[Job - Leona & Eero] Our Answer

He was supposed to rest after he got back to the Guild with Leona. But how could he? His head was filled with so many questions and he knew answers to none. Soho tried to keep his spirits up, but nothing really helped. The boy was just glad that Soho kept his distance, back in Crocus, when the incident happened. His heart still felt half empty, however. As if a portion of his very being was forcefully torn away.

Eero was sitting crosslegged with his back against a wall, on his simple mattress that he had on the floor that served as his bed. He tried sleeping, but it was a restless, dreamless sleep, that felt more like a light doze off, than proper sleep. The boy sighed. He knew that he had to go back and find his other self. He also realized that he would have do that as fast as possible, since he didn't think that his other self had too much patience. He would peg him as a runner, again. Eero didn't want that. But... What exactly did he want? The boy wanted to know the so-called truth, that his other self and that other voice from before were talking about. /"But am I ready..?/" What did his other self know, that he didn't? Eero's gaze fell on the floor in front of him, where the artifact laid. He was looking at it, as if everything would magically get solved by itself. "Just... What are you?" The boy whispered into the stillness of his room. He received no answer.

Eero didn't know how long he spent just sitting and thinking. But out of his window he noticed very early rays of sunlight piercing the darkness. /"I should get going. The sooner I can get to him, the sooner I can../" The sooner he can what? The boy groaned and stood up. He just had to figure this out. Whether it would give him more fragments of his memory or something else, he didn't care. As long as this got resolved, he would be happy. Eero bent down and picked up the chained artifact. It made some noise and the boy set it on his messy table. He thought about getting Leona involved again, but he quickly shook his head. /"I've bothered her more than enough. I don't think she would even want to see me right now."/ He dismissed that notion and peered into his tiny wardrobe. He took out a plain blue t-shirt and put it on. From the scattered clothes around his room he picked up the jeans that he wore on his trip to Capital Crocus. He stepped inside of his bathroom, splashing a bit of water onto his face to keep himself awake longer. Eero dried his face with a towel and filled up his water container. He didn't feel hungry at all.

He decided not to take his notebook with him. The boy reckoned that the less weight he had on him, the better off he would be. He put the water container into his bag and attached Earthshaper onto it. Soho was nowhere to be seen, but he always went hunting or just generally scounting around the Guild, so Eero was sure that his bird companion would join him as soon as he left the Guildhall. Eero quietly left his room. It was still extremely early in the morning and he didn't want to wake up anyone. His steps were swift and silent, as he walked down the hallway and then descended down the stairs, into the main hall of the Guildhall. Eero was going to open the door and slip past them, but he hesitated for a moment his hand halting halfway to the door. He thought about leaving a note, just in case something happened to him, but decided against it. /"I'm just taking advantage of the freedom, I guess."/ He thought sourly. Yeah, he was doing that, but to only solve his own personal issues, once again.

As his hand was halted, Eero heard a voice from behind him, which made him jump in surprise and look behind him. Leona. She seemed surprisingly in much better shape than he was. Even more surprisingly, she was just as friendly as before. Not that he suddenly didn't like his guildmate, but he certainly expected her to be a tad more colder towards him after the very recent happenings in Capital Crocus. "I-... Hi." He would half-stammer out of himself.

Eero didn't know what he was supposed to do. He could chat it up with Leona a little bit and then be on his way or just leave as fast as he could. The former would make his intented trip a little bit less suspicious. The boy would straighten himself up. "I'm just tired. I was hoping to get some fresh air on the outskirts of the Guild and think for a bit." The boy would say, shifting his eyes away from his guildmate. He wasn't lying about him being tired, but the second half of that statement was not completely truthful. He really didn't want to bother Leona with more of his own personal issues. If Eero had to be honest, though, his head hurt from the amount of thinking he had done as of late. Nothing made sense anymore and it seemed that only going back to pursue his other self would give him any sort of answers and peace. He was filled with this strange sadness while becoming anxious and impatient, a mix of emotions that would have been very dangerous a long time ago.

The boy looked back at Leona, seeing that her demeanor changed slightly in the quietness that followed. Most likely because of what he had just said. He meant no ill will, of course. But he was at his wit's end. His guildmate offered to go with him, which was something that Eero had expected. But would be right for him to accept that? The boy rubbed the back of his neck in thought. "I would be more than glad if you went with me, but.." Eero shook his head. "I've already taken so much from the Guild, from you. I never gave anything back and I didn't even deserve any of it." He would say, sadness colouring his voice. Whether it was really true, he didn't know. But Eero certainly felt like that was the case.

