'Man this place has become so big... And so noisy.'

  Almati was no longer something you could take in at a glance. Streets overlapped, voices layered over one another, smells of stone dust, cooked roots, metal, and unfamiliar spices mixing into something overwhelming and alive.

  Overwhelming because Naro could feel every step that was in a certain radius, messing with his senses.

  'How can Astor deal with this ? It's so hard to shut everything down and stay focused on one thing.'

  The further in they went, the more obvious the mix became. The Gaonians living in Almati were from all five kingdoms, their accents overlapped and their clothing style varied widely.

  "We didn't mean for it to grow this fast," he said, gesturing broadly as they passed into the main thoroughfare. "It's just that the refugees kept coming. Craftsmen followed. Then families. People are still coming as of today and I'm very overworked..."

  Rami smiled and raised her eyebrow. "And you still find time to give us a tour ? How kind of you, mister 'I have no bags under my eyes despite everything'."

  The broad man chuckled. "That's why shifts exists, right now my men are still doing their works while I'm accompanying you guys. They probably have it hard, but that's not important right now."

  Astor led them through wider paths first, pointing things out as they walked, explaining what used to be where, how this wall hadn't existed before, how those houses had been raised in less than a week thanks to earth-shaping and rune reinforcement.

  Rami listened closely, nodding, asking questions when needed.

  Naro walked with them with his gaze drifting from one place to another.

  Some people stopped when they noticed them, their conversations slowed and their eyes lingered a second longer than polite. Some recognized Rami immediately, others stared at the sword on Naro's back. A few noticed the missing arm and then very deliberately pretended they hadn't.

  Astor was in the middle of explaining how the eastern district had expanded when it happened.

  A hard shove came from his wounded left side.

  Naro staggered half a step sideways with his boot scraping the ground. Rami reacted instantly and turned with her hand half-raised for a spell.

  A man stood there, thin to the point of gauntness, his hair was unevenly hacked short as if cut in a hurry or by shaking hands. His onyx skin was dull, cracked at the knuckles, his clothes ill-fitting and patched over and over again. His bloodshot eyes were as wide as the city.

  "You !" the gaunt man said, voice hoarse, almost cracking on the word.

  The people in the street sensed something was wrong and the chatters, laughs and even cries slowed down.

  Astor stepped forward. "Hey. What's the problem ?"

  But the man laughed, sharp and broken, pointing straight at Naro with a trembling finger.

  "Piss off, Kreshanian ! You recognize that man behind you, don't you?! Of course you do!" He took another step forward, stumbling slightly, then correcting himself with a violent jerk of his shoulders. "The son of Hama ! The Coward !"

  Rami moved closer to Naro's side, her expression hardening. "Watch how you speak."

  The man ignored her completely.

  "Three years," he spat, pacing in a tight, erratic circle now, hands clawing at his own hair. "Three years ago you left! Just left ! While your OH-SO CALLED FATHER was already losing himself !"

  Naro fist clenched.

  'He's the one who gave me permission to leave.'

  The man's voice rose, drawing more attention now, more people slowing, watching openly.

  "Hama trusted you !" he shouted, jabbing the air as if stabbing an invisible target. "He took you in! Raised you! And when you came to this place, he had become no more than a cold husk ! He stopped listening to US, HIS OWN PEOPLE ! ALL BECAUSE OF YOU."

  Naro's eyes narrowed in slits. 'You have no right to tell me that the corruption was going to get him one way or another.'

  Spit flew from the gaunt man's mouth as he spoke while his hands shook violently

  "Two weeks ago. Myriads of swords, spears boulder of metals, the forge used to make weapons, all of those turned on us," the man continued, laughter bubbling up again, wrong and wet.

  "Some of us barely made it out before the walls started closing in on us like a coffin."

  the man stayed quiet for a while before continuing

  His voice trembled. "That wasn't the case for my sister."

  Everyone became quiet, even Naro's thoughts.

  The grieving one cast his bloodshot gaze to the reason of everything he had lost.

  "Everywhere you go, doom follows." he said, voice suddenly quieter, more focused, more venomous. "Tell me, oh knight of Zyr, in what state is the center Kresha right now ?"

  Naro's teeth clenched. "What happened to Kresha wasn't my fault, you're delirious !"

  "And what are you if not a coward ? Someone who ran before things got ugly. I'm sure that arm of yours was snatched when you ran away."

  Naro's fingers had turned white from the strength at which he was clenching his fist.

  The man stepped closer again, close enough now that Naro could smell him. Sweat. Fear. Old smoke.

