The Adventurer’s Academy

The group stopped at a coffee shop after Eve had taken them shopping in various places. Mostly, they'd just gone around buying clothes and Old World souvenirs. Like the rusted pistol that was currently in Rin's hand. Given how many of them the inhabitants of the New World found after the Split, many of them assumed that these things were people's main way of defending themselves, before limit-breaking and the manipulation of Essence became somewhat common. 

There was a lot that was still unknown about the Old World, though. One thing Rin wondered about was: 

Did they treat their citizens like Cradle treats theirs today? 

She could see them through the windows right now. Several beastborn slaves and their masters, walked down the road with their heads low. 

Rin's eyes remained on them mostly because Xhez's remained on them. 

The sprite stared out the same window from Rin's left, her eyes fixed on the same group. 

"They're probably heading to the factories," Eve said, sensing the pair's curiosity. 

"The factories?" 

"Yeah." 

"They have slaves working those here?" Rin asked, tilting her head. 

"Well, yeah," Eve replied. "The factories are outside the walls. No one actually wants to work in them. Monster attacks and all." 

[Ah, right.] 

It didn't seem like the answer was all that satisfactory to Xhez. 

Rin, however, just nodded and tried to push the matter out of her mind. 

[Not my culture, not my city. Just enjoy your mini-vacation and go back to Libera. It's fine.] 

---

Later, as the nighttime arrived and the air grew cold enough to send shivers down Rin's spine, they checked in at a hotel that was close enough to the station to where they could leave first thing tomorrow morning. 

One bed, one bathroom, and a kitchen they weren't planning on using before they left. It was comfortable enough, given that neither Xhez nor Eve needed a bed. 

"You really wanna head back so soon?" Eve asked. The fairy had traded her dress of leaves for a far more human-looking set of pajamas for the night. 

"Yeah," Rin replied, with her brother's backpack in front of her. "This place... I dunno, I don't really like it here." 

Xhez rested on the edge of her bag, not asleep but recharging all the same. Sara was laid out on the bed, her eyes fixed on the ceiling. 

"Eh, maybe it's an acquired taste or something." Eve flew over to the cushion she'd set up by the window. It was there where she planned to get her sleep for the night. 

Rin went through the backpack somewhat lazily. 

In doing so, she ended up feeling even more confused as to why she hadn't been allowed to take a look at this stuff. 

It was all just basic traveling equipment. 

[Seriously. What, they didn't want me to see my brother's sleeping mat? That was just too sacred for my eyes or something? Come on.] 

"Well... This was a waste of time," Rin muttered, disappointed. 

"Huh?" Eve asked from that window. 

"There's nothing in here. It's literally just a backpack filled with my brother's traveling stuff." Rin sighed. "And, they had this sectioned off like it was filled with gold or something. Why?" 

Xhez provided a possible answer, as the sprite's voice reached Rin's ears from her bag. 

"Something does feel strange about that bag, though."

Rin tilted her head. 

"What do you mean?" 

"I can feel something, ehm... Tingly from that stuff," Xhez said. She sounded disinterested but was, thankfully, still trying to help out. 

"Why didn't you mention it sooner?" 

"It only began just now," Xhez responded. "When you opened the bag." 

"When I... Maybe it's something that's inside?" Rin asked, taking the backpack and flipping it upside down. 

Its contents cascaded onto the bed, one by one. As they did, one thing made Xhez perk up. 

"That!" 

She pointed at one of the objects. 

Rin picked it up. It was...

"His hairbrush?" Rin asked,  looking at Xhez with a raised brow. Walking over to the sprite's bag, she held it out. "What do you-" 

"Now it's a lot stronger," Xhez replied before Rin could finish asking. "That thing is emanating Spirit." 

"What?" Rin asked. "But it's literally just a..." 

"Maybe it's enchanted," Eve offered. "Though, I don't know why anyone would enchant a hairbrush. But, that feels like the only possible answer." 

Hearing that, Rin stared at the object in question. She could see a few strands of old, black hair still stuck in it. 

[An enchanted hairbrush?] Rin thought. [Is this thing really that important that this is legitimately the only reason they were keeping it in the guild?] 

"... Let's take this to the Mages Guild tomorrow. Before we go," Rin said. 

"Sounds like a plan," Eve replied with an excited smile. 

And then, she gave a yawn so loud it made Rin giggle. 

They went to get their rest after that. Everyone except Xhez went to sleep. Since that was all the sprite had been doing lately, in her own words, even if all she did was stare at the night sky, she wanted to stay awake for now. 

They wouldn't be resting for long, though. 

"RIN!" 

The adventurer got up in a panic the instant she heard Xhez call out. It was cold and dark, but Rin could still see what she needed to see. 

The sprite had jumped out of her bag and had immediately cast that curse magic she'd learned from the orcs at some random stranger by the door. 

She'd missed, likely due to having cast her spell in the same panic that had Rin feeling a little light-headed, but she was in the process of casting it again. 

"W-Wait!" Rin called out, rushing over and stopping Xhez's hands. 

An explosion resulted that launched Rin back, but it was worth it. Like Sye had said, Xhez needed to stop casting that spell so much. 

"Rin!?" Xhez asked as the adventurer hit the floor. 

Sara got up and grabbed her sword in one swift motion, identifying the trespasser and holding her sword out over their head. 

"WAIT!" The stranger called out. 

Sara stopped.

"Huh!?" Eve stirred as well. "W-What's going on?" 

Rin struggled to get up. She'd slammed her head against the wall. 

But, she tried to focus as the stranger spoke, since Rin did recognize the voice. 

"A-Ava?" Rin asked, trying to get back up to her feet. 

"Yes!" The lady replied.  She'd been wearing a black hoodie that she pushed down now, revealing her face. "It's me!" 

Rin locked eyes with her. 

[What the hell is going on?]