The Doors of Discord and the Fulfillment of Visions

The quarters next to the Khan's palace, though modest in size, were surprisingly comfortable—far more so than any of the group had expected. These rooms, selected by General Akumei himself, were a testament to the palace’s hospitality, even if the accommodations were meant to be temporary.

The stone walls were draped with rich tapestries that depicted scenes of battle, victory, and the Khan’s regal court, adding warmth and color to the space. Soft rugs covered the stone floors, muffling footsteps and lending an air of quiet luxury. Each room was furnished with sturdy wooden beds, each topped with thick, plush mattresses and layers of fine woolen blankets. The pillows were soft, almost luxurious, and there was even a small hearth in the corner of each room, crackling with a warm, welcoming fire that chased away the chill of the evening.

Arsec stepped into the room assigned to him and Ronai, his eyes widening slightly at the sight before him. The beds, positioned side by side, were far more inviting than he had anticipated. The firelight danced across the polished wooden furniture, casting a warm glow that made the space feel more like a cozy retreat than temporary quarters. A wooden chest sat at the foot of each bed, providing space for their belongings, and a small table with a pair of chairs was positioned near the hearth—a spot clearly intended for quiet conversation or planning.

“Well, this is... unexpected,” Arsec remarked, his tone betraying his surprise. He glanced at Ronai, who was still standing in the doorway, taking in the scene with a similar look of disbelief.

Ronai nodded slowly, his earlier confusion giving way to cautious relief. “This is... better than I imagined,” he admitted, his deep voice rumbling softly. He stepped further into the room and moved to inspect one of the beds. The mattress gave slightly under his touch, the softness a far cry from the rough bedding they were used to.

Arsec chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief. “I guess Mesui pulled a princess move or something,” he said, a hint of humor creeping into his voice. “Either way, I don't mind.”

Ronai gave a small, almost imperceptible smile at that, but said nothing as he sat on the edge of the bed, testing its comfort. He looked almost out of place in such a refined setting, his broad shoulders and rugged appearance a stark contrast to the polished surroundings.

In the adjacent room, Mesui and Narwa found themselves in similarly comfortable accommodations. Mesui, immediately began to settle in, a smile spreading across her face as she took in the details of the room—the soft rugs underfoot, the intricate carvings on the wooden furniture, the gentle warmth from the hearth. She moved to the bed and ran her hand over the blankets, feeling the fine fabric beneath her fingers. The cubs rushed to her side as they struggles to win a closer spot to her chest or face as she giggled in return.

“This is much better,” she murmured, clearly pleased. “We could get used to this.”

The cubs nodded in agreement as they closed their tiny eyes and they prepared to sleep.

Narwa, while still somewhat grumpy from the day’s events, seemed to share Mesui’s sentiment. She sank into one of the chairs by the fire, sighing in relief as the warmth seeped into her bones. “I’ll admit, this isn’t bad,” she said grudgingly.

Mesui glanced over at her with a knowing smile, “See? It’s not so terrible after all,” she teased gently, but Narwa simply shrugged off the remarks, crossing her arms, "All right, all right, I won't push it—Ooh what's this? There's another door here."

Thinking it might be a closet, she stood up with a curious smile. "Maybe they left us some extra supplies," she mused aloud, striding confidently toward the door.

In the adjacent room, Ronai was experiencing a similar train of thought. He had noticed a door too, and figuring it led to some storage or another useful space, he decided to inspect it. "Might as well see what's behind here," he muttered to himself, as he reached for the handle.

Without realizing it, both Mesui and Ronai opened their respective doors at exactly the same moment.

Mesui's expression froze, her confident smile vanishing as her eyes landed directly on Ronai. Her cheeks flushed instantly, her heart racing as she found herself face-to-face with the ogre she had just been admiring earlier. Ronai, who had been expecting nothing more than an empty closet, was struck with equal shock.

His eyes widened in panic as he realized he was staring straight at the goblin princess on the other side of the door.

For a moment, neither of them moved, the air thick with awkward tension. Mesui, blushing furiously, stared up at Ronai as if she’d been caught doing something scandalous, while Ronai blinked rapidly, trying to process the bizarre coincidence.

