Morning arrived long before the sun. The winding streets of Reka still rested beneath a heavy blanket of blue-gray twilight when Shion's eyes snapped open. The inn around them was dead quiet, save for the occasional, predictable creak of old timber settling against the night's residual chill and the faint, muffled footsteps of early risers already moving about downstairs. Shion dressed without a hint of hurry, fastening the leather straps of her armor by pure habit more than conscious thought before collecting her greatsword. Eren woke up almost in lockstep with her, moving with the practiced efficiency of a former soldier, and was ready to move just a few moments later.
They stepped out of the inn while the glowing lanterns lining the cobblestone streets still easily outnumbered the pale light bleeding into the eastern sky. A cool, crisp breeze drifted between the stone facades, carrying the sharp scent of damp earth and the distant, comforting smoke of hearths beginning to stir back to life. The city's bakers were already hard at work; the rich aroma of warm bread and burning wood mixed into a heavy scent that seemed to linger over every neighborhood they crossed. Neither of them spoke much during the trek. It had quickly become an unspoken, comfortable routine between them—words could easily wait until both of them were fully awake and functional.
The Mercenaries' Association was only just beginning to show signs of life when they pushed through the heavy doors. The great hall, which had been bustling only the afternoon before, now stood almost entirely deserted. A lone clerk slumped behind the reception counter, suppressing a yawn while sorting through stacks of contract requests left over from the previous evening. Near the entrance, two mercenaries occupied separate tables, having passed out where they sat with their folded winter cloaks serving as makeshift pillows. One of them snored loudly enough that the other occasionally frowned and shifted in his sleep, though neither seemed particularly troubled by the hard wooden benches serving as their beds.
Eren slowed her pace as they walked past the sleeping men, casting a sympathetic look over her shoulder. "They didn't bother getting actual rooms?"
Shion glanced at them briefly, her expression unreadable. "Or chose not to."
"You'd seriously choose a hard table over a proper mattress?"
"If keeping that extra coin meant ensuring another full meal further down the road, probably," Shion replied matter-of-factly. Eren looked back at the snoring mercenaries once more, processing the harsh reality of the lifestyle, before quickening her step to follow Shion toward the rear exit of the building.
The training grounds beyond the main hall were empty, shrouded in the quiet of early morning. Dew clung to the packed earth, and the wooden practice dummies cast long silhouettes beneath the faint glow of the lanterns mounted along the surrounding fence. A handful of blunt wooden weapons rested inside a weathered rack near the entrance, sitting exactly where they had been left the previous afternoon.
Shion loosened her shoulders with a slow, rhythmic twist before drawing her steel. "We skipped yesterday."
Eren nodded, rolling her neck to get the stiffness out. "We did."
"Let's not make a habit of it."
Their training routine required very little discussion; days of traveling together had gradually settled into a familiar rhythm. Shion began with her measured, foundational forms. Each strike was deliberate, her attention fixed on balance and precision before allowing speed to follow. Eren worked a few paces away, practicing the defensive combinations she had learned during her years with the town guard while gradually incorporating the counter-attacks Shion had shown her over the past weeks.
The whisper of steel cutting through the cool morning air was the only sound disturbing the quiet yard. Occasionally, one of them paused to offer a correction.
"Your footing," Shion muttered, pausing with her blade extended. Eren adjusted her back heel immediately, sinking slightly lower into her stance to correct the balance.
A few minutes later, it was Eren's turn to play the instructor. "You're favoring your left shoulder on the upswing."
Shion stopped, rolling the joint once to release the tension before repeating the heavy movement with a cleaner line. "Better."
Neither woman took offense at the critiques. They both understood that criticism given during training was simply another way of looking after each other's survival.
As their warm-up gave way to sparring, the quiet rhythm of the practice yard changed. Boots pressed shallow grooves into the damp earth while wooden practice blades cracked together in quick succession. Neither fought with the intention of overwhelming the other. Each exchange became another opportunity to test reactions, timing, and habits that had begun changing without either of them noticing.
Eren deftly caught Shion's incoming blade on the guard of her own weapon and twisted her wrists with a sharp, heavy snap, forcing the aggressive strike cleanly away from her torso. "You've started feinting less."
"I noticed you stopped falling for them," Shion countered, her eyes tracking Eren's weight distribution.
"I'll take that as a genuine compliment."
"You should."
A heartbeat later, Shion anticipated Eren's recovery, slipping past her guard until the flat of the wooden practice sword rested lightly against Eren's armored shoulder.
Eren sighed, dropping her tip. "I still lose."
"Less often," Shion noted, shearing her weapon back.
Eren lowered her weapon entirely, a small smile breaking across her face that carried considerably less frustration than it would have a couple of days back in Trivale. "I suppose that's what we call progress."
"It is."
By the time they finished the session, both women had worked up a comfortable, heavy sweat. Shion planted her practice sword back into the wooden rack while Eren stretched her arms high overhead, her gaze drifting toward the eastern horizon. The dark blue sky had finally begun surrendering to softer, bleeding shades of violet and pale gold. The very first hints of a bright sunrise lingered just beyond the pitched rooftops, growing dominant enough to chase away the last visible stars.
Eren let out a quiet, tired sigh. "If we want any chance at snagging hot water, we'd better hurry."
Shion didn't bother to argue. The association's communal bathing rooms probably weren't crowded at this ungodly hour, but in a city this size, they rarely stayed empty for long. As the rest of Reka woke up, mercenaries returning from grueling night patrols, caravan escorts preparing to depart, and eager adventurers looking to sign new contracts would all arrive seeking the exact same basic luxury.
By the time they had washed away the grime of training, changed into fresh clothes beneath their armor, and gathered the supplies they intended to carry for the day, the streets outside had transformed. Shopkeepers lifted their wooden shutters, delivery wagons rolled toward the central market, and a growing chorus of voices replaced the quiet that had settled over the city before dawn.
Together, they navigated their way toward the administrative district, where the narrow city streets gave way to broad, carefully planned stone avenues and sweeping squares surrounded by imposing government buildings. Armored guards already stood rigid at their assigned posts despite the early hour, offering little more than brief, suspicious glances as various merchants, low-level officials, and frantic messengers passed through the iron gates.
Lucien had been incredibly explicit with his instructions: they were to meet him directly outside the main administrative building. When they finally arrived at the designated stone steps, there was still a little time left before the appointed hour. Shion rested one calloused hand against the worn leather strap of her pack, quietly observing the steady stream of people coming and going through the building's massive arched entrance.
Beside her, Eren folded her arms against the morning chill, her eyes wandering across the broad plaza.
"I wonder where exactly he's taking us."