As Rami and Naro left the valley behind, they found a place to rest. Rami was laying against a warm smooth rock next to Naro who was doing the same, except that compared to her he was already asleep.
The fights had taken more out of him than he would admit. His breathing was even now, deep with exhaustion.
Ahead lay the cave where Paro had sealed himself in.
Even this couldn't really be the end of their destination as he was located deeply in it, and Guardians knew how long it would take to reach him and what insidious creatures waited for them.
Rami didn't know.
And couldn't.
She felt quite powerless these days, her usual Rune-spells engraved by her mother wouldn't work in this environment except the one Spike had engraved himself :
The Rune of Life.
A demigod itself presiding over this concept had given it to her after all, it carried a part of his authority and as such it could survive Paro's influence.
'How convenient' she smiled bitterly
The Scorpion had also given her a tool to communicate with Naro if they had to be separated.
She left it back in the village the two resided in after they left Zyr, Rami deemed it unnecessary since she thought she would accompany Naro throughout the whole journey and fight alongside him.
'How foolish...' her smile paled
Truth is, Rami already knew she had to separate from him one day, she just wanted to spend as much time as she could with him but alas-
Only the sword he wielded fell from the sky.
Only it grew stronger.
Only it could take something from the corrupted Guardians.
Only Naro could wield it.
Only he could kill the Devourer.
Alone.
Her faint smile vanished.
'Is that why Spike didn't give the staff more runes ? So that I had a chance to live if I stayed away from him ?'
She frowned.
She had refused her mother's teachings, refused the path of an oracle, and still her life was wrapped in the Scorpion's expectations.
So what had she gained by running from it?
Even Naro wasn't free.
Her eyes softened when looking at his peaceful sleeping face, but her expression was still forlorn.
A man with an unreadable fate but still had shackles to it.
She had approached him out of curiosity at first. Then hope.
The thought that standing beside him might make her future unreadable as well.
Freedom came later.
Then Love.
Rami adjusted her position slightly, careful not to wake him.
The rock behind her had cooled.
The land here was inconsistent now : Heat came and went in pulses, like something struggling to breathe properly.
Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!
She focused on that instead of her thoughts.
The cave would not be kind to her but she already knew that.
Rami reached into her satchel and checked her remaining supplies.
'Not a lot... but that's good."
The supplies weren't enough for them to stay here, but they would be enough for them to continue moving towards their destination.
It was enough to steel her resolve.
'When backed up in a corner, even rats can bite after all.'
She glanced once more at Naro, then stood quietly and walked a short distance away.
The stars were faint tonight. Barely visible through the haze rising from the hills.
She wondered, briefly, whether Paro could still see them from where he was.
'No. don't think about it.'
Instead, she traced a small circle in the dust with her finger. A grounding exercise. Something she'd learned on her own, long after refusing formal teachings.
It steadied her breathing.
Rami had made her choice long ago. Not to see the future. Not to anchor herself to what must be.
If the world insisted on closing around Naro, then she would be the variable it failed to account for.
Even if she was weaker.
Especially then.
She wiped her hand clean and returned to him, sitting straighter this time.
Her eyes closed.
Sleep came slowly, but it came still.
------------------------------------------------------
Snow Desert, two days after the sword trial
The wind scraped across the desert, dragging snow along the ground in low sheets.
She didn't turn around when she spoke.
"You didn't tell me."
Behind her, the snow shifted. Something large settled.
"I wasn't required to," Spike, The scorpion presiding over death, life and divination said.
Many voices echoed from his words, coming from every direction.
That did make her turn.
He was half-emerged from the ice, massive body coiled beneath the surface, black carapace dusted white. Several of his eyes were open, watching her with quiet interest.
"Those children... You lined them up and stared at them like tools."
"I evaluated them."
Her jaw tightened.
"And when you found one you couldn't read..."
she paused and rubbed her hands together for warmth.
"You decided he'd be useful."
Spike's tail clicked once, slow and thoughtful.
"He was interesting," he corrected.
She let out a sharp breath through her nose.
"You told the others fate chose him."
"Yes."
She frowned.
"You lied."
"Yes."
The word landed without resistance.
Her eyes widened and stared at him.
"You don't even pretend to be ashamed."
"Why would I ? As far as I'm concerned they all believed it."
Her hands curled at her sides.
"I don't even know if Naro knows the true implication of what you did !"
She lashed out
"You put that weight on his back before he was old enough to understand it! "
Spike's many eyes narrowed slightly to focus on her.
"He would have carried weight regardless. This way, it points somewhere."
She stepped closer.
"Somewhere you like."
Spike made a sound that might've been a laugh.
"I like Gaon continuing to exist."
She swallowed hard.
"And what about my daughter?" she asked.
"Was she part of that calculation too?"
Spike clicked his pincers.
"She was never in danger, she refused the paths I laid in front of her."
The Scorpion hummed pleasantly which sounded almost disturbing due to his many voices.
"I find that admirable."
That stopped her.
"You knew," she said quietly. "You knew she'd refuse."
"Yes."
"And you still kept us here, near you."
"Yes."
Her voice shook despite her effort to steady it.
"You let her grow up under your shadow knowing full well she'd never fit into it."
Spike's gaze softened in an almost disturbing way.
"She needed to see what certainty looks like, that way she'd reject it properly."
Her throat tightened.
"What an excuse of a teacher."
Arielle spat.
Spike leaned closer, the ice cracking faintly.
"At least I'm honest about it."
She laughed once, brittle.
"Honest?" she echoed.
"You hid the truth from everyone around you ! You hid it from her !"
She breathed deeply, instantly regretted it due ot the cold, then looked away.
"You hid it from me."
The Scorpion's many eyes narrowed.
"You would have interfered."
The Oracle's teeth clenched as she yelled
"AND I WOULD HAVE NO REGRETS FROM DOING SO !"
Her words made the scorpion recoil a bit.
Silence stretched between them.
Then Spike spoke again, almost lightly.
"He doesn't belong to fate and Rami doesn't belong to prophecy. Isn't that what you wanted?"
Her hands trembled.
"Not like this, and you know that too."
Spike watched her closely now.
"...I'm not as cruel as you think. I was happy when I saw him, you know ?"
She looked up sharply.
"Happy?"
The scorpion clicked his pincers in contentment.
"Yes, a life outside my grasp. Do you know how rare that is?"
The snow whispered across the ground, the plants tryingto survive the harsh environment wilted.
"I didn't cage him at all, I just pointed him forward and stepped aside."
Her voice dropped.
"You pushed him toward something that will kill all of you."
"Yes."
She flinched.
"And if given the chance... You'll do it again, won't you ?"
Spike's eyes gleamed faintly.
"If it gives Gaon a future, then yes."
She closed her eyes for a moment.
When she opened them, her anger was quieter. Heavier.
"If my daughter dies because of this, I won't forgive you."
Spike's tail stilled as his eyes seemed to soften.
"That... I can accept that."
She turned away from him, snow crunching under her steps.
Behind her, the great scorpion sank back into the ice, already thinking several years ahead.
