Hitirus' eyes glowed a faint white as he marched closer to Niro, she was unbothered by it. Deep down, she understood her key was to show she was not afraid.
And this the warmonger admired. How someone could have the audacity to stand before him without feeling a bit of fear or rage.
"What do you want?" Hitirus spoke over the bellowing winds.
Niro closed her fists, trying to make herself seem bigger than how she was. "I heard a family near Olavin-Faa reported a foreign Feral and six others who dawned none of our colors."
"Seven Ferals, and you want me to track them down and kill them?"
"No," Niro crossed her arms. "They were going in Imbushko's direction, which means they are seeking shelter there. But that means trouble with Infinus."
Hitirus laughed, shrugging off the obvious problem in the situation. "So what? Imbushko is nothing, their Variants are just standard versions of the ones we have here. We can take them."
Slight amounts of anger pumped through her veins. Niro felt disgusted to hear what he was saying, implying war was an outcome he desired.
"It does not matter, they are Variants too. We need to preserve them," Niro pointed off at the horizon. "But we are not sure if they are willing to stand with us."
"Why do you want them so badly?" Hitirus sighed. "You are hiding something, what is it?"
Niro stepped back, lowering her arms as if she was stunned somebody noticed. "I am afraid - afraid of nightmares. Every night I keep dreaming about this... thing. Its black and beats like a heart."
Before she could get into anymore detail, Hitirus chuckled. He turned away from her, transforming his features as he moved.
To Niro it was disrespectful, listening and seeing this happen. Yet she remained quiet, not wanting to provoke some type of rage she did not understand.
"We are all afraid of nightmares, Niro. Some of us are a little... too afraid of them. However, we do not have to live in fear, because if we do, it drives us away. We need to dominant those nights."
"How much can we dominate if we can't even cooperate together?" Niro responds in a harsher tone. "You may be able to take entire Legions alone, but we are not like you. We depend on each other."
Hitirus nodded, keeping his hands by his hips while he mockingly agreed with her. "We do not have to depend on each other. If you want me to pass on how I was made so we can replicate the process, I am more than happy to."
Niro gritted her teeth, feeling even more angrier than before. "No, we are not going to do what your former Legion did! We are Variants, not animals. Every male and female should be free to reproduce with whoever they want."
She stomped her foot down behind Hitirus. "I am sure your mother did not pick to be with your father, did she? How about her grandmother? And the one before her? It's all a crossbreeding experiment with that place!"
Despite her sudden rage, Hitirus kept calm. Carelessly looking out into the winds, he knew what he was doing. Even if Niro could not see it.
He took in a deep breath, then slowly turned around. Twin glowing eyes seemed otherworldly as they fixed their attention on Niro, causing her to feel frightened and regret.
"Yet look how I turned out. Self-made Siege, Hero of Furmire, Light's Bane. I did not give myself these names, I earned them by utter grit and rage. I was starved like an animal now I'm stuffing myself with opulence I never dreamed of."
Niro sighed, defeated. She turned to face the inside of the mountain where the rest of the Legion was. As her footsteps echoed through the air, Hitirus continued to stare her down.
Before she could get out of earshot from Hitirus, he finally spoke. The rasp in his voice was heavy as his frame got bigger.
"As you're leaving, do not forget who brought this Legion so much power. You trusted me with enforcing it, now you despise me for heeding your instructions," Hitirus yelled.
It was true, unfortunately. Niro did ask him to deal with those that did not want her offering, however she did not expect him to deal with it this way.
Out of fear, she allowed him to continue. Knowing it made her seem more tyrannical than anything else. Yet she was silent, hoping his gaze would never see her in a different manner.
Hitirus crossed his arms, watching her disappear into the vast darkness beyond his vision. It was him alone out there in the platform. Fast winds inched him closer to the inside.
As they raged on, he knew what kind of day it would be the next. A thunderstorm, his Variants will receive plentiful amounts of water soon enough.
Yet he was not looking forward to it, he did not want to come closer. Something about thunderstorms, explosions, and other extremely loud noises set something off in his mind.
What Niro has mentioned earlier resonated in his mind, bouncing off every corner of his brain. Yet he was not feeling sad, he was emotionless. Like the perfect killing machine.
There were no real feelings attached to him, no urges to distract him from his objectives, and mind flexible enough to adapt to his own wishes. It was the product of hundreds of mothers and fathers.
Variants of all kinds and backgrounds pairing their genetics with someone else until they got the perfect baby, the one with the features they wanted.
Using that very same baby, they would raise it until it was capable of reproduction. When they were, that offspring would get paired with somebody else. Restarting the cycle.
Hitirus glanced over his shoulder, looking at the incoming overhead clouds threaten the world beneath them. Slight anger escaped his lungs on his next exhale, he started to walk deeper into the Legion.
Distant rumbling lingered in his ear, prompting him to mimic it using his Feral heritage. He growled along, seeing the world in a green taint under his nocturnal predator transformation.
As he walked, the dark roads of Hymo felt awake. Almost like there were eyes on him, too afraid to sleep as long as he was active. But the homes that he crossed fell to rest.
Everyone inside felt at ease knowing they weren't his victims.