“You get enough?” Ellio asked, watching from above Jules as she filled a small glass jar of soil, mud, and the occasional weed from where the Guardian Spirit had appeared.

  She nodded, and twisted the cork into place. She’d been quiet since the… well… he didn’t know what to call it. Murder? Blasphemy? No word felt right, and so neither of them tied a name to Taiga’s act of killing.

  Ellio looked over the top of the bandage wrapped over Jules’ head. He’d done an alright enough job for now. No doctor traveled with them, so he and Taiga were as close as it got. Since Taiga was mostly preoccupied with caring for the injured farmers and builders, Ellio took to checking Jules’ injuries and bandaging her up. She fiddled with the flap of cloth over her temple before standing.

  Jules wobbled, and he put an arm out, catching her as she steadied herself. “I told you to take a break. I can collect soil samples for our research.”

  “Yeah, I’ll let you survey the area.” She clasped her hand onto his outstretched arm, and Ellio balanced his weight to hold her steady. He studied her eyes for any unfocusing before leading her back towards the camp a few dozen meters away.

  A woman, the one Mouse avoided, came up to them as the two approached. “Soup will be on shortly.”

  Jules moved from him, ignoring the woman and plopping down beside Mouse. The woman and Ellio watched a moment before Ellio side-stepped around the woman. “Sorry, her injury is giving her a migraine. Do you need any help with cooking?”

  The woman waved him off. “Don’t worry about it. Relax until food is ready.”

  He graciously took her offer before jogging to Jules. “You feeling alright?”

  She mumbled a mixed response before sighing. Mouse scooted away from her, as Ellio noticed he did often, before snacking on something Ellio wasn’t sure how he obtained. Taiga lay back against the wagon a short bit away, wearing Ellio’s coat, a blanket in his lap, and a scarf around his neck.

  It wasn’t so cold out that Ellio found it necessary to wear anything warmer than a sweater and had relinquished his spares to Taiga for now, who struggled. He knew little about Ganakri, nomadic beings that kept to themselves. Even finding references to their magics or abilities was difficult to find in the scholarly communities of Monx.

  He understood Jules’ curiosity, though he wished she acted with a bit more moderation. At least for now, she left him alone. Which Ellio was thankful for, as, like Jules, he’d been quiet since the incident.

  “How are you feeling?” He sat on the log beside Taiga, whose hands rested over his eyes. When Taiga pulled them down, his eyes searched around them. He looked for Mouse. “He’s taking a break from work. Want me to get him?”

  Taiga shook his head, pulling himself from the wheel he laid against. “No, it’s fine.”

  Ellio studied him as he moved slowly. Confident, strong, level-headed, and distant. That was Ellio’s initial impression of him. And from what he’d seen, he wasn’t too off. Even now, as Taiga got to his feet, he put on a mask of collection over himself and covered the slightest tinge of vulnerability Ellio’d seen when he removed his hands from his eyes.

  But just like that, it was gone like it’d never existed.

  Taiga gave him a small smile. “You two still want to investigate the area?”

  Ellio nodded, relaxing. Taiga’s smile had that effect. What was it?

  Calming. He’d read somewhere that Ganakri naturally calmed those around them, but feeling it in person was entirely different. He’d found the notation inconsequential before, but now… it was a pleasant experience.

  “Jules is staying behind, but I will.”

  “I’ll go with you. Guardian Spirit aside, this is still an area of high demon appearances.” He slid a hand over Sweet Bun’s head, which popped up when he stood. “Come on.”

  Ellio considered taking Ghost with them, but dismissed the thought. The old boy had been injured when the wagon turned over. He hadn’t said anything to Jules yet, but he was worried they may need to retire him. He hoped the horse could stay with them at least a while longer, and would have the caretakers at the guildhall look him over when they returned. For now, he took a quick look to see him huddled under a blanket with the other horses by the campfire before leaving with Sweet Bun and Taiga.

  “You can see magics, right?” Ellio recalled Taiga mentioned seeing colors near the rip at Blackcap Mountain.

  Taiga nodded. Ellio scanned his face for any trace of uneasiness, but if Taiga felt any with the looming conversation, he didn’t show it. So Ellio ventured further once they were out of earshot of anyone else.

  “You said the rip was dark blue and purple, and that blues usually mean demons.” He paused, giving time for Taiga to interject if he felt it necessary. Taiga didn’t. “Does this mean some colors align with certain species? Or… I guess… Can you see what colors are corruption or purity?”

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  Taiga’s eyes flitted to him and just as Ellio opened his mouth to apologize, Taiga replied in an indifferent voice. “Yes and no. I’m sure if the Ganakri were still around, I’d be able to identify magics better, since that’s what we do. But I was only in the early stages of learning when the massacre happened. So everything I know is just what I’ve taught myself.”

  Ellio’s lips sucked into his mouth. He shouldn’t have said anything. At all. Of everything he could have said, of course it brought back undoubtedly painful memories. Should he apologize? Taiga’s heavy steps hung between them, and Ellio put purpose into keeping pace with him. What could he say to fix this?

  But in the silence, Taiga continued. “I’ve found that corruption usually goes hand in hand with colors like greens, blues, and purples. Green is closest to neutral, and the color of my magic.”

