It was loud in the way only familiar company allowed—plates clattering, Kael reaching across the table only to get his wrist smacked away by Lira, Ronan reminding him, flatly, to chew quietly. Eis found herself laughing before she realized she was doing it.
By the time they stepped back into the street, night had settled fully over Lumaire.
Mana lanterns lined the stone roads, their soft glow reflecting off damp cobbles. A cool breeze carried distant tavern music and the lingering scent of baked bread from somewhere down the avenue.
Ronan walked beside Eis, her neatly bundled belongings slung over his shoulder without comment. He didn’t rush. Didn’t fill the silence. Just matched her pace as they moved through the quieting city.
The Blue Lantern Inn came into view soon enough.
Eis stepped inside with Ronan, he set her things down near the stairs before giving the innkeeper a brief nod. “He’s with me,” she said simply.
The innkeeper acknowledged it without question.
Upstairs, Eis paused at her door. Ronan handed her the last of her things.
She nodded. “Thank you. For tonight.”
He gave her a small, easy smile. “Get some rest.”
Eis closed the door behind her gently.
Silence.
A small, clean room.
A desk.
A bed.
A window framing the lantern-lit street below.
She set her belongings down, then sat on the edge of the bed and let out a slow, steady breath.
The city murmured on without her.
And for once, that felt alright.
She pulled her pouch from her belt and set it beside her.
Not because she needed to count anything.
Eis already knew that money would never be a problem for her.
If she needed coin, she could make it, quietly and carefully, without drawing attention.
Her ability made her financially secure in a way no one in this world could guess.
Still, she chose restraint — only creating enough for basic needs to avoid suspicion.
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“I’m fine,” she whispered. “More than fine.”
Money wasn’t the issue.
Knowledge was.
Identity was.
Her future was.
Eis unfolded the small map Lira had given her, the parchment crisp with precise ink lines.
She traced the districts with her finger:
Guild District
Market District
Artisan District
Residential
Noble Quarter
No sign of a library.
She frowned slightly.
“…I’ll need to find it on my own.”
She leaned back, letting the map rest on her knees.
Tomorrow had to be productive.
Eis raised her hand and counted quietly.
Not for money.
Not for glory.
But for:
- official identity
- mobility between districts
- access to guild archives
- legal recognition
- protection under adventurer laws
It would help her operate without drawing attention.
And it would anchor her to the world Team Argent lived in.
She needed to know:
- where she was
- the history of this kingdom
- its neighboring nations
- conflicts
- alliances
- political climate
- geography
Everything.
If she wanted to survive — truly survive — she needed knowledge more than coin.
“…This world is huge,” she whispered. “And I don’t know a thing about it yet.”
She folded the map carefully.
Eis walked to the window and opened it slightly.
Cool night air touched her skin.
The city breathed quietly beneath her — gentle, alive.
She could feel herself settling into its rhythm.
Today she saw its beauty.
Its shadows.
Its people.
Tomorrow she would start understanding it.
Her chest warmed at the thought of Team Argent.
Their banter.
Their strange kindness.
Their warmth.
She closed the window and dimmed the lantern.
Sliding under the blanket, Eis let the calm of the room settle into her bones.
Tomorrow would be her true first step.
“I can do this.”
Sleep took her.