what determines our path: past, future or _______?

“Food?”

“Food’s packed.”

“Weapons?”

“Sharpened and ready! Medicine’s stocked too, before you ask.”

“Hey, this only works if you let me do my job.” Zane elbowed Lucian, who pouted and went back to checking their bags. Shay groaned from his cushy seat—apparently ‘his seat’ that no one else was allowed to sit in.

Despite being exiled, their last night offered a decent spot of hospitality. Barry allowed the trio to stay in his home and refuel on supplies.

And, somehow, Shay even managed to ask him some questions about the murals.

“So what’d he say?” Zane said, putting his bag to the side before flopping back on his bed. “C’mon, Barry ran off for work stuff. You can say it now.”

“Yeesh, at least try and make an offer. Ten coins?”

“Seriously, after all we’ve been through…”

Shay leaned back in his seat, arms tucked behind his head. For someone about to leave his life behind and the only home he’d ever known, he’d been nothing but calm about it. He kept Zane up with plans and stories all night. If it actually bothered him, he did a fantastic job of hiding it.

It probably bothered him a little bit. But in another way, being granted exile might’ve been the first time Barry’s made a choice thinking of his son’s future.

“He said each mural is a different state of the world,” Shay said. “Somewhere in that muddled mess is the truth.”

“And he’s sure it wasn’t vandalized.”

“Hey, he would’ve put another arrow up your ass if the murals ended up vandalized while we were down there.”

Zane yawned. “Point taken. So, we’re ready?”

“Not yet,” Shay said, getting out of his seat at last. “I’m gonna go—take care of some important business stuff. Little things for an important businessman. I got a lotta connections I gotta wrap up before heading off on my next adventure, you know.”

Shay left through the back door. From the window, Zane had full-access to the Dwim beelining it to the animal pen, where he began to speak to each goat one by one.

Right.

Lucian dumped the contents of his pack on the bed again. “Let me reorganize everything, just in case. It’s the least I can do.”

“Eh, don’t worry about it. You’re doing plenty.”

“…Am I?”

"’Course you are. Being able to use each kind of magic comes in handy. You don’t have to be super amazing at everything.” And, hey, he was more useful than Shay—no, the guy’s having a weird change of heart. Kind of. Maybe. Zane didn’t wanna do him dirty like that regardless, for once. “’Sides, this is your mission. Don’t get cold feet at the first stop.”

“It’s not that. It’s just…”

“Just what?”

Lucian bit his lip, an odd hint of something in his eyes Zane couldn’t place. “You’re—”

You’re… what? Zane waited, but Lucian hummed, returning to his work. “I think you’re amazing. Like you were born to be a hero.”

“A hero?” Zane wished he hadn’t said that so incredulously. He didn’t mind the concept—helping people was all well and good. But the label hero carried more than just the ideal of doing good. It carried an image, one Zane used to tolerate at best. A hero, someone who saved things that were deemed worth saving.

A hero of Vitam, by definition, would never come to Udrefaust to save anything.

But maybe that’d change. And Zane had the chance to make it so. “Eh, maybe. But you’re helping too. So don’t worry about it and focus on your mission. Free Vitam, convince it not to kill us all—nothing we can’t handle.”

“I know, but I asked you to come along, and you’re doing a great job understanding others and putting them before yourself. I think that’s something to take pride in. And from here on, you’ll do so much more good for people.”

“Be careful with the compliments,” Zane said, standing up, “I might start getting an ego, and then what?”

Lucian finished repacking, following Zane’s lead. “Then… well, I hope you take a moderate amount of pride and use it to do the right thing, always. You’re ready, right?”

“Been ready for a while.”

Outside the window, Shay finished greeting half his goats. Lucian hardly disguised his joy as he went to join him.

Zane, though, stayed inside.

The front door opened—Barry entered. He wore his armor, but left his bow aside. Though he didn’t seem displeased at Zane’s presence, he put his things down and went to work without acknowledging the man.

Still, Zane cleared his throat. “Hey. Mind if I ask you something?”

Barry put his bag down, turning around quick like he expected Zane to stab him in the back. “What?”

“You must’ve found all the knights down there alongside Vitam’s Calm. What happened there?”

Barry grimaced, the reminder of his failure erasing whatever traces of goodwill he might’ve had. “We apprehended most of the knights and booted them out of town, and now you’re telling me another Guardian was with them?”

“Wait—he vanished?”

“We didn’t see him. They used a side tunnel that I’m having patched up as we speak. Did you know about that?”

Zane threw his arms behind his head. “I knew about a different side tunnel your son ambushed us in. Maybe they dug a new one recently. I’ve been terminally unemployed for the last while, so—you know what, as an apology, I’ll tell you about the ones I do know about.”

Barry stared at Zane, baffled.

“No, really. I mean it. You’ve treated me better than I’ve been treated in years. Some might call that low standards considering your guys shot me, but eh. You’ve made up for it.”

“…Huh.” Barry crossed his arms, closing his eyes. “I’ll take that offer. My men will direct you to a safe passage outside of town by sunset.”

…

“Where are you going, after this?”

“Dunno. It’s Lucian who knows.”

“The False Avatar… let my men know once you’re ready.”

With that, Barry turned to leave—but stopped. “But first—let Shay know I want to speak to him. At the Uri—he knows where that is.”

Barry left. Zane sucked in a breath, grabbed his bag, and went to join Shay and Lucian. Wherever Pearce went, whatever he had in mind—Zane needed to watch out.

After all, if one Guardian was after them, more were to follow. And despite their close fight, Pearce might’ve been the easiest of the bunch to handle.