I saw, yet spoke no word

  For your creation was no sword

  I admired, watched for what I longed

  My Domain, in the forbidden, formed.

  …

  (I TOOK TWO MONTHS TO START THIS CHAPTER UGHHH)

  Edur opened the unlocked door of the inn, the soft crunch of snow beneath his boots giving way to wet footprints on the wooden floor.

  He didn’t bother cleaning them.

  He didn’t even gnce at the room key, lying on the counter.

  Silently, he climbed the stairs, each step light but hurried, and made his way to the end of the hallway.

  Fumbling through his keychain, he unlocked the door and slipped into the room.

  To his left, the ever-present hearth was extinguished, cold, but not lifeless - the ashes had yet to lose their warmth, ready to burn once more and offer their familiar comfort.

  The young innkeeper crouched beside the bed and slid out a small wooden box, its contents neatly arranged.

  One by one, he gathered his belongings: a small fcon of precious spice, saved for rare and special occasions. A stack of letters he received from some friends he made during his stay here.

  He won’t even get the chance to say goodbye.

  Edur shook his head. Now was not the time for regret.

  He packed everything into a travel bag borrowed from Albus, folding spare clothes around the more fragile keepsakes.

  Before he left, he scanned the room one st time.

  On the desk, beneath a thin cloth, a loaf of freshly baked bread waited. Era must have snuck in again when he was out…

  He chuckled to himself. Sometimes he wondered why he ever let her have a spare key…

  He smiled despite the tense situation and added the bread to his bag. It was the result of her hard work, it would be a shame to leave it to mold.

  He took another look around, lingering, reluctant to leave.

  ‘Why does my heart feel heavy?’

  As if it’ll be the st time he’ll see his room- his first home.

  Everything will be just fine. It's like a vacation. A small journey. A short one.

  His mind and heart were conflicted, so he pushed them both aside for now.

  Dousing the fmes and extinguishing the st embers with a water bucket, watching the st embers hiss and die. Then stood up and locked the door behind him, heading downstairs.

  Albus would be arriving by the afternoon, so there was no need to worry about the kitchen.

  Once outside, he chose a path he did very few times - the one leading the southern gate.

  Just as he was heading towards it, he slowed, stopped. Halfway to his destination, he veered right,as if something had just come to mind.

  without hesitation, he stepped between two houses and into a narrow alleyway. There, the young man stopped before a small wooden door tucked into the side of one of the homes.

  He knocked twice. Then once. Then twice again.

  Hurried footsteps shuffled on the other side before the door swung open to reveal a girl no older than ten. Her dark eyes sparkled with joy as she threw her arms around him, burying her face in his coat.

  “Edur! I missed you!”

  The young man smiled and ruffled her hair; she squealed in protest, yet clung to him all the same.

  He knelt down, pcing his hands gently on her shoulders.

  “I missed you too, Kiri. Now close your eyes… I’ve got a surprise!” he said with a grin

  Kiri gasped and shut her eyes tight, bouncing on her toes excitedly.

  Edur rummaged through his bag and pulled out a bonnet—soft wool, delicately stitched, with a small bunny sewn on the front. Two red strings dangled from the sides, each tipped with a little knitted flower.

  He took her small hand and pced the gift in it.

  “You can open them now. Happy early birthday.”

  When Kiri opened her eyes and saw the bonnet, her smile bloomed so wide it could have lit the snowy street. She squealed and wrapped him in another hug, tighter this time.

  “Thank you, Edur! But why now? Aren’t you coming to my birthday? Don’t give me an excuse like the other adults would! Saying they’re busy and all…” She pouted.

  “Well- something came up. I won’t be around for a few days… Pass the word to the other kids, alright? I’m sure you can find another King for tomorrow’s game.” He said, reassuring her with a smile before continuing,

  “I’m counting on you, alright? Don’t be so gloomy-you’ll finally be ten! That’s two digits!”

  Kiri, despite pouty expression, couldn’t help but smirk pridefully at the st statement. It seemed Edur struck a cord there.

  “Of course! I’m a grown-up now!” she decred, puffing her chest and raising her head high.

  “You better make it up to me… Oh! I know- you’ll make us that pie again!” She ordered triumphantly, already drooling at the thought of sinking her teeth in one of Edur’s delicious dishes.

  “Alright, then it’s a promise,” Edur said, standing up and giving her head one st affectionate pat before heading back onto the main road.

  After a few minutes, he reached the gate. Beyond, the ndscape was a vast, white expanse- uninviting to any traveler. The recent blizzard had buried any recognizable road. How did the soldiers make it here? Perhaps they were more sturdier and endurant than Edur gave them credit for.

  ***

  He found Vannie waiting by the gate, her figure very… striking. Her woolen undergarment, along with the tunic and cloak, gave her an almost comically puffy appearance. Compared to her vibrant ensemble, Edur looked modestly attired, cd in little more than his usual tunic beneath a simple cloak.

  “Ready?” she asked once he moved closer.

  Edur nodded, albeit not very enthusiastically.

  “Where are we heading?” he asked once again.

