“Come, let’s go!”

Mahon grumbled but followed Zac. It was the day before their break day and they usually went to drink some beers at the Hungry Alligator Inn. Sometimes Ash joined them, but she had said she was not here tonight.

The week had been a long series of failures for Mahon. The more time he spent trying to sort out his Nightmare and Ratho problem, the more frequently it appeared. Since that time he failed to catch the cultist and realized he had a problem, it had become more and more of a hindrance.

At first it was only when he used the Flow, but now he messed up half of his fights against First Green because of it. He had a body strong enough to perform incredible things and a mind that had adapted to Ratho to guide it, but he still missed something. That lacking piece was incomprehensible, and no one had been able to help Mahon with it, except telling him he should maybe wait for it to be solved naturally.

Even during his Yoga lesson at the end of the day, Mahon had started to feel the weird mismatch caused by his condition. The fact that even this relaxing course had failed to bring inner peace to Mahon was proof enough of the gravity of the situation. Zac had decided to drag Mahon out to drink instead of supporting his incessant laments. As they passed the intersection leading to the Hungry Alligator Inn, Zac continued straight instead of turning left.

“Zac? It was on the left.” Mahon pointed to the usual way.

“Ah, I don’t feel like going to the Hungry Alligator Inn tonight, I wanted to try another tavern.”

Mahon looked at him with big round eyes.

“You? Try another tavern? You sure you’re ok? I’m sorry I hadn’t realized your condition was even worse than mine!”

“Haha, funny. Now, cut the crap and follow me!”

“Where are we going then?”

“Surprise!”

Mahon glanced at his friend with an unimpressed look that made his friend giggle.

“You’ll see! I don’t want to spoil it before we’re there.”

“Ok, ok, I trust you. Are you somehow scouting ahead for a good place to go on a date with Ash?”

“Shaddap! She has nothing to do with where we are going.”

“Hmm… How is it going between you two, by the way?”

“Not your concern. But we’re gonna spend a bit more time together as we need to prepare for the concert at my parent’s home together.”

“Uh, right, I forgot about that. Do you want me to say I can’t go, so it’s only the two of you?”

Zac threw an annoyed glance at Mahon.

“Can you just stop? I want to play with you too. It’s just good that we’re spending more time together, even if you’re here. I would not change it for anything.”

“Ok, ok, I was just asking.”

“Yeah, I know you’re meaning it. That's what makes me even more frustrated. I’ve still so much to teach you…”

Mahon chuckled. “I’m watching with interest your expertise in this domain.”

Zac laughed at the taunt before hitting his friend on the shoulder. Mahon saw it coming but did not budge as he accepted his friend’s retribution.

“I swear by the Fada, you’re not learning what you should be… Ah look, we’re here!” Zac pointed to a tavern twenty meters in front of them.

The building itself was painted as if it was some imaginary monster with a door instead of his mouth and entering the tavern, Mahon and Zac felt like they were eaten alive. The interior was roughly decorated with swords, axes and other weapons exposed on the walls. Although the atmosphere was a bit oppressive at first, a gracious woman came to welcome them with a kind smile.

“Welcome to Moma’s Den, gentlemen! Choose a free table. I’ll come to you in a second!”

Zac randomly chose a spot and they sat face to face. Shortly after, the waitress came back and took their order. Another minute later and two frothy beers appeared in front of them and with a wink, the waitress left them alone.

“Well, I was a bit afraid from the appearance, but it has its own charm…”

“Let’s see if the beers are better than your father’s ones.”

They clinked their mugs together and took a sip from their beers. With an appreciative nod, Mahon took another one and sighed deeply as he laid back in his chair.

“It feels good…”

“You said it… You were unbearable the whole week. It’s good to see you a bit relaxed.” Zac taunted.

“Uh, sorry about that…”

Zac shrugged as if it was already forgotten and soon the two friends continued their usual conversation, alternating between serious subjects and series of taunts. It was during their second beers that a man approached them. It was an old man in a worn cape with a still vigorous physique. He was bald and cleanly shaved but for an impressive white mustache falling down to his chin.

“Hello, young people! You’re also here for the Nightmare veterans session?” He asked them with a gentle smile.

Surprised, Mahon was about to answer, but Zac outpaced him.

“Yeah! We are!”

“Oh? Good, good. It will start in a few minutes and we’ll move the tables then.”

“Ah, no problem, thanks.”

The old man then proceeded to the next table while Mahon threw a puzzled look at his friend.

“What did you scheme again?”

“Haha, nothing, nothing. I thought about something to help you, actually.”

“Help me?”

“Yeah, don’t play innocent. You talked about it the whole week. I thought maybe by exchanging with other Nightmare veterans you may learn a thing or two and it’d help you. So I searched for such a tavern, and here we are.”

Mahon eyed Zac for long seconds. He didn’t feel like talking to other Nightmare veterans, but he couldn’t unsee Zac’s effort to help him. Finally, he smiled at his friend.

After all, why not? At worst, we lost a bit of time…

“Zac… You know you may be too kind for your own good.”

Zac smiled in answer and the duo gulped down their beers just in time for the meeting to start. Some customers left, while others grouped the tables together on one side and cleared a free space on another. Twenty people at most stayed and sat together at the tables. Zac moved to the side to watch but did not join himself. The old veteran with the big mustache walked to the cleared space and faced the little assembly.

