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/A few hours later…/

/Flap... Flap.../

/CAW!/

/Fwoosh!/

/Land…/

With a strong gust of wind, Ubuk landed.

Around them, a few Karkavan could be seen tending to beasts of all shapes, colors, and sizes.

This was the Handling District, the same place they departed from many hours before and also where an old Karkavan awaited their arrival.

"... You\'re back, and with company." Kuddan said with a deep gaze as he looked at Sarferato

While they jumped from Ubuk\'s back, Kuddan approached them without any surprise, seemingly expecting their arrival.

"You… Were you waiting for us?" Dale asked as he also landed, jumping from Caladgolg as it crashed onto the ground

It slid across the earth, leaving a gash in it as it slowly came to a stop, standing upright against the rocky ground with Dale right in front of it.

"Uhum…" Kuddan replied with a nod

Obviously, Dale did not need to ask why or how, but Kuddan was more than willing to add in his own words:

"Now... I did not stay in place waiting for nothing. I may be old, but my patience has limits."

"It\'s that... Due to the current circumstances… I took upon myself to once again gaze upon the Stars, a sin due to my abandonment of their guidance, my failure for not properly translating their wisdom…"

"But I could not allow my people to suffer any longer."

"If there was even a slight chance that you would not come back, I was ready to take action myself…"

/Thud!/

He tapped his cane on the ground.

"The Stars told me of your arrival… And so… You are here."

"This has been my first correct reading in a very… Very long time." He said as he closed his eyes

But just as quickly as he lost himself to his thoughts, he turned around and started walking, saying:

"... There is no time to be emotional, we must depart." 

"We can talk about other things on the way."

""...""

Dale didn\'t have to look at the other two to know they agreed, so he took a step forward, following the old Karkavan.

…

/Later.../

He guided them all the way to the other side of the side where a tall gate stood, the entrance to a long path that connected to another city where their other member, Tina was currently resting and preparing.

The Karkavan were one with nature, but they knew of the convenience of pre-established paths.

Meanwhile, Dale took this chance to ask a few questions, some that had been stuck with him for a while:

"There was… Something at the back of my head…" 

He tried to be formal and to tackle this problem through the side since he didn\'t know if he was being disrespectful…

But Kuddan had another idea.

"Speak, child. I already told you before, but I\'m not that foolish to draw insult from questions and the curiosity of others, especially from those who are ignorant of our customs."

"I do not require or expect any sort of it to come from you, though please, do not take it as an offense, make your inquiry."

"... Then… When we entered the first floor of your home…"

"Hum… You must be about to ask why we haven\'t used them, the Totemic Artifacts…"

/Nod/

Dale nodded, this had been clawing at his head as they traveled.

With so many Artifacts, even if they weren\'t enough to finish the fight, wearing them would\'ve tipped the results of the fight, no?

Even if it was due to their religion, considering how blunt Kuddan was, how come he hadn\'t handled this problem more thoroughly?

"It\'s rather simple... As I mentioned before, not all can bear the weight of the Artifacts, not all Warriors can bring it upon themselves to do so."

"However, what you may fail to understand is most Warriors come from long lines."

"From father to son, if the predecessor was a Warrior, a Hunter, then the chance of the child following his footsteps is large."

"Thus, most lines already possess an Artifact to hand down across Generations, it may be an old one, it may be a recent one, but if it\'s hard for a Warrior to carry the will of an Artifact, what might say two?"

"Child from beyond the forest, this isn\'t what is truly bothering you, isn\'t it?" Kuddan said with a gentle gaze as he looked at the road ahead

"You suspect us… Don\'t you?"

"..."

The old Karkavan was indeed perceptive… Looking straight through Dale\'s ploy and intentions.

The truth was, albeit Dale somewhat understood the Karkavan and was willing to cooperate, he had yet to put his trust in them

Because there was something he couldn\'t understand…

"You\'re all… Way too weak." He said bluntly, causing even Testros to open his eyes with surprise

/Grunt…/

Even Sarferato grunted in agreement, or maybe an ironic remark to Dale\'s statement.

A mix of dissatisfaction and disappointment, because while he dreamt of meeting them for a long time again, the moment he did, everywhere he looked, he saw nothing of the Karkavan of his memories.

He had remained silent ever since they arrived, but it was clear he was also strangely uncomfortable with the surroundings.

As if he noticed something was missing… Or not right.

"You\'re perceptive, or maybe you just see us in a high regard." Kuddan said as he stopped in front of what seemed to be... A Graveward

Though not long after, he walked past it, saying:

"... You\'re right, what you see right now is the weakest we\'ve ever been… Never in our long history, there has been a moment where we were pushed this far."

