Chapter 20: White Haired Girl

Zaine woke up early in the morning. He glances at the other bed in the other corner of the room. Amy is still sleeping soundly.

Zaine looks out the window of the inn. The dark sky is still waiting for the sun to come and shine. It is rare for Zaine to wake up before Amy. He decides to try and sleep again, but the thrill awaiting him keeps him from going back to sleep.

He decided to take this chance to go out and explore the town for the last time.

He left the room and went downstairs. He was greeted by the lady that runs the tavern.

"Good morning. Are you out for a walk today?" Ask the lady while cleaning the table there.

"Yeah... It is rare for me to wake up early, so I decided to walk a bit." Zaine explains while walking towards the entrance.

He opens the door, and a gentle breeze of slightly cold but fresh air passes through him. He decided to explore the village, enjoying the scenery of the empty city and fields filled with growing crops managed by the farmers there.

Slowly, the dark sky started changing, the sun began to rise, and people started to go outside and continue their lives. Another day full of mysteries awaits them.

Zaine returns to the tavern, where he sees Amy sitting alone while only starting to enjoy her breakfast. He decided to join Amy for their last meal in the village.

"Morning, Amy!" Zaine tapped Amy's shoulder, shocking her as she turned her head.

"Ah Zaine, there you are. You should have woken me up and said something to me before going out alone." Complained Amy.

Zaine takes food prepared by the inn and brings it to the table.

"Haha, sorry, I was just enjoying the village a bit. It is not like I woke up early often, you know." Replied Zaine while he sat across Amy, putting his breakfast on the table.

Zaine and Amy eat together, and they start to chat about the plans to reach Avalon.

"Zaine, how long does it take us to arrive there?" Ask Amy.

"To be honest, we still don't know where the place is, but from this village to the continent edge will take up to around 6 hours." Zaine pauses for a bit.

"And we'll probably have to sail the sea to search for Avalon." Explained Zaine.

The conversation was heard by one of the adventurers living in the inn. She then walks up to their table.

"Hey there, do you guys want to go to the land of Avalon?" Ask the woman while smiling and sitting next to Amy

Zaine looks at the woman. Her appearance screams adventurer, with a small scar on her shoulder and outfit revealing parts of her stomach and legs.

She looks like a veteran adventurer who typically has the assassin class.

Zaine and Amy decide to let her join to hear what she has to say.

"Oh right, I should introduce myself, right? My name is Alicia."

"This is Amy, and my name is Zaine." Zaine points at Amy while introducing themselves.

"I can tell you guys are not from here, and I heard you are going to Avalon, right?" Questioned Alicia.

"Yes, do you know any clue how to get there?" Ask Amy.

"Well, I was born and raised in Avalon. But then I decided to become an adventurer, and here I am." Admitted the girl.

Alicia then tells them the details of the place Avalon and gives them the most crucial part, the location of it. It is located in the middle of the ocean.

They will have to travel by ship to get inside, or they could pay the teleport fee, but it's more expensive. Some of the people there prefer using it.

Though a bit more dangerous, the ships are usually guarded by mercenaries and soldiers of the Avalon kingdom.

Zaine and Amy gain a lot of information after talking with Alicia, while she is also very excited and experiencing nostalgia while sharing them.

Zaine and Amy are glad they could meet her. They invite Alicia to go to Avalon together with them.

Alicia's face changes when they bring that question up.

"I'm sorry, guys, I can't go back now. I still have quests to do here." Answer Alicia with a sad look on her face.

They noticed the change in emotions and decided not to pry further into her life.

After that, the woman quickly bids Amy and Zaine farewell before leaving the tavern.

Amy felt horrible, and she decided to follow her outside the tavern shortly after to apologize, but as soon as Amy opened the tavern door, she was nowhere to be seen.

Finally, Zaine and Amy continue discussing their plans to reach the shore, and with Alicia's information, they now have a path to walk towards.

After finishing the road they intended to take, they packed their stuff and set off.

After they reach outside the village, Zaine calls for Albus to see what it is up to.

Throughout their journey in the village, Albus has been outside. Zaine took this opportunity to let Albus roam free in the world.

Zaine knows Albus is still alive. But he does not know where it was or what it is doing now.

Suddenly, a white dragon comes down from the sky, Zaine watches the dragon, and it comes crashing into the ground, making the dust fly.

They cover their eyes with their hands as the dust settles, leaving behind a figure.

A small girl with white hair can be seen standing where the dragon had landed, slowly walking toward them.