Kina came to a halt. After a brief silence, the thick arm of Kina slowly rose. Then, the three-pronged fingers at its end spread wide before clenching once more.
Kina's movements were steadier than anticipated. Despite its great size, there was no jerking or wavering in its motions, appearing precise enough to lift even a small pebble without error.
"Kina is the gift bestowed upon the Muwa by the gods Twen and Wente."
Igor continued.
"The two gods accompany Na-Woul."
Gravel turned his head.
"Accompanying Na-Woul... like Awen, Fearalda, and Glorre?"
"Yes, akin to Sarun-Ke's goddesses Awen, Fearalda, and Glorre."
Igor replied.
"Twen is the god who breathes life into trees. He grants the strength for seeds to sprout, for roots to delve deep into the earth, and for branches to reach toward the heavens."
Benarr nodded lightly and added his words.
"Twen is said to favor the planting of trees. He is close to the Vrant as well. He is also the god who bestowed enduring strength upon the Dawi."
"Then what of Wente?"
Iris leaned forward slightly as she asked.
"Wente is the god who granted wisdom and wings to the Muwa."
Igor gazed at Kina for a moment before answering in a calm voice.
"It is Wente's blessing that allows the Muwa to soar high and silently through the skies. Wente is the god who commands the winds of the forest."
"Then Kina is something created together by the two gods?"
Gravel asked, shifting his gaze to Kina.
"Indeed."
Igor replied.
"Twen causes the trees to grow and infuses Kina with life. Wente provides the legs for movement and the sturdy arms."
Nia continued to stare at Kina.
"Tree is walking!"
Gravel looked around the lake once more. The Kinas were slowly approaching Rah. Some had already arrived before Rah and stood still, their arms extended forward, heads bowed toward it.
"The Kinas offer reverence to Rah as well."
"It is the Muwa within who offer reverence."
Igor replied.
"Kina is like the body of the Muwa. When the Muwa clasp their hands within, Kina too turns toward Rah."
Gravel observed the Kina standing before Rah. Its arms drew together before its chest, touching one another,
appearing much like the praying hands of a Dawi.
A moment later, a faint light seeped from the chest of Kina. Slender threads of pale blue light flowed from the gaps between the wooden armor plates on its trunk, stretching toward Rah.
The threads crossed the air and touched Rah.
Rah shimmered briefly.
"Is the Muwa inside sending mana?"
Iris asked.
"Yes. Even from within Kina, the Muwa can send mana to Rah."
Gravel examined Kina's form more closely.
"Is Kina used in battle as well?"
"Kina was created to protect the Dawi and Muwa."
Igor replied.
"Kina is strong. It is employed against orcs and even when facing minotaurs."
Benarr smiled as he spoke.
"Long ago, a Sarun-Ke named Undur Nabazarr joined the warchiefs of Damu in an expedition to subdue the orcs of the wasteland. He recorded the fierce advance of the Kinas, plunging straight into the heart of the enemy lines with such massive weight that they seemed ignorant of hesitation, even as the front lines wavered. Witnessing their unyielding momentum amid the chaos, he thereafter called Kina 'Fearnought'."
Nia's eyes widened as she asked.
"Then is Kina stronger than orcs?"
"It is said that Kina possesses strength that does not yield even to that of the Vrant."
Benarr traced the rim of his teacup with his finger and nodded lightly.
"Of course, it depends on the Muwa who moves it."
Gravel fell into thought for a moment.
"(Guardians of the forest, tree giants... strength to match that.) How many Kinas are there?"
Gravel asked.
"Not many."
Benarr set his cup aside and folded his hands.
"Crafting a Kina is no simple task. It takes decades just to grow the trees, and years more for the Muwa to shape them with forming magic. Thus, Kinas exist only in Melharam and Damu."
"Are there Kinas in Damu as well?"
"Of course."
Benarr traced the rim of his teacup with his finger and nodded lightly.
"Damu has eighty. Of those, twenty always stand ready near the walls."
"Then in Melharam?"
"Around two hundred here."
Igor lifted the teapot and refilled Gravel's cup. Warm steam rose.
Gravel lifted the cup and took a sip. The tea remained warm, and the scent of herbs spread through his mouth.
At that moment, a commotion arose from the far side of the lake.
Gravel turned his head.
Something was approaching from afar.
At first, its shape was unclear. But as it drew nearer, its form became evident.
In Gravel's eyes appeared the shapes of two enormous Kinas.
They were far larger than any Kina Gravel had seen thus far. These beings seemed three or four times the size of ordinary Kinas, their height reaching from twenty to twenty-five cubits.
The two Kinas were covered in black cloth. The cloth enveloped their entire trunks, flowing gently downward, its hem halting just above the ground.
The Kinas did not move. Instead, dozens of Dawi pulled a great wheeled cart. The Kinas lay upon the cart. The Dawi slung long ropes over their shoulders and advanced slowly.
"What are those...?"
"They are the Kinas of the gods Twen and Wente."
Igor answered quietly.
"Kinas to house the two gods."
Gravel could not tear his eyes away as he gazed at the two Kinas.
"The gods themselves... in those Kinas?"
"Yes. When Twen and Wente descend, they reside in those Kinas. Thus, they are always kept in order, ready for any visit."
Benarr added.
