“What do you mean?” Zac asked, the look on his face turning serious.

The two were talking quietly so they wouldn’t wake up Ash.

“I’m not sure if I want to take part in the war. It’s completely different from what I’d envisioned.”

There was a small silence during which Zac processed Mahon’s words, and Mahon felt the need to explain a bit more.

“It’s not really a war, actually. More like a piece used by the powerful noble families to keep everyone focused and maintain balance. In Nightmare, the war was the direct root cause of all our problems. Here, it’s something completely different. People don’t directly suffer from it, and it’s the backbone of Ratho’s stability.”

“But what about all the things you said were because of the war? There are still injustices, exploitation, abuses and deaths.” Zac whispered back.

Mahon nodded. “You’re right, they still exist. But it’s not the war that is causing them. It’s the noble families. I thought the war forced them to act in such a way, but it’s actually the opposite. The nobles use the war to strengthen their grip on Ratho, but they are the main cause of the suffering.”

“How are you sure?”

“I talked with Yordar and Elmer. They described the war to me. How it is. It’s just a decoy. There is no real war.”

“There is no Amentiae?!” Zac asked a bit loudly before going quieter.

“No, that’s not what I meant. There are Amentiae, and they are preventing us from escaping from there, but at the same time they aren’t attacking us. It’s a stalemate. There has been no real battle for years between the two sides. The war is just about making an appearance. The day nobody shows up on our wall, the Amentiae will immediately invade, but as long as there are enough soldiers to keep watch, we’re safe. We’re not warriors, we’re deterrents, exactly like Tanyth protecting his mine.”

“So what do you want to do, then? Fight the nobles?” Zac asked, a hint of fear in his voice.

“No, fuck the nobles. I don’t want to play their games. I don’t even know if attacking them might not just lead to the doom of us all. They’re still the ones managing the war and the balance.”

“So what? You believe Jorik’s cause is worth it?”

“Fuck Jorik too. I don’t want to have anything with him. I’m not a schemer in the shadow, showing a smile in public just to better stab you later on. It’s not me.”

Zac acquiesced, letting his head fall back to the ground, looking pensively at the sky.

“So what? You quit? You don’t want to be a warrior anymore? You’re leaving me?” He said.

“No. Well, I don’t know...” Mahon answered. “I’m a bit lost right now… But I had an idea.”

“What is it?” Although Zac didn’t look back at him, he could hear the interest in his friend’s voice.

“I don’t think I told you before, but I’ve talked with the Blue Counselor. The woman.”

“Yeah?”

“She knew me from before. We were good friends, apparently.”

“Really? You must have been someone important then.”

“Maybe. But you know what she told me? She said I should play the harmonica. Again.”

A silence settled between the two friends while Zac deciphered the implication of what this meant.

“I’m not sure I’m following you.” He finally said.

“She is the one who got me a letter of recommendation for school. I think she cares about me. She would probably help me on this path… Here is what I think. Ash, you and me, we make a great music group, right? Ash knows a lot of people from her shop. You are a noble and you know a lot of people who throw receptions and so on. I know the Blue Counselor, and maybe she could help us a bit in the beginning to make us known or anything. We could leave school and perform together as a music band? With our abilities, I’m sure we can grow big enough to have some influence and money. Seems like a better shot than risking your life in a hypothetical heroic fight to climb to power, no?” Mahon spoke quickly, as if afraid Zac wasn’t going to listen to him to the end otherwise.

“Since when are you thinking about it?” Zac asked.

“The war and the nobles have been in my head for some days now. I just thought about the music group when we played together for the guards at the mine. And with such a peaceful evening, I couldn’t prevent the thought from growing.” Mahon paused, uncertain. He had never cared about anyone’s opinion until now. “So… Hmm… what do you think?”

“I’m not sure. It’s a good idea. It has merit. But I’m not entirely convinced. I’m a musician, I thought about it before. I don’t think even the best musician has much influence. And without influence, there is no way I can help my family.”

“Nowadays maybe not, but what about before Nightmare? We’ve lost many memories and probably as many cultural traditions. But now we’re safe from that. The Nightmare war has ended. I was a good friend with a Blue Counselor before Nightmare, good enough that she’d write me a letter of recommendation for the best school in Ratho without even asking for something in exchange more than twenty years after I last remembered her. And I was probably a musician. I’m sure music has been something important before. More important than now. I can feel it when I play in front of people. I can see the raw emotions, the joy, the happiness. We could aim for something like that. Just imagine it.”

Without knowing really why, maybe it was the peaceful night away from the city and their problems, or maybe it was the beers and the comfy mood he was in when with Zac and Ash, Mahon felt strangely hyped and he pursued his reflection.

“We could build everything from scratch. Find the new rules and meta that would lead music back to its past glory. We will not care about the nobles or the war. We’re strong enough to take almost anything thrown at us and protect ourselves. Let’s just play music together and build something worth it. Building instead of destroying. Isn’t it a worthy cause?”

Mahon’s tirade woke up something in Zac, and the man rose on one of his elbows, still trying not to disturb Ash’s sleep. He looked at Mahon with a pensive look, but Mahon could see the spark of something shining in his eyes.

“Yeah, it could work. We’re really good together, and with our skills combined, we might actually be able to do something big. We’re young. We have centuries to build foundations big enough no one would be able to shake us off. Start low and then get bigger and bigger. Ash already started to write her own songs. You can Flow while playing music. That’s something I’ve never heard before.”

