Inside the inn. 

Ashe opened his eyes and immediately felt a bone-chilling cold seeping through his back. The dampness rising from the floor was intense, and his arms were freezing. Wait... why am I lying on the floor?

Ashe sat up to find Lys in her seal pajamas, sprawled across the single bed like a starfish. She had somehow managed to occupy the entire mattress. There was no need to ask what had happened. He had clearly been kicked off.

Watching her little feet twitch outward as she tugged at the blanket, Ashe could vividly picture how the little creature had systematically nudged him off the bed, inch by inch.

After tucking the blanket back around the little seal, Ashe quietly took a seat in the chair beside the bed. Leaving the room dark, he summoned his Secret Poison Diary and flipped to the back to log tonight's experiences and spoils.

The front of the diary was reserved for a chronological log of his adventures, while the back was dedicated to major milestones that demanded immediate recording. The sorcerer who had picked up his duplicate diary seemed to genuinely enjoy the updates, given that the diary's readership was steadily growing. Technically, there was only a single reader, but Ashe still spared no detail. His prose might have lacked elegance, but his sincerity was undeniable.

***

[The Battlefield of Garden] 

The spiral flames pierced the sky like a spear, scattering the Ascending Golden Rain across the entire region. The earth, illuminated...