Theokritos sits at the table with his family as he's done countless times, sitting Evandra down in his lap. Blasius quickly joins them whilst Euria moves over to the cooking end of their home, gathering up bowls and preparing their regular food: vegetable stew. For farmers like him it was a cheap and efficient way to feed an entire family. Even for someone like Diaras who was well-off in status and money wasn't above using it to feed the sheer amount of children they had.

Euria, in particular, has a penchant for it after living as an adventurer. Stews were a cheap way for an adventurer to make something better with less as long as there was access to water.

"So Theo," she hums, turning and bringing over his and Blasius' larger bowls. "If you're truly leaving it to Palux to handle training for the day, does that mean you're going to be joining Blasius and me for his class?"

Theokritos takes the spoon, gathering up some of the stew and carefully guiding it to Evandra. His spoiled daughter gently grabs the spoon, too, before she bites down on the end. "I know how to read well enough to work in town so don't worry about me, Euria. Besides, I may be leaving it to Palux to train but today is Sunday."

His wife frowns mid-walk, finally returning to the table with a bowl of her own. She sits down in the chair opposite of him as she always does, taking a moment to watch Blasius eat before turning her focus onto him.

"I know that you think you owe Merius but... isn't it better to spend it with your family than at that paltry shrine you erected in our yard?"

"That may be. But he is also a god of patience, too; if I spent all my time spoiling Evandra and sitting with Blasius in your class, I'd grow greedy. Besides... Merius isn't worshipped in town so the only thing I can do is erect a shrine here, don't you think?"

Euria lets his words sit between them whilst they eat, looking over at the fireplace of their home. Above it is the shield and the still-damaged blade he fought Vandyke with, a constant reminder of his fight and just how important all the training she'd given him ultimately turned out to be. But more important than that is that it saved his life and kept him from being killed, letting their family continue its blissful days.

But it's only thanks to that Merius that he survived. Without Merius' interference and marking on his body, the wounds may not have healed as well as they did nor would he have been there for Evandra's birth. Even after the last couple of years to heal, his hand had yet to truly heal; he could use it and it didn't cause much pain unless he carried something immensely heavy, but it had grown extremely sensitive to the weather. Whenever it rains or snows he feels the dagger tearing away at him as if it's the same day.

"Don't worry, I'll only worship him after I've finished more chores for today anyway. That should make everything fine, right?"

Euria doesn't speak but does communicate the best way she always has: a stern look. Theokritos may be her husband but he still has a job to uphold the values of the family... and that means keeping his wife happy. And ensuring both of his kids eat and get settled for the rest of the day before he does anything outside.

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Life in Burolo at night isn't quite the same as that of the larger cities he hears about: its streets are the only places still lit and most of them are purely so guardsmen may tend to business. Beyond the village's core location, however, the lighting became far more sparse and solely dedicated to its roads. One light per homestead's border was set-up to create a snaking path that guided travelers and marked homes, yet none of them carried into the fields themselves. Reusable steel torches would be wrapped and burned into the night until the most darkest hours where they'd finally extinguish to help ensure dangers couldn't locate the various homes.

Theokritos, however, is better off than most as a sergeant. His pay fell into what could be called "a good life" and afforded him hardly any room for luxuries, but his reputation as one of the ones responsible for stopping Vandyke within town helped him afford many things over the last two years. The first is the most important: a compound wall.

"Hard to believe I've already got one of these," he whispers, walking along the barrier. "My father always insisted that they build one yet never could get the friends or time for it."

No one is around to hear him but it doesn't unsettle him. It's a conversation perhaps with himself or his late-parents, hoping that they could see just how far the "failure" had come in his life. The names of Aggerosk and Morialis extended beyond the small reaches of Burolo across the empire but none of those who spoke highly of it had ever believed the begger to be their offspring.

His mother and father's words on that night so long ago still stung at his core, but nothing felt sweeter than overwriting that bitterness with his success. Instead of being a mage or legendary swordsman, his skill permeated with a spear and shield later on. He didn't need combat arts to know that his feat in the square had truly set him apart from the basic rabble.

"The real reason I've made it this far is thanks you to rewarding my patience, right Merius?"

His words fall whilst he carefully lights one of his wall's torch wraps, ensuring the binding is still oiled. He lowers his hand a moment later and lights it, letting it illuminate the corner of their yard that made him the most proud: his temple to Merius.

A common temple for a peasant often constitutes a base to set everything, an icon, and a place for offerings. Of the empire's various gods, worship of Merius is something that's done simply and cost-effectively: a flat-topped stump, a plate or bowl, and the icon or Merius carved or made from a material of one's choice.

