Hirow sighed and plopped down where he stood, raising a cloud of dust that he quickly shooed away. He chewed his lip, trying to muster a retort, but soon decided against it. If he said anything, he knew they would be arguing till the boy actually woke up. Pushing the dirt beneath him, he spun around to watch the road ahead. If she wanted to stay, it would be her problem and hers alone.

The last light was beginning to leave the sky as a cold breeze tickled Hirow’s skin. He glanced back and saw Talia nervously eyeing the sun. He cleared his throat with an obnoxious cough. “It’s not good for an injured person to be out in the cold. You don’t build him a fire, and he might die.”

“Are you sure you don’t need a fire?”

“I can sleep without it,” Hirow promptly responded. He curled up tighter on top of his straw mat.

Without another word, Talia began looking for firewood. Hirow continued to hear her rustling through the grass after the sun had set. A few branches clattered to the ground as her boots emerged from the coarse blades. She exhaled a frustrated grunt and then continued doing something with the wooden sticks. What she was doing with them, he had no idea. He knew from the start that she would have no idea how to light a fire.

It must have been an hour now, and she was still fumbling with the sticks. He would not go so far as to complain she was keeping him up but refused to help her either. During that hour, he heard her check her bag several times. What she was pulling out, he would probably find out in the morning. With no fire, the injured boy would likely still live. His wound wasn’t that deep anyway, Hirow told himself. He brought his knees closer to his chest and tucked his fingers between his legs. It was about time he tried to get some sleep.

As his consciousness began to slip, he heard Talia yelp and frantically shuffle around. He blinked a few times as a soft warm light crawled over his travel sack. He shot up, and to his shock, he saw Talia with her hands cupped around a small fire. The embers surged as she lightly blew. She briefly glanced at Hirow with a look that said this was an obvious result.

“How did you,” he began before Talia shushed him.

She continued to place more sticks on the burning pile until Hirow could feel a slight warmth a few steps away. She took out her straw mat and laid it a safe distance away. Crisscrossed with her hands massaging her feet, she watched the fire in wonder. The flames danced in her big eyes.

“I saw you do it a few days ago.” She said without looking in his direction. “You make it look easy.” Talia scrunched her eyebrows, trying to make another frustrated face, but it was just a weak imitation. They were both too tired to fully express their emotions.

She’s learning faster than I thought. It’s almost like she’s remembering instead of gaining a new understanding. Of course, she’s learning fast. She’s not a baby. Hirow brushed the thought aside and decided to go back to sleep. There was no point in taking this victory away from her.

The next light that woke Hirow up was the harsh light of the morning sun. He heard two voices talking quietly. One was a boy’s voice.

“Thank you, but really, I can’t ask you to do anymore.” The voice was filled with sincere tones, yet felt strained from offering gratitude. It was obvious it was something he wasn’t used to.

“But with everything that's happened to you. I can do something. I know, we can help you search for any survivors.”

Hirow shot up. What was she agreeing to? He saw the boy with a strained smile as Talia offered him a canteen of water. Now that Hirow saw him in the morning sun, the boy didn’t seem much younger than himself.

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“You’re up,” Hirow said, interrupting their conversation. The warrior turned to face him.

The boy raised his hand in greeting. “Nice to meet you. Thank you for treating my wounds. Talia said it was you who bandaged me.”

Hirow causally pulled out a slice of bread from Lucy’s bag and began eating it. “No problem.” He mumbled through his bites. “By the way, what's your name?”

“It’s Asahi.”

“Well, Asahi. What were you doing laying on the side of the road cut up like that.” Hirow pointed to Asahi’s wound with his half-eaten slice of bread.

“I already told part of this story to Talia, but I guess you need to know too.” He took a swig from the canteen and then scrunched his face in pain as he swallowed the water. “It must have been about a day and a half now. My village to the east was attacked by soldiers from a foreign nation. They wore black armor, and they were looking for something. A Stellapuer, they called it. Now that I have the time to think, there was a young boy with white hair who came to my village several months ago. That must have been what they were looking for.” He glanced up at Talia, who had begun to reach for her cloak.

She nervously gripped it in her hands before she realized it was pointless to cover her hair now. Asahi frowned and set his sword across his lap. Hirow reached for the sheathed knife. A breeze wafted across the dirt road and through the tall grass. Asahi relaxed his shoulders as he observed Talia’s shy demeanor.

“You two must have had an experience similar to mine. I’m sure I don’t need to remind you of the details.”

Talia nodded apprehensively as she brushed her hair behind her shoulders. “I’m sure we aren’t the only ones.”

They sat in solemn silence until Asahi spoke up again. “To finish my story. I saw both of my parents cut down in the street. I was able to save my younger brother, and I have this injury to show for it. It is an injury I will gladly bear for his sake.” Asahi tightened his grip on the hilt of the sword. “We knew the enemy was well-trained, so all we could do was run. I lost my brother in the confusion. I swear to find him. After that, my heart tells me to take revenge on those foreign men, but I don’t know if I have the strength to do it.”

Hirow finished his bread and was beginning to pack up his straw mat. “I am sorry for your loss, but if it’s revenge your after, we can’t help with that. Neither of us are fighters.”

Talia rocked back and jumped to her feet. “But. . .” she insisted. “We can help you find your brother.”

“I don’t think we have time for that,” Hirow grumbled.

Talia refused to let up. “Your village is east, right? That’s where you’ll be looking for your brother?”

“Yes.” Asahi glanced between the two of them. Unsure of who to listen to or if he was getting involved in something he shouldn’t.

“Then that settles it. We’ll continue to head east, and along the way, we’ll help Asahi find his brother. No fighting involved.” She began to pack up as Hirow dropped his sack to the ground.

He couldn’t keep letting her get away with this. First, it was help the injured boy. Then, it was stay the night with him. Then, help him find his brother. At this rate, Hirow was sure she would pull him along until this boy had killed the king of Obsidius himself.

He pulled himself together and tried to be patient again. “As long as we head towards the Kings’ mountains. We stray from that path. We abandon the search.” He gave Asahi a stern look. “Are you okay with that?”

“Uh, sure.” Asahi stuck the tip of his sword in the ground and used it to slowly push himself up. “I didn’t expect help from the beginning but I’ll accept it now.” He pointed down the trail. “We follow this path to get close to my village. We’ll start the search near there.”

Talia puffed out her cheeks as she held in another comment she wanted to make towards Hirow. Her eyes briefly lit up as a thought popped into her head. “Did they capture the Stellapuer boy?”

“I’m not sure.” Asahi pulled his sword out of the road and held his side as he took slow breaths.

“Why don’t we look for him also.” She raised an eyebrow at Hirow, waiting for his reaction. “If we find him, it could help me understand who I am.”

She had a good point, Hirow admitted to himself. “Sure, why not? I’m intrigued myself.” He picked up his sack again and adjusted it on his shoulders. “I did promise I would help you find out who you are,” he added as he buried his pride.

Asahi sheathed his sword. “I’m ready when you guys are. It should be less than a day's journey.”

Talia smiled as the wind whipped through her white hair. The possibility of meeting someone like her was exhilarating. If she could find Asahi’s brother, it would be one less life she had to bear. A curse that would be proven wrong. It would be proof that through her kindness she could unshackle herself from the cruel words of that voice in the darkness.