'Hm, I feel like I forgot one thing, though.'

  Naro closed the door behind him as quietly as he could.

  The house was dim, lit only by the faint glow leaking through the narrow window. He removed his coat and hung it where it belonged, the familiar motion grounding him more than he expected. The events of the meeting still echoed in his head, but the weight eased the moment his boots touched the stone floor of his home.

  The knight walked toward his room with a smile

  'Home sweet home! It's nice that I'll be able to stay here for a while'

  If they managed to defeat the creature that's coming towards Almati, Naro would set out immediately to the Dark Forest of Rikshasha, where the demigod Fatale dwelled.

  And where Eolka and Scylla were also.

  'Who cares, the present's more important.'

  He stepped into the room to find that the bed was empty

  For half a second, his chest tightened.

  Then a pair of hands grabbed and pulled on his sleeve.

  "Wh-"

  He barely had time to react before he was dragged backward and down as the mattress dipped under his weight. His white hair spilled across the pillow as he blinked in surprise, and then Rami was there, hovering over him with a look that meant she had been awake for a while.

  "You took quite a long time, hm ?" she murmured with a smirk.

  "I couldn't really predict when it would have ended, now would I ?" He answered with a crooked smile

  Rami's right hand trailed down his left arm and gripped his clawed hand. "I guess Agir fixed that for you."

  Naro winked, "Are you happy for me ?"

  "Mhm" She leaned down and pressed her forehead against his.

  Rami leaned down and kissed him before he could react. Both his hands, different as they were, instinctively came up to her back and curled into the fabric of her clothes.

  The world outside the room stopped existing.

  What followed did not need words, and would not be given any.

  When they finally laid still, the house felt warmer than before.

  Naro stared at the ceiling for a bit before turning his head toward her.

  "There's going to be an announcement tomorrow," he said in an even voice.

  "I'd be surprised if there wasn't one," Rami replied. "what we did in Kresha was quite impressive"

  He closed his eyes briefly. "That won't be all."

  She gave him a questioning look.

  Naro turned his head back to the side "You'll know by tomorrow anyways."

  Rami pouted "Keeping me in the dark... that's not like you."

  "Rami, how strong are you as a magic user ? Or Magus for short"

  She was a little bit surprised by the question, both because of the weird word he used and the nature of that question itself.

  Rami answered him after a few seconds "Healing's my expertise, but otherwise I'm a pretty strong... "magus" as you call it, it didn't matter in our journey though, sadly"

  "Why are you asking ?"

  Naro yawned. "You'll know. Have a good sleep."

  She looked at him with a frown then eventually surrendered to sleep.

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

  When the time came, they left together.

  The streets were already filling as they moved toward the central plaza. Astor's word had spread quickly, faster than any formal call could have managed. People gathered in uneven clusters, as whispers rippled through the crowd like wind through tall grass.

  As they arrived they were recognized almost immediately, well by their looks.

  Many did not know of their existence until they had arrived yesterday.

  A man surrounded by his friends looked at them with surprise

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  "Is that Lady Rami ?"

  "Who ?" one of his friends asked with a raised eyebrow

  "You don't know her ? Ah, but I guess that's normal since you're from Rikshasha...'

  He pointed at her "She's the last heir of the Snow Desert's oracles, though it's said she refused that position."

  "Oh so she's not an Ascendant ? Don't care then."

  "Hey ! Her boyfriend's near her, do you wanna get beat up ?"

  He shrugged with a coy smile "What ? It's not like he can hear me."

  'I can hear you just fine you bastard!'

  He knew he had forgotten one thing ! He forgot to ask Astor how to have his 'Earth sense' to focus on only a few individuals ! Just like the first time he arrived in the streets of Almati, every step, every echo of words that spread through the earth in a certain radius, he could feel them.

  'ARGH THIS IS TURNING ME INSANE GET OUT OF MY HEAD'

  A couple of girls observed him "Who's that ?"

  'Shut up.'

  Another smiled and added "He really looks like Lord Khiel! are they related??"

  'No we are not, please shut up.'

  '...'

  'I have to fix this immediately.'

  While walking, Naro closed his eyes and focused on his Earth sense. 'Narrow it down.. find a presence strong enough to focus everything into.'

  'Treat the mundane as the air, the Magus as just ants. Narrow down the Ascendants and focus on the strongest one available.'

  Each Gaonians emitted some kind of light, mundanes were little sparks of white, Magus had more variety in colour

  As they finally made their way to the platform where the announcements had to be made, Naro had counted more than four Ascendants, meaning there was someone who hid their powers inside the crowd.

  'I couldn't care less, they have their own reasons.'

  The strongest Ascendant he had put his focus into was Khiel.

  Astor stood at the front behind the rostrum, his broad frame was impossible to miss and his presence alone steadied the restless crowd. Nearby were Khiel, Yidra, and Agir, each watching the gathering in their own way. Rami stayed close at Naro's side with her shoulder brushing his.

