An earthquake and a dragon

Rain splattered heavily on the mountains of the Olden Range as two drenched men continued their ascent on one of the rocky peaks near the capital of Threanas, Noir. The Olden Range was known for its five large mountains that sit side by side along the borders of Noir. Nameless and ageless, the mountains have stood for years without anyone knowing its name or bothering to give it one. Most people nowadays would refer to the mountains based on their order, starting from the one at the far west. Seldom would people venture into the lush crags and far rarer would anyone venture to the other side for there was nothing to be seen, only a wide marshland heavily covered with fog. As for the highlands themselves, sustenance was already available by the forest of Nieblahim and so no one would dare to disturb the serenity of the Olden Range except upon absolute necessity.

"Are you really sure it was here?" asked Lyrus to the curly-haired lad beside him, as the rain continued to pour on the First mountain of the Olden Range.

"Yes! I saw some growing near the foot of the mountain a couple of days ago. The wild animals must have eaten those but I'm sure there's more on the higher parts of the First," replied the freckled and curly haired lad, who just like the peasant was dripping from head to foot.

"Ok. But remember, if this rain gets worst, we go down. I don't want to be near the First when its land starts crashing to its foot," warned Lyrus to Meiro. Meiro was the son of one of Noir's finest bakers, Castel, a good friend of Lyrus. However, unlike his father, Meiro, who is just a few years younger than the peasant, dreams of travelling the world and making a bestiary, a compendium of all the beasts that roam the continent of Ghard. That's why the freckled lad spends most of his time either in the mountains of the Olden Range or the forest of Nieblahim.

A few days after passing the squire test, Meiro asked Lyrus to accompany him into the First mountain to find mushrooms which the lad believes can be used to tame the gray Wulforses that roam the deep part of Nieblahim. Lyrus agreed as Meiro told him the mushrooms can be found just at the foot of the first mountain. To the peasant's dismay, they found none and with the young lad's pleading was forced to hike the mountain to look for some of the mushrooms. However, the two's luck turned from bad to worse when the seasonal rains that poured on the mountains hit.

Cold and shivering, the two continued their hike, Lyrus keeping track of where they've been while Meiro kept track of the sun's position. The two both knew that it's dangerous to get lost in the mountains, moreover to be stuck in there by nightfall. Besides vicious wolves and bears that roam at night there had been growing stories of some other kinds of vicious beasts that started to inhabit the mountain range.

"Lyrus, you live near Nieblahim, right? Have you seen any mysterious or curious looking creatures lately? There had been rumors of the so-called Woodland Beast of Nieblahim being unusually loud at night and accounts of it venturing near the edge of the forest," asked Meiro enthusiastically. Despite the heavy downpour and Meiro's hood covering his face, Lyrus can clearly see the wide grin the lad had, as he waited for the peasant's answer.

"Sorry to disappoint you but I haven't seen the Woodland Beast again after my father died…though I've been hearing its howls lately from the forest," Lyrus answered as the two continued looking for the elusive mushrooms Meiro wants.

A few more hours and the rain stopped, clearing the skies and helping the two in their search. "Lyrus! Lyrus! Look! There it is!" Meiro shouted excitedly as he pointed to a fallen log infront of them. Eager to go back to Noir, Lyrus hurriedly run towards the rotten tree trunk to examine it. Looking at the top of the decaying trunk, he saw mushrooms with small stalks, and almost spherical caps dotted with bumps all over it, reminding him of a toad. Meiro stooping by his side, began picking the mushrooms and stuffing them in his rucksack, grinning from ear to ear.

"Wait. Are you sure these can be used to tame gray Wulforses?" asked Lyrus to Meiro as he stopped picking the mushrooms, suddenly curious on how it can tame such ferocious creatures. Sporting the lower half of a horse and the upper part of a wolf, Wulforses are a sight to behold. The beasts being hard to tame, only a few knights had earned the recognition of having tamed and rode one, Lyrus' father one of them.

"I'm sure. You know why? I saw one wandering at the foot of the First the other day. Despite being used to grass and meat, the creature immediately and hungrily ate these mushrooms after sniffing them. After that, the gray Wulforse, gave a loud howl, as if of satisfaction and went on its way," replied Meiro, getting up as he had already stripped the log bare of the mushrooms.

