Puff.
Keiko and Rady fell on their butts almost simultaneously, and the hard earth absorbed the impact in a decidedly ungentle manner. Keiko let out a groan that mixed pain and frustration. Rady just lay there, looking at the blue sky, his chest rising and falling with heavy breaths.
"Again?" Daven's voice came from above, not exactly cruel, but definitely impatient. "You two need to keep your guard up. Always. A one-second distraction and..."
He didn't finish, but the training blow that had knocked them both down completed the sentence adequately.
Keiko wiped sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, leaving a smear of dirt in the process. Her whole body ached—her shoulders, back, legs, even her toes, which she didn't even know could hurt. Two and a half weeks of intense physical training had left their marks.
"Get up," Daven ordered, extending a hand first to Keiko. "We're not finished yet."
"You're joking," Keiko groaned, but took the offered hand. Her legs trembled as she stood, muscles protesting vehemently. "We've already trained for three hours."
"And you'll train for one more," Daven said simply, now helping Rady to his feet. "Warriors don't choose when to fight. You fight when the enemy comes, tired or not."
Around them, the training area was full of movement. It was an open space near the eastern edge of the village, a large field of packed earth where the grass had been completely worn away by years of use. Training dummies made of straw and wood were positioned at various points, some already showing signs of severe wear.
There were at least fifteen other people training most adults who were part of Thornhaven's informal militia, but also some children and teenagers. Tam was there with his father, practicing with a wooden spear that was almost too tall for him. Several other youths around Keiko and Rady's age practiced in pairs, the sounds of wood hitting wood echoing across the field.
Two and a half weeks.
Two and a half weeks had passed since the attack that would change everyone's routine.
Keiko still remembered clearly the day Aldric and Gareth had announced the mandatory training. It had been three days after the attack, when the village was still recovering, wounds still fresh both physically and emotionally.
"All able-bodied individuals between twelve and fifty will participate," Gareth had declared in the main hall, his voice echoing through the silent structure. "Adults, three times a week. Children and teenagers, twice." No exceptions."
There had been protests, of course. People arguing they had work to do, crops to tend, trades to practice. But Aldric had cut off all objections with a single sentence:
"The Abyssal creatures are back. And when they return, you'll want to know how to survive."
No one had argued after that.
"Keiko!" Daven's voice brought her back to the present. "Focus! Again!"
She sighed heavily and assumed the combat stance they had taught her, feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, hands raised protecting her face. Beside her, Rady did the same, though his posture was even shakier than hers.
At least I'm not the only terrible one at this, Keiko thought with a touch of dark humor.
Daven advanced again, this time more slowly, letting them see the movements. "High block when the strike comes from above. Like this." He demonstrated, moving the training staff in a downward arc. "Your arms form an 'X' above your head. Absorb the impact, deflect to the sides."
Keiko tried to copy the movement. Her arms crossed, but the angle was wrong. When Daven tested with a real strike, still controlled but with force, the staff went straight through her guard and hit the top of her head.
"Ouch!" she yelled, bringing her hands to her head instinctively.
"Dead," Daven said without emotion. "Try again. Tighter angle. Elbows closer."
They practiced the same motion repeatedly until Keiko thought her arms would fall off. Rady had a bit more luck, his larger frame and natural strength from months working in the fields helped. But he also took his share of hits.
"Water!" Daven finally announced, and it was like heavenly music.
Keiko practically ran to the water barrels positioned at the edge of the training field. She filled a wooden cup and drank so fast that half of it ran down her chin. She didn't care. She was too hot, too tired to care about appearances.
Rady arrived soon after, doing the same. They stood there for a moment, just breathing heavily, catching their breath.
"I hate this," Keiko finally said, wiping her mouth. "Every muscle in my body is screaming."
"Me too," Rady admitted quietly. "But... but it's necessary, isn't it?"
"I suppose." Keiko looked at the training field, seeing everyone else in their own sessions. "I still hate it."
"At least we're not the only ones suffering."
It was true. Everyone seemed equally miserable. Even some of the more experienced adults were visibly tired, sweat soaking their clothes.
"Keiko! Rady!"
They turned and saw Tam running toward them, training spear still in hand. The boy was eight, but was already participating in the basic training—everyone twelve and older was required, but younger children could participate voluntarily if parents allowed.
