Zarek flinched the moment he sensed Griffine's magical power.
Staying there meant putting his life at risk.
Without wasting another second, he pulled a parchment from his pocket and tore it apart. In an instant, he vanished in a dark ripple of energy, leaving behind only faint traces of magic.
With his disappearance, the transformed creatures lost control. They staggered around, running aimlessly in all directions.
Everyone was exhausted. But the greatest threat was gone—what remained could be handled.
Led by Griffine and Erin, the team took down the remaining creatures one by one. After delivering the final blow, Kael felt his strength completely drain away and let himself collapse to the ground. Vega immediately crouched beside him, the two leaning against a tree as they caught their breath.
Nathan rushed to Maia's side and pulled her tightly into his arms. Maia was still in shock, her eyes unfocused, but Nathan's presence was what kept her standing.
A little farther away, Lucien and Aryel sank down at the base of another tree. Both of them were nearly out of magical energy.
Their armor was shattered, their clothes torn. Blood seeped from exposed wounds, and everyone's breathing was uneven.
The battle was over—but it had left behind a deep, crushing fatigue.
Griffine looked around and let out a short sigh.
"I can't carry all of you on my back. Here—take these. They'll help you recover enough magic for us to return."
He handed out small vials. Inside them was a greenish liquid, faintly glowing.
Kael didn't hesitate—he was the first to drink, downing the vial in one go. He grimaced for a moment, then took a deep breath. The others followed.
By the time they returned to the inn, it was well past midnight. Maia hadn't spoken a single word along the way. When they arrived, she only murmured a brief "good night" before retreating to her room.
Watching her go, Aryel broke the silence.
"This must be a huge shock for Maia… finding out her brother is a member of Blackthorn isn't something anyone could easily come to terms with."
Kael frowned.
"He even tried to steal his own sister's magic. He wouldn't care even if it killed her."
Vega sighed.
"How are we supposed to lift her spirits?"
Griffine spoke up, steadying the mood.
"We all need a good night's sleep. Maia needs some time alone to process everything. We'll do something for her tomorrow morning."
Lucien nodded.
"It was a hard day for all of us—but even harder for her. She might want Nathan with her. You could stop by before going to bed."
Nathan replied without hesitation.
"I agree. I'll check on her after I clean up."
Erin smiled softly.
"Then good night. See you in the morning."
Everyone had already fallen asleep—everyone except Maia. She lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling.
When she heard a soft knock on her door, she startled. The knock came again, gentle and careful.
"Maia… it's Nathan. If you're not asleep, could you open the door?"
Maia hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to open it—but in the end, she did.
The moment the door opened, Nathan gently wrapped his arms around her. They stood like that for a while without saying a word. Maia's warm tears soaked into Nathan's chest, and soon she could no longer hold herself together, breaking down in quiet sobs.
No words were necessary.
His presence was enough.
Eventually, Maia fell asleep in Nathan's arms, crying herself into rest.
***
When Maia opened her eyes and realized she had fallen asleep in Nathan's arms, she jolted in shock and accidentally pushed him away.
Nathan fell to the floor and woke up with a groan.
"Maia—what happened?"
Maia hurried to his side, trying to help him up as she spoke in a rush.
"When I suddenly saw you next to me, I thought I was still dreaming. I'm sorry—I didn't mean to hurt you. Are you okay? Does anything hurt?"
Nathan looked up at her with a soft smile.
Then, without warning, he pulled her toward him.
Maia fell into Nathan's lap, and he wrapped his arms around her small frame.
"I'm fine now," he said quietly. "But you need to make it up to me… let's stay like this for a while."
Maia's heart was pounding wildly.
Yet at the same time, she felt an overwhelming sense of calm.
Inside her, feelings she couldn't quite name were slowly growing. After everything that had happened the night before, she never would have thought she could feel this peaceful so soon.
"Being with you feels really comforting, Nathan," she said.
Her voice had softened without her even realizing it.
"Despite everything that happened, the reason I slept so deeply… was because I was with you."
Nathan let out a light chuckle.
"Don't you remember when I came in?" he asked.
"You cried so much I thought your body had run out of water."
Maia scrunched up her face.
