Terran threw more dry twigs into the fire before dragging a large fur skin over towards Hildebran, insisting that he throw it on. Hildebran brushed it aside initially, but his teeth clattered together, and his plush coloring gave away his fever. He eventually accepted the fur skin and clung to its warmth. He was thankful for the rays of warmth that radiated from the fire and soaked through to his bones.

"You know, I don't hold anything against you for what happened back at Fereton, you know, with the deaths and all that."

"I've seen worse things, friend. It doesn't faze me."

"You should know you were suspected to be under a dark spell the way you were linked with the deaths of the healer and the potions master?"

Terran eye's rose slowly from the fire to meet Hildebran's now. His face remained neutral and calm as he spoke, "What do you know of curses and spells? I doubt you have witnessed real magic before."

"What do you mean? Sure, I have, I witnessed Fereton's King and his leadership collapse at the feet of a sorcerer, a necromancer! And you're the reason it all happened in the first place now that I think about it. Your mysterious appearance led King Arynda to make the terrible mistake of calling on one of our imprisoned necromancers and allowing him to give his insight."

"The fall of Fereton is only one domino, friend."

Hildebran was perplexed, and he began to hack at a cough.

"I am younger than you in age, but that is but a number. I have seen much more than you will ever likely see."

"Yeah? Try me. I came from across seas. I used to be one of the Ki'vatsu. Do you even know what that is?"

"Yes, your people—these 'Ki'vatsu'—they serve the sorcerer Edmund Nightclaw of Weptswur. I have heard that they commit terrible crimes in his name."

Hildebran spit out a hacking cough once again before speaking, "How do you know these things? Less than a fortnight ago you were under the powerful influence of dark magic. Now you are making that up simply because you know I am a Ki'vatsu. I am the only descendant from Rednork on the continent of Modena. Furthermore, Edmund Nightclaw is the father of one of my men, Alvar Nightclaw. Tell me, is what you speak true, Terran the Slayer? Tell me straight."

"Yes, 'tis true flustered man. Control your cough, drink the syrup I placed before you. You must get better soon."

Hildebran kicked over the wooden bowl of syrup, his temper rising.

"Do not tell me to calm down, you are just as sick as that necromancer Savok."

"I am the only way you can save your nation."

"Yeah I'm sure. Just like the same way you were the reason it was torn apart."

"There is a much bigger issue Hildebran. The nations of the north are falling like dominoes. Weptswur falls to Nightclaw and his ki'vatsu as well as roaming men of Mestrane. Scourden is falling, in part to the regime you brought to the kingdom there. Fereton has fallen to Savok, and the land of Ulthrak is being raided by a ruthless army of Mestrane's dark orcs. It all ties together, friend."

"That is just the cost of war, Terran. These dark orcs, is it really true they are as near as Ulthrak? I have heard no reports of this army—they must have clambered across the seas to be reside in Mestrane now. Surely word would be out."

"Word has been kept quiet because of the men who lead the nations. King Steed has his thumb down over each of the lands. Indeed, the orcs were brought over as slaves bound to King Steed's bidding."

Hildebran pursed his lips which still chattered with biting cold around him. He leaned in towards the fire to let the flames flicker at his face.

"How about the unspoken lands to the West. The Polar Reziks, Elzeda, even Raideth?"

Terran sat in his cloak, seemingly unbothered by the cold, "Those lands are not in communication with the lands of the north. Word from Raideth is that one of the Rainblood brothers' rules most of the land there, and the other brother has gone to Mestrane in search of foolish man's plunder."

"How do you know all of this, Terran? You are a mysterious man. First you appear out of nowhere at the gates of Fereton claiming you lifted the great curse, and now you save me from a snow storm and suddenly have composed yourself enough to have knowledge over the entire realm."

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"In order to tell you that. I must know that I can trust you, Hildebran."

"How can I prove that to you?"

"Try to read me."

Hildebran laughed hysterically which inevitably ended in a bout of coughing, but Terran was stone cold now.

"I am serious, Hildebran. Look into my eyes and focus. Just focus, for as long as you can."

Hildebran finally composed himself and stared into Terran's eyes. Nothing seemed to be happening, but Hildebran noticed Terran's eyes had gone to a gray color and remained unwavering as if frozen. His hand went to his sword by his hip, but he remembered Terran must have moved it when he found him. Instinct told Hildebran he should leave now, whilst Terran was in this odd state, but he had nowhere to go. Instead, he sat and waited.

