After our encounter with Ardrin, I found it difficult to quiet my mind with all my questions. We were on our way to Lady Kalia's home, but after she emphasized that silence and speed were essential to us getting there in one piece, we all did our best to stay quiet.
Well, at least in terms of speaking aloud, that is.
I can't wrap my head around it: Why would he need me? Does he know I'm a bearer of the Autarchica Primaria? I asked Ysevel through our mental connection. I'm not so sure he knows you are, she began, shaking her head. Nothing he said suggests that he knows it even exists, which likely means that the only other person who could is Nexis, she concluded, putting her index finger on her chin.
I sighed internally to avoid making excess noise. After a few pensive moments, something came to mind that I thought would be a bit of a stretch of the imagination.
What if he saw the same thing Ren did? I asked, having already told her about the last interaction I had with him before leaving for Caegwen. But that was before the seal on your core was removed, right? Did Ren say anything else during your farewell? Ysevel asked, furrowing her brow as if she were also trying to piece it together.
Nothing specific that I can remember. The only thing I thought was weird was that he cut himself off mid-sentence, but I don't know what he was trying to say, I said dejectedly. Maybe that's what Ardrin saw, then. He could have recognized something in your core that not even Nexis would know about, she said with a shrug.
We both walked in silence for a few moments, taking in the distant mountain ranges and gloomy sky. It was quiet enough to where the sounds of our footfall in the soft, ashen floor were making noise.
This place seems almost peaceful when you're not getting attacked by ravenous creatures, she said, trying to keep the conversation going. Yeah, it almost makes me wonder if it was always like this. I'd be willing to bet something scarred this land, what with the way everything looks, I said, recalling what Kalia said about defending her homeland.
Kalia glared back at us and gave us what I could have sworn was a look of surprise, though it was hard to tell by looking at her eyes alone.
She can't hear us, can she? I asked, feeling my stomach drop a little, considering all the other thoughts I've had since beginning our trek. At this point, I'd be surprised if she couldn't, Ysevel said with a shrug.
We decided to continue the trek in silence, both auditory and mental, keeping an eye out for any other foul monsters that even the Iron Plume clan seemed to despise. Within a few hours, however, we crested the top of a hill to find a large village roughly the same size as the one we just came from.
"My home lies just ahead. We will make it within the hour," she whispered, gesturing towards it. Irun somehow seemed more surprised than Ysevel or I at the sight of it. "What is it?" I asked quietly, figuring it was at least reasonably safe to do so since Kalia was the first to break the silence.
"I've never seen her home before, but for some reason, it looks familiar," he said distantly as if he were lost in thought. "Familiar?" Ysevel whispered, giving me a raised eyebrow in confusion. "Well, it's not exactly the same, but it reminds me a lot of Harutian architecture. The overall layout of it is also very similar to what I remember," he said pensively.
"I'm confused as fuck. How is that even possible?" I asked plaintively. "I… I don't know, but I do know that Pyrdredd, where Nexis lives, is the sister citadel to another in the Between called Valdis. I just don't understand what Harutian architecture would be doing here," Irun replied, shaking his head and furrowing his brow.
Looks like we're not the only ones who weren't told everything, I sent Ysevel who gave me a nod of agreement.
We made our way down the hill and through the main gate that was both similar in size and structure as the other village. The wide path before us wasn't anywhere near as busy as the other one, but it certainly seemed more organized. As we walked, I could tell Irun was likely just as shocked as we were to see how different it was.
The market wasn't merely tents and stalls, rather, they were entire constructs of the same metallic material as the tavern. Every building present had its own mana-flame lanterns, illuminating the path before us almost as clearly as a sunny day in the Between.
"Welcome to my home, Tason'Gareshe Numa, or Twilight's Hollow as it is in the common tongue," Kalia said, turning to look back at us, only to find all of our jaws agape.
"This is your home?" I asked incredulously. "Yes. While it may not seem like much, it's all we have left," she said with a tinge of sadness in her voice. "May not seem like much is the understatement of the century," I muttered under my breath, eliciting a nasal chuckle from Ysevel.
