Harans were often known for treading the terrain instead of settling. Of course, most people of Harabara found their place in villages or towns, with about seventy per cent of the population in the latter, and about twenty-five in the former. Five might not seem big on paper, but you had to consider, practically no other race tended for such to happen.

You could name various vagabonds, such as one tale recalled, of a Morian named Unius, who continuously searched for a home before realising that Errarion itself could be dubbed such. The book counterpart of Unius was based on a real person, but that guy much like Ingo and Genni, was a Haran-Morian. Questions were asked about this sudden change but never answered.

Back to the five per cent, unlike Unius, they weren't travellers, at least not to the scale of his walkabout. Here and there were the best words to describe them, as they'd scour a certain part of the country. Some moved all around, hanging around villages while finding a cosy palm tree to sleep under, while others only reigned in the southern forests or the northern Florentine.

Vagabonds were not as uncommon in Harabara, mainly because of the hundreds of villages scattered everywhere the eye could reach, meaning the distance between safety cumulated to an hour or two, when people rode yunduls. Passerby often stumbled into them, especially at night, and they'd stop for a drink or tea near a campfire, while a story they haven't heard of reveals itself.

Ingo could recall one, especially sitting across flames himself. During his and Genni's travels from Mercury to Sohota Town, they met one Haran, robed in thick clothes unlike for the season. The vagabond was a man of the caves, a half-Mirillian, but most of that came from speculations and a past he was to uncover. He spoke of massive dragons hiding below the thick sands of the Sap Dog, way deeper than the eye could reach and even further below the mist shrouding the ground.

The two then learned of something called a Mirillian instinct, and the man insisted that anyone could learn it if they closed their eyes for long enough. You'd feel those underground passages and a road without any dangers. Mirillians, after all, always found the best corridor to reach something of interest, whether it was fruit or an ore, or even the seed of those dark deformities.

Ingo thought to seek for dragons, one day. Genni wasn't entirely convinced, but the other Haran reckoned it might be fun. The adventure had no real purpose, but that didn't matter.

Turning to the crashed opening of the cave he and Leopold fought in, it opposed the stories he remembered.

There was no thrill to it, so, in the end, did the man lie back then?

Ingo ground his teeth, turning to a bandage wrapped around his forearm, with some sting.

"Sorry," Rowan uttered, letting go of the tight squeeze.

"It's fine." Ingo continued, rubbing his forehead with the other hand, coming across another small wound he failed to notice earlier. He rolled his eyes, before they landed on the ground, instead of the Tributal on the wooden log next to him. "T-Thank you."

"It's only natural." Rowan smiled. "I figured this might be a way to repay you."

"Even though you're hurt?" Ingo asked, meeting the broken glasses Rowan fixed. "I don't mean to be that guy, but I'd be selfish if I were in your position."

Rowan, strangely enough, still didn't tend to themselves, much like Ingo implied. A lot of the wounds earlier created by Ingo turned into light scars, but there were still more than a few spots where blood reigned over and sapped into the destroyed clothes they wore.

"I've been at worse, frankly."

Ingo turned to the fire again. The deepest of his bruises were covered in various bandages or completely gone, in the blink of an eye. The Tributal he met an hour ago took their time with some concoction they hid in a pouch on their left. It stang, but ultimately stopped the swelling around the bigger scabs and left the Haran with bits of dry skin.

He rubbed around his leg, still feeling a distant itch, before turning to Rowan again.

"It came from that thing," Ingo muttered. "Right?"

Rowan turned, calmly.

"What you mentioned earlier. A giant skeleton wandering through the desert."

Rowan put their hands down, moving a little back. "It was an enemy I couldn't have taken care of."

"Even though you're a Demonear?" Ingo asked.

Rowan shook their head.

"Maybe it's a chimera? I've seen one in Galliath. They're unkillable."

Rowan didn't answer this time either.

"Must be the answer. Except for Shi Hon, I don't think there's a demon a human couldn't overcome. If not, they must be either something else or just that. Another damn human." Ingo uttered.

"You seem to have caught on," Rowan answered, rubbing the back of their head.

"I've seen the damn thing." Ingo turned, blinking. "Legs like walls, ripping into the sand. It was even able to counter the two demons who wanted to bring us to Shi Hon. For a second there, I thought a human was on our side. A strong Demonear, somehow transforming into something horrifying to counter our oppressors. Turns out, everything in this stupid country is against me."

