Yesterday, my village perished.

The buildings are untouched, the fields and ground are rich.

Our well, blessed by Canna, still overflows with pure water with no interruption.

The villagers, my students, my friends…

Nothing of them remains. Those still able to talk stay prostrated in front of their homes or on the plaza.

I hear their languished cries and desperate screams from night till morning, from sunrise till sunset. The others…I do not know if their fate is better or not. Half of the women, a few men and most of the children are gone. Their bodies are here, but their spirit is…not there. It took me the entire day to carry them all to put them somewhere safe. I called for help, but I am afraid they will be starving to death before it arrives. Some have just stopped breathing.

Terrence is dead. Alerted by the bellow of Yaedas, I found him in his stable.

I have nothing left. I don’t understand what happened. My spirit is unclear, my memories vague.

I will face the same fate as my friend’s.

But before that, there is a thing I must do.

Be warned.

What we went through, was the coming of the Devourer.

It is a calamity that takes the guise of man.

Document n°57/348 about the appearances of the Devourer. Signed by Sage-Brother Belzé, who perished in 123 after the war of the Firantes.

“You are so unbelievably slow.”

Vestigio’s mocking was unending. He was navigating through the dunes with supernatural ease, but the same thing could not be said about Carle and Nay, and he had no qualms about reminding them of that fact every five minutes. The boy fell often, and Nay herself had to be careful of where she stepped.

They had walked for an hour now, and the temperature had already drastically fallen. Nay had lent some of her warmer clothes to Carle and was now wearing some more layers herself. The old man seemed perfectly content with his simple robe.

Its green colour was identical to Carle’s and the boy told her that this was how had guessed that Vestigio and Sage Jormun were one and the same person.

The light of the stars illuminated the desert, but everything looked the same under the shadows, and Nay had stumbled more than once as she walked over the edge of a dune without knowing.

“It looks like you never walked on sand before.”

Nay had let most of his comments pass, but on this one, she felt the need to say something back.

“Yes, that’s exactly it.”

“Just lost your virginity then.” The old man began to laugh.

Nay grimaced.

She put some distance between her and the Legio, re-joining the boy that was lagging behind.

“You don’t seem happy.” He said.

“I shouldn’t have said anything back to him.”

“No, probably not.”

“You ok?” She asked.

“Yeah, the sand is still warm, so whenever I fall, it warms me up.”

Nay chuckled.

“Idiot.”

“That, I am not. I take pride in the fact of being quite smart.”

“You sound just like Trinne.”

They walked in silence for a few.

“You’re talking about this Trinne quite often. Did she…does she live in Gite?”

“Yes.”

“…on top of the plateau.”

“She promised that she would leave before the Angel came.”

“Oh, well, that’s good!... You don’t look relieved.”

“I don’t get why she let people think that this was a Carradin attack.”

Carle gave her a confused look.

“I’m sorry, I’m lost, what?”

Nay sighed.

“Trinne, the one I am talking about, is the Duke’s daughter.”

Carle gave out a shout of surprise. “What!? Really? I thought it was a coincidence!”

“We were both enrolled at the Academy.”

“And you had the Duke’s daughter as a friend?”

Nay scratched her cheek.

“It’s a bit more complicated than that.”

“All right…but in any case, she matters a lot to you, right?”

“I…yes. She saved my life. I still worry about her because after the Duke’s death, she should have inherited the seat of power. And she knows no Carradin is involved in this attack.”

Sadness passed through Carle’s eyes.

“If she…she should have confirmed the rumours about it, and the newspaper would have told a different story…Nay, maybe they made a mistake, or wrote the paper before reaching her.”

“That is possible. Trinne may also have refused the position, or been unable to take it because she’s a girl…or maybe they realized what we’ve done…” She whispered the end of her sentence.

“Nay, it’s going to be all right. She’s alive.”

The young Legio gave a sad smile. “I think so too…”

The stars were shining, unaltered by the lights created by man. Temperatures were freezing now, and with each breath, a large cloud of vapour exited their mouths, visible through the relative darkness.

“Hurry up, I don’t want to walk under the sun because of you. My old body would not handle that well.”

Carle did not even manage to grunt; he was too busy shivering.

“But it can handle cold with no problem?” Retorted Nay, who was losing her patience. After hours of hearing the same insults repeated over and over, even the young Legio could not handle much more. She was holding the young boy by the shoulders, making sure he did not fall anymore. The sand would have been covered in ice if there had been any humidity in the air.

“Cold? It’s barely even freezing. A Blizzard of Hi, that’s cold.”

