(A/N)

Sorry this chapter's a little short like the last one; it just felt appropriate to stop where it does.

And to LakiN-Death, who just did a review of the first chapter, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Hope everyone enjoys the chapter!

"I can't believe we're leaving…" I couldn't help but glance back at the Boar's Hat. It was just a tiny shape on the horizon now, and everyone had already gone inside after having said farewell. The bright sunshine was almost blinding as it shone down from the cloudless sky, so I had to squint to see the tavern.

I tugged listlessly at the fabric of my dress. I had managed to find the courage to ask Harlequin to fix my old clothing before leaving, and he had actually been so kind as to make me new ones. My new dress was almost exactly the same as my old one - white with light green spots around the edges, and reaching to halfway down my shins - only now I had sleeves that were detached from the dress - a common part of fairy dresses. I had actually had these before, but they had fallen apart long before the rest of my dress. Also, Harlequin had decided that boots fit me better than flats, and had made some of those as well.

Zephyr's voice broke my out of my thoughts about my new clothes.

It's for the best. Zephyr tried to sound somber as he padded beside me down the road, but I could tell that he seemed quite happy. His mood had brightened drastically as soon as Merlin had said that we would have to leave. The fox was still a little hesitant with speaking with me, but he seemed elated compared to before. So where should we go first? We could go to the ocean - it's been awhile since we last went, so that would be nice. Or perhaps we could go to another country? It would be interesting to see outside of Brittania. I hear there are plenty of countries to the east over the water; we could check those out. Oh, I hear Camelot's interesting as well. Their new king showed up during the battle the other day and helped fight Hendrickson. He'd surely welcome us as companions of the Sins.

I just looked at him for a moment. How could he be so cheerful? We had friends here, and we were just leaving them. Perhaps he's just trying to cheer me up. Yes, that's probably it. I paused, thinking. "How about we go back to Voryn? It's been awhile since I've paid my respects."

Kay's village? Wouldn't there be nothing left of it by now? It's been at least two thousand years since we last visited, after all, and even then it was just ruins. Zephyr gave me a look of surprise as he swished his tail through the air.

"I would still like to go. I think I remember planting a small tree there when we were last there. Maybe it's grown by now." I looked at the fox shade hopefully.

And maybe it's grown old and died by now… I frowned as I caught the mumbled growl, but before I could say anything, he perked his ears up and grinned. Okay, let's go! We'll just stop by for a moment and be on our way, right?

I nodded. "Of course."

He flicked his tail and looked up at me. Then Let's go! Zephyr lifted his nose into the air, sniffing gently, then more fervently, before turning in a circle. I think… He paused, looking into the distance. No, I know it's that way. It's 84.3 miles that way, to be exact. I'll drop us a little ways away from it in a field.

I gazed at the fox in appreciation. It was always amazing to see him work and to see him be able to figure out our exact location in just a couple of heartbeats. If it weren't for him, I would've gotten lost a long time ago and would never be able to find my way around.

He glanced back at me, tilting his head. Ready to go?

I quickly gave him a determined nod. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be." Not that I really was ready. I didn't want to leave. I hadn't realized how much I had been enjoying my time with Meliodas, Harlequin, and everyone else until I thought that they might make me leave after the battle was over. I had been so relieved when they hadn't, only to not long after be told that I had to leave for another reason. It was disappointing to say the least.

He returned my nod and, as silent as always, slipped into my shadow. The darkness at my feet instantly turned a shade darker - the only hint that it held the fox shade - before darkening to pitch black. This was the darkest color I had ever seen - even darker than a closed room with no lights in it. Even having done this for thousands of years, I hesitated for a split second before stepping into it, feeling myself fall into shadow.

Hot. Cold. Shock. Darkness. Nothing. Light.

I stepped out into a sunlit field.

That is - right before almost being run over by a horse-drawn cart.

"Whoa! Get outta the way, kid!" A man's voice came from the cart as the horse pulling it stopped, rearing up with a whiny. "What're you doin', just appearin' outta nowhere in the o' the road like that?"

I sidestepped out of the way, expecting the man to continue on his way, but he had stopped his cart, and was now looking at me. He looked to be an elderly man - at least in his 70's or 80's - with frizzy silvered hair that might have once been blond. Thin spectacles perched on the bridge of his nose, revealing his faltering eyesight, and slightly tattered clothes hinted at money problems.