Theokritos kneels down before the handmade shrine, running his hands across the tree they'd grown for nearly two years just for this purpose. Before all of this he had been forced to use a stone base, but Merius preferred worship through wood over stone as it requires patience for a tree to grow whilst stone could be cut and prepared at any time. Only a few elders in Burolo cared for the god as he often was the least worshipped of the pantheon for his seldom intervention... but all of them gave him aid after the incident left him marked by the god.

"The only problem, my lord, is that I still do not know what I promised you. What is it that I gave you my word for that let you save me... that made you willing to give me my life back? You are just and rewarding to me and I try to follow your teachings, yet it puzzles me what held such value that you saved me of all people."

Theokritos sets his offering in the bowl, spreading the leaves of the family's tree across its surface as he does whenever it sheds in the later part of the year. In the growing seasons, he uses seeds leftover from preparing the fields, yet the family's tree had far more value since all four of them planted it the day Evandra was born. Their prosperity had been far from lacking in the years regardless of season, but he still thinks the best times come when winter arrives.

"Today I want to believe that you still watch over my family. But I still wish to know why you grant me your favor of all those out here. Is it to reward me for what I've done despite my parents? Or... for another purpose?"

The guardsman gently slides the bowl toward the icon he carved from wood: the legged circle of Merius. It hums and glows gold with magical light, the offerings disappearing one-by-one as they always did. It's the most real sign that one can see when asking the question of whether or not gods existed. It was such sights that had even led Blasius and Evandra to being curious and wanting to make offerings. Euria herself may not have been too fond of worshipping, but their children had inherited faith like most of the Empire's youth did whenever their family had a patron god. In this case, Theokritos' patron would no doubt ensure his children followed in his footsteps and praised the god too.

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"I ask you, my god Merius, what your plan for me is. Blasius pursues geomancy and holds talent with magic to pursue it, whilst Evandra will no doubt grow strong like her mother since the two look so alike. All I've ever known is a life of labor and hard work... is it right for me to have children like this and a life of happiness? I can do nothing more than give offerings to you in the ways the elders instructed me, yet I ask you now to give me a sign. Guide me on the way to raise them. Let me be the symbol of hope my family needs... to grow and prosper."

The icon's glow continues, pulsing towards its end and finally fading away as it always does. Theo dips his head and guides his marked hand's thumb down the bridge of his nose. It was a silent conversation between a man and his god... or perhaps merely just his thoughts. The truth is that he doesn't know if he's heard or not despite the magical absorption, but it gave him clarity and a means to hope for something he can only strive toward.

"In your name, I shall strive patiently onward, my god. Thank you for listening to your faithful mortal, Merius, and may you watch over my family as you have done these last two years."

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"Again! Thrust!"

Paxus barks his order across the squad in front of Theokritos, the group of five imitating the elite's spear thrust perfectly.

"Good. You've raised them another notch, Paxus. I can see the efforts to teach them are starting to pay off. The group might actually be a threat if bandits come."

Theokritos walks up, carefully grabbing and raising one of their spears another inch so it's more appropriately at throat level. One of the advantages of never having a physique that stood out is that he's a perfect example to train most people; his height and width are an average for most bandits and inexperienced fighters' builds within the Empire and its colonial borders, making aiming for such zones in relation to his size perfect training for a soldier's angles.

"Real battle is different from training though, sir."

Paxus approaches and the guardsmen all quickly reset their posture. The previously inexperienced guard had been all that was left from the batch he and Diaras trained, but the newer generation of guards that swept into the ranks looked likely to stay with his additional experience. Unlike the group that all joined and trained up from the town's raided days, there was little belief Burolo would require guards for anything besides a tragedy... and it made it hard to retain members or train them.

But these days had changed that: the sparse work meant that trading patrols made life easier on guards and that most of them earned pay through assisting the town. It was far more laborious to be a young guard but they had more days off than the drilled strictness of one understaffed. It definitely raised the notch further that guardsmen only passed the recruit lifestyle after undergoing strict tests from Diaras. The new vice-captain provided a much higher work standard in his vigor, whilst Theben still guided them with his true experience as Captain.

Theokritos' job was to prepare the guards for the creation of a new squad, providing ample ground for Paxus to build his experience and join him as one of two sergeants. The size of the guard increasing meant that there would be two squads: one for reserves and training whilst the other was preserved for combat. Paxus' guidance made him aptly skilled for training until he needed to step in, whilst Theo was the sole guardsman besides their leadership who dealt with more than a street brawl.