  “Skogheim, 24 horizone away,” she replied, adding, “which means around three and a half days of walking… But looking at all the snow, maybe a week.”

  The young man wasn’t really satisfied with the answer, but remained silent. He owed her that much, at least.

  And so they departed, without anyone noticing. His departure was sure less fshy than his arrival.

  The snow was thick, their woolen boots sinking with each step.

  Around half an hour ter, the white-haired youth spoke up again:

  “How long is a horizone?” he asked, trailing after Vannie and following her pace.

  She remained silent for a moment, thinking, before answering,

  “The distance between Helbock’s southern and northern entrances are about the fifth of a horizone, so multiply that by 5.”

  That was… much farther than he’d imagined. Was their vilge really so remotely located? Why?

  “Because our vilge is kind of a special case…” answered Vannie when Edur inquired further, curious as always. “Our ancestors from three centuries ago were charged with being the first line of defense against whatever lurked in the Last Forest. But since nothing came from there for the st century and a half, 177 years, to be precise. We slowly turned from a small fortress to a rural vilge.” but then she smirked and added, “Well… nothing came out of it except for you, little devilish monster.”

  Vannie teased him, pyfully ruffling his hair. He swatted her hand away with a gentle ugh, his mood lightened by her familiar jest.

  “Other than that, the people fear it too much to even get close to it… Let alone live bordering it.” The secretary continued, her eyes looking straight ahead, her steps light despite the harsh conditions. “But us, though, we had a duty…”

  The solemn tone in her voice gave weight to her words, making her look more like a knight pledging his allegiance. That image vanished as quickly as it came.

  “Although I’m not sure we’re the most qualified to handle it anymore… Hence why the call for the soldiers.”

  There goes the valiant moment. Oh well… Edur was already aware of most of what she said, so he nodded in understanding.

  A few hours went by, the ndscape changing from endless white pins to a nd partially cloaked in trees. The alpine groves shielded them from the sun, making the air surprisingly warmer.

  “Let’s rest here,” Vannie announced, “I’ll show you how to make a fire.”

  She dropped her bag atop of a fallen, massive tree and brushed off the snow so it would stay dry..

  Edur followed suit and got to work. First, he was instructed to gather dry materials- such as dry tinder, twigs and logs he could carry.

  Returning to their makeshift camp with his mission done, he discovered a patch of ground devoid of snow, completed by what seemed to be a ptform of small logs and ft stones.. Had Vannie scoured around to find these stones?! He hadn’t seen any while collecting materials.

  The middle aged secretary examined his spoils of collecting and nodded in satisfaction.

  “Alright, first, you pce the tinder in the middle, shape it in the form of a cone… Yes, well done. Now the kindling around it.”

  Edur got to work, following her instructions as best as he could.

  “Now, use this flint and steel and ignite it. As you do, you’ll recite a prayer: ‘O Fmefather, may your fme warm and not consume’. Then blow gently until you see a small fme, and then keep adding fuel to it.”

  Edur blinked, surprised by the sudden mention of a prayer, gncing up at Vannie, but complied nonetheless,

  “O Prideful Sun, may your fme warm and not consume.”

  Vannie raised an eyebrow at the unexpected variation, but didn’t comment on it.

  Edur struck the flint and steel- a spark nding right amid the mound of tinder, bzing rapidly. Following his teacher’s instructions, he blew softly over the embers while simultaneously surrounding it by the twigs and thus allowing it some air.

  “Good job” Vannie said warmly, as Edur’s grin widened.

  The young man sat next to her as the sun dipped below the horizon, the pair lost in their own thoughts, their eyes fixed on the rising firecamp.

  “Vannie… How come you’re so good at traveling?” he asked, curiosity cing his tone. “You didn’t seem as tired as I thought you would be, you know how to make fire in the middle of the snow… Were you an adventurer?”

  “...Yes, I was.” she responded simply, as if it were as ordinary as stating the weather or her name. She pulled out some fresh fruits and dried meat from her bag and offered them to Edur, which he thanked her for before taking a bite from an apple before asking with a hint of admiration

  “Tell me about it!” he demanded excitedly, “Surely you've been to many pces and met other races?”

  His face beamed at the thought of adventure. He was more often than not considering going on one too, discovering new pces, visiting huge cities…

  Of course, all of that in order for him to perhaps recall something about his past… Surely he couldn’t have lived on the other side of the continent before waking up in the forest! And the huge libraries found in the capitals could perhaps satisfy his curiosity about the nature of his healing… was there a limit to it? To what extent can it heal? Can he somehow work on it and improve its already vast power? Perhaps even rejuvenating the old?

  Vannie gave him a small smile before replying,

  “Now now… Calm down, and I’ll tell you some stories.”

  The fire now warm enough, she pulled back her hood, letting her warm breath curl in the cold air as her brown hair tumbled free. Edur knew her to be forty three, but sometimes, she seemed to barely reach her thirties.

