Gareth, after leaving Aldric's house, walked through the narrow village streets with heavy steps. Each movement cost an effort beyond the physical; the weight of the responsibility now falling on his shoulders was almost tangible.
The village was in a strange state. Not exactly panic, but a restless agitation. Groups of people clustered in circles in the streets, low but tense voices talking about the attack, about the wounded, about what it meant. Torches still burned in many hands, circles of orange light creating dancing shadows on the walls of the houses.
No one wanted to go home. No one wanted to be alone in the darkness.
Gareth understood. He didn't want to either.
But someone needed to make decisions now. With Aldric completely exhausted and Joren seriously injured, the responsibility naturally fell to him. Not because he wanted it Gareth hated this kind of leadership role, preferring the solitude of the forest to the weight of commanding people but because there was no choice.
He headed directly to the main hall.
The building was the largest in Thornhaven, located right in the center of the village. Its walls were made of solid stone reinforced with thick wooden beams, the high sloped roof built to withstand even the heaviest winter snow. It was where village meetings happened, where important decisions were made, where celebrations were held.
And it was, technically, the safest place in the village. Being at the exact center, surrounded by houses in all directions, it would be the last point reached in case of invasion. The walls were thicker than those of common houses, reinforced with protection symbols discreetly carved into the stone.
When Gareth approached, he saw the entrance was packed. Dozens of villagers crowded the area in front of the hall, some trying to enter, others just talking nervously. Children cried in their parents' arms. Elders leaned on canes, faces marked with worry.
He recognized Daven, the guard who had helped in the search, stationed near the door with his runed spear still in hand. The man looked exhausted, his face pale and sweaty, but maintained his firm posture.
"Daven," Gareth called as he approached.
The guard turned immediately, relieved to see a figure of authority. "Gareth. Thank the gods. The situation here is... complicated. Everyone wants news, wants to know if it's safe, if we'll be attacked again."
"I understand." Gareth looked around, assessing the crowd. "Who else is on watch tonight?"
"Besides me? Torvald is on the north perimeter, Marcus on the south, and Hilda on the east. All armed, all alert." Daven hesitated. "But we're only four, Gareth. If another attack comes..."
"It won't," Gareth said with more confidence than he felt. "Not tonight. The Borak was wounded, and the Grusks that survived fled. Creatures like that don't attack twice in a row when they've been repelled."
It was true, technically. But there were always exceptions. There were always exceptions.
"Even so," he continued, "maintain the watch. Doubled. No one lowers their guard until dawn."
Daven nodded firmly. "Understood."
"I need three more people to reinforce. Strong men, who don't panic easily." Gareth looked over the crowd, identifying faces. "Bern, the blacksmith. He'll do. Maybe Oskar, the woodcutter. And..." he paused, thinking. "Elias. Tomos's eldest son."
"I'll get them," Daven said, already moving.
Gareth grabbed him by the arm. "One thing. If you see anything anything that seems abnormal, don't try to face it. Send a runner immediately. Understood?"
"Understood," Daven repeated, and there was a touch of genuine fear in his voice now.
Gareth released him and turned to the crowd. He took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself. Speaking to large groups always made him uncomfortable. Giving orders to individuals in the forest was one thing. Addressing dozens of anxious people was completely different.
But there was no choice.
He climbed the three stone steps leading to the hall entrance, positioning himself at a point where everyone could see him. He raised his hands, asking for attention.
"Everyone!" his voice came out louder than intended, but at least it carried authority. "I need everyone's attention!"
The conversations didn't stop immediately. He had to call again.
"SILENCE!"
This time, the effect was instant. Voices died. Faces turned toward him. The silence that followed was heavy, laden with expectation and barely contained fear.
Gareth looked at all of them, neighbors, friends, people he had known for years. He saw fear in their eyes. Uncertainty. Looking for someone to say everything would be okay.
He couldn't promise that. But he could at least offer some stability.
"I know everyone is nervous," he began, forcing his voice to sound calm and firm. "And scared. That's natural. Understandable."