Terran returned to his normal state and Hildebran was thankful for his company, it was lonely in the middle of nowhere with a man frozen in time. Hildebran gazed at Terran, waiting for him to address what had just happened. He didn't address it, and Hildebran squinted his eyes, feeling frustrated that his patience could not be rewarded with an explanation.

"Tell me, what was that?"

"I asked if I could trust you, so I took a look for myself."

"You sure did, you took a nice long look for over an hour. I hope you remember what I look like now." Hildebran's light hearted tone was not met by Terran, who seemed only interested in staying on task.

"I found something interesting in your past, Hildebran."

"I don't know what you found in my face but go for it, Slayer."

"During the war of the Last Kings, you were the King's most trusted man when Fereton was a powerful force, and their King still lived. However, it was you that let fate fall to him. You could have stopped it. You allowed him to embark on a journey to Mestrane when his people needed him most, and because of that I was allowed to murder him, bringing us to where we are now. In effect, you are the cause of my current state, like it or not."

Hildebran lunged out of seat on a log by the fire, and his finger landed right in front of Terran's face now, "You don't doubt for a second I would have saved his life if I could have, I would give up my life if it meant saving Fereton and bringing it back to what it once was before the war. The new King Arynda has betrayed me, the king's council has betrayed me, and the people who I led out from under that new poisonous leadership have betrayed me. And you want to talk to me on account of my trust? You'd have been better leaving me in the snow to die, Slayer. And do not blame your own actions on me, the King was his own man, and it was his decision to go to Mestrane, and it was your decision to slay him like you did."

Terran remained quiet as Hildebran returned to his seat. Hildebran immediately felt foolish for losing his temper. He had nothing now, and with it had gone his discipline and his temperament.

After a long pause Terran replied, "That is not all I found, however. I saw a glimpse into your future. Your passion and your drive will be crucial for the battle to come. Therefore, I see you as an asset to Modena. You must believe that."

"Are you some sort of soothsayer, Terran? Did you pick that up before or after you caused my homeland to crumble?"

"Terran pulled out his hand from underneath the long-robed arms of his cloak and clutched Hildebran's arm and Hildebran yelled in shock. The touch of his arm was like that of a skeleton. Nothing but bones remained of his hand and half of his arm.

"You see this? I am losing my form as a man. I do not know what will become of me, Hildebran. I can see your future, but mine remains a mystery. Only small parts of it become clear at times, when I sleep."

Hildebran felt calmer now that Terran had begun to open up to him now. Hildebran dared not ask and did not want to ask what was happening to his arm—to his body. It was likely some magic that Hildebran wanted nothing to do with. It unnerved him, because he had never been involved with magic—always brushing aside its influence. He wished it weren't real.

As they were sitting something stirred in a bush nearby. The two of them stared intently at the bush, Hildebran obviously more worried than Terran. The bush shook violently and out from behind popped a rabbit. The two shared a laugh for the first time, and suddenly Hildebran felt as though he might be able to enjoy Terran's company for once. After all, he had saved his life. And he had seen his past accurately, with no way of knowing that Hildebran could see. His smile faded as his mind raced back to that night, he fought in the trenches of the neighboring rival nation of Adrossi, defending the outskirts of the city. He remembered the night all too well, but he had pushed from his memory for so long that the memory of his actions that night pained him greatly to reflect on.

Sensing his distress Terran spoke, "I feel your distress. I am no stranger to that. I also murdered a King. However, it was a death that will have further deadly implications upon thousands and thousands of people because of me. I believe I have the power to fix it. I'm asking you to help me Hildebran. I just need your aid in my mission."

"Why me?"

"I have been tasked by my dreams to assemble a great army to stand against the men of Mestrane. I believe you are the first piece to that task."

Hildebran sat and pondered it for a moment. He nodded his head.

"Why me?"

"Our paths are intertwined. It is no chance that we crossed paths again, and the death of Fereton's true king is on both of us. We must align and fulfill the will of my dreams. They speak to me as ancestors to the righteous man Ednord."

"Fine. When do we start?"

"We start now. We're going to Weptswur to free your brothers of Rednork. More Ki'vatsu are better than one."

Hildebran exhaled forcefully, "You're lucky I have no one else to fall back on."

"Good. The journey begins. And by the way, you were looking for this. Here's your sword."

"Don't touch my sword ever again, Slayer. Unless the blade is running through your heart."