He would shake his head and lean with his back against the closed doors, Earthshaper making it slightly awkward to do so. "Truth is, I am going after my other self. I must." Eero would say and sigh. "He will not wait forever and I don't know where exactly had he gone." There was no telling what would happen if Eero ignored his other self, completely. Not that he could do so, in the first place. "There is this strange feeling.. I feel as if I am partly hollow. A portion of my soul missing. I can't put my finger on it." Eero would share his worries with his guildmate. Leona was the only one who knew about his other self. But Eero was starting to doubt his evilness. He had done wrong things, that he wasn't denying. But what if what his other self was saying was true? It would explain this feeling he had. That was at least what he had thought, anyway. "I just don't want to take any more from you. I'm already too indebted to everybody." He would say in a voice just above a whisper and look down on the floor in shame.

When Leona said that she was not happy with what had transpired back at the Capital, Eero couldn't blame her. It was quite the experience to be had. But things were going to get even more complicated, he felt like. But still, Leona was intent on helping him out, despite all that. Who was he deny her? As much as he would like to keep her away from the pending issue, Eero also knew that he probably could use some help. Hopefully it wouldn't get to the point of combat, but one never knew. The boy would smile tiredly and nod. "You are free to join me. I won't force you to join me or the opposite." Eero would push himself off of the doors that he was leaning against.

The boy would nod again and turn around, to push the doors open. The cold air hit him almost instantly, making him shiver. Eero would slowly step outside, descending down the small flight of wooden stairs. As soon as his feet touched the snow, he heard a very familiar sound of wings flapping. Shortly after a blue bird landed on Eero's shoulder. Soho. Eero's bird companion let out a soft screech as he got pet on his head by Eero. "Hey, Soho. You are coming with, I assume?" The boy would ask and Soho nodded in return. Eero would then turn back to Leona. "Let's get going then. Fetch a train to Crocus first and then we will see where my other self went from there." He would share his plan. Eero didn't know exactly where his other self went off to, so taking random guesses would do them no good and possibly just prolong the search. The boy felt like it would be better if they began the search in the Capital, since that was the last known and confirmed location of his other self. Even if he didn't look forward to going back there.

Leona ran off to deal with some things and Eero was left alone with Soho for a little bit. The boy scratched his companion's neck a little bit, making Soho let out rather cute noises as he tried to get the boy to stop him from tickling. It didn't take long for Eero's guildmate to appear once more, agreeing to his idea of going to back to the Capital. He felt like neither of them wanted to go back there so soon, but it was something that needed to be done. "Let's get going, then."

Soho was circling out in the air around the two mages, keeping an eye on their safety. It was a bit of a walk to get to a train station from the depths of the mountains. Eero stayed quiet through that, wondering what could possibly await them in the upcoming hours. After arriving at the stray train stop, as fate would have it, it didn't take long for a train to appear, which was even going in the direction of the Capital. Soho sat on a backside of the last carriage, to make sure that he would keep up with the mages and not tire himself out. Eero was excited as he boarded a carriage, but the excitement immediately changed into incredible sickness, as soon as the train started moving. He grabbed a seat next to a window, which may have not been the smartests of ideas. Because of the motion sickness Eero's head spun and his face gained pale-ish hue with a hint of green. He was slumped into a corner and holding his stomach, eyes half closed. Eero was just hoping that the ride would pass quickly, so that he wouldn't vomit everywhere. And to think that not too long ago he enjoyed train rides so much.

Eero had lost sense of time, so he had no absolutely idea how much time had passed since they left the station where they boarded the train. Leona stayed quiet, as did he, mostly due to his motionsickness. When the train had finally stopped at the terminal station, Eero heard the annoucement that they should leave the train. The boy groaned and willed himself to get off of his seat and wobble to the door, almost falling out on the ground in front of him. He wasn't sure how long his sickness would last, but they did have to get going. Eero noticed a flash of blue for a moment, before a familiar bird landed in front of him. Eero was barely standing up, looking down at his companion. "Could you search for traces of my other self?" He asked Soho in a strained voice, who nodded back and took off, once more. Eero reckoned that Soho's eyes would be invalluable in this step of their little journey.

