Chapter summary: It's a whole set of distractions and a whole lots of planning just to keep the Animal Tamer away from his animals. But, will it all pay off in the end or would he find out eventually?

Chapter 5: Wrapping It Up

"Nozomi, you sit tight. I'll get the queue number for us, okay?" I could only nod at his words as I find myself speechless at the events that just unfolded. Never had I ever thought I could spin a web of lies so thick, I can't even see beyond it, nor know how to continue this.

It started when Reign was walking-, no, limping over to me and calling my name as if I was on death's bed. His clothes were a tattered mess, tears caused by claw marks populating his patterned forest green shirt and plain beige pants. Mud and grass were sticking to the soles of his slippers, as well as a few Basilisk scales. Meanwhile, I was busy panicking in my mind, thinking of what to say and how to cover up the search in town. I couldn't let Reign return back to the guild and risk him seeing the ranch in ruins; who knows if Ms Vanessa cleared the mess yet? Even worse if Woe and Hiroto were just returning the Malefs.

I was determined to deter him away from the guild. For that, I needed a distraction.

And so I... let out the most pitiful wailing I could muster. On the grass, still lying on my side, I was faking my best cry, throwing all the emotions I could gather into it. Whatever pain, troubles and stress I had was packed into it, and it felt so relieving to let it all out in one go. My plan was to act hurt and make Reign bring me to the clinic, which was located before the guild. There, I could stall time for those two to get the animals back and tidy the place up before Reign and I get back.

The animal tamer, already in a state of distress, quickly helped me to my feet and slung an arm around my neck to support our walking. We looked like we had returned from war when we entered the town, considering how we both had our arms slung around the other and looked worse for wear. He kept asking me what had happened to me during the walk. Unable to tell him the truth, I lied to his face that I was training outside and overworked my body terribly to the point of total exhaustion. It was hard to look him in the eye after I said that.

It wasn't long until we reached the clinic, a small white building with light blue doors, see-through windows and a wooden sign stating 'Clinic' hanging on the lamp post. Usually, many would think that these places would have doctors and nurses on stand-by with their healing magic. However, due to the rarity of said magic, they could only administer medicine and conduct regular check-ups instead. It's a common misconception people have here. In a place like Seven, where Mage Guilds are looked down upon, you wouldn't see many mages or wizards here in the first place, much less a healer.

With the iconic ring of a bell, the two of us enter the half-empty clinic. The interior was as small as the exterior. It held 3 rows of 5 chairs vertically with a counter in front and two doors beside it, leading to doctors. Behind, there was another door for the bathroom and a packed magazine rack.

"Welcome to the clinic!" The woman in front, clothed in a pure white uniform with pink accents, greets us with a slight bow from the counter. I reply to her with a wave as Reign brings me to the nearest chair. There, he settles me down and brings us to the current situation right now.

After Reign left me to get us a ticket, I slump into my chair out of boredom and tiredness. My arms swing to the side loosely, my legs spread out and, my head nods to one side. The light in the ceiling was warm but gentle, incapable of blinding me no matter how long I stared at the hanging lamp. It kept swinging side-to-side slowly, never stopping at all, until the light started to dim in my vision. It became blurrier and blurrier with each passing second. Black dots gradually fill my sight, and I could feel my head wanting to fall limply to the side... No, no, nope! I am not falling asleep in a place with sick people in it.

As if to affirm my thoughts, the person behind me starts coughing their lungs out, cupping their mouth and gripping their walking stick weakly. My back straightens up with chills. Suddenly, the ceiling light didn't look that appealing to stare at anymore...

Well, considering that Reign is still queueing at the counter, I still have some time to kill. But what can I do? Sleeping is no option, and so is using my magic. There were only several colourful posters about the Grier Family pasted on the wall to breathe some life into this place. The people around here aren't ideal people to talk to, especially the old man behind me, who was still recovering from his cough attack. Then, there are the 'sponsored' magazines by the wall behind me.

I give out a small sigh. Either I die of boredom or live to see myself become a rebel.

I choose to save myself instead. Getting off the chair, I quickly pass by the people without a second look, reaching the light purple magazine stand. Inside the foldable shelf laid magazines 'graciously sponsored' by the royal Grier Family, which obviously held much information about the family. There was 'Seven's Saviour: Grier!', 'A Grier in the many cogs' and 'Betrayal of their own. The last one sounded cool, but it barely had many details about the so-called 'betrayal', just filled with more information about how righteous the family was. As I skim through the propaganda, I spot a crumpled magazine fitted deep inside the stand. I pull it out, straighten the poor thing, and read the title out.

