There are people who talk good things about warriors that wield swords, about men who fight with hammers and women who battle with spears. Many remember the knights and magicians; Many more sing about the gods and the incorporeals. Funny how everybody ends up forgetting about archers. Over the years, archery has become a forgotten art. Nobody studies the trajectory, the weight or the influence of the wind over an arrow. And nobody studies the art of building, maintaining and handling an arch. They seem to forget that it was an arrow that started our world.

The nameless general, leader of the archers of the free people of the East

*

Rinlia and Yvanna met with Gasser in one of the rooms of the royal castle. Yvanna was still wearing one of the royal dresses, however, her expression was no longer enigmatic or sympathetic, like she was in the presence of the king; now, her face contorted in expressions of joy, sadness, anger and many others as she listened to the yellow-skinned hobgoblin’s narrative about the events that took place at Lake Martha.

-We boarded the boats and headed for the shore. – Gasser’s tone is sad. – When the creature submerged, Gaenar ordered those who belonged to Vivre to retreat with the wounded, to be safe as soon as possible. Fiandel soldiers were ordered to return to the waters and look for survivors.

-Did he? Save someone? – Yvanna asks, leaning back against one of the stone walls, to the left of the fireplace.

Gasser, facing the fire, watches as the wood burn. He shrugs his shoulders, seeking shelter on the small wooden bench on which he is sitting.

-I don’t know. I was wounded and stayed on the shore. I don’t remember much of what happened after that. I just remember staying awake until Gaenar returned from the lake. I think he managed to recover some bodies, but…

-Don’t think too much about it. – Rinlia approaches him, placing her hand on his shoulder and turning her face to the flames. – There was nothing you could do.

-I could have stayed awake. – He grumbles and looks at his own trembling fingers. – Gaenar must have been hurt when he returned from the lake and I didn’t notice. That must be the reason why he did not resist the trip back to the capital.

-Was he hurt when you last saw him? – Rinlia frowns.

-I don’t know. – He shakes his head. – I’ve been thinking about it over and over, but I can’t remember much. I am sorry. It was my responsibility to pay more attention. Had I done that, maybe I would have time to do something. Maybe-

The hobgoblin is on the verge of tears when Rinlia embraces him. The wood crackles between the flames and the light from the flames is thrown over the room, warming the cold fingers and the icy ears.

-Let’s drink. – Yvanna approaches the fireplace, collecting three wooden mugs and a large bottle that had been on the floor.

-Yes, let’s have a drink. – Rinlia agrees. – Maybe we could talk about the past? Tell some stories? I have several ones about Gaenar. You know, there was this time that he-

-They are saying that the monster attack happened because of the boy. – Gasser interrupts, shyly. – Is it true?

Rinlia and Yvanna share a look of concern. Gasser, used to living with both, immediately understands what they are thinking.

-It is our fault. – He shrugs, taking the bottle from Yvanna’s hands and filling his own mug. – Perfect.

-And this is not the end. – Rinlia steps forward. Despite Gasser’s state of mind, the elf does not seem willing to ease the pressure on them. While the vampire drinks, the elf organizes her speech. – We need to talk about Arthur.

-What are your plans for him? – The vampire carries a look that mixes fear and concern.

-For now, I don’t have a plan. – She doesn’t hide anything in her voice. Rinlia takes a sip of the drink offered to her by Yvanna and walks slowly around the room. – Honestly, I don’t know if he will be able to do what was asked of him by the king.,

-But if he doesn’t succeed, then everything we did… The death of Gaenar… - Gasser can’t even show the right amount of despair in his voice. The recent events have exhausted the hobgoblin. He feels the urgent need to get some rest.

-Gaenar didn’t die in vain. I will not let that happen. – Rinlia speaks softly, almost in a whisper. – I am not saying that the boy will not pass the test. – She takes another sip from her drink. – I’m just saying that, as he is now, the boy may not be able to take a life just to pass a test.

-Take a life? – The vampire asks. – Aren’t we talking about incorporeals? It’s not like he is going to kill somebody. It’s more like killing an animal, or something like an animal. I have seen he kill something to eat several times by now.

-I am not so sure. – This time, Rinlia’s tone hides her concerns. She worries about noises she heard when Arthur thought she wasn’t listening. She worries about thoughts that the boy could only have formulated after talking to someone more experienced in this world. – To him, perhaps incorporeals are more than mere animals.

The elf’s fears come from hypotheses that she wants to reject. Her affection for Arthur makes her wish her suspicions are wrong. She wants the evidence to be false.

-In that case, what are we going to do? – The vampire approaches, illuminated by the light of the flames.

-I will accompany him. – The elf answers. – I’ll make sure he can do whatever is necessary.

-In a hunt for an incorporeal? – The vampire is surprised. – Rinlia, that can-

-I know, I know. But I can’t take the risk of him failing. I need to be there. – She replies, refilling her own mug and raising it. – I will make sure that Gaenar has not died in vain.

*

While Rinlia, Yvanna and Gasser talk to each other about Arthur, deciding how to approach the boy’s future, Arthur himself is alone in Rinlia’s house. The elf left her daughter in the care of the castle servants and the boy was accompanied only by Galaaz to the house. The lupine separated from the boy after getting inside the house, each going to their respective rooms and getting some time alone.