"Now that I have enough, let's go back and use – ", however, Meiro was cut short by a deafening roar followed by the ground shaking, as if a hundred trees all fell at the same time. The two looked at each other, as they waited in bated breath on whether a land slide would happen after the earthquake or not.

"That's not an earthquake. It came from a higher part of the mountain, just a few yards away from us. Let's go and see what cause that tremor," said Meiro, sweating heavily from nervousness yet Lyrus can feel a sense of excitement coming from the lad. Highly perceptive, Meiro was considered by many as one of Noir's brightest scholars. Lyrus dreaded that the scholar would immediately realize that what happened was no earthquake and the latter's curiosity would get the better of him. Snapping out of his trance, the peasant saw Meiro already running towards the direction of the earthquake. Lyrus quickly ran after his friend, hoping that they find nothing after all.

"What the –"Lyrus gasped upon seeing a large crater on the ground, with all the trees surrounding it completely broken and flattened, as if something large indeed fell from the sky and crashed. However, at the center of the depression was no beast but rather a man, an old man, wearing a shimmering night garment of sorts. Rushing towards the mysterious figure, Meiro helped the old man get up.

"It's no use. He's heavily injured," Meiro said worryingly. The old man's body was covered with numerous bruises and cuts at the arms and legs while a particularly large swelling bruise was on the left side of his neck.

"Look after him. I'll go get some water from the river and find some herbs to turn into a balm." Meiro handed the man to Lyrus and hurriedly left.

Studying the old man's face, Lyrus saw some peculiar looking scabs at the sides of the man's face. The scabs were all shaped like a tear drop and seemed to line up like a pattern. On the other hand, the mysterious person's white hair felt rough to the touch, like the quills of a porcupine while his skin has the same texture of the white night gown he's wearing, smooth, yet a bit hard and cold. As Lyrus laid the injured fellow on the trunk of tree, the old man's eyes opened, revealing, yellowed eyes with black pupils similar to a snake.

"Ca-cave…near the…oak...hang three vines…g-go the-there…" The old man spoke with difficulty. Lyrus was about to ask the old man to stay still but the latter suddenly grabbed him by his tunic and pulled him closer to his face.

"G-go to…the…ca-cave. Go!" The old man shouted to Lyrus' ear, he felt the hot and a bit putrid breath of the old man. Panicking, he chose to obey the mysterious man's words, feeling that something of importance must be inside the cave. Looking around, he spotted a particularly large oak tree just a few yards away from them. Was this the oak tree the old man was talking about? Lyrus slowly put the down the injured man who became unconscious once more and ran towards the tree. Reaching it, he gazed at his surroundings and saw a cave with three vines hanging by its mouth, a good distance from where he was. Taking his chances, Lyrus ran towards the cave.

Arriving at the mouth of the cave, Lyrus gazed into the darkness as his eyes tried to look for something of worth that the old man might be connected to. As the skies continued to clear up, sunlight shone through the cave, striking at its contents. His' eyes widened as he saw a pile of gleaming gold coins in the far corners of the cavern. With only the shimmering treasure to guide him, Lyrus entered the cavern and upon reaching the pile of coins realized that the pile is not a mere mound but a chest full of gold coins. The peasant stood back in awe at the sight of the wealth he found, and as he did so, he felt his foot, hit something hard and metallic. Kneeling, he picked up what seems to be a set of armor, shield, and sword wrapped up in a bundle with a cloth. He then proceeded to haul the loot outside with great difficulty.

Thinking that the treasure might belong to the injured old man, Lyrus decided to check if anything was damaged. To his relief, the contents of the chest seem to be intact. However, he received a surprise upon taking out the contents in the bundle of cloth for the armor, shield, and sword were not forged out of ordinary metal but rather by what seemed to be silver. Intricate engravings made from a bluish glowing metal cover the armor and the shield, with the shield bearing the insignia of a Wulforse with its two front legs raised upwards, as if charging into a battle. The sword, on the other hand, has its hilt wrapped of a black leather-like material, while the hilt itself was made out of wood encased in a resin like that of his father's wooden sticks. Pulling out the sword, Lyrus marvelled at the silver guard and the light yet sturdy blade. Are the items "woven"? He had heard how elves could "weave" almost anything, even the sky and sunlight itself. Just who is that old man?