"Sorcerer Magazine... Hey, isn't this what Hiroto wanted to read? It's dated release is today too." The title was in red, bolded letters with a black outline. The cover showed the iconic Fairy Tail guild building from its front, captured in the light of day. At the bottom right, there were two page prompts.

"Mirajane Strauss from Fairy Tail: Exclusive Photos!

Page 21"

"Bora the Prominence's crimes blasted into the open!

Page 5"

The heat was rising in my ears when I read the first-page prompt. My mind was swirling around in the gutter, fingers clutching tightly around the edges of the magazine. E-Exclusive photos? Do they mean...? No, no, no! You are not a pervert, Nozomi! You must resist the temptation and just-

I flip to page 21.

"What the hell?! They ripped the pages out of this magazine!" Tears line in the middle of the magazine, revealing only page 23 of an unrelated issue I give no shit about. Where're my Mirajane photos? I fought against my shoulder angel just so I could see them! Darn, and here I thought I could have gotten something interesting to read. Slumping in defeat, I return back to my chair, flip to a different page and begin reading from there.

"Nozomi."

"Reign, you should- Ah!" Crouching in front of me wasn't the Animal Tamer at all, but rather the ninja man and the underaged alcoholic- Woe and Hiroto. "Why are you two here? Aren't you guys supposed to be hunting for the Malefs right now?" I speak in a hushed tone, lowering myself below the seats.

"We had already retrieved Gilbert and returned him to the guild. As we were leaving from there, we-"

"W-We saw you two enter the clinic! Are you two okay? What happened?!" Hiroto cuts in, worry practically enveloping his tone and body. He clutches his hands together and holds an unblinking stare at me, as compared to Woe, who's switching his point of focus between me, Reign and the other person behind me.

I place my hand on the boy's shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. "Calm down; we're alright. I just needed to distract Reign from going to the guild and finding out about this rescue operation, that's all. It's nothing serious, Hiroto, don't fret about it." The boy seems to relax a little, but there was still a lingering tension in his shoulders that he refused to let go of. I could only sigh, knowing that I can't help him beyond that, especially when he's gone silent. Hiroto's stubborn; he won't say what worries him until he reaches his breaking point.

Thankfully, Woe spoke up after me. "How long can you stall Reign?"

"How long do you need to get Feros back?"

"Considering the amount of time that has passed since the break-out, Feros may have escaped into the heart of Grier Town. Retrieving him from there may take about an hour or an additional half an hour." I nearly gape at him. Heart of the town? That's located near the royal house, where the 'oh-so righteous' royal knights are stationed! Those guys are ruthless, blinded by their 'bright' sense of justice that they might put down Feros permanently if they deemed him as a threat. And knowing the state he's currently in, hungry and angry, they're definitely going to do so.

It's one thing for Reign to find out about Feros dying. It's another when they trace back the Malef to us. I'm sure they won't hesitate on shutting us down, especially when they have a reason to.

"You sure Feros is there? You know how dangerous it is if he's there, right?" It took some effort to suppress the quiver in my voice.

Woe closes his eyes and nods. Even Hiroto understood the severity of the situation, given the guilt his eyes are portraying right now.

"We know very well. That is why I am asking of you right now to stay here and distract Reign for us."

"What-" He holds his hand up to my face.

"Please. We do not have much time right now. I know you would take any open opportunity you can find to follow and help us, but that would leave Reign unchecked. As risky as it is taking Feros from there, it is also risky to leave him and his actions unsupervised. As you have said, you know how hurt he would be if he knew his animals had escaped and ran amock in town. And this hurt would also extend to others as well." Woe spares a glance at Hiroto, who stares at the Animal Tamer's back.

...Sigh, I guess it can't be helped, huh?

"Fine, alright. I'll stay here and keep Reign busy." I agree to his requests, much to the other's unseen delight. Even beneath that mask, I can spot the edges of the fabric pulling up to the side.