"That may be," Theokritos finally answers after a few moments of silence, finally turning his gaze to his subordinate. "But we should be thankful if the only experience we have are the fights between each other."

Paxus nods, granting him the chance to turn to the recruits and pat one of the younger men on the shoulder.

"All of you have done well in your training! As the newest addition to the Burolo guards, I hope you do not shirk your duties! With luck, you all will succeed... and live long lives afterward to reward you for it! Pair off and get to your patrols!"

All of them quickly salute and disperse after a nod from Paxus, each taking Theo's words in what he hopes is the best way possible.

"... Sir, are you and Sir Diaras going to be investigating the merchant's story from yesterday?"

Paxus turns, crossing his arms. Theokritos hardly moves, setting his gloved hand on his full-sized blade and sighing. Whilst on duty he wore gloves that provided better grip, a far greater compliment to his fighting style with a shield. Losing his blade against Vandyke had shaped him to think of the small details more since so many of them compounded into the Death Raven's demise.

"The Vice-Captain and I are most likely going later today. It's still early and he has to finish meeting with Theben about the plans to pass leadership between them."

Paxus' jaw drops. "Diaras is going to become our new Captain?"

"Not yet," Sergeant Martell replies. "After all, Diaras hates being in charge and Theben isn't too old to hold a sword yet. They're talking about the process being carried out next year or the year after, once Diaras' oldest son can start training abroad. The pay'll help him out and Theben plans on taking him to the cities for it... and we'll probably have someone else we can trust that's a lot like you to replace your position. I'll have to handle being Vice-Captain if Diaras won't do it."

Neither of the two men speak but it's obvious just how much Paxus wants to chip in. He didn't dislike Diaras but it was obvious how much of a musclehead the man could be after the last festival the town had. Diaras had been so apt to prove his strength that he threw out his back for a month, leaving the guard understaffed when the merchant season arrived.

But this new rumor may as well have warranted a bigger problem than that: Diaras' confidence. Merchants coming to Burolo weren't many during the calmer end-of-the-year seasons, but the few who came from the colonial edge of the empire spoke of bandits and thieves. The two of them aren't exactly top-quality compared to the skills of knights, particularly as they lacked Combat Arts, but both Diaras and Theokritos had the most experience and were the oldest of the remaining guard besides Theben nowadays.

And that means the two of them must go out and see just how much weight those claims hold.

"Honestly I'd rather spend the day with my kids since Blasius' tutor is coming in a week and he'll be busy for the next four years undergoing his apprenticeship. He's started wearing his hair in a ponytail and trying to act mature, but he still can't even manifest his mana. It's going to mean he'll be working his ass off when the tutor arrives."

"That's for the best, isn't it?" Paxus smiles, setting his hand on Theokritos' shoulder. "It shows he's at least Euria's kid if he puts in effort like that, right? You guys'll be seeing him sign into the order in no time if he doesn't end up an adventurer like her!"

As much as the idea of his son running around may sound good, the truth is that Theo wasn't too sure about it all. Merius had guided him this far but seeing his family scatter with his son becoming a geomancer... it isn't something he's looking forward to.

But, more importantly, he has to keep trying to care for his children in the ways his parents can't. Even if they walk down roads that are hard or distant of him and Euria, they deserve to be happy and chase their dreams knowing the two of them will always be there for them.

"I guess... but you should get going and oversee the squad. Diaras is waiting for me, so get going."

Paxus nods and lets go of him, finally setting off after one of the pairs whilst Theo turns and heads into the barracks. Unlike the members, it's one of the few things that hasn't changed much over the years: it's still mostly beds and providing space for the few members without homes of their own. The only true difference came from his and Diaras' old room becoming a room meant for their respective positions.

He knocks on his previous partner's door, ensuring to not scuff the metal-engraved plate bearing the title Vice-Captain.

"Captain Theben, it's Sergeant Theokritos; may I come inside now?"

It takes a few moments more but the door opens and the grizzled veteran is standing in the way with a smirk. Behind him, Diaras is standing behind his own desk picking up his sword and larger shield.

"Good that you're here... we have work to do, guardsman. You two will be going to the spot and meeting up with a knight from the city."

Theokritos pauses, opening the door but remaining stationary whilst Theben passes him.

"Wait, a knight? I thought-"

"Plans change," Diaras answers instead, fastening his sheath into place and quickly moving to the doorway. Neither of them changed much over the years but his friend's growing ego certainly isn't missed these days. "Besides, isn't this better? That knight'll make this easier than if it's just the two of us!"