I was always an outsider.

Sure, I felt differently with her, but she moved on and so did I.

To greater things!

LoG, 297

"You could learn a little from Liton." Malik glared at Drian.

"Luckily, I judged well where Nalon's room was. Imagine me appearing half-naked and armed in some venerable woman's bedroom. Her heart would have stopped beating." Liton chuckled.

"Or she would suddenly become livelier." Ula laughed. "You really have an unexpected talent to arrive at the scene."

Liton guffawed. "I always had it, and I always will. How are you, my friend? The old man is holding up for now?" he asked Drian warmly, searching his face with worry.

Drian only nodded and then answered about his father's condition. "There were better Lights and Darks," he said.

"I see that the bird doesn't get off your shoulder." Liton's sharp eye didn't miss Malik's position on Drian.

"It's logical I'm attached to Mina. We were together for so many Big Ones. Maybe she's just scared of today's events."

"Will somebody fucking do me a favour and talk about me as if I were a male?" Malik screeched.

Changing the conversation topic, Drian pointed to Liton's full combat equipment. "Are you going to a War Parade or ...?" Drian forced himself to smile.

"Ah, that. Hmmm, something like that, only this time it won't be just about parading. Let's say this is a ... Timely preparation."

"Preparation for what?" Ula wrung her hands.

"There will be war," Liton said grimly, looking down at his bare, muddied soles.

Drian said nothing. He stared at his father, but he also absorbed every word. He felt Malik's claws digging into his shoulder.  It looks like the bird considers this information valuable.

"You ... Are you serious?" Ula stepped forward.

"Unfortunately."

"How do you know? There was no war in The Squareworld for many Big Ones now. I mean ... Not since the people of Lagad and Begi had defeated the people of The Forest of Lug and subdued them ... What could cause a war now? We are in a more or less friendly relationship with the people of Lug and the people of The Mountain. The Reka from The River Tebesum as well, since we are trading with them," Ula spoke fast, nervously trying to make the situation clearer to herself.

Drian was grimly tapping fingers on a nearby wooden table.

Liton finally enunciated.

"The Wellers of Begi, Lagad and the surrounding villages of both cities, including our Bronze Cliff, have their underground routes and their communication channels. The voice travels fast through the tunnels," he said.

"A subterranean city," Ula said with awe. "I thought it was just a legend. It exists."

"It does, yes. But it won't be there for long. We'll close the tunnels that connect us."

"But why?" Ula didn't understand. "You are one nation. I know that some of you are looking for water for The Market of Lagad, and others for Begi Market. What does it matter? Despite that little distance, you have so much in common. The way of life, the way of thinking ..."

"Because we will now be on the opposite sides," said Liton. "Lagad and Begi will go to war."

"The towns will fight each other?" This information stunned Elder's daughter.

"Does that have something to do with the fact the water disappeared in tunnels?" Drian asked in a hushed tone, not looking up.

"It has everything to do with it."

"Wait a minute," Ula interrupted impatiently. "The water in your tunnels has disappeared? Why didn't you inform my father about this?"

"We didn't think it was going to be permanent. And we didn't want to raise a false alarm. Until now."

"What has changed?" Drian asked.

"According to the words of more religious, fanatical Wellers from Begi, The Mind punishes us and rewards Lagad. When the water ceased to run through our tunnels, it appeared in the form of a tall, inexhaustible Geyser. It now emerges from the ground, just in front of the Lagad Waterfort."

"Lagad got a constant source of water?" Drian and Ula croaked at the same time.

"More like: The Mind created a constant source of water for Lagad," Malik shrieked.

"Well, that's great," Drian said. "Now our traders don't have to go with The Vigils all the way to The River Tebesum for water and expose themselves to The Reka hostilities. It will be enough to travel to Lagad and buy it there. We offer them something in return; we get water from them. I don't understand why this would cause the war."

"It might not be a valid cause, but the leader of the Begi, Fedum, uses it as a cause," Liton sighed, tired, sitting on the ground. "So far, as my sources say, he has, through The ViewWall publicly accused the Queen of Lagad, Gospava. He says The Geyser is a perversion, and that Lagad has redirected our water. He announced the war already."

"Everything is clear now," Drian said. "Fedum, in fact, wants to win Lagad by military force and become The Leader of that city again. He never overcame the fact that his father Gidenar had given that position to an ordinary soldier: Milen."

"They should not have voted him as The Leader of the Begi when he came to them from Lagad, with a tail between his legs," Ula snarled. "Now he is just pulling us into a story that is his own personal conflict. Many people will get hurt and why? Couldn't Fedum have arranged a trade deal?"

"He is most likely hungry for territory," Drian said bleakly. "And it shows. I admit it; it's strange that The Mind created such a source in Lagad. Because ... If The Mind can do this, through The Fount... This means that The Mind could end the drought in The Squareworld. Maybe The Mind will do it!" Drian sped up, excited. "Maybe the Lagad Geyser is just the beginning. What if The Mind "realised" we don't have enough water? Perhaps The Mind will later create more water in Begi?"