Lyrus' thoughts were interrupted by the shouts of his friend, Meiro. He quickly buried the treasure he found beneath the roots of a large birch tree nearby then ran back to where he left the old man. Along the way, the peasant stopped to pick up some rocks and a sturdy looking stick, in case the need to defend himself arises. Lyrus ran as fast he could. He knew Meiro was not well versed in combat and usually is the first one to run from trouble. However, returning to where he was, the scene that greeted the peasant made him fall on his bottom in terror.

Where the old man once lay now laid a large white dragon, the same size as the crater. His knees shaking, Lyrus slowly stood up, grabbing tightly at the stick he found as he tried to look for Meiro. He swallowed hard as he eyed the dragon before him who seemed to be asleep, its eyelids shut tight. He walked carefully towards the other side of the beast, hoping to see the young scholar on the other side, alive. To his surprise, a hand suddenly sprang from the other side as he made his way, followed by Meiro shouting to him.

"Lyrus! Come here! Quick!" shouted Meiro. Dreading the worse, Lyrus ran quickly to his friend, not caring anymore if the beast wakes up. However, upon arriving at where his friend was, Lyrus was shocked to see the young lad kneeling down and crying. He immediately checked if Meiro was injured or worse, mutilated. Breathing a sigh of relief upon realizing that the scholar was still alive and whole, Lyrus now turned his attention to the source of Meiro's sorrow.

"What happened?" he asked as Meiro continued to sob, looking down at the dragon like a recently deceased pet.

"He-he's dead. I wasn't able to do anything," answered Meiro, puzzling Lyrus.

"Who died?" he asked, patting the scholar at the back despite still being confused at the latter's statement.

Wiping his tears, Meiro stood up and gestured to the dragon. "He died, Lyrus, the old man died."

Suddenly remembering the old man, Lyrus immediately got up and started lifting the snout of the beast. "Come on, help me. If he was not chewed thoroughly by this dragon we might be able to get a large part of his body out. Let's give him a proper burial at the very least," said Lyrus as he struggled to lift the dragon's mouth, not caring if he wakes up the terrifying beast.

"No! No! Don't do that! You might damage the old man's corpse!" shouted Meiro, clearly alarmed. Lyrus raised his eyebrows at his friend's words, trying to make sense of what the young lad has just said.

"Are you telling me that this dragon is the old man?" asked Lyrus with a look of incredulity. He then remembered of tales of the ability of a dragon to shapeshift into a human.

"Yes. I saw the old man transformed right before my very eyes." answered Meiro, beads of sweat forming on his face as he struggled to turn over the neck of the large beast that lay before them. A few more moments of his fruitless effort and Lyrus decided to help him. Despite the tragedy before them, the peasant can't help but feel a bit in awe. He just met and even talked to a dragon. A dragon!

"Just as I suspected," said Meiro, as he gazed upon the large swollen bruise on the left side of the dragon's neck. On the other hand, Lyrus' thoughts kept going back to the loot he hid beneath the tree. He just found a dragon's loot. Dragons, being territorial creatures guard their loot ferociously, killing others of their kind if need be. Being highly intelligent, dragons have an eye for all things beautiful, claiming as theirs whatever catches their sight. Gold, silver, gems, mostly things that are gleaming and highly valuable usually forms part of a dragon's treasure. As such, a lot of people would want to get their hands on dragon's loot, some of them dangerous.

"See the large bruise? That's what caused his death. A powerful blow to either side of the base of a dragon's neck can force it to expel flames, damaging its airway, knocking it out temporarily and in some instances, killing it." Meiro grimly knelt and rubbed the dragon's neck, as if consoling the old man and telling the latter that he doesn't have to suffer anymore. A dead dragon and its treasure. The thought disturbed Lyrus. Only a fool would be wise to meddle with a dragon just to get their hands on its treasure unless said treasure is worth more than a man's life.

"Judging from the dra--old man's ability to transform, he must have been of royal blood since only those of royal blood had such capability. As for the bruise, it's most likely that he--"Meiro didn't finish what he said and instead quickly grabbed Lyrus by his arm, snapping the peasant out of his musings.