Now, Arthur strives to try to understand how things in his life are able to change so abruptly in just a few hours.

After all, when he left Rinlia’s residence in the morning, he was on friendly terms with Akemi, he had an appointment to talk to the king of the continent’s largest nation and his future seemed full of positive possibilities.

And, after a single meeting, the return to the residence and a conversation that lasted only a handful of minutes, he finds himself alone in a room, kneeling on the floor and with a faint body in his arms.

If someone asked him how that happened, he wound not be able to explain the details himself.

It all started when Arthur, upon arriving in his room, had to tell Akemi how the whole conversation with King Njalmar unfolded. After the conclusion of the narrative, the expression of the incorporeal transmitted a single feeling: Indignation.

-Did they find out that I’m here? But… We took all precautions. I-

-What? – The boy gets confused with the phrase, but soon his mind understands the meaning of her words. – Oh, do you think they want me to kill you? No, that’s not it. It’s not you who they want. They said it is an incorporeal that was spotted a few weeks ago, before we even got here.

Her expression remains the same, although some tranquility appears in her next words.

-And he wants you to kill that incorporeal? For what reason? What did he do?

-They did not tell me exactly, but it seems to be similar to the stories you told me: The incorporeals are seen as threats and the kingdom needs to get rid of one that was spotted near the capital.

Akemi stays silent for a moment, staring at Arthur’s face for a few seconds, but without really “looking” at him. What she sees, at that moment, is the abstract image of a face. A background while her mind focuses on other things.

-You said they had a powerful wizard with them. – She says.

-That’s what Rinlia told me. Ar… Armenvald, isn’t it? She said that he is the most powerful magician in that kingdom.

The incorporeal shakes her head. Distracted, she does not walk around the room. This happens when she sinks into her own thoughts and forgets that she has legs. Instead of walking, her body floats close to the floor, sliding from side to side.

-He knows that your power feeds the incorporeal. And he knows that you can do the opposite.

-The opposite?

-Yes. He probably wants you to take energy from the incorporeal. – She sighs. – Without power, the creature will disappear. The same way I was disappearing before the two of us met.

-And do you think that I can do that?

Akemi turns to the boy with a look of indignation.

-If I say “yes”, will you do it?

The question surprises him. At first, he did not even know he had a choice. From the moment the order was given, he reacted as if he had no way out of it.

-I need to do it. We have no other choice.

-What are you talking about? Are you going to kill in cold blood?

-Isn’t that what I tried to do at the lake? – He answers, cornered by her accusatory tone. – I took all the energy from that creature. Besides, isn’t this the first time we care about such things? I didn’t care about the health of the people in the tower when I was trying to escape from Vivre. I didn’t care about people drowning in the lake. What is the difference between those occasions and this one?

-The difference is that your life was at stake. When you ran away from the tower and attacked the monster in the lake, you were about to die.

-And how is this different? Didn’t I tell you what the king said to me? If I don’t kill the incorporeal-

-It is not the same thing, Arthur. You can get away this time. You have changed and so has the situation. You are not in a prison, you are not powerless and you are not alone. You can go anywhere, start fresh.

-Do you want me to run away?

-If those are the only two options, then yes. There is just a handful of people who know your face. You can go anywhere and-

-And do what? Ask them to take me into a village? Use my talents to work? I don’t know how to do anything that is useful in this world, Akemi. I have no money and even my powers would need to be kept secret. Not to mention the number of dangers I would have to face, because, apparently, more than half of the creatures we encounter want to use me as food. Besides, I’m tired of running away. That is all I have been doing since I arrived in this world. And now that I finally have something to lean on, will I have to run again?

-I didn’t say it would be easy. Doing the right thing is not always easy.

-And I’m saying it is impossible. And that there may be no “right thing” to do. – He takes a deep breath, relaxing his shoulders. – Akemi, the king’s support is something I cannot just refuse. If he helps me-

-At what cost? – The incorporeal gets angry. – Do you really think he’ll ask you to do this once and then it’s over? He is testing you, Arthur. After this, what do you think he will want? He will make you a specialist, an exterminator!

-Wait a second, Akemi. I-

-Did you forget that I am also an incorporeal? Look at me, Arthur. Look at me! You will kill other like me. Eventually, you will have to kill me!

-I would never do that. But I need to buy time. I need time to get stronger-

-At what cost? Did you even understand that you are going to have to kill someone? I told you to look at me! – Her voice gets higher. Despair is printed on her face. – We are not animals, Arthur! We are people! We are creatures with thoughts, dreams and feelings! You cannot-

She stops after hearing a noise coming from the door behind her. In the midst of the discussion, she herself forgot where they are. Arthur, like her, is only reminded of the need to keep the conversation privet the moment the knob finishes turning.

Akemi tries to hide, turning into a shadow, but the intruder is faster. He knew she would try to escape and only touched the door handle when he was determined to enter.

And, in less than a second, Arthur was paralyzed, facing an open door, through which Galaaz entered, his eyes fixed on Akemi’s image.

-Galaaz, I-

-So... - The wolf does not allow the boy to finish his sentence. - It's you who has been hiding among us all this time.

*

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