The party arrived at the city by nightfall, and they all quickly headed towards the Adventurer's Guild. The guild that Tesilim was seeing for the first time at night had quite a lovely appearance. Much like he had seen with other trees around the city, fruits hung down from the canopy, releasing nice, warm, yellowish light. Additionally, since the guild was separated from the city by virtue of being its own small park-like area, the surrounding land had a very serene atmosphere. There were many colored lights all around the giant tree, including those from flowers, plants, small fruits, bugs, and other adornments strewn about to illuminate the pathway to the guild's entrance. Of course, it wasn’t actually anything special since half of the city followed the same theme of a magical forest city, but it was still lovely and serene.

  Another big difference from coming during the day was the lack of adventurers. During the day, a constant hubbub of adventurers came in and out of the guild. This hubbub had now turned into a trickle at best. And since there were fewer adventurers, there was less of a wait time to speak with one of the attendants. So, it wasn’t long after walking in before the party was talking to a dwarf. The dwarf wore the usual guild uniform of a white shirt with the guild emblem and had dark, short brown hair that matched his short beard. According to the plaque, his name was Orbo, and his rough, low-pitched voice, which did not match his young appearance, saluted the party.

  “Ay there, adventurers, how can Orbo help you this fine night?”

  They had agreed to let Lili do the talking since she was the most well-known person, and due to her rank, they might let the party take on a new quest to clear out the cave.

  “Hey there, friend. You see, my party and I took out on a quest to clear out some fey bunnies in the woods. However, we have run into an issue while finishing up the mission.” Lili answered, returning the smile the dwarf had given the party.

  “I see. Can I get your party identification number and your badge, miss…? The dwarf asked, pointing out that Lili hadn’t introduced herself.

  “Oh, right, apologies, it's been a long day. I am Lili, and yes, of course, here you go.”

  Lili handed over the information along with her badge, and after a bit of searching, the dwarf finally regarded them again.

  “All right, yes, I see the mission here. And to clarify, have you yet to complete it?”

  “Yes, that is correct.”

  “Very well, please explain the situation.”

  Lili gave a quick summary of what happened throughout the day. Well, the relevant stuff about the mission, not the part about almost being sucked into space. She spoke of them hunting down the rabbits and how they had been able to track down the last few to a cave, only to find Fey Mana pouring from its entrance, which indicated a much more permanent problem.

  “I understand. Do you believe there might be a portal or possible permanent incursion within?”

  “Yes, that is correct.”

  ‘Very well. Since you have yet to finish the original mission, and due to the relevance of this information. I must ask that you return in the morning for additional instructions. Will that be fine?”

  “Yes, that's fine.”

  “All right, when you come in, simply give this to an attendant,” Orbo paused, handing a small card to Lili before continuing, “With the card, the attendant will be able to inform you about the decision the guild has made regarding this matter. Now, is there anything else you all need help with?” The dwarf finished, a smile coming back to his face.

  “No, that is all, Sir Orbo. I appreciate your help.” Lili replied.

  “Very well then, you all have a good night.”

  “You too!” The group replied.

  Afterward, the group split, deciding to meet up back at the guild four hours before noon.

  Tesilim headed back to Canopies Nest to enjoy his new suite. Overall, it had been a nice day. The whole space portal situation had been a scare, but that turned out alright. He had also enjoyed the combat with the bunnies and was pleased to have learned some new things about his Presence and general knowledge of the universe.

  He was wondering how far all the fighting he had done so far had taken him and opened up his status screen.

  ?? Crystal Notice ??

  ?? Status Screen ??

  Name: Tesilim Telsy.

  Race: Chaos Elf.

  Age: 24.

  Rank: Low D Rank.

  Progression to Next Rank: 29%.

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  Chaos Meter: 70/100.

  Arcane Mana: 910/910.

  Arcane Regen: +4 Per Minute.

  Pure Arcane Mana: 455/455.

  Pure Arcane Regen: +2 Every Minute.

  Order Mana: Locked.

  Presence: Unlocked.

  Chaos Points: 7/100.

  Afflictions: None.

  Abilities: 9.

  ??

  Once again, Tesilim saw he had progressed just a bit, and seeing that he was slowly but surely moving up in power, made him feel proud of himself.

  Feeling happy with himself, Tesilim decided to treat himself by passing through the dryad’s bath when back at Canopy’s Nest. After all, they told him he was more than welcome to pass by whenever he wanted to have some fun, and he had been feeling the need to scratch the itch ever since Lili teased him all the way back in the morning.

  Alyx’s headed straight to the temple. He wanted to bathe, eat, and relax. Of course, he was also planning to continue his studies. For one, he had to ensure the No Magic experiment went smoothly. The experiment was still in its early stages, and decisions were being made on whether they should use death row prisoners for it or get a few orphaned newborns. That wasn’t even the important part. For the experiment to work correctly, it would have to be conducted over centuries, which meant that the resource planning to create a separate space for the experimentees was a mess in itself.