Before he could say anything further, the woman at the counter announces the queue number '71' quite loudly. In response to that, the man behind me got up and made another coughing fit in the process, which drags Reign's attention and sight in my direction. I shot up in my seat just as his eyes land on me, and I wave very awkwardly with a very tight smile, hoping that he couldn't see the two of them. Being the innocent and naive fella he is, he waves back with a smile of his own, no suspicion floating about him, before turning back to the woman at the counter.

Only when the bell rang again did I exhale the breath I never knew I held.

"Welcome to the- Huh, no one there. Anyway, here is your queue number. As a recap, you have a physical check-up, and prescribed medicine following the doctor's request. Thank you for your patience." Their conversation seeps into my ears as I stare at them from my seat. Thanking her as well, Reign walks over to me with the queue number in hand and takes a seat beside me.

I turn to him with a smirk. "Had a nice conversation with the woman?"

"She was kind. She led me through the details of our appointment and helped me clarified some terms. That's why it took so long, sorry for making you wait..." Reign pulls a sheepish smile on me, and my mood for jokes went away immediately. Oh grace, he's too innocent. Even more than Hiroto somehow, and he's still a teenager.

"Oh no, no, it's okay! I didn't really... mean it like that." My voice died in my throat and, the awkwardness blossomed between us.

I didn't really talk to Reign in a one-on-one conversation before. When we do, it's either brief replies or because Hiroto did something stupid again and, we have to coordinate to clean up his mess. I could banter and argue with Hiroto, have little quips with Woe, and even attempt to joke with Ms Vanessa (which always didn't end well). But I couldn't really find out how to talk with Reign. Maybe it's because he's always with his animals, always talking to them more than other humans. Or probably his child-like innocence, which fails to detect sarcasm, something you can't really find in young adults anymore. Or it could just be both these factors together. Either way, it doesn't change the fact I don't seem to know how to approach Reign.

I stare back at the ceiling light again. It wasn't in the mood to shake to the side anymore. It was probably exhausted like me.

"Nozomi? Are you awake?" Reign asks. I replied to him with a grunting noise, or whatever the name of that sound was. "Sorry for disturbing you. I just- I was thinking about Hiroto's request. You know, the one about the feminine hyena back in Fang Wild Forest?"

His words grab my attention and pull me up on my seat. Right, that was the reason why Reign was gone at all in the first place. He went to the forest to search for the hyena. The one I nearly killed.

'The Hyena was battered with injuries, blue scales floating on the pool of blood around it-'

"... Did you find it?" I say with a low, soft tone. There was hope - small and selfish - behind it, one that pleaded to him to say that he didn't find it. If he saw its condition, he would most definitely 100% bring it back and treat it back in the guild. And I would have to try to avoid it for days or weeks, not only out of guilt but because of how much it resembled those creatures.

He held his head low and took a sigh. "No, I didn't." My heart leapt at his answer. "When I went into the forest, I immediately encountered a group of Hyenas. They were eyeing me, barking 'Kill. Eat. Kill. Eat' to each other, with some laughter mixed inside. It was so noisy and chaotic that it was hard for me to talk to them with my magic because they didn't listen to me. They knew what I asked, but they didn't want to understand me. And then, they barked louder, along with their laughter until... Until I screamed my request at their faces." Reign pauses for a bit, taking in a shuddering breath. Then, he continues with his tale. "They were surprised. I was surprised. And before I knew it, one of them lunged at me and got a clean swipe at my leg. They didn't bark anything anymore, just wordless growls. They closed in on me. For the first time, I was scared of these animals."

His hands were shaking, and his breaths came out heavy. I rest my hand on his shoulder, the same way I did with Hiroto, and rock him slowly. "Hey, hey. Snap out of it. You're not in the forest anymore; it's okay. You're fine, you're safe and, the hyenas are nowhere near us."

He shakes his head. "I didn't even get to see the female hyena Hiroto was talking about. I failed his request. What if he's disappointed in me?"

Sigh, these two are made for each other. Both Hiroto and he are presumptuous worrywarts, constantly fretting about the other's response to their mistakes. "He won't. In fact, he'd probably blame himself for letting you get hurt on his behalf." My last sentence sticks in my mind.

Was that another reason why Hiroto showed that guilt?

"I could imagine him... He would run over to me and inspect my injuries, asking me questions about what happened. Then, he would attempt to bandage me but end wrapping his hand with the roll instead. Haha, he'd be so clumsy with them." Reign chuckles a bit, raising himself up.

