My name will be known!

Songs will be sung in my honor!

Statues will be erected in my memory!

I will be a war hero, a model to the next generations and a symbol of-

Burned Pages of a Diary found in the ruins of a military accommodation

*

During the battle that had just taken place, one of the most dangerous moments was not even seen by the main combatants. That is because Nafaester and Rinlia did not see the consequences of the gesture that threw several stones at Arthur and Galaaz.

While the boy tried to help the wolf to get up, the nymph used the opportunity to use her magic. The stones she threw should have torn the skin, crushed the limbs and caused permanent damage to their bodies. A spectator with little knowledge of magic would not know this, but the force used by Nafaester would be capable of knocking down opponents thrice their size.

And, while Rinlia was preparing to deliver a blow that would knock out the nymph, the stones were launched at the human and the wolf. Galaaz, affected by the previous attack, barely had time to notice the nymph’s movement and Arthur, trying to help the wolf, found himself completely useless in the face of the attack.

The only thing he could do was to whisper a name.

-Akemi.

The call is not an order, but a supplication. It is like a prayer to a superior entity, without any evidence that it will be answered.

Immediately, a light shone in front of them. Not a strong light, but the mark of a presence in the space between the stones and the two victims. As the projectiles launched themselves at them, Galaaz, who did not understand the nature of that magic, assumed that the boy had placed himself in that position in order to protect him.

The speed of the stones is absorbed by the light, falling before reaching the two targets.

Although relieved, Arthur could not help but worry about the situation of the incorporeal, since this gesture could be an effort that she was not ready to make.

The light, however, did not become the girl with gentle features, and, after the stones were repelled, the light disappeared, and they could only see the distant image of an elf, rising from the ground, with a nymph at her feet.

*

After darkness takes over her consciousness, the flames arrive. They violently consume Nafaester’s whole body, marking the conscience so that the pain becomes unforgettable.

Shortly after being hit by the metal plate, for a brief moment, the nymph’s consciousness dissipated and, because of that fraction of a second, all the magic that dominated her body through the jewel was out of control. She lost the ability to control the power and felt consumed by it.

With her eyes closed, lying on the floor, the only external sign of her pain was the sweat that ran in large quantities over her entire body. Rinlia, realizing the effects of magic on the nymph, immediately removed the ring from her hand. The pain, however, did not end after the jewel was separated from her body.

Magic is not cheap and strong magic like the one the jewelry provided would not be something she could pay for by simply removing the jewelry.

All her instincts screamed, asking her to stop using magic even after the jewel had been separated from her body. Everything that had been asleep since she put the ring – pain, fear, hopelessness – returned thrice as strong, interrupting the thoughts and throwing her into a spiral of deep darkness.

Nafaester passed out.

*

The nymph woke up immediately. This awakening, however, was not common. She did not open her eyes or perceive anything through her natural senses.

When she woke up, it was as if she had been awake for a long time. Not as a dream, but as if she were an omniscient creature, perceiving everything around her at once.

Nafaester was inside a vision.

She had only a handful of those so far. Despite being known as the “Second Oracle”, her young age and inexperience meant that her ability to visualize the future was mitigated by the constant emotions that flooded her body. “Too see the future,” mother nymph had told her “it is necessary to get rid of any feelings in the present.” And she was terrible at ignoring her feelings.

That, however, did not stop her from getting this vision.

It was different from most visions she had in the past, except for one. Only once did she fail to see faces or feel the reality as an omniscient spectator.

Here, she seemed to be in a small room. It did not look like a prison, but it did not look like a grand hall or a castle either. It could be just an ordinary room.

The furniture, the floor, the faces and even the sky, visible from one of the windows in the place, seemed out of focus to the point of preventing their correct visualization.

Taking a place at the end of a large table, she perceives herself as part of a small meeting. The other members, gathered on her left and right, do not pay much attention to her. Instead, all the blurred faces turn to the other end of the table.

She cannot see the face of the figure on the other end, but that does not matter, after all, there is something that draws much more attention than a mere face ever could: The blurred head wears a shining crown.

-Very well. – The crown bearer says in a low voice. He does not seem happy nor angry. – Nafaester, your proposal seems appropriate.

It is just a vision, and, even then, those few words spread tension all over her body. She does not blink, waiting for the words to come.

The king opens his lips.

-I declare that Fiandel accepts your proposal. You will have our support.

