Chapter 3736: Common Ground (Part 1) ’That wasn’t necessary.’ Acala said via a mind link after holding Dawn’s hand for secrecy. ’I know I wronged Nalrond, and there is no point in increasing our score.’ ’It was necessary.’ She replied. ’You are free to feel guilty for what you have done, just like I’m free to be angry for what the Rezars have done to me. Also, I don’t like Friya’s self-righteous attitude. ’I won’t let her bully you, let alone me!’ ’That wasn’t necessary.’ Nalrond said via a mind link after holding Friya’s arm to calm her down. ’Yes, I hate Acala, and I’ll never forgive him. Yet everything Dawn said is right. ’The Rezars did terrible things to her, and even if Acala didn’t betray us, it was only a matter of time before she found someone who’d help her escape.’ It pained Nalrond greatly to admit it, but he did it nonetheless. ’I’m not saying this to absolve Acala. He’s still a murderous bastard, but there’s nothing to gain from antagonizing him. Quite the contrary. As Dawn pointed out, she helped Solus many times and is an asset against Night.’ ’It was necessary.’ Friya replied. ’I knew how badly losing your people hurt you from your stories, but I didn’t truly understand how much until we went to rescue Salman. Maybe the Rezars had it coming, but Dawn still murdered innocents and children. ’She took everything you had from you, and I’ll never forgive her for that.’ "It seems we are at an impasse." Dawn retracted the crystal armor and broke the silence. "That we are." Friya’s aura and scales disappeared. "Look, as Solus said, we don’t have to like each other, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn to get along." The Horseman offered her hand. "Get along?" Nalrond shook it after noticing that the children were still staring at them, but his jaw was clenched and his skin pale. "We are allies and we can’t allow our grudges to compromise our common goal." Acala shook Friya’s hand despite the revulsion she felt at the contact. "Since when are we allies and have a common goal?" She asked. "Aren’t you going to help Lith and Solus against Night and Meln?" Dawn pointed out coldly. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎 "Of course we are!" Nalrond replied. "Those bastards tried to kill us, and we are not going to abandon our friends." "And so are we." Acala nodded. "Meln and Night are not only Lith’s and Solus’ enemies, but also our own. They tried to kill our brother Dusk and stole his crystal. They are after our little sister Kelia and, most likely, after our crystal as well. "Do you plan to let Kelia be taken by Meln just because she’s bonded to a Horseman?" "No way." Friya grunted in understanding. "I know Kelia. She’s a good kid and reminds me a lot of my sister Quylla. Even if she didn’t have Dusk’s shard in her chest, I’d never let scum like Meln hurt her. "Let alone knowing it would make him much stronger." "Then we have a common ground from which to start." Dawn took a step back, holding the flowers she had received from Acala with both hands. "I see no reason we can’t slowly expand it until we are comfortable with each other." "Expand how?" The idea of fighting side by side with Dawn made Nalrond want to puke, but turning her down and helping Meln made him want to rip his own heart out. ’Dusk is a piece of shit no less than Dawn, but he saved Kelia from things I can’t even imagine.’ He thought. ’She’s in agony ever since Night took him away from her. The same Night who tried to kill Selia and the kids for sport. ’She was already much worse than Dawn back when she was just the Mad Horseman. After bonding with Meln, she’s become a threat to everything I love just because Friya and I are Lith’s friends.’ "I’ve heard you solved the problems with your life force." The Horseman of Dawn replied. "That’s how you’ve become whatever an Agni is. Congratulations. Tell me, how is your training going?" "Poorly." Nalrond had to admit. "Everyone I know is either too heavy or too light compared to me. Getting used to my body in normal life was easy, whereas I’m still clumsy in battle." "Let me guess." Dawn said. "Your Light Mastery makes things even harder. You either use it from the start and win the spars too quickly to learn something, or you delay it for fairness and lose like a chump." "How do you know that?" Nalrond’s eyes widened in surprise. "It’s the curse of a Light Master." The Horseman replied. "You need another person like you to train properly because regular magic just doesn’t cut it. To make matters worse, your friend Salman is not up to the task." "How do you know about Salman?" Friya went pale, fearing the worst. "Please. As I said, I come here often. I take Mother for groceries, and recently Kelia has started visiting Lutia." Dawn snorted. "Do you really think I could miss the mysterious newcomer from the Blood Desert? I recognized him immediately." Nalrond checked his communication amulet, sighing in relief when he noticed that Salman’s contact rune was still there. "I wasn’t lying when I told you I’ve moved on, Nalrond." Dawn rolled her eyes at his lack of trust. "I don’t care about you Rezar, Agni, or whatever you want to call yourselves anymore. I won’t harm you or your ’friend’ unless you make me." ’Salman had to have quite the reputation if even Acala knows about him.’ Friya could hear the air quotes and the contempt in the Horseman’s voice. "Salman is nothing to me. He never learned my most powerful spells, and the legacy he holds is incomplete. Like it or not, you are the closest thing to a disciple I have, Nalrond, and I’m the closest thing to a master you have." Dawn said. "Why can’t I be your sparring partner? What do you have to lose? If you win, and you won’t, you get to beat me to your heart’s content and find whatever peace your so-called revenge can give you. "If you lose, and you will, you’d still be able to vent all of your rage. To go all out without worrying about hurting me because you can’t. You can watch and learn from me, like you did with my Daybreak spell. "You can grow stronger by stealing from your hated enemy. It’s a win-win situation for you." She took a pause to let him mull over her offer. "When you put it that way, it’s a win-win situation for me but a lose-lose situation for you." Nalrond replied. "I find it weird that you are willing to give more of your knowledge away out of the goodness of your heart. What do you gain from this?" "Many things." Dawn replied with an amiable smile. "I mold a better helper against Night and a better protector for Kelia. I smooth things over with you and I help Zepho fight his inner demons. "By helping you, I’m helping him to relieve his guilt. Atonement, as Zepho calls it. I have no need for it, but he does. I care about him more than I despise you, thief."