Virno: “Still not done, huh?”

  It had been about an hour since Ballo and Virno had left to refuel the magic cell. To their surprise, their driver was still at it, sprawled beneath the partially reassembled vehicle. Startled by their sudden return, the driver slid out from under the machine.

  Driver: “Almost there! But it looks like *you two* gave up pretty quick. Didn’t take long to figure out Clavia’s magic cell was way beyond your understanding, huh? Go on, hand it over -- I’ll see what’s left of it.”

  Virno smirked and handed over the now-glowing cell, brimming with energy.

  Virno: “Eat your heart out, buddy.”

  The driver gasped, snatching the cell from Virno’s hand as if they couldn’t believe their eyes. They turned it over, inspecting it closely, the light from the cell casting a soft blue glow over their helmet.

  Driver: “What the--?! But wait, this isn’t right. What have you done? You’ve changed the formula!”

  Ballo cleared his throat, puffing his chest with the pride of a man ready to deliver a lecture.

  Ballo: “*Improved* it, my dear driver. Your precious machines may be marvels of ingenuity, but they lack the subtle touch of a seasoned master of the arcane arts. Magic, you see, is far more than --”

  Virno’s eyes widened. He could see where this was going and decided to cut it off before it became another one of Ballo’s long-winded dissertations.

  Virno: “Alright, great. Can we just --”

  Ballo: “Not so fast, Virno!”

  Virno sighed, defeated.

  Ballo: “This is an opportunity to educate, not just about the mechanics of magic, but about its very essence. You see, magic is not simply energy -- it is history. It is legacy. Its origins lie with the four gods who once roamed our world. Masters of fire, water, earth, and wind, their unions bore children who shaped the elements into new forms: light and darkness. And yet, we foolishly --”

  Driver: “OKAY, ENOUGH!”

  The driver, utterly fed up, waved a grease-covered hand at Ballo.

  Driver: “Congratulations, you refueled the cell! Now let me finish reassembling this thing before we waste another day listening to a *boring* history lesson! Shoo!”

  Virno, who had been staring blankly at the ground during most of Ballo’s monologue, finally perked up at the driver’s interruption. He grabbed Ballo by the arm, tugging him toward the inn.

  Virno: “Come on, old man. You heard the driver -- they’re busy. Let ‘em work, or we’ll be stuck here all day.”

  Ballo’s jaw hung open, aghast that his hard-earned wisdom had been dismissed so quickly.

  Ballo: “B-but you *should* know this! Does no one care about the history of magic anymore?!”

  The driver slid back under the vehicle, already engrossed in their work again.

  Driver: “I care that it works and gets us where we need to go -- the rest is just noise. Now leave me to it!”

  Ballo grumbled under his breath as Virno led him away.

  Virno: “Tough crowd, huh? Casting pearls before swine and all that... Don’t take it personally. I’m sure they’d love to hear all about it...! Just, later maybe.”

  Ballo: “Bah! To hell with them. *You’ll* listen, won’t you, Virno?”

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  Virno hesitated, scratching the back of his neck.

  Virno: “Uh... actually, I think --”

  Abruptly, Ballo clutched his chest, his knees buckling as he collapsed to the ground.

  Virno: "Hey hey hey, what's the matter?!"

  Panic gripped Virno as he crouched beside the elder. Ballo’s breathing grew rapid and shallow, sweat beading on his brow. His trembling hands shot up to cover his ears as if trying to block out a deafening noise only he could hear.

  Virno: "Ballo?! What are you feeling? Talk to me!"

  Ballo didn’t respond. Inside his mind, a piercing, high-pitched ringing drowned out all other thoughts. And then, as if from nowhere, he heard a voice -- cold, familiar, and echoing like a ghost from his past.

  Lunalus (echoing inside Ballo's mind): "Eclipse... One of their seniors. That would explain it, few others could have brought down Lacerbus..."

  Ballo’s breath hitched, his pulse racing as the voice continued.

  Lunalus (echoing inside Ballo's mind): "A weak lead... but it will suffice."

  The ringing ceased, leaving behind an oppressive silence. Ballo’s hands dropped limply to his sides as he stared at the ground, his body trembling.

