It was a cold morning on the edge of a forest, with a pleasant view of a little gray town. Under the canopy of trees, three Avarians had made camp and were slowly waking to a modest dawn. The first to wake was a girl with blonde hair. She got to her feet and yawned. She had the privilege of sleeping on a blanket she had laid over the hard ground to keep her bright clothes clean. Her two companions had no such luxury.
She walked over to the first companion, who was sleeping propped against a tree. He slept peacefully, still dressed in his uncomfortable guard's armour. "Tim, wake up!" When that failed, she gave him a solid kick and stepped over to the second companion, who was lying in the grass, and whispered to him. "Erik, wake up."
Erik woke up irritated. "What do you want, Ana?" Ana knelt beside him and started tugging at his dark clothes. "I can't wake him up." He offered her only an unoriginal idea. "Kick him if you have to."
Ana continued with mild disappointment. "I already tried." Erik didn't see this as a problem worth solving, until she added: "Could you teach me instead?" Erik sat up and glanced at Tim for a moment, who immediately woke up in a panic. Tim looked at his friend and asked in shock: "Are you trying to kill me?!"
Erik lay back down and redirected the conversation. "Ana wants you to continue her training. You can start with an explanation of killing intent." Ana's eyes lit up as she waited for Tim's first lesson of the day. Tim groaned. "Next time, wake me up in a more friendly way."
Tim and Ana began the first lesson while Erik enjoyed having nothing to explain. Tim tried to start simply: "So, killing intent falls under a type of Aura that is easier to sense." He clenched his fist in front of him and a red flame lit around his palm. "A simple visual example of warm Aura."
Ana studied his flame and Tim continued. "Normally, this is something you would avoid in a fight, because it signals to your opponent when you intend to attack. But the Red King was using it for intimidation even outside of combat, which we previously thought was impossible."
Mid-explanation, Tim turned to Erik: "How did you manage to direct that much hatred at me?" Erik answered without hesitation: "I pretended that you were cursed." That was a good enough answer for Tim, but not for Ana. She immediately grew angry with both of them: "Don't be so mean. The cursed are just as worthy of life as anyone else."
Tim and Erik had already started ignoring her. Tim muttered just quietly enough for only Erik to hear: "I know we chose the route through the Wastelands, but I really don't want to run into anyone cursed if I can help it." Erik nodded blankly along to Ana's explanation, which was too boring to include in the story, and muttered back: "Funny that Ana sees cursed people as... well, people."
Ana proudly concluded her speech: "...and lived in coexistence and harmony." Erik began to clap and Tim dramatically announced: "You're right. From now on, we'll be more compassionate toward those talking monsters."
Tim clapped his hands a few times and continued more seriously. "Today's plan is a little different. We're running low on food and ahead of us is a settlement. I'll scout around first, see what's where, and get us breakfast. Tomorrow we'll try to sell the herbs we found along the way and buy supplies for the road. This is just a short stop. Is that clear?"
Ana nodded along, barely following. Erik nodded without listening. Tim wrapped up his plan: "For now, just stay here. Erik, look after her and continue the lesson." Ana began to nod and Erik stared in confusion as Tim walked off toward the town. Erik ran a hand through his black hair.
"So... what are you curious about?" he asked nervously. After a brief pause, Ana asked: "I saw warm Aura. So what other kinds are there?" Erik was slightly relieved, this question wasn't difficult and the answer wasn't long. "There's also cold Aura."
Ana, fully enthusiastic, followed with a flood of questions: "What are the differences, what is it used for, and can you show me?" That was too much for him. He couldn't just summon Aura outside of combat the way Tim could. It was already strange enough that killing intent was possible without actually intending to kill anyone.
Erik set a leaf onto his open palm and focused his attention on it. The leaf slowly levitated on a soft puff of air from his palm. "That's cold Aura." The leaf drifted gently past Ana, who watched it with quiet wonder. She murmured to herself: "Wouldn't it make more sense to...?" When she turned back to Erik, he was already gone.
