The third day was colder than the last two. The snow wasn't falling anymore but the mountains were cloaked in thick frost, like the whole world had been painted in a quiet shade of white. Thales's boots crunched hard on the frozen crust with each step, but what amazed him more than the view was the man walking ahead of him.
Phaser wore nothing but a black compressor shirt that clung to his frame, simple travel pants, and a pair of thick winter boots. His tanned skin steamed faintly in the thin air. Everywhere he walked the snow seemed reluctant to touch him, melting into faint rivulets that cooled before hitting the ground.
"Alright, how are you doing that?"
Phaser gave him a sidelong glance. His breath didn't fog in the cold.
"Doing what?"
"You're not dressed for winter. I'm layered up like a wrapped pig and you're out here steaming like a roast. What, are you hiding a stove in your stomach?"
Phaser chuckled with his hands in his pockets.
"Not quite. The Argemenes body constitution is… different. We adapt to any condition be it heat, cold, dryness and humidity. It balances itself without us thinking about it."
"Balanced? That's what you call this? You're walking climate control, Phaser. By the Goddesses, that would have saved me a lot of trouble back home."
"You'd get bored without your trouble."
They walked in silence for a few minutes, their boots dragging through the drift, watching the mountain ranges stretch across the pale horizon. Thales kept sneaking glances at him. There was something surreal about it, like hiking next to a man who didn't belong to the same rules of nature. Finally, Thales broke the silenu.
"You know, I heard something about your House."
"Oh?"
"That the House of Argemenes doesn't show their Flux. Is that true?"
"You've been listening to the wrong tongues but yes, it's not something we flaunt. In fact, only the Twelve Houses know what our Flux actually is."
"The Concept Flux. The rarest kind in the world, found only in your bloodline."
Phaser didn't answer immediately. He stopped at a rocky ledge where the snow was shallow, crouched, and brushed frost off a flat stone. He picked up a frozen Fluvium carcass nearby, the little winged thing stiff as a twig, and stacked it with a few rocks in a vague imitation of a letter, just another of the odd little signs they'd been leaving behind as proof of their trail of they got lost. When he straightened, his hair caught the thin morning light, his long crimson strands stirring in the alpine wind. Phaser finally spoke dusting his palms together.
"We have a few traditions. The first is about the hair. We can't cut it. It's supposed to stay long until a ritual is done. Doesn't matter who you are or where you're stationed. Fortunately, our hair doesn't grow fast so most of us don't end up tripping over it."
Thales snorted. "So if I see an Argemenes bald, I should run?"
Phaser grinned at his own bluntness, then kept walking.
"If you see an Argemenes bald, he's already dead. The second tradition is that we cannot use our Flux unless we're on the brink of death. That's the law of the House. Even I haven't seen most of my family unleash theirs. The strings you've seen me use are powered by my Xana, yes, but they're not my Flux itself. It's a weapon."
"That's… kind of terrifying. A house full of people holding back the rarest Flux in the world, only using it when they're about to die?"
"It's meant to be terrifying. After all, we keep it a secret from the world."
Thales slowed for a step, taking that in.
"You're telling me you live every day with that kind of weight, and the biggest rule in your family is 'don't cut your hair'?"
Phaser laughed.
"Well, there's more. We also eat Fluvehearts regularly. It helps maintain our body structure and keeps us from collapsing in on ourselves. It's why I look like a furnace in this weather. Without them, our bodies would start… unraveling."
"Unraveling?"
"Don't picture it."
"I'm picturing it. It's gross."
"Good."
They hiked on. The wind picked up, blowing thin ice crystals against their faces. Thales shoved his hands deeper into his gloves.
"You know, you're lucky."
"Am I?"
"Yeah. Your House has a good combat Flux. You could have been some cold-blooded executioner, but here you are, walking next to me, building little messages out of rocks and dead Fluviums like a damn trail scout."
Phaser tilted his head back, watching a hawk circle far above the cliffs. A smile tugged at his lips.
"You're amazed that someone like me isn't as dangerous or as cold as my sister, aren't you?"
Thales gave him a look. "I mean… yeah. Your sister gives me nightmares just standing in the same room as her. You? You laugh. You crack jokes. You talk like we've known each other years."