He paused, letting the words settle. "This kind of thing has never happened in Thornhaven before. We've lived here for generations without seeing a single Abyssal. The barriers have always protected us."
Murmurs of agreement spread through the crowd.
"But tonight, the barriers failed," Gareth continued, not softening the truth. "We don't know how or why. Aldric will investigate when he's recovered. For now, the important thing is that we survived."
He let those words hang for a moment before continuing. "Fortunately thanks to the gods and the sacrifice of some we got through this without losing any of our friends or relatives."
A woman in front sobbed loudly, bringing her hands to her face. Her husband hugged her firmly.
"Yes, we had wounded," Gareth acknowledged his throat tightening slightly. "Joren is seriously injured. But he's alive. All the search groups returned. All the children were found."
He looked directly to where Maren was, holding Davos against her chest. The woman had tears in her eyes, but nodded to him a silent acknowledgment.
"So now," Gareth said, raising his voice again, "I need everyone to return to their homes. Rest. Try to sleep for what little remains of the night."
"What if they come back?" someone shouted from the crowd. "What if they attack again?"
"We have watchers posted," Gareth replied firmly. "Armed and alert. At the first sign of trouble, we'll sound the alarm. You'll have time to reach the hall."
"But the barriers failed!" another voice protested. "How do we know we're safe?"
"We don't," Gareth said honestly, and saw some faces pale. "But staying awake all night, terrified, won't help anyone. Tomorrow we'll need to be rested to assess the damage, repair what can be repaired, plan our next steps."
He looked around, making eye contact with as many people as he could. "Trust the watchers. Trust each other. Go home. Lock your doors. And try to rest."
There was hesitation. Murmurs. But slowly, very slowly, people began to move. Families regrouping, parents picking up children, elders being helped by neighbors.
The crowd began to disperse into small groups, voices still low and tense, but at least moving.
Gareth watched, making sure there was no confusion or panic. Daven was already talking to the men he had requested, explaining their responsibilities as temporary watchers.
After about ten minutes, most had left. Only a few groups remained mainly families of the children who had been rescued.
That was when Gareth finally got the chance to properly look inside the hall.
The three children who had been found were there: Tam, Davos, and Ella. Tam and Ella were with their parents, being simultaneously hugged and scolded.
"How many times have we said not to wander off!" Tam's father was saying, his voice wavering between relief and anger. "How many times, boy? You could have died!"
Tam had his head down, silent tears flowing. "Sorry, Dad. Sorry."
Ella was in a similar situation, her mother holding her so tight the girl could barely breathe. "Never again. You hear me? Never again!"
But Maren was different.
She was sitting on a bench, Davos nestled in her arms. The boy was crying softly, face buried in his mother's shoulder, body trembling with sobs. But Maren wasn't scolding him. She just held him, gently stroking his hair, murmuring words Gareth couldn't hear.
Her own face was wet with tears, but she kept herself firm. Strong. For him.
Gareth felt something tighten in his chest. Joren was unconscious, possibly crippled forever. And here was his wife, pregnant and exhausted, comforting their son while trying not to collapse.
He began to approach, wanting to offer some word of comfort. But before he could, two figures emerged from the remaining crowd and came directly toward him.
Keiko and Luna.
Luna was strangely quiet. Her eyes, normally so bright and full of energy, were red and swollen from crying. She approached and, without saying a word, grabbed onto Gareth's legs with surprising strength.
Gareth felt his heart tighten. He lowered his hand and gently stroked her head, ruffling her pinkish hair. "Hey," he said softly. "It's okay now. You're safe."
Luna didn't answer. Just held on tighter.
Keiko stopped in front of him, and Gareth saw that she too looked devastated. Her face was pale, stained with dirt and what looked like blood not hers, but probably from when she helped with the wounded. Her hands trembled slightly.
She opened her mouth as if to speak, but Gareth raised his hand gently, asking for a moment.
He looked around the hall, seeing there were still many people mainly the parents of the rescued children, some elders who had stayed behind, some women talking in small groups.
It wasn't the place for the conversation that was to come.
