The final bell of the semester rang, and the academy halls exploded with noise. Students shoved past Leo, their laughter echoing as they rushed towards freedom.
"Summer! No more of Korran's grumpy face for two months!" one boy yelled.
"My dad's taking the airship to the Silver Coast!" another bragged.
Leo just smiled, hefting his worn-out backpack. His freedom looked different: a one-way train ticket north.
He found Mira waiting for him at the academy's iron gates, just like always. But today, she wasn't holding her usual bag of laundry. She had a large, overstuffed travel pack slung over her shoulder and a defiant look in her eyes.
"You're late," she said, but her tone was light.
"Got held up. Ryn 'accidentally' tried to toast me with a fire orb in the hallway," Leo said, rolling his eyes. "He missed. As usual."
Mira's playful mood vanished. "That jerk. I hope he trips on his own ego."
"He probably will." Leo nodded at her pack. "Going somewhere? The laundry pile finally revolt and you're running away?"
"Very funny." She adjusted the strap on her shoulder. "I'm coming with you."
Leo's smile faded. "Coming where? I'm just… going to see a friend for a few days."
"Oh, really?" She raised a skeptical eyebrow. "The same friend who lives up north, where all the good dungeons are? That friend?"
Leo opened his mouth to protest, but Mira cut him off.
"Don't even try, Leo. I've known you since we were kids stealing apples from Old Man Hemlock's cart. You get this look when you're planning something stupid. You've had it for a week." She poked him in the chest. "You're going dungeon hunting. And you're not going alone."
"Mira, no. It's too dangerous. You know what it's like out there. I can't… I can't let you do that." The memory of Torin's team flashed in his mind, a cold knot of guilt tightening in his stomach.
"You're not 'letting' me do anything," she said, crossing her arms. "I make my own choices. And I've been saving up from the noodle stall. I've got enough for my ticket and my share of supplies. Look."
She unzipped a small pouch on her belt, showing him a handful of gleaming bronze guilders. It was a small fortune for someone from the Low District.
Leo was stunned. "Mira… that's… you were saving that for a new cart. For your business."
"The cart can wait. My only friend can't get himself killed in some frozen crack in the world because he went alone," she said, her voice softening but leaving no room for argument. "Besides, someone has to be there to drag your unconscious body out when you bite off more than you can chew. Come on. We'll miss our train."
She turned and started walking toward the tram station that would take them to the central rail terminal. Leo stood frozen for a second, a wave of gratitude and fear washing over him. He knew arguing was pointless. When Mira set her mind to something, mountains moved.
He jogged to catch up. "You're the most stubborn person I've ever met."
"You're one to talk," she said with a grin. "Now, are you going to mope, or are you going to help me carry this? It's heavy."
With a sigh that was only half-feigned, Leo took the pack from her. "You packed bricks?"
"Just essentials. A first-aid kit, rations, a good knife… my lucky fishing hook."
Leo snorted. "To catch dungeon pike?"
"You never know!"
The central terminal was a cavern of noise and steam. Massive iron locomotives hissed on the tracks, and the air smelled of coal smoke and sweat. They found their platform and squeezed into a third-class carriage, finding two hard seats by a grimy window.
As the train shuddered and pulled out of the station, leaving the sooty spires of New Arcanis behind, Leo felt a thrill of anticipation. This was it.
Their carriage was full of other hunters and adventurers, all headed north for the summer season. The conversations around them were a low, excited hum.
"—heard the Frostfang Wolf pelts are selling for a premium at the Guild outpost—" one burly man was saying.
A group of younger hunters, probably fresh from an academy themselves, were laughing loudly a few rows up.
"—and then I told him, if you can't handle a D-Rank Slime, maybe you should take up gardening!" The group burst into laughter.
Leo and Mira exchanged an amused look. They sounded just like Ryn and his crew.
Then, a quieter, more serious conversation from behind them caught Leo's ear. Two older, weathered-looking hunters were speaking in low tones.
"…another one last week. A full C-Class team. Gone. Vanished into the Whispering Maw rift," one said, stirring a cup of bitter-smelling coffee.
"No bodies? No cores?" his companion asked.
"Nothing. The Association sent a scout. Came back white as a sheet, said the rift was 'quiet.' Too quiet. The Guild's officially calling it a migration event. Said the monsters probably just moved deeper in."
The first hunter grunted. "That's what they said about the team that vanished from the Howling Crags the month before. And the one at the Glimmerwood border before that. 'Migration event.' Convenient."
"You think it's something else?"
"I think the Guild doesn't want a panic. And the Association doesn't know what to think. They're scratching their heads. But something's wrong up there. Rifts don't just… swallow people. Not like this."
The train whistle blew, drowning out the rest of their conversation.
Mira had heard it too. She looked at Leo, her earlier bravado tempered by a flicker of unease. "See?" she said, trying to sound casual. "Good thing you're not going alone. Sounds like you might need a lookout for more than just monsters."
Leo stared out the window as the city gave way to rolling green hills. The rumors were already here, weaving through the carriage like a cold draft. He unconsciously touched the ring, hidden safely under his glove. He had a dangerous secret. And now, it seemed, the north had a few of its own.