As the day ended Elina appeared again to guide him to the inn the Guild Master had arranged for him. He was grateful to be relinquished from the monotony and the painful reminders of his former home.

Yori could also feel the debts adding up. The free healing from the maiden, the discounted hotel room, the job given to him, the meals made by the Rutherfords, and all of the sad glances from the people around him. Everyone was going out of their way to help him and he did not like not being able to give them much in return. The pity and sympathy were beginning to feel like a weight on his shoulders that he would have to pay back in order for it not to crush him.

All of these things and more ran through his head as him and Elina walked back to the city. Neither of them talked this time. The sky was getting dark and the air around them was crisp, yet comfortable. The last chirps of the day were heard from the trees as the sun sank behind the edge of the Earth. Elina could tell that something was bothering him. As someone who had to work her way up to where she is now, she understood that handouts can be uncomfortable.

They eventually made their way to the inn, but again, there was no talking amongst them. Yori was too busy with his inner turmoil to strike up a conversation, and Elina was conscious of the fact that he needed time to process everything that was going on and what the future might hold.

As Elina left him to his room she stopped in the doorway with her back to Yori. The light in the hallway illuminated her as a dark silhouette from Yori’s seated position in the unlit room. She turned her head to the right and muttered. Her voice was barely audible with the noise coming from the late dinner crowd downstairs.

“There are always multiple paths. Don’t always look to the same place.”

Her words confused Yori as he sat there, alone in the dark.

What did she mean by that?

He wanted to ask her, but she was already gone. The light from the hallway flickered in her absence. He thought about running after her but decided to ponder her words instead of making a potential scene.

Sleep escaped Yori that night. Every time he closed his eyes gruesome sights flooded his mind. A hellish nightmare that he had lived through. Blood and gore threatened to overtake his sanity as visions of his family, and even the lifeless body of the creature, berated him. He tried to stay distracted by contemplating Elina’s words.

Multiple paths to what? Family? happiness?

He thought about all of the things that people should want in this world, and what he truly desired. Yori did not care about money or fame, he just wanted to be strong. To be able to protect the people around him, unlike that night. Perhaps not having people to care about would help him evade the pain of losing his loved ones again. These thoughts circled around his head until the sun peaked in from the window.

The sun arose it illuminated the calendar on the wall to the left of the bed. Yori glanced at it and let out a deep sigh.

“Happy Birthday Yori.”