“I think you’re ready.”

Halueth and Ranaeril were facing Mahon and Jorik one morning. It was a month after the harpies episode, and many things had changed that day in the way the two hunters treated Jorik and Mahon.

They had continued going on expeditions together, but there was something else. A bond built on having lived through the same deadly situation together and survived. They hadn’t talked about Mahon’s ability to teleport or how he had held countless harpies together on his own.

The hundreds corpses of harpies had been mostly cleaned up by their peers by the time they could finally leave the cave, but it was enough of a spectacle for the Hunters to realize how much hidden strength Mahon had.

And Jorik had carried Halueth without even breaking a sweat. Mahon and Jorik had walked through the situation like it was their daily business, without collapsing, without being more tense than they should be, with a proper thinking mindset.

Halueth and Ranaeril had reconsidered the way they saw the seemingly two young men. The Hunters had been in their territory, roaming through the mountains for decades. Of course, they had been impressed by how fast Mahon and Jorik understood and got used to living on the mountains, but they had always considered them as children that needed to be taught.

The lesson they learnt that day against the harpies changed the way they saw them completely. They gave them more leeway while climbing, they let them make more decisions. They knew they could rely on them.

“Obviously, you’ve still a lot to learn,” Halueth completed with a grin, “but we would be holding you longer than we should if we told you to stay. You’re more than capable of crossing through the other side.”

Mahon and Jorik bowed slightly, showing their respect to the people who had helped them achieve their goal and who were actually graduating them from their training.

“Crossing through is both a leisure walk and a perilous journey compared to most of the expeditions we did together. The only danger is the altitude and the weather, since the only path is very high, and there is a lot of climbing involved. But otherwise, there are very few monsters and the journey isn’t that long. Especially since it will be a one-way trip for you.”

“As is customary, we’ll perform a ritual and pray for good weather.” Ranaeril continued after Halueth. “That’ll be the occasion for you to become true Hunters. Afterwards, once we have a good window, we’ll accompany you and show you the way to the Gedrain Kingdom.”

The whole village was gathered in front of a large rocky arch. The structure seemed too particular not to have been carved by human hands, and yet, it was fundamentally so chaotic it couldn’t have been created purposely.

Did it emerge like that directly from mother nature’s hands or was it made by a genius mind thousand of years ago? No one really knew, and it was the perfect example of the relationship of the Hunters with the mountains. Close enough that one couldn’t easily tell one from the other.

Ruith and her husband, Ranaeril, were standing under the arch. Ranaeril had a chain of wild flowers in his hands while Ruith was holding a single page of paper. Books were a scarce commodity in the Silent Bow Clan, but they always had a few extra sheets of papers just for this specific occasion.

Ranaeril gestured to the crowd, and they all sat down cross-legged, directly on the ground. A religious silence followed the rustle of two hundred people sitting on lengthy grass. The chief’s of the Silent Bow Clan smiled with fatherly love at the scene.

“Hunters have many names.” He started with a low voice that easily carried over the clearing. “We change. We grow. We evolve. Sometimes for the worst. Sometimes for the best. But we move forward, because we know life doesn’t wait idly. Hunters!” He called, “You were once at the first step of your journey. You received your first name as a gift that you cherished like we all did. Stand up, and offer it proudly for we all started somewhere.”

Many people among the crowd started to rise and stated their names. There were dozens of people speaking at the same time, so it was hard to make sense of what they said, but bribes could be understood here and there.

“Swift Feet!”

“Clumsy Bow!”

“Picker!”

“Turbulent Spirit!”

In less than ten seconds, everyone except for the children, a few adults, and Mahon and Jorik were standing up with a smile on their lips.

“Hunters!” It was Ruith’s turn to speak to the crowd. “You walked your life like a path through the mountains. You fell, but you rose up. You learned. You made friends on the way. You built something. You grew up. We’re never at the end of the way. But we remember who we were once, just as we have a clue as to who we are now. State your name again. Your current one.”

As the Hunters said their name, they sat back down. Again, names fused and only a few could be heard distinctively among the mass. Mahon observed the men and women who spoke proudly while looking at their pairs.

“Snow Troll Slayer!”

“Curious Cave Explorer!”

“Maker of Life!”

“Keeper of Knowledge and Traditions!”

The religious silence that followed the last name said out loud had something different. It felt more energetic. More serene.

“I’m Ranaeril. And I’m a Hunter. I’ve got the pleasure of having received my twenty-seventh name. A name I wear proudly like all the others before it. I was once Ranaeril, the Reckless Archer. I’m now Ranaeril, the Protective Father of the Silent Bow Clan.” The man then bowed to the crowd.

“I’m Ruith. And I’m a Hunter. I’ve been gifted my twenty-second name. A name I say with as much pride and joy I said my first one. I was once Ruith, the Choleric and Smart Explorer. I’m now Ruith, the Tenacious Mother of the Silent Bow Clan.” As her husband, she bowed to the village as well.

The couple rose up at the same time with a smile on their lips.

“Today, we’re celebrating two things.” Ranaeril started. “We’ll first pray to the gods for a safe passage through the Notitia Peaks. Mahon and Jorik will leave us very soon, and we all know how hard it can be to get through when the sky is raging.”

“It will also do us well to have a few mild weeks to enlarge our garden like we planned to do. This will be the perfect opportunity to seize.” Ruith completed.

With a smile she looked back at her husband who continued his speech.