"Uh... I... I didn’t mean to—" Ronai stammered, his deep voice rumbling awkwardly as he quickly averted his gaze, scratching the back of his head.

Mesui, still beet-red, hurriedly closed the door in embarrassment, almost slamming it shut with a loud thud. Her heart was beating wildly, and she pressed her back against the now-closed door, feeling utterly flustered.

In the other room, Ronai mirrored her actions, shutting his door with less force but still fumbling with it as he tried to regain his composure. He exhaled deeply, shaking his head in disbelief.

Arsec, lounging on his bed and casually observing the whole situation, raised an eyebrow, the corners of his mouth twitching into a small, amused smile. “Well, that’s one way to break the ice," he said dryly, watching as Ronai tried to steady himself.

Ronai glanced at Arsec, still bewildered. The human was now silently chuckling to himself. 

“What an embarrassment!” Ronai muttered, rubbing his temple.

"What is it? It was an honest mistake," Arsec said, trying to calm him down.

"But look! I am bare-chested! I was not wearing any clothes on top!"

Arsec's eyes furrowed as he tried to recollect a single moment where Ronai's chest was not bare, "But... aren't you always bare-chested?"

"Huh?" Ronai said, confused.

"I mean, you just put a ceremonial cape on top, but you've always shown your body beneath it."

"Beneath it is the key phrase here!" Ronai said, flustered, "You think us ogres love showing our bodies everywhere we go?"

Arsec was now utterly confused, as all the ogres he had seen so far, without exception, had a simple piece of cloth on top, whether a cloak for men or a cloak and a top for women, always revealing a considerable amount of skin.

He rubbed his eyes, visibly tired from the day, and sighed, "All right, all right, she saw your abnormally muscular physique, you sure scared her and gave her nightmares for future nights to come."

Ronai fell to his knees, utterly destroyed by the remark, "Shameless! Utterly shameless! Living waters, wash over my sins! I beg you! Count not this transgression!"

"Oi, oi!" Arsec said, trying to calm him by patting on his shoulders, "It was an accident, don't be so hard on yourself!"

He remembered how the goblin princess on the other side of the door had drooled over a week due to orcish strong arms lifting axes and heavy supplies.

"By the flame! I bet she even liked it a bit—"

Ronai raised his hands to the heavens as if begging for divine forgiveness, "Roaring Cascade! Spare me from thy wrath! I am an instrument of shamelessness and lust! Wash over me! Wash over me!" 

The now forbidden door was suddenly knocked with brutal intensity several times, Mesui's voice bursting from it. 

"Winds blast you Arsec! I'll shoot an arrow right in your face, you hear me?" Mesui threatened him. 

Arsec found himself cornered between a penitent ogre and an embarrassed goblin.

"Please do, princess!" condoned Narwa's voice over the closed door, "Here is your bow! Shoot him in the face! He's disgusting!"

"Narwa, shut up, you!" Arsec said, annoyed.

"You come and shut me up, Stinky!" she said, "In fact! I'm opening the door right now!"

"No one is opening that door again!" Mesui ordered, "Blasted winds! Just when I thought the General was being too generous... they're going to throw us to the streets if this keeps going!"

******

They all now sat calmly in the hallway, boys and girls facing each other after the earlier chaos. Following a few moments of lingering panic and embarrassment—along with the masked girl’s thinly veiled threats—Arsec and Mesui had agreed that communication should happen in the hallway, not through the "doors of discord." Narwa sat across from Arsec, her gaze fixed intently on him, still itching for another bout, while Arsec simply closed his eyes in exhaustion, hoping to avoid any further conflict. Mesui, on the other hand, was doing her best to appear composed after her awkward encounter with Ronai, who sat quietly nearby, carefully wrapping his cloak around himself to cover his body and in a futile attempt to conceal his discomfort.

Mesui cleared her throat and firmly placed her squirel cub at ease, the other two falling in line as well, then she spoke.  "Well, now that we've... properly accommodated ourselves in the rooms, I'm sure you're wondering how was I able to get us these lavishing rooms for the night?"