And after the attack, many parents allowed. No one wanted their children to be defenseless again.
"Hi, Tam," Keiko greeted, forcing a smile. "How's training?"
"It's hard!" the boy said with surprising enthusiasm. "But I'm getting better! Look!" He assumed a stance and made a thrusting motion with the spear, the kind they had taught him. It wasn't perfect, his feet were in the wrong position and the angle was odd, but it showed genuine effort.
"Very good," Rady said encouragingly.
"My father said if I train a lot, I'll be able to protect my mother and my little sister when I grow up!" Tam smiled broadly. "That I'll never freeze up again when bad things happen!"
Keiko felt something tighten in her chest. Tam had been one of the rescued children that night one of the ones Luna had hidden in the hollow trunk. The boy had seen things no child should see.
And now he was determined to never be helpless again.
"You will," she said sincerely. "Just keep training."
"I will!" Tam nodded and ran back to where his father was waiting.
Rady watched the boy walk away, then said quietly: "He still has nightmares too. Heard Tomos mentioning. Wakes up screaming some nights."
"I don't blame him," Keiko murmured. "I still do too."
"Me too."
They fell silent for a moment, sharing that tacit understanding of trauma. Then Daven's voice cut through the field:
"BREAK IS OVER! BACK!"
Keiko groaned audibly. "He's trying to kill us."
"Maybe," Rady agreed, but was already moving.
The next sixty minutes were pure agony. Endurance exercises running around the perimeter of the field, jumping over low obstacles, carrying sandbags. Then more technical work like how to hold a spear properly, how to block with a shield, how to move in formation.
When Daven finally dismissed them, Keiko was ready to collapse right there on the ground and never get up again.
"Tomorrow, same time," Daven announced to the whole group. "And try not to forget what I taught today. Repetition builds muscle memory. Muscle memory saves lives."
People dispersed slowly, all equally exhausted. Keiko and Rady walked together toward the village proper, their steps slow and heavy.
"I need a bath," Keiko said, sniffing her own arm and grimacing. "I smell like... like something died."
"You and all of us," Rady agreed.
But before they could continue, raised voices caught their attention. They came from a small group near the edge of the training field, three men and two women, talking in low but clearly agitated tones.
Keiko recognized one of them, Borin, a middle-aged farmer who always seemed to be a grumbler. He was gesturing vigorously as he spoke, though he was too far away to hear the words clearly.
But she saw when he pointed in their direction. She saw when the others looked, some expressions agreeing.
"They're talking about us," Rady said quietly, suddenly tense.
"I know," Keiko replied, keeping her face neutral. "Ignore it."
But ignoring was becoming increasingly difficult.
It had started about a week ago. Murmurs. Whispers. Looks that lasted longer than normal.
Some people had started to blame them.
Not openly, at first. Just insinuations. Veiled comments. "Funny how the barriers never failed before they arrived."
"Three Mystics appear out of nowhere, and suddenly Abyssals attack us." What a coincidence."
Keiko had tried not to mind. Tried to understand that scared people needed someone to blame, and outsiders were easy targets.
But it hurt. It hurt to hear people they had helped, people they had worked alongside for months, suddenly looking at them with suspicion and resentment.
"Let's go," she said to Rady, quickening her pace.
They walked in silence until they reached a more populated area of the village. And that's when they saw the small crowd gathered near the main hall.
There was a wagon there, large, pulled by two field oxen, loaded with crates and barrels. A merchant caravan. Keiko recognized the type, they had seen merchants passing through a few times since they arrived, though they were rare in such a remote village.
Several villagers surrounded the wagon, talking animatedly with a robust-looking man who seemed to be the group's leader. Aldric was there too, his expression grave as he listened.
"What's happening?" Rady asked.
"I don't know. Let's find out."
They approached slowly, staying at the edge of the crowd. The conversation was heated, several people talking at once.
"It can't be right."
"Heard the same in Millbrook."
"The temples issued a divine mandate."
"SILENCE!" Aldric's voice cut through the chatter, louder and more authoritative than Keiko had heard him in weeks. "One at a time. Marcus, you first. What exactly did this man tell you?"
