(Five days later...)

Checking again that my helmet was on my head with the visor down, we rode into my home village of Erisiir. Analise was at the front of the group while Dorrian and Luna were riding alongside me.

Sensing my nervousness, Luna looked at me, "You okay?"

"I-I'm not sure," I replied in a small voice, "I-I'm home..."

Everything looked the same to me: the marketplace was as breathtaking as I remembered it. There was wisteria snaking along the cobblestone walls of the tannery, the butcher's shop, and the small library that supplied everyone with knowledge. I'd been in there countless times reading and re-reading the books that were located within. I saw the vendors I used to frequent as a child at the heart of the marketplace: a vender that sold jewelry, one that sold freshly baked bread, among a few others. A tear came to my eye as I remembered the faces of every person I passed: friends, relatives, neighbors-all of them had banished me from this lovely village because I was stupid enough to listen to a stranger.

And then I saw him.

A cheerful man, near his fifties. He had a head of black hair with hints of gray in it, and his rich azure blue eyes glittered with joy.

"Dad..." The word caught in my throat, and I had trouble breathing. My armor felt like it was crushing me, and I felt like I had swallowed a pound of lead.

Dorrian looked at me, concern on his face, "Hel? Hey dude, you-oh fuuuuck..."

My dad noticed our arrival and walked over to us.

Dorrian apparently was able to tell I was locked up since he shot a slight grin my way.

"I got you." he muttered out the corner of his mouth as my dad stopped before us.

"Greetings," Thomas called out, "I believe you are the help I requested from Helios, yes?"

Dorrian nodded, "Yep, we're your people."

He looked at me, and my heart went cold, "What's wrong with your friend?"

"He doesn't talk a lot," Dorrian replied quickly, "He's really not a people person."

Thomas nodded, "May I have all of your names please?"

"I'm Dorrian."

"Name's Analise, but call me Ana."

"...My name's Luna."

"..." (I couldn't even manage a squawk. My throat felt it it had closed up.)

My dad frowned and looked at me, "I didn't get your name, lad."

"..."

Dorrian leapt to my rescue, "His name's Bob."

What the fuck, Dorrian? This is why I can't have nice things...

Thomas smiled with a look of pure confusion on his face, "Bob."

Having no other choice than to agree with my asshole of a friend, I nodded. My neck felt like it was on the brink of locking up, so I forced myself to move my head.

"He's mute," Dorrian added, "He got an arrow to the windpipe. It's a bloody miracle he survived."

"Oh, well why didn't you say so-?"

A pained expression crossed his face. "Forgive me."

Dorrian saved himself from laughing his ass off, but Ana did the exact opposite. She laughed like there was no tomorrow while I ignored the urge to punch my dear friend.

Sighing, my dad directed us to the stables and told us that there was a house we could reside in for the duration of this mission. It had four rooms in it, so we'd all have a room to sleep in.

Later that afternoon, I talked to my group as we all sat in the living room of our temporary home.

"Okay," I began, "you two," I motioned to Dorrian and the red-headed menace, "You know the whole story." Looking at Luna, I sighed, "And I told you about my past a few days ago. I'm sorry, but I won't be able to say much outside of this room. I just...can't take any risks. I'd rather not be recognized by my father, so I'll be Bob the mute swordsman until the end of this mission."

"Don't worry about it," Dorrian replied with a faint smile. "We understand. I'll try to cover for you as much as possible."

"Thanks," I breathed.

"No problem Hel. That's what friends are for!" He chirped.

I rose an eyebrow, "Hel?"

"Yep!" Dorrian confirmed with a wide grin. "Your new nickname."

"And yours being Dor? Wait, better yet: Dorri."

Dorrian frowned," Dorri? You bloody bastard..."

Analise was rolling around on the floor clutching her sides.

"Bahahaha! Dorri? That's rich! You should've come up with that nickname sooner Helix!"

Dorrian's face went deathly pale, "I'll never live this down..."

I looked at Luna. She was trying not to laugh, but she still did. She laughed softly to herself, and for some reason, I mentally celebrated.

I shrugged, "Don't sweat it Dorrian. We all fuck up."

Luna grinned, then looked at me with a question in her eye.

"Could you by any chance teach me a healing spell?" She asked me.

"Of course," I replied, "Since we won't be needed for the rest of the night, I can give you a few crash-course lessons before we turn in. Any reason why you want to learn about healing magic?"

She shrugged. "I've been thinking about whether or not I should know anything about healing magic. I decided it was worth the inquiry, so that's why I'm curious."

"Ah, okay. What exactly do you want to know about?"

"Anything," she told me, "Whatever you know about healing magic, I'd appreciate it if you shared that knowledge with me."

I nodded, "Fair enough. The beauty of imagery magic is that it's compatible with other branches and types of spellcraft. One such branch that's compatible is restorative-or healing magic. At any rate, I'll teach you what I know."

So while Dorrian and Analise retired to their rooms twenty minutes later, I stayed up and taught Luna everything I knew about restorative magic. She listened attentively to my every word, and she asked questions when she became confused. I had an answer to most of her questions, and we traded ideas when I drew a blank.

When I had told her everything I knew, I yawned widely and grinned.

"I hope that helped somewhat."

She beamed at me. "Thank you Helix. I really appreciate your help."

I nodded, only to yawn once more. "Oof...I dunno about you, but it's time for bed."

Luna chuckled. "Agreed. Today was long..."

"And tomorrow will be even longer," I breathed. "No matter. Rest well tonight, Luna."

"Same to you," she replied as she stood up from her seat.

Throughout our impromptu study session, I caught sight of Luna reaching into one of her pockets and supposedly holding something in her hand. I didn't ask her what she was holding since we were in the middle of a conversation. However, I caught sight of Luna pulling the unknown object out of her pocket as she walked to her room. I only saw a faint glimmer from this object before she opened the door to her room.

When Luna's door closed behind her with a faint click, I huffed and stood up. I took care to not make a sound as I padded over to my door and entered my room. (Analise would nail my ass to the wall if I woke her up...) A few moments later, I sat down on my bed and considered what I was doing here. I'm back in my old home, and I couldn't help but feel unwelcome. I was exiled for a reason, so I still had mixed feelings about being back in Erisiir. After deliberating on this for far too long, I forced myself to fall asleep.