There were a few benches and Eero decided that it was best for him to have just the tiniest of rests, until his stomach calmed down and his face regained some colour. "I'll just sit down for like ten minutes, if you don't mind." The boy would say to his guildmate and walk wobbly towards the nearest bench. The idea was to sit down and just hope that stomach would settle down. Eero somewhat missed the bench altogether, slumping down on the ground right next to it. He half-hugged the base of the bench, which probably wasn't the most sanitary decision. "Just give me ten minutes." Eero would repeat himself. "Feel free to ask some guards questions, I'll be fine. I'll catch up with you." He would say, his eyes half-closed, leaving the decision up to Leona. Eero just needed a little breather. He hoped that by the time his sickness passed, Soho would be back with perhaps more insight on where his other self had gone.

Eero's stomach was churning and his head was spinning, but being able to sit down in a place that didn't move and take a breather. He was sure that he saw some people give him looks and some may have thought of asking him if he was okay, but nobody actually came over, for which he was thankful. The boy was pretty sure that he took a little bit longer than the ten minutes he requested, but he forced himself to stand up. He dusted off his clothes and made a few testing steps forward. His stomach protested a little, but Eero was confident enough that he could get through it. Before Leona went off to further their task, she said that she would be in the square. The question then was.. Where was it?

Eero hadn't been in the Capital before the very recent trip, so he knew very little about it. He was still not walking at his regular speed, to make sure that his resting time didn't go to waste by making himself feel sick again. The boy tried his best to dodge the people walking around, while he was working up his courage to ask somebody for directions. Soho was nowhere to be seen, so Eero would have rely on his good old self, which rarely went well. The boy spotted an older-looking man, who didn't seem too terribly in hurry. He tried looking nonchalant, but the man noticed him before Eero fully reached him. "Do you need something?" He would ask, not rudely, but too casually either. "Excuse me. Do you know where the city's square is?" He would ask the man. The man gave him a bit of a look, before he replied. "Well, there are a few different squares." Oh. Right. Eero was going to try asking a bit more specifically, even if he didn't how to specify it further, but the man was faster. "The closes one is just down the street over yonder." He would turn and point to a street that led a bit further into the city. The boy would bow his head in thanks. "Thank you." Eero would thank the stranger and follow the way that he was shown.

Shortly after, Eero emerged at a rather neatly-looking square. There were plenty of benches scattered around for people to sit down. /"Or slump right next to them."/ The boy thought somewhat amusedly. Soho was still missing, making Eero assume that his companion was scanning the perimeter of the city. He could also assume that it was a lot of terrain to cover, especially when one didn't know what exactly they were looking for. The boy walked around the square for a bit, until he spotted his guildmate. But she wasn't alone. Beside her was sitting a red-haired woman. They seemed to be talking and Eero felt slightly awkward. Should he disturb them? Probably. He was on a timer, afterall. The boy would slowly walk up to the ladies. "Hi." He would manage to push out of himself. What a stellar start. "Sorry to disturb you. Did you find out anything, Leona?" Eero would apologize and ask his guildmate about the progress she had made, while he was recovering from his motion sickness.

After his question, Eero's guildmate greeted him back and introduced him to the woman she was talking to. Her name was Claire and worked at a bookstore, if he had to judge from the name. She waved at him in greeting and the boy waved back at her. Claire then took a better look at him, saying that she saw a taller version of him. That sounded very promising. Leona seemed to have picked up on that aswell and pressed Claire for more details on what she had seen. The redhead replied that his supposed other self disappeared in the direction to the south, also noting that he looked sort of intimidating. Eero would say the same, if he wasn't used to him. He still wasn't used to his antics, but he reckoned that he never would. Not that he really wanted to, anyway. Leona thanked her acquaintance and Eero would do the same. "Many thanks. That helps us a lot." He would say and bow his head slightly in thanks. His guildmate then asked him if he was ready.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Eero would reply to Leona and give Claire one more light bow of his head, before he would depart. He was slightly disorientated at first, but he was sure that he picked the right direction to go in. The two mages were making their way southward, when Eero saw a familiar flash of blue appear and then land on his shoulder. His companion let out a little screech in greeting. "Hey there, Soho. We found out that he headed south. Did you find out something?" The boy would ask Soho, as they walked south. His companion nodded and extended his left wing in the direction they were heading. Since Soho couldn't actually ask anybody for what they had seen, Eero's other self must have left something behind, as a mark, that Soho could pick up on. "Seems like we truly got the right intel." Eero would say to Leona, fully confident that they were heading the right way.

