Alex and Sara watched from the guild entrance as Luciana and the other beginner traveler disappeared through the doors.
Sara remained there for a moment, her eyes following them.
“I hope she is fine.”
Alex smiled.
“Oh, she will be.”
Sara glanced at him.
“You sound very confident.”
“She survived eighteen years in Cresent Roseville surrounded by villagers who probably spoiled her rotten.
She can handle picking some herbs.”
Sara laughed.
“That’s true.”
They turned back toward the guild.
Neither of them made it more than a few steps.
Sara suddenly stopped.
“Wait.”
Alex looked at her.
“What?”
“She doesn’t know where the quest location is.”
Alex froze.
They stared at each other.
Then Sara slowly covered her face.
“We forgot.”
Alex cleared his throat.
“I thought you told her.”
“I thought you did.”
A moment of silence followed.
Then both of them turned around.
“We’d better find them.”
Outside the guild, Luciana was still complaining.
“Fifteen silver coins.”
Raizen walked beside her with the same calm expression he had maintained since they first reached for the quest notice.
“That’s the reward.”
“I know.”
“Then why are you still complaining?”
“Because thirty silver coins were written on the notice.”
“You are receiving half because we are sharing the quest.”
“I know.”
“You’ve said that several times.”
“Because it doesn’t make me happier.”
Raizen glanced at her.
Luciana sighed dramatically.
“If I had known another person was going to take the same quest, I would have picked something else.”
“You could still choose another quest.”
She immediately shook her head.
“No.
Moonleaf sounds easy.”
“Then stop complaining.”
Luciana turned toward him.
“You’re strangely calm for a beginner.”
Raizen raised an eyebrow.
“Should I be panicking?”
“No.”
“Then why would I?”
Luciana opened her mouth.
Then closed it.
She thought about it for a moment.
That was actually a reasonable answer.
She had expected beginner travelers to be nervous, excited, or perhaps a little lost, especially since she herself was feeling all three.
But this man seemed completely comfortable.
He walked as though he had traveled these roads many times before.
Maybe that wasn’t unusual.
Perhaps people simply traveled differently.
Luciana glanced at him again.
She realized something else.
They had been arguing almost the entire way from the guild…
and she didn’t even know his name.
She slowed down.
“Wait.”
Raizen stopped.
Luciana looked at him seriously.
“We’ve been walking together, but I don’t know your name.”
He watched her for a moment.
Luciana pointed at him.
“I can’t keep calling you ‘oi, oi’ every time I want to talk to you.”
A faint amusement appeared in Raizen’s eyes.
“Were you planning to?”
“I already did.”
“That is true.”
Luciana looked slightly embarrassed.
“So?”
“Raizen.”
“Raizen…”
She repeated the name quietly, making sure she remembered it.
“I’m Luciana.”
Raizen looked at her.
“I know.”
Luciana blinked.
“You know?”
“You introduced yourself at the guild.”
“Oh.”
She nodded.
“Right.”
For a brief moment, neither spoke.
Then Luciana smiled.
“Nice to meet you, Raizen.”
He looked at her smile.
After a thousand years, he had imagined this moment countless times.
He had imagined hearing her voice again.
He had imagined standing beside her.
He had imagined what it would feel like to finally see her alive.
Yet the reality was much simpler.
She was standing in front of him, smiling because she had finally learned his name.
“Nice to meet you too, Luciana.”
His voice remained calm.
But somewhere deep inside him, something softened.
“Luciana!”
She turned at the sound of her name.
Alex and Sara were hurrying toward them.
Luciana raised a hand.
“Alex!
Sara!”
Sara reached them slightly out of breath.
“Good.
We found you.”
Luciana looked confused.
“Were you looking for me?”
“Yes.”
Alex nodded toward the quest notice in her hand.
“We forgot to tell you something important.”
Luciana frowned.
“What?”
“The location.”
She stared at him.
Then at Sara.
Then at the quest notice.
Her expression slowly changed.
“You mean…”
Sara nodded apologetically.
“You don’t actually know where the eastern mountain lake is.”
Luciana looked down at the quest notice.
It suddenly seemed much less useful.
“But it says ‘beyond the eastern mountain lake.'”
“Yes.”
“So I just go to the eastern mountain lake.”
Alex smiled awkwardly.
“Which you don’t know how to reach.”
Luciana stared at him.
“You’re telling me this now?”
Sara laughed.
“We’re sorry.”
Luciana placed both hands on her hips.
“I almost started walking toward a completely random mountain.”
Alex laughed.
“That is why we came after you.”
He pulled out a small map and unfolded it.
“The eastern mountain lake is outside the city.
Follow this road until you reach the old stone bridge.
From there, take the northern path toward the mountain.
The lake is beyond the first ridge.”
Sara pointed at the map.
“Moonleaf usually grows around the shaded areas near the water.
Look for plants with pale green leaves and tiny silver veins.”
Luciana leaned over the map.
“That sounds easy enough.”
“It should be,” Sara said.
“Just don’t wander too far into the mountain.”
Luciana nodded.
“I won’t.”
Alex looked at Raizen.
“And you?”
Raizen glanced at the map.
“I’ll remember the route.”
Luciana looked between them.
“Good.
Then we won’t get lost.”
Alex smiled.
“Exactly.”
Sara handed Luciana a small pouch.
“I also brought some basic supplies.
Water, bandages, and a little food.”
Luciana’s eyes immediately widened.
“Food?”
Sara laughed.
“I thought you’d appreciate that.”
“I absolutely do.”
She tucked the pouch away happily.
Raizen watched the exchange quietly.
Luciana had already relaxed again.
She was smiling, asking Sara questions about Moonleaf, while Alex pointed out landmarks on the map.
For someone who had only recently left her village, she adapted quickly.
Raizen listened without interrupting.
He had originally planned to create a natural reason to cross paths with her.
He had imagined carefully arranging circumstances that would bring them together.
Instead, fate had apparently decided that the easiest way was to put the two of them in front of the same quest notice.
He almost found it amusing.
Perhaps he didn’t need to manipulate fate as much as he thought.
Luciana suddenly looked at him.
“Raizen?”
“Yes?”
“Are you ready?”
He looked at her bright expression.
Then at the road stretching beyond the city.
“Yes.”
Luciana smiled.
“Good.
Let’s go collect some herbs.”
She turned and started walking.
Raizen followed beside her.
And without Luciana noticing, a quiet smile touched his lips.
For the first time in a thousand years, he wasn’t watching her from a distance.
He was walking beside her.