They both found themselves outside the academy, the heavy dungeon air replaced by the cool breath of night. Together, they walked side by side along the moonlit city streets, the world hushed around them. Above, the sky stretched endlessly—stars glimmering like fragments of forgotten dreams—while the cobblestones beneath their feet echoed faintly with every step. The moonlight blanketed the slumbering city in silver, brushing across rooftops and the shuttered signs of late-night shops.
"Why did you want to go on a walk with me?" Marcus asked, his hands tucked into his pockets, eyes glancing over the closed storefronts and the occasional flicker of a lamplight spirit drifting in the distance.
"I just wanted to thank you, really…" Cynthia replied, her voice light as she playfully hopped across the uneven cobblestones, her hands clasped behind her back like a child on a spring stroll.
"You helped me push through the trials at the dungeon's start… when I would've faltered alone."