Soho sat on Eero's shoulder for a little bit, but eventually he took flight once more, flying ahead of the two mages. As they neared the south exit of the Capital, Eero grew increasingly anxious. Was his desire to fill the hollow spot in his soul and to seek out the answers to questions that had plagued him for a while strong enough for him to not chicken out? Eero truly hoped so. The artifact on his neck quietly rattled, being constantly disturbed by the movement of Eero's body. After the boy and his guildmate would exit the city, Soho would fly back to them, leading them to the side. He wanted to show them something and Eero had no objections to that. Soho's sight and scouting skills were far superior to Eero's and he was insanely thankful for his help. Time and time again. Soon enough it would be apparent, as to why Soho wanted to lead them slightly off the beaten path. There would be a somewhat sizeable spear made of dark energy jutting out of the ground, leaning in the southern direction. Eero's feet would come a to halt, as he noticed it, his eyes wide in shock. It was predictable, that this would be the magic his other self would have, especially after seeing his phantom form, but that only made Eero uncomfortable. What other magic could his other self use? Could he mix the darkness with the poison? The boy didn't know. "I think we have a lead that wants us to go further south-ish. Somewhere towards Era, as Claire had mentioned before." Eero would say, trying to sound calm. "The question is, how do we get there as fast as possible? I don't know if I can handle an another train ride so soon." The boy would wonder out loud. He himself had no other methods of transportation than his own two feet. He was sure that Soho's talons and Soho himself were strong enough to lift him and carry him slightly off the ground, but that would mean that one of them would get left behind. So all in all, Eero had nothing.

It seemed that even Leona was slightly taken aback by the spear that was jutting out of the ground. Eero wasn't all too surprised by that. He himself just didn't expect to see his old magic so soon, which unsettled him. However, after raising his concern about the transport to Era, Leona asked him if he is fine with travelling by air and chanted in response, summoning a trio of harpies. Eero wasn't aware that Leona had learned such magic. Yet an another thing, that caught him by surprise. Soon after the harpies appeared, they started talking. However, it was not the type of conversation that Eero would have expected. The harpies were talking about how Eero and Leona made a good couple and some other comments that had Eero turn slightly red in the cheeks. Love and having a significant other in life were not something that were on his mind. Maybe one day, but he needed to sort out his own life first, before he could think of sharing it with somebody else.

After their chatter died down, Leona introduced the three harpy sisters to Eero - Sylvia, Sandy and Daphne. His guildmate then asked him if he would like to be carried. He didn't have much of a choice and this seemed like the fastest way to get to Era, so he couldn't complain. The boy just hoped that the harpies would not count as a transport vehicle, but he probably would get at least a little bit sick, regardless. "I didn't know you had such magic, Leona. Quite impressive." Eero would nod towards his guildmate, not hiding surprise in his voice. "As for the method.." The boy would look over the harpies as he pondered for a moment. "Whichever way would make it easier to carry me if I feel sick." He would say his decision. Eero really didn't mind being held by the talons or somehow else. As long as he didn't fall of during the flight because he got sick, it should be alright. Soho would notice the harpies and circle around them, eyeing them with interest. "This is all you, though, Leona." Eero would nod at his guildmate once again. Ultimately, how and who carried him, was up to her, since he wasn't the one to command the harpie sisters.

Leona explained how she gained the magic she just used. When she said that she will tell him the story later, the boy nodded excitedly. He wanted to know more. It made him wonder if he could ever learn anything else, besides his Dragon Slayer magic. /"Perhaps one day."/ When Leona said that she flew pretty low, at a treetop level, to keep herself from being afraid and sick, he nodded again. Eero would prefer that himself, as it could potentially prevent his own sickness, but it probably wouldn't actually change anything. As long as they got to their destination and he didn't feel like vomiting his guts out, he would be glad. The harpies recounted the story of Leona's first flight and Eero could relate to that, on a certain level. Once everything was set, Eero was to be carried by the black-haired harpy sister, Daphne.

Soho circled around the group and as soon as the harpies took off, he followed suit. During the flight he felt slightly sick, but not even close to what he usually experienced. He was looking down the fleeting land, unable to focus his sight to see if there were any more spears poking out of the ground, that would guide them further. However, it didn't seem like his other self deemed it necessary to give them any more clues than he had. He was probably confident that Eero was smart enough to figure out where he should go. But the boy couldn't help but wonder. Why Era? Was it because they stirred more than enough trouble in the Capital? Or maybe he was just looking for a really big landmark? He couldn't tell. Whatever the case was, they were headed to Era and they did arrive there, in quite the short amount of time to boot.

