Like most days in Gorro, the sun shone from above, raining rushes of warmth on the cold surface of the earth. Water flew generously, between gorges and valleys, crashing down into rocks or rivers below.

Mentioning those nearby small ponds, streams or even bigger lakes, the cloudless sky matched the liquid, as if it was one of those paintings carefully crafted in those dark and misty days of the Second War. Back then, people had to rely on memory to call back to what was once happy.

Mist shrouded the eyes of most, and when stepping out of the wrecked streets, nothing resembled what they were tasked to envision.

Hundreds of years passed, and one of the pillars which crushed the castle it carried on its back sent those glimmering shimmers back home. A Demonear's face reflected in the pond hidden behind a sharp rock, where a few stem flowers spread their colourful crowns.

With a determined glance, she reassured herself of the spirit inside, before a familiar voice sounded.

"Go on then, Gloria," Bancho uttered, signalling with his old fingers towards the young woman, ready to strike. "Hit me." he finished his sentence, and as the words left his mouth, the other Morian jumped up, zapping through the air towards the Wise.

With one fast glimpse to the left, Bancho swiftly avoided her move, his axe now thrown into the sky and above all the steep ends of the blooming Lockum Mountains. A water stream appeared below the blade, finally wrapping itself around his thick hand.

The Wise flew above, with a tight grin, but this wasn't Gloria's signal to give up hope. Matching his expression, smirking relentlessly as if telling Bancho that he was a fool to pick her as an opponent to begin with.

Gloria pulled her sword back, breathing in through her nose, before screaming out in vigour. Striking the ground, she bounced off with a fast zap, spinning around. Bancho looked up, but before he could say anything, the woman crushed into those sharp rocks, and dust came flying out.

"Not yet!" She reached her weapon out, announcing, and Bancho extended his arm. The fog quickly revealed Gloria, who gracefully stood on one leg, balancing on the sharp rock. Soon enough though, she flailed her arms before stepping on both feet.

Bancho chuckled, before taking a leap into the sky and assuming a similar position to what Gloria presented, but, unlike her, he easily rested on just one limb.

A cloud passed over the old Morian, and the woman's smile faded, but only for a second.

Carefully analyzing all possibilities, Bancho came up with a plan, staring into Gloria's deep-set eyes. He knew her tricks, strategy, and what made her a great Demonear.

Gloria breathed out again, putting her hand into her pocket, and moving it around.

One eye opened. "We agreed on something else," he spoke, and the woman sighed. "No other items in battle except your skills and wits." Bancho pointed with Saxyo, his retinas carefully analyzing her moves. "Do you remember what I taught you?"

"Hah, would a real demon say the same thing to me, Bancho?" Gloria asked, smirking.

"You're not fighting a demon, young one, but a great friend." Bancho nodded.

Gloria sighed, before hesitantly lifting her arm and opening her rather shaky palm. "What's this gonna do?" she chuckled as if realising the absurdity of the situation. Bancho squinted his eyes, finding a...

"Stone?" Bancho asked, unsurely.

"Yep." she nodded, closing her palm. "Just a little pebble."

Bancho scratched his head.

"I wanted to take it out, for the safety of our training," Gloria explained. "We wouldn't want this to fall on your precious hair, would we?" she placed it between her index and middle fingers.

"I-I guess you're right, Gloria." Bancho nodded, closing his eyes. "At the same time, I wonder... Why would you even have a pebble in your pocket to begin with?" Bancho asked, but Gloria still stood in pretty much the same position. "Wait, don't answer my question. You told me once. I obviously wouldn't forget." he stuck his hand out.

This was her opportunity, Bancho always talked a lot despite people never insisting on his explanations. She grinned, tightly squeezing the rock and whispering murmurs under her breath. "Believe, believe..." a small zap was sent through the rock, wrapping itself around the sharp edges.

"It was a hobby, a younger passion of yours. That pebble collection you told me off, resting by the windowsill. When I was young, I always valued the small twigs of jile-wood and look no further, now we burn those for Shin. So, is there a deeper end to the pebbles?"

Gloria held in her laugh. "Yes!"

"Tell me!"

"They were all a lie!"