"We need to run. Only a large beast or another dragon can inflict such wound on the old man and that beast might still be roaming the skies or this very mountain," said Meiro as he started to run, dragging Lyrus by the arm. The idea of the creature flying just above their heads sinking in, Lyrus also started running. Forget the dragon treasure. All the treasures in the world are worthless in the face of a beast that can kill a dragon. With this, the peasant too broke into a sprint, not bothering to look back at the fallen dragon, his heart starting to pound as his ears strained for any sound of a large behemoth roaring or growling. The two continued to ran for more than an hour or so, only bothering to look back upon reaching the gates of Threanas.

Auria looked around her room once more, frustrated, and sad. Apparently, King Deanor got word of her short "stroll" and decided to have her spend the next few days in her chambers, forbidden to leave until the arrival of the four princes from the other kingdoms.

"I'm sorry, my dear princess. It's the king's orders. It seems that a guard was tasked by the king to check on you every now and then, and realized that you were nowhere to be seen in the castle grounds. Me and Thenan did not say anything to the king, we swear by our ancestors' graves," said Silvia as she placed a tray of food infront of Auria. A look of embarrassment mixed with sadness on the maid's face.

It had been a few days after the squire test, with Thenan and Silvia recognizing Auria despite having her appearance changed by the potion given by Edrana. Silvia realized that the woman named Alea is actually Auria in disguise by the small birthmark shaped like a wing on the princess' left hand which the potion curiously did not removed or altered. On the other hand, Thenan became aware of the princess' identity through her swordplay since the Autumn Blade is known only to those of the royal family. Upon waking up, she was immediately questioned and made to tell the truth or part of it, by Thenan. Auria didn't tell the two that she got the potion from Edrana, fearing that if such news reached her father, the old lady may have her own life taken away from her. However, based on Thenan's unchanging demeanor after hearing of Auria's story, she can only surmise that the captain might had an idea of the potion's origin.

"I know that you and Thenan would never betray me. I just feel sad given the circumstances. You have Thenan, I may have none right now but I definitely do not want to be forced to marry someone whom I barely know. However, it is my duty as the princess to ensure the continued so-called prosperity of Threanas." Auria sighed as she started to take a bite of the food Silvia brought her.

"I just want to experience what life feels outside of the castle walls…even for the last time." Tears fell on the silver goblet Auria was holding, while Silvia proceeds to wipe the princess' tears from her face.

"Please, let me leave today. It seems there are still a few drops remaining from the potion I used. I promise to be quick. I merely want to see life in Noir even for the last time. Please Silvia, I beg you," cried Auria. It hurts. The thought of spending most of her life in the castle and with a stranger as her husband simply scared and made her depressed. It's unfair. She was the princess of the whole kingdom yet she's the one who's being imprisoned against her will. Auria clutched her blanket tightly, feeling her nails dig into her palms, weeping uncontrollably while Silvia hugged her tightly.

"I'm sorry, princess. I'm so sorry…," Silvia said in between sobs as the chambermaid herself started to cry too. Auria dared not to admit it but she envied Silvia. Her friend might only be a chambermaid but unlike her, Silvia gets to live life however she wants. Moreover, Silvia has Thenan. The two might deny it at times out of embarrassment but Auria can see in their eyes how much they love each other.

The tearful embrace the two shared was disrupted when they heard a loud crash from the northern part of the castle. The ground shook violently following what seemed like the sound of thunder. The two looked at each other, terrified. Was it an earthquake? An attack from an enemy kingdom? But before any of them could even utter a word, Thenan burst forth into Auria's room.

"Silvia…earthquake…northern wall broken…cottage smashed…" said Thenan in between pauses to gather his breath. Silvia, on the other hand, quickly stood up and dragged Thenan out of Auria's room. Auria was also about to stand up and follow them, knowing that Thenan was pertaining to the chambermaid's cottage as the one that got smashed, but she was immediately stopped by Silvia from going out.

"Princess, please stay inside, I'll ask one of the guards to check on you. Please wait while Thenan and I see what happened to the northern part of the castle," shouted Silvia as Thenan and her ran down the stairs.

Auria sat at the foot of her bed, worried, for besides Silvia's cottage, there were also a few others located near the northern wall of the castle. She can't help but wonder about the condition of the other royal servants and on what could have caused the earthquake. As she continued to ponder on such things, the vial on her desk caught her eye. There's still some shimmering blue liquid left on the vial, but should she? Auria hesitated for a moment, then thinking of all the things that happened to her in the last few days and of the things still to happen, she grabbed the vial and drank what remained of its contents.

