“A flash… of light?” Crow repeated confusedly when John answered his question. He wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting, but it certainly wasn’t that. He had no idea what the knight was talking about. Sure, he’d fallen asleep for a while, but he wasn’t a heavy sleeper by any means. If something like that had really happened, then he would have woken up… right? He shifted his weight slightly, suddenly unsure. Though he still didn’t understand what was going on, something definitely seemed off. He should have at least woken up when Penelope’s father had appeared. Was it really possible that he’d slept through more than just that? The realization made him swallow nervously.

As Penelope pulled back from him to meet his gaze, he stared at her in astonishment as she hurriedly began to explain everything he’d missed. To say that he was shocked by the information was an understatement. The thief blinked as she talked about how the Brerratic god, Toreus, had visited her and given the exact same warning that Aeklora had said to him two years ago. Somehow, knowing that the goddess’s prophecy about the destruction of the kingdoms was still in effect after all this time sent an ominous shiver up his spine. He’d been hoping that even though the staff had never made it to the former king of Brerra, enough had changed that they would be alright now, but apparently, things were worse than he’d even imagined.

Just when he’d thought she was finished, Crow’s eyes widened as Penelope continued on to say that her mother had appeared to both her and her father after Toreus had left. He didn’t know what to think about that. A mixture of emotions filled him: Joy that she had been able to meet her mother after all this time, bewilderment about why the Brerratic god would have granted her the opportunity, and even a little jealousy that Aeklora hadn’t given him the same chance to speak with his mother two years ago. Overall though, he simply felt overwhelmed by everything she had just told him at once.

“That… That’s great,” he said, stumbling slightly over his words as he tried to process it all. Shaking his head, he ran his hand through his hair again. “Gods, how did I sleep through all that?” he mused with a frown. Suddenly, he wondered if his spontaneous exhaustion hadn’t been a coincidence. [i]Did Toreus do it?[/i] he thought, glancing over his shoulder at the glassy pond. It made some sense. After all, Aeklora had spoken to him alone when she’d visited. Perhaps this god had wanted to speak to Penelope one on one too. Still, he wished he hadn’t been knocked out. Communing with the gods was a unique experience, and he would have liked to get a second opportunity to do it.

Meeting Penelope’s gaze again, the thief gently ran one hand over her back. “Do you think we should go back to the inn?” he asked softly. “It sounds like you’ve had a crazy night.”