“Remember. Keep your eyes open when you aim. Anticipate the recoil. Keep your posture grounded.”

Those words helped Lilac understood what she needed to do. She did what Albert told her: low posture, slightly bent arms, and aim down the sights. She knew what to do.

Then, she pulled the trigger.

As Albert had warned, the rifle’s recoil was strong. It felt like someone yanked on the rifle forcefully. Rudely even. Unfortunately, despite Lilac anticipating the recoil, she did not expect it to be that strong. Moreover, her aim was completely off. Instead of the target, Lilac’s shot hit the wall beside it.

She groaned, disappointed with her own failure. Albert, however, did not think of it that way.

“Not bad,” said Albert.

“I missed the target,” insisted Lilac.

“Yet you kept your stance. That is already better than some first-timers out there. You just have to learn how to aim, that’s all. It takes practice.”

“For how long? I never hunted with hunting rifles like humans do.”

“Like I said. If you keep practicing and know what to expect, you’ll be an expert in no time,” said Albert with a smile.

Albert noticed that Lilac did not seem to be encouraged by his words. Her ears were drooping, and he could hear her whine, though it wasn’t too apparent. She looked sad.

“Do you…want to have some tea?” asked Albert. “Maybe we can talk about it?”

“Thanks, Al, but I…”

“I want to talk about it, too. Part of healing is to share it with others. You are not alone in this matter, Lilac.”

Lilac knew what Albert was talking about, but she was unable to think about it without feeling sad and lonely. Even if it had been a month since the tragedy, she was still in grief. She kept her act together and even convinced Rhynsa to do what’s right to honor his death. Even she wanted to make sure his sacrifice wasn’t in vain by learning how to protect herself and be more reliable when the needs arise.

But even after all that, Ifrit’s death still haunted her.

And then she realized that Albert was going through the same thing as she did. Maybe he was right. Maybe they needed to talk about it. They were too busy learning and training for the inevitable Incursion that they neglected each other.

And so, she accepted his invitation, and walked with him back to Winsel’s Tea Shop. Along the way, she watched children of different races playing with each other. Humans, Lycans, and hellhounds, all being kind with each other. All understanding each other.

No fear and concerns. Just children playing around like children.

The innocent children were one of many reasons why she wanted to join this fight; to spare the future generation from the pain of premature loss. People die eventually, but they did not have to die young.

Albert and Lilac ordered a pot of tea, scones, and custards. As they were being prepared, Albert started the conversation.

“We’ve both been through a lot,” said Albert. “And I understand if you still can’t accept Ifrit’s death. Nobody could, especially not if this is their first loss.”

“You don’t look bothered,” said Lilac.

“I hid my grief. It wasn’t easy being a Hunter, especially if you are required to toughen it up. Demons prey on that human flaw. Grief can go both ways. Some says it’s the greatest weapon of all, but it can also be the catalyst of the end.”

“Well, you can lump in love and hate in there, too.”

Albert chuckled. “Ja. That is right. Some people cope by keeping themselves busy. Some blame others for their misfortune. Some, like us, chose to not let it be in vain.”

Lilac lowered her head, unable to say anything.

“How about if we talk about something else?” said Albert as their ordered items arrived on their table. “Have you heard from Rhynsa lately?”

“Is this really necessary? I thought we are talking about Ifrit. Putting Rhynsa in there is not going to help matters.”

“I thought you tried to convince him to make things right.”

“Yes, but....” Lilac looked at the tea she just poured. “Despite what I told him…I still can’t forgive him.”

“Nobody can. Even I can’t. Even if you can relate to his suffering, you won’t be able to completely forgive him. All we can do is to keep it in check, lest it ends up creating a darkness that will destroy you from the inside.”

“You have a point. Tell me, Albert. How can you be so wise despite of, pardon, your age? You told me you’re 32.”

“Do I sound like an old man?”

“Sometimes, you do. It doesn’t help that you speak so slowly and meticulously.”

Albert chuckled. “My friends from the workshop said the same thing as you. Even Marlene said I sound like her father sometimes, and we are close of age!”

“Marlene, huh? I haven’t heard you talk about a girl friend before. Is she close?”

“Close, yes, but not that close,” said Albert. “She’s busy with her car business and I’m busy with Hunter stuffs. You can fill out the rest.”

“Any plans on getting closer, perhaps?”

