{-Rennyn-}

Oh, he definitely wasn’t letting that slide. In fact, he barely thought about it. As Viragi went to hold Vaeri’s chin, Rennyn’s instincts kicked in—the instincts that told him there was someone to protect. Someone he knew from experience he couldn’t allow to get hurt, nor risk to wait any longer to see what Viragi was honestly going to do.

Rennyn, first, shoved Viragi further away from Vaeri. Viragi tried using his powers—sending small rocks and bigger stones alike to try to deter him. Rennyn dodged half and reflected the rest, working closer until he was able to slam Viragi up against a tree.

He didn’t feel anything, really, to have pinned Viragi there and to have a sword nearly pressed against his throat. Maybe Rennyn justified it by self-defense; he was protecting himself and his companions, no matter what it took. Maybe he just didn’t realize that “no matter what it took” was what Dhymos might’ve used, once, to justify his actions—before the bloodlust and chaos was enough for him.

“Stop using your magic,” Rennyn hissed, “or we see if Dhymos cares if another minion bites the dust.”

“A bold one, aren’t you?” Viragi mumbled back. With a flick of his wrist, Rennyn heard the sound of earth crumbling into its natural place, but he still didn’t let his guard down. “I wonder… what if I told you that I had Kharis and Ether follow me? That they were right behind you, both ready to stab you in the back the moment you least expect it?”

“Dhymos wasn’t too fond of backstabbing—not when he could make you watch as he ripped your own heart out.” Rennyn leaned closer, and asked more threateningly, “What are your plans here?”

“Checking in on an old friend, of course! You know, little Vaeri’s—”

“Give an honest answer. Why were you out here in the first place? What does Dhymos want to do?”

“As if I would—”

“Answer the question.”

He was building up the resolve to do it—something he couldn’t take back, something he hoped that Dhymos wouldn’t try to avenge. But Rennyn felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Please, stop,” Kaylin said in a near whisper. It was hard to tell what she was thinking when she vaguely motioned to the others. “You’re scaring them.”

Against his better judgment, he actually looked back to see them. Seldir’s expression was unreadable, though it was clear Lyrei and Noa had their reservations and Vaeri wasn’t too impressed by the display.

“He might know something,” Rennyn tried. He was partially aware of what those glances were for, but he didn’t truly acknowledge it. “We could learn something useful about Dhymos’s—”

The ground shifted from under him, causing him to lose his balance. In his distraction, Viragi slipped out, then shoved Rennyn to the ground before darting away.

Kaylin’s hand kept him from chasing after Viragi. “Let’s just do what we came here to do,” she said. “We came for the rituals, not Dhymos’s minions.”

…

They were all silent as they went to each of the ritual locations. Rennyn didn’t think there was anything he needed or should’ve said and no one else drew attention to his actions. He alternated between thinking that what he did was reasonable to realizing it was hardly any better than what Dhymos would do. Rennyn eventually settled with telling himself that who was in the other position mattered just as much; Dhymos hurt innocent people, and Rennyn was doing what he needed to in order to protect others.

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They were back in Zaitha by the end of the day, just like they said they would. Vaeri invited them all to eat dinner with her, the ensuing discussion of what they would eat being the most long-lasting conversation they’d had since encountering Viragi. Rennyn still didn’t say anything. He figured he would only bring down the mood. Not like he had too much to say; she’d mentioned as a side note that she’d give him the Goddess’s Ring after they ate, so he had no questions or outstanding concerns.

It was as they all gathered for dinner and started to eat that Vaeri started a long-overdue explanation.

“By now, I’ve made mentions to Dhymos, and you’ve seen that I’m familiar with Viragi,” she said casually.

“Are you finally going to tell us how you know them?” Rennyn asked.

She nodded. “It wasn’t exactly something I’d intended to hold for this long, but it seemed like one of the less important things we needed to handle. Now, after the wait, I believe we’ve finally come to a time where I can tell you. First, though, I should start with the story of how I came into possession of the Goddess’s Ring…

“I was one of many wanderers. Our original homes, if we remembered them, had long since fallen into ruin. Our only hope was of two voices—gentle spirits, who led us through fertile and infertile lands alike, over the seas and through the mountains. There were five groups guided by the spirits, but we hardly got along. We fought over resources, of who should own the better land, of who should safely gather and who should risk to hunt. It wasn’t until we found this land that we found peace, and the spirits—goddesses—descended to our people.”

She spoke of it all more like recounting a beloved fairytale, than something she’d experienced. Perhaps, in all her years, it really did seem more like a legend—even to someone who experienced it. “They told us that it was in these lands that we would make our home, and these lands where we’d prosper, because it was where they led us. When they first told us we’d divide the lands, each to our own, we were happy—we wanted this peace for ourselves. But they told us we should cooperate and learn to trust and rely on one another, something we still hadn’t done in all of our years as wanderers. It was only through this cooperation that we would maintain our peace. They chose five individuals to receive their blessing—each one of a more sacred goddess’s items, imbued with her powers. With these, those individuals were meant to maintain the peace between the wanderers and guide them towards greater alliances. I was given the Goddess’s Ring.”

“That’s a bit different than what Elidia and Dalleira told us,” Kaylin remarked. “They hadn’t mentioned a lot aside from that they’d given the items to who would become each of the nations’ leaders…”

“I don’t think they truly acknowledged what our lives were like before,” Vaeri mused in response. “They saw themselves as our saviors and, to them, that was all there was to it. I can’t deny the powers they’ve given us—I’m still sure that what we have now is because of them. But I don’t believe they knew us, not anymore than someone might know a stray cat they feed on occasion.”

Rennyn wasn’t really interested in this part, though. He prompted, “How does this relate to how you know Dhymos?”

“After I was given the Goddess’s Ring, I knew that it was my duty to try to bring peace to the wanderers,” Vaeri said. “I did what I could to bring them together—I worked with the others to receive the goddess’s items, and spoke on my own about the importance of working together. And it was then that I met Dhymos.”

It was hard to tell whether she wanted to look back on the memory with some kind of bittersweet fondness or complete indifference. “I had no reason to think he wanted something from me, at first. In fact, I would like to believe that he never originally came for the ring. We were… quite familiar, back then. It was no exaggeration to say he followed me across the continent, just to be with me. I met Viragi then, too—though I can’t claim to have ever been anywhere near as familiar with him.”

Vaeri seemed to have settled with treating it with indifference as she continued. “Then… it happened, and Dhymos changed. One night, he came to me—and he asked what I thought of the goddesses. He said they’d done something wrong and that he was going to fix it… and all he needed in order to do it was for me to give him the Goddess’s Ring. I refused. I could never betray their trust—deny their blessings—no matter what he offered me. Dhymos cursed me then. As far as I can tell, it was the first time he used his dark magic.”

“You’re cursed?” Rennyn asked.

She nodded. “He gave me immortality, the ability to see the world grow and change… and a body that’s slowly failing me, until I’m nothing more than a husk of who I was all those many years ago.”