It was a cold morning, on the edge of a forest, with a pleasant view of a grey little town. Under the canopy of trees, three Avarians had made camp and were slowly waking to a modest dawn. The first to wake was a girl with blonde hair. She got to her feet and yawned. She had the privilege of sleeping on a blanket she had laid over the hard ground to keep her bright clothes clean. Her two companions had no such luxury.
She walked over to the first companion, who was sleeping propped against a tree. He slept peacefully, still dressed in his uncomfortable guard's armour. "Tim, wake up!" When that failed, she gave him a solid kick and stepped over to the second companion, who was lying in the grass, and whispered to him. "Erik, wake up."
Erik woke up irritated. "What do you want, Ana?" Ana knelt beside him and started tugging at his dark clothes. "I can't wake him up." He offered her only an unoriginal idea. "Kick him if you have to."
Ana continued with mild disappointment. "I already tried." Erik didn't see this as a problem worth solving, until she added: "Could you teach me instead?" Erik sat up and glanced at Tim for a moment — who immediately woke up in a panic. Tim looked at his friend and asked in shock: "Are you trying to kill me?!"
Erik lay back down and redirected the conversation. "Ana wants you to continue her training. You can start with an explanation of killing intent." Ana's eyes lit up as she waited for Tim's first lesson of the day. Tim groaned. "Next time, wake me up in a more friendly way."
Tim and Ana began the first lesson while Erik enjoyed having nothing to explain. Tim tried to start with a simple explanation: "So, killing intent falls under a type of Aura that is easier to sense." Tim clenched his fist in front of him and a red flame lit around his palm. "A simple visual example of warm Aura."
Ana studied his flame and Tim continued. "Normally, this is something you would avoid in a fight, because it signals to your opponent when you intend to attack. But the Red King was using it for intimidation even outside of combat — which we previously thought was impossible."
Mid-explanation, Tim turned to Erik: "How did you manage to direct that much hatred at me?" And Erik answered without hesitation: "I pretended, that you were cursed." That was a good enough answer for Tim, but not for Ana. She immediately grew angry with both of them: "Don't be so mean. The cursed are just as worthy of life as anyone else."
Tim and Erik had already started ignoring her. Tim muttered just quietly enough for only Erik to hear: "I know we chose the route through the Wastelands, but I really don't want to run into anyone cursed if I can help it." Erik nodded blankly along to Ana's explanation, which was too boring to include in the story, and muttered back to Tim: "Funny that Ana sees cursed people as... well, people."
Ana proudly concluded her speech: "...and lived in coexistence and harmony." Erik began to clap and Tim dramatically announced: "You're right. From now on, we'll be more compassionate toward those talking monsters."
Tim clapped his hands a few times and continued more seriously. "Today's plan is a little different. We're running low on food and ahead of us is a settlement. I'll scout around first, see what's where, and get us breakfast. Tomorrow we'll try to sell the herbs we found along the way and buy supplies for the road. This is just a short stop. Is that clear?"
Ana nodded along, barely following. Erik nodded without listening. Tim wrapped up his plan: "For now, just stay here. Erik, look after her and continue the lesson." Ana began to nod and Erik stared in confusion as Tim walked off toward the town. Erik ran a hand through his black hair.
Erik asked nervously: "So... what are you curious about?" After a brief pause, Ana asked: "I saw warm Aura. So what other kinds are there?" Erik was slightly relieved — this question wasn't difficult and the answer wasn't long. "There's also cold Aura."
Ana, fully enthusiastic, followed with a flood of questions: "What are the differences, what is it used for, and can you show me?" That was too much for him — he couldn't just summon Aura outside of combat the way Tim could. It was already strange enough that killing intent was possible without actually intending to kill anyone.
Erik set a leaf onto his open palm and focused his attention on it. The leaf slowly levitated on a soft puff from his palm. "That's cold Aura." The leaf drifted gently past Ana, who watched it with quiet wonder. Ana murmured to herself: "Wouldn't it make more sense to...?" When she turned back to Erik, he was already gone.