  Taiga waved a hand in front of himself, his eyes following his fingertips. “Pinks and reds are more closely aligned with purity. Again, I’d know better if my people were still alive.”

  A light wind blew across the field, and Taiga turned to listen to it, his eyes falling to the grasses around their legs. The blades almost reached for him, fingers brushing over them lightly as he moved through them. Taiga seemed so human… and yet not. Was it the non-human in him that made him capable of talking about such tragedy with his usual demeanor?

  Or had the tragedy permeated him so thoroughly, talking about it was as simple as talking about anything else? Ellio still couldn’t talk about their parents without Jules shutting down.

  And yet Taiga walked on nonetheless.

  “So if there was another rip here, would you be able to track it?” Ellio climbed over an old, decomposing tree felled long ago. They’d made it past the abandoned field and some ruined houses. Trees stood tall around them, dotting the plains silently.

  Taiga shook his head. ”Magics don’t linger like that. It’s only with incredibly dense magics or disruptions in it that they can linger. Hence why demons tend to strive for chaos or destruction. If they can cause enough corruption to sink into the land and the area weeps in pain and loss, then it gives a foothold the demons can live upon as corruption stabilizes. Since they can’t survive on healthy, balanced lands.”

  “Where does the magic go?” Ellio asked, partly knowing the answer. But he realized he only knew theory and not truth.

  Taiga shrugged. “The earth accepts it back, as it's the one who gave it out in the first place. At least, that’s what I learned in my lessons.”

  Lessons. Ellio was glad Jules wasn’t there. She wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to ask, even if it broached uncomfortable topics. “I’m telling you this, since you don’t overask like your sister.”

  Oh.

  “She can be—”

  “Intrusive?”

  It wasn’t the word Ellio wouldn’ve used, but he couldn’t deny it may have been more accurate than his choice. “Sometimes.”

  A laugh escaped Taiga and it eased Ellio’s shoulders. Another wind rippled over the grass and Ellio blinked after a few moments, realizing no gust passed over them. Beside him, Taiga froze.

  “Demons.”

  As Ellio fumbled to ask what he meant, Taiga unsheathed his sword. “Where?”

  “Over the hill,” Taiga replied as he bolted off to the northeast.

  Ellio gripped his own sword, one he’d learned from a young age, and ran after Taiga. He weighed its heavy blade in his hand. He’d used it plenty against the magical beasts of Monx, and he only hoped demons weren’t too different.

  Taiga spread the space between them, disappearing over the top of the hill for a solid ten seconds before Ellio saw over it and into the plains ahead. Black creatures of corruption, eyes beady and blue, leapt towards Taiga, who had stanced and launched at the closest one.

  He barreled down the hill, ready to join Taiga when black smeared to his right. Ellio spun around in time for a small black, teethy thing to swipe at his leg. He jumped back, and dug his boot into the dirt, holding his ground.

  Ellio calmed his spiking breath. Six small blue beads watched him from above a row of yellowed icicles. Its mouth dropped and a long string of clicks escaped it. He’d studied them. Read about them in journals and heard about the damage they’d done to Winolin’s wall. He’d considered themselves lucky to not come across any on their way to Winolin, though he knew they would eventually after joining Taiga and Mouse.

  But he expected to feel… he didn’t know, more prepared, perhaps?

  He certainly was not.

  Fingers gripped the handle of his long sword, eyes watching its elongated arms and cat-like legs for any movement. But it just watched Ellio, cocking its head to the side, beckoning him for the first move.

  Half a meter in height meant Ellio would need to guard his lower body more than his upper. Hind legs built for jumping. It could probably reach him in a single breath if Ellio let it. Eyes watching every part of him didn’t allow for surprise attacks. Everything would need to be deliberate. Long arms and taloned fingers intended for the ripping of flesh; something Ellio had none of which to spare. And it’s teeth—

  The demon sprung at him, legs propelling it easily, as expected. Ellio didn’t have the agility to dodge it, and brought up his sword in front of him as its mouth split open. Teeth scraped against metal as he shoved the side of his sword over its mouth, stopping the thing in its tracks and keeping its teeth preoccupied.

  It gnawed on the sword, arms trying to un-wedge the sword from its mouth. Blue slid over the blade, stinking of rotted fruit and earth. An unexpected scent. Talons reached for him, and he held out the blade just far enough for its arms to flail without meeting their destination.

  When its eyes redirected to his hands, very in reach of those talons, Ellio threw himself forward and onto the ground, pinning the demon beneath him. He turned the blade on its edge and sliced into the corners of the demon’s mouth.

  Realizing what Ellio was doing, it snarled its talons at him. Pain seared over his chest and arm. He didn’t spare it a glance, and as his strength waned in one arm from the injury, he jammed a knee into the demon’s stomach, making it squeal in clicks, before pushing all his weight into his arms, pressing down over the demon’s mouth.

  It sliced through. The demon’s squirming subsided, and blue splattered over Ellio’s arms, pants, and face. His hands trembled, breathing hitched and unsteady, he pulled his sword back, unwilling to release the tension in his grip in case it started moving again. But it didn’t. He’d killed his first demon.