The next day, as Eresh walked toward the river, he ran into Ana, who was returning from the forest with a basket of herbs.
Ana ran joyfully toward Eresh, waving her hand as she greeted him.
"Hi Eresh! How are you? Guess what? I passed my exam! Now I can go out and gather medicines on my own!"
Eresh watched the happiness radiate from Ana's very being and nodded calmly.
"Of course. Madam Wyn told me on my way here. Congratulations, Ana. I'm glad for you."
Ana smiled at the compliment, but then suddenly froze as if remembering something, prompting Eresh to raise an eyebrow.
"You forgot an herb, didn't you?"
Ana didn't answer. Instead, she disappeared in a cloud of dust, leaving behind only the faint echo of her voice fading into the forest.
"Don't tell Grandma Wyn, Eresh!!"
With a sigh, Eresh resumed his path through the woods. As he ventured deeper, he was greeted by the scent of damp earth, birdsong, and leaves of every color drifting from the trees.
"What beautiful birds…"
He whispered, as a multicolored bird perched gracefully on his shoulder. The bird locked eyes with Eresh, making him blink as it leaned closer to his face.
The bird sniffed him, studied him for a moment, and then flew off toward its flock. Eresh smiled softly and continued on his way.
Before long, he emerged from the woods and arrived at a crystal-clear river. Walking over to a nearby rock, his umbrella dissolved into a black-purple mist and reformed as a blanket.
Laying the blanket down on the ground, Eresh sat and leaned back against the rock, quietly observing the serene landscape.
After a while, he closed his eyes and exhaled deeply.
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
Eresh opened his eyes and searched for the source of the voice. Standing nearby was a woman who appeared to be around twenty-five, with fair skin, black hair, olive-green eyes, and a voluptuous figure.
She wore a green dress that harmonized perfectly with the natural ambiance of the forest. Eresh simply gazed at her, silent.
The woman smiled and slowly approached, stopping at a respectful distance.
"My name is Lorna. I've seen you around the village, Lord Eresh."
"So it seems, Miss Lorna. Were you looking for me?"
"No," Lorna shook her head with a soft smile. "I simply came to wash the day's laundry and noticed you here. I thought I'd say hello. I hope I'm not intruding?"
"Not at all. I'll leave so you can wash in peace," Eresh replied as he moved to rise, only to be stopped by a hand on his shoulder.
"No, no need for that, really. You were here first — it wouldn't be fair for you to leave," Lorna said quickly, glancing at her hand resting on his shoulder.
"Uh, I… don't worry, I can wash while we talk," she added hastily, pulling her hand back, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.
Eresh merely smiled and nodded, settling back into place without saying a word and closing his eyes again, unconcerned.
"You're not very social, are you?" Lorna asked as she took out a washing basin, her eyes occasionally drifting toward Eresh.
"What makes you say that?" Eresh murmured, just loud enough for her to hear.
"You don't speak much. Even though you get along with the villagers, you live on the outskirts and visit the forest every other day…" she explained as she unpacked her laundry. "Right here, at this same rock."
"You know a lot about my habits, Miss Lorna."
Eresh opened his eyes, fixing them calmly on Lorna, who momentarily choked on her words.
"Uh, I… I'm sorry. I guess I paid too much attention, didn't I?" she admitted, visibly embarrassed.
Eresh looked at her with a hint of amusement.
"I suppose you did."
Lorna held his gaze for a moment, but quickly looked away from his serene, impassive grey eyes. She resumed washing her clothes while Eresh rested.
The silence that followed was… strangely comfortable.
The sound of the river flowing over rocks, birds singing, and a gentle breeze rustling the leaves — a symphony of nature that was new and quietly soothing to Eresh, who had never taken the time to appreciate such fleeting, insignificant things.
"How fleeting and insignificant all these things are, in the end… no matter how beautiful they seem to human eyes," Eresh thought, as his mind drifted into a calm, empty state.
Hours passed like that, and Eresh only opened his eyes when he heard Lorna packing away her clothes.
Sensing his movement, Lorna smiled as she saw him sit up.
"Well, you must have been quite tired, Lord Eresh."
"Mm. How long was I out?" he asked, adjusting his clothes.
"Six hours."
Eresh hummed in response and stood.
"Well, it's getting late. Shall we head back to the village?" he asked, watching the sun sink behind the horizon.
"Of course, I'm done here. We can go."
"After you."
Lorna smiled shyly and walked ahead of Eresh. As he made a small gesture with his hand, the blanket dissolved into shadows and returned to his hand in the form of an umbrella.
On the way back, they talked quite a bit — or rather, Lorna did most of the talking.
By the time they reached the village, dusk had fallen and lanterns were lighting the streets.
"Well, I have to go now, Lord Eresh. I hope we meet again," Lorna said with a gentle smile.
Eresh nodded as he looked at her.
"Of course. And just call me Eresh, Lorna — the 'Lord' is unnecessary."
Lorna blinked at the request, but after a few seconds, she smiled and agreed.
"All right, Eresh. But you should drop the 'Miss' and just call me Lorna as well. Deal?"
"Fair enough, Lorna. Good night."
Lorna smiled, pleased to hear him say her name, and turned toward her home.
"Good night, Eresh."
As for Eresh, he calmly resumed his walk home.
Soon, he reached his door and opened it, revealing a modest house with only the essentials — a bed, chairs, a table, shelves, and some books.
He set his umbrella against the door and walked over to the bookshelf, pulling out a worn, dark red book whose title read: "Opening the Paths."
Eresh opened the book and returned to the page he had left off.
"To open the paths, one must attune with their soul…"