Remnya

At sunrise, Remnya could appreciate the endless acres of the camp. Farmlands rested on the volcano slopes, and a scattering of cabins sprawled along a sharp ridge. Ominous clouds covered the volcanic peaks in the north, casting distorted shadows, and a faint murmur from deep within the Earth's core reverberated through the air.

Remnya's cabin nestled far from the others, concealed amid ancient oak trees and surrounded by a cow farm. She leaned against the rustic fence, gazing at a massive cow and her calf. The duo regarded her with wary curiosity, and a fleeting smile graced Remnya's lips as she connected with those creatures for an ephemeral moment.

It was a short walk through rocky terrain before she spotted Debrin Kavram cooking under an avocado tree. Encircled by vegetables, he sliced five carrots at once and dropped them in a cauldron with boiling water. Remnya approached him, forcing herself to look into his eyes.

"Welcome back," he said with a smile and resumed his activity.

"Does it look awful?" she asked, clenching his fists.

He stopped again to inspect the mess she had done to her head. "It looks decent, but let me fix it a little for you." Debrin left his vegetables on a table and summoned his four vectors. They surrounded her, a soft breeze hitting her face, and began cutting her hair with quick slashes. She remained still until his spectral arms vanished. "That should do it."

"Since when do you know how to cut hair?"

"Did you already forget I once had a daughter?" he said, his lips twitching.

"No . . . I didn't forget," Remnya murmured and walked to the old truck parked nearby to check her appearance in the mirror. Her short hair looked a lot better. "How long was I in there?" she asked, stretching her arms and cracking her knuckles.

"Over one week." Debrin tossed a lunch box at her. "So you better start eating again. You need it."

"Thanks, but there's something I need to do first." Remnya left the food on the table beside him and headed toward the center of the camp.

The strangers glanced at her; unfamiliar faces, bodies of steel, hardened by countless battles. A mixture of conflicting emotions emanated from those warriors. Some eyes reflected melancholy and grief, others the desire for vengeance, and a few the vacant stare of resignation.

And she wasn't different from them.

"REM!"

A high-pitched voice echoed in the distance, and Remnya saw a little girl running in her direction.

"Amy?" Her jaw slowly dropped.

Amy jumped on her, tackling her with all her strength, and wrapped her arms around her torso. A startled Remnya needed time to assimilate the moment, but her soft embrace seemed to awaken traces of the dormant humanity in her.

Feeling her little friend's warmth against her body reminded her of her past and who she had once been: not always a monster but a young orphan with hopes and dreams.

Remnya swallowed and hugged Amy tightly. Her chest burned with guilt, knowing how close she had been to her mother, yet she could never bring them together.

"I'm so happy to see you, Rem!" Amy told her with teary eyes.

"So am I." She forced herself to smile.

"You look so different!"

"You think so?" Remnya patted her head, caressing her horns, now developed completely.

"Yes!" Amy bobbed her head. "You look pretty and strong!"

Remnya widened her eyes. "Are you sure about that?"

"Of course! The new look really suits your face."

She lingered on her words for a moment and then stifled a chuckle. "Not as pretty as you." She pinched her cheeks. "But thank you."

"I saw Zeo," Amy rushed to say, but her face changed as soon as the words left her mouth.

Remnya tightened her lips and remembered the events narrated by Manzur. "I know." She leaned closer and narrowed her eyes. "Zeo is the reason you're here. He fulfilled his promise, didn't he?"

Amy shifted awkwardly, lowering her gaze. "He left me again."

"He had no choice." Remnya placed her index finger under Amy's chin and lifted her head to look into her eyes. "But don't worry. I'll go back there and bring him to you, safe and sound."

"Can you do that, Rem? It's dangerous! I heard the bad people caught him."

"It doesn't matter." She furrowed her eyebrows. "I'll rescue him. I promise."

Amy's eyes shined with hope under the sunlight. "Rem, it'll be like in the orphanage, remember?"

"What do you mean?" She tilted her head.

"You always protected Zeo from the bad kids!"

Silence.

"I guess . . . you could say that."

Hesitant steps reached Remnya's ears, and a pale girl stood nearby, clasping her hands. Her dark brown hair touched her shoulders, and long bangs covered her elusive blue eyes.

"Oh, there you are!" Amy said, running to the girl. "Rem, look, look!" She pointed at her new friend effusively. "This is Stella. Zeo's girlfriend!"

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Stella shouted, her face turning red. "I was just part of his army!"

