crimson Vintner's mascot."
[Lucien] "Only because you couldn't land a single ring yourself."
[Seraphina] "The posts kept teleporting! That's hardly fair."
[Eldrin] "The Skitterling race was quite entertaining. Though I'm still not sure how Wright's orange one found that shortcut through the maze."
[Wright] "Pure luck. My Skitterling just wandered off the main path and stumbled into it."
[Liora] "The food stalls were wonderful. I must have tried at least five different things. That candied Sunfall Fruit was particularly good."
Vesper finally lifts her head.
[Vesper] "I liked the fried dough balls with cinnamon sugar."
[Seraphina] "You ate seven of them."
[Vesper] "They were small. And I was hungry."
[Eldrin] "You also spent twenty minutes questioning the fortune teller about the enchantments on her prediction cards."
[Vesper] "The mana flow patterns were fascinating. She was using a layered divination array."
Takeshi laughs.
[Takeshi] "We ended up at this strength-testing game. Rhen kept trying to beat Thora's score and couldn't. She's way stronger than she looks."
[Aiko] "Mira convinced everyone to try the mirror maze. Darian walked into the same mirror three times before Sera had to guide him out."
[Yuki] "And the target practice!"
[Takeshi] "Oh, that was the best part. Mira got obsessed with winning the grand prize. We stood there for two hours while she tried over and over."
[Aiko] "She finally won and immediately gave the prize to Sera. It was this plush leviathan that looked exactly like something from her homeland."
[Takeshi] "Sera almost cried. It was pretty touching, actually."
[Wright] "Sounds like everyone had a good time."
[Takeshi] "Yeah. About that..."
He exchanges glances with Aiko and Yuki.
[Takeshi] "We've been talking, and we'd like to stay at the academy and start taking classes."
[Aiko] "I've made a lot of good friends here already. I want to stay and learn with them."
[Yuki] "And I want to start studying now so I can catch up before I enroll at Arcanis Academy."
I lean back in my chair.
They've grown strong. All three of them. When they first arrived, they were just high school students thrown into a world they didn't understand. But now? Takeshi can hold his own in a tournament against students who've trained for years. Aiko's healing magic is refined enough that she's become essential support. Yuki's skilled with magic and has three familiars, one of which is an ancient dragon.
They're not kids anymore. And they're not asking to wander off alone into danger. They're asking to stay at an academy with teachers, structure, and other students.
Besides, they need this. They need to build their own lives, make their own friends, find their own path. I can't keep them under my wing forever.
[Wright] "That's fine. You've all gotten strong enough to protect yourselves. Just let me know if anything comes up or if you need help with anything."
[Takeshi] "Thanks, Wright."
Then something occurs to me.
We don't have a good way to communicate. If something happens, how would they reach me?
I do what I always do in these situations. I turn to Eldrin.
[Wright] "How do you usually communicate with people? Like, how were you communicating with everyone while we traveled?"
[Eldrin] "Communication magic. It's quite common. Most people can use it."
He pauses, studying my face.
[Eldrin] "You truly don't know about it, do you?"
[Wright] "Never learned it."
[Takeshi] "Wait, how does it work exactly?"
Aiko and Yuki lean forward.
[Eldrin] "You recall the person you wish to communicate with in your mind, then project your message with magic and send it to that person. The recipient will receive it in their mind. They'll hear a notification sound, and they can open and read the message whenever they're ready."
[Aiko] "Like... mental texting?"
[Eldrin] "I'm not familiar with that term, but if you mean sending written messages directly to someone's mind, then yes. Exactly like that."
I focus on Takeshi sitting across from me. Picture his face clearly in my mind. Then I think of a simple message: "Test."
I push a bit of mana forward the way Eldrin described, feeling it flow outward like sending a thought into the air.
Takeshi jolts in his seat.
[Takeshi] "Whoa! I just heard a ding in my head!"
[Eldrin] "That's the notification. Focus on the message and you can open it."
Takeshi's eyes go distant for a moment, like he's reading something only he can see. Then he grins.
[Takeshi] "It says 'Test' in Japanese! It's in my mind, but it's written out like I'm reading text on a screen!"
[Aiko] "Let me try!"
[Yuki] "Me too!"
The three of them start experimenting, sending messages back and forth. Their expressions shift from concentration to surprise to delight as they figure it out.
[Yuki] "This is amazing! It's like we have phones again!"
