Erik watched as Rae ran toward the edge of the cliff, heading for the waterfall, and cursed under his breath. "Change of plans! Come on!" he called out, shifting his direction to follow the girl's lead. He sprinted to the edge and leapt off, with Halden close behind, As they plummeted, Erik looked down and saw Raeyla splash into the river below. Halden shouted in fear beside him, and Erik briefly prayed to Yggdrasil that they wouldn't break anything upon impact.

Hitting the river was a brutal shock, far worse than the murky waters of Heliodor's sewers. The force of the impact knocked the wind out of him, and he swallowed a mouthful of water as he sank. His foot touched the riverbed, and he pushed off hard, breaking the surface with a gasp, coughing to expel the water from his lungs. He spotted his friend on the riverbank, slumped over and coughing. Then he saw Halden, unconscious and floating nearby. Panic surged through him as he changed course to drag Halden to shore.

He swam to Halden, wrapping an arm around his torso to keep his head above water, using his free arm and legs to kick toward the bank. "Rae, you okay?" he called out, breathless as he reached her. Raeyla turned and nodded, eyes wide with worry, and immediately helped him pull Halden onto the bank.

"He's not breathing," Erik said urgently as they laid Halden on the ground.

Raeyla, still coughing up water, looked at Erik, her voice shaking from the cold. "What do we do?"

Erik didn't waste time. "Help me get him up." She nodded, lifting one of Halden's arms while Erik took the other. He firmly smacked Halden's back a few times, and to their relief, Halden started coughing up water, but he remained unconscious.

"He's still out cold," Raeyla said, her face etched with concern. "We need to find a place for him to rest until he wakes up."

A light breeze blew through the forest, making Raeyla shiver in her wet clothes. Erik realized the dire situation they were in: escapees, soaking wet, and with an unconscious companion. "We need to get somewhere out of sight and warm. There's a Church of Light in this valley. We just need to reach the main road."

Raeyla's face fell. "Isn't the church on the main road? Won't soldiers be out looking for us?"

"We'll just have to be quick," Erik replied. "When we get near the church, we'll lay low until the coast is clear, then run in." His tone was resolute, masking his own doubts.

The brunette girl hesitated, then nodded. "Alright, let's do it." They each took one of Halden's arms and stood up, ready to move.

They walked up from the river carefully, keeping an eye out for soldiers while ensuring they kept an even pace so they wouldn't drop Halden. Eventually, the top of the church's cross could be seen on the horizon, and they knew that they were close. They found a large tree toward the top of the hill, and Erik decided to leave Rae with Halden while he scouted for any sign of guards. It appeared that they hadn't left the city yet, and this meant they had time. The guards still had to navigate the sewers before they could relay any information about the escape. With a quickened pace, Erik ran back to the tree and grabbed Halden's free arm. "Come on, we gotta move. It's clear now, but those guards will be out of the sewer and raising the alarm soon."

Raeyla wasted no time, helping to move faster up the hill and into the church. They were greeted by an elderly nun. "My, what have we here? Is your friend okay?" she asked, concern evident in her voice and on her face. Raeyla took charge, leaving Halden for Erik to fully support. "I'm so sorry, but we need help. We're travelers on our way to Heliodor and ran into trouble with monsters on the road. We think he just needs rest, but we were hoping we could use your fire to get warm while he recovers," she explained to the woman, who looked at the group with sympathy.

"Oh of course my dear, there's a room in the back you can use. You're welcome to start a fire in the fireplace to warm up. You look like you're freezing to the bone in those clothes." she replied instantly, looking down at the group's clothes to see the dampness from their fall in the river.

