35

"Your words sadden me, but that is only a credit to how much I value them. You are right, of course; each day we're together is another chance for my foes. But they aren't just my foes anymore…forgive me, my champion, but I do not regret the nights we shared together, Ronald Dunhall, they were some of my fondest—"

A forced cough breaks Silvanus's farewell short. The guilty party wastes no time wrapping up this encounter. "All right, well, that settles it. See ya—*mutters* burning on a stake *mutters*—later, dark wizard." With that snide remark, Bregan pulls you away before you're able to give a proper goodbye.

But this isn't goodbye…not yet, not so suddenly! Darn it, this redhead is ruining everything. You feel like you're chasing your favorite teacher out of your own house. But Silvanus is so much more than that, he's…

The trek back home is wrought with a heavy silence. You can taste the tension, and it is sour. There isn't anything to say, really, which means Bregan is sure to open his mouth any moment now.

"So that bad aura I felt way back at the healer's when I first saw him…guess I was right. I also knew you were different somehow, these past few months. Sure didn't think it was something like this…" What hurts you more than anything is the pang of disappointment that laces your old friend's lips. Could the two of you ever be the inseparable, infamous duo you once were? Unfortunately, those days are long gone.

You part upon making it back to your humble abode, and to your surprise the candles resting upon the window sills are still lit. Mother is a hawk about wasting wax, so that means something is about. This is odd; you've been staying out late each night for weeks now, and they never made a fuss about it before…

With more than a little unease, you open the door. It's not the typical scene in the Ronald Dunhall family household, that's for sure.