"Well, the thought crossed my mind, yes," Arsec said, "Although I am more interested in knowing why is Ronai with us."

Mesui wanted to look at the ogre, but then shame stung her again, "T-these two subjects are connected, trust me."

She steeled herself and brought back a calm, collected look as she frowned, "Thanks to the little scene we caused on the streets in the morning, it is not possible for us to see the Khan yet, given that we've committed some form of transgression according to the Khan's law."

"All thanks to this guy's master," Narwa snarled.

Ronai simply sighed at this point.

Mesui motioned for Narwa to let her finish, "I spoke to General Akrumei, perhaps you know about him, master Ronai."

"He's the goblin that brought the kingdom of Kalad to its knees, he's famous across the land, yes," Ronai said.

"Wow, you spoke to him?" Arsec asked.

"Not only that, it turns out he fought side by side with my father a long time ago, I was a girl back then, but I digress! The point is that he implied we would spend a whole week in prison and dishonor my house and name if we are unable to clean our mess."

"What can we do for that?" Arsec inquired.

"It turns out, the captain of the Zuul, we encountered by the river, Abagai, vouched for our abilities, and the general was... a bit impressed, so he's giving us a mission."

"A mission?" Ronai asked, his eyes darting towards Mesui.

"Y-yes, a mission, that's where you come in as well, master Ronai, I'm sure your master told you something?"

"He never told me about some mission, he vaguely told me I have to spend time with you guys," he explained.

"What? Isn't he your mentor of sorts?" Arsec asked.

"Not mentor, more like a superior officer, but I am supposed to learn from his example nonetheless."

"Why would he give such a vague order?"

"I won't delve into the matter any longer," Ronai said, sinking his head in his coat.

"What? Why?" Narwa pushed it.

"I said I won't do it."

"IF master Ronai wishes to keep his private life to himself, it's fine, he doesn't owe us anything," Mesui interrupted, "Right, Arsec?"

"R-right!" The human boy answered, "So, what is this mission?"

"Yes, the mission," Mesui cleared her throat, "We are going to the old city of Makeb and we're slaying a monster there."

The three looked at Mesui a bit puzzled.

"That's right... wait... who has never heard of the old city?" Mesui asked, worried.

All three raised their hands.

"Huh," Mesui said, "I would've assumed at least you would know, master Ronai."

"Why?" Ronai asked.

"Well, Makeb was an ogre city a long time ago."

Ronai's eyes lightened up, "But there are no records of ogres going to the steppes and living semi-nomadic lives."

"That's the thing, goblins and ogres share the same ancestry."

Ronai shook his head, "I find that hard to believe..."

"Why? Arsec wondered, "I mean, if you look at each other, you do share similarities—"

"How dare you? We are different in many ways!" Ronai said.

"L-let's leave it at that for now," begged Mesui, realizing that piece of information may have been premature, "the point is that the old city, which lies beneath the dungeons of the palace, has been taken by a dark presence. According to general Akrumei, he stopped sending Keshig when it became evident it was somehow connected to the Black Demon."

"Cycloth..." Arsec said.

"Disgusting!" Narwa said, shaking her head, "To think even the Khan's city would be plagued by that giant eye."

"The captain that escorted us here did say that the Black Demon traversed the entirety of the plains in one night," Arsec recalled, "Mutating savage beasts and smiting goblins with a dark frenzy."

"If that happened in the city as well, no wonder the guards were so eager to arrest us this morning," Mesui speculated, "they must've had quite the rough time these days."

"That would explain the amount of patrols we crossed once we entered the central plains," Ronai said, furrowing his eyes, "Things were very confusing."

"You too then?" Arsec asked.

"We did not see any irregularities... well, just something odd..."

"What?"

"A lot of assembled funeral pyres, for a moment we thought the Khanate had been stricken with a deadly disease."

"It kind of has," Narwa remarked.

"Living water..." Ronai said, "So we're to slay this malady?"

