“Get over here, you,” Theah demanded half-proud, half-annoyed, “ you charged in again, and what the hell was that air attack!?”

Eamon sat up, brushing ash from his sleeves as if this were just another training session. “Yes, I’m okay, thank you for asking.”

She glared but knelt beside him anyway. “You're lucky that thing was slower than it looked.”

“You're lucky I didn't accidentally win the whole fight,” Eamon scoffed.

Theah reached out, gripping his forearm. A soft baby blue hue glowed from her palm, washing over his skin in a cool, numbing wave, like snow melting into a bruise.

Eamon winced. “Ow. gentle, I just single-handedly killed a dragon, remember?”

“You tripped over a tree root halfway through.”

“That root was… strategic,  yes, I meant to fall.”

“Mm-hmm.” She tightened a bandage around his bicep. “You need to stop thinking that using your abilities will solve everything. You can’t just use brute force and teleport out of every situation.”

Eamon, forming a little dagger behind him, threw it, then teleported to it.”I disagree.”

Theah shot him a glare that could freeze a flame. “If we used the plan like YOU suggested, then you would not have been banged up so hard.”

“Exactly, my plan worked perfectly, giving us the upper hand.” A smile crept on his face while searching for a hint of approval.

“I planned,” she corrected, rolling her eyes, “you dove in like a lunatic and got lucky. What if I was not here to cripple the dragon or heal your wounds.”

The smile on Eamon's face fell; the mere thought that he could lose someone else so close to him shook him. He looked down, then back up at Theah.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly, “I'll listen next time.”

Theah let out a slow breath, assessing Eamon's emotions. She tightened the last knot on the bandage, then pulled Eamon's shoulder close.

“It was dumb,” she said, “reckless. chaotic, even outright stupid.”

Eamon looked away, a slight frown filled his face.

“But…”

Theah tilted her head, her voice softening just slightly. “You did manage to kill the dragon. You were able to do so despite being reckless.”

“That's something… right?” Eamon said, searching for some sort of approval.

“Yes, it shows me you have come a long way.” Theah smiled, then messed up Eamon's hair. “You are no longer that boy I stumbled upon many years ago.”

“So will you finally go on adventures alone?” Eamon said, hints of desperation in his voice.

“Maybe,” Theah said, her tone shifting again. She reached into her bag and pulled out a carefully wrapped bundle. “But first… I want you to have something.”

She handed it to Eamon.

He turned it over in his hands, curiosity flickering across his face. He unwrapped the cloth to reveal a sleek, obsidian-black mask — sharp-edged, angular, and unfamiliar. It looked like it belonged to someone... not him.

“A mask?” Eamon blinked. “How does this help in a fight? Does it give me super cool abilities? Like… make me scarier? Give me a deep voice or something?”

Theah chuckled, the tension in her shoulders relaxing for a moment. “No, no. Nothing like that.”

She knelt beside him, her voice dipping into a scolding tone,  but with calm intentions.

“This mask isn’t about power, Eamon. It’s about protection. A reminder that a battle isn’t always won with strength. Sometimes… It's about who has more information. Who’s willing to play the long game?”

Eamon tilted his head, running a thumb along the mask’s cheek. “So what, this is about hiding?”

“It’s about surviving,” she said. “Because if the wrong person sees your face, if they know your name, your ties, your habits, then they don’t need to beat you in a fight.”

             She paused, then looked Eamon dead in the eyes.

            “They can go for those around you. The ones you cannot protect. They will make you choose who lives and who dies.”

Eamon's smirk faded. “What type of trouble are we talking about?”

“Trouble you can't just fight or run from,” she said.

Theah met Eamon's eyes again, her expression Calm but gentle.

“Just remember, no matter how strong you are or how strong you become, there will always be someone stronger.”

Eamon looked down at the mask, lifting it to his face. The metal was cold, fitting for the lesson behind it.

“So… what would its name be?” he asked.

She arched a brow, “Well, that's your choice. Just remember, this mask is only a shadow of yourself, nothing more, nothing less.”

Eamon turned the mask over in his hands one last time before carefully tucking it away in his pack. 

“Can you collect the firewood for tonight? I'm exhausted,” he said, putting his right hand on his chest and dramatically brushing his brow with the other.

Theah smiled, shaking her head. “You don’t have to be so dramatic, but yes, I’ll get the wood.”

She stood up, brushed off dirt from her cloak, and disappeared into the trees. Eamon unraveled both sleeping bags, placing them adjacent to a makeshift fire pit. A few minutes later,  Theah stepped out of the forest, her arms full of kindling. She placed it down ornately, as if practiced dozens of times. She took two nearby stones and struck them together.

The first spark fizzled out. The second landed clean, catching the kindling. A sift amber glow bkiined across the camp, accompanied by the faintest smell of smoke.

“That should do,” Theah said, looking around at the desolate forest around them. “You go ahead and fall asleep, I will keep guard until the fire fades.

“Theah?” Eamon said suddenly, “I've always wondered… what you did before this? Y'know, before meeting me?”

Theah sighed, “I was… younger.”

“That isn't an answer.”

“That is an answer, just not the one you want,” she looked down at Eamon, a faint smirk tugging at her lips.

“Come on, that’s not fair,” Eamon muttered, turning away from Theah.

Theah smiled, Eamon's childish antics finally getting to her. “Fine, I was a sniper for a group of people until they killed a baby bear. That baby bear had so much to live for, so I just left.

Eamon blinked, “...a baby bear?”

“Well, that is what happened,” Theah said, looking up into the sky. “Now you should get some rest, your body still needs time to heal.”