[Takeshi] "Better than phones. No signal issues."
[Aiko] "And we can reach each other anytime!"
I watch them excitedly texting each other through magic and smile. At least now I won't have to worry about them being completely cut off if something happens.
---
Breakfast ends, and we walk the kids back to the academy. They wave goodbye, already chatting about which classes they want to take first.
As we turn to leave, Eldrin speaks up.
[Eldrin] "How should we travel to Mariselle now that Ignatia isn't here?"
Oh. Right. Ignatia's with Yuki.
[Wright] "Can we just... run there?"
Vesper shakes her head.
[Vesper] "Absolutely not. It's too far. And being carried by Eldrin at full speed sounds miserable."
[Seraphina] "I can keep up if we're running."
[Lucien] "As can I."
[Liora] "I should be fine as well. We should be able to make it in less than a day at full speed."
[Wright] "Vesper, would you like to stay at the residence here? The rest of us can go to Mariselle, and when we get there, I'll use my Gate magic to open a portal and bring you over."
Vesper perks up.
[Vesper] "That works. I'd rather not be carried like luggage for hours."
[Liora] "I'll stay with Vesper to keep her out of trouble."
[Vesper] "I don't get into trouble."
[Liora] "You tried to convince three different food stall owners last night to let you examine their preservation enchantments."
[Vesper] "They were interesting! The cooling arrays were far more efficient than I expected for portable equipment."
[Liora] "The third one thought you were trying to steal trade secrets."
[Vesper] "I offered to share my findings!"
I shake my head.
We're supposed to leave for Mariselle today, but if Vesper and Liora are staying at the residence, we need to make sure that's actually okay. The Queen offered it to us for our stay, but technically that's over now.
Better to ask than assume and cause problems later.
[Wright] "We should stop by and let the Queen know about the change in plans. Make sure it's alright for you two to stay there for another day."
[Eldrin] "A wise precaution. Better to have explicit permission."
We make our way through the city streets. The morning crowds are building. Merchants call out their wares, travelers navigate the roads toward various destinations, and groups of students head toward the academy in chattering clusters.
As we round a corner near the market district, I spot something unexpected.
Queen Vorath is sitting at an outdoor table at a small cafe, having tea with Aurelia. Several guards stand at a respectful distance around them, close enough to intervene if needed but far enough back to give them some privacy.
The Queen notices our group and smiles, raising a hand in greeting.
The guards part smoothly to let us approach.
[Vorath] "Good morning. Out for a walk before you leave?"
[Wright] "Good morning. Actually, we were heading to the palace to find you."
[Vorath] "Oh?"
She gestures to the empty chairs around the table.
[Vorath] "Please, sit. What's on your mind?"
I take a seat, and the others follow suit.
[Wright] "There's been a change in our travel plans. Takeshi, Aiko, and Yuki decided they want to stay at the academy and start taking classes."
[Vorath] "That's wonderful! I'm glad they're settling in so well."
[Wright] "The thing is, most of us are still heading to Mariselle today for the trade talks. But Vesper and Liora need to stay behind."
I gesture to Vesper, who's still looking half-asleep.
[Wright] "We were hoping we could keep the residence for one more day. Once we reach Mariselle, I'll open a portal with my Gate magic to bring them over."
Vorath's eyebrows rise.
[Vorath] "You can use Gate magic? That's remarkable. Very few mages ever master spatial manipulation to that degree."
[Wright] "I just picked it up."
She leans back in her chair.
[Vorath] "You may keep the residence as long as you need it."
She pauses, then smiles.
[Vorath] "Actually, consider it yours to use whenever you wish to visit Thornhaven. A permanent waypoint for your travels, if you will."
[Wright] "That's incredibly generous. Thank you."
[Vorath] "It's the least I can do for someone mentioned in the Goddess's oracle. Consider it a small token of appreciation."
Aurelia, who's been listening quietly while sipping her tea, suddenly perks up.
[Aurelia] "Oh! I need to go to Mariselle too."
[Wright] "You're heading there?"
[Aurelia] "I need to buy things. Food and... um... what was it again?"
She taps her finger against her teacup.
[Aurelia] "Building materials! For the reconstruction. The prize money from the tournament should be enough."
She smiles gently.
[Aurelia] "May I travel with you? I was going to go alone, but traveling with others seems nicer."
[Wright] "You're welcome to join us."
