We walked back to the Pavilion as the evening dragged on. The night wasn't as sultry as the day in the harvest season. I could feel the chill began to seep through my clothes.

After the encounter with Issarak, Morokot seemed quieter, but given the change of circumstance, it was understandable.

A few callings of our names disquieted the silence. I turned to see the twin avatars, Romany and Romanir, running towards us.

"We didn't expect to see everyone here," the boy, who must be Romany, spoke in a childlike excitement.

"We saw Issarak flaring his nostrils like a mountain bull a while ago," the other twin added. "And we...