Reviews are welcome and encouraged. I'll try and remember to respond to them at the start of each chapter. Thanks for reading, and keep on traveling!

It was an unusually warm day in Flamesgrace. It was still cold out, but warm enough that a lady walking down the street wondered if she had bundled up herself too much. She wore a long, thick beige cloak, with a peek of white cotton showing underneath. Pausing at a small square of sorts that currently held a handful of merchants attempting to sell their wares, she lifted a hand to steady her hood against the wind.

Up ahead, a man clothed in the robes of a cleric strolled up to the visitor, "Sister Lyss! It's been some time since you visited us. What brings you to Flamesgrace today?"

"I'm afraid it is not good tidings that I bring..." Lyss pulled her hood back, looking the other cleric seriously in the eye, "The flame in Saintsbridge is fading."

The cleric's face revealed his shock. "But it's only been a year since the last Kindling!", he exclaimed incredulously.

"I know, but the change is stark. I fear some evil is at work here..."

A silent pall fell upon the two.

The cleric leaned in and motioned to Lyss, "You must tell the pontiff. Quickly. I will bring you too him. I just hope that this isn't some sort of a dark omen..."

...

Gods, I love a good fruit vendor. All those shiny red apples just sitting there, asking to be taken.

Therion was loitering in front of a merchant's fruit stall in Victor's Hollow. Various kinds of fruits were skillfully loaded into worn-out barrels, with the merchant looking at Therion a little too eagerly.

"Hey, miss, how much for the apples?" Therion said to the young (and clearly inexperienced) merchant who had just failed to notice him slip an apple under his shawl.

"They're the best in the Woodlands!" The merchant claimed, "And I'll sell one for a measly five leaves, just for you," she said with a very obvious wink.

Therion chuckled.

Tressa would kill me if she found out I flat-out robbed this poor girl. I guess I could actually pay for one.

He silently tossed over a five leaf coin, gave a small smile, scooped up another apple, and walked away, all in one sweeping motion. He headed over to the famed arena of the city- Olberic had managed to send him a letter asking him to check up on some Ned, whoever the hells that was supposed to be.

As he walked down the short flight of stairs that connected the main street to the city square, he decided to make some use out of his latest loot. Therion pulled out the two apples he had 'acquired' from beneath his shawl and was about to take a bite out of one of them when—

"Therion... Did you actually buy those apples?"

Therion looked up, and was met with the (admittedly) totally unexpected sight of Ophilia Clement. A year has passed, but she's hardly aged a— what am I doing I should at least answer her question

"...Let's just say I took advantage of a 'buy one, get one free' deal," Therion said, before biting off a chunk of one of the apples, "So what brings a Sister of the caring, almighty, Sacred Flame out to Victor's Hollow of all places?" He asked as he chewed.

Ophilia walked up to Therion, letting out a small sigh before she spoke, "I know you haven't had the best relationship with the Church, but you don't have to be so rude about it."

Therion paused from his chewing, "Sorry," he apologized quickly.

"It's alright. I'm here on semi-official business. The Flame in Saintsbridge is fading much earlier than it should," she explained somewhat concernedly, "So I'm setting out on a sort of Kindling to refuel it and see if that sets things back to normal."

Therion smoothly tossed away his apple core, beginning on the second. "I take it that's a bad thing.." he chewed, "Wait— semi-official? The hells is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, it seems that the Ember of the First Flame has… disappeared. The Knights Ardante posted outside the Cave of Origin were found unconscious, and the Ember appears to have been-"

"Stolen", Therion interrupted.

"Removed temporarily." She corrected.

"So, hang on," he crunched, "You need me to help you get your ember back, is that right?"

"Yeah, about right."

Therion chuckled around his apple. "Alright, what's in it for me?"

Ophilia let out a disappointed sigh. "How did I know that would be your next question? Well, when I told Lianna about my plan, she may have slushed over some funds to 'compensate' you..."

"What're we talking? Three thousand?"

"One hundred and thirty thousand leaves," Ophilia recalled.

"Damn."

"Yeah."

Therion dropped his apple, pausing to consider. You could buy a whole village with that many leaves... It does seem like there's more going on than she realizes, though. He exhaled rather loudly, features slowly relaxing. I guess it's better than nothing. Maybe going on a little adventure again wouldn't be so bad...

"Have you made your decision?" Ophilia asked, eyes scanning his face for some hint of his response.

"I have," he responded, and raised his head crookedly to look Ophilia in the eye, "When do we start?"