"We must, if we are to regain our freedom," Mesui said, "Right now, we're under the Khan's mercy, whether we like it or not, and I don't want to stay in the city further shaming my family name, I'm sure it's the same with you, Master Ronai."

"And I have places to go!" Arsec said, "All right, we defeated one Voidmaw, we can certainly do this!"

"And I'm coming with you, Stinky, let's do this!" Narwa said, lifting her fist.

"O-of course!"

Mesui hesitated at that comment a bit, "R-right! So let's sleep for now and tomorrow we descend into Old Makeb!"

Ronai had a sudden realization, his mind digressing to the fact that he would have to return under Jarad, again.

As they entered their rooms again, Arsec closed the door behind them and spotted Ronai placing his cloak on the table, then kneeling by the bed. 

Ronai took water from a jug by the bed, pouring some in his hands whilst the water filled a plate. He washed his hands and then used the water on the plate to clean his face. Once he had been refreshed and his hands dried, he crossed his legs and took out a scroll from his travel bag.

Arsec sat on his bed, understanding this was a solemn moment for Ronai and not wanting to break his ritual, although Ronai did not care if he was there, his muddled mind and seeking clarity were his only concerns.

Ronai unrolled the scroll, written in letters Arsec did not understand—not that he could read, having been he had been a slave his entire life, but rather because goblins used another type of alphabet altogether, he understood that much.

Ronai's arms trembled as he began to read out loud, Arsec noticed it was not some supernatural power, but rather the young ogre having a moment of intense devotion.

"Blessed Living Water, eternal source of life and strength,
I call upon your sacred currents to guide me.
As your rivers carve through stone,
So too, let your power flow through me,
Granting me the strength to endure,
The clarity to see what is hidden,
And the patience to wait for the right moment."

Ronai paused, almost sobbing at the next lines:

Your still waters are pure and untainted,
Reflecting the truth of my soul,
Let me be as calm as your tranquil depths,
Unshaken by the storms of doubt or fear.
May I move like your streams,
Steady and sure, always flowing, never ceasing,
Carrying with me the wisdom of your boundless depths."

He hesitated for a moment, his tears dropping on the manuscript, but he continued to the end.

When I waver, when I lose my way,
May I remember the stillness within,
The purity of mind that mirrors your perfect surface.
Guide me, O Living Water,
That I may walk your path with strength,
With honor, and with a soul as clear as your sacred waters."

Ronai rolled the scroll and put it inside the bag, still sobbing, now crossing his hands on his chest, "Please, O Living Water, may these words nourish like clean water refreshes my body as you do with my teacher, so do it with me..."

Arsec felt the same fire that burned when the Twin Sisters blessed Mesui and the cubs flaming in his heart, however, as the Red Flame manifested within him, the young human felt sadness—not his sadness, but the Red Flame's.

What is it? Arsec pondered, seeking answers in his burning heart.

His heart is true, the flame's voice said, but his heartbeat is sunken beneath the depths of misery.

Arsec looked at how Ronai now sat on the bed. They exchanged glances, and Arsec felt compelled to ask.

"That's a beautiful prayer," he said, "This is the first time I hear of the Living Water."

"I don't blame you," Ronai said, "Her guidance is barely present in the Khan's city, I suspect even less so in the fringe steppes. The Living Water blessed ogrekind since ancient times—when the forces of the Verdant Fang were pushed back and sealed."

"You know about that?" Arsec said, "The Verdant Fang, I mean."

"It is a dark god, corrupted by power and ambition, but it was long defeated by the servants of the Living Water, who blessed the ogres and formed the first Paladins to fight the Fang's corruption. I would not give it any more attention than it deserves, though, that case is closed."

"You'd be surprised how much am I have been taught about the Verdant Fang recently," Arsec said, thinking about Narwa.

"Oh? Are you under some spell perhaps?" Ronai said, intrigued.

"No, let's just say it has been ingrained on my skull, against my will, I dare say," Arsec answered, suddenly feeling tired. Part of him wanted to tell him about Narwa, but he was more curious about the scroll, "Is that text a common reading among followers of the Living Water?"

