Warnado sat up quickly from the creaky inn bed, rubbed his eyes a few times, and bounced out from the covers with an enthusiasm that was quite unlike him this early in the morning. But there was a reason. Warnado was eager to make a change. And this was just the beginning.

Warnado did a few arm and back stretches, then some push ups, and then a few sit-ups before he got bored. Then Warnado sat on the bed and tried to think really hard about magic.

Warnado was then distracted by the sound of his door opening. Amanda appeared, tired and distraught.

"Warnado?" Amanda said.

"Uh oh, I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," Warnado said. "I'm not used to getting up this early in the morning."

"Don't worry about it," said Amanda. "Actually, I'm really glad that you're awake. I had a really bad nightmare."

"What kind of nightmare?" Warnado asked.

"One of the worst nightmares I've ever had," said Amanda. "There was this evil presence. It kept… shifting. Like, one moment it wanted to kill me, the next moment it's trying to save me… like it wants something from me. And this forest it put me in… I don't know how to describe it. I felt so vulnerable and alone. There wasn't even anything out of the ordinary about the forest. I even had my crossbow with me. And yet…" Amanda's voice clogged up. A pair of tears left her eyes and painted her cheeks.

"That sounds like a really bad nightmare," Warnado said.

"I've never had a nightmare like that before," Amanda continued. "The fear… it was so overwhelming. And the forest itself felt so real. Not to mention… the presence… it was..."

Amanda's eyes widened, in panic and dread.

"The presence was what?" Warnado asked.

"I don't remember," Amanda muttered, her expression softening.

Warnado's mind began to compute the situation. Warnado knew Amanda well enough that he couldn't see her having a nightmare out of nowhere. There had to be some external cause. Most likely a magical one. But if magic was responsible for Amanda's nightmare, then who caused it? Was it someone in the inn? Was there a traitor among the group? If that were true, either Astro or Shadow must be responsible. In that case, who else could Warnado reach out to who had the magical knowledge to solve the mystery? Nobody, really. Besides, at least one of them is bound to be innocent, and if not, their knowledge of Warnado's knowledge might deter them from inducing a nightmare again. On the other hand… why now?

At this point, Warnado had a realization. Shadow had just joined the group. She seemed nice… but maybe that was just a mask to hide her real intentions? But if Warnado was wrong, and Astro was the real threat, then telling Astro only would give him a head start to cover his tracks. Warnado had made up his mind. He would talk to both Astro and Shadow about it, to hedge his bets.

Warnado's mind returned to the situation at hand.

Warnado said firmly. "Whatever this presence is, if it is real, I'm going to make sure it doesn't bother you again."