The hotel had begun to smell weird after the task of burning those corpses away had been done. The elder lady who ran the place didn’t know where it came from, and thus it wasn’t as if Hyōen and Ana had gotten into trouble. However, the Fire Mage who decided to stay a day more after Ana had taken her departure had been requested by the owner to do something with the smell, because despite the fact that not many people visited the hotel at a daily basis, it didn’t have to get worse than smelling like an open grave. He was granted a spray and asked to fill the hallways and rooms with it, so that the disgusting smell could disappear slowly with the perfume that she had made. He had to use it in over 20 rooms in the hotel, each where he started with the corners on the floor and on the ceilings, before his job had fruition. Coda hadn’t helped much, since she was pretty distracted by smelling the pleasant perfume that he used. “… Yup. It doesn’t smell bad anymore,” he concluded at last, before he delivered the tools back to the old owner of the hotel.

After that, he decided to go back to his room and pack his things. The day had passed him rather quickly, and the sun was about to set. Ana had been long gone, and there wasn’t any reason for him to stay here anymore, was there? He had enjoyed the stay, and he promised to remember it and the lady’s name for another day while he walked down the stairs to the lobby where he would check out. After the owner had taken the keys again and wished him a pleasant journey to wherever he was heading to at the moment, he slowly walked out of the hotel and embraced the thick, orange rays of the sun that hit his forehead. About half of the sun had been set under the sphere of the earth, and due to the distance that the light had to cross, combined with the particles that the rays had to pass, the orange color was very apparent unlike in the middle of the day when the sun was right above their heads in a zenith, totally whitened and only sending clear rays. Maybe it would be a good idea to follow the sun, because he had no idea where Ana had gone towards. Maybe she wanted to visit their guild again… but he didn’t really have any specific destination in mind as he slowly walked across the street. Hyōen was still worried about those people from before, them and their outer, shy appearances in contrast to their festive natures that they showed him in that club last night. It was just before he thought that they plotted something, in which he slowly began to accelerate his speed until he exited the gate and found himself a good distance from Dahlia Town. From there on, he could sigh in relief and actually begin thinking like always…

Coda had taken seat on Hyōen’s shoulder during all that. Given that he walked slowly, she found the time right to take a nap as she had her eyes closed and beak covered in her plumage. The sun had disappeared, but its rays were still apparent as they lit up a good portion of the sky. The sounds around him? It was mostly silent, but once in a while, the Fire Mage could hear echoing, screech-like voices that travelled across the land. He didn’t know the exact sources of these sounds, but they sure made him both curious and a bit worried. He hadn’t heard these voices before, so… maybe Dahlia was more than just eerie on the inside?

The shrubbery began getting denser. It was as if no light could escape or enter now, in which the Fire Mage decided to camp here for the night. It was also totally dusk and all, so there was no reason in continuing on his walk now. Finding an open area that didn’t have that much shrubbery around it compared to smaller places that he tried at earlier, Hyōen began throwing random pieces of wood at the middle of it. He made sure to firmly choose the types of wood that he wanted to use, because the thickness and durability was important. He managed to build a fine bonfire despite the darkness that roamed, and quickly, he ignited it with his magic by swinging two fingers across the wood to cause friction. The friction revealed small sparks that would be the catalysts for the bonfire’s flames. Then he sat down near it, embracing the heat that erupted from the blaze, and also causing Coda to wake up again. The bird looked around curiously, until she noticed the fire as she shivered a little. “D-Don’t worry…” he assured it in a hurry, not wanting Coda to suddenly flap away in fright, “You had to wake up sooner or later, anyway.” The raptor lowered its wings again, feeling safe and sound near the Fire Mage and casually watching the fire stretch its arms up in the air. They were joyful to watch for him… it almost made him daze into slumber, but he had to remember not to get his clothes or anything else caught by the flames, in which he rocked a few meters away. There, he would aim his eyes at the fire that slowly invited him to sleep…

He soon woke up again, packing his sleeping bag and continuing his travel. This time, he couldn’t really follow the sunset, since the sun had now risen on the other side of the sphere. However, he did pass a lot of hills that had small roads leading him somewhere. He was assured that at some point, sooner or later, he would stump upon a new town given that he wasn’t familiar with these areas. He also turned out to be quite precise in his hunch…

WC: 1004