The interior of the cottage was simple but comfortable, filled with dried herbs hanging from the ceiling beams and shelves lined with jars and bottles of various preparations.
A small fire burned in the hearth despite the warm day, with a kettle steaming above it. The air smelled of medicinal herbs and something sweeter honey, perhaps.
"Sit," Elder Thorne instructed, indicating a chair near the fire. "You still tire easily, I think."
Ash obeyed, watching as she prepared tea with practiced movements. "You know about the fragment," he said, not bothering with pretense.
"I know there is something embedded near your heart that does not belong to the natural world," she replied, measuring herbs into a pot. "Something that pulses with power and is changing you from within."
"Can you tell what it is?"
Elder Thorne poured hot water over the herbs, then turned to face him fully. "It is a catalyst. A key. A fragment of something greater that has bonded with you in ways I have never seen before." She studied him with those penetrating eyes. "May I see it?"
After a moment's hesitation, Ash unbuttoned his shirt enough to reveal the upper portion of his chest where the sword fragment protruded slightly from his flesh. In the cottage's dim light, the faint blue lines spreading from it were more visible than usual.
Elder Thorne approached, her expression one of fascination rather than revulsion. She did not touch the fragment but held her hand near it, as if feeling heat from a fire.
"Remarkable," she murmured. "It has integrated with your very essence. Not merely a foreign object but something becoming part of you." She looked up to meet his eyes. "A System manifestation, but unlike any I have encountered."
"You've seen other Systems?" Ash asked, rebuttoning his shirt.
"A few, in my long life," she confirmed, returning to the tea. "Mostly among nobility passing through, occasionally in villagers with distant noble bloodlines. But they were established, inherited Systems. Yours is... developing. Evolving. Responding to you as much as you respond to it."
She poured the steeped tea into two cups, offering one to Ash. "Drink. It will help stabilize the energy fluctuations I sense in you."
The tea tasted bitter but not unpleasant, with undertones of something metallic. Almost immediately, Ash felt a calming effect spreading through him, the constant background awareness of the fragment receding slightly.
"What is this?" he asked, looking at the cup with new respect.
"An old remedy for those experiencing System awakening," Elder Thorne explained, settling into a chair opposite him. "It helps moderate the energy flow until the body adapts naturally."
Ash took another sip, appreciating the relief it provided. "You seem to know a great deal about Systems."
"I have lived a long time and studied many things," she replied simply. "Including the history of the imperial bloodlines and their associated powers."
The statement carried a weight that Ash couldn't miss. She was telling him, subtly but clearly, that she suspected his true identity.
"I'm just a scribe's son from Coldwater," he said, maintaining his cover story despite the growing certainty that she saw through it.
Elder Thorne smiled faintly. "Of course you are. And I am just a village healer." She sipped her tea.
"We all have our necessary fictions, young man. I will not challenge yours, nor ask you to confirm what I suspect. But know this: what grows within you now is both blessing and burden. It saved your life, but it will demand much from you in return."
"What do you mean?"
"Systems are not merely tools or weapons," she explained. "They are relationships; bonds between power and wielder that shape both over time. Yours is unusual because it was born of trauma and necessity rather than bloodline or deliberate awakening. It is... adaptive. Responsive to your emotional state and needs."
This aligned with what Ash had experienced, the fragment's reactions to his emotions, and its warmth during moments of stress or danger.
"Can you tell me more about what it is? What it might become?"
Elder Thorne considered him thoughtfully. "I see fragments, broken pieces that seek to reunite. A sword shattered yet still potent. But its full nature?" She shook her head.
"That remains to be discovered. What I can tell you is that it responds most strongly to your protective instincts. When you feel the need to shield others, it resonates more powerfully."
Again, this matched Ash's limited experiences with the fragment's activation. It had saved him in the river when his will to live was strongest, and had reacted when he felt protective of Kalen during their first journey to the village.
"How do I control it?" he asked. "So far, it activates unpredictably."
"Control comes with understanding," she replied. "And understanding with experience. You must learn to communicate with it, to recognize the patterns of its responses."
She leaned forward slightly. "But be cautious. Systems demand balance. The more power you draw from it, the more it will draw from you in return."
The warning was cryptic but carried an undeniable weight of experience. Ash nodded, accepting the advice without fully understanding its implications.