"Don't tease me. My brother showing up as the villain after all these years… ahh, wouldn't anyone react the same way?"
Nathan's expression grew serious.
"I think you handled it really well. Thanks to you, I'm alive for the second time. In that situation, you managed to use your powers—and for a long time, too."
Maia stared into the distance for a moment.
"That's true… he hurt you. You almost died. It felt like everything had been wiped from my memory."
Suddenly, she turned her head toward Nathan. Without hesitation, she cupped his face with both hands.
Her fingers were trembling slightly.
"I won't ever let anything happen to you, Nathan."
Nathan replied without taking his eyes off her.
"I won't let anything happen to you either. Even if the price is my life…"
Maia frowned.
"Don't ever say that. What would I do without you…?"
Nathan's voice dropped lower.
"If I get hurt, you can turn back time and save me. But if you get hurt, I can't do anything like that."
After a brief pause, he added softly,
"I really like you, Maia."
The moment she heard those words, Maia's breath caught.
Without thinking—purely on instinct—she leaned closer and placed a short, shy kiss on Nathan's lips.
There was a brief moment of silence.
But that moment was more than enough for both of them.
They were both embarrassed, yet the distance between them kept shrinking—and that closeness felt strangely comforting to them both.
Nathan was the one who broke the silence. He lifted an eyebrow slightly and asked,
"Aren't you going to say it?"
Maia blinked.
"Say what?"
"That you like me. Didn't you just leave my confession unanswered?"
Maia smiled shyly.
"Idiot… why would I kiss someone I don't like?"
She took a short breath.
"Of course I like you. A lot."
Her voice came out uneven with excitement. Nathan started laughing and lifted his hand, gently brushing Maia's hair with a soft motion.
Just then, the door was knocked hard not so much knocked as pounded, as if it were about to break.
Vega's voice rang out from the other side of the door.
"Maiiiia! Wake up, come on!"
Kael immediately added,
"Aren't you coming down for breakfast? We've been waiting for hours."
From farther inside, Aryel complained loudly enough to be heard,
"I'm so hungry my head is spinning."
Lucien frowned.
"Aren't you overdoing it a bit? What she went through wasn't easy. Shouldn't you be more gentle?"
Vega replied in a teasing tone,
"Nathan's nowhere to be found, in case you haven't noticed. We checked earlier—where could he be? Obviously with Maia. He's been there since last night. How are we supposed to stay calm?"
Kael shook his head.
"Fire and gunpowder shouldn't be kept side by side."
Lucien suddenly found himself at a loss for words and flushed slightly. Aryel placed a hand on his shoulder and said,
"No matter what Maia goes through, she knows how to pull herself together. She never lets herself drown in negative emotions. She focuses on finding solutions."
After a short sigh, she added,
"But that's not even our main issue right now."
Hearing the voices outside, Maia and Nathan looked at each other and giggled. Both of their cheeks were lightly flushed.
"I guess we should open the door," Nathan said.
Maia scrunched up her face.
"Ahh… I'm so embarrassed. Can't we just not?"
Nathan smiled and raised his eyebrows.
"They might break the door, you know."
"You're right… and we'd probably have to pay the inn for that."
Maia shyly opened the door.
When she saw her friends staring at her in surprise, she froze for a moment, unsure what to say.
In the end, her voice unintentionally went high-pitched.
"Gooo… good morning."
Aryel didn't hesitate for a second—she stepped forward and hugged Maia tightly.
"You really worried us. Are you okay, Maia?"
Maia wrapped her arms around her.
"I think I'm better… I'm sorry for worrying you, everyone."
Vega narrowed her eyes at Nathan.
"Hmmm… Nathan, aren't you going to explain yourself?"
Kael crossed his arms.
"You're both bright red. What's going on here?"
His tone was deliberately exaggerated.
Nathan spoke in a calm but steady tone.
"Last night, Maia was crying a lot. When she fell asleep, I couldn't bring myself to leave her. Nothing happened."
After a brief pause, he added,
"And she's my girlfriend. Of course I'm going to stay by her side."
Hearing that, a small, unconscious smile appeared on Maia's face. Kael immediately jumped in.
"You're not married. You've only been together for two days."