Albert smiled, amused by how cheeky Lilac could be. Even she cheekily smiled, showing that behind her lupine appearance and the recent tragedy they both experienced, she was still the optimistic Lilac Rezmirn that Albert met in Wayfer. In fact, the day he met her and Ifrit was when she also experienced a very traumatizing event: the day her village was lost to the hellhounds. Both times she managed to get over it.

And Albert would do what he could to make sure she kept being herself.

“So, I told you about wanting to talk to you about something,” said Albert after sipping his tea. “There is a recent news that might be able to lift your spirit up. It certainly lifted mine.”

“Any news other than Tragoria’s imminent fall is good for me,” said Lilac.

“Oh, but this isn’t just any news.”

Albert promptly pulled out a newspaper he bought from a newsstand earlier. He put it aside, preferring to enjoy his tea and snacks and talk to Lilac first before giving her the news. The newspaper was barely touched, as Albert did not bother to read the rest of it, preferring to focus on the first page.

Big block letterings signified the headline, along with a black-and-white picture to accompany it. Lilac read the headline letters: ‘Got the 21: Blackjack Returned with Glories to Tell’.

“Blackjack?” asked Lilac.

“As in the ship, not the game,” said Albert. “Now. Recognize anyone on the picture?”

Lilac checked the picture, and her eyes went wide. She instantly recognized one of the subjects in the picture: a scruffy-looking, black-furred Lycan, standing beside a female, light-furred Lycan and another light-furred Lycan wearing a pair of pincer glasses.

“Oh my…it’s Hans! Bloody hell, that’s Hans!” she declared excitedly. “Then the Blackjack is…”

“The ship that successfully sailed the Unknown Ocean, and returned to tell the tales,” said Albert. “They seem to meet some interesting fellows on the way there.”

Lilac could tell. Aside from Hans and the more obvious Lycans, there was one person who clearly wasn’t lupine in appearance, but reptilian. He had some reptilian and avian features, as Lilac noticed that he had feathers growing on his head like a tuft of hair.

Yet, the most surprising thing that caught Lilac’s attention was the fact that they were flanked by a big reptilian creature with bat wings. The creature was menacing and looked almost fake, yet it wasn’t. Hans and the others were clearly posing near the creature’s head, with the creature itself looking like it was smiling, showing its sharp row of teeth.

Lilac then read the description and the article accompanying the news and found several names. Hans Rezmirn, Jamie Hines, Adeline de Rochefort, Ulster Baldwin, Keeshar of Raptor Island, and finally, Azureath the dragon. The description below the picture made it clear who’s who. The photo was also apparently taken in the docks of ‘Pol Hain’, which the news clarified as the first port the ship docked in the continent they discovered, which had an advanced civilization centered around magic and dragons.

“Magic…and dragons?” said Lilac. “Two words I can never associate outside of fairy tales yet is written as facts here. Are you sure this is a good source?”

“The Adal Post may have its own fair share of reporting inaccurate news, but even they don’t resort to jokes like this,” said Albert. “This is as real as you can get.”

“But that means…Hans is out there with dragons?! Well, he certainly found his excitement, alright. Should’ve sent a bloody wire or something. He’s making me worried!”

Yet the most important thing for Albert was to see his friend returning to her usual cheery self, which was made more apparent due to her lupine appearance. He was glad to be able to help her overcome her sadness, though he knew this was a progress. It wasn’t something that could easily be solved by one good news.

But things could easily go for the better for Lilac, and possibly for him and the others. Maybe this way, she would be more focused on keeping herself alive while also helping to make things right when the world changed.

“Why don’t we enjoy the rest of the day, now that we both got our mood lifted?” said Albert.

“Yes, I will,” said Lilac. “Thank you so much, Al.”

Albert nodded as they continued their afternoon tea.

The news of the successful voyage lifted Lilac’s spirit somewhat, knowing that she did not lose another she deeply cared about. Hans had been in her life far longer than Ifrit was, and his death would certainly sadden her to no end. He was the only family she had, and the only link she had to Sidve, now that her home and her village was gone.

It also served to make her more determined to make sure Ifrit’s death wasn’t in vain. While she was still dealing with the fact that he was gone, Lilac would have to continue on living, knowing that her life wasn’t over yet.

She also did not want to be upped by her brother. If her brother could befriend a dragon and be a part of the crew that found a new continent, then she would be one of the defenders of her home from the forces of hell. She would not want her brother to go home to a devastated continent, right?

After all, she knew what’s at stake. Maybe she could help with the situation at home.