Everyone stared at him in disbelief. Thorn and Phes approached slowly, Phes giving a curious look. Kyle approached him, sighing in relief and placing his hand on Jack's shoulder. He spoke nervously.
"When did you learn that, Val?!"
"You almost gave me a heart attack!"
He turned his head quickly to the rest of the group.
"Okay everyone! Let's get going again. We have things to discuss!"
Everyone did as he said, walking toward the carriage.
"Oh! Do me a favor and pick up the pieces of armor, could you?"
Jack raised an eyebrow, now already fully composed.
"Shards of armor? Yeah… Sure."
He went ahead and grabbed the big pieces of metal that were left on the moist, dead land. He placed them in the bag carefully, leaving the smallest pieces on the floor. Kyle said those weren't worth it. Jack crouched, grabbing the last big shard there was. He was now holding a new bag specifically for those. It was already filled to the brim.
Why does he want these.
He brought the last one close to his eye. It was shimmering with a dim red light.
But these don't burn anymore.
Why are they red?
Interrupting his thoughts, Kyle screamed from inside the carriage, peeking his head out.
"Come, Val! That's enough."
Jack placed it in the bag and approached the carriage, ready to depart.
He entered the carriage once again in the same position as before. This time, Indra had her eyes closed. Her elbows rested on her knees, index and thumb fingers curled inward. Meditating—her face relaxed. Jack stared curiously further inside the carriage toward Phes. Her eyes carried bags under them. Braum sat in front, willing the horse to move once again. Kyle approached and grabbed the bag filled with armor.
He spoke as he struggled slightly with the bag.
"Don't worry about them… They just have to absorb some energy."
He finally placed the bag in the front of the carriage and gave Jack a warm smile.
"Don't worry, we'll be finding a rest place soon."
"Sorry—the mission will have to stretch out for two days."
Kyle sat and began taking a few pieces of the broken armor, inspecting them. He spoke again.
"The path didn't turn out to be as simple as we thought."
Jack raised an eyebrow.
"Is it because of the Daunters?"
Kyle nodded, still inspecting the pieces.
"They normally don't get this near the border."
Phes stared at him, her eyes still tired.
"Just go ahead and take a nap. Ask questions later."
She yawned right before closing her eyes, leaning her head against the back of the carriage.
Jack sighed.
Actually I seem to be tired as well.
He followed her advice and did the same, resting his eyes for a second. Darkness was all that remained.
He woke abruptly, shaken, disturbed—as if something had pulled him from sleep.
He saw his mother.
Or… Val's?
The same gentle smile. The same wooden house in the Southern Glades. But he was smaller now. Much smaller. A toddler, barely able to reach her waist.
She opened her arms wide.
"Come here, Val!"
"How was hunting?"
Jack—the child—ran to her, his eyes wide with joy. He spoke in a voice not his own, soft and high:
"Mom?"
She bent down, that knowing smirk still on her lips.
"Yes?"
He wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Can I go home already?"
She stroked his hair.
"But you are home, Val."
Then her eyes flicked past him—just for a moment, as if distracted.
She stood again, raising her voice.
"Ray! Don't think I forgot about you!"
Another child darted toward her—brown hair, brown eyes.
Who is Ray…
He stared at the boy. His eyes widened.
Oh… that's right.
He's… my brother.
The two children hugged her tightly, laughing.
"You don't have to squeeze me so hard. I'm not going anywhere, you know?"
She looked back down at him, warm and proud.
"Go on and set the table, Val."
He looked at his own hands.
Pale. Calloused. Familiar.
In this dream…
Am I Jack or…
Va-
The carriage jolted.
Jack woke.
He rubbed his eyes with the back of his sleeve, the dream still lingering in his chest like something half-remembered.
His companions surrounded him. Thorn was already climbing out toward the resting site. One by one, the others followed.
His mind puzzled for a moment. A tear of sweat rolled down his face.
That dream… It felt real.
He stepped down, accompanying the rest, walking slowly as he focused on his hand. The land was the same as before—slightly barren with small patches of grass. Near them, a mountain stood tall, reaching the clouds. The night was beginning to sweep in. Dead trees surrounded them sparsely.