"Army?" Remnya asked, turning to Stella to inspect her from head to toe. She noticed a deep scar on her cheek.

Stella stood upright, giving Remnya a military salute. "My name is Stella Prandelli. It's an honor to meet you, Remnya Scheduna." She bowed to her. "Zeo saved our lives and freed us from The Hunters, but there's no other relation between us. That's the truth."

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"I see." Remnya offered her hand to Stella, and she rushed to take it. Holding it tightly, Remnya tested the strength of her grip and realized that the girl was no ordinary human. She nodded in approval. "I heard what Zeo did for you. That totally sounds like him."

"I'll forever be grateful to him." Stella averted her gaze.

Amy elbowed Remnya and whispered, "She likes him."

"I don't!" Stella scowled at Amy and then looked at Remnya nervously. "I truly don't, Ms. Remnya! At least not that way! I just—"

"You don't need to explain yourself to me." Remnya leaned her hand on Stella's shoulder, trying to calm her, and smiled. "If you like him, that's okay. I'm sure he'd be happy to know someone cares about him."

"B-but . . . but . . . " Stella stammered while her face turned red like a tomato, trying to find the right words.

"Anyhow, Amy." Remnya messed up Amy's hair. "Wanna go grab some food?"

"Yes, please!"

"Alright." Remnya turned to Stella. "You can join us if you want."

Stella widened her eyes and hesitated. "Would that be okay?"

Remnya and Amy nodded.

"I'll be honored to, Ms. Remnya."

"Just call me Remnya."

*°*°*

The girls gathered around a large table under the shadow of a vine, where several plates of food had been arranged to feed the warriors. Remnya filled two dishes with roasted beef and potatoes and handed them to Amy and Stella. Then, she loaded her own plate with a mix of only vegetables and sat on a tree stump behind a cow enclosure.

Amy dragged a chair with her to sit next to Remnya, and Stella stood nearby, glancing at them nervously. Cows lowed at their presence, and a curious calf approached Remnya, sticking his head out of the fence as she offered him a carrot. But as soon as Amy tried to pet him, he ran away.

They ate in silence and observed the animals until someone approached them.

Remnya lifted her gaze to see Debrin Kavram standing before her. "I prepared something for you." He tried to caress Amy's head, but the little girl winced away from his touch. "Whenever you're ready, meet me at the last cabin. Okay?"

Remnya nodded, munching on a broccoli. "Can they come too?"

"I don't see why not, but you'll have to be extra careful with them around."

"Understood."

Amy scowled at the tall man, scanning him from head to toe. "Who are you?" she asked.

He smiled. "You can call me Debrin."

"Oh! You're Debrin! I am Amy."

"It's nice to meet you, Amy." He gave her a gentle handshake.

As he revealed his name, Stella's face lost all its color. She froze with her pupils dilated as if she had seen a ghost. Remnya noticed her reaction and walked to her. "You don't have to worry about him. You're not part of The Hunters anymore."

Stella was breathing heavily, her hands sweating. "I never thought I'd meet the famous leader of Karx . . . " She gulped. "Is it really okay for me to stay here?"

"Of course." Remnya put her hand on Stella's shoulder. "He knows your story, so you can trust me when I say you're safe here."

She swallowed and bobbed her head. "Thank you." Then she bowed to Debrin. "It's an honor to meet you, sir."

Debrin bowed back to her. "Likewise, Stella," he said, gesturing with his eyes at Remnya before leaving. She understood what he meant and nodded.

They finished their food, and Remnya cleaned the plates and cutlery with her fire, disintegrating every food remnant. Amy was impressed by her skill and began asking questions, which Remnya answered without hesitation.

"That's so cool!" Amy jumped, excited about her discovery. "The old hag always said you liked to burn things, but I knew that wasn't true."

Remnya grinned as they walked together. "Like when my bed burst into flames while I was asleep?"

"Yes! Everyone was surprised nothing happened to you."

"Well, now you know why."

After a long walk, the girls spotted the last cabin at the end of a steep ascent through loose volcanic rocks and dry vegetation. Remnya held Amy's hand firmly, assuring she didn't fall, while Stella followed them with careful steps.

The last cabin was like a fortress, built with black rock like obsidian, giving it a gloomy aspect. Several training dummies and rusted weapons lying on the ground surrounded the place, and behind, a metal door revealed a narrow path squeezed by dark mountains.

Remnya approached the door, and Amy poked the locks. "Where this goes?" her friend asked.

