One day, a traveller found on his path,

A woman with a battered heart.

The traveller was a pious man, and his God was kindness.

Pushed by his faith, he went to the woman.

He did not know the cure to her ail.

So, he talked, gave her water and a piece of bread.

As he tried to leave, suddenly,

The women held out her battered heart.

“Thank you stranger, for your benevolence. Could I ask you to hold my heart while I eat?”

The man, surprised, agreed and held the little battered heart in his hands.

The woman ate, drank, and in the meantime, the battered heart thumped in the traveller’s fingers.

He felt a strange desire grow inside of him.

The seemingly fragile heart was hot and beat strongly inside his hands.

The traveller had never felt such a thing before.

Then came a terrible thought: “What if I kept it? She gave it to me after all, in exchange for bread and water.”

The man was horrified of his own thoughts.

How could he even imagine stealing someone’s heart away, while it had been lent to him willingly and with so much trust?

When the woman finished her meal, as she began thanking the man again for his goodness, he cut her off by giving her the heart back in a hurry.

“You are now sated! Now leave! And never give your heart to anyone else if you do not wish to be cursed as a witch!”

The woman, surprised at the man she thought pious’ sudden virulence, backed off.

“But…” She began.

“Leave I said!”

And she left.

The traveller was alone.

The woman with the battered heart, Janis the White.

“Carle.” Nay said.

“Mhng…”

“Carle!”

“Mh, what?”

“Get out of the tent, go back on the road and hide.”

“Nay?”

“I’m not sure I can beat him. I cannot protect you.”

Carle got out of the tent, still half asleep.

“Are we being attacked?” He asked.

The old man began getting down from the top of his dune. Despite the sand crumbling under his feet, he stayed perfectly straight, giving the impression that he was floating, not falling. His eyes stayed fixed on her.

“Don’t ask questions, just leave.” She commanded.

Finally noticing the man in front of them, Carle understood what kind of predicament they were in. He started putting his shoes on.

“Really!?” Nay shouted.

“Scorpines.” He tried to explain.

“Biach.” She swore.

The man had started climbing the dune they were camping on and seeing how he was navigating through the sand like it was a perfect marble staircase, Nay knew it would be seconds before he reached them. She ran towards the setting sun, begging he would stay focused on her and would not attack the defenceless teenager.

She didn’t feel relieved at all when he did exactly what she wanted and continued pursuing her while ignoring the tent.

“You are Vestigio, are you not?” She asked. Now that he was closer, she was certain he was not armed. His green robe, in a pristine state, could have hidden a dagger or a sword underneath, but Nay knew that even if that were the case, the old man would not draw them.

His Rreico was announcing his desire to bash her skull bare-handed.

“I have no intent in talking with you, Firante.” His voice was deep and powerful, his accent quite familiar. Nay immediately recognized the intonations, reminiscent of her father, which made the words even more painful and shocking.

Before she could recompose herself, he had caught up with her.

“No! I…” She did not even know what she was trying to say, she had to stop anyway to dodge a kick going straight for her head. Without the Rreico, she would never have managed to dodge it. It was too fast and precise. A gush of air followed his strike, slashing the air and whirring inside her eardrums.

The old man seemed surprised, but continued his assault, nonetheless.

“Wait I…” Once again, her begging was interrupted by another strike, this time a punch aimed at her neck. She caught his wrist to stop him, but immediately recognized that she lacked the strength to do so and changed tactics. She used her opponent’s strength to pivot her own body out of the attack’s trajectory.

Once more, he seemed surprised.

“I do not want to fight…” She managed to say. But once more, her words did not reach the master Legio’s ears. His foot struck down the earth, making the sand ripple towards Nay. She felt her footing collapse. He then struck with his other hand; palm opened. Having lost her balance, she had no other choice than to take the hit dead-on, shielding herself with her two arms.

The impact was terrible, and she felt her bones screech painfully. She was projected ten feet away and tumbled down the sandy hill.

“Nay!” She heard.

She grimaced and pulled her head out of the sand. Of course, that idiot had not left.

When she stood back up, unharmed but trembling, she looked upon the old man on top of the dune. His scarlet hair was carried by the wind while the red haze of the sun illuminated his sunken face.

He turned around to gaze upon who had shouted.

Nay internally swore. She had no choice left. With her arms still weakened, she drew her blades.

He heard the characteristic noise and refocused on her.

“I cannot believe this.” He said. Then he jumped.

The leap had been impossible. Seven feet high with no boost, it carried sand all over it.

