Under the morning’s soft glare, we walked. The road to the city took almost an hour on foot, the first half of which had not gone peaceful.

“Oh, is that why he called for me?” Mocked the Arachne. “On the first day of your mating, no less. Maybe you just weren’t good enough?”

“That’s not why, and you know it!” Cried the Beastkin. Arms crossed underneath her chest, she huffed. “Besides, if he wanted someone else, why would he go for you? I certainly don’t want to be anywhere near those hairy, black le-”

“Alright, that’s enough,” I said, putting an end to the bickering. It wasn’t just the three of us, and even though he barely spoke a word – there was no need to raise any rumors. Frankly, I had no idea why she hadn’t just ordered the demon to shut up already. The Arachne scowled, turning away; Valeriana smirked, linking her arms with mine – her tail swinging freely; meanwhile, a grizzly-haired dwarf shook his head dismissively.

The return back to civilization had three main goals: the first was obtaining the things I ordered a while ago, the second was accompanying the Arachne, while she visits her previous lodging to grab whatever she had left there, and the third was making sure the next meals we had were up to par – hence why Gorlag was here. Thankfully the next half an hour was headache-free, and we had soon arrived at the gate. I gave the man a couple of gold coins, and we separated with the promised to meet back at the same spot when the sun reaches its midst. So, the three of us continued our way until a familiar doorbell announced our presence.

The Oxkin was sitting behind the counter, staring at a stack of papers. Noticing our arrival, he glanced our way. I was expecting the regular comment on my hood, yet he said nothing. Instead, crossing over and almost throwing himself at me. Caught by surprise, I awkwardly patted the large man’s back. “It’s good to see you too, Brock.”

He took a step back, nodded, and spoke in a gruff voice. “It’s damned good to see you. I feared something had happened to you.” He grinned behind his beard. “Ha! Those fools do not know who they’re messing with. Lugardana’s tits, I couldn’t even lift ya!” He exclaimed.

Seeing the man this animated was odd. I would have thought he was drinking, but he did not smell of alcohol. “What are you talking about, Brock?” I asked.

“Some people came asking about you.” The smile disappeared as his brows furrowed. “And not the good sort.”

“Do you know who they are?” I asked, and he hesitated. There was no point in pressing any further, but it did entail that the situation was not something to be ignored. “Well, it doesn’t matter. I’ll keep my eyes open.” Brock deeply exhaled, solemnly nodding. He still looked torn, happy he did not have to answer yet guilty at the same time. 

“Do you have the stuff I ordered ready yet?” 

“Of course,” He said, falling back into his collective demeanor. “I’ll get Johnny to fetch you a cart.”

“Thank you,” I said. “Would it be possible to buy the cart as well? Money isn’t an issue.”

Brock hummed deeply and a moment later nodded his head. He turned, looking at the door behind him. I braced myself, hastily plugging my ears. Valeriana followed suit, leaving the Arachne standing visibly confused.

“JOHNNY!” He yelled, and I was thankful I had made it in time. The disguised demon cursed under her breath; however, she had learned a valuable lesson here today. Johnny appeared almost instantly and stood, facing his father.

“Get Sir Edward a cart, boy,” Brock stated. “Head to Frank, tell him I’m buyin’. If the old crook starts yappin’, remind him, he owes me a favor. And make sure it’s big enough.”

“Yes, Pa,” Johnny said, his eyes darting my way – lingering on both my companions for a second and returning back to me.

“How are you doing, Johnny?” I asked.

“I’m fine, mas-, I mean Sir.” He bowed deeply before turning to Val, “Miss,” and turning again to the Arachne. “Miss,” He repeated. The look in his eyes was very concerning – envy, adoration, and reverence.

His father groaned, making the young man flinch. “Right, I’ll get to it, Pa,” He said, darting out of the shop.

Brock sighed, a pleased smile showing on his face. “The boy had been good lately. Listens to his ma, doesn’t laze around, and even started learning to read.”

All of which was done for the wrong reasons, but who was I to judge. “He’s a good kid,” I said. “How much do I owe you, Brock?”

“Fifteen gold.”

“And for the cart?”

“Just the fifteen,” He reaffirmed.

Either the cart was very cheap, or the man's guilt was much more rampant than I first surmised. I gave the man his money, and we took our leave. The next stop was The Arachne’s previous place of residence, which reminded me. “I never got your real name, have I?” Valeriana never bothered to mention it, and neither did she.

“You don’t even remember?” The Arachne asked in a haughty tone. “It’s Isanani, Isanani Damien.”