  Earth-shifter raised his hand.

  The noise faded.

  "People of Almati," he began, his voice carrying without effort. "I will not waste your time, nor will I soften the truth."

  A murmur rippled through the plaza.

  "The Guardian Paro, the gentle giant of Kresha, has been slain."

  The words landed heavily, some gasped, others froze.

  A few had lowered their heads in silence.

  Astor continued, steady and unflinching. "He fell where he had once risen. His Authority is gone and the land is no longer under his dominion."

  He turned slightly and gestured.

  "Naro, if you would please"

  The crowd shifted as Naro stepped forward. He felt thousands of eyes on him, each with their own expressions.

  Stares. Glares. Scowls.

  Thankfully the negative part of the crowd was the minority.

  He took a breath and spoke.

  "My name is Naro," he said plainly. "Some know me as Hama's foster son, others know of me only today. Until some weeks ago, I was a mundane just like many of you."

  The plaza was silent.

  "I am the one who killed Paro," he continued. "And I will slay every remaining Guardian on Gaon with no exceptions."

  The crowd erupted in whispers and gasps.

  "This is blasphemy!"

  A man whose attire belonged to the Snow Desert of Rit stepped forward.

  "You may have gotten the Sky-fell sword from the trial seven years ago in Zyr, but this gives you no right to kill our gods !" He spat.

  Another, a woman came in "That's right, the Guardians have always sought to protect us!"

  Whispers continued in the crowd and there were some agreements.

  'Morons.'

  Naro raised his chin and looked at them coldly. "Then why are you here?"

  The crowd went silent.

  The knight continued in the same cold tone

  "If Rit is still safe, why are you here?"

  "If Zyr is still safe, why are you here?"

  "If Kresha was safe, why had Paro himself said to leave his territory twenty years ago??"

  The people who had once spoken up, looked down at the ground in shame.

  "I'll tell you why, the Guardians you once knew are gone. Their actions as of today endanger the world and its people more than it benefits them."

  He brought his left arm forward "Do you see this ? This is the arm of what's left of Paro, does this seem like the arm of a demigod who was described as "gentle"?"

  Naro's arm was as dark as obsidian, red veins of magma were visibly shimmering and his fingers were like claws.

  He was already used to the sight but not the people, they gasped in awe and shock.

  Naro breathed in and out then put his left hand back on the rostrum "I am not doing this because they hurt me, or because I want to defy the divine just because I can."

  "I just think it's my duty as a gaonian to make sure my world is as safe as possible. To make sure people can live happily with no worries of what's to come tomorrow."

  He raised a finger "But I must tell you first before you put labels on me,"

  Naro looked at the crowd once again with a less colder gaze

  "I am not a savior and I am not a hero, either. I am just a slayer."

  He stepped back.

  Astor resumed his place, letting the weight of Naro's words settle before speaking again. His voice did not rise, but it sharpened.

  "There is more," he said.

  Unease spread immediately.

  "A new threat is coming. A creature tied to the Devourer itself will attack Almati."

  For a heartbeat, no one spoke.

  Then the plaza broke.

  "That's madness," someone said, voice shaking. "You can't just kill demigods and expect the world to stay standing!"

  "They weren't demigods anymore!" another voice snapped back. "Did you listen to him? Look at Kresha! Look at Zyr! If it wasn't for Lord Khiel, Hama would have killed everyone !"

  A man near the front raised his fist. "So what now? We're supposed to trust a slayer to protect us from the rest of them?!"

  "Protect us?" a woman laughed bitterly. "He just admitted he's not a hero! He's just a hired blade at best."

  "I don't care what he calls himself," someone with clothes from Zyr shouted from deeper in the crowd. "If he killed Paro, then he did what none of us could!"

  "And that's exactly why we should be afraid!" another yelled. "What happens when he decides we are in the way?"

  Fear rolled outward, colliding with defiance.

  Some turned toward the outer streets, eyes already searching for exits.

  Others stood their ground, jaws clenched, daring the future to come for them.

  "I lost my home once already," a hoarse voice said. "I won't run again."

  "I won't die for a city built on broken promises." came another.

  Anger rose where fear could not settle.

  Hope flickered where anger failed to take hold.

  Astor let it happen.

  He stood unmoving behind the rostrum, allowing the storm of voices to exhaust itself just enough.

  Then he raised his hand again.

  "You have a choice," he said. "Those who wish to leave may do so. Kresha's borders are open, and it is safer now than it has been in years thanks to Naro and Rami's actions."

  The people eventually calmed down

  "But Almati will not be abandoned," Astor continued. "Those who stay will fight. You will not stand alone. We will prepare together."

  Naro glanced at Rami. Her jaw was set and her eyes forward.

  'I'm sure she's not mad at me for not telling this earlier.. right ?.'

  The crowd was still divided and restless still, but it no longer teetered on the edge of chaos.

  For now.