Befehlandir carelessly emerged from the downed trees and disturbed forest. His body was a sleek black, boasting his ability to change into Variants at will.
"Congratulations, Hitirus!" Befehlnadir celebrated. "It -"
"Here you come... loud mouth to further pound my headache. And a thirst for my blood," Hitirus complained.
Gatruda grinned, showing huge interest in the duo. They hugged each other as they descended beside them.
"Incorrect. You need a friend - a mentor, yes? And furthermore, allies for the incoming rebellion. Which is why I, as your executioner, come by to guide you," Befehlnadir clarified. "Come, walk with me."
His voice was gentle, almost fatherly. There was not a hint of malice or aggression in his stride, either. It looked sincere enough for Hitirus to take an interest.
So he followed Befehlnadir, trying his hardest to take his mind off the pain. Yet the voices continued to speak, further hurting them.
They spoke about how the seedling is slowly growing. Especially the Thawed. Both Zegi also cheered, congratulating Hitirus in learning how to win.
Overhead greenery continued to cast away most sunlight, leaving very little to come through the canopy. But just enough for the duo to distinguish signals of wildlife.
Dens belonging to Stram laid empty of their original owners, leaving the new owners inside. Which were Gegtin, a type of spiked rabbit.
"Ah, how beautiful this forest here is. I can imagine it can soothe one's mind." Befehlnadir said. "Speaking of soothing one's mind, let's get yours fixed."
He took a detour, leading them away from their original direction. Hitirus promptly followed, curious yet desperate to relief himself of this headache.
Befehlnadir brought them over to one of the dens, which was coated in branches and leaves to hide their location. He took out a small herb from his pocket, then sniffed it.
"Come here, these Gegtin are harmless as long as you feed them. Once I give this to one, you better stick your nose inside. The spores they produce are strangely effective at curing headaches, fevers, and sore muscles."
Ruda frowned, seeming agitated about something. "Disrespectful Yonie! They've got my flooooweeers!"
Gat narrowed her eyes on the herb Befehlnadir held, and agreed. Those did belong to Ruda. However, these flowers only existed in their reality.
Implying he or someone he knew had access to the dream-like reality Gatruda had access to. What made it weirder was they didn't realize that something was off.
Further suggesting the one responsible was there before, and not a newcomer.
A Gegtin poked its snout out from under the leaves, sniffing for the source of the bitter aroma. Once it confirmed where it came from, the animal crawled out of its den.
It munched on the herb, careless about those that watched. Yellow spores launched off the plant, going in the direction that the mostly tranquil breeze.
Hitirus leaned in, attracting the animal's attention. It turned its spiky head slightly, pointing its right ear at the foreigner. Then it watched Hitirus awkwardly sniff in the spores.
"Yeah? Feeling better, right?" Befehlnadir asked. He let go of the herb, giving it to the Gegtin. Befehlnadir brought his hands down to his lap, then focused on Hitirus. "Speak, my good Verwirrtsur."
"This... how did you figure that out?" Hitirus asked, amazed by the sudden relief.
Befehlnadir shot back up to his feet, ignoring the question. He listened closely, then started walking to the north-east.
Despite understanding how weird that was, Hitirus was eager to figure out what Befehlnadir meant by 'mentor.' Was this the end of senseless killings between the two?
"All right, Tirus. How're your Zegi treating you? The Thawed, too?" Befehlnadir asked.
"We don't exactly like you yet, but maybe if you keep fighting on," the male Zegus whispered.
"You're improving, that's good," a female Melted Thawed added.
Hitirus listened to their voices carefully, making sure to decipher any hidden tones or emotions. Yet there were none. Just honesty.
"They are starting to get used to me," Hitirus answered.
Befehlnadir chuckled, turning around and pointing at him. "I knew my little trick would work. Now you're off to the race for King Khantretakhim's crown."
Gatruda looked at each other, smirking gently. They knew Hitirus wasn't going to last long as King, not when they checked over his future.
Ruda studied every event, from tragic to triumphant, in Hitirus' life. He knew him in and out, better than he knew himself. Even laughed at how he became what he was now.
Commenting 'very curious, Yonie!' after showing it to Gat. Which she agreed.
"You see that head of yours?" Befehlnadir turned back around. "Don't let that get struck again. Additionally, take notes about the next thirty-three words coming out of my mouth:"
"Your sub-versions will fight better together if they understood their allies more. Encourage those you've tamed to talk and befriend each other. That way, during battle, you can change Variants better and quicker."
Hitirus awed, surprised by the valuable information Befehlnadir just gave him. It was still a novelty to him, hearing his opponent aid rather than injure.
Befehlnadir glanced away from the tyrant, checking to see if the cloaked butler was there. And he was.
The memory of what they agreed to came back, motivating Befehlnadir to get out of there before they broke out into another fight.
"... Mean you're my 'mentor' now?" Hitirus caught Befehlnadir's attention again. "Hello?"
"Yeah - yeah, just keep going down this way. You'll run straight towards Nestres' location. But be careful, there are Ferals roaming these parts," Befehlnadir replied.
Gat narrowed her eyes, glaring at him. "Hmm... his memories are... weird? I can't get a good reading of what happened during very specific periods in time. All of which were in the last six days."
Ruda giggled. "He might be a little duuumb!"
"No, Ruda. This isn't the time for jokes. What this implies is there's another paranormal force interacting with that one," Gat explained.
"Eh..? Yonie..? We'll see tonight!" Ruda confidently replied to Gat.