I grin back. "Then try to imagine drunk Hiroto doing that! He'd be a mummy wrapped in bandage roll!" I imitate the mummy pose and noises, not caring about the looks the people were giving because if it's making Reign laugh, I'll do it all day. "And then, he'll think he can use drinking alcohol to disinfect the wounds. You'd be watching Hiroto draw a whole bottle of vodka and drench your injuries in them!"

"Hahaha! Oh, I really can imagine him doing all of those. There was this one time I told Hiroto to fetch me the Malef's food. He came back with a meat stick and nearly gotten his arm bitten off by Terizla. Haha, he was chased all the way to the lobby!"

"Oh, I saw that!"

We spent our time talking about Hiroto and the many incidents he's been involved in. Apparently, Hiroto managed to land himself in trouble often, especially when he was terribly drunk. He'd nearly gotten into a scuffle with a royal knight after attempting to draw some 'excusable stuff' on his armour. Reign had to pull him away and apologise profusely to the knight just so a fight doesn't break out. The next day, when he was sober again, Hiroto was the one apologising like a mad man to Reign. Because our conversations tend to be rather loud (due to our laughter), the two of us often got shushed by the counter woman and even got a kick-out warning. We were a little quieter after that. Soon, the woman had already announced our queue number and, we entered another room.

It was a typical clinic room, small in size. It could fit about a couple of medical cabinets, a bed, a table with a computer and three chairs, one of them being occupied by Dr Theo. He did the usual check-ups on each of us, commenting on our injuries and their origins with a worried face. I'm guessing he didn't see many patients with physical injuries that bad.

In the end, Reign had a twisted ankle and possible infected wounds at his leg and his hip, whereas I just had flesh wounds at my thighs. Dr Theo bandaged our injuries, prescribed us painkillers and antibiotics for Reign before concluding the check-up and finally allowing us to leave. We reported to the counter, where Reign (as the gentleman he is) pays for the medicine and even thanks Ms Counter-lady while I was halfway out of the clinic.

"Ah, fresh air!" I greet the outside with wide arms. Ahh, that was 50 minutes inside a cramped clinic full of sick people everywhere! But here, there are not-sick people, chirping birds and a flying wyvern-

Wait, what.

The bell rang behind and, I whirled around, finding Reign halfway out of the clinic with the medicines. Shit, at this rate, he's going to spot Terizla! Ah, that damn wyvern, she just had to fly more instead of being a good animal and return to the guild. My options are running low. I can't fake my injuries when I already had my check-up, and returning to the guild has its own gamble of running into those two.

I hear the door swing on my side. Well, it's either this or nothing!

"Reign, I just remembered something!" I stomp right up to his face as he leaves the clinic, making sure I cover his vision of the sky. "We need to head back to the guild quick."

"Uh, sure. We're heading there anyway. Why the sudden urgency?" He asks with a slight tilt and furrowed eyebrows.

"Just- Um-... Girl stuff. Yes, girl stuff! You know, that time is coming for me, so I need some 'preparation'." My cheeks were burning at this point, while Reign seems to be unfazed by this weird dialogue.

"Is it that bad?"

"Yes, very! Horrible, nightmarish, intense bad words! So, let's head back ASAP." Without even letting him speak, I grab ahold of his free hand and sprint towards the building in question.

The distance between the guild and the clinic wasn't much. It takes about 5 minutes to walk, so you can imagine how long it took when we sprinted all the way here. In a minute, the guild doors were already in our sights, shut quite tight. I place my hand on the wooden surface but didn't push against them yet. I didn't want to open them. What if those two are inside, sneaking to the underground ranch, and I just expose them by opening the doors and letting Reign catch them? What if Moody woke up from the serum already and is creating a mess inside? Hell, what about Terizla-

"Nozomi? Are you okay?" The Animal Tamer's voice snaps me out of my thoughts as I turn to him. "You were just standing around and not saying anything."

"Ah, oh, uh, it's n-nothing. Let's just go in." I silently sigh, praying at the back of my mind that everything's going well. Yeah, I should trust those two. With a light push, the doors open inwards to reveal...

Hiroto?

"Reign, Nozomi! You're back!" Yeah, that was the little squirt, speaking with a little too much excitement and having a smile too wide. Seeing him smile through a swelling black eye and a limp on his leg was a bit... weird. It's almost too obvious that he's hiding something about the animals.