Vega backed him up.
"Exactly… how long have you even known each other?"
Maia finally lost her patience and smacked both of them on the arm.
"So what if you've known each other for a long time? What difference does it make? Come on—enough. Let's go have breakfast."
Lucien had been quietly observing everything. He snapped back to reality when he heard Aryel's voice.
"Ahh… thank goodness. She looks okay. Everything seems fine."
Lucien frowned slightly.
"Your friendship is kind of… strange."
Aryel smiled at him.
"What's strange about it?"
Lucien hesitated, unable to find an answer.
He realized he had never really been part of a group like this before. During the short time he'd attended school, he hadn't had many friends. In the guild, he had always kept his distance.
Maybe that was why he didn't really know what friendship was supposed to look like.
When they went down for breakfast, Erin and Griffine were already seated at the table, waiting for them. Warm bread and steaming tea filled the air, and despite the weight of the previous night, the atmosphere was surprisingly calm.
Griffine looked up.
"Did you manage to get some rest?"
Vega immediately grumbled.
"I couldn't sleep at all because of Kael's snoring."
Kael raised an eyebrow.
"Me? You're the one who snores. Take a look at yourself."
Vega crossed his arms.
"I don't want to share a room with you again. Can I get a single room?"
Griffine cut in with a grin.
"Did we come here on a vacation or on a mission? I'd like to share a room with Erin too, you know… but we don't always get what we want."
Without hesitation, Erin smacked Griffine on the head.
"You really never learn."
Then she turned to the others with a serious look.
"Kids, please… don't ever take Griffine as an example."
As Maia watched this scene, the tight knot inside her slowly loosened. The anxiety she had carried all night gave way to a quiet sense of safety.
Everyone knew now that her brother was a criminal—but no one asked questions, and no one's gaze changed. They were all treating her exactly the same.
She had been afraid of being pushed away… But realizing how unnecessary that fear had been, a small smile curved her lips.
As long as she was with these people, she felt she could overcome anything. For Maia, they were no longer just friends. They had become her family.
Taking a deep breath, Maia finally felt it was time to explain. She spoke up.
"Guys… could you listen to me for a moment?"
The conversations at the table stopped instantly. Everyone turned their attention to her.
Maia cleared her throat and continued.
"I didn't know my brother Zarek was a member of Blackthorn. Honestly… I hadn't seen him for years. After he left home for school, he started coming back less and less. When he moved on to the academy, he left a single letter and disappeared."
She paused to take a breath.
"We searched for him, but he kept saying he didn't want to come back. I always blamed myself. When we learned that my power was time, his attitude toward me changed completely. Back then, he didn't have powers like that… but he loved me a lot."
She lowered her gaze to the table.
"I thought the change was my fault. I blamed myself for years."
Then she steadied her voice and went on.
"But that wasn't the truth. It's clear he's been part of this organization for a long time. He's even treated as someone high-ranking. Maybe he's been brainwashed—I don't know… but one thing is certain: he has nothing to do with the brother I once knew."
She looked up.
"I won't ask you not to hurt him just because he's my brother. He's a criminal who almost killed all of us. There's nothing about him worth defending."
Her voice grew firmer.
"I want to become stronger and face him myself. Will you help me? I don't want to feel this helpless ever again."
When Maia finished speaking, tears slipped from her eyes—though she didn't even notice them.
Griffine spoke in a calm, resolute voice.
"Your brother being a member of Blackthorn has nothing to do with you, Maia. Don't ever blame yourself for that."
After a short pause, he added,
"You are our valued companion, and you always will be. I promise—both as your captain and… as an older brother—that we'll do everything we can to help you grow stronger."
A moment of silence followed. Everyone was moved, unsure of what to say.
Erin spoke softly.
"You didn't even need to push yourself to explain, Maia. No matter what, we're on your side."
Aryel nodded.
"You're our family, Maia. Who your brother is won't change that."
The others nodded in agreement. The atmosphere grew quiet, but warm.
Finally, unable to hold back any longer, Aryel stood up and wrapped Maia in a tight hug.
Vega and Kael followed, joining them.
The four friends clung to one another, letting their emotions flow in silence—without the need for words.