"Unfortunately, we are pressed for time, as I've already notified the guards at the front that we're here to see the Duranjin, or Sage, in your tongue," she said, answering my question before I could even ask it. "I'm sorry, Lady Kalia," Irun began, bowing his head. "For what?" she asked bluntly.
He looked away in embarrassment, searching for the right words to say. "I had no idea your home was this… advanced. During our training in the Dome, you never spoke of it and only ever asked me about mine," he said.
"That's because back then, I only ever saw you as my disciple and not as a friend of the Iron Plume clan. I came to that conclusion when you were teaching Gravar about how to use your sun as a compass," she said, giving him a light punch in his daemonic shoulder.
He rubbed his arm as a small grin began to show on his altered features. "Thank you, Lady Kalia," he said, lowering his head. "Think nothing of it, but I hope these two can come to learn more about us and realize that we were never meant to be enemies," she said, glancing back at us.
I was stunned to hear her say that. It hadn't occurred to me that even though Irun was well known here, none of the hegraphenes actually attacked us. I'd figured that was just because we had Irun with us, but putting it all together, it wouldn't have mattered whether we had him with us or not.
"I don't know what to say, my lady," I said humbly. "There's nothing to say other than we must ensure this rhetoric doesn't continue once you make your eventual return to the Between," she said, giving me a nod. "We'll do our best, Lady Kalia," Ysevel chimed in, lowering her head respectfully.
"I hope you will. Now, come. We've arrived," she said, turning the corner and revealing what I could only describe as being a massive arena. The seating areas spanned the entire circumference of the circular arena, with a few metallic gates on the far sides of it. The energy in the air was palpable to say the least, and I knew that whatever came next was not going to be easy.
"I guess we found where all the other hegraphenes are," I said half-jokingly to Ysevel out of the corner of my mouth. "Do you really need to make jokes like that now?" she muttered back. "Humor is the best way to deal with fucked up situations," I shrugged. "Gods, you and your brother really are alike," she said, giving me a wry smile. "So I've been told," I replied with a chuckle.
"Welcome to Davu dugo Guva," Kalia said, ushering us to the gate. I could hear the sounds of a battle going on, with oohs and aahs resonating from the crowd. "What is this place?" Ysevel asked. "It's a rite of passage that all members of the Iron Plume clan must go through," Kalia began to explain as another uproar came from beyond the gate.
"Now, since the Duranjin will only see members of the Iron Plume, I'm going to induct you into the right of passage to earn his respect," she said. I could hear the wolfish grin she wore hidden in her tone of voice. "You want us to fight in this? But who are we going to fight, my lady? I thought we were trying to show that we're not hostile towards you or your Clan," I said, raising an eyebrow at her. "That's the best part: you're not fighting my clan," she said maliciously.
What the hell is that supposed to mean? I thought nervously.
She led us to the entrance of the gate, and gave the guards a set of commands that forced one of them to rush down one of the hallways. I could still hear the crowd's cheering, and felt my heart begin to race.
"Irun, care to explain what's going on here?" I whispered, hoping he had an answer for me. "All I've ever heard about this is that it's single combat, but what the parameters of it are, I don't know," he replied with a shake of his head.
"Come, we must prepare you for battle," Kalia said, gesturing for us to follow her down the same hallway the other guard had gone down earlier. There were weapons of all sorts there, though only a few resembled anything I'd ever seen. Spears, swords, axes, and bows were seemingly made of the same dark materials as the buildings, while the other, unidentifiable ones had mana-infused crystals placed in sockets along the length of the weapons.
I could only marvel at the level of their craftsmanship, as well as the versatility of this strange material.
"Maikell would have a fucking field day here," I said under my breath. "Do you think they'll let us bring one back?" I asked Ysevel. "Maybe if we ask nicely?" she asked with a glimmer in her eye I'd never seen before. "I hope so," I said, my thoughts drifting to an image of how he might react if he ever saw them.