Almost a day later as they left the borders of Kresha, only a tall hill an a hundred meters were left until they arrived home. Naro wondered what had happened while they were gone, it had been two weeks since they departed to fight Paro, after all.

  "I'm not expecting much, though~" he said out loud while stretching his arm up.

  Rami looked at him in confusion with the volcanic arm floating next to her.

  "I'm not expecting the village to have changed much, is what I mean." He clarified

  She brought her index finger to her chin "Hmm... Guess you're right, but I wouldn't be so sure."

  Naro tilted his head "Why ?"

  Rami shrugged. "Two weeks is enough for dramatic changes Naro, we're proof of that."

  "hmm, I guess that is true..."

  In two weeks Naro had gone from an above average knight to someone that could 'theoritically' contend with demigod candidates, nothing was impossible in Gaon.

  Some time later, they reached the ridge just as the ground began to soften under their boots.

  Naro slowed without realizing it.

  Rami noticed immediately.

  "... There," she said softly.

  They stood at the crest together.

  Below them, the valley opened wide.

  The village was still there. The familiar shape of it, the small river's bend, the old watch paths that curled like scars around the outskirts. Naro recognized all of it in the same heartbeat that he realized something was... way different !

  "What happened to the small village I knew ?!"

  What had once been a tight cluster of stone houses and wooden roofs had spread outward, spilling across the plain in uneven layers. New streets branched where there used to be fields. Homes built in styles he didn't recognize stood beside older structures, roofs pitched differently, walls painted in colors he never saw.

  Smoke rose from dozens of chimneys.

  Naro was flabbergasted.

  "Rami..."

  "Told you so !" she said with a smirk

  He scowled "Shut up !"

  People moved between buildings even from this distance. Tiny shapes crossing bridges, working scaffolds, carrying lumber and stone. The sound didn't reach them, but he could imagine it. Voices. Hammers. Life stacking on top of life.

  From where he stood, he could see that people from all the five kingdoms of Gaon, moving like busy ants in a colony, except those ants wore different clothes and were on two feets.

  Naro shook his head and the both of them started to walk down the slope

  The closer they got, the clearer it became how much effort had gone into this. Defensive walls reinforced and expanded. Irrigation channels cut clean through the grass. Stonework shaped by someone who understood the land instead of forcing it.

  'Someone...'

  "HEAVE !"

  "HO !"

  "HEAVE !"

  "HO !"

  Near the eastern edge, where the ground rose slightly and the soil was stubborn, a group of builders moved with practiced coordination. Stone lifted where it should not have been possible to lift stone. Foundations set perfectly level despite the uneven terrain.

  And there, at the center of it al, a serious tall figure stood among the builders, sleeves rolled up, skin dusted with chalk and soil. He moved with careful precision, guiding stone into place with slow, deliberate gestures. The ground beneath his hands shifted subtly, responding without cracking.

  "...Astor," Naro breathed.

  The man was broad-shouldered His green hair, streaked heavily with gray, was tied back, damp with sweat. His hands pressed flat against a half-formed wall. His movements were slow and precise, his hands guided the earth as if it understood him.

  The only remaining demigod candidate of Paro's Authority.

  Earth-Shifter, Astor

  He stepped back, inspected the structure, then adjusted the wall with a simple gesture, the builders who were made of mundane Gaonians and magic users moved around him with confidence to place beams made of wood and stone.

  "HEAVE !"

  "HO !"

  "HEAVE !"

  "HO !"

  Rami chuckled. "So loud... You'd think they were dying !"

  Naro nodded with a small smile.

  Astor stepped back from the wall, wiping sweat from his brow, and turned to their direction-

  Then froze

  For a long second, he didn't move.

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  Then his eyes widened.

  "You're alive !" Astor said, voice carrying farther than it should have.

  Several workers turned.

  Naro lifted his hand, awkward with only one arm, and smiled. "Hey."

  Astor crossed the distance faster than any man his age should have been able to. He stopped short, eyes scanning Naro and Rami from head to toe, lingering on his missing arm, the changed sword, Rami's scars, the absence of the staff...

  He then shook his head and hugged them both with a bone crushing hug while lifting them.

  "Let go !!" They both said in unison.

  "YOU MORONS !" Astor said with tears streaking form his eyes. "Do you have any idea how much we were worried about you guys ?!"

  "Yidra's Thousand Eyes couldn't see what happened after you guys entered the cave... I'm so glad you're both aliiiiiive !"

  Naro and Rami both cringe in embarrassment.

  'He stinks !' They both thought.

  "Well as you can see, we're somewhat fine. So let go !"

  Astor reluctantly let them go out of his grip.

  The demigod candidate sniffed then turned back to his serious demeanor, or at least tried.

  "Naro.. your arm..."

  Naro pointed to the volcanic arm that was floating next to Rami.

  "This is going to be my replacement, I'll ask Agir to do me a favour."

  Astor looked between them, then past them, at the road stretching back toward Kresha.

  He sighed "I told you it was suicide," Astor said quietly.

  Naro glanced at the city forming behind him, at the people who had come seeking shelter, at the walls that stood because Astor had stayed.

  "... Looks like you didn't listen to me either, huh ?" Naro said with a snicker.

  Astor snorted and shrugged. "Someone had to make sure this place didn't collapse under its own hope."