Nay kept her mouth shut, surprised by his choice of words.

“But you know what I’m talking about, don’t you, Firante?”

“Firantes don’t exist.” Nay replied factually.

“I know that, but it’s the name you lot deserve.”

His renewed hatred did not bother Nay, in truth, it even calmed her.

She sighed before continuing. “That is most likely true. But all of it does not matter anymore. It is in the past. I’m the last, my clan has been obliterated by Angels, why carry on with this anger?”

The old man turned around to look at her. He was a few feet in front and waited for her to arrive next to him to talk again.

“…If I had known earlier…but no, I don’t trust you. In any case, you’re most certainly not the last.”

“Just do what you want.”

Carle interrupted them. “Not to b-b-bother you b-b-both, b-but…are we here y-yet?”

“Two hours more, girlie. At this pace, we’ll arrive just after sunrise.”

“A-am a b-b-boy.”

“Really? I thought I was mistaken before. Well then, stop complaining and walk. You better not act like a girlie, as you’re looking like one already. Wouldn’t want to be even more confusing now, would you?”

Nay clenched her teeth shut.

“He’s twelve.”

“And? Would you have complained, at his age?”

“I am a Legio, I faced Blizzards of Hi since my birth, the comparison is absurd.”

He sneered.

“Excuses, all of it.”

“You are disgusting.”

“Good, I have no desire to be liked by a Firante.”

“So? How is that related to the way you treat Carle?”

The old man looked troubled one moment, then the expression was quickly replaced with anger.

“I don’t need to listen to you.” And on those words, he glided over on the sand to put some distance between them.

“It w-was n-n-nice of you, Nay, b-b-but let it g-go. He’s right.” Carle said.

“No. Not only is he wrong, but he’s saying it in the worst way possible. I don’t understand, my father always talked about him as someone strict, but fair.”

“Sometimes, p-people get old and it b-b-brings the b-b-bad out.”

The boy lost his footing at that moment, but Nay caught him before he could fall.

“T-thanks.”

“No problem.”

“I’m a-a-ashamed.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. You are a priest, not an ex-Ducal guard apprentice. To each their strengths.”

He did not say anything back to her, he kept his head down.

The young Legio gazed upon the stars. They were following Adienha’s star but were diverging west. She hoped that the old man knew what he was doing or finding their way would be impossible. She had a moment of doubt, what if he was just bringing them to an empty place in the desert and abandoned them there?

She bit her lower lip. It was too late now; she could only pray that it was not the case.

The sun rose, and the horizon suddenly showed something other than yellow.

“An oasis?” She guessed.

“Correct.” The old man answered.

Far away, a speck of blue and green disturbed the monotonous view.

A few minutes passed, then Carle spoke. He was cold to the bones; Nay had been stuck to him like glue in the last hour so she could warm him up with her body temperature. Without her to hold him, he would not be standing.

“W-w-why are w-w-we not going tow-w-wards the oasis?” He asked.

“I was asking myself the same thing.” Nay added.

“Are you both really idiots? Unbelievable. That’s a mirage, the oasis is more to the north.” The master Legio replied with the most derogatory tone possible.

Nay closed her eyes, thanking her mother and father for their precious tips about anger. If not for them, she would have attacked the old man right here and now, and most likely lost.

The oasis was much bigger than what Nay thought. The water surface was miles in diameter, and there was a big forest of thick bushes and palm trees around it. A wooden house with a roof of woven leaves was standing on one of the shores. Next to the building, an outhouse and a vegetable garden were the only other signs of human activity there.

“I can give the boy a bed, but not you.” The master Legio announced as he pointed his finger towards her.

“W-w-what!?” Carle shouted.

“Let it be, I have no desire to share a roof with a misogynistic bitter old man.” Nay replied. She also did not want to sleep next to someone who could potentially surprise her in her sleep. The tent felt safer.

“As if I was interested in a Firante.”

“I bet you drink enough alcohol for that to stop mattering at some point.”

“Shut up.”

She had guessed correctly; her nose had not been wrong. Ra’fa would have been proud. Or not, because Nay had just outed her new-found knowledge just to taunt him. Now that she thought about it more carefully, she would have been punished with mushroom soup for a week. She sighed.

“Fine. I’m tired, I’ll start a fire and cook something. I agreed to make you something, but I have the feeling it wasn’t you exactly.”

He snorted. “As if I’d eat your poison.”

Hearing about food, Carle stopped slouching. “I’ll help you w-w-with the t-tent and the fire.”