“And don’t forget, we could spend our days just like that. Days similar to today. Walking leisurely while playing music. Stopping somewhere to play for others. Much more appealing than being on the battlefield, waiting day after day for a chance to make things change or get killed.”

“Yeah, that too…” Zac said. He then grinned with a teasing look, and Mahon could already know what his friend would say. “Although the prospect of spending the rest of my days beside you is a big drawback…”

Mahon chuckled, and the two friends settled back in a comfortable silence. He could see Zac still needed to process things, and he gave him time. Mahon wasn’t sure himself of what he wanted. The idea had just crossed his mind, and somehow he had needed to express it.

Now that he knew what really happened in Ratho, he felt almost too disgusted to take part in anything. Only the music and his two friends appealed to him, like a beacon in the night.

“You really think about it?” Zac asked.

“Yes.”

“Well, first, if you want to be part of my group and be a cool musician, you need to learn to say yeah and not yes.” Zac said in a fake serious tone.

“Hahaha, there is no way I’m doing it.”

“Soldiers say yes. Musicians say yeah. It’s a fact as old as the world! You hear how it sounds musical? Yeah.” Zac accentuated the word on purpose to make it roll on his tongue. “Yes.” He spoke abruptly, mimicking Slander or maybe even Mahon. “So what’s your answer, Mahon? You’re really ready for such a thing?”

Mahon hesitated for a fraction of a second. For the first time since in Ratho, he had the feeling he was making the right decision about his future.

“Yeah.”

“Hahahaha! See? Much better!”

Mahon smiled, and Zac smiled back at him.

“What about the Fada cult, though?” Zac asked suddenly.

Mahon’s seriousness came back in an instant. “We deal with them first. Talk about this idea with Ash in the meantime, and see what she thinks. Then, we’ll decide.”

“Although you’re supposed to be an incredible strategist, that’s the most sounding plan I’ve heard for a long time.”

“Oh, shut up.”

“Musicians say shaddap.”

The trio woke up late in the morning from the happy chirps of the birds on the nearby trees. Mahon had emerged from his tent first and had gone to the fire, growing it bigger to prepare their breakfast.

He had tried to move the earth around the fire to protect its base and make it easier to burn as the scouts had done it, but he had only met mitigated success. The soil looked torn and not natural at all, but it was the most he had managed to do with his meager power.

If he tried too hard, the Flow started to kick in and his magic didn’t work anymore. He had to find a way to block it completely, but the earth magic felt too close to the Flow in mindset, and he hadn’t found a way around yet. He was not able to shape the earth, but he could at least soften it. Sometimes.

The couple’s tent opened and the two lovebirds finally exited their cocoon as the fire was in full swing, and Mahon placed some meat and vegetables above it.

“Morning, Mahon.” Ash greeted him with a yawn.

“Good morning. Slept well?”

“Yup. Zac is pretty comfortable.” She managed to say without blushing too much.

“It’s because his muscles are soft.” Mahon answered with a grin to his friend.

“Better to have a soft heart and muscles than a heart of stone and impressive muscles.” Zac retorted while catching Ash from behind and sending her spinning with him.

“Hey! What are you doing?” The woman said in between two laughs as Zac lured her into a frenzied dance.

Mahon didn’t miss the opportunity, and he reached for his harmonica in his side pocket and started playing for the couple. It was a simple but lively song he had learnt from Zac, and the couple finished the song rolling on the ground while laughing.

“Hahaha, stop it, Zac!” Ash managed to repel Zac, who was trying to tickle her. She rushed behind Mahon as if to protect herself from the grinning Zac.

It didn’t stop the noble for even a second, and he jumped directly at them. Mahon swiftly avoided him, but Ash couldn’t move away fast enough, and the friendly battle started again. Mahon watched them roll on the meadow while they laughed out loud, and he couldn’t prevent a smile from appearing on his face.

After a few minutes, he called back the two children as breakfast was ready, and they sat together to eat in a cheerful atmosphere.

“Ah, what a life...” Ash sighed with satisfaction after having finished her meal.

“You said it.” Zac confirmed her feeling, as he let himself fall backwards into a lying position.

“So, what do you want to do today?” Mahon asked.

“When do we need to leave again?”

“I need to be at Ratho an hour before the sun sets. We’ll need two hours if we walk a bit quickly and given we’re going downwards, so we still have most of the day.”

“Don’t forget, we need to play again for the soldiers.” Ash reminded them.

“We could practice a bit before then, making sure we make a lasting memory of our meetings.” Zac proposed.

Mahon recognized the spark in his friend’s eyes. His suggestion was not innocent at all, and he was already considering the possibility they built a music group together.

“Yup, great idea!” Ash immediately agreed, oblivious to the talk Mahon and Zac had last night. “And you Mahon, you’re in?”

“Yeah.” Mahon answered, and he noticed the weird look Ash threw him and the grin barring Zac’s face.

“Let’s do it then.”

Zac went to grab the two mandolins from their tent and handed one to Ash. They spent a bit of time tuning their instrument while Mahon practiced a few notes on his own.

“Ready?” Ash asked once she was done.

“Yeah! What do you want to play?” Zac answered her.

“Something lively!”