"You're thinking like The Man of Cloth again, Drian." Liton chuckled. "You're obsessed with The Mind. What if The Mind this, what if The Mind that? Let go of The Mind. Focus on your life, the life of an individual. Focus on what you can do with your time; your abilities. If The Mind can create a perfect world, without starvation, thirst and wars ... Why hasn't it done so? Why not prevent this Second Water War? I will not be fooled by what The Mind does and thinks. Maybe all of us and everything that happens around us is a product of chance rather than some planning of a higher being."

"I like this guy. Why wasn't I assigned to this guy?" Malik said.

"Wait, someone assigned you to me?" Drian asked with an astonished look.

That caused strange who-is-he-talking-to glances from Liton and Ula.

"I am talking to myself at this rate." Drian tried to escape the awkward situation but he sensed he didn't convince his friends. He hurried to resume his talk about the war topic. "There is logic in your words, Liton, except this piece about the product of coincidence. We are all so obviously planned. Do you want to deny that The Fount, which we all can see with our own eyes, is the creative and driving force of The Mind?" Drian blurted out. Then he sighed, tired. "In fact, forget it. I know how practical you are. You came to say goodbye and give us information. I refuse to spend the last moments with my friend in a dispute."

"It's one of the smartest things you've said lately," Malik cawed cynically.

Liton approached Drian. Two young men hugged.

"So I'm the only one staying here?" Ula said as if through a joke.

"Take care," Liton warned Ula. "Fedum will certainly recruit Bronze Cliff to fight against Lagad. Maybe you'll have to run the village while your father is at war. You can do it, Ula, you are strong." Liton smiled. "I'm going back to The Tunnels to arm and equip The Wellers. We ceased digging for the time being. We're waiting for Ulaor's sign so we might all go to Begi."

"Will you go by land?" Drian asked.

"We'll have to. The Tunnels will be closed. We want a fair battle on the surface, not an underground slaughter. You could join me, buddy. I don't hear you offering aid. Ah, you were always in love with a comfortable life and painting. Avoiding mobilisation, are we?"

Drian opened his mouth to answer something. He felt guilty.

The Second Water War is upon us. The conversation has failed. It has come to the senseless destruction. Yet here I stand. Doing nothing.

"Duty calls on the other side, Drian. Now is not the time to play war. If we can, we must try to avoid it in any way possible," Malik screeched in his ear.

"Your bird seems hungry. She is constantly cawing." The King of the Tunnels smiled benevolently. "I was joking, a moment ago. I know you're going to The Curators' community to find a cure for your father. I heard you talking to Ula. Safe journey, brother, and ... I'll see you around." Liton put a big flat stone knife into Drian's hands. "It might come in handy."

"I will not lose it, I promise." Drian nodded, solemn.

Then Liton winked at both Drian and Ula. He disappeared into the hole like a peculiar and overgrown rabbit, with a loud and theatrical "plop".

Silence filled the room.

"War." Drian said and closed his eyes for the moment, biting into his lower lip.

"War." Ula agreed, looking at the ground.

*****

The colour on The Viewstone moved from bright yellow to white when Drian left his Namas. He breathed deeply before abandoning his home. Drian tried not to think about how his life was changing at that moment from the very roots.

I have to focus on what follows. Always look at what comes next, never at what was before.

On Drian's back, there was a big rucksack of solid leather filled with a variety of things. They were mostly food and water supplies, as well as spare clothes. Also, Drian had an old yellow map, a soft blanket that was supposed to serve him as a bed, a Viewstone he inherited from his father and a bottle of oil for the lamp. In the event of a fight, he took Liton's stone knife and some bandages from The Curatory.

"I hope I won't be needing these," Drian sighed, putting everything on the top of the pile.

"What, you mean, for fighting?" Malik inquired. "Oh, surely not. If it comes to battle, you'll probably transform into a panther and kill everything in front of you," the mynah bird reassured him.

"Thank you. That was really comforting." Drian's sarcasm floated on the surface of the conversation.

"I was joking, you daft oaf. You won't need the knife at all, believe me," Malik said. "Well, except for cutting the bread for sandwiches. We won't meet anyone on the road."

"How long will we travel? You said The Settlement is between Lagad and Begi." Drian was curious.

"If everything goes well, and we avoid people going by the side paths ... Two Lights and one Dark. Or, if you want me to be more precise: Light, Dark, Light. We should be there before The Second Dark."

Drian made a joke at his own expense: "If I turned into a panther, this bundle would be much lighter. I would run faster, and I would see in The Dark."

"Don't even joke about that." Malik shuddered. "You aren't trained yet."

"What would happen to me if ... If I changed shape?" Cold shivers ran up Drian's spine.

