The others were called and Carver told his story. Robin looked concerned, while Heather just sighed and started to rummage through the backpack he'd brought. The Queen was lost in thought, and Dane just seemed anxious.

"These would probably be used to create scrolls." Heather said. "Of what kind, there's no way of knowing."

"We need to find that paladin, fast." Robin turned to me, then the Queen. "This cannot wait any longer, we should send the three out tomorrow morning."

"Agreed." The witch closed the backpack and stuffed the papers inside her own. "Without holy protection this place won't last much longer."

"I'm guessing I'll be in charge of all potion brewing and the like while Fate is gone?" Dane asked.

"If they accept the mission, yes." Robin nodded.

"You think you could handle that, Carv?" I placed my hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him.

"You'll need a healer, right? I'll be fine, I promise." He placed his hand on top of mine with a genuine smile on his face.

"I do need to try out something before you go, though." Heather pointed at me while getting up. "We'll all have to go to my summoning room for a second."

"Wait, already?" Robin protested. "We should let them rest, at least."

"There'll be no time to do it tomorrow. Better to do it now and have them recuperate before and during the journey. Let's go."

We all got out of the laboratory. On the way we passed the trail of blood left by Carver when we dragged him into bed, and I held my breath. A feeling of regret suddenly flared up, and I worried about the mission. I was supposed to protect him, like he had done for me for as long as we knew each other. He'd always been there for me at my lowest, and was the first to give me the advice I needed to get back on my feet. That night, he could have died. That night, I had failed to help him when he needed me most. 

The others talked about something on the way, but it faded into the background as I thought about the new mission. I decided I'd convince him to stay in the morning, stay in the safety of the castle while we traveled. If not him, I could convince the others at the very least. And yet, although I knew it would be safer for him to stay, that he'd done enough for me already, I still wanted him to go. I wanted to adventure with him, to go out on the road with my friends and face whatever was out there together. Before I could ponder any further, we arrived at the summoning room.

"Forgive the mess, folks." Heather said as she opened the door.

The room was small, barely fitting all of us inside. On the floor was a pentagram, scratched onto the stone and softly glowing light blue. When the door closed, this became our only source of light. The walls were covered in scrolls, both whole and ripped. The inscriptions on them were in a language unfamiliar to me, and the illustrations were incomprehensible.

"Not too bad, all things considered." Carver said, poking at the air in front of him.

"But... There's nothing here." Fate pointed out.

"What do you mean?" He replied, pointing at nothing. "What about these floating charms?"

"Only those with a high enough magic prowess can see them."

"Oh. So I'm like, special? Cool."

"That's not what I said. Naomi, sit on the center of the circle. Everyone else hold hands around it. Carver, try to focus your magic energy on Naomi. Your Highness, I'm ready."

"What are we doing, exactly?" I asked as I sat down.

"Experimenting." The queen replied. "We want to eventually bring your mark back, and this will let us know if it is still there."

"Now, everyone please be quiet. Those with little to no magic prowess, concentrate your thoughts on the circle. Naomi, just try not to move much."

Heather started to chant, and I felt slightly awkward just sitting down on the ground. I looked around at the scrolls, trying to distract myself from the strange ritual happening around me. Then, I began to feel a light pressure on my left hand, as if someone else was holding it. That pressure slowly became a sensation of heat, and that heat turned to pain soon thereafter.

"Is it supposed to hurt?" I asked.

"It's hurting? Then that means..." Heather sounded excited. "Everyone, keep doing what you're doing. Naomi, try to handle the pain."

One moment, the pain was simply uncomfortable. The next, it was unbearable. In less than a second the back of my hand felt as if it was burning. I reflexively clutched it as the pain kept getting worse, and felt as if my skin would burn off at any second. A few purple lines started to form and carve themselves on my flesh. It looked like a tattoo, but under my touch it felt more like a scar. I opened my mouth to scream but couldn't bring myself to do so. Despite that, screams still filled the room - those of Carver.

He dropped to his knees into the circle, letting go of the others' hands and grasping at the right side of his neck. He was screaming in pain, and I could see the same purple lines forming there. The pain grew stronger still, as if someone was slowly crushing it. My vision began to fade and I fell on my back, using all of my strength to try and remain awake.

"Enough!" The Queen shouted, putting an end to the agony we were in.

Trembling, I got up and offered my assistance to Carver. His breathing was labored and heavy, and he kept his hand on his neck the entire time. I couldn't even move my left hand, and I could only imagine what that pain must have felt like in such a place. 

"What the hell just happened?" I asked, leaning against the wall.

"We managed to bring part of it back!" Heather exclaimed, taking my hand and examining the tattoo. "That was much more than I expected... That, and..." She turned to the second victim of the strange lines and moved his hand from his neck. "Interesting. Why do you have one as well?"