"I am dangerous, Thales. Don't mistake that. I just don't show it. I'm an Argemenes, after all."
°°°°°°°
By the time they reached the peak, the world seemed to stretch into infinity. The air was thin and crisp, biting the lungs, yet their bodies endured it with ease. The horizon was slowly bleeding gold, the rising sun tearing open the dark sky with streaks of amber and fire.
Thales planted his boots firmly at the edge, panting not from exhaustion but from the sheer thinness of air.
"Worth every step."
Phaser stood beside him, steam still trailing from his skin. His eyes reflected the morning light.
"Jump."
Thales blinked, whipping his head around. "What?"
"Jump."
Phaser's gaze stayed on the horizon. His voice was steady, almost casual, as if he were suggesting they change their path.
"Phaser, I'm not throwing myself off a—"
The ground trembled. The mountain itself convulsed beneath them with stone groaning and snow breaking loose in massive sheets that cascaded down the slopes. The entire peak shifted like a beast shaking off its sleep.
"Now!"
Instinct overrode thought. Thales didn't argue. He leapt with Phaser into the clouds.
The peak split behind them, stone exploding outward in an avalanche of rock and snow. The shockwave of it slammed into them midair, tossing them like leaves in a storm. For a dizzying heartbeat, Thales thought this was how he would die.
The mountain was moving.
At first, he thought it was collapsing but its shape unfurled with layers of rock cracking and shuddering as though they were nothing but a crust. A colossal limb broke free, scattering avalanches that thundered down into the valleys below. A deer like head crowned with snow and ice pulled itself into the clouds. The mountain was not a mountain. It was a Fluvium giant over four thousand meters tall.
Thales's heart plummeted even as his body plummeted. He had studied enough to know exactly what he was seeing. This wasn't just a beast. This wasn't even one of the nightmare-class abominations Fluxers whispered about in bars.
This was a Class Eleven Fluvium.
They could turn kingdoms into ruins just by stirring. Not even the strongest Houses, even together, could take down such a thing without losing armies in the attempt.
Thales gritted his teeth and summoned his Flux. His Xana ignited around him like sunlight, condensing in front of him into a massive floating sword. He slammed his feet onto its flat surface as it materialized, steadying himself. Phaser landed beside him with the ease of a man stepping onto a porch. The sword hovered, carrying them as if it had always been meant to.
Thales's hands shook as he stared up at the titan rising from the earth. Its face was hidden in the dust. A sound rumbled out of it that rattled the bones.
"What the hell is a Class Eleven Fluvium doing here?"
"Don't fight."
Thales swung to face him. "Don't—Phaser, that's a Class Eleven. We won't even scratch it—"
Before he could finish, the air quaked. A voice boomed down from the heavens themselves.
"What do you seek?"
The words weren't just sound. They pressed into Thales's chest, reverberating in his ribs, drilling into his skull. He felt like he was a pebble being addressed by an ocean. He staggered back, his eyes wide.
"It spoke? Fluviums don't..."
Phaser, calm as if this were an everyday stroll, lifted his chin.
"It's an honor to stand before you, one of the Ten Fluve Guardians."
Thales's heart skipped. His eyes darted to Phaser, searching for a hint of jest. There was none. Phaser was serious.
The Ten Fluve Guardians.
He had read of them in ancient records half-buried under dust. Legends told that they weren't just colossal Fluviums. They were the chosen creations of one of the Six Goddesses herself known as The Goddess of Nature, the deity who had once walked the soil of the world and gifted humanity the Elemental Flux.
They were her guardians.
They didn't attack Fluxers. They didn't wage wars. They simply watched and waited, slumbering in the hidden folds of the world, anchored in places mortals had forgotten how to see. Entire Fluve Fields concealed their presence, untouched by human hands, because to stumble into one was to stumble into a miracle. They were said to bring incredible luck, enough to turn dynasties into empires and to shield bloodlines from ruin. Every House dreamed of gaining the favor of a Guardian, even whispered prayers into the wind hoping their gaze would linger for a heartbeat. But no House had ever claimed to meet one.
And yet here was Phaser, speaking to it normally.
"Phaser… how do you know this is? How do you even know about them?"
"Mmm? Oh that's a family secret."