Ana considered her options. She looked up into the treetops, but when she couldn't find him, she gave up and said: "What if we both went into town, and then you wouldn't have to teach anymore?" Erik gave up too and stepped over to her, muttering: "Sounds wonderful — but only because I'm hungry." They set off toward the town in silence, making Erik the happiest he could be.
***
No one would have guessed they were travelling together. Not only was she far better dressed than him, they didn't even look at each other. They walked two steps apart down the street, in silence. The houses and market stalls were barely standing — if she hadn't known better, she might have thought the town was at war. But being a settlement in the wasteland explained the situation all on its own. There weren't many people on these grey streets. The houses of grey stone felt far from home for two quiet travellers.
The girl in white stopped and muttered to herself: "You've disappeared again." Her companion had left without a word before she even noticed. She looked across the market stalls, frustrated to once again be searching for a darkly dressed boy among darkly dressed people. When she spotted him at a stall that was selling knives, she let out a quiet breath of relief. Instead of joining him, she simply wandered over to a nearby stall of fresh fruit.
She bought two sweet pieces of fruit and returned to walking down the street. It wasn't long before he rejoined her. She tossed one of the fruits to him without looking his way. He caught it without turning toward her. And still, no one would have guessed they were travelling together.
While they snacked, the girl tried to start a conversation. "Do you know where Tim is?" Erik yawned into the cold morning air before answering. "I'd guess he's scouting ahead of us." He could have said he knew for certain, but then he'd have to explain how he was able to sense Tim's aura. Better to just enjoy the fruit and silence.
Ahead of them, the street lit up in the distance. "Em, Erik. Is that him?" she asked, nervous. Erik kept his relaxed pace and replied with doubt: "That could be anyone." She quickly swallowed the last of her snack and stared into the distance, certain. The light was getting closer, the streets were emptying before they even realised, and in the distance, red flames appeared.
Erik stopped. The fruit fell from his hand. He said with complete seriousness: "Ana... That's him." With all the sarcasm she was physically capable of, she crossed her arms and said: "Who would have thought?" Erik quickly ran to Ana, scooped her up in his arms without breaking stride, and continued sprinting away from the light and the flames.
Ana lay comfortably in his arms, watching the flames behind them: "He's catching up." And Erik answered breathlessly as he sprinted: "Not now!" Ana did not wrap her arms around him — she kept them crossed. From her carried position she looked ahead and continued her critique: "There's a dead end ahead!" Erik replied with the same lack of composure: "Not now!"
With a running start, he threw Ana over the building and shouted: "Hold on!" Ana flew over the two-storey obstacle and called back in irritation: "What exactly do you want me to hold onto?" Erik was too busy ignoring the door ahead of him, which shattered as he aggressively entered a library with a regrettable lack of proper quiet. He sprinted past empty bookshelves, down an empty hallway, and launched himself through another door in his own unique way.
On the other side of the library stood a modestly beautiful fountain. And Ana was about to land on the less wet or comfortable elements of this surprisingly lovely structure in this terribly and carelessly built little town. Erik leapt over the fountain without hesitation and caught Ana back into his arms. He barely landed on his feet on the other side, but when Ana elegantly stepped down from his arms onto the ground, he lost his footing entirely.
Ana looked back through the fountain and saw the broken door: "Erik, I'm proud of you. You only destroyed the doors." The silence and the absence of people around the fountain was decorated by a loud crash. Through the library and into the fountain flew a... man? Destroying the library and the fountain.
Ana reflexively raised her arms in front of her face for protection. "This is like that time in the tavern," Ana thought. Tim had been eating, Erik only drinking, and she had been snacking — but the noise and chaos of the dining hall was nothing compared to the current crumbling of stone. When Tim had started the fight, plates and glasses had flown through the air, but not as fast as the rubble now flying toward her.
"Ana!" Erik had called out to her. Was that now, or was it back in the tavern? She had set down her snack and crossed her arms. "I know." Right after that, Erik had grabbed her and carried her over his shoulder out of the tavern just before the red flames erupted inside. Erik had been singed when he shielded her with his body just outside the tavern. In thanks, she had told him only: "Never carry me like that again!"
