"You're wrong." Soren stood up. His face seemed rather tame, but the anger within his eyes could not be hidden.

"Fate can't be changed?

"There was no stopping it?"

The anima around him quivered. "You're lying and you know it!"

Sienna looked back into his eyes as the silence enveloped them both. Soren grit his teeth.

"I already explained to you what happened in the Crimson Ritual. My theory on how fate operates—I know it to be true! So then why…

"Why didn't you tell me what she was planning sooner… I could have stopped her from leaving! You know it to be true—no one besides me could have done so!"

As she looked deeper into his eyes, she saw the flickers of madness igniting like flames… Her frown deepened.

"Do not underestimate fate, young man. Twisting the trajectory of the orbits—did you believe such an action cost you nothing?

"Do you see yourself as some all-powerful being now? That you can control the destiny of this world without an ounce of consequence?

"Control your arrogance, Soren."

"Control?" His brow furrowed. "You want to lecture me while it was you who allowed her to go?"

He stepped out of the stone canopy as he glanced back at the radiant witch. "You didn't trust me, right? Your prophecy… It is probably telling you something that I don't know—that telling me about Cassia's plans would have disrupted some outcome you are hoping for.

"Well I am not just a pawn in your game, Mistress Sienna! I told you this last time—I will witness what this world has to offer. Whatever the outcome is and whatever fate demands from me—I will decide whether to follow through with it or not!"

She glanced at him through the pillars of the canopy. Her eyes seeing past all illusions.

"She meant that much to you?"

Soren paused for a moment then looked ahead. "Unlike you and the others, she was the only one to trust in me completely. Even when I can't even trust in myself.

"I don't know what the hell you have planned or what it is you are hoping for. But do not think for a second that I will allow this outcome to be unfavorable to me. I've twisted fate once, I will do it again…"

She shook her head slowly as the glimmering ocean of stars in her eyes gleamed in sadness.

"You may have twisted fate, but only by breaking something else… May the Orbits of Fate align with you…"

The walk back to the lounge was a silent one. His thoughts spun like tangled yarn, strands of paths forming and fraying, snipped before they could be woven into anything whole.

It was a chaotic mess.

Sienna… She was a wonderful teacher. Unlike any he had to deal with in the past. She allowed him freedom of thought, and held enough wisdom to eclipse the Silver Moon itself…

He respected her greatly.

But it was clear from the very beginning that such a relationship was purely transactional. He had understood that perfectly. Atleast, that was what he had assumed it was in the past.

Human relationships… they were far more complicated than that. To her, Soren might have been an object of interest due to his cursed fate. But he was also her student—her beloved pupil.

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All three of them were—Soren, Myrin, and Cassia…

And yet, her duties as a Witch of Star Fate also meant valuing the bigger picture over her own desires… Even without [Eyes of the Fairy], Soren could see that flaw from miles away.

And her words today only confirmed it to him even more. She couldn't trust her own students to change—she believed in fate more than she did in them. Cassia's circumstances were already set in stone in her eyes.

Taking revenge against an entire orthodox church… Is that brat insane? How will she even accomplish such a task… I have to stop her!

It did get him to think though. Was it his fault that this was happening? Did him changing the orbits ever so slightly result in this outcome?

There was no way to know yet. Perhaps, Sienna herself was aware of something crucial that could answer that question, but she was not willing to disclose it…

Sienna… He could see just how deeply this broke her. To see her students slip away—powerless to stop it, and convinced that fate cannot be altered.

She had thoroughly given up on fighting it… Resigning herself to be the Vessel of the Stars her ancestors wished her to be.

Maybe because she had tried once—just as he was trying now—and learned, in her own way, what it cost.

"Not everyone is cut out to be a Foolish One, Soren." A childish voice entered his mind. His lips sunk even lower.

"Tazzith…"

"That woman has already resigned herself to the outcome she saw in her vision. Perhaps it is one that is favorable to you as well."

Soren shook his head. "How can I trust in something I have not seen myself?"

"Truly a Foolish One…" He laughed dryly, as if to mock him. "But that is exactly why I chose to follow you.

"I hope you can entertain me greatly…"

As he heard this, the silhouette of someone familiar came into view. It was a woman wearing leather padded armor paired with a battle skirt. Her short, ginger hair was radiant even in the dimmest of light.

"Tina…"

The woman walked over to him with hope twinkling in her eyes.

"Did the mistress tell you anything?! Will we be able to find her?"

He looked at her for a few more seconds, then shook his head with a sharp click of his tongue.

"She knew where she had gone, but she refused to tell me. It seems your beloved mistress values the Orbits of Fate more than the prospects of her own student."

He walked ahead of her as she stood there, processing his words.

Eventually, she turned around to face him. "Wait."

He paused, turning to look back at her. Soren could see the trust in her eyes. His words… they had no effect on her. Even now, her belief in the mistress remained unwavering.

"You and Myrin are planning on crossing the border through the Avalon Ruins right? You'll need some armor—the monsters in there are no joke."

Pulling out of her spatial bracelet were a set of two arm bracers and a chestpiece that he could wear underneath his clothes.

"They are pretty old—you might need to maintain them a bit. This was something we scoured from the ruins during our expedition."

Before he could even utter a word, she threw them at him roughly. Soren almost fell to the floor from the weight and force of it all.

Frantically, he glanced up at her in confusion. "Why are you giving me this?"

"Because we're family." She answered instantly. Soren watched as she turned around and continued walking ahead toward Sienna's garden.

"I hope you and Myrin find what you have been looking for."

The old stones groaned under the weight of the archway door as it slowly cracked open, revealing the misshapen mountains of books and scrolls abandoned by the scholarly world above.

The same door that once welcomed him to this guild was now opening for his departure.

Standing on the elevator platform was the visage of an elf wearing his signature white robe as countless scholarly works rained from above. The Library's Graveyard was once again growing rapidly.

The Crimson Ritual had shattered much of what the Library Guardians once maintained—but even nightmares lose their grip eventually. Within weeks, the world had begun spinning again.

"Soren!" He yelled frantically. "Did the mistress tell you where to find Cassia? We searched everywhere inside the tunnels. I was planning on searching the city next!"

Soren shook his head. "Don't bother."

Soren walked between the piles toward the elevator while covering his head from falling debris. "The mistress refused to tell me where Cassia was. She said that she had left on a journey on her own."

"....." All he could do was stare in silence. Eventually, Soren made it through the storm.

"According to her, our paths will cross sooner or later. The orbits this, orbits that… Let's just go."

As he said this, a book next to his feet drew his attention. It was titled, "The Lamb and the Wolf" in bold Vinuan text. Soren picked it up together with his Soul Weapon and looked into Myrin's eyes. The embers of madness flickering vividly.

"Our pilgrimage to the north shall now begin."

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