The merchant, Marcus, apparently cleared his throat. He was a man of perhaps forty, with a full beard and clothes that had once been fine but were now worn by the road. He held a scroll in hands that trembled slightly.
"Elder Aldric," he began, his voice laden with tension. "I come from Hilkrest, which is six days' travel northeast. Before that, I passed through three other villages and a small town." He paused, swallowing dryly. "Everywhere, the same news. The whole kingdom is in turmoil."
"What news?" Aldric pressed.
Marcus raised the scroll. "Three weeks ago, all the temples of the Twelve Gods in the kingdom of Wiphyrn simultaneously issued a divine mandate. Not just one temple. Not just one region. All of them, at the same time."
Shocked murmurs ran through the crowd.
"What kind of mandate?" Gareth had joined the group, his expression hard.
"Preparation for war," Marcus said, and the words fell like stones. "War against the Abyssals. The priests say they received visions. Direct warnings from the gods. A large-scale invasion is coming. It has already begun in some regions."
"Invasion?" a woman in the crowd gasped. "But the barriers"
"The barriers are failing," Marcus cut her off. "Throughout the kingdom. Not just in Thornhaven. Cities. Villages. Even the regional capitals report weakening. And where the barriers fail, the Abyssals enter."
He unrolled the scroll, revealing what looked like a list. "In the last three weeks, at least fifteen settlements have been attacked. Two completely destroyed. Hundreds dead. Perhaps thousands, the information is confused."
The silence that fell was absolute and terrifying.
"What kind of Abyssals?" Aldric asked, his voice tense. "Grusks? Boraks?"
"Those and worse," Marcus said somberly. "Creatures not seen for generations. Types that existed only in ancient legends. There are reports of a Soul Devourer in Kurulug; they say it consumed fifty people before being repelled. Near the northern border, hunters found traces of an Abyssal Leviathan. An elder Leviathan."
Several people made protective religious signs, fingers tracing symbols in the air.
Keiko leaned toward Rady. "What's an Abyssal Leviathan?" she whispered.
"I don't know," he whispered back. "But from how they're reacting, it's very bad."
Aldric had fallen very quiet, processing. After a long moment, he asked: "And the kingdom's response? What is King Aldwin doing?"
"The regular army is being expanded," Marcus replied. "Militias are being organized in all regions. And... there's conscription. All able-bodied men, aged eighteen to forty, must report for military training in the next two months."
"Conscription," Gareth repeated, and there was something heavy in his voice. "So it's that serious."
"More serious than anything in a hundred years," Marcus confirmed. "The elders say they haven't seen anything like it since the Great Invasion."
Keiko saw Aldric exchange a significant look with Gareth. Something passed between them, a shared memory, perhaps. Something that worried them deeply.
"There's more," Marcus continued, his voice growing lower. "The temples are summoning Mystics. Anyone with power, trained or not, is being asked to report to the academies or temples for assessment and preparation. The priests say Mystics will be crucial to repelling what's coming."
Keiko felt several pairs of eyes turn in her direction. She and Rady exchanged an uncomfortable look.
"What about the barriers?" Aldric asked. "Is there any explanation for why they're failing?"
"Theories," Marcus said. "Nothing concrete. Some priests say it's natural weakening after centuries of use. Others believe the Abyssals have discovered a way to corrode them from within. And there are even..." he hesitated, clearly uncomfortable.
"There's what?" Aldric pressed.
"There are those who say it's divine will," Marcus said quietly. "That the gods are allowing the barriers to fail as a test. To force humanity to become stronger."
"That's ridiculous," someone in the crowd protested. "The gods wouldn't throw us to the wolves on purpose!"
"I don't know," Marcus said with a tired shrug. "I just report what I heard."
Aldric massaged his temples, visibly processing a massive amount of information. "You said you saw this in all the villages you passed through?"
"Yes. And it's worse in the cities. Panic is spreading. Some places are building extra defenses. Others are evacuating completely, moving populations to larger settlements with stronger defenses."
"And Thornhaven?" someone asked nervously. "We're too remote. No one will come help us if we're attacked again."
"That's why," Marcus said, pulling some papers from the wagon, "I'm offering transportation. My caravan is heading to Hilkrest, which has stone walls and a permanent garrison. I can take families, five gold coins per person."