"There is one more thing," Elder Thorne said, her voice lowering. "Your presence here brings both opportunity and danger to our village."
"I don't wish to endanger anyone," Ash said quickly. "If you think I should leave "
She raised a hand to stop him. "That is not what I meant. Riverend has always existed on the periphery of imperial politics, largely ignored by those in power. That protected us, but also left us vulnerable to local threats: bandits, corrupt officials, harsh winters with little aid."
"And now?" Ash prompted when she paused.
"Now the empire changes. New burdens are placed upon us, as you saw at the meeting hall today. Some here remember Emperor Tiberius as a fair ruler, if distant. They question whether this new regime will bring the stability it promises." Her gaze was steady, evaluating.
"A symbol of hope, even one that must remain hidden for now, has value in such times."
The implication was clear. She was suggesting that his presence, or at least the rumor of a surviving prince, might serve some purpose for the village beyond his personal safety.
"I'm not in a position to offer protection or change policy," Ash said carefully, neither confirming nor denying her apparent knowledge of his identity.
"Not yet, perhaps," Elder Thorne agreed. "But symbols have power of their own, young man. Sometimes merely knowing that alternatives exist gives people the strength to endure difficult times."
She rose, indicating their conversation was concluding. "Continue your recovery. Work with Kalen to understand your awakening abilities. And when the time comes to make choices about your path forward, remember that your presence here has meaning beyond your own survival."
Ash stood, feeling strangely both burdened and lightened by their exchange. "Thank you for the tea. And the insights."
"Take this," Elder Thorne said, retrieving a small pouch from a shelf. "Herbs for the tea. Brew it when the fragment's energy becomes too intense or unpredictable. It will help maintain balance until you learn to do so naturally."
Ash accepted the pouch gratefully. "How much do I "
"Consider it an investment," she interrupted with a small smile. "In possibilities."
Outside, Kalen waited by the riverbank, his posture relaxed but his eyes alert. He straightened as Ash approached.
"Productive conversation?" he asked.
"Yes," Ash replied, showing him the herb pouch. "She knows about the fragment. Offered this to help stabilize its energy."
Kalen's expression remained neutral, but concern flickered in his eyes. "How much does she know about you?"
"She suspects, I think, but didn't ask directly. Said something about 'necessary fictions' that we all maintain." Ash glanced back at the cottage. "She's an unusual woman."
"That she is," Kalen agreed. "Been the heart of this village longer than anyone can remember. People trust her judgment implicitly."
"Including you?" Ash asked, noting the respect in Kalen's tone.
"She helped me when I first settled here," the older man admitted. "Understood my need for solitude without questioning why a former Imperial Guard would choose to live in the forest rather than enjoy a comfortable retirement in the capital."
This was the first time Kalen had volunteered information about his past, and Ash recognized the significance of the disclosure. "You trust her, then?"
"As much as I trust anyone," Kalen replied. "Which isn't saying much, but it's something."
They began walking back toward the village center, Ash considering all he had learned from Elder Thorne. The fragment in his chest, this nascent System, was more complex than he had realized.
Not merely a power source but a relationship, an evolving bond that would shape him as much as he directed it.
As they passed the village square, Ash noticed Mira helping an elderly man with a basket of purchases. She looked up, catching his eye, and offered a small wave. Without thinking, he returned the gesture.
"The gathering she mentioned," Ash said as they continued walking. "At the river bend this evening. Perhaps we should attend."
Kalen gave him a measuring look. "Risky. The more people you interact with, the greater the chance of revealing something you shouldn't."
"Or the better I become at maintaining my disguise," Ash countered. "You said yourself that I need to establish a presence here, become familiar enough that people stop questioning my background."
The older man considered this, then nodded reluctantly. "Fair point. But we stay together, and we leave at the first sign of trouble."
"Agreed," Ash said, surprising himself with how much he looked forward to the prospect of more normal social interaction after weeks of isolation.
They completed their remaining errands: purchasing supplies, speaking briefly with the blacksmith about repairs to Kalen's hunting knife, and exchanging greetings with villagers who recognized them from previous visits.
Throughout these interactions, Ash maintained his role as Kalen's nephew, growing more comfortable with each exchange.