Chapter 308: Second Breakfast? Denied
The inn was just like how they left it when they logged out. But now there was a pleasant smell that hung in the air. Like that of fruit and warm sugar. It was almost as if the place was serving breakfast...
Lily and Penny sniffed the air like bloodhounds who had caught the scent of prey.
"I don’t know what that smell is but it smells like food!" Penny remarked, her nose wiggling adorably with each sniff.
"Yeah! Whatever it is, it smells delicious! It’s kinda making me hungry, not gonna lie."
The rest of the party looked at the two strangely. They had just eaten breakfast and the two who had eaten more than the rest of them combined were already talking about eating. Again.
"What the hell girls. Are you firm believers of 2nd breakfast or something?!" Leo couldn’t help but remark. He wasn’t even surprised when Penny gave him a thumbs up and remarked
"Damn Straight!"
Fighting to resist the sigh of resignation that was forming in the depths of his soul, he turned to Luna who had already began to move as if she could already read his mind.
"Horo. Get the door." Luna stated as she grabbed both Lily and Penny by the neck. Adam watched with a sense of amusement as Luna then proceeded to drag Penny and Lily out of the room by their collars.
"What’s the big idea! We can walk you know!" Penny growled with the fervor of an angry kitten
"Yeah. It’s not like we are going to wander off or anything!" Lily added with a pout.
Luna didn’t respond as she could already imagine what would happen if she left these two to their own devices. They would most likely start a culinary tool and then get hopelessly lost, forcing the group to track them down instead of going to see Seryn and claiming their reward.
The hallway outside the room was filled with the warm scent of breakfast. It was stronger now, flooding the corridor like a promise.
Penny and Lily weren’t walking so much as being dragged. Each girl dangled slightly above the floor, caught firmly by the scruffs of their tunics as Luna hauled them forward without even glancing back.
"Nooo," Penny whimpered, reaching out a trembling hand toward the stairs. "It smells like fresh bread... I can hear it calling to me..."
"Luna please," Lily added, her voice cracking with genuine heartbreak. "My soul is leaving my body. It’s floating toward the kitchen... I can see the light... it smells like cinnamon..."
Luna said nothing. Her expression was neutral, eyes forward, posture steady, as if she were carrying sacks of potatoes instead of two emotionally crumbling teammates.
Behind them, Crystal blinked slowly. "Are... they crying?"
"They’re crying," Adam confirmed, arms crossed, mouth twitching in amusement.
Greg gave a low chuckle. "I didn’t know breakfast could break a person."
Aria’s eyes sparkled with a mixture of sympathy and humor. "It’s kind of impressive. I didn’t think Luna would just... drag them like that."
They all turned to Leo, who had just stepped out of the room and saw the line of people watching Luna tote the two pitiful girls like unwanted luggage.
"What?" Leo asked, his face blank with practiced indifference. "You think this is new?"
He casually adjusted his jacket and started walking after them like this was just another day.
"Why does he look like this is normal?" Crystal muttered.
"Because," Adam said, still watching Lily flail dramatically, "it probably is."
As they followed at a leisurely pace, Penny’s sniffles echoed back down the hall.
"I just wanted a bite... one bite... that’s not a crime..."
"My stomach is eating itself," Lily whimpered. "Tell my snacks I love them...."
"Quiet," Luna said flatly, still dragging them. "You’ll survive."
They would. But emotionally? That was another matter entirely.
The group made their way through the winding paths of Heartwood Village, the scent of breakfast slowly fading behind them as the towering silhouette of the Heartwood Tree came into view once more. The ancient tree stood tall and radiant, its leaves glowing faintly with an otherworldly shimmer that seemed brighter than before. Warm light filtered through the canopy, casting a soft golden hue across the moss-covered ground.
And standing at the base of the great tree, waiting patiently by the large archway entrance, was Seryn.
She looked different now.
She was dressed in flowing emerald and silver garments adorned with subtle embroidery that shimmered like moonlight on water. A cloak of deep forest green rested on her shoulders, clasped at the front with a brooch shaped like a blooming flower. Her hair had been braided more intricately, strands of vine-like gold thread woven into the silvery locks.
Rachel was the first to speak, squinting in confusion.
"Whoa. Someone got promoted to ’forest royalty’ real fast." She tilted her head, arms crossed. "What’s with the fancy outfit, Seryn? You getting married or something?"
Seryn’s lips curled into a wry smile. "Not quite," she said, voice calm and warm. "But I suppose the occasion does call for something more... formal."
She stepped forward, offering a small bow to the group. "Welcome back, brave ones. I’ve been expecting you."
Leo gave a small nod while Luna, still holding her twitching passengers, gave a grunt of acknowledgment. Seryn’s gaze flicked to Lily and Penny, who both looked utterly betrayed as they hung limp and glassy-eyed in Luna’s grip.
"You’ve had... quite the morning, I see."
"Understatement," Greg muttered under his breath.
"I wanted to see you all once more before I left," Seryn continued. "The Heartwood has finalized your reward. Once it is claimed, I will be departing for Morningstar City."
Crystal straightened. "You’re leaving?"
Seryn nodded. "It’s time. My mentor is waiting there for me. I’m to continue my magical training under her supervision." She glanced up at the massive tree behind her, and her expression softened. "This place will always be home, but I must grow. And that requires leaving its shelter."
There was a quiet pause before her smile returned, touched with a trace of sadness.
"I believe we’ll see each other again," she said softly. "The roots of fate are tangled, and ours are now intertwined. Whether in battle, celebration, or some unexpected turn, I’m certain our paths will cross once more."
Penny let out a choked sob.
"She’s leaving before breakfast," she whispered.
Lily sniffled again, voice hoarse. "Even the elves are abandoning us..."
Seryn blinked. "Have they... been like this the entire time?"
Luna didn’t even look at her. "They smelled food and lost the will to live."
"I see."
Seryn chuckled gently and stepped aside, motioning toward the glowing entrance beneath the Heartwood Tree’s roots. "Come. Your reward awaits. And after that... who knows where your journey will take you."
The group moved forward, one by one. Even Lily and Penny, once gently deposited onto the ground, managed to stumble along...albeit with eyes still glazed with longing, but at least upright.
The majesty of Nature could be felt in the air now. The moment of reward was near. And beyond it, so was the future.