Schism, what a strange word that is. Used by many peoples as an expression, its meaning varies slightly from culture to culture, the most common referring to the distant past, for example, "I haven't been able to sleep in a good bed since before the schism!" What a strange word, and what a strange twist of fate that we have forgotten its meaning, a meaning powerful enough that we still use it today when we have forgotten why.

Excerpt from Thoughts of a Traveller, Lenaël Vi'Radia

It had been nearly an hour since dawn when the preparations for their departure were completed. After the orders for their departure had been announced they had met one last time to decide what they could do, which was not much. They had been promised freedom once their task was completed, but the young humans were unsure how to respond. They doubted the sincerity of such a gesture, which was more like the carrot offered to cattle heading for the slaughterhouse. And even if they managed to make the towers work and thus close off the mountains to the Rhogar peoples and their sudden desire to conquer, what would they do next? They didn't have the answer and this question obsessed them, or at least it obsessed Leila. Even though she had befriended Zarune, the rest of her people were not very receptive to the idea of cohabitation.

Of course, Leila hadn't given up on the idea of finding a way home, she missed her family, although she avoided thinking about them for fear of collapsing, her chest caught in a painful vice, but it would still be reassuring to know that there was a place in this world that wasn't hostile and unknown to her.

It was a waste of time, of course, so it was with a face darkened by these concerns that she walked down the ramp from the palace to the base of the trunk of the mother tree of the city of Irvanon.

She ran into Jonah, who had stopped abruptly, and was about to explain to him coldly what she was thinking when she saw what had surprised her comrade.

- What is this, she exclaimed.

In front of her, who was accompanying the twenty or so young Eldar who would be travelling with them, was a monstrous creature with white and green fur. Almost as tall as her, these monstrous creatures with powerful muscles looked a lot like the tigers of her world, with the fangs and feline eyes that went with them, but with a glint of inhuman intelligence in their pupils that would have aroused Leila's curiosity if she hadn't been frightened by this apparition.

Beside her, Marie groaned and backed away hastily under the mocking looks of the Eldar. At this reaction Leila's face froze, her eyes glazed over and she was about to make a reflection that would have wiped the amusement off their faces when Zarune prevented her from doing so by approaching with a big smile and laughing eyes, totally unaware or acting as if she was unaware of the tense situation.

- These, Leila, are Teriathe, and they will take us to the Jengai pass.

At this word, Teriathen, she heard new Eldar words a flash of pain roughly translated its meaning in her head. To her Teriathe meant both swift runner, long tooth and immemorial companions and even so, she had a sort of aftertaste of unfulfillment as if these very words were not enough to describe all the subtlety of their name, very frustrating she thought.

- Really," exclaimed Aurora with stars in her eyes. It sounds wonderful.

And she slowly approached her hand raised towards the beasts in question with an excited smile on her lips. Seeing this, Jonah pretended to stop her, worried about the underlying danger of these creatures, before dropping his hand and quickly approaching Aurora and the Teriathe, his face not reassured.

- Wait a minute," said Mustapha, his voice somewhat altered. I didn't sign up for this.

Zarune, who had moved closer to Aurora to guide her hand, told them.

- Don't worry, they won't hurt you, the Teriathe have been our companions for thousands of years and there is no more faithful companion.

- On the other hand, it doesn't mean he wouldn't take a bite out of a human," said one of the young Eldar under the laughter of his companions.

Zarune turned away from the laughter and gave a cold look to the author of this remark, interrupting the laughter of the young Eldar.

- These young jokers have finished their classes and are going to join us to fight the Rhogar," she said to the young humans. Ignore them, they have lost all sense of propriety.

At these words, the faces of the young Eldar took on a sullen look, or for the proud ones, their usual haughty coldness, but none of them dared to meet her eyes.

Then Zarune accompanied each of them to one of the mounts and gave them advice on how to behave with them. She had more difficulty convincing Marie to ride one of these large creatures but with Jonah's help, they managed to convince her to ride a gentle-looking male. And it was after an hour of adaptation that Veridice arrived accompanied by Lenael and two hard-looking Eldar.

- My children, I know that for some of you this situation is uncomfortable and that others are eager to participate in our defence but please do not forget that we need you alive.

After a quick pep talk from her, the two hard-looking Eldar took the lead of their group and headed west. Without her asking, Leila's mount followed them.

The next stage of this nightmare had begun, Leila thought darkly.

*

Ignoring the sullen looks of his companions Jonah leaned back with his eyes closed and his face turned towards the canopy, the powerful muscles of Tilda her Teriathe moving against his legs.

Jonah missed feeling the caress of the sun, the twilight atmosphere that was life in this Kingdom was a bit depressing. Nevertheless, he was happy to finally leave the stifling atmosphere of Irvanon. The country is essentially built around six major cities spread out far from each other, their trip would be spent mostly camping with a few stops in small forest villages, and Jonah had always loved to camp.