Ronai looked at the bag, and gave it a tender smile, "This? No, this is what in my Order is called a 'Vial of Wisdom', they are words written by a mentor and imparted to a student or a couple of students. It is meant to be a guiding prayer, or an insight, or a teaching, or doctrine imparted by the mentor to make a student's own vial of wisdom grow with the revelations of the Living Water."

"Was that given to you by your master... Ja—Jafa..."

"Jarad? Oh no, no no no!" Ronai exclaimed in a mixture of offense and dread, "That man cannot even hold a candle to my actual mentor, the one who taught me everything that is to make a Paladin of the Roaring Cascade."

"I see, I didn't mean to offend,"

"No, don't worry," Ronai said, shaking his head, but then he looked at Arsec rather curious, "Arsec, do you worship any god?"

The question took Arsec by surprise, he had never thought of the Red Flame as one, but at that moment he recognized that he treated this being with a great degree of reverence.

"I think I do..." he uttered.

"I was wondering if humans believed in anything, I see so few of you..." Ronai noted, "So? What's his or her name?"

"He's... the Red Flame," Arsec answered, not expecting Ronai to know about him.

"The Red Flame," Ronai repeated, observing the ceiling with careful thought. For a moment, Arsec's eyes brimmed with hope that this devoted ogre would know something, but then Ronai shrugged, "I've never heard of one named the Red Flame before, did your parents teach you to worship it?"

"I never met my parents..."

Ronai's eyes widened with sudden worry, "Right, I'm sorry, you said you were a slave."

"Don't worry," Arsec said, shaking his hand.

"So where or how did you commit yourself to him?"

"Well..."

Arsec began to tell about the crater, and how he came to meet the Red Flame there. Ronai listened attentively, his eyes showing a mix of shock and... something else...

It was envy.

He recalled how Arsec had faced his kin during the brawl on the street, and how the human did not show any bruises or pain afterward. He recalled the enormous bison that would make his rhino go crazy. As Arsec continued his tale, he became more and more energetic, and happier. Ronai's face tweaked a bit as he tried to remain as respectful as possible.

"And that was it, I'm traveling with Mesui because she promised me to let me go find this library I keep seeing in my visions."

"You have visions?" Ronai said, a bit skeptical, "Not even the goblin shamans that commune with the Twin Sisters have visions... That's something an ancient figure in history would say."

"I don't know about that, I can't even read, despite my passion for ancient lore, mind you!" Arsec said, innocently, "I just know that I have this dream that shows me a library in some mountains and that the Red Flame sometimes speaks in my heart."

"He speaks to you?" Ronai said, his face smiling with falsehood, "He speaks to him..."

Arsec noticed his new friend sulking again, "Did I say something wrong?"

Ronai gave an even more tender smile, "Oh no, you're fine, it's just that I'm tired and tomorrow we have a lot of work on our hands."

"You're right, we should sleep, I'm sorry for keeping you awake!"

"It's okay, I actually need to read one more text in the scroll before sleeping, you go ahead and rest," Ronai said, taking out the scroll once more.

"Very well, good night."

Ronai nodded, and as Arsec rolled over his bed and closed his eyes, the young ogre unfolded the scroll, going past the prayer he had recited earlier, and into a title that preceded a lengthy text.

"Of the Gifts of the Frost," he read, his eyes diverted from the text as he pondered. By then, Arsec was already a slumbering corpse, so Ronai glanced at him briefly. "Frost... the Red Flame..."

Ronai felt a glimmer of hope in his heart as he lay down on his bed and closed his eyes, still thinking. It went on like this for a brief moment before the exhaustion of the day finally took its toll, and he fell asleep.

******

In the darkest hour just before dawn, the room was still, save for the rhythmic breaths of Arsec and Ronai, both deep in sleep. Shadows lay heavy in every corner, a quiet and tranquil calm covering the world outside like a shroud. Then, in the midst of that stillness, a soft voice floated through the air, a whisper, a breath so faint it seemed almost imagined.

“Arsec...”

