28

Midnight is still a ways off yet, and you owe it to your friend to enjoy yourself at the party. Not that it's difficult with all that free food and drink! Everyone from town is pulling out their best stories, and they just keep getting better as more drinks get brought around. You feel a warmth press against your breast, only to realize Bregan has passed out beside you. Cute as the sight is, it reminds you that you have to be off at once.

This summer's night, while warm, draws in a cool breeze that buffets you on your way back home. The 'paths' where the two of you first crossed were out in the forest that is your backyard. You can retrace the exact spot in your mind vividly: it was where you and your father tried your hardest to save the life of a nobleman. Or maybe that was a lie, too. What sort of emotion are you feeling the strongest?