“Right, so Isa for short.” 

“That’s not my name,” She said in a flat voice, though it wavered under Valeriana’s snickering.

“That’s fine.” I shrugged. “I’d be using Sanne in public anyway, so I might as well.”

“It should not even have a name,” Valeriana interjected. “How come you gave up so easily? You were very persistent with me.”

“Eh, I don’t really care as long as it’s short,” I stated, scratching my head, “and honestly, with you – I just wanted to avoid calling you mistress. But Val is a pretty cute nickname.”

Two eyes narrowed at me, and a second later, a tail swatted my back – followed by it coiling around my arm, a foolishly brave action. Realizing my intentions, Valeriana tried to pull back; however, my hand had already descended and was tightly holding onto the offending limb. A teasing grin split my face as she warned, “Don’t you even dare.” The fur on her tail stood up, anticipating something to happen, only for me to straighten it out, which made her even tenser. On account of my firsthand experience of how sensitive this whip-like appendage can be, I wasn’t planning on doing anything – especially in public. Relaxing into my gentle touch, Valeriana walked a step closer to me, releasing quiet purrs. I was entirely engrossed with my partner that I had barely caught Isanani’s eyes on us. The moment she registered I was looking back, her head snapped forward. I assumed she was watching all the while, but I couldn’t make out what she was thinking.

“Do you know what Brock was talking about?” I asked.

“W-what?” She almost stumbled. 

“The people looking for me? Any ideas?” 

“Uhh, no,” She muttered. “Did you piss anybody off?”

“Well… considering most people don’t exactly favor humans around here, I’d say a good number. Though, I don’t know anyone who would… ” And it dawned on me. “Sanne, have you heard anything from your friends lately? The Crimson Wolves.”

“Not since you resisted my charm,” She replied. “I left right after. I couldn’t risk being discovered.” She glanced back. “Have you told anyone else about that?”

The bindings around my arm tightened. “No,” I said, and with that, we fell into silence.

Candra was a peculiar city. Although its social structure was similar to any other – lower, middle, and upper class, and the one percent – the layout was oddly linear. The further away you were from the forest, the more expensive the housing and living style. The Adventurers’ guild square was the center point of the city. Below it was Brock’s shop, and above it was Hana’s inn. However, that did not mean the Oxkin was in the ‘bad’ parts of the city, nor was Hana in the most luxurious. I hadn’t ventured any higher than her inn. I was hinted, multiple times, not to do so without a distinctly proper invitation; the crème de la crème did not appreciate unnecessary visitors. On another note, Adventurers had to pass through the southern gate; therefore, it was a prime pathway for shops and vendors, meaning that the poorer population could not afford to stay there. This meant that the slums were concentrated on the edges of the lower part of the city – two great arcs of poverty mirroring each other. And I was grateful Isanani’s inn wasn’t located in either of them. 

The place wasn’t as sordid as I had imagined. It wasn’t too far off from the guild, and by the looks of it, its customers were up-and-coming young adventurers. The room she was renting had already been emptied and occupied by another resident. Her stuff – a bag of clothes, two pairs of boots, and a few silver coins – were unsurprisingly not lost nor stolen. The innkeeper had been grinning the moment he had seen the Rabbitkin and was absolutely heartbroken when he knew she was leaving for good. He even offered her a rather generous discount, but Isanani only shot him an apologetic smile. My stomach churned at the thought of being in that man’s shoes. Undoubtedly had once been under the effect of her magic. 

It was approximately ten in the morning. We had two more hours to kill, and with nothing to do, Valeriana suggested we go visit Hana’s inn, and no words I said managed to discourage her from also wanting to pack up her things much like Isanani. The village had no water source, no plumbing, no convenient kitchenware, or furniture. Yet it all fell on deaf ears, and so, we made our way up.

Throughout my time in this world, I’ve killed, skinned, and located monsters and animals, but I had not been in a fight – not with a being of a similar level of sentience. Walking up to a wild animal would be perceived as a threat – a challenge to its territory. Its response would be predictable and immediate. Humans were far more complex and unpredictable, which I’m assuming, was a shared constant with other sentient races. Their retaliation would not be as pronounced as that of an animal, but you could tell, at least subconsciously, that a person was harboring ill will towards you – you could tell of their intentions. And right now, at the inn’s entrance, the man before me had a very clear intent.

