Arden walked back toward the ruin with an easy grin, the kind that came when hard work finally paid off.
He had his first advanced technique in the bag, and only two more stood between him and the locked ability in the relic he'd taken from the ruin's projection.
By the time he stepped inside, his absence had already been noticed. Conversations stalled, and the moment they caught sight of his good mood, the questions came.
"What were you up to?" Rael asked.
"Yeah, and what was so important that you left without a word?" Nyra pressed.
Arden just kept walking toward the center of the chamber. "We're going to town," he said, like he was commenting on the weather.
That shut them up.
