Kaara sat next to Rorik in silent prayer for his parents. She didn’t know his parents had been buried here. She recalled what she knew about the situation. The things Rorik had only trusted her to know. A Malaki known as a Masktooth had infiltrated their village and infested the population. By the time they realized what was going on, they were too late and the best they could do was hold out and wait for someone to come and save them.

Masktooth were known for prying the teeth out of their victims and mimicking the appearance and voices of them. The toothless corpses they left in their wake would transform and corrupt into Ribjaws. Just as the name suggested,shortly after being killed by a Masktooth, the corpse’s chest would split open at the sternum. By some cruel irony, their ribcage became their new mouth with sharpened bone and vile poison lining its maw.

A resistance was mounted by Rorik’s parents to beat them back, but it was fruitless. According to Rorik, no one who joined the resistance ended up surviving. However, it was his parent’s sacrifice which bought the Tibur tribe enough time to show up and rescue the children from the village.

When they found Rorik, a Malaki had been tormenting him with the faces and voices of his deceased parents.

Kaara did not know how Rorik coped with it, but she had been there for him ever since he had taken refuge in her tribe. She kept her head bowed in silent prayer to his parents. When she opened her eyes Rorik was already standing. He turned to her, “Thank you for coming here with me.” He said.

“Of course.” Kaara said, leaning back on her hands and petting the grass, “Is this all you wanted to do?”

Rorik looked away, “You know it’s not.”

“So what did you wanna tell me?”

“I guess I just wanted to pray for permission.”

“Permission? For what?”

“Maybe it’s better to tell you after the ceremony…”

“Oh come on! Don’t do that, tell me!”

Rorik let out a sigh, falling back in the grass with his parent’s weapons buried above his head, “You know what I dreamed about once when I was in Deka’s tent?” He started, “I dreamt I was the eldest brother of three for a family of farmers. I lived a life with my parents, but the moment I turned sixteen, they kicked me out of the house because I didn’t want to take up the family business. So I wandered for a little bit, and came across a group just like me. Nowhere to belong or call home.” He reached his hand out to the sky, “We helped to kill Magakos in the nearby villages. It was so much fun. But when it was over…” He clenched his fist, dropping his hand back into the grass, “I went home, only to find the house was ash, and the fields were salted. I dedicated the next couple years to finding who did it, and when I finally found them I fell short. Arrow got me right in the temple before I could do anything.”

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Kaara twiddled her thumbs, “Oh, that sounds awful.”

“Right?” He sat up, “And it feels like I haven’t learned anything. I remember living a long time in that life, but I don’t feel any older right now. I don’t feel like I learned anything, or changed as a person. That voice asked me a question, I don’t even remember what it was. All I know is I got it wrong.”

Kaara nodded, “That’s how it usually is.”

“I’m sort of thankful I can’t remember everything like it was real, though. Makes it simple. This is the real world, the Ux scrolls are just dreams in the end.”

Kaara hugged her legs close to her chest. Was that true? A part of her did not want it to be.

“Between my parents in this world, and my life in that dream, though, I’ve been reminded how short life can be. I remember how easily it can end, so that’s why…” He swallowed, taking a deep breath, “That’s why I wanted to say…”

Kaara leaned in, “What is it?”

Rorik sighed, “I like you, alright?” He raised his hand to stop Kaara from talking, “Before you say anything, I don’t want you to tell me anything back, I just want you to know. If you have to say something back, save it until after the Siren Ceremony, alright?”

“Sure, but why do you want that?”

Rorik scratched his head nervously, “I need something to fight extra hard for during the ceremony. If I see a Malaki, i’m afraid I might freeze up, so if I have something to remind myself to be brave and survive, I think I can make it.”

“Well, why do you like me… and you mean to say you loooove me?” She said smugly.

Rorik clicked his tongue, “Yeah. And why wouldn’t I? You’re the reason I’m fighting in the first place.”

“Is it?”

He nodded, “Maybe the reason I’m still alive.”

Kaara fell silent. She did not know what to think of that.

“Like I said, don’t answer it, I just had to say it now or I never would. I don’t want you to get distracted or anything, so here’s me just giving you a warning.”

“How long have you liked me?”

“As long as I’ve known you, I think.” Rorik laughed to himself, a sound which was rare for Kaara to hear.

She smiled sweetly, “Well thank you for telling me. I’ll keep my mouth shut, so you keep yourself alive, alright?”

Rorik nodded, “If I’m working to hear your answer, I know I’ll live no matter what.” He collapsed into the grass again, “My greatest fear lately has been that I might freeze up when I see a Malaki again. So maybe this whole thing will give me a way to get past it if it happens. I can remind myself that you’re waiting to give me your answer. And if the worst happens, at least I died without any regrets.”

Kaara crawled over and laid down next to him. She did not know what her answer would be. She cared for Rorik deeply, but were her feelings romantic? Perhaps they could be. She always had a feeling Rorik felt some type of way about her, but to think he was hiding this for so long, “You’re not gonna die. I won’t let that happen,” she said.

They laid together in silence. Even the sky above them parted the gray clouds of winter to reveal the blue sky hidden behind them. A warm spring breeze carried with it a gentle promise of safety. Sometimes words did not need to be spoken when spending time with someone. Kaara remembered how she had wanted to make the most of these last ten days. Right now, despite not doing much of anything, she felt like she was spending it well. And yet one thing bugged her in the back of her mind.

Why couldn’t she see the ghosts of Rorik’s parents?