"Now we know we were wrong. Balors and Tyrants are evolved humans who have kept their success a secret. I would be angry at the Tyrants for their deception if not for the fact their evolution grants them just a slightly better body and a longer lifespan.
"Balors, instead, can beco Fomors and possess amazing bloodline abilities. They, not the Tyrants, are the key to our future!" Then, Raagu noticed Morok's glare and added. "No offense, Awakened Eari."
"I don't believe you." He shrugged and walked away, leaving everyone flabbergasted.
"What about your bloodline's Harmonizer project, Faluel?" Lotho the Treant, the plant representative, asked. "Did the Hydras make any progress toward Dragonhood? Was sparing the life of a traitor like Ufyl worth it?"
The entire room beca so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
The Awakened Council had lost many mbers during the War of the Griffons. All of those present had mourned at least one lifelong friend and hated the Mad Queen with all their hearts even a year after her death.
"We have yet to find a clear path to awaken our dormant bloodline, but the answer is yes." Faluel looked the Treant in the eyes. "It was worth sparing Ufyl's life. He's for us what Fomors are for Raagu.
"A glimr of hope after millennia of helpless resignation. The mbers of my clan are making progress as we speak but if those findings will lead us anywhere is sadly another story entirely."
"If it's anything like the Balor problem, it will take you ti and patience." Raagu stepped between Faluel and Lotho, trying to quell their argunt. "I'm afraid adult Balors can't be saved and the sa applies to their fellow fallen plant and beast folk.
"Their children, however, might still have their life forces restored." She lowered her eyes, staring at the ground as if it could give her the answers she needed.
"Why the sad face?" Morok asked, making everyone turn toward him. "Isn't that what you want?"
"It is, but it saddens that humans and Hydras are rushing toward their extinction." Raagu replied without raising her head. "If we fail, we'll be stuck again and nothing will change. If we succeed, our children will be born respectively as Fomors and Dragons but us old coots will beco obsolete.
"We'll have no way to evolve ourselves and be dood to wait for our death. Either way, we won't enjoy the fruits of our labor."
Raagu's words reminded Faluel of Baba Yaga's warning, making her clench her glass so hard that it cracked. She stopped just in ti for the self-repair enchantnt to activate before she spilled too much of her drink.
The conversation moved to Jiera and the colonization remained the main topic until the end of the banquet. Nalrond was the guest of honor, so he had to endure until everyone was gone before rushing back to the Verhen Mansion.
Jirni still lived there and so did the rest of the Ernas family.
"Let guess, you suspect the rumors about the Rezar are more than just rumors. Am I right?" Friya asked when they were in the privacy of their room and surrounded by Scrambler arrays.
"Spot-on." He nodded. "I know the place where the Rezar appeared. Everyone in my tribe went there at least once during their teens. The village of Gabash is the closest Kingdom's settlent to my old Fringe.
"It has a decent trade market we used to exchange information about the current world, buy seeds, and acquire basic books about magic. Chore spells were enough for us to understand the major changes in the magical disciplines and derive high tier spells on our own."
"Why move to the Kingdom and not stay in the Blood Desert?" Friya asked in confusion. "It would have been easier and saved you the hassle of getting through the customs without being exposed."
"Because in the Kingdom we could pass for traveling healers and our ignorance of recent events could be easily explained." He shrugged. "The people of Gabash accepted our accent and use of outdated words as a silly quirk.
"In the Blood Desert, instead, we would have stuck out like a sore thumb. Salaark's compulsory education makes it impossible to pose for a country bumpkin. On top of that, her guards would have exposed our lies just by asking us what desert tribe we ca from or what oasis we lived in.
"The people of Gabash believed everything we said as long as we treated their ailnts for a fair price. As for the customs, they have never been a problem. We conjured hard-light constructs and used them to carry us high enough not to be spotted."
"You are right." Friya nodded. "No one ever seals the light elent. Soldiers need healing too and check travelers for infections before admitting them in or out the country."
"Bottom line, if soone else survived the massacre, it's plausible they went to Gabash. It's the only place we knew aside from our village and the best shot to et other Rezar survivors." Nalrond said. "It's what I did."
"What?" Friya said in confusion. "If you didn't find anyone back then, then the rumor about the Rezar must be a hoax."
"Not necessarily." He shook his head. "I was spared from death only because I Blinked away in the middle of the fight to heal myself. Soone might have done the sa, been away to buy sothing in Gabash, or maybe managed to escape amid the chaos and waited outside the Fringe until they saw Dawn flying away.
"I didn't stay in Gabash for long. Just a couple of days to confirm no one of my tribe had co there before and wait for other survivors to arrive. I was too impatient to chase after Acala and mad with fury to wait one minute longer.
"After I left, I never returned there. There were too many mories and my hopes had already been crushed once. After giving up on killing Dawn, I tried to move in with the humans, then the Emperor Beasts, and finally I followed Lith's directions and went to Protector's ho. You know the rest."
Nalrond paced around the room, trying to recall the details of the day he had spent years burying deep into his mory.
"I didn't see who died and when." He paced faster. "When I returned to the village, the corpses were charred beyond recognition and so were reduced to a pile of ashes. On top of that, I wasn't thinking rationally.
"I searched the rubbles for survivors and when I found none, I assud everyone I knew and loved was dead. Even going to Gabash instead of running after Dawn took sheer willpower.
"My father was working the fields that day. He should have been far enough from the village to escape safely if he didn't charge into the fray. My mother was on patrol duty. Maybe she didn't notice anything and returned when everything was already over."
As Nalrond spoke, Friya could hear hope grow in his voice. Hope and fear.
"What about your fiancée?" She asked.
"She…" Nalrond took a deep breath before finding the strength to look Friya in the eyes.
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