Winter was in full swing, and the cold, stale air had settled over Reavik's town square. A few merchants chattered while a handful of others began closing up shop, it was getting dark fast.

Auger was so used to the familiarity of it all, his boots crunching through the shallow snow as he eyed the bounty board. 'Wanted: Murderer', one poster read. Auger snatched the paper. "Two pregnant women and a boy killed," he muttered, clutching the poster until it crumpled in his hand. The killer was last seen in an adjacent town, with a good price on their head.

Taking a deep shuddering breath, Auger straightened the flyer neatly and gave it another glance. "I'd better kill this one before winter ends... or things ain't lookin' good," he sighed, the warm vapor comforting him slightly from his financial situation as his eyes scanned the once-peaceful town. "Some things never change, I s'pose."

Winter was cruel. With it came the bone-chilling blizzards so common in Centrum. And Auger, who had been walking on foot to the next town, was taking the full brunt of the early change of season.

"Lord help me..." he muttered. Resilient as he was, with only a large cloak and tunic on his back, Auger had to find shelter soon, lest he turn into a frozen corpse. With every heavy step, he trudged through the thick snow until a nearby house came into view. Relieved, Auger picked up the pace and arrived at the doorstep before long.

"H-howdy." Auger knocked three times, making sure it was loud enough to be heard. "Sorry to bother you, but if you'd be so kind as to let me stay for the night, I'd be very grateful," he sighed, expecting no one to answer. "I'll even sleep in the barn, if you have one." Auger added quickly.

"Oh wait." His gaze dropped down at Eureka resting on his hip. "Better hide this." He muttered, quickly concealing the kriegsmesser as he prepared himself, for disappointment or relief.

Maybe it was a mistake, maybe just bad luck. Whatever the reason, Auger now faced a massive problem: a three-meter-tall short-faced bear. The animal measured him up, its face already at his height, and it was still on all fours. Auger slowly backed aways, eyes staring down the creature.

The bear followed, and Auger did his damndest not to panic while it got closer with every step. Then, it came. The ginormous bear charged, barely giving him time to dive to the side. "Well, I'll be damned! Faster than a horse, bullet-proof hide, is that it?!" Auger shouted, his face contorting in terror, but he had to think fast.

In a quick maneuver, he baited the charging beast, waiting until the last second before leaping upward and grabbing a high branch. It gave him enough time to draw his kriegsmesser. Without hesitation, Auger slashed his forearm, and Eureka responded by engulfing itself in searing blue flames. The bear didn’t stop. It paused only to change its angle, then came again, roaring as it barreled toward him dangling from the tree.

"Come at me you son, of a-" Wasting no time, he jumped down, driving the entire length of Eureka down the bear's throat. The burning blade scorched the animal from inside, but not before Auger was grazed by its claws even as the bear's strength wilted.

"AAARGHH!" Auger screamed in agony as they both collapsed, his lungs gasping for air. "Fuck fuck fuck fuck!" he trembled from the shock of it all, his hand instinctively moving to clutch his wounds. Auger breathed a choked gasped, relieved that he hadn't been ripped in half, but terrified as his own blood soaked the snow beneath him.

"I ain't gonna die here... am I?" he gritted his teeth, both to ease the pain and to cling onto what's left of his life. Auger's eyes fluttered closed, a single bitter tear running down his temple, melting into the crimson-stained snow.

The tavern Auger was in was lively to say the least. The clink of glasses and distant chattering blurred into background noises as Auger sat opposite to his companion. "Well, I've never drank with many people, but I think I'm supposed to treat you." His voice had the typical aloofness, but his cluelessness shone through.

"So, drink to your heart's content, pardner." Auger smiled faintly, raising his tankard towards the opposite seat. "Cheers. I don't drink much anyway." With that said, he downed a few hearty gulps before placing the tankard down.

It was a full moon night, one dotted with countless stars in the blue, blue sky. After traveling together for some time, Auger had grown fond of his companion. Part of him questioned if it was the right thing, but another part felt relieved. That at least his heart had not closed off just yet.

"If there ain't a beautiful moon tonight..." Auger muttered, a faint smirk growing on his lips as he took a quick glance at his pardner. He looked away just as quickly, then spotted two sturdy branches high in the tree above. "Tell you what. Why don't we get ourselves a nice view?"

Without hesitation, Auger leapt up, grabbing one branch while bracing his foot on another. Before long, he was lounging comfortably against the thick tree. "Care to join me, pardner?" he asked with a cheeky grin, eyes glancing downwards.

Under the room's dim lighting, Auger trembled. It had been so long since he'd let his guard down around someone else. But this time, he trusted his pardner enough not to judge his long-kept secret.

"Wow... I'm really not prepared for this, am I?" he let out a dry chuckle and carefully pulled off his tunic before discarding the garment to the side. Auger's deepest secret, his scarred body he'd been hiding, was finally revealed.