He was lithe but muscular, just slightly taller than I was – with two furred wolf-like ears and black hair reached his chin which, together with his dark beard, appeared as if he had a mane. A cold glare was all he had spoken thus far, and it was potent enough to make the hair on the back stand up. I wasn’t certain of my win if a fight ensued. Isanani wasn’t oblivious to the taut atmosphere; however, she was not as anxious as Valeriana was – who had her hand fixated on the pommel of her sword. The Wolfkin’s eye narrowed, shifting towards her, and I felt her fear through our link. As I was about to grab hold of the Arachne, a mass of hair and horns dove into my legs.

“Uncle Ed!” Luna cried in happiness, her words issuing a ceasefire. The man looked both horrified and astonished. The tense atmosphere dropped as I gazed down at the expectant girl. Lifting her up, I watched closely as his eyes widened. Luna threw her arms around my neck in a firm hug. “How are you? Are you still sick? I asked Miss Va-” She paused, glancing at Valeriana and lightly coughing. “I asked Sis if we could come visit you, but she wouldn’t let us.”

Why was I an uncle? And when was I promoted to just ‘Ed’. It took me a moment to unswirl my mind. “I was still recovering, couldn’t take any visitors yet – healer’s orders.”

Luna pouted, crossing her arms. She noticed the man, now standing awkwardly, a short distance away, and grew excited again. “Daddy, this is Uncle Ed! He’s the one who told mom how to make all of that new food!” The man opened his mouth, but no words came out. Luna squinted at him. “Daddy, were you trying to scare Uncle Ed away?”

The Wolfkin chuckled nervously. Ivan chuckled nervously. “Of course not.” He stepped forward, offering his hand. “It’s great to finally meet you, Edward.”

“Likewise,” I said, shaking his hand.

“Well, what are you waiting for? Show our guests in,” Ivan said in a joyful tone.

Luna jumped down, escorting me inside, the rest following behind. Valeriana’s head was turned back, watching for the man’s movements. The momentary truce wasn’t convincing enough for her. Luna tugged on my arm, drawing me away from the scene. She ushered me to come closer, and I bent down to her height. 

She glanced once behind us and whispered, “Mom was very sorry. She didn’t want you gone. She just wanted more recipes. She just… umm, loves cooking too much.”

The woman was passionate, alright. Though, not only about food. “Thanks, kiddo, but I’ll be fine.” She looked downcast. “Though, if I’m ever in need of a place to stay, I know where to go,” I added, ruffling her hair.

A delicious aroma guided us towards the kitchen. Hana noticed Luna first. Specifically, because she was dashing towards her at breakneck speed. The innkeeper welcomed her daughter with open arms, taking her into her embrace. I heard a quiet, softly spoken whisper from the two cuddling forms. “Dad was bullying Uncle Ed.” Hana sighed and looked befuddled once the words ‘Uncle’ and ‘Ed’ were spoken. She glanced up, still somewhat confused, but one thing was for sure – her smile was not feigned.

“Edward! Where have you been!?” She asked in high spirits.

I found myself smiling in turn. “It’s good to see you too.” I did not regret coming over; seeing the mother-daughter pair felt pleasantly nostalgic after everything that had happened in the last few weeks. And with the pleasantries aside, the subject of my ailment eventually rose up. There were a lot of reassurances spoken, as well as a few promises. It was safe to say that I’d have to make the village suited enough to allow for guests.

A short while after three groups were formed: Hana was cooking, and Valeriana was helping her, the topic of their conversation wasn’t difficult to deduce going by how flushed the latter was; secondly, Isanani was seated with Luna incessantly bugging her – I didn’t know what they were talking about, but the Arachne was heavily restricted already, and she knew better than to try to sabotage our relationship here; finally, I was sitting at the far end of the counter, and beside me was Ivan.

The man had wished to speak to me privately, and after drudgingly convincing a furious cat, we managed to do so. However, he had not spoken a word yet. 

“I’ve never seen Luna so comfortable with a human before,” He stated. “I’m thankful you were patient and kind with her.”

I nodded my head.

Ivan leaned forward, clasping his hands. “I wanted to talk to you about something else.” He paused. “You have seen it, have you not?”

“Huh?”

His jaw clenched. “My… collection.”

His words made me halt. His face darkened as I blankly stared at him, trying to ascertain what he meant. “Yeah, I did,” I simply affirmed. “It’s certainly impressive, but I have seen better.” 

“What?!” His voice rose, drawing a few curious and worried glances.

If this were a competition, I would unquestionably be dubbed the winner. I had watched, read, and listened to an immensely more than he could ever fathom – including the crude, tasteless romance that he secretly adored. “Tell me,” I said, “have you ever heard of Twilight?”