"Daven," he called. The guard looked in his direction. "Can you keep an eye here? Make sure everyone eventually goes home?"
"Sure," Daven agreed.
Gareth looked at Keiko and Luna. "Come. Let's go somewhere more private."
He guided them out of the hall, Luna still clinging to his leg, forcing him to walk awkwardly. They went to a more secluded corner, near one of the barns, where there was less movement.
When they finally stopped, Keiko exploded.
"Where is Konstant?" she asked, her voice coming out louder and more desperate than she probably intended. "And Rady? Why aren't they here? Why did only you come back?"
Luna lifted her face, still holding Gareth's legs, eyes wide and hopeful.
Gareth felt his stomach sink. He knew this question would come. Had mentally prepared himself during the entire walk from the hall to here.
But even so, he wasn't ready.
He sighed deeply, running his hand over his tired face. "Rady is fine. He's with Konstant now, at Aldric's house."
"And Konstant?" Keiko pressed, taking a step forward. "Where is he? Is he hurt?"
"Yes," Gareth said simply. "He is hurt."
The silence that followed was heavy.
"How hurt?" Keiko asked, her voice getting lower, more tense.
Gareth didn't want to do this. He didn't want to be the bearer of this news. But there was no other option.
"The Borak hit him," he said, each word weighing like lead. "Not directly. It was just the edge of the aura around the weapon. But..."
He didn't need to finish. Keiko had seen what that aura did to Joren. With the leg that simply disappeared.
"No," Keiko whispered, bringing her hands to her mouth. "No, no, no..."
"He's alive," Gareth said quickly. "Aldric is taking care of him. Gave him a special remedy that's fighting the corruption."
"But?" Keiko asked, and there were tears already beginning to form in her eyes. "You said 'but'. I heard it in your voice."
Gareth closed his eyes for a moment. "But we don't know if it will work. Aldric did everything he could, but now... now it's a matter of waiting."
"I want to see him," Keiko said immediately. "Now. Take me to him."
"Keiko"
"NOW!" she shouted, and there was something fierce in her voice. "He's my friend! One of the only friends I have in this miserable world! Don't tell me to wait!"
Luna began to cry again, softly. "Konstant..." she murmured. "No, it can't be..."
Gareth looked at the two girls so young, so scared, so desperate. And knew there was no way to refuse.
"All right," he said calmly. "I'll take you to him. But you need to be prepared. What you're going to see... isn't easy."
"I don't care," Keiko said firmly, wiping the tears that were beginning to fall. "Just take me to him."
Gareth nodded. "Then let's go."
They walked in silence through the dark village streets. Luna had finally let go of Gareth's leg, but walked so close to him she occasionally bumped against his side. Keiko was a few steps ahead, moving quickly, impatient.
Aldric's house wasn't far, but the walk seemed to last an eternity.
When they finally arrived, Gareth stopped at the door, turning to the girls. "Remember," he said seriously. "Prepare yourselves. Konstant is... different now."
"Different how?" Keiko demanded.
"You'll see," was all Gareth said.
He opened the door.
---
Aldric didn't know how long he had dozed.
The exhaustion had finally completely defeated him, dragging him into restless sleep full of fragmented images the Borak roaring, the weapon descending, Konstant falling, the black liquid spreading...
He woke with a gasp of surprise.
The sound hit him like a bucket of cold water. Aldric jolted in the chair, trying to stand up all at once by pure reflex. Pain exploded throughout his body muscles protesting, joints creaking, burns on his hands stinging.
"Ah!" he let out a choked sound, falling back into the chair heavily.
His heart beat fast in his chest, adrenaline flooding his system. He looked around quickly, disoriented, searching for the threat.
But all he saw was Rady, standing beside the cocoon, eyes wide, pointing at something.
"What happened?" Aldric asked in a hoarse voice, still processing. "Why are you shouting?"
He looked at the cocoon, expecting to see some dramatic change. But the black, shiny surface seemed exactly the same. Pulsing softly, that constant rhythm that had established itself hours ago.
