Frey opens his eyes, his mind in a haze. In the distance, a building was on fire.

Frey tries to get up, but a sharp pain in his chest keeps him down.

Frey’s movement caught the attention of the man beside him. The man crouches down and looks at him with a smile. “Well done, sir Prince. The package is gone and the inn was set on fire. Three of our men are dead from the attack. But you managed to stay alive long enough to take the blame for this. For that I sincerely thank you,” the man says, a very annoying sincerity in his smile.

“Who are you?” Frey asks, displeased at the man’s tone. If he was one of his soldiers, they wouldn’t dare talk to him like this.

“Me? I’m Major Raz. Colonel Reyle tasked me with supervising you in the shadows. You did quite well, to be honest; and no one could have expected a Grandmaster to show up here. Even if the operation went to shit, I won’t be taking the blame for it, so don’t worry. I’ll write a very flattering report,” Major Raz says, with that same smile.

Frey looks to Raz then to the sky before taking a deep breath. I need a vacation, Frey thinks to himself.

…

…

“If you’re heading back to Seer you should go back with me. I have to be there to accept the new members for Eden. Since you’re also a founding member, you should come back with me. I’m taking a ship South, down the Setting River into Seer. It should be more comfortable than going by carriage,” Articus says, observing Siyu for his response.

Siyu sighs before replying, “Go back yourself. I’ll take the long way home. I have to savor this peace while I can.”

Articus smiles and stands up. “Then I’ll wait for you,” he says before walking towards the door and leaving the cottage.

Siyu watches the door close before standing up, a dull look on his face. “I need a cup of coffee,” He says, a little disgruntled.

…

…

Siyu spends the rest of the day taking in the scenery and breathing in the air. Only in the night, when Sunshine was sleeping, did he leave for his journey.

…

…

A few days later, in the city of Jome...

Siyu enters the city and with a hazy sense of direction, arrives at the first inn he sees.

“Boys! Look at the balls on this one; he actually dares to come back! Quick, grab him!” A voice calls out.

“Huh?” Siyu exclaims, unaware of the situation. But before he could react he was already restrained by two bulky men.

Siyu tries to appear calm and says, “Hey, brothers; this must be some sort of mistake. I’m just a passerby. No need to be so forceful.”

One of the men chuckles, “We know exactly who you are, Siyu Grey. Follow along quietly. Our boss Dorian has been looking for you.”

Dorian? Dorian Feyle? Siyu thinks, starting to realize the situation. “Fuck,” He exclaims. It’s the Blooming Flower Cult.

…

…

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Siyu Grey,” Dorian says with a smile from behind his desk. “The boss has been looking for you. And we knew for sure you didn’t die in that ambush,” Dorian says with slight annoyance.

Siyu simply stares back blankly with his hands restrained. I’m still alive, so this can’t be that bad, He thinks to himself. But these guys seem to know my name. I’m pretty sure I never used this name in the Blooming Flower Cult.

“After getting back to the city, we asked around about the bandits, and we found out that the day before we left for Seer, someone had been going around the inns and taverns telling people that he was doing a big job with merchandise that was worth hundreds of gold coins. Might you know who that person is, mister Siyu?” Dorian asks with a malevolent look.

Siyu was about to respond before thinking it would be better not to speak, but a hint of a smile could be seen on his face.

“Don’t fucking smile!” Dorian says, slamming his fist on the desk. Seeing Siyu looking to the ground Dorian leans back on his chair and says, “Anyways, the Boss already had someone look into you, and she knows you work for the king. If it were up to me, you’d already be dead, but she seems to still have use for you. So I’ll be taking you back to Gettid as a prisoner.”

Siyu bows his head once more and says, “I live to serve.”