Rowan looked down, one clenched fist near an arrow, still pierced through their side. They ripped it, ever so lightly, before blood poured out, leaving a few drops on the ground.

"A human shouldn't ever be capable of hurting one another. I'm afraid, it turned into something far worse than that." Rowan said.

"Hm?"

"Someone simply pretending to be humane. Yet, they lack that thing that makes them a Tributal or a Haran." they put both hands on their knees, letting them drop to the side.

Rowan glanced at the fire, squinting. "I don't know the full story, and I'm simply writing off of what I learnt back then. But what I fought there was definitely, nothing along the lines of what you know." they straightened up. "I'm of the word that nothing we hold in our hands could compare it to a human who was fooled into being something else. I've seen it with my very own eyes. They all resent it, but they'll never admit it." Rowan stared hopelessly. "For their pride."

Ingo clenched his shaky jaw, trying to calm down.

"A human who can't be turned into a devil." Rowan sat up, breathing out. "We're alike in that matter."

"Huh?" Ingo shook his head.

"Harans and Tributals can't be transformed into demons. They die or get manipulated," they said. "I guess it's the scariest when the latter works."

Ingo gulped and tapped his knee, nervously. He didn't want to come to that anger, sorrow, or any feeling combined with what just happened. Deep down, though, he knew there was no way he could push it all off.

The Haran huffed, pushing his thumb into his chin. Rowan didn't do anything besides staring, as Ingo sat with his arms crossed, refusing to add another word.

The other adjusted a cloth near their neck and turned to the Haran.

Rowan uttered. "Name's Rowan."

Ingo turned his eyes to the Tributal, before eventually giving in. "Ingo."

"Ingo?" Rowan asked. "Say, have we met before?"

"Never seen your face."

"The name strikes a memory." Rowan looked up. "I remember a family once coming to me in Fort Apharel. I was still quite young, but since everyone else was out, they asked me to do it. It was just a sore throat, but I guess Harans don't see that as often as other races."

Ingo raised one eyebrow. "What?"

"Do you recall now?"

Ingo looked to the side for a bit. "Were you the one who gave Champ that necklace?"

"I don't know who Champ is, but I remember bestowing a gift to a wolf. My Lushes said it was a sort of protective charm, especially for an animal that carried them as far."

Ingo shook his head. "No, what?"

"The Sforses, right?"

"Y-Yes," Ingo answered quickly. "Oh my... jeez." he spat out, almost laughing.

Rowan shook their head. "So we're not that far apart, eh? I thought you were a vagabond for a second, but it turns out you have a loving family that cares about all that."

Any hints of Ingo's smile quickly disappeared from his face. He moved back a little, while Rowan stared into the fire.

"Your brother, too. He was the one who found that wolf to begin with, right?"

Ingo scratched the top of his head.

Rowan glimpsed, with one eye shining Ingo's way. "Must be nice."

Ingo shook his head. "Not really."

"Why?"

"Just because we know each other doesn't mean I'm spilling everything out."

Rowan continued sneaking a few glimpses at the Haran.

The story they both told reminded him of the reason why the two were here.

"I guess it could be one's reason to keep going," Rowan muttered. "You know, having that opportunity to come back home and see all the people waiting for you."

Ingo didn't say anything else. He stared at the ground, with slightly furrowed brows.

Rowan's eyes reflected a similar stance. Half-open, and wishing to be closed soon. Yet, some things were meant to be done. Even if meaningless.

Ingo picked up another kaito fruit from the side and ripped it open.

The Tributal folded their arms, and blood dripped from a sleeve onto their palm.

"I get it. Actions speak more than words." they shook their head. "I'm sure I'll learn with the time we spend together."

Ingo seemed puzzled. "I already gave you the food."

"It's not about favours." Rowan raised their finger, almost triumphantly, but their voice resonated lowly. "I'm not going to leave you behind."

Ingo squinted, stuffing his mouth with the fruit. "What do you want me to do? Help you with the travels?"

"Partially," Rowan said. "I think we'll have to cross paths with that skeleton thing again."

Ingo scoffed.

"Would you be able to assist me in fighting it?"

Ingo's agreement meant the same thing Rowan just implied. As if, without another word added, the Haran who they called stubborn said yes to a rather ridiculous proposition. Even though he was visibly hurt, shaken up and frustrated, the answer came smoothly.