Era was home to the Magic Council, housed in a castle on top of the a great hill, which was basically Era itself. When they reached the outskirts, Leona hhad the harpies slow down to have a better look and after a little bit she had them land. "Thank you, Daphne." The boy would thank the harpy that was carrying him. Soho was nowhere to be seen, but he knew that he would catch up, as Soho was not as fast as the harpiess. When he looked around, Eero didn't see any more marks or clues from his other self, but he suddenly had that feeling of anxiousness, that overpowered the faint feeling of sickness. Leona prompted them to move and the boy did just that. He didn't know where exactly he was going, but there were groups of trees around. With no other landmarks, that seemed like a place to continue the pursuit. "Let's just keep going. I don't know where he is, but I know he is here, somewhere." The boy hoped that it wouldn't turn into a game of hide and seek.

The two mages would arrive at one of the groups of trees. The feeling he had only grew stronger. Eero kept looking around, for anything, really. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed a moving shadow and his body immediately turned to face that direction. Below a couple of trees that were fairly close, he stood. The taller him, enveloped in a veil of darkness. He didn't move, only observed the pair of mages who disturbed him. "Are you here to seek out the truth you desperately wish to know?" His other self would ask, his question pointed at Eero. The chained artifact around his neck rattled at the question. As if it was trying to say 'Pick me, pick me!'. "Yes." Eero would reply, firmly. He had come so far, this wasn't the time to run. His other self would take a few steps towards the two mages, his dark aura shifting around him. "Then I'm sure you already know where to find it." The taller him would motion with his head towards the artifact. Eero knew what Saya told him. That the memories he sought so much were quite possibly there. "But how? Is there something you are not telling me?" They shared memories, yes. But Eero reckoned that with enough mental fortitude and training they could possibly hide certain memories from one another. Had his other self managed to pull that off? His other self only gave him a confused look and tilted his head. "Just concetrate on it. Make your soul want to enter it. I don't know how else to explain it." The conversation was surprisingly calm, Eero noticed. Was his other self genuinely trying to help him?

"Here goes nothing." The boy would mutter under his breath as he closed his eyes and focused his mind, as his other intructed. It was a bit of a struggle, but soon enough Eero understood what his other self meant. After moment, he felt the rest of his soul he had left tear away from his body and seek shelter within the artifact. With no soul to occupy his body, his body would fall to the ground, motionless.

After Eero's motionless body hit the ground, his guildmate raced over him, checking if he was alright. She seemed to have confirmed that he was still very much alive. The body, at least. What happened to the soul of Eero, his other self didn't know. But he hoped that he managed to enter the artifact's confines. Eero's guildmate then raised a question at him. He was surprised that she was willing to talk to him and his face reflected that. "He is. At least, should be, if he succeeded in his task. There is simply no soul to occupy the body, since I am out here." He would explain and take a couple of steps forward as he crossed his arms on his chest. "But what he will find, I know not." He would add, quickly.

He knew what he had seen when he decided to venture into the artifact. But he wasn't sure what Eero would see or find. Would be the same? Or would he find something that he didn't? Only Eero himself would have to answer that. "How come that you seem alright with talking to me?" He would ask Eero's guildmate a question of his own. While he didn't know what exactly was inside of her head, he had seen a few memories from Eero's side, that made it sort of obvious that she wasn't too fond of him. "I honestly expected Eero to be ready to run for the hills and you saving his skin again. But this is quite different. He truly seems to have made up his mind this time." He would say as he tilted his head again and the dark aura around him flickered. He was hoping to gain some insight into Leona's thought process that concerned both Eero and him.

As he could have predicted, Leona's politeness and willingness to talk were tied to Eero. But when she called him Other Eero he winced. Is that all he was? Just some Other Eero? Somebody secondary, who had no business being the Eero? Perhaps that was all there was to him. And then Leona went on about helping and believing and promises and all that crap. How stupid. "And this is the thing I hate." He would say, just as firmly as Leona. "All this believing in others, making promises to help one another." He would roll his eyes. "None of you know what this feels like. To be without memories and automatically hated by everyone. Not even that Poko girl, or whatever her name was." He would say, slightly irritated and turn his head away. "Eero at least isn't hated." He would add quietly.

Ever since waking up in that bed, all he ever received was hatred and fear. So he decided to play the part. Until eventually he came to realize that he wasn't just some messed up other personality of somebody. But that they were one and the same. One couldn't be without the other. That was what the artifact showed him. He hoped that it would show the same to Eero and make him understand the truth, that he had been running from all this time. But besides that, it showed him one more thing. That he had his own name. "I do have a name." He would say, slightly out of place. Though now that he knew about it, he couldn't stand being called just Other Eero. "Eoduun Eero."