  Ballo (hushed): “How would he know...? Who could have told him...?! Did something give us away...? No... no, that’s impossible. It makes no sense...”

  Virno: “OY! Snap out of it! What the hell is going on?!”

  Ballo's wild eyes lock onto Virno's. His mind churned as realization struck like a thunderbolt.

  Ballo: “Virno... The coin... The *coin*! Where is it?!”

  Virno furrowed his brow, taken aback by the urgency in Ballo’s voice.

  Virno: “What are you on about?! A *coin*? Heck if I know -- have you seen your state?! Focus!”

  Ballo’s voice rose, nearly trembling with desperation.

  Ballo: “THE MAGICAL COIN I GAVE YOU, YOUNG MAN! When we first met! WHERE IS IT?!”

  Virno’s eyes widened in recognition. He frantically patted down his pockets, his expression growing more frantic by the second.

  Virno: “I-I had it! I swear! I don’t remember leaving it anywhere. Why does it even matter?!”

  Ballo groaned, rubbing his face with trembling hands. His body rocked slightly as he muttered under his breath.

  Ballo: “Lunalus... He must have it. Nox’s Spymaster -- the one who killed the Leopard! If he does, then he knows. He knows Eclipse is involved with your disappearance... And now, he’ll come for them.”

  Virno froze. His distressed gaze darted across the ground, as if searching for an answer hidden beneath his feet.

  Virno: “Does he know it was *you*? Can he track us? Pinpoint where we are?!”

  Ballo shook his head, though his face betrayed no comfort.

  Ballo: “I don’t believe so... But this changes things. He won’t need our exact location to act... He’ll set his sights on any trace of Eclipse’s activities. He’ll find their members. He’ll capture them, torture them, and force them to talk. But they won’t -- they can’t. Even if they suspect it was I, they have no idea what I've been up to!”

  Virno: “So... That’s good, right? They won’t be able to lead him to us!”

  Ballo’s voice dropped to a somber tone.

  Ballo: “Good...? No, Virno. It’s far from good. Many of them will die -- slow, agonizing deaths. We were already so few... And now, that number will dwindle even further.”

  He paused, his jaw tightening as he straightened his posture.

  Ballo: “This also means we must take extra precautions. Anything remotely tied to magic will raise alarms: the people we spoke to, this inn, even Clavia’s vehicle. Nox’s agents will be watching and questioning anyone they suspect. We can trust *no one* -- not now.”

  Virno: “Damn it... So what? Are we just going to leave the driver behind? Go on foot? That’ll take weeks, Ballo! We’re too far away!”

  Ballo sighed heavily, his shoulders sagging.

  Ballo: “No, we cannot leave them... After what they’ve seen and heard, abandoning them would only risk giving Nox more information if they’re caught. Not to mention, we’d be endangering their life. And, as you said, we don’t have time to make the journey on foot.”

  Virno: “Exactly! The vehicle’s faster than any horse we could take -- it’d be a waste not to use it. But... maybe we should avoid the roads. Stay away from inns, villages -- civilization altogether. I mean, I read some books about camping once, and my father used to give me tips. I think we could make it out in the wild for a while, at least long enough to get where we need to be.”

  Ballo considered his words, nodding slowly.

  Ballo: “It’s not something I haven’t done before, either. Very well. That will be our plan.”

  He straightened, though his voice remained low and deliberate.

  Ballo: “I’ll go back inside and speak to the innkeeper. We can’t leave any loose ends here -- they need to forget we were ever here. In the meantime, check on the driver. Offer help if they need it, and make sure they’re working as fast as they can. We shouldn’t stay here a moment longer than necessary.”

  He began to walk away but stopped, turning back to Virno. His gaze was sharp, his voice firm.

  Ballo: “And Virno... Don’t use the sword again. No matter what.”

  Virno instinctively reached for the silver pendant around his neck, gripping it tightly.

  Virno: “Lesson learned... Don’t worry.”

  Ballo nodded, satisfied, and stepped through the inn’s main doors. Virno turned toward the dismantled vehicle and broke into a light jog, hurrying back toward the driver.

  If time was no longer on their side, then every second mattered now more than ever.