Marco cornered Julius in the wine cellar the next morning, his expression urgent. "We can't wait three days. Sofia could be dead by then."Julius, examining a bottle of wine with theatrical disinterest, didn't look up. "Then she'll be dead. Not my problem.""You agreed to help!""I agreed to let Lily help. Eventually." Julius set down the bottle. "Three days isn't negotiable. The dark cuisine method requires precise timing—""Forget the dark cuisine," Marco interrupted. "I'll find another way out of town.""Oh?" Julius's eyebrow arched. "And how exactly will you slip past four hundred mercenaries and Louise's obsessive surveillance?""I'll figure something out.""Spoken like a true idiot." Julius pulled out Marco's hundred gold coins and began stacking them on a barrel. "Tell you what—since you're so eager to throw away the perfectly good escape plan I designed, I'll keep this payment as compensation for my wasted effort."Marco's jaw dropped. "That's theft!""That's business." Julius

Rocco woke to find himself lying in the grass outside town, Lily sitting nearby on a fallen log. The sun hung low on the horizon, painting the sky in shades of orange and gold. His body ached, but the poison had been purged from his system."You're awake," Lily said flatly. "Good. Now move aside so I can return to the inn."Rocco scrambled upright and planted himself directly in her path. "Wait!""What now?" Her tone was exasperated."I... uh..." Rocco's mind went completely blank. "I want to talk to you.""We are talking. And now I'm leaving." She stepped to the right.Rocco mirrored her movement, blocking her again. "No, I mean really talk. Like, get to know you properly."Lily's eye twitched. "You realize I could vaporize you where you stand?""Yeah, but you won't." Rocco's grin was sheepish. "You're too curious about why I keep doing stupid things."She opened her mouth to deny it, then paused. He wasn't entirely wrong. In three centuries, few people had the audacity to repeatedly

Marco trudged back to the Cozy Rest Inn as the sun dipped below the horizon, every muscle aching from hours of negotiating with Louise and her lieutenants. The War Scar camp was a maze of protocols and posturing, and extracting permission to leave—even with Louise accompanying him—had been exhausting.He pushed open the inn's door expecting chaos. Instead, he found Rocco sitting peacefully at a corner table, slurping noodles from a bowl filled with unnaturally purple broth.Marco froze. "What are you eating?""Noodles!" Rocco gestured with his chopsticks, grinning. "Lily made them. They're actually good this time!""Purple noodles.""Yeah! The color's a bit weird, but they don't burn going down, and I haven't passed out yet!" Rocco took another enthusiastic bite. "See? Totally safe!"Marco approached slowly, eyeing the bowl like it might explode. The noodles writhed slightly in the broth—or maybe that was just the steam creating an illusion. He couldn't be sure."Rocco, those noodles

Marco spent the morning searching for Adventurer's Market Town's only potion shop, following increasingly vague directions from locals. When he finally found it tucked between a blacksmith and a stable, the storefront looked half-abandoned. Faded paint peeled from the sign that read "Henry's Alchemical Solutions," and one window was cracked down the middle.He pushed open the door, and chaos greeted him.Potion bottles littered every surface—shelves, counters, even the floor. Some glowed faintly with magical light, others bubbled ominously in their containers. A pungent smell of sulfur and mint assaulted his nostrils, making his eyes water.Behind the counter stood a man in his thirties with wild, unkempt hair and stained robes. He hunched over a cauldron, muttering to himself while furiously scribbling notes. A magical crystal hovered beside him, projecting a shimmering image into the air—some kind of recording device."—and if you add powdered moonstone too early, the entire mixture

Marco waited in the inn's lobby, his pack loaded with supplies and the three experimental fire-resistance potions carefully wrapped. Morning light filtered through dusty windows, illuminating floating dust motes that danced in the stale air.Footsteps on the stairs drew his attention. Lily descended first, dressed in practical traveling leathers that somehow still managed to look elegant. Behind her came Julius, his expression uncharacteristically serious."So," Julius said without preamble, "you're really doing this suicide run.""Yes.""The Sea of Flames will kill you." Julius settled into a chair, steepling his fingers. "I've been there twice in three centuries. Both times, I barely escaped with my life."Marco leaned forward. "What can you tell me about it?""Everything wants you dead." Julius's tone was matter-of-fact. "The heat is supernatural—it doesn't just burn your body, it scorches your soul. Fire-consuming worms burrow through lava flows and can sense body heat from miles