Five gold coins. It was a fortune for most villagers; many of them didn't even have coins, just bartered.
"Hilkrest isn't that safe either," Gareth pointed out. "If the barriers are failing everywhere"
"But it has trained soldiers," Marcus argued. "And proper defenses. Better chance than here."
The crowd erupted into agitated conversations. Some people clearly considering the merchant's offer. Others insisting they wouldn't abandon their homes.
Aldric raised his hands, calling for silence. "Everyone, return to your homes. I need time to process this information and decide our best course of action. There will be a meeting tomorrow night in the hall. All adults must attend."
People began to disperse reluctantly, still talking in low, nervous tones. Keiko saw Borin the farmer who had been pointing at them earlier approach some people, talking quickly.
She didn't need to hear to know what he was talking about.
"Let's go," Rady said quietly, touching her arm.
They were starting to walk away when a voice called them:
"You two! Wait!"
Keiko turned and saw Borin marching toward them, two other men at his side. His face was red, expression furious.
"Did you hear that?" he demanded as he approached. "The whole kingdom is being attacked! The barriers are failing everywhere!"
"We heard," Keiko said cautiously, tensing.
"Then you understand!" Borin gestured vigorously. "It's not a coincidence! Three Mystics appear out of nowhere, falling from the sky in balls of light, and suddenly the barriers start failing!"
"We had nothing to do with it," Rady said quietly, but there was tension in his voice.
"No?" One of the other men Keiko didn't recognize him challenged. "Then explain! Explain why our barrier, which stood intact for fifty years, failed right after you arrived!"
"We don't know," Keiko said, trying to stay calm. "But the attacks are happening throughout the kingdom. Clearly we aren't"
"You're a curse!" Borin cut her off. "You brought this upon us! My family is in danger because of you!"
"Enough, Borin," a new voice entered the conversation.
Gareth had approached, his expression hard and dangerous. "You're scared. I understand. But you'll stop terrorizing children. Now."
"Children?" Borin laughed bitterly. "They're Mystics! They carry power they don't understand! Of course they cause trouble!"
"The merchant's news makes it clear," Gareth said in an icy voice, "that this is happening all over Wiphyrn. Unless you're suggesting these four children somehow caused barrier failures hundreds of kilometers away?"
Borin opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again. "Still"
"Still nothing," Gareth cut him off. "You will return to your home. You will stop spreading hysteria. And if I hear you or anyone else harassing these children again, you'll regret it. Understood?"
There was a tense moment where Borin clearly considered arguing. But Gareth was the village's most experienced hunter, respected and intimidating. Finally, Borin muttered something unintelligible and walked away, his companions following.
Gareth sighed, turning to Keiko and Rady. "Are you okay?"
"Yes," Keiko lied. "We're getting used to it."
"You shouldn't have to get used to it," Gareth said with genuine frustration. "Scared people look for scapegoats. But that doesn't make it right."
"At least now we know it wasn't us," Rady said quietly. "If it's happening everywhere..."
"Exactly," Gareth confirmed. "And I hope when this news fully circulates, idiots like Borin will be shamed and stop."
"I hope so," Keiko murmured, but she wasn't convinced.
They talked for a few more minutes before Gareth had to leave to meet with Aldric. Left alone, Keiko and Rady stood there for a moment, processing everything they had heard.
"War," Rady finally said. "The whole kingdom preparing for war."
"And us here," Keiko added. "Not knowing anything about anything."
"We should talk to Aldric," Rady suggested. "Ask about the gods, about the kingdom, about... everything."
"Yes," Keiko agreed. "But..."
"But not without Konstant."
They exchanged a look of understanding. It was ridiculous, perhaps, to wait for someone who was in a coma inside a cocoon to have an important conversation. But it felt wrong to learn crucial things about this world without the third member of their group.
"A few more weeks," Keiko decided. "The cocoon is almost completely flowered now. It has to be soon."
"It has to be," Rady agreed.
With that tacit plan established, they finally separated Keiko heading toward Mira's house, Rady toward the fields where Tomos was probably still working.
And as they walked on different paths through the village, neither of them noticed the eyes that still followed them.
Distrust. Fear. Resentment.
Not from everyone. But from some.
And sometimes, some were enough to make a place feel much less like home.