The evening streets of Silvermere had grown quieter by the time Luciana and Raizen returned from the Adventurer Guild.
Lanterns illuminated the stone roads while merchants began closing their stalls for the night.
The lively city she had explored during her first days was slowly settling into a calmer rhythm.
When they reached the street where Luciana’s inn was located, Raizen stopped.
“Your inn is ahead.”
Luciana glanced at the building.
“Oh.
You’re not staying here?”
“I have another inn.”
She looked at him with mild surprise.
They had spent most of the day together, yet she realized they had never actually discussed where he was staying.
“Then I suppose I’ll see you around.”
“We’re both travelers.
I’m sure our paths will cross again.”
Luciana smiled.
“Perhaps.”
Raizen gave her a small nod.
“Good night, Luciana.”
“Good night, Raizen.”
She entered the inn while he continued down another street toward his own lodging.
Later that night, after washing up and changing into her night clothes, Luciana wandered over to the window.
The streets below were still dotted with lanterns.
A familiar figure appeared in the distance.
Raizen.
He walked alone, heading toward the other side of the city.
Luciana watched him until he disappeared around a corner.
“What a weird guy he is.”
She thought about the way he had remained completely calm throughout their entire herb quest.
Even when she had complained about losing half the reward, he hadn’t seemed bothered.
And somehow, despite being a beginner traveler like herself, he seemed to know his way around the world far too well.
Luciana shook her head.
“Whatever.”
She closed the curtain.
“He’s not a bad weird guy.”
The following evening, Luciana joined Alex and Sara for dinner.
The atmosphere was warm and relaxed, and the three of them spent some time talking about the herb quest and Luciana’s discovery of the Moonleaf Meadow.
“I definitely want to visit that place again,” Luciana said.
Sara smiled.
“Then you’ll have plenty of opportunities.
The world is full of places like that.”
Alex nodded.
“Speaking of traveling, Sara and I will be leaving Silvermere tomorrow.”
Luciana looked up.
“Tomorrow?”
“We have another trading route to follow.
Our next destination is in another country.”
Luciana’s expression softened with a hint of disappointment.
“You’re really leaving.”
“We’re merchants,” Sara said with a smile.
“Staying in one place too long would be unusual for us.”
Luciana laughed softly.
“I suppose that’s true.”
Alex leaned back in his chair.
“Just remember to take care of yourself.
Traveling becomes more complicated once you leave the familiar roads.”
Sara added, “Stay alert, especially when dealing with strangers, and don’t accept a quest simply because the reward looks good.”
Luciana immediately looked away.
“I wasn’t going to.”
Alex laughed.
“Of course not.”
Sara shook her head fondly.
Then Alex reached into his pocket and placed a small key on the table.
Luciana looked at it in confusion.
“What’s this?”
“Your room key.”
“I already have one.”
“We’ve already paid for your room for another week.”
Luciana’s eyes widened.
“You did?”
Sara smiled.
“Think of it as a little thank-you.”
“For what?”
“For the croissants.”
Luciana laughed.
“Those were Grandma Martha’s.”
“And they were delicious,” Alex said.
“We’re simply returning the favor.”
Luciana looked down at the key.
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“We wanted to.”
She smiled.
“Thank you.”
“After the extra week, you’ll have to take care of the room yourself.”
Luciana nodded.
“That shouldn’t be a problem.
I’ll find more quests.”
Alex smiled approvingly.
“That’s the spirit.”
They finished their meal while talking about their respective plans for the coming days.
There was no dramatic farewell.
They simply understood that their roads were separating.
Before leaving the table, Sara gave Luciana a warm smile.
“Until we meet again.”
Luciana smiled back.
“Until we meet again.
Somewhere in the future.”
Later That Night
Luciana returned to her room and closed the door behind her.
For a while, she simply stood there.
The room was quiet.
Too quiet.
She looked around at the small space she had been staying in since arriving in Silvermere.
Her travel bag rested beside the bed.
Her new traveler ID was safely tucked inside.
The little pouch containing her fifteen silver coins sat on the table.
She picked it up and gave it a small shake.
Clink.
The sound made her smile.
Her first earnings.
She placed the pouch back down and sat on the edge of the bed.
Tomorrow, Alex and Sara would leave.
She knew they weren’t going far enough for their friendship to disappear.
They were merchants, and the roads of the world had a way of bringing travelers together again.
Still, something had changed.
Until now, she had always had someone showing her where to go.
Alex and Sara had introduced her to Silvermere, helped her understand the guild, and even remembered things she had forgotten herself.
Now they were moving on.
And Luciana would remain behind.
She looked toward the window.
Beyond the glass, Silvermere stretched beneath the night sky.
For the first time since leaving Cresent Roseville, she realized that she was truly on her own.
The thought should have frightened her.
Instead, after a moment, she smiled.
“I can do this.”
She reached for her leather notebook and opened it to a fresh page.
At the top, she carefully wrote:
Places I Want to Visit
Then she began listing them.
Silvermere — already here.
Moonleaf Meadow — return someday.
The next city — to be decided.
Another country — eventually.
Magical forests.
A seaside town.
A mountain village.
And, after a moment’s hesitation:
Somewhere with dragons.
Luciana stared at that last line.
“Preferably one that doesn’t eat me.”
She laughed quietly and closed the notebook.
Tomorrow would be different.
But different didn’t necessarily mean bad.
It meant there was another road waiting for her.
And Luciana had only just begun discovering how much she wanted to see.
Later That Night
Luciana had already washed up and changed into her night clothes when she wandered over to the window.
Silvermere was still awake below.
Lanterns lined the streets, and a few late-night merchants were packing away their remaining goods while travelers made their way back to their inns.
Luciana rested her arms against the windowsill and looked out at the passing crowd.
Then she noticed a familiar figure farther down the street.
Raizen.
He wasn’t anywhere near her inn.
He was simply walking along the road that led toward the quieter part of the city, presumably heading back to his own lodging.
Luciana watched him for a moment.
She hadn’t expected to see him again so soon.
He walked at the same calm pace as always, completely unhurried despite the busy streets around him.
Luciana tilted her head.
“What a weird guy he is.”
She thought about their herb quest, his strange calmness, and the fact that he had somehow seemed more comfortable traveling than most people she had met.
Yet there was nothing particularly unpleasant about him.
If anything, having him around had made the journey easier.
Luciana smiled faintly.
“He’s not a bad weird guy.”
With that, she closed the curtain and returned to her room.
She had no reason to know that Raizen was staying in another part of Silvermere.
And Raizen had no reason to know that she had happened to notice him from her window.
It was simply two travelers returning to their own inns after another ordinary day.