"Rady," he said, firmer now. "What was it?"
Rady looked at him, then pointed to the base of the cocoon. "There! Look there!"
Aldric forced himself to rise from the chair, ignoring the protests of his body. Every movement was agony, but he managed to drag himself to stand next to Rady, looking where the boy pointed.
He saw nothing.
"Where?" he asked, confused.
"There!" Rady insisted, moving his finger closer, almost touching the cocoon. "Right here, near the foot. It's green!"
Aldric narrowed his eyes, forcing his tired vision to focus. He leaned closer, studying the area Rady indicated.
At first, he saw nothing different. Just the uniform black surface of the cocoon.
But then, after several seconds of staring, he saw it.
It was tiny. Barely visible. A green dot, the size of a pinhead, on the surface of the cocoon near where Konstant's feet should be.
"I... I see," Aldric said slowly, surprised. "You're right. There's something green there."
He extended his hand carefully, without touching, just observing. The green dot definitely wasn't there before. He was absolutely certain of that.
But what did it mean?
Aldric racked his memory, searching for any information, any legend or ancient text that mentioned something like this. But there was nothing. This entire situation was completely beyond his knowledge and experience.
The black liquid his friend had created was already a mystery. The cocoon that formed was inexplicable. And now this a green dot appearing out of nowhere.
"Aldric?" Rady said softly. "Is it... is it good or bad?"
"I don't know," Aldric admitted, and hated the helplessness in his own voice. "I have no idea what this means."
Before he could think more about it, the door was opened brutally.
The sound was so sudden, so violent, that both turned startled.
Keiko entered first, moving fast, eyes frantically searching the room. Luna was right behind, her face still wet with tears. Gareth entered last, closing the door with an embarrassed expression.
"Where's Konstant?" Keiko and Luna asked almost in unison, voices overlapping. "What happened to him?"
Aldric exchanged a look with Gareth, who just shrugged slightly, an expression of 'I tried to warn them, but they didn't want to wait'.
"Calm down," Aldric said with the gentlest voice he could muster, raising his hands in a pacifying gesture. "Sit. I'll explain everything."
"I don't want to sit!" Keiko practically shouted. "I want to see Konstant! Where is he?"
Luna simply began to cry harder, eyes fixed on the black cocoon on the bed. "What is that?" she whispered. "Why is that thing in the room?"
"That," Aldric said carefully, "is Konstant."
The silence that fell was absolute.
Keiko blinked, processing the words. "The... what?"
"Come," Aldric gestured for them to approach. "Let me explain from the beginning."
Slowly, hesitantly, Keiko and Luna approached. Their eyes never left the cocoon, a mixture of horror and fascination on their faces.
Aldric began to tell. He spoke about how Konstant was hit by the Borak's aura. About the corruption that began to spread. About how the mythical fragment inside him was fighting, but losing. About the single hour he would have before it was too late.
Then he talked about the black liquid. About the vial his friend had given decades ago. About the desperate decision to use it even without knowing the effects.
And about the cocoon that formed.
"So he's... inside that?" Keiko asked, her voice coming out trembling. "Alive?"
"Yes," Aldric confirmed. "He is alive. I can feel his pulse through the cocoon. Breathing. But..."
"But what?" Luna pressed, wiping tears with the back of her hand.
"But I don't know what will happen," admitted Aldric. "I don't know if the remedy will work completely. I don't know how long it will take. I don't know what state he'll be in when the cocoon opens."
He looked at the two girls, seeing the impact of his words. "All I can say is that there's a chance. A real chance that he will survive. But I can't promise anything beyond that."
Keiko approached the cocoon slowly, as if in a trance. She extended her hand, hesitating inches from the black surface.
"Can I touch it?" she asked softly.
"You can," Aldric said. "It won't hurt him. Or you."
Keiko placed her hand on the surface of the cocoon. She felt that strange texture not hot or cold, not hard or soft. Something between states that her mind had difficulty categorizing.
But she could feel the pulsation. Weak, but present. Like a heart beating slowly.
