"I… didn't know. I had a goal to fulfill by meeting him," Alistair spoke softly.
Due sighed, "Well, it's inevitable. He's back on the loose now, and it has disrupted the balance of the world created by The First Warden, Seraphine."
Alistair quietly gathered his thoughts, struggling to find a reason for the chaos that was unfolding.
Could it be that Glory has already made a move somewhere? If that were the case, the entire world would have already known by now.
'How does Due fit into all of this?' More and more questions surfaced in Alistair's mind, realizing how troublesome his journey was becoming.
'I haven't even named my faction yet,' he frowned, looking down at the wooden floor.
Due sat down, adjusting his dark cloak and the high-collared shirt he wore beneath it.
Alistair sighed, then quickly refocused on what was truly important. "I need my sword back, now. Just hand it to me, and I'll be on my way."
He attempted to take the sword himself, but the invisible barrier held firm against his efforts.
Due replied, "Here's the thing: you can't leave."
Alistair raised his brows, slowly growing annoyed. He balled his fists, then opened his mouth to speak before being interrupted.
Due's eyes directed to the other direction, "It's not my choice. I told you, every action creates an obligation that must be resolved."
"And what is that obligation?" asked Alistair.
Silence quickly filled the room, tensions rising quickly between the two.
Due took a deep breath, then announced in a low voice as he looked directly into Alistair's eyes:
"We are bound to death."
Alistair's eyes widened, shocked by what Due had said. It might have seemed like empty words, but Alistair knew that Due was not lying.
Due continued, "You escaped from dying from the long fall. It just so happened that I was also present and awake when it happened. When I noticed it, everything was already written down on paper."
He grit his teeth, muttering to himself, "Why is it turning out like this? What am I doing wrong?"
Alistair slowly lowered himself to sit on the wooden floor beneath the hole he had fallen from, realizing that he couldn't do anything about the invisible wall.
He took a moment to collect his thoughts, reflecting on each choice that had led him to where he was now.
Due sighed, allowing him the time to think without interruption.
Eventually, after several minutes of silence and reflection, Due decided to break the quiet.
"I was exiled from the Oasis of Grain," said Due, stopping abruptly.
Realizing that it mattered little whether Alistair knew or not, he continued, "My Characteristic tends to make problems like this often, and I have zero control over it."
Alistair looked at him, listening quietly.
Due stared at his palm. "No matter how hard I tried to control it, it only caused more problems, so I gave up. I had to be alone, and I have been for years now in this place."
Alistair replied in a soft voice, "What are you trying to say?"
Due closed his palm, then got up from his seat. He looked down at Alistair, his eyes fluttering.
"I understand this obligation may seem burdensome to you. However, since my exile, I haven't felt happiness as much as I do now. It felt as though everything that happened prior was just... insignificant."
Hearing this, Alistair's eyes slightly widened – making him recall memories when he was in the same position as Due.
He hadn't thought about it until now, but could it be that Alistair was Due's first human interaction in years?
Until now, Alistair had been moving rashly, and his emotions had been growing on him. This quickly made him realize something important.
'I see. That was my mistake this entire time.' thought Alistair.
After a few moments of consideration, Alistair got up and responded while holding eye contact.
"It's not a burden. Honestly, I still don't trust you. I have no reason to. But if we're stuck together until we both die, I don't think I have much of a choice."
Due's lips twitched, then he asked, "What is the name of your faction?"
Alistair was taken aback by the question, knowing well that no one usually asked such things.
Just as he was about to say he hadn't thought about it yet, he hesitated, stopping himself before he could speak.
Alistair smiled and finally replied, "The Sun Harvest."
Due slightly nodded, then extended his hand forward. He tilted his head slightly, an odd smile on his face.
Alistair felt chills run down his body, then he followed by extending his hand.
Their hands met, shaking hands as the invisible wall was broken down.
Alistair had completed the first step in constructing a faction–he had given it a name.
Now, five more steps were remaining before he could truly establish an actual faction in the Echelon. With Due present, he felt more confident in this endeavor than before.
Due prompted, "You still haven't explained why you came here."
Alistair grabbed his Rune Sword, letting it disappear into thin air. He then moved forward and sat down in one of the chairs, feeling he had earned that much.
"I saw false potential in Therasia. I was betrayed and almost became a political prisoner. After being rescued, I managed to escape and arrived here after barely surviving a confrontation with Therasia's army," Alistair recounted.
Due nodded. "That's… impressive, to say the least. Fortunately, you didn't have to face them all at once. I heard that even the Sunborne attacked them."
Alistair remained quiet for a moment, resting his head on his fist. "Yeah," he replied casually, making it seem more normal than it should.
He shook off any lingering, pointless thoughts and continued, "Regardless, we share a common enemy, and we're a team now. Before we proceed with anything, I need you to tell me more about the region and how you knew about me and Glory's meeting in the Black Mountains."