Jack grabbed the bag of artifacts, almost leaving it behind, as Kyle passed right next to him with the bag of shards.
Jack shook his head.
Am I slowly forgetting something?
He shrugged the thought and kept walking. Thorn was preparing a tent while Kyle went off to gather wood. Indra, now her eyes open and calm, placed a circle of small rocks for the fire. Jack sat right in front, opening his bag and taking out a small ceramic bottle of water. He pulled it open and took a good sip. Then he stretched out his hand, offering it to Indra. She nodded politely and also took a sip. Kyle came back shortly after with a pile of wood in his hands. Phes also approached with a significantly smaller amount of wood. Both of them placed it in the middle of the circle.
The four of them sat around it. Phes ignited the wood with her hand, placing it gently over the pile.
She sighed slowly.
"Finally…"
"Fire."
Kyle nodded with a warm smile as Thorn approached after finishing the big tent made of wooden sticks and a large piece of leather stored in the carriage.
Kyle raised his hand, shaking them with a tranquil demeanor.
"Don't worry, Thorn…"
"I'll tell you the plan tomorrow. Just head inside the tent and rest."
Thorn nodded slowly and diligently, his eyes almost closing by themselves.
"Aye, Capita—"
He let out a small yawn, covering his mouth with the palm of his hand, then turned around and entered the tent without saying anything else.
Night finally settled completely, stars filling the sky. The fire illuminated the surroundings. Kyle stared at Jack, his voice mixing with the crackling of the flames.
"Val, go ahead and take out the bread I packed in there."
Jack looked inside and took out a big loaf wrapped in a white cloth.
He slowly tore it apart, the insides soft and white.
He looked to his left at Indra, who was sitting right next to him, and handed her a piece of the bread, giving her a warm smile.
"Go ahead, pass it on."
He tore it into four pieces, finally leaving the last one for himself.
Phes rapidly took a bite, pulling at it slightly with her teeth.
Jack let out a giggle.
Phes angrily gazed at him with her teeth still sunk into the bread.
"What!?"
The rest of them began laughing together.
Kyle spoke while covering his mouth with his hand, still laughing lightly.
"Relax, there's more bread."
Phes took the bite and put it to the side, finally swallowing it. She spoke shyly.
"I was hungry."
She exhaled and gazed strongly at Jack with the bread still in her hand.
"And you! What was that about?!"
Jack stared, confused.
"About what?"
Indra next to him nodded while chewing the bread, holding it with both hands.
"Mhm mhm."
Kyle also stared directly at him, one hand on his bread and the other behind him supporting himself.
"I was going to ask too. I wanted to wait until we settled."
Kyle raised an eyebrow.
"Since when can you move like that?"
Jack pointed at himself, confused.
"Like what?"
Phes spoke once again, her voice filled with determination.
"Don't act all arrogant!"
"Before, you could've never taken out one of those!"
Jack looked down at his bread.
Someone trained me…
To not rely on my lineage…
Who was it?
He began pressing the bread a bit tighter in his hands.
He sighed.
My mind… it seems fragmented.
Phes spoke again, interrupting his thoughts.
"Fine, don't tell us!"
"You most likely just trained secretly. You can just say it, you know."
She went ahead and took the last bite of her bread.
Jack raised his shoulders slightly.
"I guess it was luck."
Kyle looked at him while taking another bite of his bread.
Luck, he says?
The four of them finished eating and spoke a bit about the plans for the next morning. They had to be prepared—what was to come was unknown. Kyle made sure to remind them they still hadn't found the true cause of the livestock loss.
Jack entered the tent, lying down with a thin coat covering him. Indra was lying right next to him, facing the other way. She spoke in her soft, mature voice, whispering to him.
"Hey, Val?"
Jack was lying facing the other direction.
"Yes?"
"You really did change…"
Jack looked confused.
"Did I?"
Indra was already closing her eyes.
"Yes... You did."
I guess I need to act a bit better…
Act?
What act…