"The Vezzanyo," Debrin answered as he walked out of his cabin, holding two teddy bears in each hand. "That's the name of our volcano." He gestured with his chin toward the dark clouds rising to the north.

"Is that a good place to train?" Remnya observed the volcano on the horizon.

"I can't think of a better place for you." He gave Amy a huge purple teddy bear.

Amy inspected the gift with wide-open eyes. "For me?"

Debrin nodded. "I heard purple is your favorite color."

"Thank you!" Amy beamed at him, squeezing her new toy. "It's so cute!"

Remnya observed the gift and smiled. It was half of Amy's size, and when her friend approached it to her face, she noticed it smelled of grape.

"This one is for you." He gave Stella the remaining one.

She froze, taken aback by the unexpected courtesy. "Sir?" Hers was green with a heart on its belly.

"It's okay if you don't want it, though."

"No, it's not that." Stella observed her gift and blinked in confusion. "But why?"

"I thought you girls would like it. That's it."

Her hands hesitated, but she finally took it between her arms. "Thank you, sir."

"Stella!" Amy ran to her to compare their bears. "Yours is green like Zeo's hair!"

"Hey! That's not true." Stella frowned. "It's green like, uh, apples."

Remnya stifled a chuckle and walked to Debrin. "Thanks," she whispered.

Debrin glanced at her. "I had one for you, but I don't think you want it."

"Yeah, Amy can have mine." She folded her arms and narrowed her eyes. "Now, I need you to tell me how to get to the volcano. I can't waste any more time."

"I will." Debrin turned to Stella. "Can you two take cover, please?" He pointed at the cabin.

Stella widened her eyes and quickly understood his request. She grabbed Amy's hand and took her inside. However, they observed the upcoming clash through a small door opening.

Debrin's eyes began to glow as rocks rose and swirled around him. The air vibrated faster with each swing as he glared at Remnya. "Show me you're ready."

Before she could answer, the rocks shot at her like bullets.

Remnya dodged the first and second attacks, but the latter scratched her cheek, causing crimson flames to erupt from her hands.

More rocks approached her, whistling through the air, but with a swipe of her arm, her fire destroyed them, turning them into glowing sparks that rained around her, melting the ground.

Stella observed the crimson fire flickering in Remnya's hands with admiration. "Amazing," she murmured.

"Wow!" Amy's mouth was wide open as she hugged her bear.

Debrin summoned his vectors, and the ground began shaking like an earthquake.

A massive boulder emerged behind Debrin, raising soil, volcanic rock, and roots.

With a brief gesture of his lips, he hurled the boulder in her direction as if fired from a canon.

Remnya saw no opening to dodge the attack, so she raised her arms, and two fireballs formed in her palms. They grew massively until the boulder reached them.

As the projectile touched her fire, the fireballs detonated. The force of the explosion pushed Remnya into the ground, burying her legs up to her knees while she resisted.

The boulder seemed to crush her arms but stopped as her fire began disintegrating its surface. She let out a scream of rage, followed by a burst of energy that broke through the projectile.

The boulder shattered and exploded into thousands of burning pebbles. A rain of fire fell on them while Stella and Amy hid in the cabin. Remnya sighed in relief; her calculations had been correct, and the explosion hadn't reached their hideout.

"As expected." Debrin folded his arms while small fires spread around the whole place. He put them out with a swing of his vectors. "Ozura did a great job with you."

"What was the point of that?" Remnya scowled, exhaling smoke from her mouth. "Stupid tricks like that won't work on me."

"I wanted to ensure you were ready to go beyond the gate."

"Of course I am ready!" She clenched her fists.

"The dangers out there are not to be taken lightly, Remnya."

"I don't care. I want to break my limits once and for all."

Debrin analyzed the fiery look in her eyes and nodded. "If that's your wish." The magnetic field surrounding the mountains disappeared, and the metal door behind the cabin unlocked.

"Rem!" Amy ran toward her. "You're amazing! How did you do that?"

"That was nothing." Remnya put her hand on her friend's head. "I will become much stronger than this and bring Zeo back."

Amy opened her mouth in awe. "Yeah! If someone can do it, that's you, Rem!"

Her words gave Remnya a boost of hope. She clenched her fists and bobbed her head. "A promise is a promise."

"That means you're going to that volcano?"

Remnya kneeled before Amy and held her face between her hands. "Yes, but first, I want to spend the rest of the morning with you." She gave her a tender smile. "What do you say?"

"Yay!" Amy hugged her. "Yes! Let's have fun today!"

*°*°*