"Anything that blocks my path gets pushed to the side." he clenched the bat, which lay on the ground.

Maybe the battle was still meaningless. The only person left of the Svens was Ennyou, who turned against the Tributal.

Maybe, it all didn't make sense, but if it wasn't for selfish reasons, defeating someone manipulated by Shi Hon meant freeing a soul trapped in invisible guilt.

Rowan resented that back then, they couldn't fix things. So, they vowed to turn the tide now.

Even if it meant sacrificing for love, again.

***

It was quiet in Halesdeep.

Every structure built into the mountains, the remnants of the city or the bridges connecting through the canyons of the formations were left empty. As far as the eye could see, no one peeked their head out.

A metallic tinge lingered, combined with the touch of something wet painting the grounds and everything that followed. Mentioning colours, they were the usual, monotonous beige bunch, but with a tint of red.

A fierce red. Red as the vista fruits in Orawood, warning you of their poison, or the red often associated with simple danger.

Blood too, was red, and a lot of it covered the bones growing out from the lower half of Ennyou's floating body.

The Tributal stood in the middle. His hands were covered, and his face was stained with a streak he couldn't wash off. Standing in front of the Swannes church, one of the bones grew out from the side and struck at the bricks, effortlessly rendering it as nothing.

The beastmen who lay around, without an inch of life to their name stared up at the moving statue of Ennyou.

He clenched his fist and looked at it, breathing out. "Too weak," he uttered. "Still too weak."

"Are you talking about yourself?" A voice spoke from inside Ennyou, one he couldn't recognize.

Ennyou furrowed his brows. "Everyone else. They didn't fight back. They didn't try to kill me."

"Did you try saving the beastmen like he told you?"

"I wanted to, but I only killed them."

"Why?"

"Because they were too weak to save."

"I could've said the same thing about you." Shi Hon's voice spoke, and Ennyou looked up, rather calmly. Everything that was once beige and red turned into this infinite darkness, shrouding him and the distant silhouette.

No bones grew around the Tributal's body, and the hand that grew back disappeared, leaving him the same as he once was.

"But I saved you." Shi Hon muttered. "Because I knew your potential. You broke Alfredo's promise."

"He never asked me to do anything."

"It was the only rational approach to the people who saved you. Those hostile beastmen could've easily killed you. They even tried the same thing with your Chicho, because they believed they were heading to defeat you. But then again, you said it yourself. All too weak." he stepped around. "Too frail to be useful and too small to be a threat."

Ennyou turned towards Shi Hon, with a smile peeking out from underneath the long clumps of hair. A grin, and a finger, spinning around its axis.

"You." Ennyou pointed. "Fight me."

"I'd never willingly want to hurt one of my children." he shook his head.

"Prove to me that there's a reason why I'm strong!"

"I'd lose." Shi Hon shook his head.

"What?"

"I'd lose," he repeated, with a lowly tone. "I'm not holding the strength of years of preparation. Struggle, yet, determination. A choice you trusted, and something you became. You wanted to be strong, right? To see it all, to know it all."

"Yes."

"It's exactly what you've asked for. I only fulfilled your wish, like you asked me to." Shi Hon put both hands on Ennyou's face, as his palms slid down towards his chin. "And you're unsatisfied with that?"

Ennyou slapped his hands off, raising his arm. Again, Shi Hon spun his finger around, before turning left.

"I can't use that strength for anything. It's meaningless." Ennyou shook his head.

"What about the words you so confidently uttered to that other Tributal? Are you afraid now?"

"No." Ennyou closed his eyes, frustrated. "I'm afraid of nothing."

Shi Hon snickered. "I thought that in itself was something everyone longed for. The feeling of coming home with days, weeks, and even seasons filled with nothing but pleasure. The free time you worked so hard for."

Ennyou's gaze shot up.

"Don't you like it?" Shi Hon smiled.

"I can't be dishonest."

"You know that very well. That's the thing that troubles you. I guess a human would never understand, then."

"I'm not as weak as a human."

"You indirectly told me otherwise." Shi Hon commented. "Having everything equals having nothing. Nothing's new, nothing comes as a surprise, and time might just flail by as fast. But that's not something a demon would ever complain about. We value the peace you humans took away, and look... you're asking me for help again."

"I'm not asking for your aid." Ennyou breathed in. "I just want to battle you, like I said earlier."

"...and I refused. What's the point of this conversation, then?"

"End it."