"Hey." Xoris felt a nudge in his ribs. "Time to wake up- Dear Palkhiv!" Pomona's voice cut off as soon as it began as he sat up, rubbing at his face.

"What?" He looked at her concerned, while she stood still in shock, turning her face away. "Is everything all right?"

"...If being covered in eyes is considered all right to you, then yes, everything is perfect." She put a hand on her chest, breathing out slowly, focusing her wide eyes on the ground.

"Oh, sorry," he responded, blinking slowly at her as he tried to take in his surroundings. He clenched the skin along his body, trying to shove down the steadily building heka in his system. "I didn't mean to look like that, or startle you."

Pomona watched as every sign of being Stained left his features, a sense of relief almost washing over her. At a moment of staring, she shook her head, pacing across the grass, a little crisped from the night's heat. "It's fine. I probably shouldn't have been surprised. I already knew about your strange, extra mouth, after all."

With that, she made her way over to the stone she had rested her weapons on. She had called them tonfas, but as Xoris watched, wary of any sudden attack, he realised that wasn't what she was reaching for. Instead, she dipped her hands in a brown satchel, rummaging around until she pulled out a wad of dried, pink meat. She took a rough bite out of it before reaching a piece out to him. "Here, are you hungry?"

He stared at the chunk in her hand. It was the same meat he'd had back at the monastery, and despite being dried, it still seemed decently fresh. And yet, something in his mind held him back as a sense of wrongness flooded through him. But why? It wasn't even the kind that came from a Beast. So why, when he took it from her, could he only seem to stare at it blankly, feeling guilty for even holding it?

"Oh don't worry. It was freshly mined. I salted it right after I bought it, so there shouldn't be any chance of it going bad," Pomona explained, but even with that reminder, he didn't feel any better.

Without warning, a vivid image flashed through his mind, showing Humans he didn't even know, carting endless amounts of meat from the mines, cleaning it before selling it at the market.

Humans can't live without taking from the land. They cause pain simply by fighting to survive.

His hand quivered as that strange, wordless voice spoke once again, trying to command his thoughts and actions. It told him not to eat it. He couldn't. The very concept of it hurt to think of, despite no Beast being harmed in its creation. He clenched it tightly, his hand beginning to shake wildly. Was he so much of a monster that he couldn't eat anything that didn't derive from pain and suffering?

"Are... are you all right?" Pomona leaned down to where he was sitting, scrutinising his expression. "Can your kind not eat that? I'm sorry, I didn't know."

A quick breath pulled through his lungs as she reached towards him, the soft skin on her wrist exposed as she held out her hand to take it back. His teeth itched as he stared. There were so many veins running through it, light green through the pale white. A phantom sensation played across his lips as his mind relayed to him of how tender the flesh would be, how sweet and fast blood would flow if he bit into it. His heartbeat ran in his ears, feeling hot in its fast sets of three. It would be less hairy than last time...

Then he was widening his eyes as he forced himself to feel a sense of guilt and disgust at the intrusive thought. It was wrong, but that's all it was, after all. He didn't... he couldn't just want to do heinous things like that. That wasn't who he was. He clenched the strip of meat tighter in his hands as they began to shake rapidly, hating how it almost felt like his own body was being squeezed just as hard. It was just one mistake. That didn't define him, right?

He shoved the strip of mined meat back to her, not able to make eye contact as he opened his mouth to speak, despite how rude he knew it was. "...It's fine. I'm just not that hungry." It wasn't a lie. If he was starving, he wouldn't be able to refuse anything. This was just a small ache ruminating from his stomach. It could even be my injury, nothing more.

With nothing else to do while she ate, continuing to stare warily at him, he fiddled with the yellow strips of grass on the ground, snapping off a thin, brittle strip. It wasn't hard to pinch both ends, lining it up with his mouth to make a small, humming noise. It was better than the silence, better than thinking. It was a comforting thing to focus on until his hands were jostling too much to keep the blade in place, tearing it in two. He blinked at the torn pieces, his breath quickening, but what else was there to do?

Finally, he caught sight of the bandages constricting his waist. His mind stopped for a blissful moment as he studied it. A white edge was poking out, practically begging to be tugged at. He pulled it, yanking it to get the mass to peel away, but it held fast.

"No, don't-" Pomana cut in, but he was already biting through the linen, the taste of dusty cloth flooding through the maw on his side. The bandages fell away, and he tugged off the sticky few clinging to his middle before lifting the very bottom of his shirt.

A fresh, jagged line ran across his skin, pale and pink as it branched off a thick centre. It didn't seem like it would scar, and it was closed. He sighed in relief, a small thankful smile spreading across his face as he leaned back, exhausted. That was good enough for now.

