The heat didn't fade the way it usually did. Instead, it grew steadier, as if something beneath the hills was exhaling slow waves of warmth

  Rami slowed down her steps and glanced around.

  "The heat's rising again."

  Naro lifted his hand and felt the air shift.

  "Yeah. It shouldn't."

  The warmth wasn't gentle anymore.There was a faint scent of heated stone and something metallic, like the tang of struck iron

  carried far underground.

  Rami tapped her staff against the moss. Runes shimmered faintly along its length.

  "We should stay alert."

  Naro pulled his sword from its scabbard.

  His eyes lingered to the runes that it had absorbed on the stone pillar:

  "We still don't know what these ones do," he said.

  Rami stepped closer, leaning slightly to see better.

  Two long lines, a hollow circle, a forked mark.

  "I recognize these. Ruins in the Snow Desert had versions of them !"

  "And ?"

  She traced the runes:

  "They're connected to expansion, something about the weapon extending or amplifying itself."

  Naro frowned.

  'So it can grow, huh ?'

  "Sorry if it's not too detailed... Runes don't really give exact instructions."

  He sighed.

  "Figures."

  He then raised his eyebrow.

  "Still, how do you guys (Snow Desert dwellers) even know how to decipher it ? This blade came from outside of Gaon just like The Devourer. it's weird there are some writings on this world that somehow are able to react to it."

  She was quiet for a bit, giving him a deadpan look:"... Wow you really didn't pay much attention to classes, did you ?"

  He looked away with a stubborn look. "... History's a boring subject."

  She shook her head with a sigh then smiled as she kept walking with him.

  "Spike used his divination on it for thousands of years after it's arrival, deciphered what it will be used for, what it will accomplish and then put pillars throughout Gaon that contained the runes he foresaw,"

  "He then passed down this knowledge and parts of his authority with chosen people of his kingdom. his oracles."

  Naro looked at her then thought to himself.

  'And before eventually subcombing to the corruption a year ago like the other guardians, he managed to teach Rami's mother, along with 6 other women about all he knew of what would come...'

  'Dooming their fates in the process.'

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  She continued, unaware of his thoughts.

  "Guardians are deeply etched into this world, deeper than all of us. They couldn't wield the blade from out of the skies... They couldn't go against the Devourer on their own either because they were already infected by its insidiously long corruption. But us as mere mortals that aren't as tied to the world as them could wield the blade, and could fight against the devourer."

  She paused then looked at him, her twin braids fluttering in the warm wind.

  "Spike's divination also spoke of a warrior taught by The Alabaster Knight, Hama of who would wield the blade and Slay the Devourer. Countless warriors went to his side and eventually created the kingdom you are now from before you were born, had wielded your blade, went to search for the runes across Gaon and eventually tried to fight The Devourer."

  Her gaze fell to the ground as she spoke:

  "All of it to no avail. They tried, bled, struck, bled again until the only thing that remained of them were their corpses that were transformed into Dusk-creatures."

  "At some point... Gaonians had abandoned the idea of saving their world. only focused on the idea of surviving it. people created kingdoms and kingdoms created great people that were akin to the guardians that protected us until now."

  Her gaze went afar, to the place where Paro should be and gave a bitter smile.

  'And now the same Guardians are now corrupted.'

  She spoke.

  "Some years before they succumbed to it though... the guardians and the people decided to do one last "sword trial", there were only a few people this time, you were one of them...."

  She fell silent as she realized something as her eyes widened:

  "Wait a minute... you already know this part you were there ! why am I telling you all this ?!"

  Naro laughed then shrugged with a smile:"You love explaining things and I like listening to your voice as you do so. so I didn't stop you."

  He smirked:

  "Got a problem with that ?"

  She fell silent as her eyes narrowed, staring at him... Then stared at him some more...

  _________________________________________________

  Naro was rubbing his cheek while walking behind her, at a safe distance.

  Still hurting from Rami's slap she gave him earlier.

  'I don't know why she did that... I thought that line was quite sweet of me !'

  '...''Okay maybe not.'

  He sighed.

  'here goes my attempt at trying to be less shy with her...'

  'in any case... I was like thirteen I think... When the sword trial happened.'

  He continued walking with her, still in his thoughts.

  'I stood with four other people, all of them had a bit of Hama's Authority, making them stronger than the average Gaonian while I was just his pupil/foster son.'

  "I was a swordsman too so they couldn't call it nepotism !"

  He nodded multiple times to himself even though he knew he was taught from the best.

  A Guardian.

  'Weirdly, the sword trial wasn't about swordsmanship or an exam on how they'd use the blade. We just had to have it in our hand and separately get checked by Spike who stared at us and peered into our fates.'

  He still remembered the Scorpion's gaze, it felt lively and somber at the same time. As if it held back the madness of knowing what will happen afterwards despite all Their efforts and yet...

  'It felt like he was happy... How can one be happy to know that a kid's fate wasn't readable or set in stone as a Diviner ? What a weirdo.'

  He noticed that the surroundings became drier, the moss and green of the area almost disappearing but still holding on.

  '...Anyways, after we all did the trial Spike said that there were no winners but I was the most suited to have it.'

  'the three others did not care, for them they were strong enough and didn't want to save the world anyways, the fourth one though...'

  The fourth one had yelled at the guardians, saying it was unfair and that he was the chosen one, the one whose fate was deemed "better than most" by Spike himself.

  Naro chuckled, Rami glancing at him subtly, thinking he had gone mad.

  He was unaware of it as he continued to speak to his mind:'Spike did say that to him, but... He told everyone that I was still the most suited for it despite the kid's ramblings, he lied to everyone and said that fate chose me to wield it while staring at me. Forbid me to tell the truth, or else.'

  To this day Naro did not know why Spike had done that, but Rami seemed to.

  He wiped a bead of sweat on his forehead.

  'Talking about Rami... I think that's when I met her. Her mother was always by Spike's side and so was her daughter, though probably for a different reason than her mother...'

  'Months after the trial, she approached me, saying she was curious about me. And how I seemingly had a fate that was hard to read, I asked her how she knew and she said Spike told her.'

  He believed it at the time. It was known the Scorpion had a soft spot for children, even more so if they're the children of his oracles.

  Or maybe it was just part of his way of meddling with Naro's fate.

  'Anyways since she stayed in Tyr for a while, she spent a lot of time with me and I started to look forward to our meetings.'

  He looked at her from behind with a smile.

  '2 years passed and I fell for her. I was quiet about it though, and never told her until 4 years later...'

  'Claimed me.'

  He blushed at the memory and shook his head.

  'I think that's enough thoughts for today.'

  He caught up with Rami, walking beside her in the now dry ground of the Tall Hills.

  The road to defeat Paro was getting clearer but also warmer.

  Too warm to their liking.