For the last few days, the ache in Emrick's stomach had grown steadily worse. They were still making the beeline southeast for the centre of Vishera and he was pretty sure they were on course to make it. He would only know once they reached a town not far from the hidden Sanctum of Nyat.

As they grew closer and closer to the town, the worse he felt. But he didn't say a word about it to anyone, not even Isiah, who he had stupidly confided in one night for a reason he couldn't figure out. The ache in his stomach was his to deal with and his alone. The others didn't need to know, not unless it came up. And it wouldn't.

When they'd pulled out the map back at the Sanctum, he'd known from the start that there was no way he could avoid going back there. They needed to get supplies and the towns were spaced out so far across Brenmar that to deviate towards any of them would cost days of travel time.

The lone border town close to the Sanctum was the only place they could go if they wanted to move fast enough. Over the tops of the evergreen trees, smoke rose towards the clouds. They were only a few minutes from the little town, still hidden in the trees. The thought alone made the ache worse, but he pushed it away. They wouldn't be there long, just long enough to get the supplies they needed.

Rina walked next to him, a deep frown on her soft face. "I'm going to have to cast an illusion, aren't I?" she asked, her gaze fixed on the thin plumes of smoke.

"Aye," Emrick answered. "But it needn't be too complicated. Just pale your skin a bit. These are the border towns, those who look a little Askari are normal. Double point your ears and take off your hood. You'll need to look the part."

"And us?" Isiah asked behind him, gesturing to him and Nerin.

"You'll be fine. You're Ishini. We do look a little posh, so that might grab the attention of some, but we also haven't bathed in a while." He frowned at the dirty snow at his feet. "We'll see what happens when we get there. Hopefully, we'll fit right in."

From the looks on their faces, they didn't quite believe his rambling and if he was being honest, neither did he. The border towns were a strange and dangerous place and there was no way of knowing for sure if they would be safe until they got there. It had been a long time since he had been to one, specifically the one before them, but he never forgot how to live in them.

A lump formed in his throat as the rundown buildings showed themselves through the trees. Most had smashed windows and stained walls, a mix of peeling paint and cracked stone. Chimneys poked through the thatched roofs, most emitting the smoke he had seen earlier. Not many of them would have strong powers, meaning fires were a treasure in the winter.

There weren't many people out in the snowy streets, but that wasn't a surprise. They would all be holed up in their homes, waiting for winter to either take them or leave them. The cold killed some of them every year, but Emrick had learned quickly how to deal with it. He valued his survival more than anything else in the world.

"Are we staying the night?" Nerin asked when they stopped at the treeline.

Emrick shook his head. "I don't trust anyone here. We buy what we need and then we leave," he said. "Going through here is the fastest way to the Sanctum." On the opposite side of the town was the Sanctum, less than a day's walk away. Walling the small town in were two large hills, coated in a thick forest. It would take twice as long to traverse them and would be far more exhausting.

Nerin didn't look all that pleased with his answer, but he didn't bother arguing, much to Emrick's relief. If he had tried, there was no doubt he would have snapped at him, even if it was something little. Being where they were made him agitated and he wanted to get out as fast as possible.

"And where is here?" Rina asked, her eyebrows raised at him.

He didn't want to tell them, didn't want to acknowledge it, not yet, not until they were gone. "A town called Huton, less than a day's walk from the border." Once upon a time, it had been his home.

It was the place he had grown up in, the place where he had first seen the Warriors of Ziya, first started training, first met Turian. It was the first for many things, first experience with death and survival and the fight to stay alive. When he had left with Turian, he had vowed never to come back. He had finally found a real reason to leave, but he also had a real reason to return.

He needed to get Isiah to the next Sanctum so he could get the strength stone. The man in question stood next to him, their arms brushing together. "When you told me of the border towns, I didn't know what to imagine, but it wasn't this," he muttered, staring out at the little town before them.

"It never is," Emrick answered, the glow of Isiah's stones catching his eye. The flame stone still worked, but the fact that the fear stone was practically useless worried him. What did it mean if the Beast couldn't even use his own stone? Askarune had said he wasn't ready, but even so, shouldn't the power still be there? If he was able to understand how the stones worked better, he could figure it out, but they still made no sense to him.

Hopefully, with time, Isiah would be ready. At least Askarune had understood their urgency to get the rest of the stones and allowed him and Rina to go through the trial for it. If he hadn't done that, they would have still been stuck in Askarune's Sanctum, waiting for Isiah to face his fears, whatever they were.

As far as he was aware, Isiah hadn't tried to use it again. He'd only ever used the flame stone, which wasn't a good sign. Emrick wanted to tell him to keep trying with the fear stone, but it wasn't his choice, it was Isiah's. If Isiah didn't want to use the second stone then there was nothing he could do to change it.

"Well," Rina said and stepped in front of them. "Are we going to go or are we going to stand here all day?"