"So I am special." Carver sarcastically said with a cracking, weak voice. "This hurts, I'm gonna stop talking now."

"Good." Heather replied, patting him on the head. "Your Highness... Do you know why this could be?"

"Hmm." She closed her eyes and took a few seconds to answer. "When I gave the mark to the first incarnation of Naomi, I did so by linking her soul to the magical essence of the kingdom itself. The same magic that allows for many of our luxuries would also create a new vessel for her every time she died. I assumed the link was broken after her apparent passing, but now... Her travel to the other world might have simply dulled it. As to why another would bear a similar one, I honestly cannot say."

I took a closer look at each of our marks. Neither resembled anything in particular, but the patterns were clearly different. My mind went back to wondering whether to ask Carver to stay. It would be harder to convince him now, and it'd be best to keep him close in case that whole ordeal ended up taking a toll on him. Maybe I was just making excuses to bring him along, but I had made my decision.

"Are you okay?" Fate asked me, having spoken for the first time since Carver told us what happened in the basement. "That looked horrible to go through..."

"I'm alright." I answered. "The pain went as fast as it came. Plus, it's another step to having the mark restored, right?"

"Yeah... Y-Yeah! And then, you'll be truly safe. Okay, that's good." She reassured herself.

"I'm going back to my room." Carver yawned. "I'm... Honestly, 'exhausted' doesn't seem like a strong enough word to describe it. And this time, I am actually getting myself something to eat."

"I'll be going too, I guess." I stretched, happy I'd finally be able to rest. "It's been a really, really long day."

We said our good nights and went our separate ways. As I was leaving the room, Robin stopped me, and without a word hugged me tight. She opened her mouth to say something, hesitated, then gave up and just held me for a while. I didn't know what to say either, so I simply held her back. For only a minute, I forgot all about my incoming life or death mission, and made the most of the moment. She gave me a concerned smile and left as well, looking back before entering another room.

Once back in the laboratory, I noticed Fate's door was still wide open. She was pacing in front of it, already having changed into some baggy pajamas. I quietly changed as well, dressing down to only my shirt and underwear. Then I finally approached Fate, who hadn't even seen me come in yet.

"N-nay! You snuck up on me!"

"I was here the whole time, Fate." I chuckled. "But seriously. You look worried. Are you alright with going on this mission?"

"Yeah... I'm just scared." She held my hand tight and looked me in the eyes. "We'll make it, right? We'll find the holy magic people and save the kingdom?"

"We will." I promised, wanting to believe that myself. "We'll get back, save the day and I'll finally have time to help you out in the lab like you asked."

"You remembered! Thank you."

"Of course. Now, we really should sleep."

"So, about that..." She squeezed my hand even tighter. "I'm just- Well..."

"Yeah?"

"I've never gone so far out of the kingdom. I'm just scared."

"Hey, we'll be there for you the whole way, don't worry."

"I'll try not to." She paused. "Oh, wait... Your bed is still covered in..."

"Blood, yeah. I forgot about that. Know where I can get a spare mattress, maybe?"

"Just sleep on my bed! I'll just set up some blankets on the floor, and-"

"No, no. I'm not gonna make you sleep on the floor!"

"It's not that bad, really! What else can we do?"

"I mean... I wouldn't mind sharing a bed." I booped her on the nose, finally turning the tables on her.

"W-what?!" She blushed and averted her gaze. "I mean, I wouldn't either, b-but only if you're sure!"

"I'm sure."

"I'll get someone to get a new mattress before we go tomorrow." She yawned and went inside her room.

Her room was messy, having books and papers scattered all across her desk and floor underneath it. The wardrobe was awkwardly moved into the corner to make room for a very disorganized bookshelf. Some papers were stapled to the walls, with alchemical diagrams and ingredient lists written all over.

"Sorry for the mess." She said. "I was just used to living alone, and was so busy I didn't really have time to organize."

"That's alright, I don't mind. I'd be happy to help you clean up sometime, too." 

"Really? That'd be great."

I climbed into bed and let myself relax. Trying not to think much about the next day's mission, I gave Fate some space and she shyly lied down next to me, shuffling her way under the blankets and turning around to face me. She was still blushing, which to me only made her look even prettier. I followed suit, not quite able to hide how flustered I was.

"Thanks for letting me stay all this time. I hope I haven't been too much of a bother."

"You're not a bother! Honestly, you're the first friend I've had in a long while."

"I'll try not to let you down."

"You won't."

We talked a little bit about potions before finally falling asleep mid conversation. My sleep was interrupted a few times during the night, as I was not used to sleeping next to someone, but not enough to call it a restless night. At some point I woke up to Fate holding me in a cuddle, muttering incomprehensible words in her sleep, a soft smile on her face as she did. After that, I didn't wake up again before the morning.

It was a very comfortable night.