Eoduun Eero was glad that Leona admitted to not having such experiences as he had. She didn't pretend to be empathetic. He could appreciate that. But her question threw him off guard. Well, perhaps she never experienced the feeling that she was asking about. Eoduun Eero would scoff. "Well, imagine everybody you interact with wanting you out of their lives or dead." That was a really short version of the answer. "Later on it became a founded concern. But when you have that thrown at you as soon as your memories begin, you can't help but just go with the role they gave you. So I played my part. Even if it didn't seem right at times." He would continue. "I love the thrill of battle. I can't describe it better. But I never hurt my allies." As far as he knew, at least. He would shake his head. "Not that it matters anymore." Eoduun Eero would sigh and run his hand across his face. For some reason he felt weaker by the minute. Perhaps the strong feelings that prompted him to assume this nearly fully physical form were starting to disappear.

Eoduun Eero looked at Eero's body. There was still no sign of him waking up. It didn't take him too long until he couldn't find anything else within the artifact, so he wondered what Eero was discovering. Then a sudden wave of dizziness washed over him, making his knees give out under him as he almost fell down to the ground, the aura of darkness flickering again. He was kneeling as his legs trembled. If he kept this up, would he return back to Eero's body or.. disappear? He honestly didn't want to find out the hard way. He would let out a short painful chuckle. "Guess I'm not angry enough anymore to stay out here like this anymore." Eoduun Eero would say and look up at Leona. "Well? What are you waiting for? This is your chance to finally get rid of me."



His body was enveloped with darkness when a burst of sudden light blinded him. When he opened his eyes next, he noticed that he was standing in a corridor. It was dimly lit, few torches scattered here and there along the walls. There was no visible end to the corridor. He had no choice but to go forward. /"Is this what the inside looks like...?"/ He wondered as he walked on. It didn't take him long to start seeing a change on the walls. One to his right, at least. Slowly, he could see beginnings of corruption that only grew stronger the further he ventured into the corridor. Soon enough he come upon a set of two doors. They sat opposite of one another, on opposite walls. The wall to his right was heavily corrupted with darkness and blight, while the one had little to no corruption on it. The corruption intrigued him more, so he tried pushing that door open, but it didn't move. Perhaps he had no business inside there. He would turn around to face the other door and try opening that one. The door easily swung open, revealing a cozy room, filled with toys, boardgames and books. It almost felt like... home.

It was so inviting, so alluring. His feet moved on their own and he stepped inside. The door stayed open as he looked around. It reminded him of his room back at the Guild, but it felt a lot more homely. /"Did my room look like this... back home..?"/ He questioned the interior of the room. He wanted to stay there. It was safe. It felt like home. But something was telling him that there was more to do. Begrudgingly, he exited the room and closed the door. He continued down the seemingly endless corridor.

It was not endless, however. It took a while, but eventually he came across the end, which was an another door. He tried opening it, but it resisted. After a firm push it gave away and he almost fell inside. He was met with a sight of a dead forest. No grass on the ground, only eroded earth. Leafless trees and no life in sight. The theme seemed to be to just walk forward and he did just that. Eventually he came upon a tainted river that was neighboring a clearing in the dead forest. There was a figure in the middle of it, seemingly doing some training or practising. He walked closer. It didn't seem like he could be seen by the figure, which he then recognized as himself. It was him. Not even his other self. It was just... him. He was doing some moves with his arms and body, testing its flexibility and durability. The scene was disturbed by a sudden appearance of a dragon, who landed within the clearing. It wasn't a large dragon, but it was one nonetheless and he felt sudden immense respect for it. "Still at it, are you, Eero?" It asked. Her, more correctly, if he had to judge from the voice. That must've been the clear picture of Eitur. The boy stopped his training to look at the dragon. "Of course! I have to get stronger if I want to protect people!" Young Eero replied, gleefully. The dragon chuckled. "Then I will make sure to make you as strong as you wish." The scene shifted slightly. The dragon was still there, but it was somewhat dark and it was other him standing there. No.. It was still him... right? "I need more strength, Eitur." He said, in a demanding voice. "I cannot protect people without it." He said firmly. The dragon seemed to have frowned. "To protect people? Are you sure you have not lost the sight of that goal?" She asked him and he growled in response. "I haven't." He replied. "It doesn't seem like that to me." Eitur said just as firmly. "Try telling that to the people and animals you have needlessly killed."

What? He looked down at his hands. They were covered in acid and blood.