A calm settled over the village, the giant still with his knee on the attacker's chest, grinning as he glanced at the crowd. They were stunned. This only made Steinith laugh.

"What's the matter!? Surely… you considered that someone had to be hurt or killed for this revolt to be a success?" Steinith twisted his knee, and the poor beneath him painfully gasped. "I even lowered and made myself immobile for one great joint attack! So, where is your resolve? The desire to sacrifice everything if it means for me to be gone?"

The people looked at each other for the one strong enough to contest this giant, lead this pack, and do something to change their current fate. But the people only saw each others' worried faces. Isaac, at the center of the pack, winced at knowing what his brothers would do.

And just then, his feet moved independently, and he strode in front of the pack calmy.

Steinith's brute face focused on the approaching man. "You. I recognize you. You're a Fila." His neck rolled and cracked. "The useless one." He steadied. "Facing me in your brothers' place?"

"No." Isaac looked to the side and tossed away his sword. Its metal was fancy. "Our battle would just be a game to you."

Steinith smirked. "Here to bend the knee and apologize, then?"

"No. Only to solve your problem for you." Issac stood tall. "You're here to scout for Deskar. I know its source."

"Do you?" Steinith said. He raised to his feet and released the one beneath him, who scampered away. "Appertanly, your word is valuable—inexperienced it may be." He came a step away from Issac. "Tell me. Can you speak of my gift?"

Issac nodded. "I can also reveal its weakness."

"Oh?" Steinith tilted his head. "I have one?"

"You have a {Q}: the power to impose onto others what you can make them believe," Isaac spoke. "You manifest what they fear. What they imagine adds to your strength. That gift has elected you to your current position."

"Someone's done their research," Steinith smirked. "That's right. I bear a {Q}." His head rolled to the other side. "But having that information—even knowing my weakness—won't help you if you don't have the strength to implement it."

Steinith raised his giant hands. "Why are you here? Why foolishly gather like this? You can't take me—much less handle the horrors of my absence."

"Because we'd rather die than live like this." Issac didn't give in to the giant's intimidation, though the beast needed nothing else to kill him. "And you can only afford for a few of us to die."

Steinith cracked his knuckles as the sound blasted throughout the area. "That so?"

"It is," Issac answered with a head and back tilted back to gaze up at the monster. "Deskar feeds where there is no life and makes its ever-onward advance. Then, it surrounds places where there is still life, cutting it off from elsewhere until life is forced to move—and the Deskar eats what remains."

Steinith remained silent.

"If we were to leave or die, you would be alone here, and the Deskar not only would impede your study, but its advance would be quicker to the mainland." Isaac allowed a moment of silence so his word could be heard and digested by those who listened. "That is the only reason the Fal'qu Kingdom has sent aid to these outskirt villages."

Issac then stepped back—standing at the front of the gathered mass. "You can kill some of us. But you can't kill all of us." He spread out his arms. "And the less we burn with life, the faster the approach of that you dread."

Steinith, however, had not lost his smile. In the silence, he had started to clap. Clap! Clap! Clap! The sound discharged through the air and was sharp on the ears. His low chuckles showed his mirth with the situation. "Yaahahaha! Clever boy. You're right. I need at least half your number."

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Steinith's smirk became pointed. "But I'll have no trouble doing such. My placement here is enough to compensate for most of you."

"Unless you were to find out about the primary source of the Deskar in this area," Issac returned. There was no hostility in his body language. "Then you could research it properly. Tell your command what they want to hear. Maybe even start working toward a solution."

"Oh? And you, a man in the middle of nowhere, have the answer to what every Kingdom is searching for?"

"The answer has been clear since the start of the decay," Issac answered. "The Sword. It must be found."

Steinith smiled and shook his head as though the information hadn't settled in his head. He was bubbling with chuckles in disbelief that such a fool could exist in this world. "You believe it? The legends?"

"I do."

"Ahah. Ahahahaha. AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Steinith stepped back with his boots pounding against the ground as the world quaked a little with each of his casual contacts. The giant bellowed and wiped a tear underneath his eye. "So… fools still believe, huh?"

Isaac cocked his head. "Does that mean you don't?"

"Oh? Is my opinion being consulted?" Steinith turned back around with his armour clanking. Steadying himself, he focused on Issac. "I do what I do and do what I am told. I don't put much stalk beyond that. But everyone alive has heard the Legend of the Sword. And I… know for a fact that it is real."

Isaac's eyes widened as his face became shocked, and his feet moved back until he nearly crashed into the front of the crowd. Even the people there were shocked, as most had dropped their weapons, means, and will to fight. All stood before the giant ahead of them in more ways than one.

"What? Is Mr. Study Boy surprised that a mere soldier knows more?" Steiner laughed for a different reason. "Everyone decent with a sword has heard the Sword's call. The whisper, the tickling inside your ear." His massive head—and cone-shaped helmet—shook. "But we ignore its siren call."

Isaac blinked. “It’s… it’s…”

"It's just north of here." Steiner turned, pointing at the passage between the distant mountains. "Three days' journey. Most of its trials have long since vanished. With a strong enough mind and heart... you could probably reach it."

Isaac was stunned by a million questions.

"You won't be the first to attempt it." Steinith turned back. "No doubt, you're correct. Deskar is spilling from Kularlro Forest. The Sword would scorn—should it still live. But you? You might be allowed into its site."

Steinith then smiled. It wasn't sinister. It wasn't malicious.

It was an honest, true smile, which made it his scariest smile yet.

"Go. You'll be able to find it. Your brothers must have left gear for you."

He held out an arm.

"Find the Sword, Deskar's source, bring me the unobtainable… and I shall leave your village."

Isaac stood motionless as fable became reality. His heart lashed inside his chest. The man was aware of his own heartbeat, feeling alive and vulnerable, as though life were not a grind—not some blurry dream.

His hand touched his chest as a smile graced his face.

"I'll do it." Isaac nodded at the giant. "I'll find the Sword."

"Very well. You may leave." Steinith stared at the crowd. Tell them to disband and resume their lives." He returned to his hut. "This interruption has gone on long enough."

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Back inside the house in the spacious kitchen, Rodent had blinked at hearing the story and the bits of information about the world that he did not know. He felt injected with private information.

Everything was becoming too big for him to grasp.

"We fought and bickered… but no matter what I said… nothing would deter Isaac." Beatrice gazed at the ceiling. "And he never came home. That was Steinith's goal—showing there was no hope beyond here."

Her eyes lowered onto Rodent. "You may very well be trapped here as well."

Rodent's head shook. "I wouldn't be worried about that."

"No?" Beatrice asked. "Is there something special about you that my eyes fail to see?"

"No. I'm nothing special." Rodent slipped out of his seat and brought his dishes to the sink. "But I have a habit of finding a way."

Beatrice turned in her seat to face him. "You have a plan to beat him?"

"Never been good with plans." Rodent turned back with a smile. "Just that I'll figure something out." He cracked his neck and his knuckles next. "And I think your grandson's heart was in the right place, at the very least."

Beatrice's head cocked. "Just what are you going to do, Rodent?"

"Steinith said that sword could massacre him, right?" Rodent smirked. "If I bring that back—he'll take off running!"