"Are you healed already? That's surprising." Finished with her provisions, Pomona reached down to take a sip of water from her flask. "I know I did my best to patch you up, but you absolutely refused to be healed. I did try, but it only seemed to make you bleed more, so I let it be. At least you heal quick enough on your own. Maybe it's because your blood is so thick." She took another sip, trying once again to pass it over to him. "Can you at least drink? I'm not sparring with anyone who is dehydrated and underfed."

"Yes, thank you." He lifted the bottle to his lips. It wasn't nearly as refreshing as the water from the sea, but it was at least cool, and something to fill his stomach. He passed it back, flicking his shirt back down over the wound. He mulled over what she had said. Not of the healing, he didn't want to think on that, but she had mentioned sparring... "So you're still going to train me?" he asked, glancing at her as she re-wrapped the bandages around her bare feet, stretching her legs and arms.

"I don't see why not. You want to help Humans, and I'm curious on what it would be like to fight a Stained. I'm always looking to improve anyway." She shrugged, picking up her thick wooden weapons again. "So, are you ready?"

Now it was his turn to shrug. "I suppose." He leaned over, taking a quick look at the armour on the ground. It was safer to wear, and yet, Pomona didn't have any herself.

Deciding against it, he walked past it to take hold of his sword, the golden embellishment of an eye on its hilt staring dully back at him.

"Oh, you're right-handed? Interesting. What's that like?" She tilted her head at him, examining his grip. "Do you know how to write? Is it harder for you?"

"I used to be a scribe. I know how to write!" Xoris jumped in quickly, defending himself. He already hated being referred to so openly as a Beast. He didn't want to come across as uneducated as well. However... "But yes, some letters are a little uncomfortable. You get used to it though."

Even after years of practice, he still felt bad for how awkward it was to write the branching shape of the letter O, and how he cheated on occasion by forming it from right to left when none of the other scribes were watching. It was in his name, and yet his own hand dominance fought him on it, a fact that would irk him until the end of time.

"Huh. No need to get offended. It's just something I always wondered. Anyways, I've never fought against, or taught someone right-handed before, but I'll do my best." She shifted her grip on the weapons, grinding her feet into the ground to form a low stance. Her body began to rock from side to side as she shifted her weight. All and all, she looked ready to strike in an instant, when her eyes ran over Xoris, taking him in.

"A-are you going to get into a stance? Any... anything at all?"

Xoris just stood there blankly. The sword was in his hand, and he was standing there, holding it. Was that not a stance? I don't want to hurt her or... do anything. This felt risky enough as is. Even so, he tried to follow her bouncing movement, bobbing his head up and down as he swayed.

"...What are you doing?" Confusion twisted up her face, and she broke from her pose to walk closer to him. "Why are you just standing there? And why are you clenching your arms so tightly? That's not healthy. You need to relax. Just breathe." She reached up, putting her hands on his shoulders, trying to look up into his face.

He frowned a bit, breaking eye contact with her. "I-I can't." Even now, his arms were twitching from his hold on them, a hot, aching soreness begging him to release the tension, but he would do anything to keep that energy down. Anything to keep it out of his sight, and look correct. This was the real him, right? He'd looked Human for most of his life, so why was it so hard to maintain now? He found himself glancing at his armour again, missing the comforting feeling of having it cover every inch of him, despite its crushing weight.

"Why? Don't tell me..." She looked at his right hand, still holding the handle of the sword tight enough to turn his knuckles white. With that, she sighed, lightly grabbing at the hilt. "Let go. Let's skip weaponry for now. We need to work on your body itself first."

Trying his best to cooperate, he let go, feeling her take the sword from him. He stood there, stuck between wanting to follow along, and telling her that he by no means wanted to work without a weapon. The last time he had... I don't want to do that again.

"Now, this means no weapons for me, too, so I want you to focus on me, all right?" Her hands came up, close to her face, with her knuckles curled in, palms open. "I want you to come at me. Strike however you see fit, and I'll block. Don't worry about hurting me, because I've more than enough experience. Just try your best. Go on."

His finger was back to scraping against his teeth nervously. "...Are you sure?" She nodded, but he still felt bad as he slowly brought up one balled up fist, moving towards her face.

Giving him an irritated look, she batted it out of the way. "I said try your best. What was that?"

"You don't know what my best is!" Xoris replied hastily. "For all you could know, I-" He cut himself off as he saw a bandaged foot come flying towards him. He ducked back, pulling himself out of the way before she could make contact.