"If you turned into a panther, you would swallow me in one bite. And you would forget where you were and what you were looking for."

I saw what murder looks like just one Light ago. When The Vigils extinguished Deron's life with a simple jab of a wooden tool with a sharp stone on top. I won't turn. I can't. It is not mine to decide how much life is left in someone else's body.

"It seems unfair The Leaders of Begi and Lagad have The ViewWalls at their disposal. They can communicate whenever they wish. I have no way of finding out how my father is," Drian addressed Malik, trying to shake away his unpleasant thoughts.

Well, that happened. Now I am officially confiding all my doubts and worries to the bird.

"The Curators have a way," Drian's feathered interlocutor mysteriously announced.

"What way?" Drian was interested to hear all about it. They stepped out of the village. Drian was holding a small oil lamp in his hand, feeling exhausted.

The Light will replace The Dark any moment now. We must leave the village before it happens. I need to avoid the awkward questions of the awakened locals. Ula can explain everything to them. I hope so, at least. She was always skilled with words. Bronze Cliff remains in good hands.

Malik didn't answer his brief question to what Drian mumbled: "I don't know if I am crazy to follow the bird solely based on its promise, and with no additional information. But here we are."

The trip lasted as long as Malik said it would. By The Light, Drian and Malik were moving with caution. They were walking on sideroads, digging into the ground when they would come across a passerby. Drian didn't understand the reason for such guardedness, but Malik insisted that it was for his safety. The area between Begi and Lagad, The Barrens, looked like a desiccated, monotonous desert. Soft yellow sand was rattling under Drian's feet, unnerving him.

Nothing but an occasional rare, lonely and dried tree could be seen in the distance. As The Light turned into The Dark, Drian and Malik climbed into the holes of the limestone rocks, without igniting the fire. They had a quick supper under the lighting of the oil lamp.

They didn't talk much.

Malik wouldn't give Drian any more answers to the questions he was so interested in. So Drian saved his strength and saved water, above all. Drian was unaccustomed to the long march. His body hurt a lot, especially his back and leg muscles. The skin on his feet was occasionally torn from walking.

"It's easy for you," Drian finally grunted in Malik's direction during the Second Light. "You only have to ride on my shoulder and stretch your wings now and then when you are bored, right? Also, The Viewstone is already dark blue, so the Second Dark will soon take place. Where is The Settlement you told me ab ...?"

Suddenly, the glittering contours of grey stone constructions, covered with dry grass, appeared in front of Drian, in the middle of the desert. They didn't seem real.

Am I seeing things?

The gravel was getting sharper and sharper outlines until Drian could finally feel it under his feet. After rubbing his eyes, making sure The Settlement was really there, Drian continued to walk along on a narrow stone path. He was now approaching the interior of what looked like a magnificent old ruin; a ruin of a long-lost city.

"Is ... Is this the village of The Curators?" Drian asked, although he already knew the answer in advance.

No, it's not. Malik brought me someplace else entirely.

Human eyes on animal bodies appeared on his right and left side. A spotted, elegant cheetah brushed past him, which made Drian shudder. Then all the animals formed a welcoming lane.

Am I supposed to pass through there?

Drian swallowed and half-closed his eyelids. He continued to walk towards the centre of the ruins.

Well, this can't be worse than what has happened to me so far. A city emerging from out of nowhere, a multitude of people transformed into animals is something I can accept. Besides, they would probably receive me as one of them, Drian thought nervously. Walk on ... Don't show them you're scared ...

In the very centre of a magnificent city, one of the most stunning fellowships Drian could imagine was sitting at a stone table. A gigantic bear occupied the central part. It was happily helping itself with the honey from the jar. It ceased its greedy licking at the sign of Drian's presence. The bear pulled its dirty snout out of the earthenware container and stared at Drian.

"Every normal person would turn around and run away from the bear. I am walking towards it. Could you explain to me why am I walking towards the bear?" Drian hissed.

Malik silenced him and shoved him from the rear to get a move on.

To the right of the bear, on a stone base, a white-headed griffon vulture was sitting. The bird was lazily filling his beak with grapes, looking nowhere in particular. To the left of the bear, there was a small glass aquarium. A tiny yellow fish circled around, locked in perpetual furious motion, piercing Drian with an accusatory glance.

The bear stood up and mumbled: "The Shape Changers welcome you, Drian, son of Nalon."

Drian bowed uncomfortably, unsure how to act.

Yet another weird entrance. Good job, Drian.

"Um ... Thanks?" He replied with modesty.

The yellow fish harrumphed, turned his back on him and said nothing, looking to the other side. The griffon vulture flew to get the stone stool and placed it in front of a large table. 

Drian felt the pressure of the stares of all the animals on him as a massive boulder.

Well, now, whatever happens, happens, he said to himself, staring at the trio with expectation.