Soren lied on the bed just staring at the ceiling. His body was exhausted. The bruised side where Rin's hammer had struck him earlier throbbed faintly under his shirt, and the wound in his leg pulsed dully where the ice spike had pierced through it. Every muscle in his body ached from the constant running, fighting, and tension of the past few days. Anyone pushed this far should have fallen asleep the moment their head touched the pillow. Yet every time Soren closed his eyes, sleep refused to come. The moment darkness settled behind his eyelids, memories began to crawl back into his mind whether he wanted them there or not
The forest came first. The sound of branches snapping underfoot as they ran, the heavy crashing of something monstrous chasing them through the trees. Then the cave followed not long after. The cold stone walls, the hunger twisting painfully in his stomach, the dim light that barely reached the corners of the cramped space
'Adrian'
Soren's eyes opened again as his chest rose sharply, staring back up at the ceiling while he forced himself to breathe slowly. He had tried not to think about it. Tried to push it down and move forward because there had been no other choice. He had been starving. Trapped. There had been no food, no escape, nothing but the slow certainty that if he didn't do something he would die there. Anyone in that situation would have chosen to survive. Anyone pushed that far would choose themselves. At least that's what he kept telling himself
But the thought didn't silence the unease sitting in his chest. Another memory crept in before he could stop it Lukas stumbling in the forest, the monster right behind them, the split second where Soren's foot had moved. He hadn't pushed him, but he had still tripped him, and in that moment he had known exactly what would happen when Lukas hit the ground. His fingers tightened slightly against the blanket as he stared up at the ceiling again, the quiet room feeling heavier around him. He told himself again that it had been desperation, that he had just needed to get away, that anyone else would have done the same if their life was on the line. Yet the thought lingered in the back of his mind all the same. Somewhere out there the world now saw him as a criminal with a bounty on his head, and lying there in the dim light of the inn room, Soren couldn't help but wonder if the entire world was already hunting him
The bounty sitting on his head had turned something inside him restless. His eyes kept moving around the room the door, the window, the shadows in the corners before settling back on Rin again. If she tried anything while he slept he needed to see it coming. Even the smallest movement from her made his gaze snap back in that direction. Once, when she shifted slightly in her sleep and the bed creaked under her weight, Soren's entire body tensed instantly. His head lifted from the pillow and his hand moved without thinking, fingers twitching slightly as if ready to pull blood from his body at any moment
Only after he realized she had simply turned onto her side did he slowly relax again
Still, he kept watching
Even when he tried to close his eyes, his mind refused to fully let go. Every few seconds his eyes would open again, drifting toward Rin to make sure she hadn't moved closer, hadn't tried to slip off the bed, hadn't begun forming a spell or reaching for something hidden. The paranoia sat heavy in his chest, making it impossible to fully relax. Somewhere out there people were already hunting him for the bounty on his head, and the thought had lodged itself so deeply in his mind that even inside this small inn room he felt like danger could appear at any moment
Soren put his head both of his hands clutching his face, 'I can't sleep again'
Soren eventually pushed himself upright on the bed
Sleep clearly wasn't coming, and lying there staring at the ceiling wasn't doing him any favours. His eyes drifted across the room again, landing on Rin. She hadn't moved much since earlier, still lying on her side beneath the dim lantern light, though the rise and fall of her breathing told him she was at least resting
For a moment he just watched her
Then he stood
The wooden floor creaked faintly under his weight as he crossed the small room. When he reached her bed, he didn't hesitate. His hand reached down and grabbed her shoulder, shaking her firmly
Rin jerked awake almost immediately, her eyes snapping open as confusion flashed across her face
"What?"
Her voice was thick with sleep, but it cut off the moment she focused on him standing over her
Soren didn't waste time explaining more than necessary
"You're going to the adventurer's guild"
Rin blinked at him, clearly still waking up
"Right now?"
"Yes hurry up and don't try anything funny. Take the quest, say that you have a partner taking it with you. I'll be watching from afar''
Rin stood stiffly as she made her way through the city streets, her steps quick and tense. Her hazel eyes darted to every shadow, every passerby, and the distant flicker of torchlight in the alleys made her flinch more than once. Even though she tried to move casually, the tight grip of her hands on the straps of her bag betrayed the stress coiling in her body. Every few steps, she glanced over her shoulder, almost as if expecting Soren to suddenly appear right behind her
From his vantage point across a narrow side street, Soren watched silently. He stayed hidden in the shadows, keeping just far enough to avoid being seen but close enough to see every movement Rin made. His gaze swept over the city, his empathy magic flaring subtly as it traced the emotions around him. The tension in Rin's body was practically screaming at him, and yet she kept moving. She was nervous, anxious, but she wasn't frozen. That, at least, gave him a small measure of relief
The city around them was alive with a muted hum of medieval activity. Cobblestone streets twisted between stone and timber buildings, some with overhanging upper floors that cast shadows on the narrow alleys below. Wooden carts rattled along uneven roads, pulled by horses with harnesses clinking and clattering against iron fittings. From some of the houses, running water could be heard through pipes and troughs, the murmur mingling with the distant chatter of merchants and the occasional clink of a blacksmith's hammer from a nearby forge. Lanterns swung from wrought iron brackets, casting dancing pools of golden light on walls and street corners, while smoke curled from chimneys above. There were no carriages hurrying like in a modern city, no trams or vehicles other than the occasional horse-drawn cart, leaving a mixture of quiet and chaos that was unique to a city living entirely by foot and horse
Soren stayed in the shadows outside the guild, his eyes tracking Rin as she moved among the bustling adventurers, her steps tense and precise. He watched her approach the counter, hear the guild master's questions, and finally see her shoulders relax slightly. Moments later, she emerged from the guild and walked straight toward him, her expression tight but resolute
"It's done," she said, her voice low
Soren pulled his hood down over his head, ''Good lets go now and walk infront of me''
As they made their way through the winding streets toward the city's edge, Soren's mind raced. Every shadow seemed like it could conceal a bounty hunter, every passerby's glance felt loaded with suspicion. He counted heads, gauged distances, and mapped possible escape routes silently, heart hammering with the rhythm of someone who knew how quickly things could go wrong. He imagined the consequences of a single mistake, someone recognizing him, alerting the city guard, or worse. The idea made his stomach twist and his palms sweat.
The city walls loomed ahead, their grey stone weathered but imposing, crenelations along the top casting sharp shadows in the early light. Soren could see the guards at the gates, long spears held upright, their armour glinting faintly. He slowed his breathing, careful not to draw attention, while his eyes darted to every figure, every movement, calculating, overthinking, imagining traps and ambushes that likely didn't exist
When they reached the border control, the tension coiled tighter in his chest. Guards called out as carts passed through, checking papers, goods, and travellers. Soren's hands flexed at his sides, fingers itching, instincts screaming at him to scan for threats, to plan, to run. Each step forward felt like threading a needle in a storm. His gaze lingered on Rin, noting her stride and posture, making sure she didn't try anything reckless or suspicious
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they stepped past the final checkpoint. Soren didn't relax completely; he only allowed himself a fraction of reprieve. The walls of the city faded behind them, the streets opening up into the rougher paths leading toward the borderlands. He kept his hood low, his eyes sharp, and every sense alert, knowing that the moment they left the city proper, the real danger began