"Horrible, ain't it? A half-elf did this to me." His voice grew somber as those memories came rushing back. "She had barbed tentacles, like those of sea beasts. She scarred me. Every time I resisted her advances, she left another reminder." After a long, drawn-out sigh, Auger turned away, unable to meet anyone's eyes right now.

Auger was afraid. Afraid that he'd be used and abused again, just like all those years ago. He never expected to feel safe, much less being intimate with someone like this again. But now, things have changed.

"Woo... boy." Auger exhaled deeply, his finger nervously twirling his snow-white locks. "Sorry, it's been a long time. I've been through some... unpleasant things," he confessed, a tinge of shame in his voice. But while his reddened cheeks were flaring up like a tomato, Auger steeled his nerves. They both wanted this, and he wasn't about to let fear overwhelm him anymore.

"Hey. I'm grateful, you know," Auger whispered, meeting his pardner's eyes fully for a moment. "I never thought I'd trust anyone again." A small smile graced his lip as he peeled off the rest of his clothes, revealing his nude body while he was the most vulnerable. "Lord, this is so awkward..."

There she was, the traitor who had raised him. Even the sky seemed to mock Auger, a torrent of rain and snow pelting down as if nature itself reveled in his agony.

"Muan," Auger muttered, almost a growl. His grip tightened around Eureka’s handle, the only anchor for his bubbling resentment and grief. His piercing red eyes bored into her distant blues, unflinching.

"Auger," Muan returned calmly, devoid of hatred, only a chilling pragmatism. Then, her voice softened. "I... I want to apologize. For everything." Her hand stroked the gnarled roots entwining her shikomizue, the cane sword's rugged form a strange, wild ornament.

"You... want to apologize? Now, of all times?" He choked out a laugh, bitter tears burning his cold cheeks. The Muan before him was a stark contrast to the one in his memory. Her silky black ponytail was now aged silver, the generous smile was gone, and worst of all, a Fundamental Weapon rested on her hip. It was her, but oh-so-different. "It's too late for that." Auger covered his mouth, but the hysterical laughter wouldn't stop.

Muan remained silent, her expression unflinching even as her brother's words cut deep. "I know, Auger. I know. I was damn stupid- I couldn't bear seeing you surpass me on our graduation... so I..." She trailed off, her gaze finding the dagger on Auger's belt. "...I put that dagger through your back. I am sorry."

"And now, I'll drive it through your heart, sister." Wiping the tears from his face, Auger unsheathed the rondel dagger and snapped into an offensive stance.

"Then look me in the eyes when you do it." Muan bit her lip, a flicker of pain crossing her face before she drew her tanto in one fluid, defensive motion.

Nothing could've ever prepared Auger for today. The moment he saw her, a terrifying mix of rage, relief, and pure dread churned his gut. Kuyen, his rapist. All these years, he had never forgotten that cold, unchanging face.

"You." Auger snarled, his hand already on Eureka's hilt, the kriegsmesser now directed at Kuyen in one practiced swing. "Fuck me. Same old creepy face of yours, ain't it?" He chuckled bitterly, wincing as the memories of his abuse came rushing back.

Kuyen on the other hand, simply glanced down at him. The only ounce of emotion on the half-elf's face was a slight, curious tilt of her head. "Auger, dear. You remember me." She smiled faintly at most, as if she couldn't even register the pain she had put him through. She stood tall on her water platform, and with a lazy twirl of her finger, crystalline spheres of water materialized around them.

Auger scoffed, glaring at each one warily. "Done hidin' your true colors?" he muttered, his defiant gaze locking back onto Kuyen. "This thing between us... it ends right here, right now."

"As you wish." In a split second, the spheres hurled powerful bolts of water, prompting him to deflect one that nearly took his face off. "I was devastated when you left, you know," Kuyen said, her voice smooth over the hiss of her magic. "But you gave us something beautiful before you did." Her smile widened, her cheeks flushing a deep, unnatural red. "Our child," she whispered gleefully as shadowy tentacles began to uncoil from within her water spheres.

Without another word, Auger slashed his own palm with his kriegsmesser. From his blood, Eureka burst to life, its blade engulfed in searing blue flame. He took a heavy step forward, eyes fixed on Kuyen, his face twisting from unbridled resentment. He was ready to kill, one last time.

With a final, desperate swing, Auger’s kriegsmesser tore through Kuyen’s neck. Her head tumbled from her shoulders. As it rolled to a stop at his feet, her tentacles shriveled into dust and the last of her water spheres evaporated with a loud hiss. She sobbed in silence, tears flowing endlessly as her eyes looked up at his.

Auger stared down at the unnerving sight until Kuyen's gaze went blank. "We... did it," he coughed, the words scraping his throat. "We killed her." Still, a small smile slowly returned to his face as he leaned against his kriegsmesser, its blue flames already died out.

He looked over, his gaze finding his companion. "Hey. You holdin' up over there, pardner?" Auger asked, his voice strained with concern despite his worn state. He glanced down at his bleeding palm, then back up. "You saved my hide back there," he chuckled weakly, reaching out to give his companion a grateful pat on the shoulder. "I owe you one, that's for sure."