The sound stirred Arsec from his slumber, not entirely awake, yet not asleep. His eyes fluttered open, bleary with drowsiness, and he looked over at Ronai. The ogre remained lost in sleep, unmoved, oblivious to the sound that filled Arsec’s mind. The voice came again, clearer now, familiar yet distant.

“Arsec... Come.”

He felt an irresistible pull, something deep within urging him to follow the voice. 

“Arsec... Come.”

His limbs felt heavy with sleep, but the voice’s gentle persistence pushed him into action. 

"Come to me..."

He rose quietly, careful not to disturb Ronai, and reached for his spear, slipping his red cape around his shoulders. With slow, measured steps, he left the room, drawn by the sound that now seemed to wrap around him, beckoning him like a distant shore calling a lost sailor.

As he wandered through the dim corridors of the palace, the voice spoke again, growing closer, more intimate.

“I’ve waited so long for you... Since you appeared in my dreams, I knew I had to find you.”

Arsec blinked, his mind trying to grasp the familiarity in the voice. He knew it from somewhere, but his tired brain refused to fully connect the dots. Despite the haze of sleep still hanging over him, he could not help but follow as the voice giggled, leaving an echo for the human boy to follow. 

"This way..." the whispers said from time to time, when Arsec had to chose between going up or down the stairs of the palace.

He felt compelled, bound by some unseen force to move forward, as though the voice was guiding his every step.

After what felt like an eternity of winding passages and giggling sounds, the halls opened up into a grand space lined with tall shelves, each filled with ancient scrolls stacked in neat rows. The smell of old parchment and ink filled the air, the dim light of scattered torches barely illuminating the central communal area of what could only be a library.

Arsec glanced around, somewhat lost, his eyes falling upon the endless scrolls. He approached one, pulling it free and frowning at the indecipherable text. Frustration welled up inside him—he could not read them. He did not belong in a place like this.

And then, the whispering stopped.

A figure stepped out from behind one of the tall shelves, her movement almost too quiet to notice at first. But when she emerged fully into the dim light, Arsec’s eyes widened in awe, and all sense of numbness in his mind faded. 

She was cloaked in a familiar purple shawl, her revealing attire both ethereal and striking, just as she had been in his dreams. Her yellow skin glowed faintly in the low light, and her eyes—purple with a dark sclera—fixed on him with a knowing intensity.

It was her.

The girl from his dreams.

Arsec stood frozen, caught between disbelief and wonder as the girl took a step closer, her eyes locking with his.

“At last... you found me...” she said, her voice no longer a whisper, but warm and full. “Just as I saw you in my dreams... it's really you...”

She chuckled in fascination at how her wait had paid off, taking her hands to her mouth in a bit of disbelief.

Arsec felt his heart pound in his chest, unsure of what to say or even what to think. But one thing was certain—he was not dreaming anymore. She was real, and she was standing right in front of him.

"You are... here..." Arsec uttered, "You know me... I saw you... I..."

"Yes!" She said, getting closer and closer, "Say my name..."

"Y-your... name?" Arsec asked, stopping.

She did not stop, drawing near him, her eyes intensifying mystically, "Yes you do..."

"I've never heard it, I don't know it..." Arsec apologized.

"You do..." she assured him.

Arsec felt a surge in his mind, as the name popped on his head.

"Samina..." he said, unsure.

The girl giggled, excited to hear her name uttered by him, something that threw Arsec off. He was clearly not used to so much mystery despite his experiences with the Red Flame.

Samina stepped forward with graceful precision, her face partially concealed by the flowing folds of her purple shawl. She dipped into an elegant bow, her voice calm and assured as she said, "I am Samina, the Seventh Spellsword of the Purple Gemstone."

The girl's elegance and revealing figure beneath her semi-transparent shawl by the belly made Arsec rigid as he stood tall with his spear firmly placed on the ground, like a guard.

"I am Arsec... and I am—"

"The Last Flame of the Dawn," Samina stretched her hand to Arsec's chest. 

Arsec saw how Samina seemed to look beyond his usual vest, her eyes now gleaming purple.

"So-sha-nim," she said, her eyes now closed, but her smile evident behind the folds, "I salute you."