Four days after. Dayesh's team finally returned.
When the heavy doors of the guild office opened and three figures stepped inside, the shift in atmosphere was immediate and impossible to ignore.
Conversations did not just slow. They faltered. Like a rhythm that suddenly forgot how to continue.
Chairs creaked as bodies turned. Glasses paused mid-air. Even the usual background noise of metal, boots, and low chatter seemed to thin out, as if the space itself was trying to listen.
Eyes followed them.
"That's them."
"They actually came back!"
"I thought no one returns from Varkhenn."
The whispers overlapped, not quite quiet enough to be ignored, not loud enough to be confronted.
They carried a mixture of disbelief, curiosity, and something closer to unease. Because survival was one thing. Returning from that place was something else entirely.
Ghoth exhaled through his nose, dragging a hand through his hair like he could brush off the attention.
"Yeah, yeah," he muttered under his breath. "Keep staring. We're real."
But even he did not sound entirely relaxed. Not after what they had just walked through.
Khafa did not react at all.
His steps remained steady, measured, as if nothing about the room had changed. His eyes were already locked on the counter ahead, cutting through the noise with quiet focus. He did not acknowledge the stares. He did not acknowledge the whispers. He simply moved.
Dayesh placed the folded quest slip on the counter. "Completed."
"Goodness gracious! You always amazed me Dayesh!" Rana exclaimed.
Ghoth cleared his throat, "how about us two?"
"Well, you two also are amazing. Almost unscathed!" Rana declared.
Ghoth leaned slightly toward Khafa, lowering his voice.
"If this ends with them saying 'sorry, no reward,' I am flipping a table."
Khafa did not even glance at him. "Do not," he said calmly. "That would reduce our payout further."
"Just kidding, I'm just reducing the tesnion I felt since after our quest there."
Minutes passed. It feels stretched.
Like time itself had not fully returned to normal after Varkhenn.
The shift in atmosphere was immediate. Like something had just reasserted order over the room.
She walked toward them without hesitation, arms loosely crossed, her gaze sharp but measured. She looked at Khafa. At Ghoth. Then at Dayesh.
"You guys did really well," she said.
Khafa let out a short breath that almost turned into a laugh. "Well I will keep that as a compliment, we almost die actually." then he laughed at his own thought.
"Okay then, please report."
Ghoth stepped forward slightly. "We entered through the main gate. First layer applied weight suppression. Reactive constructs. Adaptive to impact patterns but manageable."
Rana nodded once. "Second layer?"
"Echo distortion," Ghoth continued. "Perfect reflections. Not illusions. Perception manipulation. Induced hostility between targets."
Khafa crossed his arms. "Almost killed each other," he added. "Fun experience."
A few people nearby shifted uncomfortably at that.
"How did you clear it?"
A brief pause.
Ghoth's eyes flickered toward Dayesh. Then back.
"Anchor disruption."
Something in Rana's expression sharpened. "Confirmed anchor point?"
"Yes."
She shifted her attention. "Third layer."
Khafa exhaled slowly, rubbing the back of his neck. "That one was worse."
He paused, searching for the right words. "Nothing attacking you directly. Just… messing with your head. Memory drift. You start second-guessing every step."
Rana listened carefully. "And the Core?"
Silence. A deeper one.
Then Dayesh spoke. "Perception entity."
Rana's gaze locked onto him. "Define."
"Not a standard boss," he said. "Cognitive intrusion. Hypnosis field. Induced conflict between targets."
Khafa let out a breath. "Yeah. One second we're fine, next second I'm ready to swing at him."
He pointed at Ghoth.
Ghoth added quietly, "It manipulated interpretation. Not emotion directly. It made us misread intent."
Rana went silent. Processing. Layer by layer.
"And you cleared it?" she asked.
"Disrupted synchronization."
She turned slightly. "Im gonna process your rewards."
Rana left for a moment to get their rewards. Then got back after minutes.
"Twenty thousand gold."
Khafa froze. "Wait. Wow"
He leaned forward to look again. "That's actually twenty thousand."
"Alright," he said. "Worth it."
Rana closed the chest. "Take it and leave before the entire guild decides to follow you home."
Khafa grabbed the chest."Noted."
They are ready to leave when suddenly...
"Excuse me."
Suddenly, they heard a voice. The voice was soft.
A woman stood a few steps behind them.
Dark violet clothing. Fitted, but practical. Clean lines that followed her form without excess. Long hair falling naturally, slightly tousled but intentional.
"Are you… the group hiring for a housemaid?" she asked.
Rana answered calmly. "Yes. We are still reviewing applicants."