  Then, there was the fact that they had to figure out how to get them to survive without magical tools or any magic whatsoever. That part alone would require a good amount of work, and Alyx was considering whether Tesilim could provide him with some inside knowledge of how some of Earth's technology worked. If that didn’t work, they would have to reach out to other planets that were more technologically advanced than them. They were making some progress on their own, but it was a slow, arduous thing that they were looking to speed up.

  All in all, the experiment would take a while to work, and since he was the main driving force behind it, it was all his to coordinate from half a continent away. And that wasn’t even adding that he was still looking into the twins’ issue while also on the lookout for the Chaos Mana situation that Tesilim had going on.

  Jasmine and Rose went to their separate homes. After cleaning up, they both met at a nice little restaurant called the Otter's Tail. There, they passed the night chatting about the day’s events. The experiences with Tesilim and his random events which were fascinating yet unnerving. They had been incredibly close to death today without even actually fighting anything.

  Both of the ladies considered aborting the contract and doing their own thing. However, it was clear that Alyx was a top-tier researcher with an empire and two gods backing him. Not only did he claim he alone would be able to stop any cult nonsense with his backing, which in itself was a very appealing addition to stay with him, and it wasn’t like he was lying. They had both been taught how big of a juggernaut the Magus Empire was, and the fact that Alyx was part of the main family, with his dad currently being one of the rulers, made the whole offer a genuine possibility.

  Ultimately, they decided to stay with the party, the twins even considering the long term.

  If anyone could separate them, they were more likely in the Magus Empire, and they had just found the perfect individual to get them inside.

  As the night passed, Jasmine knew she had to recharge her mana for the next day. And instead of going to the forest alone to fight a weakened monster from one of their rings, she decided that if anyone should see their ability first, it should be her best friend. Naturally, Rose was ecstatic. She wanted to spend as much time with Jasmine as possible to build up the gap that had been built between them. The issue she encountered was that spending time with Jasmine felt different when she knew someone else was there. Rose felt like she could no longer chat as she used to. She felt like she had to tiptoe around certain topics. Some things were just awkward to say, especially knowing someone else was listening and watching. Even if supposedly her friend could omit things from her twin, the idea was stuck in Rose’s head.

  When she looked at her friend, she would always see glimpses of her other half. Maybe she was jealous. Perhaps she just didn’t want to share her friend. Either way, if anyone wanted the two to separate even more than they did, it was Rose.

  The walk to the forest went without issue since the guards didn’t bother to question someone wearing Sol’s emblems. Once out in the forest, they walked for about an hour, killing everything that tried to attack them. These were mostly beasts that roamed at night, as nothing truly threatening was about this close to the city.

  In the end, Rose watched Jasmine use this ability, which came without much excitement. Her friend would place her left hand on a beast, and the thing would drop dead on the ground after a minute. The only noticeable factor was how her eyes went fully black during the process. To Rose, this was just another reminder of what was within.

  After Jasmine said her mana was full, they headed back to the city and promptly parted ways, knowing the next day would likely be filled with action.

  Lili had headed straight towards the forest after parting ways with the party. She hadn’t spent too much mana during the fights but wanted to refill. Once topped off, she returned to her home, where she bathed before heading out to the Rusty Boar. Lili had been a bit off the whole day ever since the Chaos Shield incident. She was restless, and her mind drifted to the power right within her reach. The power had left a taste of something sweet and delicious, and she found herself craving some sweet berry pork.

  It was late into the night, possibly almost midnight. It was hard to tell without the moon. With the day's event still on her mind, Lili walked through one of the largest parks in Wildwood City. She wore a stylish summer dress that fluttered in the breeze blowing in from the sea. Like she had told Tesilim, she truly liked the clothing, and after years of trying different styles, she found what was right for her. Of course, she wouldn’t deny that she also wore it for other naughty reasons, like feeling the wind against her skin or maybe giving a peek to strangers here and there for the rush.

  More importantly, the loose fit made her feel free from her old life. Back then, she had been chained down by duty, commitment, guilt, and a need to prove herself. When mixed with the wrong people, this led her to commit an incredible amount of heinous acts she was still trying to atone for. Sadly, much like the perversions brought by her dress, there was still a chain tying her to her old life.

  She knew he was always there, even if she couldn’t sense him anymore. He was from her old life. He was her unwanted guardian, tasked with protecting her but also at her beck and call. Their relationship was anything but normal. And it was great to have him around on days like today when she needed something to keep her mind off things.

  Finding a spot that she felt was secluded enough in the large park, she stopped.

  “Come out.” She said into the darkness.

  A person wearing a black mask and robes slowly walked out from the shadows. He stopped a few feet from Lili, unwilling to move further without directions. Seeing him again, Lili smiled widely, her teeth as brilliant as her hair. Then she moved forward and, in one fell swoop, took off his mask and gave him a kiss.