"Ha! So you do have the reflexes." A smirk was on her face as she brought her foot back down. "Now stop being so rigid." Another attack was coming forward, this time from below as the brunt of her palm came careening towards his chin, a sharp shock curling though his jaw. He had no time to step back again before another hit collided with the side of his head. A drip after, a knee was in his chest, knocking the wind out of him as pain seared through the wound the Vilve had left behind. "Are you really just going to let me beat you again and again? What are you so afraid of?"

Xoris took a crumpled step backwards, trying to steady himself. His head was spinning again, and he drew in an unsteady breath if only to replace what Pomona had stolen. A stiffness had settled into his shoulders, and without thinking, he dropped it, wanting the pain to end, even for just a moment.

"There you are. That's much better. Now stay like that," he heard Pomona encouraging from a distance. He went to look at her, but something about his sight was off. She looked so much taller, and he was watching from her left side, the running streak of grey in her hair looking much longer from being stretched from this view. It took him a moment to realise what had happened, but in an instant he was clenching the eye on his hand shut, focusing back from the two on his face. The right ones. He shook his head, trying to pay attention to the fight.

"And now we're back to where we started," she groaned, dragging her hands down her face. "Is that why you're so tense? You're trying to look Human?" Her eyebrows were raised as a serious tone spread through her voice. "I can't help you if you're going to continue to hold yourself back. Then this whole thing is just a waste of my time. Don't worry about what I think. I already saw anyway. I just want you to loosen up. So go ahead; try attacking me now."

"L-like this?" He looked down at himself, warped flesh pulled at random angles to form features that he'd never asked for. A disgusting nightmare in broad daylight that only thought of awful, immoral things. Who would want to see that?

"Yes, that's perfect." She rolled her eyes to the sky. "Now strike again. I'm waiting." She was swaying back and forth again, keeping her body light. Xoris closed his hand, glad that there weren't any more eyes on his fingers themselves. Then it might have hurt to fling his fist at Pomona once again, as fast as he could.

With a raise of her arm, his fist collided with her open hand. She blinked at him in surprise as her feet were shoved back, brown and white dirt building up behind her bare heels. "-You are quite fast... and strong. Well done."

"Thank you," he breathed out heavily, though it was more from his nerves than any sense of exhaustion.

"I do have a question for you though, since we're going to be fighting like this," Pomona mentioned, and Xoris could feel the wild, powerful core of magik that nestled in her chest coming to light. In just a few drips, he could see a burst of flame ignite behind him, soaring towards his back as it drew close to a green eye sitting on his neck. With a jump, he stepped out of the way, letting it fly past him until it settled in the air, right next to the monk's shoulder.

"Huh, so you can see from everywhere. That's incredibly useful." She nodded, though it was more to herself than at him at all.

"That is the strangest, and arguably the worst method of asking a question I have ever seen!" Xoris flinched, taking in another deep breath. He hadn't expected that, or the prickling sensation the magik left behind in the air, fighting with his own latent energy.

"So I've been told, but I will say, it is definitely one of the most effective." She smiled at him, encouraging Xoris to do the same. A light feeling was starting to fill him, as if a weight had been taken from him, for just a moment. No thoughts to settle in his mind, no concerns on his actions, or his appearance, or what determined right from wrong. Just a playful sense of banter and fighting. A sense of nostalgia bubbled up within him as he thought back to him and Luke duelling late at night, with their beds as imagined castle grounds, and pillows as good as any shield in their minds. What a simple time.

The day wore on, with Pomona steadying his hands or adjusting his position while they traded blows back and forth, eventually moving on to the weapons themselves. As turns passed, she eventually called for a break, taking a rest on the ground while drawing heavily from her flask of water again.

"You know, I think I revoke my previous statement," Pomona announced, laying down on the ground only a stride away from him.

"Being what?" She had made several comments to him, despite having only just met, some good, mostly bad. He couldn't think on which she was referring to by this point.

"I think the king might not have made such a bad choice in drafting you after all. You're a good fighter, and a quick learner, Xoris." A deep breath escaped from her. "I think the Stained are going to have quite a battle on their hands, so long as you continue like this."

"Thank you, for helping me, and for everything, really." He wiped the beads of sweat off his forehead, wiping his hand against his grey pants.

"There's no need to thank me. It was an interesting experience for both of us. I just... are you sure you're all right with this plan of yours?"

"What do you mean?" He craned his head to look at her through the yellowed grass.

"I mean exactly as I said." She rolled on her stomach, giving him a sharp look. "Obviously, I'd like the Stain gone as much as the next person. The amount of lives they've taken, families they've destroyed..." She shook her head. "They are evil, but you... you're different."

