Seraphine laughed at Haruki's quick thinking and playful behavior, while Noroi grabbed Haruki's wrists, pushing those filthy hands away from his mouth.

  He then wiped his lips with the sleeve of his shirt to erase any trace of contact, a scowl fixed firmly on his face as he crossed his arms over his chest.

  As for Yamka, she let them talk, choosing instead to sit on one of the large tree roots jutting out of the ground, completely uninterested in conversing with the transparent woman, convinced she could handle things on her own.

  Seraphine put both hands behind her back and leaned forward slightly toward Haruki, asking him, her sky-blue eyes dimly shining with the last blink of the sun before it set.

  "And how can I help you, Haru?"

  The moon rose on the opposite side, its reflected light shining beautifully on the spot where they stood.

  Haruki clasped his hands together and began to explain to her the reason he had summoned her.

  "Noroi told us we must fight level-one monsters to obtain stones or something like that, which we might need to get out."

  He paused briefly to watch Seraphine's expression and make sure she was on the same page before continuing.

  "Okay, we got what we need in terms of clothes, masks, and a weapon for me. How do we find the location of that monster we're supposed to fight?"

  Seraphine adjusted her stance and raised her hand to cover her lips, laughing softly at Haruki, who simply watched her in silence until she finished.

  Then she responded with an apologetic smile.

  "Oh, I'm really sorry, Haruki… but I don't kno-."

  Haruki's shoulders fell along with his smile in disappointment.

  Didn't she say she would help them on their journey? Yet she didn't even know where the level-one monster was.

  Noroi's nose twitched in irritation, and he moved forward, pushing Haruki aside to step toward Seraphine with sharp, impatient strides, his tone filled with anger and frustration.

  "What do you mean you don't know? Aren't you supposed to be the one guiding us out of here?!"

  Noroi's voice rose slightly at the last sentence, his fists clenching at his sides while his breath came out short and uneven.

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  Yamka pushed herself up to her feet and took a few steps forward, speaking mockingly.

  "I told you we don't need blonde women telling us where to go. We can handle this ourselves."

  Seraphine's sweet smile gradually faded before she let out a calm sigh, running her fingers through her golden hair as she replied to their hostility in a steady tone.

  "It's true that I said I don't know, but if you'd listened to me for a moment, I would've told you how you can find out."

  Noroi crossed his arms over his chest, casting her a doubtful look as he replied coldly.

  "Fine. We're listening."

  Seraphine extended her transparent hand toward Noroi and asked calmly, determined to prove she was capable of the responsibility she'd promised them.

  "Do you have a map?"

  Noroi's eyes narrowed at her question, and he lingered for a few moments, thinking about whether or not he should give it to her.

  He let out a deep sigh, then pulled his right arm from his bag, which tilted to the other side so he could untie the ropes and open it slightly, pulling out a rolled piece of paper with an old appearance, but not worn out.

  He lifted it toward Seraphine, his eyes still cautiously watching the woman in front of him.

  Seraphine took the map from him before kneeling down and spreading it out on the sandy surface, making sure it was steady and perfectly clear.

  Then she raised her head and gestured for them to come closer.

  Haruki was the first to move; as soon as he reached her sitting spot he bent his knee and sat beside her.

  Noroi followed and sat on the other side of the map.

  Yamka remained standing in her place, watching what was happening from her position.

  Seraphine pointed with her thin, white, almost-transparent finger that hovered over the map to a spot among the trees of Myriellel Forest, far to the west of the Zelkarth market where they had been moments before.

  She began to speak while looking specifically at Noroi's face.

  "Here lies Ash Fort, where troll creatures live and train."

  Noroi raised his left eyebrow before saying.

  "The guards... level-three monsters."

  "Exactly."

  Seraphine replied to his clarification, then turned her gaze to Haruki and continued.

  "The guards serve the level-one boss, so if you actually want to find him you must infiltrate Ash Fort to obtain the location."

  At Seraphine's final word, her body began to grow more transparent. She pushed herself up to stand and said.

  "It seems it's time to say goodbye."

  Haruki looked up at her as she stood, a sad frown forming on his lips before he spoke in a complaining tone.

  "Time's up?"

  Seraphine smiled at him and reached out to ruffle his brown hair before vanishing completely, as if she had never been there at all.

  Noroi rolled the paper back up and placed it in his bag where it had been before, then looked at both Haruki and Yamka as they stared at him, clearly waiting for him to tell them the plan.

  He sighed tiredly at how completely they relied on him, as if he were a mother duck followed by her ducklings, then said.

  "We'll head out tomorrow. Let's rest here tonight."

  Haruki stretched out his limbs in every direction, then leaned back and lay down on the green grass behind him, adjusting his cloak over his body to shield himself from the night's chill.

  He looked up at the pitch-black sky above him, where the stars shone far brighter than they ever did back in the city, and decided to count the stars instead of sheep for the night.

  "One… two… thr-"

  He didn't even finish the word "three" before his tongue went numb and he drifted into a deep, swift sleep, clearly exhausted from the day's events.