The group felt it-the shift.
A quiet excitement settled in their chests.
Their journey to find the Fire Longinus user had finally begun.
"Go home. Get some rest," Griffin said, turning away. "Meet me tomorrow-we've got a lot to talk about."
"Back to the inn?" Kinuko asked.
"Yeah," Boros and Akeno replied at the same time, rising from the bench as they headed out of the building.
The moment they stepped outside-
Someone was sprinting straight toward them.
"W-What the hell is that?" Akeno muttered, instantly pulling out a dagger.
The figure broke into the light-
And stopped right in front of them, bent over slightly, breathing hard.
"H-Hi..." he said between breaths, raising a hand weakly.
"I'm Derrick Shawn. I met him at Ryujin Island... we came back together."
Kinuko stepped forward, gently lowering Akeno's dagger with one hand while extending the other.
"Nice to meet you, Derrick."
He hesitated for a second-then shook her hand.
Boros walked past them slightly, eyes narrowing.
"You're still here?" he said flatly. "Thought you'd be gone by now."
Derrick straightened, exhaling.
"My Guild HQ is on an island in the Northern Sea... I can't go back there."
"Why not?" Boros asked.
Derrick's expression hardened slightly.
"...Because I want to join this guild."
Boros stopped and turned.
"...What?"
"Aren't you already registered with another guild?" Kinuko asked.
"I am," Derrick nodded. "But I can request a transfer. If my Guildmaster approves it... I can join the White Tigers."
Boros faced him fully now.
"...Why?"
Derrick's jaw tightened.
"I'm not close with anyone there. And... everyone I actually cared about-my party... my friends..."
His voice dropped.
"They died fighting those Draken."
Silence.
"There's nothing for me to go back to."
Then his eyes lifted-locking onto Boros.
"...And more importantly..."
"I want to fight alongside you."
"...Bullshit."
"Shiro-" Akeno started.
"No." Boros cut her off without looking away.
His gaze stayed fixed on Derrick. "Did I ask you to fight by my side?"
"...No."
"Do you even understand how dangerous my missions are going to be?" Boros said, his voice rising slightly.
Derrick didn't flinch.
"Yes."
"And I'm still willing to-"
"No."
The word landed cold.
"I reject your offer."
Silence.
Akeno hesitated. "...Shiro, are you sure you won't at least consider it?"
"Yes."
Boros turned his back on him.
"Let's go."
He started walking.
Derrick stood there, unmoving.
Then-
"Derrick," Kinuko called gently.
"Come with us. Stay the night."
A small pause.
"...Tomorrow, you can head back to your guild."
She gave him a small, reassuring look-
Before turning to follow Boros.
Akeno lingered for a second longer-
Then followed too.
Leaving Derrick standing there-
Caught between what he lost...
And what he was trying to reach.
...
"Guess I haven't been here in a while," Boros muttered as he looked around the room.
Then a thought crossed his mind.
"...Wait. How've you two been paying for this place?"
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Don't tell me Akeno's been 'borrowing' money from people again."
"No, no." Kinuko laughed softly. "Griffin covered the fees."
Boros blinked. "He did?"
"Yeah. When I asked him why, he said that since we were members of his guild now... that made us his children."
"...His children, huh."
Boros looked away slightly.
"Well... I guess that's fine. As long as nothing happened to you two."
He walked toward the balcony and leaned against the railing, staring out into the night.
A quiet breeze drifted through the air.
"...Shiro," Kinuko called softly as she stepped outside beside him.
"What."
"You seemed... sad earlier."
Boros snorted lightly. "Sad? Pretty sure the emotion you saw was called anger."
Kinuko stayed quiet for a moment.
"...Maybe. But guilt was there too."
That made him glance at her.
"Did something happen on Ryujin Island?" she asked gently. "Something involving Derrick?"
Boros sighed.
"...Nothing happened."
"With the way you're acting, something obviously did."
He didn't answer.
Kinuko moved a little closer.
"If you're worried about Akeno hearing this, she's downstairs with Derrick right now."
Then she looked him directly in the eyes.
"And I promise I won't tell her."
For a few seconds, Boros stayed silent.
Then finally-
"...Before I reached Ryujin Island, I passed through a kingdom called Luminaria."
His gaze shifted back toward the night sky.
"When I got there and stood by the shore... I realized something."
"How the hell was I supposed to cross the sea in time?"
He let out a dry laugh.
"The deadline was too short. Boats wouldn't work. Sneaking across towns and borders would take too long."
"So..."
His expression hardened slightly.
"I froze the ocean."
Kinuko's eyes widened slightly, but she stayed silent.
"I only meant to freeze a path,"
Boros continued quietly. "Just enough to run across."
"But the second I touched the water..."
He stared at his palm.
"...everything froze."
A brief silence passed before he continued.
"Coincidentally, Derrick and his guild were fighting the Draken around that time."
"They got overwhelmed and tried to retreat."
His jaw tightened.
"Then they turned around and saw the sea was frozen solid."
Kinuko slowly pieced it together.
"...So they couldn't escape."
Boros nodded once. "They stayed and fought."
"And everyone died except Derrick."
The wind blew softly between them. Then Boros laughed quietly.
"...Deep down, I know he blames me."
His fists clenched against the railing.
"So tell me something. Doesn't it feel weird?"
"He loses his friends because of me... then suddenly decides he wants to fight by my side?"
His eyes narrowed.
"I know what that really is."
"He's weak."
The words came out cold.
"He wants someone strong to hide behind."
"And I can't allow that."
Kinuko watched him silently. Then after a moment-
"...Shiro."
"What."
"...Did you really freeze the ocean from here all the way to the Northern Cardinal?"
"Yes." His answer came instantly.
"I only intended to freeze a small section."
A pause.
"But my Longinus got out of control."
He stared at his hand again.
"...I still can't fully control this power."
Kinuko's thoughts raced.
'That's impossible, the distance alone is absurd...'
She looked at him carefully.
"When did you get your Longinus?"
Boros frowned slightly, confused by the question.
"...A few days before I met Akeno."
He thought about it for a second.
"So... a little over a month ago, I guess."
Kinuko froze.
'A month...?'
She had traveled with him long enough to know something terrifying. He didn't train. Not properly, at least.
No special routines. No intense mastery exercises. Nothing that explained this level of power.
Kinuko slowly looked at him again.
'...If he actually learns to control it someday...'
A chill ran down her spine.
'What kind of monster will he become?'