Emrick forced out an amused huff and took his first nervous steps towards the place he grew up in. If he was lucky, no one would recognise him, but he had never been lucky. As gravel and snow crunched under his boots, an unfamiliar face wandered into the streets. They gave the little group a wary look but said nothing. New faces weren't usually welcome in Huton and it wouldn't be long before the news of their arrival spread.

A pale-faced Rina sent a nervous glance his way and he tried to give her a reassuring smile, but knowing him, it probably looked just as worried. Her illusions wouldn't last long, meaning they would have to find somewhere secluded to rest. It may be the border towns, but not even a full Askari was completely welcome, not in Brenmar.

There were many like him in Huton, halflings, people born of both nations. Most had no powers, some limited, but most didn't seem to care about it. They never really left the town they were born in. In either country, halflings weren't exactly welcome. The Askari didn't want someone half Ishini and the Ishini didn't want someone half Askari.

Turian taking him in had been a risk, but after a few months, the gossipers in the nearby town no longer seemed to care. There'd been one night when he was supposed to be sleeping when Turian had a surprise guest. Like the curious teen he had been, he'd listened in on their conversation, and was surprised to hear Turian defend him when the guest had asked for 'the halfling' to leave. Until the day both countries found peace (which he doubted they ever would), his lineage would be something that held him back, held them all back.

His mind jumped from topic to topic as they walked the quiet streets and he was unable to calm his thoughts down. At any moment, someone could turn around and recognise him, but he didn't recognise any of them. Then again, he'd never had the best memory for faces.

A small hand tapped his wrist and Nerin looked up at him in worry. "Are you alright?" he asked, his bright red eyes filled with concern. For him of all people to be asking if he was alright, it had to be obvious.

"I'm alright," he said for lack of anything else to say. "It's just been a long while since I've been in a border town."

"Brings back memories?" Nerin asked as if the conversation they were having was a normal one. It was far from it, but at least the boy was trying. For once, they were talking and for once, it wasn't filled with anger.

He hummed in agreement. "Something like that," he replied. Somewhere nearby was the alley he had found the dead man in. Not far from there was the place he had seen the Warriors of Ziya and on the corner of that small courtyard was his childhood home, probably housing some other desperate family.

He said none of that to his little group of friends, despite the worry on their faces. They were in Huton for one thing and one thing only, they didn't need to stop and ponder over his childhood. Once they left, he would never see it again. It would stay completely forgotten, a place he would forget he had ever lived in.

The shop they stopped in front of was just as rundown as everything else, the sign dangling from one chain and the big front window laced with spider web cracks. After living for so long in semi-luxury with Turian, it was strange to see the place he used to live in. He'd known from a young age that it wasn't the best place, but until then he hadn't noticed just how bad it was.

With a deep breath, he turned towards his companions. "Try not to talk much, they'll know you're not from around here," he said. Nerin and Isiah's posh accents would stick out like no one's business, let alone Rina's. She needed to stay silent more than anyone if they didn't want to get in trouble. "Food, medicine and any extra clothing if we can afford it."

"We can't have a bath?" Nerin asked and Emrick rolled his eyes.

"Not yet," Rina whispered and placed a hand on his shoulder. "We can stop at the next town." They still wouldn't be safe in another border town, but they wouldn't be in a place where someone could recognise him.

Inside, the store was dark, lit only by one candle in the corner by the empty counter. The shelves were almost bare, but there would be enough to last them a few days. Medication would be harder to come by, especially in the border towns, but he would take whatever he could get.

At one point during his search, a man came to the counter and watched them curiously. Two others followed behind him, talking amongst themselves. They didn't seem to notice the four strangers walking through the shelves, focused only on their conversation. With a sigh of relief, Emrick grabbed for a loaf of bread and a dust-covered jar of jam.

Somehow, it all went better than he had expected. The shopkeeper barely spared them a glance as they piled together their meagre findings on the counter and huffed out a bored sounding thank you when Emrick paid. They packed the food and thin bandages in the bags and made for the exit, identical expressions of relief on all their faces.

He was almost at the door when a voice stopped him. "Emrick," Isiah said and pointed at something on the wall. Faded posters of his face stared back at him, accompanied by ones of Nerin and Rina, all asking for them to be returned to Ishmar for a reward, dead or alive. Alive, in Nerin's case. There were none of Isiah and he had no idea what that meant.

"Leave it," he said and grabbed Isiah by the wrist. They couldn't draw too much attention to it, otherwise, those in the shop would notice. They were lucky they hadn't yet, but it was only a matter of time.

With his other hand, he pushed the door open, but once again, a voice stopped him. "Emrick?" someone said, sounding confused. "I knew an Emrick once."

He turned, silently ushering the other three out of the store. The voice had come from one of the people who had been speaking earlier, who hadn't been paying a lick of attention to them. But maybe he'd been wrong, maybe they were watching and trying not to be obvious about it.

