"Eris, you're of the same race as the gatekeeper. What do you think of what he's saying?"
Eris was irritated.
The news she had carried all the way there was, without a shadow of a doubt, the kind of thing that would cost her life if it were a lie. But she also couldn't treat that information lightly — because, despite everyone around her believing her family was incompetent, she was certain something more was happening.
It all started with the last replacement.
The average period the protectors held out varied from a month to nearly four, depending on who the chosen one was. Unfortunately, since she was the weakest of all there, it was almost always she who ended up being chosen to provide a replacement. But the last challenger — considered by her own family an extremely competent man — survived only two days after the release of the barrier.
Of course, everyone believed she had simply chosen someone weak. And, being human, that wasn't far from the truth. But she knew that weakness, alone, didn't explain everything. Something more was at play — and the family's next chosen one had confirmed it. The problem was that her theory was too crazy and too catastrophic for anyone to take seriously.
"Honestly, lords of the belt… I feel the gatekeeper is right."
"Shut up. How can we believe some random human? She's clearly trying to make excuses — probably for having put yet another incompetent to protect the wall. I won't send one of mine to replace a failure who, very probably, will be even worse than the last."
The great obstacle, Eris knew, was precisely that.
She depended on other races believing her. And that was nearly impossible.
"I understand this information is hard to accept. But perhaps we should at least consider it — after all, it's something unprecedented."
"Lady Bestaria, I imagined that, as a Burman queen and having this incompetent as your protégée, you would be the first to want to scalp her. How can you give ear to something so senseless?"
✦ ✦ ✦
The Burmans were a strange race.
Even after nearly a year living among them, Eris realized that much of what was said about them was profoundly contradictory. Despite being a culture of extremely skilled and selective warriors, they possessed a diarchic politics — in which both the king and the queen held the same power and the same influence. Something rare in itself, and even rarer in a society so geared toward war.
But there was an advantage in that for Eris.
That voluminous woman with the face of a lioness carried as much power and status as a male — and, beyond that, held a wisdom that others like her seemed never to reach. To Eris, it was almost as though intelligence, among the Burmans, could only come from a female. And she believed, firmly, that this was the true reason Burman women managed to ascend to power alongside such bellicose males. Even so, Bestaria was just one voice among many. Not only of other races, but of her own.
"Human. Maybe it's time you told them who this human is."
Suddenly, the conversation — which proceeded at a rhythm of repulsion and disorder — calmed.
The way that Burman spoke seemed to ignite a curiosity in everyone present.
"Yes, Lady Bestaria…"
Eris was nervous.
What she had told that woman seemed, to herself, something simple. Surprising, maybe, but of no great importance — just a description of who the human was and the power he had.
"Out with it already, human."
"Of course, forgive me, Lords… The human doesn't possess very high power. But he has many creatures in the stable."
"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?"
Someone shouted in the background, before being reprimanded by the Burman, who already seemed out of patience.
"Get to the heart of the matter, human. Don't take us for idiots."
"Of course, sorry… I noticed he controls some giant Yokais. Including a white and black one, of a size I had never seen. Honestly, I would say it's a queen — with almost complete certainty. And, besides that, he seems to command some griffins, and… I think Urskras too. Even an owlbear."
✦ ✦ ✦
When she said that, what she intended to communicate was simple.
That, despite that human's kingdom being pathetic in terms of territory, he was, without a shadow of a doubt, strong. Maybe not for Lords like the ones who were there — but, with all certainty, it was something notable by her standards. Deep down, she felt that revealing that would give her an argument to plead for the swap of the gatekeeper for someone more competent, capable of dealing with unexpected problems. After all, the number of humans willing to die for an impossible S+ level mission diminished by the day.
Who would have guessed she carried such shocking information.
Honestly, if it weren't for the Burman's sudden interest in hearing that, she herself would never have taken the thing seriously. In the end, Bestaria not only took it — but convened that meeting in her own name. To Eris, all of that was incomprehensible. She felt something was missing, but found herself completely lost.
Even more so when she noticed the reaction around her.
When she finished speaking, everyone seemed shocked. Wide-eyed. As though she had just described a monster.
"Human… you're lying."
The voice of that being made her blood run cold.
If Lady Bestaria was the personification of good sense, that one was who truly ruled — with an iron fist. It was he who gave the final word. The dialogue didn't matter much, because, in the end, it was always he who brought down the gavel.
"Supreme Lord of the great belt, I swear by everything that I'm not lying about what I saw. I'm only the bearer of the information. What he told me I have no way to confirm — but I suspect there's a truth to it."
Eris knew there was something wrong.
What that human had said made sense. But she was surprised — because the smiles of disdain had ceased, and now everyone was serious. It made no sense for that to happen because of her.