The vision ends and everything returns to darkness.

*

It was not long before Yvanna and Thiago arrived at the small place where Rinlia had set up a campfire near Nafaester’s fainted body. Rather than climbing back up the path they came from, the elf decided it would be better to avoid walking to the direction where more golems could be lurking from. Furthermore, Thiago and Yvanna knew that the elf’s desire was for them to come and reinforce the group after their own battles.

That thought did not stop the commander from fearing the possibility that they could not come. That they could have perished while fighting.

Because of that, when the two arrived about an hour later, a smile naturally took over the elf’s face. Even more after she realized that Yvanna appeared to have just minor injuries and that Thiago, with the exception of a dislocated shoulder, also seemed fine.

The soldier walked carefully, avoiding putting weight on his sprained heel, and, little by little, he felt the area getting better. He could not run, but at least he would not be a burden to the others.

-How is the wolf? – Thiago asks the elf, who analyzes his shoulders while the others watch over the prisoners near the fire.

-He hurt his paw and have some minor injuries, but he should be fine. The rest of the pack must be with Lancelot somewhere. If they succeeded in outwitting the golems, we must meet across the river. It was there that we left the horses, so it makes sense to regroup there.

-Maybe they try to track us here. – He tries to hide the pain when he feels the touch of the elf’s hand on the displaced shoulder.

-There is no need to do that so soon. If we take too long to find them, they will probably track us. Otherwise, it would be an unnecessary job. I need to put your shoulder on the right position. Are you ready?

-With all due respect, commander, are you sure that you know what you’re doing?

-Count to three.

-Commander, I think it might be better-

He has to interrupt the sentence in order to suppress, with little success, the howl of pain that comes out of his mouth. Yvanna, Arthur and Galaaz, gathered near the campfire, turn to them and see Rinlia gesturing, indicating that everything was fine.

-See? It will be easier for you to use this arm now.

Although still in pain, he notices the member with enough autonomy to allow him to wield the sword in an emergency. He could not use all his strength, but it was better than nothing.

-Hm, you’re right. – He suppresses the groan of pain that want to come out of his throat. – Thanks, I guess.

-You’re welcome. Now, go get something to eat. Arthur and Galaaz picked up some fruits. Later, we will cross the river and go up to the meeting point. I want to leave this place before another unforeseen event occurs.

-Of course, I just… Commander, do you remember what I said when we were in Vivre?

-What?

-About… - He hesitates, but pushes himself forward in the end. – About the possibility of me… Learning magic?

A light of understanding illuminates the elf’s face.

-Of course. Yes. You told me you didn’t want to use magic.

-Yes. I was wondering if you really think it is impossible for me to become a great warrior without using magic.

His eyes are problematic. Rinlia realizes that the soldier’s eyes are like the ones from a child. The answer he wants to hear is evident, however, she could not tell him a lie. She could not tell him that he could become the greatest warrior of the generation if he tried hard enough. She could not say that she believed that he would overcome all barriers with willpower alone. Not as long as he continued to avoid using all the tools at his disposal.

His eyes are also problematic because fighting other people’s dreams is one of the things she hates to do. It would probably be close to “talking to royalty” on her list of unpleasant activities.

-Thiago, you know my opinion. – It was the least destructive way she found to answer. – For your own sake, I believe you should at least learn the basics, in order to reinforce your weapon’s attacks and protect your body.

He slowly shakes his head. He seems to process the information better than she had expected. Unlike before, he doesn’t immediately reject the idea. It is evident that something has changed.

-I… I’m afraid to use magic. – He grumbles. She would like to ask him to repeat, but the way words come smashed across his lips makes it clear that he would not like to do that.

The elf looks to the side and sees that the others are far enough away.

-What happened? What is preventing you from accepting the use of magic?

He shakes his head, unable to admit the reasons that haunt him.

-It doesn’t matter. I… I would just like to learn things slowly. If you could teach me, I believe I could overcome this problem.

-Me? Teaching you? You don’t want that. – Despite the seriousness of the conversation, Rinlia smiles.

-I don’t like using magic. – He looks down, avoiding her gaze. – When I use it, it is as if my body remembers everything bad that has happened and I get paralyzed. If someone tries to teach me, I will not be able to learn, but if… - He looks up. – If you can teach me, little by little, I think there is a chance.

