Arthur woke up in the morning. It had been a little more than two years since he had settled down in the dead lumberjack's cabin. He yawned and got out of the rough bed. Looking down at the floor. Seeing the shadow wolf sprawled out a on the floor.
"Thanatos. Wake up." He kicked the wolf awake.
Arthur picked up the lumberjacks axe. He had remembered the training regimen an old mentor tried to give him. And used it for two years straight. And it was much more effective than he thought. Although it helped that Arthur hadn't stopped growing. He was now 19. Had grown a few inches, and had developed much more muscle. It was certainly an improvement. He had picked up how to hunt and chop lumber from his library of memories. There was a dragon out there who had blended in with human life. Though, Arthur still hadn't learnt how to butcher a dead animal properly.
The lumberjacks axe was much lighter in his hand. Over the last 2 years, his skills had grown much more. Since he had no room to focus on magic, since he couldn't use it anymore. He simply focused on swordsmanship. and in only two years had grown into the level of a sword expert. The same level his brother had been. Though he had no doubt Mordred had become a sword master in the time he was gone, and his father had most likely become a sword saint.
Thanatos grumbled before getting up, the wolf hid in Arthur's shadow as Arthur put his coat on and went out into the forest. A large wolf lingered in the forest, the wolf was chasing a rabbit, it didn't notice the cloaked figure following him silently through the snow. Before the wolf could react, the figure stepped in front of him, swinging an axe infused with the aura of a sword expert, the axe swung cleanly through the wolfs body. Killing it in an instant. Arthur leaned down and started poorly cleaning the blood and meat out of the animal. He dragged the corpse and its meat back to his shack. Putting the meat in a small container in the snow meant to refrigerate. Though he wasn't sure just how effective it was.
He dragged the rest of the corpse back to the village. As he walked to the village. He looked in the sky. Noticing the moon was at its peak. The witching hour was at midnight. When the Oni started to rise from the shadows. Arthur was able to quell them because they were creatures of darkness, and the piece that Thanatos left inside him quelled them, as he had a sign of their lord. The Oni bowed to him as they walked through the village. He stood outside Astor's shack until the witching hour had ended and the Oni scurried away. He stationed Thanatos outside just in case.
Atrhur walked inside. Greeting Astor. And that's where they were now. The two talked for a while. Arthur ate some soup she made. Arthur sat across from her. Scarfing down the soup. Usually Astor didn't have much to say. But this time things were a bit different.
"Arthur, my dear, don't you think it's time for you to leave this place? You are in better health than ever…"
Arthur stopped eating and wiped the excess soup off his chin.
"No. I can't go back."
"I've never pried into your personal life but…don't you think it's time to tell me why you're really here?"
Arthur leaned back and burped before looking back towards her.
"I'm a wanted criminal. And I have no home to go back to."
"I figured as much…but still, any place is better than here…this place will devour you eventually. I want you to take—"
Arthur swiftly interrupted her.
"No. I'm not leaving." He got up and left. Leaving no room for Astor to give a response. The old woman sighed.
"Such a stubborn child…"
Arthur walked back into the snow. Walking besides Thanatos and leaving the hide of the wolf at Astor's door. Thanatos seemed to have the same thoughts as Astor.
"Why are we still here anyways? It's been two years already. I'm sure your name has been cleared."
"What does it matter? This is my home now, and I'm perfectly fine with that."
"Are you?"
The shadow wolfs words made Arthur pause for a second. Before he continued to walk.
"Yeah."