Nay had foreseen it with the Rreico, but she just did not believe it feasible. Seeing him almost fly in the air to attack her left her speechless.

He was now falling straight towards her, with terrifying speed.

She immediately got out of the way, not even imagining one second of being able to intercept the strike. Her combat roll got her out of the way. Where she had just stood, a deep and heavy noise struck like lightning. When she looked, she saw the old man get his knee out of the sand, his eyes always on her.

“You disgust me. You use my techniques, my son’s, against me. Wasn’t killing him enough!?”

Nay had no time to retort anything, as he started hitting her with a deadly combination of strikes. She knew about this combination, even if it was usually done with a dagger and a sword. The absurdity was, she felt more in danger now against the fists of her adversary, than she felt when facing her father with his blades. She should have had a terrifying advantage, as each time she blocked his attacks she threatened to cut off one of the master Legio’s limbs. But her blades were dodged or deflected, always, as if he knew exactly where she was going to stand and what she was going to do.

She trembled under the assault. Her muscles were battered by the sudden demand with no warmup. Her breath was short, as the energy she had to dispense to anticipate and dodge the inhuman strikes was enormous.

Still, in her core, she was growing calmer and calmer.

He was a master Legio, there was no doubt.

She was not the last.

She exhaled.

The insane rage of his Rreico was hers.

She was the eye of the storm.

The old man’s face froze in shock.

Nay’s Rreico vanished, and, for the first time during the fight, she took the initiative. In a fraction of a second, she crouched under the master’s attack, then she used her hips and waist to turn around, her two hands pushed, and her left feet gripped the ground. They found balance beyond the sand, deep underneath the earth. Then, her right foot went to hit the old man directly in the solar plexus.

He flew back ten feet, swirling dramatically in the air…

And the old man fell back on his two feet, his right shoulder turned in front of his body.

“…I never taught Marke the art of hiding your own Rreico.”

Nay was shocked. He had blocked her attack, even though her Rreico had gone. He had foreseen the unforeseeable strike. Immediately though, she calmed her surprise down, because Nay finally sensed something other than anger in the old man’s rhythm.

“That is because he learned it himself.” She said.

“And how do you know that, Firante? Because along with his Rreico, you also stole his memories? Does your magic truly go beyond the rules of this world!?” His anger was coming back, but Nay still felt the opportunity in his rhythm of life.

She stood back up and sheathed her weapons. She put her left hand on her neck, her right hand on her heart, and bowed.

“No master, I know because he was my father.”

“…What?”

“He taught me the art of the Legios, took me into his home and called me his daughter. In return, I put him in a situation where he had to fight against his friend, your pupil, Redr…”

“DO NOT SPEAK OF THAT NAME IN MY PRESENCE OR I SWEAR I WILL END YOU.”

Nay held back her tongue, shaken by the strength and violence in his words. Still, she kept bowing, and finally, seeing that the old man still looked at her without moving, continued.

“The two men fought; the two men fell. With his dying breath, my father asked me to find you. He told me you could help me fight my demons.”

“You are insane, Firante. Not talking about the fact that Marke could never have beaten my greatest mistake, it is even more unbelievable that he would have adopted you. There are three human beings that could see you for what you truly are, monster, and Marke was one of them. Seeing you, he would have known exactly what he had to do. No, he would have been forced to follow the Truth that was given to him.”

Nay raised her head and looked him straight in the eyes. “You can read my Rreico, and you can see the truth in my eyes. Am I lying?”

He grimaced, his expression full of hatred.

“No, your Rreico contains no lies. But it means nothing. You should never have seen the sunlight of this world, you are the ultimate abomination created by beings that should not exist. I do not trust your Rreico one bit.”

“…then we are in a stalemate.” Nay did not know what else to say. There was no more place for dialogue in the old man’s Rreico. Was her father wrong in sending her here? Obviously, Vestigio knew more about her than she did herself. She understood, with the little that she had, that his hatred was most likely justified. She had enough memories, enough clues to know that.

“It seems to be the case.” Said the old man. “And I heard enough. You shall perish here and now, even if the empire falls with you.”

“STOP!” Shouted a voice.

Nay looked at the boy on top of the dune. Carle was covered with sand, desperately trying not to fall. His eyes were full of distress, but not for him. For her.

Nay felt her heart grip and she tried to stop him: “Carle, I told you to go, you…”

“No! You are Sage Jormun, are you not? The grandest of the Tellers?”

The master Legio turned around.

“It has been a name used to describe me, yes.”

Nay could not believe it. She and Carle were looking for the same person? She had never believed in destiny before, but this was undoubtedly a very weird coincidence.

