It was on the day they emerged from the dungeon that Fay and his team finally saw someone besides their group of five.

Waiting at the entrance stood Mirage and Mira. The young girl smiled as she held out bundles of fresh clothes and food that wasn't just meat. The dragon, however, wore a thoughtful expression, one she quickly set aside.

"Thank goodness," Selûne cried, rushing forward to hug Mira warmly. "I was starting to think my three sets of clothes weren't going to last…"

Maria flushed red, while Horin barely reacted, though she did glance toward Fay as if trying to make something out…

"So… what happened with the world tree? Were you able to pull it out and bring it back safely near the kingdom?" Fay asked, doing his best to ignore the rest of the girls' chatter.

His eyes drifted instead to Joan, who seemed just as eager to start cooking to avoid conflicts and was already setting up a fire.

"Why would it have been hard? It's like you needing to pick up a branch," came the reply from Mirage, who acted like it was but a simple task.

"Right… I don't think there is anyone else who could have done it, so thank you, Mirage."

The dragon looked at him for a few seconds before turning to the meat.

"I only did it to improve my meals. Soon that barren waste land will be prosperous again, then I will bring in the animals I need… Now tell me how many cores have you all gathered? I hope at least five hundred, any less and the trip here would have been a waste."

Fay glanced at his group; each one met his look and returned it with a nod and a smile.

"Guess you didn't have to worry, Mirage. We got a little over seven hundred, though they're from the floors we could manage to reach. Another day, and we might be able to enter the eighth floor."

Mirage's eyes narrowed slightly, not in displeasure but because she was busy calculating.

"Seven hundred… Not bad. I guess we might even have grass by the time you return," Mirage said with a nod. Noticing the tired lines on their faces, she softened her tone, not wanting it to sound like criticism. "You're doing well. I can't remember the last time I set foot in a dungeon, but few ever come out looking as steady as you do after two days inside."

Selûne straightened with a faint smirk. "Steady? I'd call us grimy… Next time, bring us some water for a bath, please... Just a quick wipe won't cut it anymore."

Horin snorted. "Weak."

"Aren't you at all ashamed? That fur must be worse to be in!" Selûne shot back, her tone full of mockery.

"What might be worse are those long, pointed ears. You must be a magnet for dirt," Horin replied, her tail flicking in irritation as the fur along her shoulders stood on edge.

Maria laughed quietly, clearly enjoying the back-and-forth.

"Now, now, the food is ready," Joan cut in before things could escalate. "Let's eat while Mira's still here. I'm sure she'll need the energy for the long flight back."

"Still have energy, huh? In that case, I might have to reevaluate those seven hundred cores," Mirage said casually, though her eyes glinted with mischief. "Maybe I'll only return when you have fifteen hundred."

That shut both Selûne and Horin up instantly, not only because they didn't want the added pressure, but because they each had their own reasons for wanting to head back soon.

Horin's thoughts turned to her father, while Selûne longed for her comfortable, princess-like life.

"Stop playing around and let's just eat… Mira needs to return, and I don't want her catching a cold," Fay said, almost in outrage. They all knew how he felt about his sister.

Mira, on the other hand, was happily chewing on a piece of meat, joy lighting up her eyes as she watched them as if they were in a part of a play.

Fay, not wanting to continue the banter, sat beside her as Joan passed him his share, a skewer still steaming, hot juices dripping from the roasted meat.

"How was the healing, Mir? Are all the sick doing better?" Fay asked, blowing gently on the food before taking a bite.

"Yes! Mama Kueha is going to arrive soon, she's almost done, and then we can have her in the big house!"

Fay chuckled and nodded. His eyes shifted to Jiggz floating right beside her, the little creature looking tired and a bit hungry.

"Jiggz, I'll give you some aether after I eat, alright?" he promised. He couldn't forget to help his sister's creature.

One by one, the others sat down as well, each adding their own topics to the conversation.

The atmosphere stayed warm and easy until Mira finally drifted off to sleep, Mirage cradling her like a baby.

"I really wish there was a better way than bags to bring supplies back and forth," Mirage sighed, glancing at the group as if deciding whether to share what was on her mind.

"I guess… you'll learn about it when you return, so I'll just say it now," Mirage began in a far colder tone.

"I caught a few spies sniffing around the kingdom… I put them to sleep, you know the rest.

They'll probably start their little attempt at taking back their kingdom within a month at the latest. In two or three weeks, we should start seeing armies coming. So, try to get as strong as you can during this time.

After the fight, you can relax. I could take them down, true… but I could also simply vanish, which means getting stronger is in your best interest.

Just remember, hums are the vilest of creatures. Schemes are their best suit."

She then flew off as if she had already forgotten about the topic, as with everything, she seemed to put it beneath her.

With Mirage, it always seemed that way; some things she brushed aside as unworthy of her attention, yet other times she showed a surprising depth of care, especially when it came to his sister these days.

Fay sighed. He hadn't even gotten a goodbye from his dragon.

"Well, you heard her," he said, turning back to the group. "We could head back in two days or keep pushing until we're strong enough… Truthfully, I think she'll do most of the work when the time comes, but remember what happened when they took you, Horin. They'll look for our weak points. We need to be ready. Your father can't fight like he used to. I know we gave you all the fire cores we had for him, but we still need to get stronger ourselves."

He began with Horin because she needed the reminder the most.

Joan he had already understood from their talk in the dungeon. He already had the drive, so there was no pep talk required.

As for Marie… she had nothing to lose; it was the complete opposite for her, this trip was about gaining something she'd been denied in her life.

That left Selûne. She probably already knew what he was going to say, but she waited for him to speak anyway.

"Your sister and your family, they're in their most vulnerable state right now. Do I need to say more?"

Selûne met his eyes, her usual playfulness showing. "I only wanted to hear you say it, thank you… I'll work harder. My creature will evolve soon. Maybe then it can actually kill instead of just lure."

"Well, that's it. Let's eat, relax, and then work out our sleeping patterns tonight. Tomorrow I want to start early and end early, maybe we can do something about the water situation... As for the dungeon, I am sure we can reach floor ten within three days."

The next day, everyone was up and ready just before sunrise. They packed their gear, stowing everything carefully into bundles for Grin to carry.

He was given five cores to start the day, his usual payment for helping them, and it was a fair trade.

Soon, they began their descent down the stairs. This time, they were steeper, the air cooler as they moved deeper. After clearing a floor, the dungeon's stairs shifted, opening a new path for them to follow, as if deliberately preventing them from starting again on earlier levels.

They figured it worked this way to keep experienced fighters from farming the weaker monsters and reaping all the easy cores, forcing them instead toward the deeper, more dangerous floors.

"Well then, let's start. I hope we're not fighting in the marsh again like yesterday. I don't think my creatures enjoy the softer watery areas, especially Jolt. He can't spin properly in those parts. As for Somni... They keep hiding underwater or sinking into the soft mud." Fay sighed.

As they descended, the first glimpse of the eighth floor came into view.

"Wow… From a cave, to a long tunnel, then a desert, to a marsh… and now this!" Selûne's eyes were wide. She'd been told the floors could change, but she hadn't expected to pass through so many different landscapes in just a few days.

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