Seeing that no one was approaching — in fact, people were moving even farther away — Pearline turned to the man and asked, "Do you know where the graveyard is?"
"I do," he replied, "but you can't enter there anyway, you've already touched her, so—" He cut himself off mid-sentence, then sighed and gave her directions to the graveyard.
With no one else stepping forward, Pearline decided to bury the woman herself. She pulled out a spare hood from her bag, cast a spell, and the hood floated over to cover her body. Then, lifting into the air with a spell, Pearline quickly made her way to the graveyard, the man following behind.
The air around the graveyard was thick, heavy, and smelled of decay. Not a single soul was in sight. Pearline buried the woman carefully, placed a flower on the fresh grave, and prayed for her peace before standing up to leave.
As she turned, she thanked the man for helping her. "I have to go back now," she said.
The man, silent for a moment, pulled back his hood, revealing his full face — his silver hair gleamed like the finest silk in the evening light. He extended his hand toward Pearline and said, "Zahi. That's my name."
Pearline placed a hand over her chest and bowed slightly. "Pearline," she replied.
Zahi smiled faintly and withdrew his hand, instead bowing back in respect. "Nice to meet you, Pearline," he said.
Without another word, Pearline turned and ran off, quickly disappearing from Zahi's sight.
.
.
Pearline jumped straight into her room through the window. She quickly pulled off her hood, tossed her bag into a corner, and headed straight to the bathroom to freshen up.
While taking a bath, she couldn't shake the image of the woman's face flashing again and again before her eyes. Pearline shook her head, trying to brush away the memory. After a while, she stepped out of the tub and checked the time — it was already 9:30 PM.
Just then, the door burst open, making Pearline flinch in surprise. It was Elysia, standing there with a concerned look on her face.
"Are you insane, Pearline? Where were you the entire day?" Elysia demanded, her tone filled with worry.
"Calm down," Pearline said casually. "I was just in town. I know I'm late. I'm sorry — I lost track of time."
Elysia let out a deep, heavy sigh. "I was worried to death, and here you are standing so casually!"
Pearline grinned and teased, "Relax, sis. At least let me put some clothes on before you scold me to death. Or... do you want me to keep standing here with just a towel on, hmm?"
Elysia just turned away in frustration.
"There, I'm done! Now, let's eat, shall we?" Pearline said in a playful tone, trying to lighten the mood. "Listen, I know I got you worried, and I swear I wasn't planning to stay out for that long. I just... ended up going a bit too far, and then it took more time coming back since it was almost dark, you know..." Pearline tried her best to explain, her voice a little sheepish.
Elysia let out another deep sigh and said firmly, "Pearline, this is the last time. If this happens again, you better be prepared."
Pearline nodded quickly, not wanting to push her luck any further.
They made their way to the dining hall, where little Eira was already sitting at the table, waiting eagerly for her older sisters to join her so they could start eating.
As they ate, Eira excitedly shared everything that had happened during the day, giggling and making the atmosphere much lighter.
Amira had gone away from the estate and was expected to return tomorrow. Remembering this, Eira became even more excited. In her sweet, childish voice, she said, "I can't wait anymore! I'm going to show Mom the drawing I made the day before yesterday! And I finished my sword training every day too, so she's going to be soooo happy!"
Pearline chuckled and ruffled Eira's hair. "Yes, yes, of course she will! She'll love it—because we're talking about Eira here!"
"Okay, okay, now let's eat first and then head to bed," Elysia said, smiling warmly. "She'll be here early in the morning, so let's make sure we sleep early today."
Eira nodded eagerly and continued eating.
.
.
Pearline woke up early in the morning. After getting freshened up, she headed out to the field and started running laps. Once she finished, she moved on to more exercises like push-ups and stretches. Afterward, she sat down to meditate, focusing deeply to strengthen her magic. She knew well—training ones focus, can help them store more magic, which will help them cast bigger spells, and they can keep fighting or helping longer without getting tired..
Soon after, Elysia joined her, quietly sitting beside Pearline to meditate.Unlike Pearline, Elysia didn't have much physical strength—but that didn't mean she was weak. She was a mage whose powers were rooted in nature itself, a gift that gave her the potential to grow even stronger over time.
They sat there meditating for about an hour until their concentration was broken by the sound of horses walking through the large gates of the mansion. Pearline and Elysia both opened their eyes, turned to each other, and smiled. In unison, they whispered, "Lady Amira is here."Excited, they got up and walked toward the entrance of the mansion, just in time to see Lady Amira dismounting her horse. They bowed deeply to welcome her.Amira smiled warmly and said, "Lift your heads.""Glad that you have returned safely, Lady Amira," Pearline said respectfully.Amira's smile deepened as she stepped forward and embraced both Pearline and Elysia in a gentle hug.
Just then, a small figure came running from inside the mansion—Eira."Mom!" Eira cried out, her voice full of excitement.Lady Amira opened her arms and knelt down as Eira jumped into her embrace.Amira hugged her daughter tightly, gently stroking her hair. "I missed you so much, my sweet Eira," she whispered.