Ana considered her options. She looked up into the treetops, but when she couldn't find him, she gave up. "What if we both went into town, and then you wouldn't have to teach anymore?" Erik gave up too and stepped over to her, muttering: "Sounds wonderful, but only because I'm hungry." They set off toward the town in silence, making Erik the happiest he could be.
* * *
No one would have guessed they were travelling together. Not only was she far better dressed than him, they didn't even look at each other. They walked two steps apart down the street, in silence. The houses and market stalls were barely standing. If she hadn't known better, she might have thought the town was at war. But being a settlement in the Wastelands explained the situation all on its own. There weren't many people on these grey streets. The houses of grey stone felt far from home for two quiet travellers.
The girl in white stopped and muttered to herself: "You've disappeared again." Her companion had left without a word before she even noticed. She looked across the market stalls, frustrated to once again be searching for a darkly dressed boy among darkly dressed people. When she spotted him at a stall selling knives, she let out a quiet breath of relief. Instead of joining him, she simply wandered over to a nearby stall of fresh fruit.
She bought two sweet pieces of fruit and returned to walking down the street. It wasn't long before he rejoined her. She tossed one of the fruits to him without looking his way. He caught it without turning toward her. And still, no one would have guessed they were travelling together.
While they snacked, the girl tried to start a conversation. "Do you know where Tim is?" Erik yawned into the cold morning air before answering. "I'd guess he's scouting ahead of us." He could have said he knew for certain, but then he'd have to explain how he was able to sense Tim's Aura. Better to just enjoy the fruit and the silence.
Ahead of them, the street lit up in the distance. "Em, Erik. Is that him?" she asked, nervous. Erik kept his relaxed pace and replied with doubt: "That could be anyone." She quickly swallowed the last of her snack and stared into the distance, certain.
If people were using warm aura, that would mean they were fighting for their lives. It was very common for fights to appear in these parts, but they should be fine as long as no one strong was fighting. The light in the distance grew brighter, and people vanished from the streets, rushing into their houses.
Erik stopped. The fruit fell from his hand. "Ana..." he said, with complete seriousness. "That's him." With all the sarcasm she was physically capable of, she crossed her arms. "Who would have thought?" Erik quickly ran to Ana, scooped her up in his arms without breaking stride, and continued sprinting away from the light.
Ana lay comfortably in his arms, watching the flames behind them. "He's catching up." Erik answered breathlessly: "Not now!" Ana did not wrap her arms around him, she kept them crossed. From her carried position she looked ahead and continued her critique: "There's a dead end ahead!" Erik replied with the same lack of composure: "Not now!"
With a running start, he threw Ana over the building and shouted: "Hold on!" Ana flew over the two-storey obstacle and called back in irritation: "What exactly do you want me to hold onto?" Erik was too busy ignoring the door ahead of him, which shattered as he aggressively entered a library with a regrettable lack of proper quiet. He sprinted past empty bookshelves, down an empty hallway, and launched himself through another door in his own unique way.
On the other side of the library stood a modestly beautiful fountain. Ana was about to land on its less wet and less comfortable elements. Erik leapt over the fountain without hesitation and caught her back into his arms. He barely landed on his feet, but when Ana elegantly stepped down onto the ground, he lost his footing entirely.
Ana looked back through the fountain and saw the broken door. "Erik, I'm proud of you. You only destroyed the doors."
The silence around the fountain was suddenly shattered by a loud crash. Through the library and into the fountain flew a cursed monster.
Ana reflexively raised her arms in front of her face. Stone and dust filled the air where the fountain had been. Rocks and debris flew in all directions, crashing into everything in their path. It was impossible for Ana to do anything, but not for Erik. Regrettably, he couldn't do much more.
Erik was standing in front of Ana, spreading his arms like a bird protecting its nest. Debris had hit him too many times to count. His dark clothes were stained red. As he stood in front of her, he was barely conscious enough to glance at her.
Ana was barely standing, completely shaken by the shock, but she was unharmed. Seeing her alive brought a smile to Erik's face. Ana couldn't enjoy the rare sight of Erik smiling for long. The poor man collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
If stones were like rain… falling toward Ana,
then Erik… was like a broken umbrella.