Nay raised an eyebrow. “That’s nice of you, but really, don’t worry about it, even if you do nothing, I’ll give you some.”

“N-n-no, I w-w-want to help.”

“Fine, you can go pick up some wood it’ll w…”

Vestigio interrupted them. “No, the boy isn’t allowed anywhere else in the oasis.”

Nay gave him a questioning look. “And why is that?”

“Because the creatures and animals around here know that this is my place, and the rest is theirs.”

The young woman knew perfectly well he would not have given this warning if she was the one who had proposed to go. It was not necessary though, she had the Rreico, and he knew it.

“Fine, help me with the tent, don’t stop moving. Rub your torso to warm yourself up if you’re too cold. Is that okay?”

“P-p-probably not. I o-only set it up o-o-once. I’ll do m-my best.”

“Not to impede your plans, but I’m going home. Carle is it? Follow me, I’ll show you where to sleep.” Vestigio said.

Carle rubbed his torso. “Yes Sage.”

“Call me Vestigio, or Master.”

“…Yes Vestigio.”

Nay saw the two men enter the building. She sighed and walked towards the trees.

The noise of this almost tropical forest was more than strange to Nay’s ears. No Frigelles or suicidals. She felt the Rreico of little critters, and unknown insects made weird noises, between the sound of boiling water and popping bubbles. She saw a scorpine for the first time while picking up a perfect piece of wood for the fire. Its two front legs rose, the ones with the venomous stingers, ready to attack. It was the size of the palm of her hand.

“Hssssss”

Completely unfazed, she picked up the insect and threw it away.

The ground was rich here, and many animal tracks littered the place. She noticed some traces of a thing she had no knowledge of. It was not exactly reassuring. Its footprint was like five thin tendrils, inches deep, meaning it weighted the same thing as a grown man. She also found a feather the size of her arm, covered in sand, in a fern at eye-level.

Nay grimaced. This discovery she would not reveal to Carle, but she would very much insist for him not to explore around here.

When she came back to Vestigio’s home, her tent was up, and Carle was making a small pyramid shape construction with what seemed to be paper.

“Well done.” She congratulated him.

He jumped in surprise, before raising his head and recognizing her. “Oh, Nay, I didn’t hear you. I…well Vestigio helped me. Or not really Vestigio, I think.”

Nay’s eyebrow rose. “Ah?”

“It’s a bit crazy. He was insulting me because of all the place I was going to take inside when suddenly, he smiled. Then he brought me warm clothes, an extra blanket, offered some milk and helped with the tent. He even gave me last week’s newspaper to start the fire, then he went to sleep because his shoulder hurt or something like that.

Nay scratched the top of her head. “All right…Like last night?”

“No. Well, yes, the change was as sudden as last night, but he had a Jarulavien accent now!”

“Uh huh. In any case, it is not a mystery to be solved this morning. Thank you for your help.”

“You’re welcome. Everything all right in the forest?”

“Many scorpines, I’d advise you to follow our graceful host’s advice, and not to go into the oasis.”

He gave a sarcastic laugh.

“I’m not interested in painful suicide, don’t worry about that.”

Nay nodded, put some branches next to him, and took out her fire stones from her bag.

Two hits and the fire was alive.

“I’m still as perturbed by the use of paper for that, but undeniably, it’s effective.” Nay noted.

Carle didn’t react to her speaking out loud, and carried on another subject.

“He told me someone was bringing him some food and the newspaper every week from Makaka. We’ll have to go there this week, but after that, we can ask the guy to resupply us as well.”

“Mhh, not freely I suppose.”

“No, I’ll have to find a job in Makaka if Vestigio can’t help me.”

“I would not count on that.” Nay put her pan on the fire.

Carle laughed. “Me neither, but who knows? Maybe one of his transformations will have a charitable mind?”

“The city isn’t far, I suppose?”

“He said one hour. I don’t know if it’s one hour for him or a normal human being though.”

“In any case, even if it is two hours, it’ll make our life easier. I’ll need to learn the way there; in case we need to leave because one of his changes makes him even more angry and insufferable.”

Carle did not say anything, only shaking his head in approval.

After a pause, he talked again.

“What about you Nay? Are you also going to find a job in Makaka?”

“For now, I have enough money to avoid that. I hope Vestigio will have taught me what I need to learn before I need to consider something like that. I need to stay low.”

“Without wanting to be intrusive but, where is all that money coming from?”

“It is. Trinne and my salary.” Nay answered him, nonetheless.

They stopped talking again, and Nay began cooking. She softly sang the Air of Seasons.