“Then stop attacking my benefactor! When I will be a Teller, she will be the first to ask me a question, this is what I decided!”

The old man smiled. “I have no reason to respect that wish of yours. Moreover, you will never become a Teller.”

Carle looked like he was punched in the gut. Faced with the cruelty of Vestigio’s affirmation, Nay felt anger start to grow inside her.

Her adversary turned to look at her again, raising an eyebrow.

“I…I…Nevertheless! She saved my life! And I don’t know what she did to you, nor do I know the Truths that you have seen. But one thing I know for sure is that Nay is not a monster! She is a bit weird and crazy strong, true, but she is a normal girl! Only normal girls could show such a sad face when looking at the Northern Star, or so happy when cooking while singing!”

The master stared at him.

“You are clearly under her control. Poor girl. Do not worry, once she’ll be gone, you will be free. I am sorry I will not be able to save you.”

Carle did not let himself be distraught by his words.

“If you truly are the Sage Jormun, then I ask a Question!”

Nay did not understand what happened next.

The furious man in front of her disappeared. His Rreico completely vanished, replaced by the rhythm of life of someone completely different. She could not even qualify it to be human. There was no more anger, no more rage, no emotions whatsoever. Only peace, and the feeling of an infinite ocean of knowledge. Neither man nor woman.

The old man’s posture changed completely. His shoulders relaxed, his back stooped, and suddenly he seemed to be two hundred years old.

“Hello, my boy. You seem to be suffering tremendously because of the words I gave you. I hope you will forgive me. Sometimes, Truth is a curse that should never be revealed.”

Carle looked onto the transformed person in front of him. Despite no physical changes, he too had understood how impossibly the man had changed.

“I…I’d like to ask my question…”

“Not yet. And that question is not necessary anymore, I know the answer already, and it was to that purpose that you wanted to ask it.”

He/She turned around.

“Nay.”

The young Legio did the Legio salute again.

“Master.”

The being inside the old man’s body smiled sadly, came closer and put a hand on her shoulder.

“I am the one who should apologize. I am getting old and am losing myself in anger. You have a good friend. Make him something good to eat in exchange for his help.”

Nay held his gaze, troubled. Inside the elderly’s pupils…he seemed to know everything about her.

“Oh no, not at all. You are most likely the biggest mystery in this world. Look, I didn’t expect you to be who you are. Not at all! And here you are, Marke’s child.” He started laughing. “My pupil. My son. He is my pride until the end. Even if I forget it most of the time.”

Did he read her mind? No, Nay had let her thoughts filter through her face, and he had seen it, just like the Commandare.

“By the way, if I ask you to cook for your friend, it is because I really want to taste your cooking myself. I admit, I still like to overindulge sometimes.”

“I…I don’t understand. Who are you?”

“Sage Jormun, Vestigio, Magdalena, the mute, the Genuine, I have many names. Many Rreicos echo in this old husk. But who I am is not important, my story is one of the past, just with a never-ending epilogue. What interests me is you Nay, who you are.”

“I…I don’t really know how to…”

He raised his hand.

“Another time.” He turned around. “Carle, you and Nay are invited in my humble abode. You will have to follow me, and I most certainly won’t be in a good mood, I apologize in advance. Nevertheless, the time to talk is not yet now, and I would like to hold on to as much time as I can.”

“What?” Asked Nay.

“Sorry, time of answers is not now either. Still, happy meeting you both, Nay, Carle.” He smiled one last time, then Nay felt his Rreico change again, replaced with the one full of anger from before.

The old man stood straight again, his muscles giving the impression of reforming and growing, his posture became one of a man four times younger than he looked.

The master Legio, still holding Nay’s shoulder, pushed her away.

Nay had not reacted in time, even if she had seen the Rreico perfectly in advance. She was way too stunned to do anything and fell straight on her ass. The still warm sand cushioned her fall.

“Disgusting. Whatever I say, I do not want you near me. Pack your things up and follow me.”

After a few seconds, Carl came closer to her, making sure of being a good distance away from the old man the whole time.

“Nay, you alright?”

“Yeah. Physically at least.”

“I’m a bit lost as well, but in any case, we found who were looking for, albeit not like we imagined. We need to pack up camp, and you have to help.”

“Yes…better not make him wait, he doesn’t exactly seem…” She whispered the last word: “…patient.”

The two travellers took five long minutes to get their equipment packed, then they followed the old man through the dunes.

The last sunshine wavered on Nay’s cheek, before completely vanishing behind the horizon. Behind it, a final fragment of deep ocean blue sky remained.