"The undeads are coming"
When these mere four words were spoken, those who knew froze, whilst those who didn't erupted into conversations amongst themselves, an unknown enemy was apparently aiming to slay them, and this could only mean that they would have to fight.
No one knew just what was the difference between how time flowed here and how it flowed beyond the realm, for all that they knew, one day here might be enough for the undead to figure out how to break in, or perhaps the difference would mean that no one currently alive right would be present for when they actually arrived.
The only one who could possibly have an idea of the difference was…
"Arzt! What is it? What is the difference?" questioned Milo, since the last time they had met, the carver had not changed one bit, still the same, old and hairy grey man, seated in the exact same position, in the exact same spot, hunched over as he carved and named, named and carved without stop, like a machine.
"Mmh? The time difference between the Emerald Realm and the outside? Well, that is a difficult question to ask…"
Milo on the other hand, had definitely changed quite a bit, their days of peace had extended from a mere few months to multiple years now, everyone had begun healing from their mental scars, for better or for worse- They had started to move on from their fear of Loimos and the undead.
Their attention had moved to the lives they were leading, to the life they had gained upon stepping into the Emerald Realm, it had been a long time since the last time Milo had been plagued by visions and nightmares of Loimos.
Arzt scratched behind one of his ears, neck cracking loudly as he slightly tilted his head to the side.
"I can't tell you that… The way time flows outside is entirely different from the way it is here, our days and nights are not subject to a completely constant metric, the emerald sun just goes whatever it wants, spirit life only keeps on revitalising the environment… And most importantly- Does it even matter, when our enemies are eternal beings? Time means nothing to them, it is but a weapon they can wield against us" he shrugged, in his hands, a skull carved from stone, with deep marks upon it.
Milo could only sigh, he was right after all, and anyways, it seemed like he just didn't even know that difference to begin with, despite his travels beyond the realm…
"Time and space are tricky concepts, which are simultaneously seen as unbreakable, and yet, are two concepts which are most commonly bent and changed… Mmh… This fellow relates to time, I think" he commented, raising the stone skull in the air.
"What is that skull supposed to represent?"
"I think he'll be paying a visit to us… Or maybe not, hard to say… Since you told me the name of the undead you fear, my carvings have been heavily related to undeath and corpses, this is making my old knees hurt… It seems like a confrontation in inevitable"
Putting the skull down after carving a few things upon the top of it, Arzt turned to Milo.
"You are surely planning on fighting on the frontline, aren't you?" the old man's tired gaze fell on the no longer so-young man.
Milo's hair had grown longer, a beard having settled upon his face, his eyes had grown more focused, more tender perhaps.
"Of course, I feel at fault for bringing the undead here- And besides, I know them"
"Eheheh… What a guy you are, Milo" the carver chuckled "But is Helena of the same opinion? She certainly would have accompanied you before… But now that you are parents, I doubt she'll see it the same way, in fact, I doubt you are as resolute as you try to appear"
Milo looked up at the ceiling, without responding.
"Children need both of their parents…" Milo's attention was swiftly brought back down as loud cracks and pops suddenly filled the room.
It sounded as though Arzt had not moved in years from this position as each and every one of his joints and bones seemed to be experiencing movements they had come to forget.
"But the situation is critical, no one should stay idle! Loimos- The undead, they are a threat the likes of which nothing short of maximum power and perfection could possibly bring down!" Milo had the golden mana as well, if he could simply grasp that surge he had experienced back then, then perhaps he might just be capable of something.
"Critical?" the carver stood to his full height, which was severely higher than Milo had imagined.
Arzt was neither a sun worshipper nor a beast worshipper, he just carved objects out of stone and gave them names.
Stretching his weary limbs, he continued :
"The situation isn't quite as critical as you might imagine, Milo"
"This isn't like it was for you before… They are stepping into our realm, our domain, they will be weaker than ever, and there will be no mercy"
"You… You're going to fight, Arzt?"
"Of course, you know, men can hardly reach the highest echelon of either worship, the rules were set when the emerald sun and all-beast first ascended to these positions themselves- And besides, I had another calling" he looked around at the room, filled with sculptures and carvings.
"What I want to say is that you don't have to worry, the heralds, priestesses and I will handle any and all problems that come our way, so just sit back, alright? It isn't your responsibility to protect this realm" placing a hand upon Milo's shoulder, the younger man could only sigh.
"I wasn't expecting you to spew out an entire monologue, Arzt, but fine, I guess you're right… I'll definitely get involved if things turn sour though"
"Mmh, you'll have to defeat your wife first, and I can assure you that there is no opponent more difficult than that, now go and spend some time with your kids" shooing Milo away, the carver shook his head as he carefully walked around the cluttered inside of his shack, moving an especially heavy sculpture, pulling up one of the old floorboards before beginning to fish around into the dark and filthy crawling space.
"No… Not there- Ah, here you are" he muttered to himself, recognising the feel of this particular stone object.
'Huh… How long has it been since I held you?' carefully pulling it out, all grime and dust falling off from the item's surface, revealing a most blunt, yet magnificent stone sword.
The weapon's name inscribed upon the guard.