Einar froze, letting the oars slip from his hands. The apple rolled off the bench, landing softly on the floor with a faint thud, startling him.

"So, the legends are true?" he stammered.

Severa grabbed the oars and tried to row away from the light instead of toward it, but it was hopeless—the current was far too strong. "How would I know? I don't know the legends! I'm not a keeper of lore, I've told you that already!" she shouted in frustration, plunging the oar back into the water. "What do you know about that creature?"

Einar mumbled some incoherent words, but slowly composed himself. "Th-they're Fomorians. What was in that temple was a Fomorian," he began.

"Yes, you already said that!" Severa snapped. "But there are more of them?" she pressed, trying to stay calm.

"They're dark souls, without bodies, brought to life in whatever corpses they inhabit. They serve the ruler of evil," he said cautiously, his fearful eyes scanning their surroundings.

Severa shrugged. "Aren't we all?"

"According to legend, the Fomorians didn't just spread across Himaya. They brought with them a mist that destroys everything. And we're sailing straight into it."

Einar's expression shifted—from frightened, to worried, to resolute. "Give me those." He pulled the oars from her hands and began rowing against the current with powerful strokes. The harder he rowed, the more fiercely the current resisted. Sweat glistened on his forehead like tiny pearls.

"The current is too strong," Severa murmured bleakly.

"Then we fight," Einar grunted through his effort.

"Then we die," Severa assured him.

Einar sighed, letting the oars rest in the water. "I was trying to create a legendary moment, Veneficii," he muttered. "If you're saying the legends are real, can't you at least act like someone out of one?" He grinned briefly.

Severa raised an eyebrow. "Do I look like someone out of a legend?"

Einar chuckled. "I've heard a tale about someone choking on an apple."

Severa shot him a menacing glare, but his fear was entirely gone, replaced with an almost euphoric light in his eyes. "The legends say that with the arrival of the Fomorians, the gods' power became bound to Himaya. If the forces of evil are here, it means we mortals have a chance to destroy it."

Severa scoffed. "We mortals as in us two?" she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "In case you haven't noticed, your army is defeated, your pyroraptor is gone, and your ship is sunk."

He just beamed. "Yes, but love conquers all!"

"Disgusting, Ósköp. Where did you even pick up such drivel?" Severa asked with genuine revulsion. "You wouldn't get those words out in Brimsjá without a noose around your neck."

He shrugged. "At least I'll have the chance to die a hero. We're going to die anyway." His confidence wavered slightly.

Severa smiled as she realized Einar had been telling the truth all along. No matter how strange his ideals were, he seemed genuinely determined to meet a noble end. After all, death had always been a certainty. In this grim world, she might as well face it with flair.

"Yes, that's a fine battle cry: We're going to die anyway," she nodded encouragingly. "Even if we defeat the evil, it won't change what I plan to do to you." She grinned smugly.

"Don't you think I'd have repaid my debt if I rid the world of evil?" Einar asked indignantly.

Severa rolled her eyes. "Evil only brings Himaya its rightful justice. And I desire nothing more than justice. If the forces of evil truly dwell here, I'll claim them, not destroy them. There will be no peace or mercy."

Einar tilted his head thoughtfully. "But wouldn't that make you immortal? Then your battle cry doesn't make much sense."

Severa pondered deeply. As blissful as her mother's tales had been, no life was longer than the certainty of death. Could existence really be more than a fleeting escape from it?

"You're right," she nodded solemnly. "Lets make it, You'll die anyway, then."

Einar shook his head with a grin as he hopelessly struggled against the current. She knew her fight would be just as futile. They didn't stand a chance against the evil ahead. But for now, it was enough to see Einar defy his fate—and to know that, whatever awaited her, she wouldn't have to face it alone.