The Tall Hills of Kresha did not welcome them back.

  They rose in uneven ridges of dry stone and brittle grass, the wind scraping across them like sandpaper. The heat was dull, constant, the kind that sank into bone rather than skin.

  It seemed like the descent was much easier when there's no dusk creatures around to kill you.

  'It's really strange how they all seemed to have disappeared... Well, there should be still some stragglers left.'

  He silently hoped there would be some left, that way he could show her how his Authority worked.

  Rami walked ahead of him with the volcanic arm floating on her left side.

  He sighed. 'She's still in a sour mood it seems.'

  Naro could tell because her left fist was clenched and she did not look at him once.

  He gathered up some courage and spoke out loud "Rami ?-"

  "Yeah ?" She said immediately after he had spoken.

  He walked a bit faster to catch up to her. "Last time... I wasn't going to use magic you know ?"

  She huffed. "Could've fooled me-"

  "I was going to use Authority."

  She turned to look at him. "Huh ??"

  "Sadly it didn't work but I did find a way to shrink that thing," he pointed at the floating arm next to her "Well... Trials and errors, it was painful."

  Rami's gaze narrowed.

  "Not that painful !" He continued " I could deal with it."

  Her irritation was gone, now she looked very interested.

  He could tell because her left fist came undone and her fingers rested on her chin instead.

  "And with this... You can move stone around, right ?" She asked with a careful tone.

  Naro nodded "I think I can do more... But the scale of what I can do is limited, I'm not a demigod candidate after all."

  Rami had turned pensive.

  Naro continued, "It's not like magic, there's no incantations as far as I'm concerned. It's... Order and intent I guess ? Like you will the world to bend to your nature."

  Her eyes shone a little bit "Uh huh... But how did Paro do it ? Earlier after we got out of the cave you told me he kept repeating your name and didn't seem to have awareness of what he was either."

  "That's true but here's the thing... Hold on a minute."

  A boulder or something akin to one was blocking the narrow passage.

  He stepped closer to it with his obsidian-like blade in hand and gestured Rami to get a bit farther away form him.

  When she got far enough-

  "Split," just as he said that, the boulder split in two.

  'Storm Strike.' The runes flared with a much more pontent glow as he cleaved horizontally, the debris left by the boulder fell on the ground one by one.

  'Hm... Cutting stone is alot easier now, or cutting in general.'

  The sword had not only changed in looks but also sharpened by quite a bit.

  'Storm Strike seemed to have changed a bit too... Huh.'

  He put it back on the scabbard strapped accross his back.

  He looked back at her. "Anyways, what I wanted to say was that Paro's Authority should've felt like a second limb: Something you already know how to use on the get-go, even with your mind being tattered and corrupted."

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  Rami walked closer to him and they resumed their journey.

  Eventually she spoke also, "I think him being a demigod also has to do something with it."

  Rami continued "Like you said it's like a second limb. But for you, since you're a mortal, you have to think about what order and intent you have to put out, and make sure it doesn't disobey the world's logic too much, right ?"

  Naro was stunned.

  'Damn she figured it out so fast.'

  As expected of the daughter of an oracle... Nah it was her own intelligence.

  "That's exactly right, or else I get hit with an intense ammount of pain."

  Rami's gaze narrowed "I thought you said it wasn't much."

  "I... Uh... I..." he stuttered, somehow the scarred and sunless sky seemed very interesting right now.

  She sighed. "No matter," Her eyes softened and she had a slight smile. "I know you needed to find a solution to your arm problem no matter what."

  "Having a left arm is very crucial for swordsmen, right ?

  Naro looked back at her with small hint of guilt and nodded.

  "You seem guilty..." She then smirked.

  "Good ! That's how you should feel for taking advantage of my exhausted state to torture yourself !"

  Rami poked his cheek multiple times.

  "Yeah... Do you forgive me ?"

  Rami seemed confused at that.

  "I already forgave you back then, I'm just cranky because I haven't taken a proper bath yet."

  Naro's eyes widened.

  "...Oh."

  She walked ahead of him.

  'Thinking about that...'

  He brought his right arm near his nose.

  'Urgh...'

  'How did Rami survive this stench!?'