Could that man have something to do with this?, the girl thought.
✦ ✦ ✦
"Lady Bestaria. Do you think it could be him?"
Finally, Eris seemed to have become a mere bystander — while they now spoke openly about the gatekeeper.
It was strange. They spoke of him with respect. As though they treated him as an equal.
What the hell is happening here?, she thought again.
"Lord Wignall… I was there, in Inora. It's him."
Eris was confused.
She knew what Inora was — but she also knew it was something that she, as a human, would never have access to. And yet, there they were, talking about something related to the true bigwigs of the universe. Her nervousness rose, more and more. What had her father done? Who was that man? And what, in the name of everything, was happening?
While she lost herself in her own thoughts, the Aquamarine pulled her from the stupor.
"Human. Did he happen to say how much time we have?"
She was confused.
Because she herself hadn't gotten to the heart of the matter — after all, it was madness. She doubted what she had heard, even if all the clues assembling in her mind pointed in the same direction. Only one thing remained to her: to kneel and beg.
"FORGIVE ME, MY LORD! I came running as soon as I learned the information, but I didn't pay attention to the details of how it was discovered nor the developments!"
The Aquamarine didn't show irritation beyond what he already had.
But the look of disdain and rage was something so common in him that she wouldn't be able to say how he really felt.
"It's very strange how you treat your Singulars… Prepare an envoy. Each one will provide fifty units. We need to go there to investigate before the end of the period."
Eris was shocked.
A lot had happened in so little time. They were, in fact, taking seriously what she had said. No — what that human had said. Singular. Her mind searched, desperate, for what that word meant. Because, despite the Oasis allowing egalitarian communication among all races, some words were diffuse, and carried a weight different from what they appeared. She had heard that word before. But it was something distant. So distant that her own mind refused to remember.
"Everyone dismissed."
✦ ✦ ✦
The meeting in that clearing ended.
The ten forces began to leave, leaving only the human — still on her knees, pensive about all of it — and the enormous woman with the face of a lioness.
"Raise your head, human. You did an excellent job."
Eris was even more confused.
A Burman praising her. Was that possible? Since she had arrived at that place, she had been rebuffed and hated in every imaginable way. Were it not for Lady Bestaria's protection, she would have been dead long ago. In the end, being the only woman among so many men had been the only thing that kept her preserved. A pet. But a pet that remained alive — and that was what mattered.
But, this time, the great Burman's tone was different.
Not of pity. Not of mercy. But of… pride.
"Miss Bestaria… I'm sorry…"
The woman, who was already withdrawing, stopped and turned to Eris, still confused about everything that had happened.
"Out with it. What do you want to know? But know that there are things your race will never know. Even so… maybe I can give you a prize for your shrewdness, and tell you something."
Eris felt happy and confused at the same time.
She understood she needed to ask the right question. Otherwise, she would lose not only her protector's kindness, but also her interest. And she regretted it the very moment the words began to form — maybe it would be better to stay silent. But now it was too late.
She could ask about Inora. But she knew it was forbidden — the Burman herself had already given the hints. It would have to be something simple, but that said a lot. And, while her mind flew, finally a light at the end of the tunnel appeared.
She raised her head. She knew exactly what she needed to ask.
"Why… why is he a Singular?"
✦ ✦ ✦
Not how. Not when. Why.
That was the question.
Eris's mind finally recovered the one time she had heard that word — and it was from her own father's mouth, when he spoke about the winner of a battle between races. The winner, at the time, was a very strong Aquamarine, whose power was said to be greater than that of any other. They said that, even if he had competed in any other year, he would have won with ease. His power was incredible — but it wasn't only that. He seemed to have been chosen by the gods themselves, because everything good one could have, he had. They even said his kingdom had become one of the strongest of all the seas in very few years.
All those who were considered beyond the curve, even within their own species, received that name.
Singular. Something unique among the whole. The alpha of an entire race. The perfect picture, painted with everything that each member of that species should aspire to be. And that was how that human had been called.
The "how" was easy to understand.
He clearly had a strength without equal. Eris had never seen a human commanding Yokais — and, even so, that wasn't the most shocking thing. He had griffins. More than one. And some were young. Her mind raced toward a possibility she refused to accept, but that, after everything she had seen, opened before her like a door.
The "when" also made sense.
She knew he was a recent returnee. Someone without much history or accumulated power — because it was clear, from the little wealth he had, that there was no one relevant behind him. He was a poor rookie. But strong.
And that was where the heart of the matter lay.
Why would someone poor and a rookie be considered a Singular by the Aquamarines? Why — and not how, not when — was the only question that really mattered.
The smile of the voluminous lioness woman seemed to widen even further.
Eris had asked the correct question.
"Very well… follow me. I have quite a story to tell you."