"Konstant," she whispered, pressing her forehead against the cocoon. "Please. Please don't die. You can't die."
Luna also approached, placing both small hands on the black surface. "You promised," she said, voice cracking. "You said you would tell me if you were leaving. You... you promised..."
Her words dissolved into sobs.
Rady, who had been quiet the whole time, finally spoke. "He'll be okay," his voice came out firmer than expected. "He has to be. Because... because he's Konstant. He doesn't give up."
Aldric watched the three children around the cocoon these youths from another world who had formed such a deep bond in so little time. United by tragedy, by survival, by need.
And now by the fragile hope that their friend would return.
Gareth approached him, speaking low so as not to be heard by the others. "How long do you think?"
"I have no idea," Aldric replied equally low. "Could be hours. Days. Weeks, maybe. There's no precedent for this."
"And that green dot Rady saw?"
Aldric looked back at the cocoon. "I don't know either. But..." he hesitated, "something is happening inside the cocoon. Some kind of transformation. I can feel it."
"Transformation like?"
"If I knew, I wouldn't be so worried," Aldric said with a tired frustration in his voice.
He clapped his hands once, loud enough to get everyone's attention.
"Listen," he said with a firm but gentle voice. "I know you're all very nervous and scared. It's understandable. But as I explained, we still don't know what will happen. The only thing we can do now is wait."
"I won't leave him alone," Keiko said immediately, not removing her hand from the cocoon.
"Me neither," Luna added, equally stubborn.
"I'm staying too," Rady said simply.
Aldric sighed. He had no energy to argue with three determined children. "Very well. But at least rest. Sit, close your eyes for a few minutes. Gareth, you too."
"I need" Gareth began.
"You need to rest," Aldric cut him off. "Just a few minutes. You won't help anyone if you collapse from exhaustion."
Gareth hesitated, but finally nodded.
Slowly, everyone found places to sit. Keiko and Luna sat on the floor beside the cocoon, leaning against the wall. Rady stayed on the other side, legs crossed, eyes still fixed on the black surface. Gareth pulled a chair to a corner, sitting but clearly not relaxing.
Aldric returned to his own chair, feeling every bone in his body protest.
Silence filled the room. Only the light breathing of everyone, and that almost inaudible pulsation from the cocoon.
The minutes dragged.
An hour passed.
Aldric dozed and woke several times, never managing to fall into deep sleep. Gareth remained motionless in his chair, but his eyes were open, vigilant. Keiko and Luna eventually fell asleep leaning against each other. Rady remained awake, watching.
And then, when the first light of dawn began to filter through the curtains, Rady saw something.
"Aldric," he called softly. "Look."
Aldric opened his eyes, forcing himself to focus. "What?"
"The green dot," Rady pointed. "It's... it's bigger."
Aldric dragged himself closer, ignoring the pain. And saw that Rady was right.
The green dot had grown. Not much, but visibly. And there was something else it seemed to have developed a different texture. As if it were...
"A sprout," Aldric whispered, surprised. "It's a plant sprout."
"How can there be a plant growing on the cocoon?" Rady asked, confused.
Aldric had no answer. This didn't make sense. Plants needed soil, water, sunlight. How could something green be growing on the surface of that cocoon?
Unless...
An idea began to form in his mind. An impossible, absurd idea, but one that somehow made sense.
"Rady," he said slowly. "You have an affinity with the earth, right?"
"Yes," confirmed Rady. "Tomos said that. Plants grow better in the soil where I work."
"And Konstant was hit by abyssal corruption. Energy that consumes life, that destroys growth." Aldric touched the cocoon gently. "Maybe... maybe the remedy is doing more than just fighting the corruption. Maybe it's transforming Konstant in ways we don't understand."
"Transforming how?"
"I don't know," Aldric admitted. "But whatever it is... we'll find out when he emerges."
If he emerges, a dark voice whispered in his mind. But he didn't voice that thought.
The sprout continued growing slowly as the dawn light strengthened. Tiny, green, impossible.
A sign of life amid the darkness.
A fragile hope that, perhaps, Konstant would find his way back.