Ana tried to focus, but her thoughts drifted again. "Tim, save me!" she thought, which reminded her of a dark evening under the canopy of trees. Tim had been tending the fire and had told her: "When I'm not around, you can count on Erik to get you out." The sharp stones were slowly getting closer, but she was moving even slower. Erik, on the other hand, had no trouble picking himself up off the ground after his landing that was insufficiently elegant.
Erik stood between Ana and the rain of stone that was not as gentle as anyone would have liked. Ana, frozen with her arms raised in front of her face, waited for Erik to carry her away. She looked through her fingers and saw Erik holding his arms open wide — but not coming toward her. Despite trying to focus, Ana slipped into an old memory.
When she had first joined Erik and Tim on this journey, they had set only two rules. The first was that if anyone snapped their fingers, it meant run — no questions asked. And the second was that if she ever sensed possible danger, she should cross her arms so she wouldn't hurt herself when one of them tried to rescue her.
Ana's eyes began to fill with tears. "Grab me! Carry me like a barrel if you have to! Hurry up, even if it hurts! Just move!" None of it came out. She couldn't even move her hands. Her vision blurred with tears, which only made the sound of falling stone louder. Beneath the slow crashing of stone on stone and stone on Erik, Ana almost managed to hear quiet words from Erik's lips.
She tried to look at her rescuer through tears and fingers. He held his arms open like wings that had nearly wrapped around her. His dark clothes were decorated with red stains. And the grey hail continued to fall on Erik, who stood over Ana like a broken umbrella.
***
Down the street, Tim was walking with three ripe pieces of fruit in his hands. One for himself and two for his companions, safe back at camp. He was taking in the sights of the little town when he noticed a cursed figure standing beside a small, crying girl. Tim tried to continue his modest stroll and reasoned with himself: "If I attack him and it turns out to be a misunderstanding, Ana will complain again that I'm judging based on appearances." The cursed were people who had become monsters. How was Tim supposed to not judge them? They were just aggressive and ugly monsters that happened to talk.
Tim turned around on the street and walked back to the crying girl, then asked the cursed: "Hello. Could we please fight?" Every cursed man, women or child was under one of twelve types. But right now Tim hates this type the most. The man, if you can still call him that, is tall, with fat belly, his hair was all but gone and his nose is almost as flat as pig's, but a pig would't look as hideous with it.
The man was so monstrous that nothing could be read from his expressions: "Of course, I do sometimes feel like just hitting someone." Tim smiled with satisfaction. "I know we could demolish buildings during a fight, but I'd rather not cause unnecessary damage — what if we went..." The cursed man saw his hesitation as unnecessary and threw the first punch.
Tim stopped the powerful blow with one hand, but the fruit fell to the ground. With notably less goodwill, he finished the sentence: "...to the fountain where there's no one around." Aura lit up around Tim and blazed red. "The fountain should be in that direction and the only thing in the way is the bookless library," Tim thought, as he prepared to hit back. The poor man closed his eyes and raise his arms in front of himself. Tim's punch sent the man flying through the air toward the fountain.
Tim knelt beside the crying girl and asked: "Hey there, little one. Why are you crying?" She looked up at him through tears and quietly explained: "I got lost. Today a... kind lady... was going to bring a story... and read it to me... at the library. But I don't know where it is!"
The little girl looked around and asked. "Is the kind man alright?" Tim watched the man disappear thru the library in the distance, and thought to himself: "I have impressively messed up."
With regret, he tried to salvage what he could and comforted the girl: "You know, you couldn't find the library because cursed people destroyed it this morning in one of their fights." He didn't like lying, but it was still morning, and a cursed person really had destroyed a building in a fight, as they usually did. The girl only cried harder. "But they said they wouldn't fight near the fountain."
At those words, Tim froze for a moment. The library had been empty when he'd scouted around — the cursed man wasn't a concern — but the fountain... He thanked her quickly and broke into a run toward the fountain. A smile of pure, grateful relief spread across Tim's panicked face. "I messed up — but at least there shouldn't be too much damage."
At the ruined fountain stood Ana, unharmed, and Erik, with considerably less luck.