  Rami smiled tiredly. "You were right back then, but I can assure you, everything was worth it."

  Astor let out a long breath and laughed, rough and disbelieving. "I don't see what's worth it about losing a functioning arm and being littered in scars in your case, but whatever."

  He then inspected Naro more closely. "... I sense something familiar in you, I assume your theory was true then."

  Naro nodded. "I can't use Authority like you, however."

  Astor's head tilted "What do you mean ?"

  Rami stepped closer to Naro, their shoulders brushing.

  "We'll talk later," she said. "There's a lot to explain and this isn't really the best place for that."

  Astor studied them for a moment longer, then nodded.

  "Then, Welcome home to you both." he said with a bright smile.

  —————————————————————————————————————————

  They were already close enough to see the gate clearly when Astor finally asked the question that had been hanging between them ever since the hug had ended.

  "So," he said, walking slightly ahead of them as the road flattened and widened, "are you going to explain what in the five hells actually happened in that cave, or do I have to piece all of it together ?"

  Naro exhaled softly. "Short version? I wasn't careful. As for the long version... Let's just say the demigod you once knew wasn't the thing I fought."

  Astor glanced at the volcanic arm floating near Rami, then at the blackened blade strapped across Naro's back, his expression tightening just a little. "I figured as much. The land's been restless ever since you crossed into Kresha, but I thought it was just the Warm Cycle acting strange again."

  He was a bit surprised by Astor's words. as far as he was concerned Paro's Authority was only truly effective at the center of Kresha. Him being able to sense that the land had a change even outside of the Guardian's range was quite weird.

  'Maybe it's something else entirely...'

  Naro shook his head. 'No. hopefully not.'

  They slowed as they approached the village gate, the reinforced stone arch rose above them with the banners fluttering lazily in the geothermal breeze. The guards stood watch on either side, some already pointing them out, murmurs spreading as recognition began to dawn.

  Naro was about to say something else when—

  SCHING.

  A sword embedded itself into the ground less than a step from his foot.

  The sound rang sharply against the stone path, loud enough that nearby guards recoiled in shock.

  Another followed, then another, blades striking the ground in a precise arc around him in a deliberate manner. Each one stopped just short of touching him.

  Rami reacted immediately, stepping half a pace forward, with an offensive spell forming in her hand as her eyes snapped upward. "Hey !"

  Astor's Authority flared on instinct as the ground beneath them stiffened, ready to rise if needed. "Khiel," he said sharply, already recognizing the signature. "Enough."

  More swords hovered into the air near the gate, trembling faintly as if responding to something unseen.

  "If you know what's good for you, get away from that thing immediately."

  'That voice...'

  A figure stood atop the gate's stone platform, then descended with unhurried steps, boots striking stone in a steady rhythm. His long black hair streaked with red was tied back into a rat tail that swayed lightly with each step. Apart from that, his haircut was similar to Naro's. Heck, that wasn't the only thing that was familiar about him. His build, his height, his proportions. It was like looking in a reversed mirror.

  One the three demigod candidates holding a part of Hama's Authority.

  Soaring Blades, Khiel

  Khiel stopped a few paces away, his eyes were narrowed but held no hostility after seeing what it came from.

  "Huh," he said slowly, tilting his head as he studied the knight that stood near Rami. "Just a guy?"

  Rami bristled. "Do you always greet people by trying to skewer them ?"

  Khiel ignored her, his gaze fixed on Naro instead. "I felt something corrupted that wasn't like normal Authority while I was halfway across the village. It was weak, but it stood out quite a bit. I figured it was either a problem... or about to become one."

  He shrugged with an easy smile "Didn't think it'd be a cripple though."

  Astor let out a tired sigh. "Lower the weapons."

  The swords hesitated, then slowly lowered, though none of them fully dispersed.

  Khiel took some step closer and finally recognized who was in front of him— his expression shifting from suspicion to something more personal.

  "...You've got to be kidding me," he muttered. "Naro?"

  Naro lifted his remaining hand in a small wave, offering a crooked smile. "Hey. Long time no sword ambush."

  Khiel's gaze lingered on him, sharp and searching. "You got some explaining to do. What happened to your arm?"

  "Paro took it!" Naro said with a cheerful tone.

  The demigod candidate gave him a disapproving stare then shook his head.

  Rami still had a dangerous look in her eyes. "Are you done threatening my fiancé or should I throw a spell on your frontal lobe?"

  Khiel finally looked at her and chuckled. "Still as feisty as ever, huh Rami?"

  He turned back to Naro. "Still, you're carrying something disgusting on you. I assume that happened?"

  Naro nodded. "Not in front of the gates, Khiel."

  Khiel studied him for a few seconds longer, then clicked his tongue and made a dismissive gesture. The remaining swords went back to parts of his armor.

  "Tch. whatever," Khiel turned away, already walking back toward the inner paths of the village.

  "Aw... No "welcome back" for me?" Naro asked with a mock sad tone.

  Khiel turned his head slightly. "I knew you'd survive, so there's no point."

  The demigod candidate resumed his walk.

  Astor waited until he was gone before exhaling deeply. "You have a talent for causing incidents the moment you arrive somewhere."

  Naro shrugged. "It's a gift, what can I say?"