"It's a common name," he replied, shooting a smile at the unfamiliar faces. Isiah stared back at him as he exited the store, but didn't say a word.

The two people, one a man and the other a woman, shared a look, one Emrick couldn't decipher. "No, I don't think so," the man said and stepped away from the counter. Behind him, the shopkeeper went back the way he came, not caring about what was about to break out in his store. It was normal, after all. "You look a lot like the Emrick I used to know."

From the looks of their pale orange and blue skin, they were halflings too, but that was all he could recognise. In his attempt to forget everything about his home, he'd pushed away the faces of everyone he had ever known. For all he knew, the people before him could have been old friends or old enemies. Either way, he didn't want to speak to them.

He stumbled out the door and into the waiting gazes of Isiah and the others. "Time to go," he said and grabbed Isiah's wrist again. They needed to get out before anything happened.

The door creaked open behind him and he hissed in a breath. "Get back here, Emrick!" the woman roared but Emrick didn't listen. "I'm surprised you came back after you nearly killed us! And for what? Some posh prick?" Realisation and terror washed over him. They were the people he had saved Turian from all those years ago. Somehow, they remembered him.

"Did you come back to visit your mum, Emrick? You can't. When we couldn't find you, we went for her instead. She's dead!" the man yelled and Emrick closed his eyes.

He didn't care, not really. His mother hadn't been a true parent to him, not ever. But it wasn't fair that she had been killed because of what he had done. All he had wanted was to save someone he didn't deserve to be hurt. They should have just gone around Huton, they could have lasted a few more days.

Even as he thought it, he knew it was a lie. "Leave us!" he yelled back, not looking at any of his companions. He couldn't face them, not now that he'd gotten them in trouble. "We have done nothing to you!"

"That's a lie," the woman replied.

"You disappear for years and when you come back, you bring an Ishini and an Askari with you. What have you been up to, Emrick?" the man asked and let out a laugh. "It doesn't matter. I think we should give you a real welcome home, don't you think?"

Emrick sighed and finally glanced at the others. Rina's face was completely blue again, the illusion had fallen long ago. Nerin stood at her side, confidence in his stance, but fear in his face. Isiah's wrist was still in his hand, but Emrick couldn't see his face and didn't want to look.

He let go of the other man's wrist and stepped away from them. The man and the woman, whose names he still didn't remember, watched expectantly as he strode towards them. He didn't give them a chance to move before he slammed his fist into the face of the man, blood spurting from his nose and covering Emrick's hand. He wasn't going to let anything happen to his friends.

"Emrick!" Isiah yelled, but he didn't sound like he was in trouble, if anything, he sounded worried. He pushed the sound away and focused only on the fight he was about to get into.

The man stumbled backwards and the woman rushed for him. With a sigh, Emrick dodged her rough lunges and jabbed the tips of his fingers under her ribs. She gasped with pain and growled at him, yelping when he hooked his leg around hers and pushed her to the ground. As expected, it was an easy fight, but not one he wanted to have. It was necessary though.

One final punch to the chest and the woman was a gasping mess on the ground. The man was still recovering from the blood gushing out of his nose and let out an angry cry. He didn't give him a chance, punching him in the face again and again. Neither the man or the woman landed a single blow on him by the time they were both down, gasping and groaning. Emrick stood above them with bloody knuckles, his breath coming out in sharp pants.

In front of the shop, Rina stared at him in disapproval, while Isiah had his hand over his mouth. Nerin wasn't looking at him but instead had his back to him, watching the crowd of people that were blocking their way. Emrick cursed and clenched his sore hands into fists. If they didn't run, the others that had gathered would attack them, but there was only one way to go, back the way they came.

He didn't spare a second to think about it. "Run!" he yelled but waited until the three of them passed him to actually move. Isiah gave him a wide-eyed look as he passed and held out his hand. Blood dripped from his fingertips when he grabbed Isiah's hand, but neither of them seemed to mind.

Those he had hurt were left in the snow as the rage-filled citizens of Huton raced after them. It was only a small town, but there were still far too many people for only two of them to fight. Most of them probably had no idea why they were doing what they were doing, but any chance at a fight and they would be after them in a heartbeat. If they could get back to the forest, they would be fine; most would drop off, but they would have a few stragglers to deal with.

"Why didn't you tell us this was your home?" Rina growled as they ran, the wind whipping at her hair.

"Not now," he hissed back. He would explain it all later when they weren't on the run from an angry mob. The trees that surrounded Huton rose to meet them, green and covered with snow. Safety from the mob of angry and confused people. With a relieved grin, he pulled out his sword, ready to fight back against anyone who decided to come after them.

He burst through the trees, Isiah next to him and the other two rushing ahead. The cheers and whoops of their would-be attackers died down as they pushed through the trees, but some still followed. Huton hadn't changed in the years that had passed, but he had. He was going to prove it. Anyone who dared threaten his survival or the survival of the people he looked after wouldn't be long for the world.