The woman stepped forward just a little. "Then I would like to apply."
Then her eyes shifted to Dayesh.
And for the briefest moment, her composure slipped.
"I mean," she corrected quickly, "I have experience in basic household work. Cleaning, organizing, cooking assistance…"
Rana stepped closer. "Name."
"Rosarie."
"Experience?"
"General maintenance. I adapt quickly. I do not require repeated instruction."
"I can also manage inventory," she added quickly. "And work independently." Rosarie added.
Rana crossed her arms. "Why apply here?"
Rosarie paused. "Because I need work."
"Obviously." Khafa and Ghoth said in unison.
"You hear what she said Dayesh?"
"Yeah clearly." he replied.
Rana looked at Rosarie and asked, "Care to start immediately?"
"Y-yes of course!"
"Do you have expected salary?"
"I have but I'm too shy to state it, like a five hundred or above gold per month."
"Okay, settled. Starting salary from seven hundred then will increase when I see your diligence." Dayesh told her.
"T-thank you so much sir!"
"Well then, shall we? By the way do you have your things with you?"
"Yes i brought some of my clothes on me."
Dayesh turn to Ghoth, "Lift her things on the way."
"Yes sir!"
The road back to their house was quieter than usual.
Rosarie walked behind them.
She did not look around much, but she was clearly observing everything. Not in a nervous way. More like she was mapping it silently, storing details without needing to announce it.
The streets slowly transitioned from crowded guild district paths to quieter residential lanes. Fewer voices. Softer lights. Wider space between buildings.
Eventually, the house came into view. Not small, but not extravagant either. A structure that looked lived in rather than displayed.
Dayesh opened the door. A faint shift in atmosphere greeted them immediately.
Laughter slipped through the living room as Sapphire sat comfortably on the carpet, watching Lzith and Amon argue over a simple game they had turned into something unnecessarily competitive.
Lzith leaned forward, pointing at the makeshift pieces on the table. "That move is illegal."
Amon scoffed. "It is strategic."
"It is cheating."
"It is winning."
Sapphire let out a small sigh, but there was a faint smile on her face. She rested one hand on her cheek, watching them like it was entertainment she had long gotten used to.
The shift was immediate, enough that even Lzith and Amon paused mid-argument.
Sapphire was the first to react.
She stood up smoothly, brushing off her clothes. "Welcome home," she said.
Her voice was calm, but respectful.
Khafa entered first, followed by Ghoth.
They both looked… exactly like what she expected.
Tired and covered with dusts and soil.
Like they had been dragged through something unpleasant and barely came back intact.
Sapphire's eyes narrowed slightly."You look like you rolled through a ruin instead of a mission," she said.
Khafa gave a tired grin. "That is because we did."
Ghoth added quietly, "It was efficient."
Sapphire shook her head slightly. "No. It was messy."
Then she exhaled and softened her tone. "I will prepare water. You should wash up."
Before leaving the room, she glanced briefly at Lzith and Amon. "You two behave."
Amon raised a hand lazily. "We are always behaving."
Lzith immediately responded. "That is a lie."
Sapphire ignored them and walked toward the back. As she passed the entrance area again, her steps slowed.
That was when she noticed her. A woman stood near the entrance with Dayesh.
Sapphire paused for a fraction of a second. Then continued walking. But her thoughts did not.
"So that is the new one, i guess"
Sapphire stepped into the water room to prepare the bath supplies, but her mind stayed elsewhere.
Her hands moved automatically, retrieving towels, adjusting the temperature, preparing everything like she had done countless times before.
Yet her focus was split.
Rosarie's image lingered in her mind.
Composed posture. Calm presence. The kind of stillness that did not feel empty, but controlled. Even from a distance, she could tell this was someone who did not easily break focus.
Sapphire lowered her gaze slightly.
Her hands resumed moving, but slower now.
He probably noticed her already.
That thought stung more than she expected. Like something small pressing down again and again until it became noticeable.
Sapphire exhaled softly. She placed the towels down neatly.
A faint smile returned to her face, but it did not reach her eyes.
Someone like her… is better suited to stay here.
"No…"
A soft shake of her head. "Someone like her… will probably make things easier for him."
That was the truth. Even if she did not want to say it fully.
Sapphire picked up the prepared basin and turned back toward the hallway. Her steps were steady again.
But when she reached the living room doorway, her eyes briefly met Rosarie's figure in the distance.
And just for a second, something in her chest tightened again.
Then she smiled politely and walked back in.
"Bath water is ready," she said softly.
She secretly slapped her cheeks softly from what she's thinking at that moment.