"Maybe there was one far ago, so long that even the stone the tale was carved on has faded into sand, together with the tales of our creation."

"Our Greatest Warriors, the ones you\'ve been expecting to see… Our Fables, our Legends, our... Stars... They\'ve all left."

"The only ones left now are those whose ages do not surpass 20, not young by any means but we\'ve all been children at some point."

"Some of the young ones may be very strong and show great promise like Muddan, someone who\'ll likely lead us in the future… But now, they\'re all too young and inexperienced for that."

"A few who were too old to go also remained, and it\'s thanks to them that we secured the Great Devil, otherwise, we might\'ve lost more of our young Warriors, and for every Karkavan that falls, a family grieves."

"And during those weeks, tears ran like rivers..."

"Then… Where are they?" Sarferato asked as he looked around

"Many Winters ago the Stars shone the brightest… So much so that it compelled me to look away from my past mistakes and gaze upon the world above."

"Prior to that, it has been decades since I ever sought answers, fearful of not giving their words the care they deserve."

"However, on that fateful night… I was beckoned… And thus, I read them."

"And as their words sung in my ears, they told me of what was to come, the future."

"... The present."

He turned to Dale.

"... The past."

"..."

"Amidst those readings, I realized what I had to do, and a meeting was formed."

"On that same night, 100 Karkavan marched onwards, cleaving everything in their path."

"Led by our strongest Warriors and their most potent Artifacts, they went in search of the truth revealed by the Stars."

"And I don\'t doubt they found it… But as you can see… They never made it back." He said as his expression turned black

"... This doesn\'t make any sense… Old Friend." Sarferato said as he looked at Kuddan

"Ho… So you still recognize me, I thought you had already forgotten." Kuddan replied with a chuckle as he looked back at Sarferato

"How can I? You were there as the leader and you still are, all of the Karkavan Elders are long gone and you\'re the last one of a bygone generation, there is no way to confuse you with someone else even if I wanted to." He said with a serious expression

"That you are right…"

"..."

\'So they\'ve met.\'

\'It\'s hard to think that these people saw the turning of centuries, depending on when they were born, they might\'ve even seen two centuries turn.\' 

\'Who is older between the two though?\' Dale thought as he looked at the both of them

"..."

Sarferato said nothing in response to Kuddan\'s words, he waited for his actual reply.

"I\'m a bit embarrassed and believe me, I was just as shocked as you… But the truth remains, as bitter as it can be."

"Ten Winters ago, the greatest cold of the past few centuries hit the Southern Forest, freezing the entire world solid."

"The promised night I just spoke about… It happened not far into it during the sole day where the sky could be seen."

"On that day, I was given the verdict… An old promise… An Oath…"

"The duty of the Karkavan."

"Even if we wished to refuse we could not, this was our responsibility, Denying it meant turning our backs onto our very nature and right to exist."

"So they marched beyond the Wall, full of confidence and respect for the old ones that fell..."

"What?! They left?... For what? There is nothing there!"

"Only the desolate lands awaited them! And you sent them to die?!" Sarferato asked out loud, he knew very well what stood out there

There was no glory or treasure in those lands, only nightmares, he knew that very well.

"Who said I sent them there? Our goal… Stood beyond it."

"Beyond… It?"

"...?! You must be mad..." Sarferato suddenly said as he realized what Kuddan was talking about

"Beyond the shores… In the Archipelagos that exist between us… Azimuth… And… Zenith, the consumed Continent."

"During the winter that ravaged the lands, during a thin curtain of time, the cold was so great that the ocean was frozen… And a passage… Created."

"It allowed us to go… Just as much as it allowed them to come."

"The very reason why the Wall did not fall during that fateful night was thanks to their march, they eliminated everything that wished to cross, their hunt... The Stars told me it was glorious..."

"The reason why they might have not returned was due to the abrupt end of Winter… As if it had been fate for them to be lost."

"And this... Was my sin." Sarferato said as his body trembled

"Because... I knew... That they wouldn\'t be coming back."

"I said that I had failed to read the signs of the Stars... Haven\'t I?"

"But that was I lie... I never failed... I was just afraid that one day, I would see something I could not bear to know."

"As fearful and pathetic as I was, my worst nightmares came to fruit... And I saw it."

"And as my duty compels, I told them what they were supposed to do..."

"But I could not... Tell it to their faces"

"Soon, eleven Winters will have passed since that fateful day, a lot for a Karkavan, but little time to recover our losses."

"Many lineages were ended with their disappearance, Artifacts, Knowledge… Our Power, and a portion of ourselves."

"The rest... Is nothing but details."

"Does that answer your question?"

"..."

…

Notes

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