You were a threat, a danger

  My Domain cried in anger

  In your presence, tis true I tire

  But isn’t passion too a fire?

  …

  Edur’s POV:

  I went to the window and took a look. What I saw left me quite surprised.

  A troupe of soldiers was marching through the vilge, their uniforms tidy and seemingly designed to withstand the cold. Their synchronized steps a contrast to the cacophony produced by the cng of their metal armors.

  Leading them was a tall woman riding a purebred white horse, who seemingly blended with the ndscape and surroundings. Her formidable stature and sturdy building rivaled that of the mayor, while still remaining graceful.

  Many vilgers stepped aside as they headed to the city hall. The more curious ones were already outside, whispering amongst each other at this uncommon event.

  I quickly went behind the counter and fetched my coat, my own curiosity piqued as well. I pulled down on the hood, covering my ears, and stepped outside. After a moment of reflection, I left the door open in case the sisters were to wake up in the meantime and wished to depart.

  What greeted me first was the familiar chilling wind, remnants of what once was a fierce storm.

  After walking a bit, I quickly caught up with the small crowd whispering among themselves. The troop had stationed just outside the city hall, waiting as their leader seemingly went inside.

  I patted the shoulder of the nearest person- George, the best bcksmith in a dozen of Skines- well, the only one.

  George was your quintessential bcksmith: broad shoulders, a big beard, a bit taller than your average guy, and strong arms. He reeked of iron, coal and chemical wastes. In sum, you couldn’t mistake him for anything other than a bcksmith once you met him. He perfectly fits the cliché, as if he tried his hardest to embody it.

  Jokingly, many liked to call him ‘Hot diggety’.

  “Are they the ones sent to take care of the spiders?” I asked with a slight shiver, remembering their sharp mandibles and eyes devoid of any expression other than pure madness.

  George nodded as he cast a gnce behind him.

  “Edur, it’s you. Yeah, that’s them from what I’ve heard. They’re less numerous than I expected… The forest’s gonna gobble them up like a fucking lizardman on Idha”

  I nodded even though I didn’t really get the analogy. Do lizardman eat a lot? And do they really exist? What’s Ida? Anyways, I couldn’t see this small army being enough to get rid of, or even push back, the numerous monsters that I encountered there in the Last Forest.

  “I don’t think they’ll be able to do much…Well, their leader seems… strong?,” I noted.

  “Yeah. Apparently, she’s a Fortima user” The grunt man said, a hint of admiration in his voice.

  “Sortima? What’s that?”

  “Fortima” corrected the bcksmith, before expining: “It’s a type of magic, you can say… It makes one’s body tougher, stronger, faster…”

  Magic? I couldn’t help but be intrigued. My healing was magic, as far as I knew, and I was eager to learn more about it. Sure, Miss Eda shared this ability, but it was so weak and dim that I couldn’t learn much from her. The only thing she was capable of healing was some small scrapes or sore limbs at best.

  I stood on my tip-toes to try to catch a glimpse of the civic center entrance over the crowd.‘Dammit..’Unable to see, I bid farewell to our favorite Diggety before slowly pushing my way through the crowd, eventually arriving at the front. I now had a much clearer view of the ptoon.

  Their armors reflected the dim sunlight that barely pierced the clouds, as if the Prideful Sun was reluctant to show its face, Him who was so eager to appear this morning. Truly loyal to the stories he heard of its God.

  The soldiers’ boots were deeply anchored in the snow as they motionless. A few horses had already been taken to the livery to drink from the ice cold water basin.

  I felt a tug in my sleeve as I looked down, finding little Timmy with his runny nose.

  “Mr. Gavin told me to fetch you!” He grinned, fshing the gap where a front tooth would soon be repced. How did he lose it, again? I remember it was something silly and stupid… Wait, the mayor?

  “Mr. Gavin? Is he inside?” I asked promptly, gesturing at the building where the detachment was waiting.

  Timmy nodded fervently, almost dropping his scarf. I swear he is almost as clumsy as me… almost.