  Unless she...

  Naro looked at her from behind.

  'Nah... no way !'

  He walked faster to catch up to her.

  —————————————————————

  As they arrived to the valley where he had killed his first magma-knight, the cut trees stayed the same, and the pile made from the remains from the dusk-creature was still there.

  It was the first time Rami had felt powerless back then.

  Powerlessness...

  Naro looked at her subtedly.

  He wondered what would've happened if she had inherited Spike's Authority and become a demigod candidate like her mother. Would everything have been different ?

  'No. It would have been worse.'

  "... Naro?"

  He turned his gaze fully to her with a slight smile. "What's up?"

  "Tell me, can you regrow plants or anything that's related to nature?"

  He thought for a bit then answered her "Normally I feel something toward stone, but when I see those trees..."

  Naro paused and focused on them. "No, I don't feel anything."

  Rami sighed. "It's just as I thought."

  He gave her a confused look. "What do you mean?"

  She walked silently to the pile left by the dusk-creature then spoke "Paro's Authority before being corrupted was the concept of nature and mountains. You know that, right ?"

  'What is she getting at ?'

  "Yeah ? Hama told me tales about what he could do."

  Thinking back, Hama seemed to have forgotten some details of the stories as time passed.

  Naro sighed internally 'The signs were there weren't they ?'

  Unaware of his thoughts, Rami continued while looking at him with a somber expression

  "It's something you already know but I should give you a better perspective : You inherited Paro's corrupted Authority."

  All of Naro's thoughts went full throttle and his carefree expression turned into a horrid one.

  Rami spoke "There will never be a demigod candidate holding Paro's Authority ever again."

  Naro looked down at the ground, his fist clenched so tightly the vambrace covering it let out a metallic groan.

  'Of course... Of fucking course.'

  Gaon being wounded and being able to heal ? Hell no. That was impossible now.

  When this journey's over Naro would be a destroyer just like them, he will never heal nor restore everything as it on w-

  "But that's fine." His eyes snapped to his fiancée that wore a small smile.

  "Y'know ? I already knew that, that Gaon could never be restored as it once was."

  She approached him "I was still happy when you said those words however, foolish as they were."

  Rami tilted her face then looked deeply in Naro's eyes "Seems like you're blaming yourself for everything again, huh ? You're so easy to read..."

  She softly grabbed his hand, untightened his fist and pressed his palm against her scarred cheek, brushing her white-ashed braid in the process.

  "Here's four words of my own for you,"

  "We. Are. Not. Hea-lers." she made sure he heard every single syllable that came out of her soft— yet dangerous.

  Rami's grip on his hand tightened. "Think of us as white cells: we make sure the disease will not spread further but we're not restoring the body to what it once was. It has been forever changed by the viruses and we're ensuring to make it stronger after those viruses are gone."

  "That's our role in this world right now."

  Naro was stunned.

  'This analogy... works I guess ?'

  He closed his eyes.

  Hmm yes, it was definetly better than thinking of himself as a failed savior, or a savior at all.

  'Right. I'm not alone in this fi-'

  "Hey !"

  Rami's voice made him snap out of it again.

  "Ah, sorry. Thank you, I really needed them."

  She smiled brightly "You're welcome ! Though I expected you to blush a little bit... Did the journey really change you that much ?"

  His eyes widened a bit but settled right after 'She's right, I've changed a bit but..."

  "What'd you mean ? I've always said I love listening to your voice." He said with charming smile

  Naro's thumb then brushed her lips "My love."

  '...' She gave him a deadpan look "... Unhand me, mister."

  "HUUUUUUH ?!" It was the best move Hama taught him ! He said it would bring any women to their knees or blush as if they were tomatoes.

  'LIAR ! THE OLD MAN'S A LIAR!!'

  Rami sighed and turned away "Let's go, we should arrive at the streams from last time in some hours."

  She lingered "Also... It's way better when you're natural and not try to be a romance novel's male lead."

  As Rami walked away with the volcanic arm floating next to her Naro was still some meters behind 'Kill myself... I'm gonna end it all.'

  He followed after her with no urgency.

  Little did he know, Rami was hiding her blush and was thankful he was a bit far from her.