Lenny showed me a nice little room with a bed, a desk, and a drawer. After saying goodnight, he shut the door, leaving me to my lonesome.

I took off my coat and rested it on the desk. I then walked over to the window that overlooked the empty streets of the village, resting my arms on the sill.

A lot has happened today. Everything seems so new to me, but to everyone else, it was simply... normal.

With a heavy sigh, I pulled off the hair tie that Silverain gave me. Just like my sword, it had a butterfly ornament on it. She always told me how she was fond of butterflies. Their wings represented rebirth, an apparently common belief among those who tread the Path of Tenebris.

I wrapped the hair tie with my fingers and held it to my chest.

"Silverain..." I called out. "This world is interesting, to say the least. There are things I understand, but there's so much more that I don't understand. Is this what you've longed for me to see? I don't really know how I feel about it. N-not to sound ungrateful... Truly, I appreciate that you went so far to help up to this point. You were always there to guide me whenever I felt lost, but this time... I don't have you next to me... and I feel like I'm more lost than I've ever been."

I know she can't hear me. I know that only the silent moons were my only audience. Nonetheless, I continued.

"You told me to stay out of trouble. You told me not to get involved unless I feel like I absolutely have to. That's the problem, though. I heard their story, but I don't know how to feel about it. Silverain... What should I do?"

When I was met with silence, I decided to call it a night and plopped onto the bed. Instead of the hard, rocky surface that I was so used to, it was soft and comfy. It's different, but it's nice.

Suddenly, my eyes opened. A rush of fatigue washed over me in an instant. Did I fall asleep? I didn't even realize it.

Just then, my ears perked at the sound of voices coming from downstairs.

"So you got into a fight, huh?" Heath said.

"What was I supposed to do?!" Lenny's voice replied. "They were trying to grab Lina's wrist. I couldn't just stand there and watch."

"I get that, but you have to be more careful. I heard it's thanks to that kid up there that you only got away with a bloodied mouth."

"Tch, whatever."

"Speaking of Noir... What do you think, Mister Heath?" Lina asked.

"About him?" he said. "Hm... I don't doubt that he's a good kid, but there's something... off about him. When I told him about Madam Claire, he hadn't even the slightest reaction, not even to the fact that she was tortured... as if he had felt nothing at all."

"He's just weird like that," Lenny chuckled. "Remember when he said that he found a nice spot under a tree? It's like the guy's been living under a rock his whole life."

"And earlier today... Did you see his reaction to those priests speaking down on Blanc?" Lina mumbled. "His face didn't change at all, but... You saw it too, didn't you, Lenny?"

"Yeah... Even though it was completely normal, for some reason, it seemed like he was about to straight up kill them."

"At least he was able to express that much," Heath sighed. "Anyone who saw a bunch of men ganging up on a poor little girl would want to kill them. I don't completely trust him yet, but he did help little Blanc in his own way. That's enough for now."

I may have just heard something I wasn't supposed to, but that's fine. What little information was offered will come to use sooner or later.

The next day, I continued to explore different corners of the village. For pretty much the entire time, I was overstimulated. No matter where I turned, there was always something happening. People were yelling over each other, spouting nonsense that I'd never heard before. Then again, everything here is new to me, so maybe I'm the weird one.

Eventually, I made it to the edge of the village, where a vast farmland spread across the plains and hills. It seemed like there wasn't a single patch not being attended by one of the local farmers. It was an amazing sight.

"Well, hi there!" an elderly man greeted me.

"Hello," I said.

"What's got a young traveler like you all the way out here?"

"Ah... I was just looking around. This village was the first stop of my journey, so I wanted to take everything in."

"Hoho. Well, I hope this makes it a little bit better for you. Here."

He handed me a bright red apple.

"Fresh from the fields," he grinned. "I promise you won't taste a better apple in this lifetime."

"Oh. T-thank you, sir," I said awkwardly.

"Not a problem. Safe travels, friend!"

He walked off to tend to his crops, leaving me alone next to a large stable. This is rather nice. The wind brushing against my face, the rustling of the crops, and the sounds of the various animals behind me. From cows, to sheep, to chickens, to... a tap?

I turned around and caught a glimpse of something white retreating behind the open stable entrance. Was it my imagination?

Then, I saw it again. A head of white hair peeked out, accompanied by a single eye of crystalline blue staring back at me. Her small hands gripped the gate frame, trembling.

It's her. I had thought about searching for her earlier, but it would've been quite the game of hide-and-seek. Lina mentioned she worked in the field, which is why I stopped by today. I guess I got lucky.

The moment I took a step forward, she flinched. Her wide, beady eyes stared back at me, full of fear. Just what exactly did those priests do to her?

Not wanting to scare her off, I knelt down and extended my hand, offering her the apple.

It took a moment, but she slowly emerged from behind the gate and cautiously approached. For the first time, I got a clear look at her. Just like yesterday, her white hair was matted with dirt, and she was still clad in those ragged clothes.

She stood directly in front of me now. Though she was trembling, I could see the effort she was making to be brave. Her hand hesitated as it reached for the apple, so I remained perfectly still.

Finally, she took it. Just as she was about to take a bite, she paused and looked at me again, her gaze uncertain but curious.

"Go on," I smiled. "I'm not hungry."

Although she was reluctant and probably still scared, she bit into the apple, and all the prior emotions she had were wiped clean. Her eyes brightened and sparkled, as if tiny stars were floating around them.

"Hello," I greeted her. "My name is Noir. I'm a traveler. Is this village your home?"

She hesitantly nodded her head.

"I see. By the way, I can't help but notice... Your hair is very pretty, like snow on a wintry morning. Do you style it?"

She then shook her head in disagreement.

"That's a shame. I'm sure that if you worked on it just a little bit, you'd be much more beautiful than you already are."

For a second, her eyes widened, before she hid away behind the half-eaten apple. I couldn't help but smile. I have Silverain to thank for my manner of flattery speech. Who knew all of those satirical statements would come in handy?

Subconsciously, my hand lifted on its own, which caused her to flinch. I knew it. Not only does she live in poverty, she's also physically mistreated. My mind trailed back to those priests, and my blood began to boil.

"Alright. I think I've taken too much of your time," I said. "You work in the fields, right? I should let you get back to it."

I stood up and gave her one last smile. Up close, she really does seem like a sweet little girl. From what Heath told me, and considering what those priests said to her yesterday, I think it's safe to assume that Blanc is Madam Claire's daughter.

If she also follows the Path of Lux, then she could be in danger. I should keep an eye out, just in case.

I turned to walk away, but the sound of her soft, delicate voice stopped me.

"Blanc..."

"...Huh...? What was that?" I asked.

She took a deep breath and gave me a somewhat confident look.

"My name... is Blanc," she affirmed.

Well, would you look at that? How surprising yet pleasant at the same time.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Blanc," I smiled. "Then... See you around."