"Those two Kinas are special. Far larger and far stronger than ordinary ones. As vessels for gods, after all."
The cart slowly approached the lakeside. The Dawi pulled the ropes, advancing step by step. Sweat streamed from their brows, yet none halted.
When the cart reached the shore, the Dawi set down the ropes and caught their breath.
Several priests approached. They slowly removed the black cloth covering the two Kinas.
As the cloth was peeled away, the forms of the Kinas were revealed.
Gravel opened his eyes wider and leaned forward, striving to observe the details.
The two Kinas were immense. Their trunks appeared woven from several thick tree pillars, and their surfaces bore intricate patterns resembling entwined leaves and vines.
Each had four arms. Every arm was several times thicker than those of ordinary Kinas, ending in sharply divided finger-like prongs.
The two legs seemed layered from multiple tree pillars, with bronze-hued metal rings embedded at the joints.
The front of the upper body was layered with thick wooden plates. In the center, amid a wide gap, a vast emerald-green gemstone lay exposed, its smooth surface in sharp contrast to the edges of the fissure.
The second Kina was likewise immense. Similar in form to the first, but its arms differed slightly. Two arms extended long, while the other two held broad shield-like plates.
"Those two Kinas belong respectively to Twen and Wente."
Igor said, gazing toward the Kinas of the two gods.
The priests fully removed the black cloth, then drew water from the lake into small vessels and poured it over the Kinas. The water was sprinkled across their trunks. As it soaked in, the wooden surfaces gleamed.
"Oh... Come to think of it, today is the day to replace the black cloth, is it?"
Benarr straightened his back briefly and looked around. With brows slightly raised, he wore an expression as if recalling something.
"What is the black cloth made from?"
Iris asked, turning her gaze toward the Kinas.
"It is cloth dyed with pigment from the bark of the Garell tree."
Igor set down the teapot in his hand and continued.
"The Garell tree grows only in the temple grounds. The pigment extracted from its bark yields a deep black hue."
Benarr adjusted the decorative cords on his garment with his fingers and added.
"The replaced cloth is sometimes distributed to Dawi and Muwa who visit Melharam, or used for the banners of warchiefs. It is sacred cloth, after all."
Gravel nodded and gazed again at the two Kinas. The priests began covering them with new black cloth. The cloth slowly enveloped the trunks of the Kinas.
Nia wagged the tip of Nia's tail.
"Truly enormous!"
"Have you ever seen those Kinas move?"
Gravel asked Benarr.
"Not once."
Benarr shook his head.
"The descent of Twen and Wente is exceedingly rare. In all my years since birth, it has not occurred even once."
"Then when do the two gods descend?"
"No one knows."
Benarr replied.
"The will of the gods cannot be foreseen."
Gravel fell silent for a moment. He gazed at the two Kinas, lost in thought.
"I wish to sketch the form of Kina; would that be permitted?"
"You mean to draw Kina? You will need tools."
"I have my own. I always carry implements for recording."
Gravel drew from his bag thin paper and a portable ink vial. He lightly dipped the nib, then traced lines upon the paper as if organizing the details he had just observed in his mind. To grasp Kina's structure, he paused his drawing several times, glancing back at the real forms, adjusting the thickness and direction of the lines.
"When were those Kinas created?"
Without halting the hand that sketched Kina's form, and keeping his gaze upon the paper, Gravel asked.
"Long ago."
"Precisely unknown, but the crafting of Kinas for the two gods must have been at least several hundred years past."
"Such ancient trees still..."
"They receive the essence of Rah, so time holds no sway."
Benarr smiled.
"Trees imbued with Rah's essence do not decay; they remain unchanged through hundreds, even thousands of years."
Igor added.
"In the temple, we sprinkle water from the lake upon the two Kinas each year. Thus, their forms are preserved eternally."
Gravel gazed again at the two Kinas. The priests had fully covered them with the black cloth. The two Kinas lay once more shrouded in black.
The sun dipped lower. Sunset hues tinted the lake. Rah still shone with a deep blue light.
Gravel sipped his tea as he beheld the lake.
It was a tranquil moment.
The surrounding Kinas were withdrawing one by one from before Rah. Those who had finished their reverence slowly made for the temple's exterior.
Nia watched the Kinas, wagging her tail.
"Even seeing it again, it's marvelous. Trees that move!"
"Heh heh heh. I too was astonished when I first beheld them."
Benarr laughed as he spoke.
"But once accustomed, it seems quite natural."
Gravel nodded. He followed one Kina with his eyes once more. The Kina was walking toward the temple entrance.
The sunset glow reflected upon the lake softly colored the temple's wooden pillars and the vast bodies of the Kinas.
From afar came the sound of the wheeled cart bearing the Kinas for the two gods Twen and Wente toward the temple's depths, and the footsteps of dozens of Dawi advancing step by step, grasping long ropes.
Yet that peace did not endure long.
Footsteps echoed from afar. Swift and urgent footsteps.
Gravel turned his head.
A single Dawi was running toward them. His face was pale, and his breath came in ragged gasps.
He approached the place where the group sat, then hesitated, slowing his steps.
His gaze upon Igor held a flicker of uncertainty, and Igor closed his eyes, nodding lightly in silent assent.
Only then did the Dawi steady his breath and speak in a trembling voice.
"Master Benarr... In Damu... grave tidings have come."