  She inhaled, her eyes becoming a bit livelier as the secretary recalled old memories before beginning her story,

  “I was with some… friends beyond Vek, in the second human kingdom, (will find name for the kingdom ter), a nd known for its warm and lovely weather, way hotter than here, and the golden wheat fields that were present everywhere… In the inn we were resting at, was an unusual duo: an elf and a dragonborn!”

  She eyed Edur, making sure he was listening… And that he was, his crimson eyes sparkled when she taled her story. Shining often as they did whenever Edur felt strong emotions, a quirk many noticed except for himself.

  What a silly boy. He was so entranced by her story, mundane as it is, that she herself wished to rete her story and felt excited to do so, as if it was some big achievement she realized in her life.

  “They were wrestling after having drank too much beer, the wooden table cracking under the pressure… until the elf gained the upper hand and won after a solid minute of muffled breathing” Vannie continued her eyes lighting up, “Enraged, the dragonborn basically burned his cup to ashes…

  The fmes quickly spread to the rest of the common room and the inn was engulfed in fmes. The rest of the city spent the night containing the fire until a few fire and water mages were dispatched… One to contain the fmes, the other to extinguish it.”

  “Let me tell you, the contrast between fire and water was nothing short of baffling. The vapor created a rainbow we could see even in the middle of the night! And the water… the droplets were shining brightly, dancing and twirling around the dying fire like gem crystals scattered in the sky..”

  She stopped, catching her breath, looking down at their own small campfire. Perhaps was she seeing that memory in it, or perhaps she was just rummaging through her thoughts.

  Edur gave her the time she needed, remaining silent until she continued,

  “I don’t know why, but that image stuck with me…” she continued, her fingers fidgeting slightly, “Seeing everyone cooperate in a single objective, and the result being so… magnificent. It was one of my favorite nights, setting aside the fact that we had to sleep outside.” she chuckled at the memory.

  “It might not be the epic tale you were expecting. But me and my friends sure had a bst watching this spectacle.”

  The young man shook his head, smiling as he added a log to the fire.

  “Don’t say that! All stories are worth listening to, in my opinion. No matter how grand or small it is, all of them convey something in the end: A message.” He said, looking at the now dark sky, the stars slowly showing in numbers.

  “And what is a message without a receiver? The least I can do is listen.”

  Vannie simply looked at the boy in wonder.

  She then chuckled.

  Strangely, she found his words to be very… meaningful. Vannie thought about the reason they were here.

  Edur.

  The boy that came from nowhere, slowly and steadily instilling himself in their lives, and in such a way that some could swear he was always there.

  And now, here he was, traveling with her. She who thought her days as a mercenary were over.

  How he gazed up at the stars, as if he was familiar to each and every one of them. Each of them seemingly being a part of an orchestra only he was able to listen to.

  How his bright red eyes reflected the fire’s own light. An unnatural, almost frightening color. But with him, they represented not the color of blood or unholy fire. No, they were the red of rose, blooming a spring’s morning. They were the red of an invaluable ruby, hidden deep and reflecting any source of light, but not afraid to shine its own.

  How his cloak fell, embracing his small and thin body. A short body, but full of energy, potentiel, emotions, curiosity, and kindness. An abaster skin that might have led someone to think he was sick.

  How his snow-white was pulled back and dressed down in a ponytail. Yet another unnatural color. But none could fit him better than this one; a white of snow and promise. A length of longing and waiting.

  He was so far from being human. Everything about him screamed of nobility, grace, charm and quiet allurance… And Edur wasn’t even trying.

  But Vannnie would remind herself of his many, many clumsy moments, his short-spanned memory, his many small mistakes, the occasional pearl of wisdom hidden in a sea of silly thoughts… And top it all off, the disturbing naive mind and way of thinking he had about the world, as if it was a toddler wearing the body of a young adult.

  That made him more human than some of them, if not most. A walking paradox, an enigma to all, himself included.

  But at this moment, he was just a listener, nothing more.

  She felt… relieved, that her small story that once was a part of her life- a part of her- wasn't lost.

  So she continued, speaking of this and that, what she felt during those times, her ambitions, goals, dreams, pleasure.

  And he listened.

  He ughed with her, shared the burden of the sad moments, pondered the reason behind certain of her actions.

  Edur always managed to bring comfort to those around, whether it be with silence or an ear. He was the stillness and calm many needed in their day-to-day lives.

  What he just said about her tale- that it was worth listening to- was something way past his age and young mind, but was nothing if not wise.

  So, after she concluded yet another story of hers and Edur asked his questions, she did what she thought was the logical next course of action, and pyfully smacked his head.

  “What are you now, a sage? Shut up and finish your food.”

  He winced, his eyes staring at her with confusion, surprised at her unexpected move.

  But soon enough, that damn dazzling smile of his reappeared as he chuckled.

  He didn’t reply to her and allowed her to win this one. A silent understanding of her somewhat funny way of expressing her fluster over having an ear to recount her tales.

  Both absentmindedly ate a loaf of bread as the conversation died down. After around half an hour, Edur asked the one question he was impatient and reluctant to know its answer.

  “Vannie… What is really going on? Why did we have to leave?”