  "You don't get to stand here," the crazed man hissed, eyes shining, "wearing a sword like you're still one of us."

  Rami snapped.

  She stepped fully in front of Naro, her presence sudden and sharp like a blade being drawn.

  "That's enough," she said, her voice low and dangerous. "You don't get to blame him for a Guardian's fall when we all knew what would happen."

  The man recoiled half a step, then laughed again, louder this time. "And who are you to speak for Zyr, you dirty desert dwell-"

  Naro's remaining fist had come as fast as diving dusk-bird to hit the despicable man's scarred face but was stopped with someone else's palm that felt like hitting a mountain.

  "Calm down, Naro." Astor said, despite his face screaming that he wanted to do the same.

  "YOU !" The hateful man jabbed a finger in her direction. "YOU'RE THE REASON AREN'T YOU!? YOU'RE THE REASON HE LEFT THE KINGDOM JUST FOR A SCARRED DESERT DWELLER"

  Guards went to swarm the hateful man.

  Naro's fists started to push back Astor's palm despite being weaker than him physically.

  Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  Naro groaned like a leashed beast "Let me..."

  "No." The demigod candidate said in a final tone.

  The hateful man was being dragged by the guards while yelling curses and struggling to get them off him.

  "COWARD"

  "DOOMBRINGER"

  "TRAITOR"

  When the guards and the man left, the street was silent.

  Naro eventually calmed down and stopped pressing his fist against Astor's palm.

  The people kept whispering and murmuring to each other, some with disgusted faces, others with shocked ones.

  The majority held some understanding in their gaze however.

  Some minutes later, the street slowly resumed its movement.

  Astor exhaled and rubbed his temples. "I'm sorry. Some wounds haven't closed yet."

  "Also Naro... I know you're angry but be mindful, you're not a normal Gaonian anymore, that punch would have killed the man on the spot. This isn't like you."

  'Maybe that's what he deserved.'

  Naro didn't let the thought consume him and shook his head.

  "You're right, I'm sorry Astor." He said with his voice full of regret.

  Astor exhaled slowly. "I'll make sure that man gets help, what he said to you both was very cruel and I don't think he's sane of mind."

  Rami looked up at Naro, eyes searching his face. "Are you okay?"

  He wanted to lie to her and say he was fine but...

  "No. I am not okay, Rami."

  Her gaze turned to the ground.

  Astor rubbed the back of his neck and sighed "I'll give you two some time alone, your house is still where it should be."

  He started walking back to the workers who needed his help.

  "In three to four hours we'll meet up at my lodgings with the others to discuss our next course of action... And the explanations that are due with them"

  Naro looked forlorn but nodded. "Yeah. See you later."

  As Astor's figure disappeared amidst the crowd, Naro and Rami continued walking back to their house.

  —————————————————————————————————————

  'Huh, looks like those things are still standing.'

  The stone walls bore the same faint chisel marks Naro remembered, the small wooden door still crooked on its hinge, the sigil he had carved above the frame years ago still slightly uneven because he had been impatient back then. It sat at the edge of one of the older streets, half-surrounded now by newer buildings that hadn't existed when they left.

  He opened the door with his remaining hand, let Rami go in first and then stepped inside.

  The air smelled familiar. Old wood, stone, faint traces of dried herbs hanging near the back wall. Everything was where it was supposed to be. The table with one leg shorter than the others. The narrow counter he had always complained about. The small hearth built too low, forcing him to crouch whenever he used it.

  'Haa.. sweet home.'

  He closed the door behind them.

  For a moment, neither of them spoke.

  Naro exhaled slowly, then rolled his shoulder like he was trying to shake something loose inside his chest. "I'll make dinner."

  Rami blinked. "You sure?"

  "Yeah." He nodded, already moving past her toward the counter. "I need something to do."

  They took off each other's armour parts and settled it near Naro's worktable, Rami put the volcanic arm next to the"communicator" Spike gave her.

  Naro set his pack down, unpacked what little food they had left, and stared at it longer than necessary. Dried roots. A few preserved strips of the meat of that damned dusk-bird, and some spices wrapped in cloth that smelled faintly of Zyr.

  He reached for a knife with his remaining hand and started cutting.

  It was... awkward to say the least.

  The rhythm was off. The pressure was uneven, he had to pin ingredients down with his forearm or his elbow.

  A slice went crooked, prompting him to click his tongue in irritation and corrected it.

  Rami watched quietly from behind him.

  After a minute, she stepped closer. "I can help, you know."