"Thank you very much." Erik said from behind them, sending Rae a grateful look as she came back to help carry Halden to the room that the nun pointed to. She moved forward to open the door for them and ushered them to the spare bed in the room. After Halden was laid down, Rae moved to where some firewood had been stored and started placing logs in the fireplace. Erik quickly spoke, "I'll be right back." before leaving. He walked out of the church, scanning the area for soldiers, before heading to the side of the building to collect some twigs and leaves to help start the fire. After getting an armful, he quickly returned to the safety of the church and into the backroom. They put the twigs and leaves under the logs and searched for the flint to start the fire.

Raeyla sighed in relief the moment the sparks caught the leaves and twigs, soon transferred to the logs. She sat on the ground with her back against the bed that Halden lay on and let out a giant sigh of relief. Erik moved to sit next to her, staring at the fire for a moment before turning to look at his partner. She noted the movement of his head and turned to meet his gaze. After a moment of silence, she grinned, eliciting a grin from him in return before they high-fived and breaking out into a small laugh.

"We made it. We're free." Rae whispered, careful not to speak too loudly and catch the nun's attention.

"Yeah, that was pretty wild huh? And to think we found the Luminary as well. I don't normally buy into old legends, but I couldn't just leave him there. What if he's really gonna save the world?" He responded, a smile still evident on his face. Rae frowned a bit at the mention of the Luminary, and he could almost see the question in her eyes.

"Save the world? I don't understand, what exactly is a Luminary?" she asked, bending her leg closest to him so she could turn to face him.

"He was a warrior of legend from centuries ago. Chosen by Yggdrasil to defeat the Dark One." he explained, remembering the stories he was told as a child. "If Halden is this new Luminary, it likely means things are about to get hairy." he added, noticing Rae's sudden far-off look. She was thinking about something. Erik chose to let it go for now.

The pair fell into a comfortable silence, letting the fire dry their clothes as they rested against the bed. At one point, Erik heard the outer door to the church open, and kept his eyes carefully on the door to their room until all seemed safe. Raeyla on the other hand, maintained her distant look into the fire.

"We have to help him." she finally said after a time, looking up at him with determination. It was a bit out of character for her, so he questioned it, "What? Rae that's way above our pay grade."

"Still, we have to help. I've seen it." she admitted, gaining his curiosity. He was suddenly reminded of the incident in the cave just after they woke up. The moment she touched Halden, she had that same look in her eyes as she did a year ago. She'd had those visions again, but he hadn't had the chance to ask her what happened.

"You had more of those visions. What did you see?" He asked, when it happened the first time in the caves, he had been skeptical, but when her visions proved to be right and he saw that orb in the castle, he knew that it was real.

"You, me and Halden, standing beneath Yggdrasil with a group of other people. I didn't recognize any of them. Then I saw some glowing green thing in a forest, covered in vines. Finally, I saw a girl, with long blue hair and a red ribbon." Erik's mind froze at the description. She continued to try and describe the scene "She-" but the thief cut her off. He grabbed both of her shoulders and shook her. There was no way the girl she was describing could be the same person he was thinking of.

"That girl, what was she wearing? Do you remember? What else was happening?" He said in a rush, trying hard to stop thinking and let her continue.

At his urgency, Raeyla's eyes widened in shock, her eyebrows scrunching together as she tried to recall the rest, "She had blue eyes like yours, a yellow scarf. And-" she stopped to think, leaving Erik waiting with bated breath before continuing, "-a red vest with yellow trim, I think. I couldn't see much, just her sitting on the ground. I think someone was speaking to her. I didn't see who."

Erik's mind wandered with the information, fighting against the rising hope. But it had to be Mia, right? She'd described her perfectly.

"Erik what's wrong? Who is she?" Raeyla's voice cut through his thoughts and he looked up at her again. He hadn't told her or Derk about what led him to travel, but if she was having visions of Mia, he felt she should know.

"She's my younger sister, Mia." he said softly, a tinge of sadness evident in his voice despite his best efforts to hide it. His friend quickly caught onto the tone, already looking concerned for him. "You have a sister? Where is she?"