He winced, looking away. "I'm not."

"But you are! You are intelligent, you aren't violent, you don't eat Hu-"

"Pomona!" He sat up instantly, glass clumping into his balled up fists. "I'm no different, and I was an ashclave to think otherwise. The Stained are evil, just like you said, and for that, they must die."

Her eyes widened at his shout, but it wasn't an expression of fear, like Xoris had expected. No, it was closer to sadness. Pity. "But... doesn't that mean that once all this is over, you'll die too?"

A deep breath filled his lungs, and he could only seem to stare off into the blue behind the edges of the distant sky. It blurred though, his face feeling damp moments later. "Most likely, but if it lets me atone for my actions first, then so be it."

"Well, I hope it's a good decision in the end."

"...how would it not be?" His eyes shot open as a thought crossed through his mind. Does she think I would go back on my word? Does she think I'd join the other side? The idea of it twisted in his gut like a dagger, sharp and accusing. It wasn't the first time the worry had crossed his mind, but it felt more... real this time. But he wouldn't. He'd make sure of that. Once he returned to the castle, he would be finding the king, and ending him, and once that was done, everything else would be done for the Humans benefit.

It sounded wrong, put simply like that, and yet the more he thought about it through every waking moment of the day, the more it made sense to him. It was as Kraim had said. The king decided the war's course of action. The king decided that Xoris had been fit for jobs he wasn't, and the king had decided to end Luke's life after nothing but loyal service. Ending a life was wrong, evil, the worst thing a being could do.

But in a way, I already did that, and once he's gone, Kraim can run things more efficiently, and get rid of the Stain in his stead. It was one life for thousands, and if Xoris had to fall to make it happen, then at least it wasn't in vain.

"Well, if you're truly no different than any other Stained, then they are much more... put together than we take them for. If that were the case, I'd much rather live in peace and talk like this than have them die. Besides, what was all that about wanting to change then, if you just walk to your own death?"

He shrugged, not understanding the issue. "I'd prefer to fix what's wrong with the world before myself. That comes first. Besides, if the Stained are so bad, why do you care if I die with them?"

"Because you're just..." She paused, tapping a finger against her cheek as she chose her next words, ignoring Xoris' blank stare. "You're very confusing, you know? You want to be Human, but you're very clearly Stained. You worked for the king, when it would be very easy to join the other side. You want to get better, but also want to punish yourself for... whatever reason, and worst of all, you seem to always be thinking, but also discard every. Single. Concept I throw at you without even processing it!" Her hands jut out in front of her at the last part, gesturing to his entire body. "Annoying or not, I think it'd be a shame to lose that."

Xoris hummed, thinking of an answer. He didn't have many, but at least one came to mind. "I don't care what happens to me in the end. I simply refuse to let everyone die. Maybe you're right, if each race could just... talk to each other and listen, we'd all be able to live in peace, but..." He ran his hands through his hair in annoyance, sighing as the questions continued to flow through his mind. He didn't care anymore. There was a plan, and if it worked, then all was well.

He continued. "-The violence is completely senseless violence. It simply comes and goes without reason, but that doesn't mean I don't want to do the right thing. Even if it takes one more wrong to fix that, I'll make sure I actually save people in the end this time."

"Well-" Pomona stopped, coming to a standing position. "I hope you go ahead to do just that."

She offered him a hand, pulling him up off the ground. The satchel was already over her shoulder, and she plucked her tonfas off the ground. Xoris winced just looking at them. His sides and head were going to be bruised later, but he supposed he would be better at dodging in the future for it. He gathered his own things, taking a quick glance at the sky, flooded with orange by the sixteenth turn. By the time he pulled his head away, he could see the girl beginning to walk away, heading in what he assumed was the first direction, to Palkhiv knew where.

"Wait! Pomona!" he called out, reaching a hand out as if he could catch her from this distance.

"Yes?"

"Thank you again!" he shouted. Thank you for trusting me, whether I deserve it or not.

"It's nothing. Take care, and I hope we meet again someday!" she called back, crossing her two index fingers to signal farewell to him before turning away.

With his armour back over his body, and his gloves up over his forearms, it didn't feel quite so tight, having to keep his eyes closed. It was a soft, simple movement, like blinking or sleeping. The stress that had wracked at his every muscle before hung still, the Stained energy in his own body laying quiet and reserved without him needing to divide nearly as much attention to it anymore.

It's nothing, she had said. His mind ran over her words again and again as he started walking in the fourth direction, back towards Korim. It's nothing... It's nothing... No, he thought as he focused on the path ahead of him. It was everything.