  “Follow me!” He gently pulled on my sleeve, and I let him lead me, detaching ourselves from the crowd as we slowly marched our way in, fnking the soldiers and soon walking past them. From up close, I could feel an air of readiness for battle, as well some nervousness and chatter. I silently wished them luck for their endeavor as we entered the common hall- the only building made of brick instead of tiles or timber in Holbeck.

  Once inside, the warm fire inside the hearth soothed our bones as we walked past the wooden benches and storage room. Vannie was already waiting for us at the reception.We approached her as she greeted us with a smile, though something about it seemed off.

  “Timothy, you may go. Good job” she shooed him as quickly as we entered.The poor boy obeyed, racing back his steps. I thanked him before facing back towards Vannie.

  She was always quite the stern one and seemed unapproachable, her neutral face only showing a hint of irritation whenever she had to deal with Gavin’s paperwork.

  She gestured for me to come closer, a small and tight smile forming on her face.“Edur, dear, do you know what’s going on?” She asked in that gentle tone, patronizing me like the vilgers often did with me, treating me like a kid… I was 18, godammit! Well, that’s what I liked to believe… There was no record of me being born, so I was free to choose my age as long as it was reasonable.

  “Uh.. I suppose they’re the ones dispatched after the Mayor sent that letter? They took longer than I expected to respond and send a troop and address the issue. I heard Mr. Gavin summoned me, is something wrong?”Vannie shook her head.

  “No, in fact, they arrived sooner than we expected, knowing the current..”

  She gnced at me and coughed before changing subject, which left me quite confused but I didn’t dwell on it and allowed her to continue.

  “It’s not easy to issue a troop this far north, knowing Vek’s Hub is 200 gides away.. And yes, Gavin is in his office. Miss Veylith, the one in charge of the operation, wishes to meet you and hear the report from you directly.”

  ***

  The frown on her face was a bad omen for Edur, especially knowing she usually barely showed any emotion, which meant things were bad.

  He gave her a nod as she stood up and led him through the door next to the reception, revealing a long hallway that ended in another closed door. It seemed there were no gaps beneath or above, as if the door was chiseled from the wall itself. The weatherstripping insution prevented them from hearing anything on the other side.

  Once in front of the door, Vannie pulled a rope that Edur had failed to notice. They both waited until the door opened. Gavin’s head quickly popped out before he exited the room and closed the door behind him.

  Edur always admired Gavin, he was the one who welcomed him the first, treating him as his own son. He was a dutiful man, righteous, always acting in the vilge’s best interests.

  Right now, though, the man before him was not the strong and unwavering figure he knew. Instead they found a nervous Gavin, who looked more somber than the day when his favorite axe broke while chopping wood.

  Something was terribly wrong, and Edur's anxiety grew.

  Were they going to take some men with them into what could be their doom? Were they refusing to go in? The one in charge wished to meet him. Had he done something wrong, perhaps profaning the Forest and awakening some ancient monsters like those of the legends he always loved hearing from the elders?As soon as Gavin’s gaze nded on Edur, he grabbed him by the shoulder and shook him

  slightly.“Edur, listen to me carefully, there’s no time… Right now, you will be asked a bunch of questions from a person who came to deal with those Spinifex. Do you understand?”The tone and urgency in his voice left Edur with no choice but to nod, silencing his protest before even speaking it, his concern growing into slight panic.Seeing the young boy nod, Gavin continued,“Now, listen to me even more carefully: You are Ethan, my distant retive. Your parents were from this vilge. Somewhat successful merchants, but died due to a tragic incident when encountering road bandits, so I took you in. You had an elf ancestor on your father’s side, which led to you inheriting your particur traits, their gene resurfacing. You were born here and have always been a part of this vilge. You one day got curious and entered the forest despite our warnings and got lost there. Got it, boy?”Edur, was confused“What? Why do I have to-”“Is that understood?” Gavin cut him off, his tone as cold as ice and left no room for negotiation.

  Once he made sure the boy was listening, he continued,

  “You have not woken up in the Last Forest, you have not lost your memory, and more importantly, you do NOT, and I repeat, do NOT have anything special to speak of, especially not your Healing. Keep your hood pulled down and if possible, don’t look her in the eyes.”Vinnie simply stood to the side, her gaze dark and knowing, but remained silent. She knew it would come down to this.