The princess, her appearance once more of Alea's, quickly packed her things, this time taking with her the wooden stick she uses for practicing her swordplay. Knowing Silvia, it would probably take the chambermaid a couple of minutes before remembering to send a guard to her room to check on her given that she was panicking when she left. It's now or never, for this maybe Auria's last chance to experience what it feels like to be ordinary. However, remembering about the earthquake, she decided to first check on Silvia and the others.

Alea scurried around the castle grounds carefully trying to avoid anyone who might recognize her as the woman who passed the squire test majestically. Seeing two guards coming from the northern part of the castle, talking, she followed them, hoping to catch something from their conversation.

"Did you hear? Apparently Leo saw some sort of huge beast fell out from the sky and into the First mountain, crashing onto the wall as it did so," said the tall guard to his smaller comrade.

"Really? Well that would explain the earthquake. What I don't understand is why the King ordered that the First mountain be immediately searched rather than have the northern wall and the destroyed cottages fixed." replied the smaller one, as the two disappeared behind a corner.

Auria stopped on her tracks as she pondered on what she heard. A huge beast? Was it the one that she saw a few days back? If it was a beast then why is her father interested in finding it? Shouldn't he have the castle reinforced to protect it? Auria then looked for some other servants to get a better grasp of the condition of the northern part of the castle. Upon ascertaining that no servant was severely injured by the earthquake, she wasted no chance to storm out of the castle grounds and stepped once more into the streets of Noir as Alea.

Bringing more gold with her this time and some food from the castle, Alea was able to take a more leisurely stroll of the dusty streets outside. While savouring the feeling of being able to go out in peace, the sight of the homeless and poor still left a bitter feeling inside her. This wasn't how Noir, how Threanas should be. Where is the prosperity her father had always boasted of? Where is the order and peacefulness in here? Feeling a little guilty for enjoying her walk, Alea every now and then would give some of her food or coins to those whom she thinks need them the most. It was around noon when she remembered what she came for, the potion from Edrana. Alea then proceeded to the apothecary, cautiously looking out for any sign that her absence in the castle had been discovered.

Arriving at the apothecary, Alea was surprised to see Edrana talking to someone inside, she never thought of the old lady as someone who has frequent visitors. The mysterious man, revealed himself to be the peasant that passed the squire test, Lyrus. Edrana looked surprise upon seeing Alea but smiled after a few moments.

"Why? It's you. Look how much you've changed. Did you come here for more of the tonic I gave you?" asked the old woman with a twinkle on her eye. Astonished to realize that the apothecary recognized her as Auria, Alea merely nodded her head meekly.

'Well, good for you, I still have some more of that tonic but first, I want you to meet Lyrus. This young lad has been helping me lately…Lyrus, this is?" said Edrana, waiting for Alea's response.

"A-Alea, he-her name is Alea if I'm right," replied the peasant first, his head bowed a bit. Not wanting to appear impolite, Alea offered her hand for a shake which the young man shook awkwardly. Alea was suddenly reminded of a child who's scared to meet new people, making her chuckle a bit. Still, she can't help but wonder how the apothecary saw beyond her disguise.

"Now, Alea here is a newcomer in Noir. I think it would do you good Lyrus if you take her to a tour of the capital. In the meantime please wait for her outside while I give her some more of that tonic she likes," said Edrana, grinning from ear to ear. Alea watched as Lyrus nodded his head then left.

"You thought I wouldn't recognize you am I right, my dear Auria?" said Edrana, hugging Alea before she could even respond. A feeling of warmth and affection flowed into Alea once more and before she even realized it she was already crying on the arms of the kind old lady. She then recounted what happened for the last few days. After pouring out all the burden she had been enduring, Edrana held Alea's hand and gave her a larger vial containing the shimmering blue liquid.

"Take this. You will need it for the next few days of your life. If ever your supply runs low, feel free to come here and I will give you more. I know it may not be much of a help but I believe that you will use it to not just help yourself but others as well," the apothecary said, as she continued to hold Alea's hand for a few more seconds before standing up.

"Now, I know you have already walked the streets of Noir but I believe that you could use a friend to help you familiarize yourself with your people. Go with Lyrus, he's a good man. Besides you might find that the two of you has a lot in common," Edrana told Alea as she hugged the princess once more before gesturing to the door. Remembering that she only drank what remained of the potion, Alea took a generous sip from the new one Edrana gave her to ensure she won't transform back while outside Noir.