Before I could comment on that, though, Reign steps forward. "Hiroto, you're injured! Did the Malefs do that to you?" He probably struck the nail on the head, given the subtle jolt in Hiroto's body.

He swallows the air and looks straight at me. "Uhh... y-yes? Yeah, I got hit on the eye by Feros. But, d-don't worry, Woe's helping me outside." He speaks weirdly, stressing on some words. And why's he looking at me when he's talking?

"Feros hit you? I know that Malef was unruly, but this is too much. That little Malef is going to need a proper scolding-"

Reign tries to walk over to the ranch, but Hiroto steps in his way, waving his hands about. "Wait, wait! Uh, I-I need some help with my injuries. I'm sure Nozomi can handle the rest of the animals..."

He's doing that again. Why is he-... Oh! I think I get it! He's stressing those words for me to hear and piece them together. Alright, from what I can decipher, Hiroto and Woe already returned to the guild with Feros. But, he says that Woe's outside right now? And he's telling me to 'handle the rest of the animals', which could mean... Terizla! Woe's outside so that he can catch the wyvern, and I need to go help him!

I throw the boy a thumbs-up, to which he returns with a relieved look before turning back to Reign. Meanwhile, I carefully walk out of the guild, with quiet steps and no creaks of the floorboards. When I step outside again, I find Woe standing at the entrance, as if his cue to appear just came. Seriously, are these appearances all part of their plan or are they just coincidences?

"I am glad to see you have received Hiroto's message." He says, slinging his sniper around his back. I replied to him with a chuckle.

"Yeah, through Hiroto's game of Charades 'vocal style'. But anyway, do you know where Terizla is?"

He nods, pointing behind me. My eyes follow his direction and, soon enough, they spot Terizla flying behind some clouds above the less populated part of town.

"Glad to see she's making our job easier." I say, turning back to Woe with a smirk. "So, you ready?"

His mask twitches up slightly. "I always was."

Getting to the other side of town would take half an hour if you use the constructed route. But that would take too long. So, what do you do in that situation? Make your own route! Unfortunately for the people living in these homes, they're going to have some jumpscares in broad daylight.

I took a straight route towards where Terizla was from the guild, running through the houses by hopping over their fences and rushing by them. Some people stood outside of their homes, tending to their homemade garden. Boy, they got quite a scare when I jumped by them! I didn't use any enhancements for my speed, making it quite likely that they would remember my face. Well, given the number of curses I just got, that fact wouldn't be good later on. Don't care about them anyway; I'm doing this for our guild!

I reach the less populated area in about 10 minutes. The difference could be told quickly, from the contrast in the living conditions to the type of buildings littering the area. It's like a slum here. Multiple houses were congested together, only split apart by the floor-tiled path, where the rickety stalls were placed, which I'm guessing is their marketplace. I walk over to one of those stalls, scanning the wobbly thing.

"It kinda reminds me of home." My hand runs down the crooked stand. I used to run a stall like this too with my parents. In fact, that day was-

BANG!

The sudden shot makes me jump on my feet, nearly falling back on my head. Geez, couldn't Woe have given me a bit of a warning there? The people were running out, some shouting about the gunshot noise, while others were pointing at the sky. I look up and spot the wyvern cutting through the clouds, trying to avoid Woe's shots.

"Do you know what's happening?" One of the women asks, a pleading and worried look in her eyes. A crowd starts to form around me.

I nervously smile at them all as I wrack for answers in my head. "Ah, it's nothing much! J-Just a little quest we're doing. Don't worry about the gunshots, they're not directed at you at all." My words run faster than I wanted them to, but it's a bit hard to suppress my nerves when they're surrounding me like this.

"Are you sure?" She continues to insist, some of the men and women backing up her words. These people are starting to irritate me a little.

"Yes, yes, I'm sure. Now, if you could back off a little-"

"GRAAWK!" Terizla screeches, dragging all of our attention to her. One of Woe's shots managed to connect with her! The wyvern starts to freefall through the sky, right into... the houses?! Oh great, if she crashes there, we're going to face property damage!... on top of my trespassing costs.

"Please, move aside!" I shout, pushing against some of the people and squeezing past the crowd. When I was finally out of it, I make a beeline towards where the wyvern is falling. But, it didn't seem like I could make it there in time. The distance between us was too great, and my speed was too slow to cover it. At this rate... Ah, to hell with my legs now! "Force Magic: Speed Enhancement 2x Legs!"