She threw the stone forward, and it joyously beamed with electricity, heading directly towards Bancho's face. The Wise immediately jumped, but with that, came consequences. His leg slipped, and it seemed like nothing would stop the pebble's glorious soar. It followed right after, in a blind chase around the sharp rocks.

But, there was a tiny flaw in Gloria's skillfully crafted plan.

While laughing in joy, Bancho furrowed his eyebrows, gripping Saxyo as if ready for a strike, yet, he only swung forward.

With enough momentum, a wave of water crashed right above Gloria, all while Bancho threw himself into one of the ponds.

"Haha, hah-" her laugh was abruptly stopped by the liquids that flowed into her mouth, and then it was the pebble, as if the last straw that broke the yundul's back, an icy finish atop the Lignorian birthday cakes.

A spark was sent through the water, almost turning into a thunderstorm. Gloria shook, making strange noises, before jumping up with a scream.

That leap, unfortunately for Bancho, headed towards the same place he rested in, spewing out generous amounts of water. When her body collided, the thunderclaps spread to both, and soon enough, both were entangled in their stupid notions.

***

"You still ought to learn a lot, Gloria." Bancho shook his head, putting crushed mashoba sticks into the campfire.

Gloria crossed her arms, pursing her lips.

"Water conducts electricity." Bancho drew something on the ground with his finger. "It can either be a feat or a great danger. But, for now, I'd recommend you stay away from any liquids while using your Guardian Demon." he smiled, nodding slowly.

Gloria looked away.

Bancho stopped. "Do you know why the Shimorian sparrows carry their young ones on their backs for the first few days of their lives? They want to show them how big the world is, and what things they're to watch out for. They hum little tunes, while they safely lay in that little remaining speck of comfort."

Gloria hesitantly looked up.

"I'd say, that's the case with most of life. Someone walks right beside you until only one can walk."

"Your analogies are strange." she shook her head. "But I get your point. I think."

Bancho took a deep breath in. "Demonears-"

"I'm just doing the things you taught me to do. Saying the words you said, dancing like you did." Gloria looked up into the sky, as it turned a thick, dark blue shade. Her eyes then wandered to all the lights among the grassy terrains of the various valleys and hills around her. People with torches, going back home, some leading sheep into pens, others travelling with families, telling stories and laughing.

Although the old Morian's expression was rather stoic, he too, seemed to enjoy himself.

Gloria laid down, making a strange expression upon hitting a sharp rock, but nevertheless. She continued, brushing through her white hair and then putting her hands on her flowy, cotton dress. "You're not going to finish your speech?"

"You seem to have heard it already." he giggled a little, brushing off her notions. "Thousands of times."

She nodded. "We carve paths for others to follow."

"Guess I did hammer that into you, then." Bancho smiled, pressing his fingers against the grass.

With their weapons behind the flames, clothes on drying racks and a basket of food near Bancho's hand, Gloria started closing her eyes as if nothing else happened. Which, strangely enough, distressed her.

"You're usually much more talkative than this." She quickly sat up. "Stressed and worried 'cause I beat you?!" she pointed.

"N-No." Bancho lied. "You didn't even win."

"I outsmarted you!"

"If outsmarting means hurting yourself in the process then I'm not sure if that's the right word." Bancho quickly mumbled, but Gloria heard every single word nonetheless. She jumped at him in a fit of anger, which turned into both laughing on the ground in the next minute.

That's how it always was.

Bancho looked at the sky, slowly blinking. His thoughts spiralled back into feelings of happiness, but with a little sadness sparkled atop. He knew this moment wouldn't last forever.

There was something so special about her.

"I guess that I'm thinking."

"About what?" she asked.

"Everything. What is there not to think about when the sky shows millions of stars?"

He bit his teeth, his answer being the furthest from the truth he hid.

He passed another glance to her, and Gloria seemed a little out of her mind. She finally broke the silence with something that suddenly sparked an interest in her blue eyes. "Bancho."

"Hm?"

"Why do you always wear that cape?" she pointed, genuinely and wholeheartedly interested, dismissing the earlier topic in.

The fire slowly faded out.

Bancho thought for a second, but couldn't find a solution to her problem. He shrugged.

"Isn't it hot? Like?" she signalled with her hand, making another strange noise. "Seems stupid."