Saying her thanks, Alea left the old woman's shop. She saw Lyrus a few meters from the hut, drawing weird shapes on the ground. "What's that?" Alea asked, startling the peasant, making him jump a bit.

"Ru-runes. My father used to teach me ho-how to read and write them, he says that when written correctly, runes ma-may be used to perform magic," stuttered Lyrus.

"Are you okay? Sorry for making you wait," asked Alea, concerned with the way the peasant talks. Lyrus seemed to have noticed the tone of worry in her voice.

"I-I'm fine. I-It's just that I'm not used to talking with people specially women," answered Lyrus, clearly flustered by the way he acted. Chuckling, Alea helped the young man get up, happy that she already has a friend in Noir.

The two spent the late afternoon walking around the capital, with Lyrus introducing Alea to various villagers. He introduced her to Erne, whom upon recognizing Alea recounted the time she tried to ask for a free apple to which the princess merely bowed her head in embarrassment. They also went to Karos' workshop who asked Lyrus to help him hammer some metals, allowing Alea to learned a bit about the ways of a blacksmith. Lastly, the two visited Meiro's house, there, Alea found out that Meiro saw a dragon crashed on to the First mountain, but the curled youth refused to elaborate further on how he saw said beast. Alea can't help but wonder if the dragon the scholar saw was the same creature whose presence caused mayhem on the castle earlier.

The sun was already about to set when Lyrus finished taking Alea on a tour around Noir. As they walked towards the market area, however, the two encountered Barthos and his comrades. Alea saw how the peasant's face was drained of color upon seeing the group of the golden-haired knight. The peasant was about to turn back but the knight saw him and grabbed hold of him by the shoulder.

"Hey, hey…where do you think you're going filth? You think I had already forgotten what you did to me during the squire test, hm?" Barthos asked with a threatening look on his face, while he continued to hold Lyrus by the shoulder. The knight's comrades on the other hand started to surround the poor young man, as if to ensure that he won't escape.

"I-I'm so-sorry. I-I didn't mean it. He-here, have this as a token of my apology to-to you," Lyrus stuttered as he handed out what remains of the coins in his pocket. Alea can only watch in disgust as the knight snatched the coins out of her friend's hand. Despite being proficient in swordplay, she did not dare fight the group for fear of drawing attention to herself. The group left laughing, as Lyrus simply bowed his head and sighed.

"Why didn't you fight back? We could take them on if we fight together," said Alea to Lyrus even though deep inside she knew that they were no match for eight heavily armored knights.

I can't. I'm not good at swordplay, and fighting in general, you saw that. Besides everyone knows here that Barthos' group is not to be meddled with," Lyrus smiled weakly as he regained his composure and started walking towards the large gates leading outside of Noir. Alea ran up to Lyrus only to see him biting his lip as he walked; he was trying hard not to cry. She can't help but feel guilty for not being of any help earlier.

"Where are you going?" she asked, hoping to take her friend's mind off just what happened.

"Home. I live outside of Noir, near the forest of Nieblahim. I used to live with my father within the city but after his death and the numerous debts that piled up I was forced to live outside the capital," replied Lyrus as he stopped walking, tears still welling on his eyes.

Turning to Alea, Lyrus pulled something out of the rucksack he was carrying, an apple. "Here, I thought you might like to have some snack on your way home and besides I don't feel like eating that anymore," said Lyrus, smiling weakly as he handed the apple to Alea.

"Thanks," Alea replied, concerned with how her newfound friend is holding up. However, before she can say anything else, the peasant already bid her goodbye and started walking towards the gates of Noir. Alea watched as the young man left the capital then remembering that it was getting late, made a run towards the castle.

Alea returned inside the castle just in time for her appearance was already starting to change. Fortunately, Silvia managed to cover up for her absence. Auria greatly thanked her friend and promised that she'll see to it that the chambermaid's cottage is rebuilt immediately. Later that evening, Auria asked Silvia and Thenan to keep her secret and to cover up for her absence. Despite being reluctant at first, the two later on agreed to help her. Auria greatly thanked both of them as she knew that the two were putting their lives at risk by aiding her. With most of her problems taken care of, Auria can't help but looked forward to her new life as Alea.