"She's gone. Has been for a few years." He admitted, feeling his head fall down in shame at the memory that flashed across his vision. He worked hard to not think about his final moments with her, but it haunted him now as it did most nights since it happened.

"What happened to her?" Raeyla asked slowly and carefully. He knew she'd be curious, but he appreciated her empathy at the moment.

"I-" He started, suddenly having trouble speaking for a moment before he forced the words out. "I got her a gift on an expedition I was on. This golden necklace with rubies, she loved it. But the gift was cursed, and she was turned into a golden statue. I-I couldn't help her. I left to travel soon after." He finished, struggling to keep himself together while he fought the echo of his sister calling out for his help. Five years had gone by since that day, and he could still see her terrified face as it turned to gold.

Raeyla's vision gave him hope before he could stop himself. There was no way of knowing if it was truly Mia. And even if it was, there was no way of knowing if the image was from the past or future. The images she had seen in the cave a year ago had been memories of the past, but at least one of the images she had seen this time seemed to be in the future, as he knew they hadn't traveled to Yggdrasil with Halden.

Yet, that is.

If Raeyla's vision were true, they would end up traveling with him to the World Tree, but for what reason, Erik had no idea. At the start of today, he was planning the next location to travel with Raeyla and Derk in search of treasure. Now, as the sun sat high in the sky, he suddenly found himself wanting to see if her vision of Mia was true.

"I'm sorry." She finally said, looking unsure of what to say. He shook his head in return. "It's alright. It's been five years. I've accepted it." Erik lied, struggling to push down the rising hope in his chest at her previous words.

They fell into another silence, and eventually the young thief was pulled out of his thoughts by feeling Raeyla's head fall onto his shoulder. Erik thought back to their year together in the dungeon as he looked over at her. They both struggled with their imprisonment, and he was happy that they were both finally free. They'd become much closer friends during their time as cellmates, and he knew firsthand that she more than deserved the rest. They both did, but before he could doze off himself, Halden began to move.

The cyan-haired thief looked upward at the bed and stood, careful not to wake Raeyla yet, before turning his attention to the sleeping boy. "Hey, wake up, lazybones!" He shouted, reaching forward to shake the boy lightly, who groaned in response. "Come on! Up ya get!" Erik insisted one final time.

Halden pushed himself to sit up, blinking rapidly to focus his eyes and gain his bearings. "W-What happened?" The brunette male asked.

"Finally! I was worried we'd lost you for a minute there." Erik stated, smiling as he looked down at their new companion.

"That's right. We jumped off the cliff." Halden recalled, stretching his arms and checking himself for injuries.

"We all hit the water pretty hard. We were lucky. For now at least. We must be at the top of Heliodor's Most Wanted list by now." Erik spoke in a quieter tone, ensuring the nun didn't hear their real predicament.

"Um. Okay, what should we do?" Halden asked. Erik empathized with the guy. He jumped off a cliff and as soon as he woke up he was being told to run.

"We could always get ya home." Erik suggested, kneeling down to Raeyla's sleeping form to wake her. At his touch, she started to stir and so he looked back up at the Luminary, who shook his head in response. "The king sent Sir Jasper to my village. I'd only put everyone in danger." he said.

"You should stick with us for a while then." Erik replied, reaching his hand out for Raeyla to grab. She rubbed her eyes and blinked a few times before looking up and seeing his hand, reaching out to hold it and hoist herself up. She looked over to see the boys, "Halden? You're awake. How are you feeling?" She questioned. He smiled down in response, "I'm alright thanks. Jumping in the water was a good choice." he said, earning a smile from her.

Erik decided that it was time to go at that point, having hung around the church for what he believed was too long. He walked toward the door that led to the rest of the church. "Let's go say thanks to the nun who looked after us and be on our way." he said. As soon as they left the room, they were greeted by the elderly woman they had spoken to earlier.

"Ah, there you are, my children. I trust that your friend here is fully recovered?" She spoke in a soft voice, her eyes squinting together to get a good look at the trio.