“The second event is the said ascension of Mahon and Jorik to the rank of Hunters. We’ve pondered with Halueth and realized they were worthy of their first names. Even though their road might not lead them back to us, and even though they might cherish other traditions and maybe never come back to the mountains, they were once part of us. We shared together through the goods and the bads. Today will mark their first day as Hunters, if not in their daily life, in their heart.”

Many heads turned towards the duo who was sitting in the middle of the crowd, and the Hunters bowed slightly to them, often with a happy smile on their face. Mahon felt something tickle in his chest as he received so many kind and benevolent looks. The scene lasted for a couple seconds before the couple of chiefs took back the village’s attention.

Ruith raised her hands above her head as she brandished a sheet of paper towards the sky.

“Twelve Fada brought knowledge to our world. Not because they wanted to take control, but because they wanted to share. Sharing is the only way to live peacefully, and they knew it very well. Today, we share our knowledge back to them.”

As she said so, she cut the sheet of paper in twelve pieces with her fingers and stacked them in the palm of her hand with careful attention.

“I need twelve volunteers. People with more than ten names may rise up and come.”

As soon as she said it, twelve people naturally stood up without consulting each other and walked under the arch. Ruith gave a piece of the torn paper to every one of them, and then she turned to the crowd.

“Close your eyes while they hide it.” She said with a firm voice, and the people obeyed.

Mahon did as ordered as well, but he could still see what happened with his Flow. Although at the shallowest level, It was now a constant companion in his everyday life. He started it as an exercise, but now he had more than enough power to maintain the magic at the minimum level for the whole day.

The twelve Hunters with a piece of paper walked to the arch and snuck their paper somewhere between the cracks and lumps of the rock. They did it alternatively, while the others weren’t looking, to make sure no one but the owner knew where the paper was hidden. The whole operation took some time, but the crowd waited patiently with their eyes closed.

When they were done, the twelve Hunters went back to their place among the other Hunters, and Ranaeril spoke.

“You can open your eyes.” He said with his deep voice. “Sharing is a fundamental of the Fada, as well as unity is. Like this chain of flowers, the Fada were united together and so should we. Take the hand of your neighbors and open your mind to the gods. Pray for the sun no longer to hide, and for the clouds to seek other refuges than our mountains.”

Mahon grabbed Jorik’s hand with his left and a random Hunter’s with his right. Soon, they were all linked together through their hands. Ranaeril grabbed the flowers in one hand and Ruith in the other. The woman then grabbed the hand of a Hunter that was linked to the whole crowd.

WIthout any warning, the flowers started to fade and crumble. In a matter of seconds, only dust was left in Ranaeril’s hand. Through his Flow, Mahon clearly witnessed a flash of magic dispose of the bouquet while twelve points lit on the arch, exactly where the Hunters had hidden their piece of paper.

By the Fada, what is this?

Mahon only knew three magics, and he recognized none of them. He didn’t feel the roughness and stability of the Earth. He didn’t see the volatility and the repressed anger of the Fire. He didn’t notice any resemblance with the efficiency and perfect timing of the Flow.

It was something completely new.

This magic was discrete, almost invisible, but it was still there. It got hold of the twelve pieces of paper, and then, they vanished. They ceased to exist. They hadn’t been destroyed. They were just… gone.

Mahon tried to make any sense of what had happened while the strange magic slowly dispersed until no trace of its presence was left. No one had noticed anything. Not even Jorik, who hadn’t his Flow up.

Before Mahon could dig into it further, Ranaeril’s voice broke the silence of the clearing.

“Now, I believe we’ve two Hunters to welcome in our ranks. Please, Mahon and Jorik. Rise.”

Under the expectant look of the two hundred members of the Silent Bow Clan, Mahon and Jorik stood up and then walked to Ranaeril and Ruith.

“Jorik.” Ranaeril said with a smile while gesturing to the man to come between Ruith and him.

Jorik followed Ranaeril’s instruction until he was facing the crowd, Ranaeril’s hand resting on his left shoulder, and Ruith’s hand resting on his right one.

“We don’t know your story, Jorik, but we know a part of it. A part where you lived among us, talked with everyone, socialized with all, and didn’t hesitate to share what you know without asking for anything back. You’re a man of courage who didn’t hesitate a single instant to help a Hunter, was it for a simple, minor task or in a death or life situation. For all that, you’ve our immense respect and our eternal gratitude.”

“Please, everyone. Welcome to our family, Jorik, the Fearless Benefactor!”

Everyone, including Ranaeril and Ruith, bowed to Jorik for a short instant. Jorik was then asked to move back into the crowd where the Hunters shook hands with him and shared a few words. The whole operation lasted for a few minutes during which Jorik was the focus of everyone’s eyes. He then sat back to his place with a proud smile that Mahon had rarely seen on his face before.

“Mahon.” Ranaeril called and got him out of his reverie.

Following the same procedure as Jorik, he was asked to walk between Ranaeril and Ruith while the woman spoke to the whole village.

“Your complete story is also unknown to us, Mahon. And yet we’ve witnessed some parts. Parts were you mixed humility with feats and miracles that defy common senses. To some, it seems you live in a world of your own. Inaccessible, and yet so close. So real. In a way, you make us think of the Fada, and it almost could’ve been a hint to your name. But we’ve a tradition in the Silent Bow Clan. When one performs a miracle, it should become part of his story. Forever.”

“Please, everyone. Welcome to our family, Mahon, the Slayer of a Thousand Harpies!”