The elf understands that it is difficult for him to admit his weakness. Still, she did not plan to have an apprentice. Even out of the Great Forest, her occupation as Commander in Fiandel was enough to keep her life busy.

But, the sight of the soldier in front of her brings memories from home. The amount of time away from Fiandel starts to have troubling effects on her mind. Thiago, right now, looks like a child asking for a gift and the memory of children is not good for her.

She shakes her head, turning away the thought and focusing her attention on her own breathing. She considers the future possibilities of having a subordinate with knowledge in magic.

-You have to promise me that you will remain as my subordinate until we finish your training.

The brown-haired soldier’s face lights up.

-Yes. Of course!

-That can take some time. Are you sure you can give up your career for that period of time?

He does not hesitate.

-Yes, Madam Commander!

She shrugs.

-In that case, keep yourself alive until we return to Fiandel. We will start your training after we arrive there.

*

Arthur rests in front of the campfire, “watching” the prisoners. His only obligation is to make sure that the two creatures, tied by vines to two trees, would not have an opportunity to escape.

The boy uses this time to get used to the sight of the werewolf. After all, the creature that looks like it was out of a horror tale is tied to a tree, standing in front of him.

This is the first time Arthur has the opportunity to calmly contemplate the figure of a monster without the need to flee or fight.

He remains seated, with his back against the tree, facing the werewolf, keeping a safe distance of a few meters from him. Although the other has not yet woken up, recent experiences have taught the boy that there are not such a thing as excessive precautions in this world.

-He’s a special kind of werewolf.

Galaaz’s voice is low and calm. He approaches Arthur slowly, standing next to him. The boy does not get up and his head ends up at the same height as the wolf’s.

-Really? What kind?

-The cursed kind. – Galaaz does not want to use kinder words to reduce the impact of the message. – It means that he cannot return to his human form.

-When you say he is cursed… Do you mean that someone forced him to be like that?

-Probably as a punishment or the consequence of a battle. Nobody in the forest seems to know when he was cursed or the reason for it.

There are signs throughout Gaenar’s body that indicates the curse. Parts of his shoulder have almost no hair and lumps on his back denote an abnormal transformation. His height, despite being tall, is not the peak reached by werewolves.

-And there is no way to reverse this curse?

-I would not know. – The wolf makes a circle with his body, analyzing the floor next to Arthur. – I’m not an expert. Nobody is, these days.

-Why?

-Because it’s an outdated type of magic. It demands sacrifices and prayers. As far as I know, there was a lot of mysticism and little to no real knowledge about how it works.

-And nobody uses it anymore?

-Almost nobody. I heard that there are places where humans still use it. But that’s not what I came here for.

The reddish-fur wolf seems satisfied with the terrain, lying on the ground and resting its head on its paws.

-So…?

-I came here to thank you. You saved my life.

-Oh, that. It was nothing.

-Do you remember what I told you about traditions?

Arthur needs to make an effort to remember the time they spent before the statue of Peace.

-Yes.

-For some races, traditions are important. As far as I know, lupines and ogres are the ones that use them the most. They are like the laws that humans use, or the rules of a market transaction. We are taught to obey these traditions and to live by them. It is our way of giving meaning to life.

-I can understand the feeling.

-Some traditions are more important than others. For example, if a human kills a wolf, an oath is made and the same human, or someone connected to him, must be killed. It is a pact that binds the entire pack and must be fulfilled even if it costs everyone’s lives.

-It seems like a little excessive.

-It is one of the few traditions that have never been broken by our pack. It is also a good part of the reason why the major races do not attack us.

-I can understand that.

-I don’t think you have, at least not the most important part. – Still with his head resting on his paws, Galaaz seems to smile. – After all, you haven’t realized the consequences that this brings to you.

-What do you mean?

-You saved my life, Arthur. Death carries a tradition, and so does life. It means that I must pay my debt to you.

-Oh… You don’t have to worry about that. – The boy strives to be kind. For him, the mere fact that the wolf does not want his death is already a favor.

-You can’t refuse. It’s my life we’re talking about. The size of my debt is proportional to the value I place on my life.

Arthur starts to say something, but the wolf does not allow him.

-This is my promise: I will pay my debt to you.

Although they are not close, Yvanna and Rinlia are able to hear the conversation. They understand the words the wolf says and are surprised by them.

Galaaz and Arthur remain silent in front of the prisoners.

The promise was made.

And a lupine’s promise is forever.

*

*