Night, ten o'clock.
The carriage passed through the night fog and arrived at the northern edge of Tobesk. The blonde elf, wrapped in a cold-weather cloak, cautiously tugged at Shade's sleeve and followed him down the crooked road into a small village made up of dense clusters of low shacks and simple two-story houses on the outskirts.
Stepping through mud and smelling all manner of strange odors, the two continued away from the city. There were no Gas Street Lamps here, and barely any candlelight could be seen. The village that had formed in reliance on the city seemed to have been left behind by the nearby city on the other side of time.
The village tavern was still lit, with noisy sounds drifting over from afar. Fortunately, it was not on their path. The watchdogs raised by the villagers caught the scent of strangers entering the village, but before they could bark a warning, the scent of a higher life-form frightened them too badly to move.
The temperature after nightfall was below ten degrees, and faint White Fog could be seen escaping their mouths with each breath. The Outlander trudged along the country road, and neither of them spoke as they quickly passed through the village and entered the woods beyond. After less than five minutes along the Path in the Woods, they saw a gravel path and, at its end, the Unnamed Cemetery:
"This is the place. Be careful in a moment. Mr. Corps doesn't have the best temper."
Shade spoke quietly to Emilia, and the Blonde Young Lady immediately nodded. As the Outlander continued leading her forward, he vaguely realized that around this same time one year ago, it had been another blonde young lady who had brought him here for the first time.
And now, that