Rumors circled around every inch of Amphoreus regarding those who were meant to protect them—not much to judge their reliability or influence, but to speculate about their privacy in a not very hushed voice. No one was indifferent to how guarded the Chrysos Heirs were when it came to letting someone other than themselves deep into their lives, after all, even if they were the heroes of the realm, they remained strangers to them. However, the common eye could see farther than they were supposed to, giving them the sensation of familiarity in desperation for a friend. Or perhaps ir simply served to satisfy the curiosity of their human minds, entertaining themselves with other people so they could forget about what troubles them.

And their watchful eyes soon noticed which heroes lingered in each other’s company more than the rest. Phainon was often seen around Mydei, either challenging him to some silly battle in order to pique the man’s interest, or merely craving someone’s presence to avoid the promised loneliness. But when the sun brightened hot and clear on the sky, Phainon could see the red tattoos kissing Mydei’s skin, a man that had already lost everything, long accustomed to solitude, always bothered by Phainon’s consistency.

Phainon greeted him with a cheerful voice, almost as if he hadn’t made a routine to find the other man when he was training.