Bancho breathed in. "Like you're one to speak."

"HEY!"

The ashes of the fire slowly drifted into the night sky, turning into crumbles of something that once was, but is now nothing.

***

The sky shone a thick blue colour, and the sun rays graced Jyuzou's skin, finally adding bits and pieces of warmth to his trembling body.

He shook, despite there not being anything that would send shivers down his spine, it was rather warm, in all honesty. But it wasn't the pleasant heat of a hug or a cosy blanket. It was pretty much unbearable, even for the toughest of fighters.

Jyuzou took his thick purpur sweater off, throwing it to the side and breathing out, trying to relax. Yet, his gaze shifted back to something else on the deck.

Before looking out towards the empty vastness of the sea roads they crossed, Jyuzou once again crouched next to Morio, looking at his eyes which kept shaking, and a jaw that was constantly clenched. Noises sounded, here and there, but nothing else. A tug on a shoulder wouldn't wake him up.

"Come on, Morio."

The glassy-eyed Morian stood up again, with a gulp, staring at the open blue. Everything was so vibrant, so different to what he had seen the past few days that he almost felt sick, although one would surely be happy. Jyuzou too, especially.

Gorro always meant new plants and wildlife, things he could eat, smell, hear or see, and now with all the opportunities in the world, he should be happy.

But, yet, a mist wasn't lifted.

The man steering the boat was oddly silent. His thick hands constantly spun the wheel around, avoiding seemingly nothing, but it was up to the imagination of the Morian what could be hiding underneath the surface.

Pressure, fear, and anxiety, all kept building up and there was nothing for him to do about it. Finally, he recalled a strange notion, before his hands landed on the Lina necklace. It made metallic sounds whenever his fingers traced its edges.

Focused on the gleam, there was nothing else that mattered at that moment. He couldn't hear his shaky breath, he couldn't feel his beating heart and he didn't even seem to realise that something stood behind him.

"DIE, YOU DEMON!" Morio yelled out, striking the Victis sword, as Jyuzou screamed, his voice echoing across the seas.

Morio slowly blinked, his sword pointed at Jyuzou, whose hand landed on his terrified face. The Morian quickly glimpsed at the pilot, now turned to the two with fear in his eyes. "Huh," Morio uttered, with a smile, hiding the sword back in its sheath. "You're not a demon. That was a weird dream." he scratched his head. "I feel like we- Wow."

Morio stopped, his bright, black eyes widening to extremes.

He slowly came to terms with everything around him. He looked into his unsure reflection in the water, then glimpsed back at Jyuzou who scoured to sit up, then again, at the man who went back to steering the boat, now keeping a careful eye on the two, murmuring something under his breath that both couldn't make out.

"Jyuzou." Morio closed his eyes. "Why are we on a boat?" he asked, confident in his words.

"Gah!" Jyuzou leapt at the other Morian, with furrowed eyebrows, his clenched fist landing right atop Morio's chest, just as he was ready to serve a blow. "DON'T YOU EVER DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT AGAIN, YOU IDIOT!"

"IDIOT?! I WASN'T AWAKE, YOU FOUR-EYED FREAK!" Morio tried escaping Jyuzou's angered grasp, but instead just tumbled around the rather small deck, miraculously not falling off.

The pilot breathed out, putting his darker hand behind the wheel. "Mann see how it is." he shook his head, brushing sweat off.

Morio braced for impact, as Jyuzou raised his hands with a loud breath. But, instead of a strike, something else happened. "Huh?"

Jyuzou embraced him, tightly. Morio glanced at him, gulping unsurely.

"I'm... g-glad." Jyuzou broke through the pressure, moving his hand down, revealing his shaky face.

Morio stopped for a second, blinking, thinking. There were no words that could be played off as jokes at such moments, and he wasn't to continue his rather measly fury. "A-About?" he finally asked, frowning.

Jyuzou breathed out, pressing two fingers on his nose's bridge and then calming down. "Sorry," he uttered, followed by a chuckle, and then a reassuring smile. Morio couldn't help but beam as well, patiently furrowing his brows. The glassy Morian put his hands together, sitting down and collecting his notions.

"You've been asleep for the past." he counted on his fingers. "Almost eight days."