"Oh, don't worry about him, he's just fine! Thanks for looking out for us - we owe you one!" Erik replied.

She looked between the three young adventurers and spoke, "Not at all dear. I am just happy to see you all well again. But, if you are leaving, you must be careful on the road. It seems some dangerous criminals have escaped from the capital, and are at large somewhere in the area. Oh, I shudder to think what wicked deeds they might be capable of…"

The three exchanged a worried glance. Erik recalled that the doors to the church had opened some time ago, this must have been how she'd heard the news. Raeyla spoke up first. "That doesn't sound good. You heard this in Heliodor?"

She nodded in response. "I did indeed, my dear. There were guards everywhere! They are searching high and low for the villains. And I heard that the mighty knight Sir Hendrik himself has headed to the mountains in the south with his troops. They say he means to block the road to Cobblestone, the village the fugitives came from." She spoke with worry in her voice and looked down. She then seemed to shake herself out of her thoughts as she lifted a reassuring hand up to the trio, continuing to speak, "Oh, but you must forgive me, poor lambs. I did not mean to alarm you. They will soon be caught, I am sure. Justice will be done. And until then, you are free to remain with us for as long as you please."

Halden smiled at the woman and nodded, "Thanks, we appreciate that."

Erik turned toward the door, giving Halden a meaningful look. "We were just going to head outside for some fresh air. You're welcome to join us." he said, then walked out of the church, with Rae following close behind. It wasn't long before he heard a third pair of footsteps.

Outside of the church, Erik finally felt he could speak freely. "Cobblestone eh? Never heard of the place. I never even knew anyone actually lived in those mountains down south. Is that really where you're from?" he asked Halden as the boy stepped close enough.

"Yes, It's very small but I spent my whole life there. Coming to Heliodor was the first time I'd ever left." Halden explained, with his voice growing smaller as he finished. Erik turned to face him, noticing the boy looking down at his feet with a worried expression. "Before, I thought it best to stay away, but if Hendrik is going too..." He trailed off, likely imagining what was happening in his home. A shiver ran down the cyan-haired boy's spine. "I need to get back. I need to make sure everyone is okay!"

Erik felt a pang of sympathy for Halden. His home was in danger, all because of who he was. He knew right then that he had to help him, and from the look on Raeyla's face, it seemed his partner felt the same. It may have been a chance encounter, but he couldn't just abandon Halden. They had to get him back to his town, to see if his family was safe. But there was one hitch in the plan, Derk and the orb.

As far as Erik knew, they were both still in Heliodor. It was always possible that Derk moved on to other towns after they were caught, but even if that were the case, the orb would be a valuable asset on their journey. If nothing else, he and Raeyla could sell it to stay ahead of anyone chasing after them.

"You gotta be smart about it though. You won't get past Hendrik unnoticed. If you're going to make it there without getting caught, you'll need to avoid the main road. And if you want to do that, you'll need our help. Rae and I know every backroad there is to know in these parts." His smirk was evident as he spoke, something Raeyla quickly caught onto. In the three years they had known each other, they'd learned how each other worked, and she knew that he was up to something.

She chose to remain silent, watching to see what Erik was aiming to do. He continued as he finally explained what he wanted, "But I've got things to take care of in Heliodor first. I left a little something in one of my old haunts downtown, and I need to get it and check in on our other partner."

Halden, finally understanding what was happening, looked nervous. He glanced south toward his home and then over to Raeyla, who just kept her gaze fixed on Erik. Without anyone responding, Erik continued. "So are you coming along for the ride? I did help you break out of that dungeon, remember."

Halden looked more unsure as soon as Erik asked the question. But Raeyla… Raeyla was angry, the look evident on her face before he even finished speaking. She stepped forward and quickly voiced her opinions. "Are you kidding me? His home could be in trouble, and you're worried about some orb? Forget about it."