The familiar lightweight feeling envelops my feet first, spreading over to the rest of my legs. Houses pass by me even quicker, Terizla gets closer in my vision, and I could almost feel my hands touch the wyvern's spiky tail. One jump on the fence and, I soar towards her... only to smack straight into her body!

"Urk!" The impact pushes both of us in the opposite direction. Terizla falls onto the tiled path between the houses with a crack while I hit the 'very soft' ground on my back. Whatever air in my lungs was knocked out of me immediately as I lay on the ground without another word. My breathing felt shallow. My legs and head felt like they were lead, and I could barely lift them up anymore. The sky was swimming, as if the ocean was floating right above me and the clouds... were those fishes?

"Nozomi!" Woe's voice was fading from my ears. Urgh, I'm too tired already. I can't move... or hold on to my consciousness. The lamplight from the clinic swings in my eyes once again, slowly moving side-to-side until the light finally extinguishes.

"I'm sorry... Mum."

Something warm touches my forehead. It felt soft and smooth, like someone's hand, as it rests against my head for a while. Then, the warmth covers over my face, coursing through my arms and torso until it reaches the tip of my feet. It was akin to bathing in warm water, and it felt gentle, comforting, and most of all, safe. Like I wasn't going to be cold anymore.

I wasn't going to be frozen again.

"Argh!" I shot forward with a start before collapsing back on the bed with a long groan. Ooh, that was too abrupt; my back feels like it's about to bend and break! My hand rubs the sore spots on my back as I lay my head back on my pillow.

...Bed?

I slowly rise into a sitting position, still rubbing my back. Looking around, I find myself back in my room, now with a bucket of water sitting on my tabletop. Wait, wait, how did I even get back here? And what about Terizla? The last thing I remember was smacking against that wyvern's iron-like body, falling onto the ground and taking a blow to the head. Then the sky got replaced with the ocean. And my whole body started feeling warm. Yeah, the middle part was probably my hallucination, but the other two events happened! Still, that doesn't really answer my questions nor give me any hints.

Knock-knock!

"Come in!"

The door creaks open, revealing no one but a gust of wind behind it. "Yes, Woe?" I grumble, not feeling the mood to be jump scared again. Colours wash over his body and, Woe fades into reality, holding his usual stoic and ninja outfit.

"Someone does not seem to be in the mood for jokes."

My eye twitches. "Well, I'm so sorry, but I can't be in the mood when I'm confused as hell about what just happened to me!" I find myself shouting at Woe, who takes a step back. He sighs, muttering a little apology to me. A tinge of guilt tugs at my heart, but I don't surrender to it just yet.

"The mood has been quite tense, ever since we all returned to the guild. I had thought I could at least cheer you up." Woe says, placing a hand on his chest and looking out the door.

"Some events had transpired ever since you passed out back in the slums. When I could not wake you up, I had to drag you and Terizla back to the guild under the guise of my Stealth magic. This took much time and strength from me, leaving me weakened in the end. When I returned, I found Reign by the doors. His expression held a mix of worry and anger to it, which led me to believe that our plans had been found out. He told me that Hiroto had confessed to him while he was tending to his injuries. And when he saw our state, he became furious."

My anger disappears shortly after hearing this, replaced by a sudden wave of remorse. "Then, what happened between those two?"

His fingers tighten around his shirt. "For the first time, Reign scolded Hiroto. The anger in his tone was so vivid, I could not believe that it was actually Reign. Since then, the boy had not left his room, and the man had stayed in his ranch. Ms Vanessa came by to promptly heal you before she called me in to look after you."

"... Oh." That was all I could say. I look down at my sheets and clutch onto them tightly. That was all I could do. Damn it! If I had just been wittier with Terizla, kept Reign in the clinic longer, or maybe just not passed out at the end or...

If I just didn't beat up that hyena.

I don't care what Ms Vanessa says. It wasn't Hiroto's fault that this incident happened. It would have never started if I hadn't beat the hyena to the point that he would worry about it. Hiroto wouldn't have requested for Reign to go find her, he would never have been left in charge of the animals, we would have never left the guild to get them all back, and everything would have been fine.

"Woe, I-" When I turn to face him, all I met with was the wind once more.

But this time, he wasn't in the room anymore.