[Evening of the Fourth Day - Six Days Remaining]

  I pounded on Rosamae's door for the third time, hoping to wake her up. Xelmir's coordinates seemed to burn a hole in my pocket, but I couldn't pass up checking on her. She'd never shown at the Masketeer Guild today. I'd asked her green-haired friends, but they didn’t know where she was.

  My asking only heightened their concern.

  They said they'd check around and let me know—sometimes she was permitted into the Academy with Flint, her high and mighty Skyborn friend. But I'd gotten no response, no message from any runner, nothing about her whereabouts.

  Maybe it was my conversation with Xelmir making me paranoid, but I couldn't help the shiver climbing up my spine. If the man was involved in my training, would he use her as bait? Not that I thought Xelmir would hurt her, but…when Kor initiated training, she'd rushed at Rosamae with a sword. Only my intervention stopped her—before she ran that blade through my chest instead.

  I rubbed the scar, knocking on the door again. What if Kor had kidnapped Rosamae for another cruel test? Anything seemed possible. Death wasn't even final with those super healing potions on hand. How many did they have? They'd used one on me, sealing everything instantly, leaving me groggy. Would be good to have some myself.

  I patted Gripjaw's head where he lounged across my shoulders. Cronia sat on the tip of his nose, then jumped off, floating toward the door. Before I could ask what she was doing, she passed right through the bluish-dark wood, losing patience to scout for Rosamae herself.

  “She has to be here," I whispered, glancing up at the twinkling stars, then the moons. The eleventh chime was barely thirty minutes away. Maybe she was studying late at the Academy? Perhaps she was in another section, with Flint searching areas she couldn't reach without him.

  I took a deep breath, waiting. Distant ocean waves crashed, a pleasant ambience to an otherwise frustrating situation. This wasn't like her—she wouldn't just vanish.

  I knocked again, hard enough to scrape my knuckles. Instead of Rosamae's door opening, I heard one across the street click. An elderly Tidewalker emerged, purple-scaled and wearing a dress patterned with ocean waves. She eyed me suspiciously.

  I forced a smile and waved, but before I could speak, she called out: "Looking for Rosamae?"

  I nodded quickly. Again, before I could get a word in: "Left in quite a hurry this morning. Something about her brother's condition worsening."

  My eyes widened, chest clenching. I remembered what that colorful Skyborn ferryman had said—Rosamae wasn't just here to learn a trade, but to find answers about her brother's illness. I'd never asked what condition he had, or maybe I'd forgotten if told, but I knew he was sick. But I had no idea she'd leave like this.

  “It's true,” Cronia whispered, mist swirling around my head. “There are letters on her roommates' beds, telling them she left this morning.”

  A ghostly book opened beside me, flipping to the relationships page:

  [Updated Information: Rosamae]

  [If uninterrupted, Rosamae receives a letter the morning of the fourth day regarding her brother's illness and a plea to return home immediately]

  Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

  The book flipped to my bond quests:

  [Bond Quest: Rosamae]

  [Her location has changed. She is currently returning to her family in the Windwhisper Wilds.]

  [Distance: Three days travel by boat and wagon]

  I waited, but that was it.

  Cronia huffed, hands on hips. "Well, that complicates things."

  I eyed the little goddess, surprised at the emotion. I hadn't known her long, but our interactions had been uniformly calm—from her side, at least.

  "What?" she asked, noticing my stare. "I feel things too." She waved a hand. "But that's not important." She pointed at my interface, and it opened straight to the key items tab. There sat Xelmir's note.

  I tapped it, and it materialized in my hand. As I unfolded it to read the coordinates again, the book closed and my interface vanished, replaced by my map showing the location—on the island's edge, not far from here.

  I hesitated, thinking back to our conversation. He'd known about my Underbelly training, about rejected Academy papers… I had no idea what he meant by that last part. I could only assume that before I hijacked this body, Zale tried entering the Academy but was denied due to mixed blood.

  “My thoughts exactly,” Cronia said, tapping the paper.

  I stared at it, frowning deeply.

  "You're troubled," she said.

  "Something doesn't feel right," I murmured. "The way Xelmir talked about fighting for others, about the injustices I'd suffered…” I trailed off, remembering last week—being tied up, surrounded by cultists in dark masks.

  A shiver crawled up my spine.

  My head snapped toward Cronia. Her entire body shivered. We'd reached the same conclusion. I didn't dare speak it aloud—the old Tidewalker's door stood creaked open. If she'd heard my knocking, others had too. And I couldn’t trust anyone.

  Something was happening in Wavehaven, something involving people like Xelmir and Kor—Beachstriders like me, out for vengeance, out for blood. And I wondered if following Xelmir's bond quest was wise. That nasty, sour feeling flowered in my gut again; the same sickness I'd felt for days, after watching the cult leader stab that councilman through the heart.

  Maybe he'd deserved it. Maybe the politics were corrupt. I didn't know enough to say, but still…

  Cronia floated up to my face, dress and hair swaying lazily. "I say, go forward with it.” Her calm demeanor somewhat eased my churning stomach. "If Kor and Xelmir are part of the cult, this is the perfect opportunity to gather information we lack."

  I nodded. Gripjaw hummed agreement, staring at the goddess. I blinked in surprise, totally forgetting he could see her—which surprised me yet again. But I shook my head and puffed out a breath.

  Cronia was right.

  I'd been so focused on getting stronger, on waiting until the final day to stop the masked cult leader, that I'd forgotten other paths to the same goal. “But we still don't know for sure," I said. “Xelmir could be apart of something else…” Cronia nodded, but I sensed she’d be shocked if we were wrong.

  "Same," I whispered. Even knowing I could restart didn't calm my nerves. But…if Xelmir did invite me to join the cult, I wouldn't have to worry about facing off with his white-masked leader and that unholy blade of his—though thinking of it still made me queasy.

  Plus, Cronia was right—this was the perfect opportunity to learn things I could take into the next loop. My heart skipped with mixed excitement and apprehension.

  Kicking up sand, I hurried across the street.

  "Wait!" an old voice called. I turned to find the Tidewalker hurrying toward me, fins flaring with each panting breath.

  "Here," she said, extending a letter. "Rosamae wanted me to give this to you."

  I perked up but frowned. "Wait, how did you know?"

  She smirked. "She told me you would come. She talks about you a lot—the Beachstrider with the turquoise tattoos."

  I nodded slowly, realizing something that shocked me. This full-blooded Tidewalker didn't look down at me, like most did. She even smiled, treating me as an…equal.

  "Write her back as soon as possible," she said, tail swaying as she turned away. "I'm surprised she's not already snatched up. Girls that sweet and cute usually go fast."

  “Wise words,” Cronia settled on Gripjaw's forehead. “Good thing she's already smitten by you.”

  "I'm not interested in a relationship," I said, hurrying across the street, heat crawling up my neck.

  “Then why is your heart pounding?” Cronia gave me a mischievous smile.

  I rolled my eyes. "These bonds are strictly to help me get back home. And now, with Rosamae gone, that makes things a lot trickier."

  "You do have a bond quest with Xelmir now," Cronia said.

  I grimaced, nodding. He was the last person I'd have considered, given how cold he’d been last week. I never would have imagined him showing any interest in me…

  But a quest was a quest. And if I was going to escape this world, I needed five bonds, regardless of who they were with. After one final glance at the note Xelmir had given me, I picked up my pace and ran to meet him.