He let his senses blossom, absorbing the energies in the air and began to weave a small stream of cool air to cool himself. How pleasant it was to be able to control this power, it was intoxicating.

Jonah abruptly opened his eyes and was disturbed by the presence of a foreign thread. He turned his head to meet Aurora's laughing eyes. She waved her fingers in amusement, not disturbed by Jonah's annoyed look. Just as he was about to weave a thread of air and fire he stopped when he spotted the hateful gaze of his Eldar companions.

Frowning with genuine annoyance Jonah finally sighed. He had to remember the situation he was in. So instead of practising his weaving, Jonah observed. It was always interesting to understand the dynamics of a group.

But theirs was peculiar. At the front was one of their taciturn guides, the second had gone to the front and was not visible, next to him was Leila and Zarune who were exchanging a few words while observing the forest as if they were expecting to be attacked. Now that he was watching he noticed that most of them were watching the forest intently, which made Jonah move uncomfortably. Having spent most of his time in the city, despite several camping trips, this was always done in a tamed nature. Jonah wasn't very familiar with the dangers of the forest but given the setting, he was in he wasn't naive enough to believe he was safe.

Resolving to keep some attention to his surroundings Jonah continued to observe the rest of the group. The rest of his human companions were with him just behind Leila, the Eldar were in three groups behind him forming a diamond shape with the humans and their guide at the point. They had their bows in hand and a notched arrow.

Jonah himself had a thin, slightly curved spear-sword that he had been given when they left, along with dark green leather armour. He had been taught how to use it during their preparation with her Silver Shield apprentice friends but Jonah doubted that two hours of training a day was enough to make him a good fighter. Thinking about their preparation Jonah pinched his mouth bitterly. It had started after their meeting with Daelmar Trishera, himself never having been seen again after that first time, Jonah had only found out much later that he had left a few days later for the font.

Their semblance of freedom had ended at that point. The next two months were an intense time of training in the various means of survival in combat. They got up very early in the morning for intensive physical training until late morning when they had to practice meditation again to feel their Prism. This had been easy for him and Aurora, they had a facility for it and so they were able to quickly return under the tutelage of Lenaël to continue their learning of the Weaving.

The afternoon was again physical training with the learning of bladed weapons including the spear-sword he now had. The end of the afternoon was the most terrifying part, they were introduced to what they were likely to face, namely the different species that made up the Rhogar and the best ways to survive their encounter. It was here that Jonah learned that Rhogar was a catch-all name for many different species but mainly composed of beastmen. He was not looking forward to meeting them.

Finally, in the evening, they were divided according to their aptitude in one or another field, for Jonah, fortunately, it was again Weaving, and he was happy to continue to immerse himself in these mysteries. In the evening each of them came back exhausted to collapse into their beds and sleep soundly. But not deep enough for Jonah to stop himself from hearing Marie's desperate cries.

Shaking his head to escape the bad memories, Jonah returned to the present. The good thing about the last two months was that Jonah had never felt as fit as he did now. He was already athletic, but now he not only felt fit but also... powerful. His muscles were hard, dense, his mind was faster, stronger, his willpower was stronger and his awareness of his surroundings was sharper. It wasn't just his training, no, it was the extension of his Prism that made all these changes more qualitative he was sure. It was changing him, somehow making him less human, it was both frightening and intoxicating. Add to that his mastery of augmentation weaving and he had become both tough and fast. So much so that he sometimes noticed flashes of fear in the young Eldar, at his facility in mastering what took them years to do.

As the day wore on, their guide called a halt to the travelling and it was with relief that Jonah dismounted from Tilda, his legs aching and his back tired. He undid the saddle of his animal as he had been asked to do while petting it. It looked at him contentedly, purring like a big, oversized, scary cat. Jonah thought he was starting to enjoy this Teriathe. Once he had completely rid himself of the supplies on his back the animal relaxed like a cat with his paws out, then joined the other Teriathe and headed off into the forest. Seeing that none of the Eldar reacted, Jonah set about setting up camp for the night.

Once the camp was set up, the leader of their group joined by the one who had gone to scout, designated the different Eldar teams to take their turn on guard duty, with a slight hesitation and a glance towards the humans, the latter, who still hadn't told them his name, ignored them. Zarune frowned at this but said nothing.

Jonah approached his human companions and helped them prepare their beds for the night, before it got too dark there were seven of them, six humans and one Eldar around the fire, eating dried meat.

- So... what happens now? asked Mustapha.

Zarune looked at him calmly and answered:

- Nothing more than what has already been said, we will join the fortress of Jengai. With the Teriathe it will be two weeks of travel, but they will likely leave us in Tuanon, from there we will take a boat on the Blue River. So more like three weeks of travel to the waterfalls and another five days on foot to the fortress.

- That's not really what I was asking," Mustapha muttered.

