**The Next Morning**
As dawn broke, the girls stirred in their beds at the inn, the warm light filtering through the windows. Eve was the first to notice Jace's absence. Panic surged through her as she frantically searched the room.
"Jace?" she called out, her voice tinged with worry. "Jace, where are you?"
Jacin, still half-asleep, rubbed her eyes and stretched. "What's wrong, Eve?" she asked, noticing her friend's distress.
"Jace is gone!" Eve exclaimed, her eyes wide with fear. "Do you know where he could be?"
Jacin shrugged, opening her hands in a gesture of helplessness. "I don't know where he is, Eve. He didn't say anything to me."
Ava, who had been quietly observing the exchange, remained calm. "Jacin, you don't seem very worried. Why is that?"