“Hello again, everyone. We have some new faces, as well as some I’ve seen a few times already. I thank you all for coming and I also thank the Moma’s Den for their hospitality and for letting us run this event. My name is Beleanor and I’m a former Nightmare veteran. I don’t know most of you, but the thing I know is that we’re here because of one reason. Nightmare. Since the Lone Wolf ended the war, the Fada bless him, we’re free from this madness. And yet deep in our heart we feel something is missing.”

At the mention of something missing, Mahon leaned forward and listened with more attention to the veteran speech.

“For those who spent a long time there, coming back to Ratho is a hardship. We’re not accustomed to this world. We need some time to adapt. We think differently. No matter if it’s the horrors of the war, the loss of cherished comrades or that sense of not belonging here, we’re all looking for something.”

Beleanor stopped for a second as he nodded encouragingly to the twenty people facing him.

“If we’re all here tonight, it’s to try to assuage some of our anxiety. Let’s talk and share. You’ve lived similar experiences and the best medicine is the compassion of someone who has gone through the same hardships as you. I want you to form pairs with someone you don’t know and share a bit of what Nightmare is for you.”

Hesitantly at first and then with more enthusiasm under the cheers of Beleanor, the pairs formed and Mahon found himself face to face with a truly old man. He was at least eight hundred years old from his appearance, but at that age, it was hard to tell. Unsure of what to say to him, Mahon felt a bit awkward, but the veteran in front didn’t seem to care as he introduced himself first.

“Hello, young man. My name is Mahon, after our great commander. What’s yours?”

Mahon felt something breaking inside him as he saw the old man facing him with a genuine smile and eyes that had seen everything in life.

“My name is also Mahon.”

“Oh? That’s good, that’s good. Is it your first time here?”

“Uh, yes…”

“Don’t be afraid, boy, we’re here to share. You wouldn’t guess how much good it does just to talk about it... You want to start?”

“I'd prefer it if you go first, actually…”

“Sure, it’s always harder the first time… My last memory came back from three years ago…”

The old man started his story and told everything to Mahon. His fears, his pain, his hopes. How he had felt as his comrades lost their memory one by one and how he had to train them again. Mahon heard the soldier’s story with tears in his eyes. The words were stuck in his throat, and his stomach was twisted from the powerful feelings shaking his whole body. Yet he couldn’t look away from this simple man telling his story with a smile on his lips.

“You knew Margot? She was the Lone Wolf’s second. I heard she died during the last battle, the Fada bless her… Once she came to our rescue. I can remember it like it was yesterday. Her dual swords slicing through Amentiae like it was nothing. Ah boy, what a spectacle…”

Mahon's tears silently dropped on the table as he listened to the old man telling his friend's story. Margot always loved to rush to help the other soldiers. For her, the battle never ended. As long as one was still fighting, she would be at his side. A sob jolted Mahon and as the old man finished his story, he raised a hand and placed it on Mahon’s shoulder.

“Cry, boy, you will feel better afterwards.”

For a moment, Mahon let himself go and his usual calm and stoic mask cracked. He cried as the hand of this unknown soldier who had fought at Margot’s side patted his shoulder in comfort. When Mahon managed to take back control of his feelings, he used his sleeves to swipe his tears, and he faced the still smiling veteran with a nostalgic look.

“I’m telling you, boy, Mahon, Margot, Sybil and all the others, they were all something, isn’t it? In the end, I don’t think I miss Nightmare, my comrades or whatever Beleanor described. We were old, dying is natural for us. No, I think what I miss the most is seeing young people carrying the hopes of generations. I miss seeing with my own eyes a world changing because of people like them…”

Mahon was at a loss for words in front of his patronym.

“And you, boy? Wanna share your story?”

Not knowing what to do, Mahon hesitated. He couldn’t confess his true story, as it would draw too much attention. He could make up something, but then what was the point of sharing anything? In the end, he opted to tell a story that had marked his first years in Nightmare.

“I think I was an important soldier before in Nightmare because the last time I died I was immediately trained by other veterans.”

“Oh! You’re a commander, boy?”

“Yes. I was, at least. And I think I was one also before I died because of how I was trained. I learned fast and quickly reached a high position… Uh… I was First Yellow.” Mahon lied.

“First Yellow?! Impressive! The young generation never ceases to impress me! Oh, I’m sorry I got carried again… Continue your story, boy, please.”

“The man who trained me… He was like a father to me. Kind, gentle, compassionate. He did all he could to raise me to greater heights and much more. But one time, I made a stupid mistake, and he took a fatal hit to protect me. As he was dying in my hands, he revealed that I was his old teacher.”

Mahon’s voice was again full of hardly contained feelings as he immersed himself in long past memories.

“It was I who had previously trained him to his level. And much like my actual situation, I had trained him and saved him from dying, sacrificing myself for him. And then, during ye… months, he had trained me and repaid his debt to me. The teacher had become a student and the student a teacher.”

“As he was dying in my hands, he begged me not to let him go back to Nightmare. He knew me too well and he didn’t want me to suffer as I rebuilt a friendship like he had done with me. It’s too painful to watch a friend turn into a stranger, he said. You think you can go back to your old friendship, but it doesn’t work like that…”