Zarune ignored him, glanced at one of his Eldar companions in the distance, stood up and told them:

- Rest now, you are now almost as strong as an Eldar, you have mastered augmentation and could go further and faster than a human but the journey will remain hard. Enjoy the quiet while you can.

With these last reassuring words, she left in the direction of the Eldar. Jonah nevertheless saw the amused look she exchanged with Leila.

- Is there something we should know? he asked her friend.

Leila ignored his inquisitive look, shrugged and said,

- The forest is wild, if you'd been out of your den more you'd know that. She added with a small smile, "Keep that blade you carry around with you.

At these words Jonah heard Marie groan with fear, he gave Leila a reproachful look and could see her take on a contrite air before she frowned and put on a face of indifference.

- Don't worry, Marie, everything will be fine.

Her comment did not have the desired effect and she wrapped herself in her blanket before lying down with her eyes lost in the fire.

Uncomfortable, Jonah turned to their more silent companions.

- And you, anything to add?

Mat, whose gaze was turned towards the place where Zarune had gone, had vague eyes.

- Mat?

He turned slowly to Jonah, and something in his eyes made him shiver, slowly he smiled at him.

- You heard the girl, we should rest.

And with that, he lay down, his back against the fire.

Jonah exchanged a look with Aurora before doing the same, whatever happened in the future Jonah had every intention of watching over them, even the most recalcitrant. They were the last links to his world.

*

Mat was happy, he felt ready for what was to come, maybe he was wrong but life was full of uncertainty, that's what made it fun. Only one thing worried him, the attraction he had for the silver-haired girl, he had never had such an obsession with a woman before. Admittedly he hadn't had that much experience in this area and that ended badly enough but even then he was still in control. Not so with Zarune, and he didn't like it.

I have to watch myself, he thought.

The nature around him was beautiful, even if the canopy only let the sunlight in with difficulty, it was enough to look in the life that escaped from the forest.

It had been almost a week since they had left and the journey was getting boring. Most of the time was spent on their mounts looking at the forest. Occasionally, the veteran who accompanied them would raise his hand after observing for a while, then have the company change their route. And then it would start again, trot, walk to let their mount rest, trot again, gallop when they passed through a clearing.

Zarune had explained to them one evening that the second veteran who had gone out to scout left marks and that when they approached the area of a too dangerous beast he had to go around its territory to avoid challenging it.

Mat was a little disappointed that he hadn't been able to spot one, though he kept this thought to himself. He already had a bad enough reputation with his group, and he was aware of how much his behaviour could disturb those around him.

Their supply was large enough that he didn't take the time to go hunting so they only stopped in the evening when they were setting up camp.

So Mat was glad when after another boring day's travel they reached a village perched on a rocky promontory. For a village of barely a hundred people, the dwellings were surprisingly luxurious, built of stone and with architecture different from what he had seen in Irvanon.

They had left the Teriathe at the foot of the rocky promontory and had climbed the steps to the end, what had greeted them was a stone door that had opened on their arrival, behind it was a set of houses stuck together that left only room for small cobbled streets that had brought them to a village square. There they were greeted by a fair-haired Eldar.

- So it's true? Humans in the Emerald Kingdom? The Queen allowed this?

- You're questioning the Maester empire? Zarune interjected.

When the man saw her he turned livid.

- Your Highness, it is an honour to welcome you to our humble abode," he said, bowing.

Zarune nodded slightly, almost unconsciously.

- We will stay the night only, and leave in the morning, may we receive hospitality?

- May the rest of Heeart welcomes you," the Eldar said hastily. Tonight we celebrate the Rising, it will be an honour to have the presence of the princess of the empire with us. All the Eldar of the canton will be present. Could we expect a speech from her Highness?

Zarune nodded negatively, seeing the Eldar's disappointment, she added.

- But I will be present at your table during the ceremony.

At these words, he smiled in a rare burst of emotion for an Eldar.

- Good, good," he said, clapping his hands twice. A bath will be prepared for each of you. Rest and enjoy the coming celebration.

Dereur, one of Zarune's friends whispered with a laugh in his voice just loud enough for Mat to hear.

- It's always so nice to travel with the princess of the empire.

After Zarune gave her an unamused look, she entered the Maester's house without seeing the laughter that the group of young Eldar behind her.

As for the humans, they were sent to one of the houses near the square that served as an inn.

Meanwhile, the Eldar around the square who had been watching them began to prepare for their festivities.

In the inn, Mustapha rubbed his hands together with a smile on his face.

- A party, great! It's been too long since I've taken the time to relax.

Jonah, ever the killjoy, said:

- I'm not sure he'd welcome humans to their party.

Unperturbed Mustapha says to him,

- My friend, the first thing to do when you invite yourself to a private party is to be confident. So let's get ready to stop smelling like a wet cat, put on our best smiles and go have fun!

Uncertain Jonah followed him and Mat with the rest of the group did the same.