Surprised to find him looking at me, I stuttered. "I-I'm so sorry! I didn't expect any people to be here."

"Well why wouldn't anyone be here? We aren't far from town." He gave me a surprised look. "Are you lost or somethin'?"

"Umm…" I scratched my head, tucking some hair behind my ear, before wrapping my cloak tighter around me. "You could say that."

Where was I? There shouldn't have been any town near here. Voryn had been wiped out by the bandits, and the refugees had long since fled. There shouldn't even have been ruins at this point. Had someone rebuilt the town? But why? Also, where was Zephyr? I had expected to find him in the field with me, but he was nowhere to be seen. As soon as I wondered that, though, it crossed my mind that he was probably still in my shadow - he wouldn't want to appear in front of this man that we didn't know.

The man paused, giving me a long look, before smiling. "Well, how about you come with me? I can give you a ride to town if you want." He patted the empty space on the wooden bench next to him. "There's plenty o' space fer a little 'un like you."

I only hesitated a moment before realizing that I had no other leads to go off of on where to go anyway. It would also probably be considered rude to refuse his kind offer. So I climbed up on the seat beside him. "Thank you very much."

Once I had gotten settled, the man cracked the reins, resuming the movement of the horse. After a few moments of silence along the bumpy dirt road, he finally spoke up. "The name's Harlow, by the way." He glanced my way, prompting my response.

"Zinnia." I could only say my name. I was still confused by what was going on, and wasn't sure what else to say. Was this town we were going to built on top of the ruins of Voryn? It was possible; I hadn't been there in a long time. But it sure would be a strange coincidence for it to have been built right in the same spot as a destroyed village. I would've appreciated if Zephyr would appear right now so that I could hold him and his soft fur for comfort, but he was still in hiding, and I wasn't sure when he'd come out.

"Well, Zinnia-chan," the old man - Harlow - was saying. "You remind me a good bit o' my granddaughter; you two are probably around the same age.

"So, What was a young lass like yerself doin' way out here all alone? Know from experience that there's nothin' fer miles in any direction - other than the town, that is."

I scratched the back of my head and gave him an embarrassed smile. "I guess you could say that I got separated from my friends and ended up here."

"Mustn't have been that good o' friend, fer you to get this far separated from 'em." He tutted. "Well, you must be starvin'. We'll get a nice warm meal in you when we get home."

I paused in confusion. "I thought you were just taking me to the village?"

He smiled, revealing teeth yellowed with age. "That and then some. I can't just leave a little thing like you to fend fer yerself in the big ol' town, can I? You might get lost again, or worse. I'm sure I can manage to scrounge up enough to feed an extra mouth."

Again, I didn't know how to politely refuse this, and I could see very little reason to in the first place. I returned a reserved smile. "Thank you, Harlow-san. I'm sorry I don't have any way to repay you."

He waved me off. "Don't worry about it. As I said before, I'd never be able to leave a little girl to wander on her own." Harlow then turned back to the road, watching for holes in the rough path.

As though to prove him wrong, this was the moment that I felt a chill shiver through my shadow, signalling Zephyr's return to it. Making friends? He whispered. It looks like we're almost there. You should see the town just over this rise. I must say, it's quite the sight.

I almost responded, but caught myself, giving Harlow a sidelong glance. He'd think me insane if I started talking to the fox shade now, when no one could see him. Instead, I just placed my hand on my shadow - which stretched across the bench beside me - and took comfort in Zephyr's presence, before looking at the road ahead.

He had been right, of course. A little way ahead, the land rose up above us, obscuring my sight of the oncoming landscape. As the cart rolled to the top of the hill, I took in the sight that Zephyr spoke of.

Not far in the distance, a great tree rose from the ground, larger than any around it. It had to be almost half as tall as the sacred tree. Its branches swept far and wide, capturing sunlight from all around. The branches stretched so far, in fact, that the town sprawling beneath it was almost completely covered in the shade of their leaves. I'd never seen a tree so large outside of the Fairy King's Forest.

As I gaped at the sight in awe, I could almost feel Zephyr's smirk. You said you planted a tree when you left, right?