  "No." The word came out of his mouth came a bit too sharp.

  Rami froze, and so did he.

  Naro's eyes widened as he turned toward her. "I- I didn't mean... I'm sorry." The apology spilled out immediately, clumsy and rushed.

  She studied his face, really looked at him, then nodded.

  "... Okay," she said softly. "Do you want me to stay, or ?—"

  "Can I be alone for a bit ?" he asked, almost afraid of the answer.

  Rami hesitated, then reached out and squeezed his shoulder once. "... Alright," she said. "I'll be right here."

  She left the kitchen and sat down on the couch.

  The silence settled in.

  Naro turned back to the counter and resumed cutting, in a much slower and careful way. The scrape of the blade against the stone was steady this time.

  To the contrary of his thoughts.

  'I almost killed a man.'

  The image replayed too easily. His fist moving. The resistance of Astor's palm. How little effort it would have taken to push through if Astor hadn't been there.

  'That wasn't me... was it ?'

  He swallowed.

  The man had been cruel. Wrong. Twisted by grief and fear, but still wrong.

  And yet...

  That punch would have killed him.

  Astor's words echoed in his head, unwanted and persistent.

  The knife paused.

  "What the hell am I turning into... ?" he muttered under his breath.

  A knight was supposed to protect. To endure blame. To stand still when others lashed out.

  Those were Hama's lessons.

  What had he done to follow his example ?

  He had wanted to hurt someone who was already broken.

  He stirred the pot, watching steam rise.

  'What am I supposed to be now ?'

  He wasn't a healer, Nor a savior, and certainly not a god.

  DOOM BRINGER

  His reflection wavered faintly on the surface of the broth. One arm. White hair falling into his empty eyes.

  "No. That's not what I am either..." he murmured, though it sounded more like a question.

  When the food was done, he served it into two bowls and set them on the table. His movements were clumsy but thankfully his Authority kept him somewhat balanced.

  "Dinner's ready."

  Rami got up from her couch and looked at him with an unreadable expression. She took in the table, the food, the way his shoulders were still tense even now.

  "You didn't poison it, did you?" she asked lightly.

  Naro smirked "Only a little."

  Rami smiled and sat across from him.

  She gave him a small and genuine smile, " It smells good."

  "... Thanks."

  They ate quietly for a while. The food was good, well it was better than anything they had in the past two weeks

  After a while, Rami spoke. "You know, that man earlier? He wasn't really talking to you."

  Naro nodded "Yeah, he was mostly venting all his grief on me, I know that."

  Her eyes lit up "Then-"

  "Knowing doesn't mean it won't hurt."

  She exhaled slowly and had her gaze. "... Yeah."

  "But," she added, looking up at him, eyes steady, "you didn't hit him."

  Naro leaned back slightly, staring at the ceiling. "I wanted to."

  she shrugged, "Anyone could see that from a mile away."

  His gaze was still set on the ceiling "I'm scared, Rami."

  "I don't want to become something that solves everything with force," he said finally. "I would be no different than a mere beast."

  Rami was quiet for a while...

  Then stood up suddenly. "Wait here."

  "Why?"

  "No questions."

  She disappeared into the back room and came back a moment later holding something small and ridiculous.

  A crooked paper crown, folded badly, one side higher than the other.

  She placed it on his head.

  "There," she said proudly. "All hail Naro ! King of Overthinking and Bad Cooking."

  He stared at her in disbelief.

  "Wh-"

  "Hearken, my liege. What charge dost thou lay upon thy humble knight ?"

  Rami said while giving an exaggerated bow.

  'This woman...'

  'heh'

  "Ahahahahahahahaha..."

  His warm and genuine laugh resonated inside the house.

  He wiped a tear at the corner of his eye then made a mock-serious face

  "Thy king beseecheth thee to lend thy strength at the wash-basin, for he is sorely hindered by the loss of one arm, and thy aid would be held in great esteem !"

  Rami raised her eyebrow "I'm giving you a chance to order me around and you ask me to help you do the dishes ??"

  Naro smiled snarkily, "Oho, what happened to your figure of speech, Rami ?"

  "Ya ruined the mood !" she says while starting to take the dishes off the table and heading towards the kitchen.

  Meanwhile he was still smiling at her, his earlier empty eyes filled with warmth.

  The depressing feeling from earlier wasn't fully gone, but his joy overid it by a little.

  'I am what I am. The only one who can put labels on me is myself.'

  He stood up and went to the kitchen to help her with a warm smile on his face.