Erik was a bit taken aback. He'd seen her angry before, but never quite this much, and never directed at him. He understood her reasons for being upset, but to him, they had gotten thrown in a dungeon over that orb, and he wasn't leaving without it, not when it had that much value to their future life on the run. He turned fully to face his partner, trying to soothe her, "Rae-"

"I'll take you to Cobblestone, Halden." She interrupted him, looking at the Luminary with determination in her eyes. Halden looked less determined. With the tension clearly thick, the boy wasn't sure how to respond. "But, what about Erik?" he asked timidly.

"Easy, after he gets what he wants, he can meet us there." She said matter-of-factly, waving a dismissive hand in her friend's direction. Erik reached out toward the girl, trying to speak again, wanting to apologize. She looked at him and saw his motion, then spoke to interrupt him once more. "Hendrik is going to Cobblestone now Erik, we don't have time to waste going back to get the Orb. If you really want it back now, we'll just meet you there. We'll go through the Manglegrove, it'll be safer."

For once, Erik couldn't respond. Everything had happened so fast, that he couldn't understand how she'd gotten so angry so quickly- so angry to just split up after a year in the dungeon together, after three years traveling together. He almost remained rooted to his spot until he realized Raeyla and Halden had already turned to leave. When he saw them leaving, he ran forward "Rae! Wait!" He ran up and caught her attention. Halden, who was slightly further ahead, stopped to look back as well. "What's wrong, why are you so mad? We got tossed in a dungeon for that orb! I'm not just gonna let it go. Besides, we left Derk there too!" He explained, trying to be understood.

"Derk will be fine, Halden's home is in trouble. We just ran from a bunch of guards calling him the Darkspawn, I can't imagine they'll have much sympathy for his family." Raeyla argued back.

"I'm not saying I don't want to help, but if we're going to get Derk and that orb, it's gotta be now while they're wasting time looking for us in the valley." Erik reasoned. They were on a short time frame, and he was hoping this reasoning would convince her to change her mind.

Raeyla looked at him for a long minute and finally sighed in response, "Any other circumstance I'd agree, but what if something happens to his family while we're wasting time sneaking around Heliodor for some treasure? We have to at least try. You get the orb, check in on Derk. Tell him the plan. I'll get Halden to Cobblestone. If everything's alright, I'll go to the cave we found a year ago and wait. When you and Derk catch up we can keep running, Deal?" She offered up a plan, and even though it made him nervous, he could see the logic in her plan.

"Alright fine, but be careful. Don't let yourselves be seen. If the village looks quiet, assume it's a trap." Erik gave in and gave Raeyla instructions. This was the first time they had been apart like this since finding her in that snowfield three years ago. It was making him anxious.

She gave a small smile in response and nodded, "Of course. You stay low too. Don't get caught again." They exchanged a high five, and Erik looked over Rae's shoulder to see Halden. "You be safe there too, Mr. Luminary, and keep her safe!" He shouted at the boy.

Halden nodded in response and spoke up, "I'll do my best.". He turned around and looked toward the south again, then followed Raeyla's finger as she pointed toward the Manglegrove, listening carefully to her words. They moved to walk quickly down the main road, but Raeyla stopped to look at Erik one last time before rushing down the hill and out of sight.

Erik reminded himself that Raeyla was more than capable of fighting monsters now and even more capable of getting herself out of dangerous situations. Instead he turned to face the city. It might seem ridiculous, but he had to find Derk, and he felt like that orb was necessary. He briefly thought that it was just his desire for collecting treasure- that he didn't like the idea of having finished a heist but being unable to reap the benefits. But deep down, he knew it was more than that. He needed to get that orb back, and he couldn't be happy until it was bck in his possession. So, with this in mind, he walked his way up the hill and back toward the city, coming up with a plan on how to sneak into downtown Heliodor to get it.

It would only be a quick trip, and Raeyla and Halden would be fine.