I hesitate.
[Wright] "Though I should mention, we're running there using magic enhancement. It's going to be a full-speed sprint most of the way. Are you sure—"
[Aurelia] "I'll be fine."
[Wright] "You can keep up with us?"
She tilts her head.
[Aurelia] "I can enhance myself and use healing magic to refresh my stamina. I use it all the time when I train."
[Eldrin] "Then we'll be glad to have you. We'll leave once we're done here."
[Vorath] "Safe travels, all of you. And Wright, do visit again. Thornhaven's gates are always open to you and your companions."
We say our goodbyes. Vorath returns to her tea with a warm smile. Vesper and Liora head back to the residence to wait for the portal.
The rest of us navigate through the city toward the main gates.
Once we're beyond the walls with open road stretching ahead, Eldrin glances back at the group.
[Eldrin] "Everyone ready?"
Seraphina forms dark wings from shadow and Lucien spreads his white wings. Aurelia closes her eyes briefly, and golden glow spreads across her entire body before settling into a faint shimmer.
[Eldrin] "Good. Try to keep up."
Wind magic swirls around him, and he launches forward at a speed that makes the ground blur beneath his feet.
I channel my own wind magic and match his pace. The world streaks past. Lucien and Seraphina take to the air, their wings carrying them effortlessly alongside us. Aurelia moves with surprising grace, her enhanced body keeping pace without any strain.
We settle into a rhythm. The landscape transforms around us. Fields give way to forests, forests to hills, hills back to plains.
After we've been running for maybe an hour, I glance over at Aurelia running beside me. The golden light around her hasn't faded at all.
[Wright] "I've been wondering. Why travel all the way to Mariselle just for supplies? There have to be other markets closer."
[Aurelia] "Hmm? Because Mariselle has everything."
She says it like it's the simplest thing in the world.
[Aurelia] "When you need a lot of something, you go to Mariselle. That's just how it is."
[Wright] "Is that so?"
She glances at me.
[Aurelia] "You didn't know that? But everyone just always goes there when they need things. It's... oh. Sorry, I didn't mean to sound rude."
She pauses mid-stride for just a moment before catching up again.
[Wright] "No offense taken."
She blinks, then smiles.
[Aurelia] "There's an auction house too. The Crescent Moon. They sell rare things."
[Wright] "An auction house sounds interesting."
[Aurelia] "You'd like it! They have auctions every few days. All sorts of things."
She smiles again.
[Aurelia] "You should go. It's fun."
An auction house. This is perfect. I missed the chance to fight in the tournament, but an auction? That's something I can definitely participate in.
[Wright] "That sounds really interesting. I'd love to check it out."
[Aurelia] "The next auction should be in a few days. If you're staying for the trade talks, you'll probably have time to attend."
[Eldrin] "We should prioritize the trade negotiations first. Once that's settled, we can browse the auction."
From above, Seraphina calls down.
[Seraphina] "Oh, I adore auctions! The bidding wars are always so exciting!"
[Lucien] "As long as you maintain some restraint this time."
[Seraphina] "I won that bid fairly!"
[Lucien] "You paid three times the item's actual value."
[Seraphina] "It had sentimental value! The auctioneer said it was once owned by—"
[Lucien] "You don't even remember what they said, do you?"
[Seraphina] "That's not the point!"
I grin, listening to them bicker as we run. The banter makes the hours pass faster.
The sun traces its path across the sky, climbing to its peak before beginning its descent. We stop once around midday, taking a break to eat a quick lunch near a stream before continuing.
By the time Mariselle comes into view, the sun is approaching the horizon, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink.
It's massive. The city sprawls along the coastline where rivers meet the ocean, and I can see the network of canals cutting through the districts even from here.
White stone walls surround the city, and there's a faint shimmer running along them. Enchantments, probably. Guard towers at regular intervals, each flying a leviathan and compass rose emblem.
We slow to a walk as we approach the gates. They're still open despite the approaching dusk, and there's a steady stream of people flowing in and out.
[Eldrin] "It hasn't changed much. Still as busy as ever."
[Seraphina] "I love this city. So much energy."
[Aurelia] "It's nice, isn't it? Everyone comes here."
[Eldrin] "Wait here for a moment. I sent a message to King Alden ahead of time informing him of our arrival. The guards should be aware we're coming."
He heads toward the guard station, leaving the rest of us off to the side of the line.