“Where are we going?” I ask

The driver glances over his shoulder, “To your new home. It’s the least your grandfather could do for you. I’m just glad he didn’t leave you out in that village of yours to fend for yourself. It wasn’t a particularly bad village but I doubt you had many friends there.”

“Frederick said that there wasn’t any room for me at the house,” I lean closer to the front of the carriage. “Was he lying?”

“Well, I’m sure there’s some truth in what your grandfather said. It’s rather unfortunate that he believed some people took up more space than what they deserved.” the driver clears his throat. “I’m talking too much. We both are. The village is just up ahead.”

The carriage slows to a stop. The driver opens the door and leads me down the steps. He grabs the clothing bought by my grandparents and takes me to four people. Two are kids. The boy is my age, the girl is younger than Aisha. They smile as I walk up.

“Greetings. Rainen, from this day onward you will be staying with these people.”

“W-who are they?” I ask.

“Hi,” the man says kneeling, “I’m Judd, your dad’s brother. In other words, your uncle. It’s nice to finally meet you.” he extends his hand to me.

I sheepishly grab hold, “Hi…”

“This is my wife, Aleena, my son, Aldwin, and daughter, Carla. I hope we can all get along. Welcome to the family.”

Dullpain emanates from my neck, arms, and ankles. Voices barrage me from all around. A scream? A whisper? The voices explode in my ears then turn into noises I’m not quite sure are there. My head spins. Opening my eyes causes even worse dizziness so I force them back shut.

“What happened out there? Why is he like this?”

“The people who are looking for you appeared at the other cabin. We fought them off but your brother used up too much mana. He should be fine with a little rest.”

“Oh thank the gods.” A warm hand grabs onto mine. “I know that he can fight but he’s just an ordinary person.”

“Yes… Well, I will take a look at him after I finish with Sio.”

“Thank you, sir. Uh, wait. Before you go, may I ask your name.”

“You’ve helped us so much it was rude of us not to ask earlier,” someone, most likely Iris, says.

“I am Gideon Taylor. You all may call me Gideon. Now, it’s time we start on your other friend’s treatment,” he says.

I fight to open my eyes but it’s like they’re weighed down by bricks. I sit up, “I’ll come along.” Aisha’s grip tightens and she tries to pull me down. “I’m fine.” I lie. I try to yank my hand free from her but she holds on.

“You’re not fine,” Gideon says, “You’re not allowed to leave that bed until I say so. Will you keep him company?”

“I will,” Aisha replies. “I won’t let him leave.”

I shake my head. “Aisha, you can’t stop me from going. You can’t either,” I say to Gideon. “I said I’m fine. Are you going to tell me there’s something wrong when I’m clearly okay? Do you want to put me through some sort of test to see if I’m thinking clearly or can walk?”

“No. I know you’re not thinking clearly and can hardly walk. That’s why you collapsed earlier. Your mana is low. You need to get some rest. You can see Sio later tonight or tomorrow when I deem you ready.”

Aisha pushes me back down on the bed while everyone else leaves the room.

“What happened to your hands?” Fia asks.

“Just a little bruised,” Istraun says.

Once everyone leaves, Aisha asks if I need anything, water or food. I ask if it’s the room I slept in earlier. When she nods, I have her look under the bed. “It’s still here. Do you want me to hand it to you?”

“No!” I snap. She recoils. “Don’t touch it.”

“S-sorry,” she stammers.

I sigh, “Don’t you want to go check on Sio like the rest? See if the flower works like the healer said it would?”

“You mean Gideon? Yes, of course, I do,” she gazes through the doorway. “But I’m more worried about you. So please, please just put my mind at ease and go to sleep. Everything will be fine once you wake up again.”

I falter under the look of her pleading eyes. In my past couple of years with my master, it was always, get up if you want to be strong. Do it again. Or, If you rest now then all that hard work you put in before will be for nothing. You can take on most people but what about those that you can’t? You couldn’t do it before and you can’t do it now if you don’t stand up and keep going.

“Fine,” I say. “I’ll try to rest.”

“Thank you.”

I close my eyes. My mind drifts. Despite telling Aisha that I would rest, I fight the oncoming drowsiness. When she leaves I’ll get back up. I think about my master. Where could he be? Why did he leave me in Aurora City? The thought disappears in an instant as I start to drift again. I can’t find the strength to open my eyes anymore. I skim through thoughts and memories fighting hard against the encroaching sleep.

And then a nightmare strikes. Thoughts I don’t want to have around come pouring in. I flip through more and more memories trying to think of something else. Something less horrible, anything less terrible than those… I drift back to this morning. The look on Istruan’s face makes my throat tighten. I hear the voices of two people. They start yelling at me, accusing me. It’s Iris and Elis.

Something whispers to me and snaps me out of my thoughts. The sword! I reach out.

“Whoa. Is there something wrong with taking a look?”

It’s Gideon. I look for Aisha but she’s nowhere to be found. “Yes, there’s something very wrong with taking a look.” I pull the sword but he holds on. “Let go of it.”

“Why should I do that?”

“Because it’s mine.”

He let’s go, “Well said. I’ve no right to be touching what is not mine. Now, to talk about this morning…”

He stares at me and I stare back. It feels almost as if I’m not even breathing. His eyes are emotionless, cold and analytical. The contest goes on for a good minute. He’s looking for something but hasn’t found it yet. That’s why he’s still silent.

“Rainen. It’s a good name.”

I narrow my gaze, “I thought we were going to talk about this morning. If you’re wondering about the flower, I was going to tell everyone about it I swear. I didn’t say anything at first because I wasn’t confident in the flower I had. I plucked it nearly a week ago. I thought that maybe the plant was nearing death and you couldn’t use it. I didn’t want to give Istruan and the others false hope.”

He leans in closer, “Do you remember how you ended up using all of your mana?”

I close my eyes and try to recall the memory. “I must have used more power in my spells than I thought. Maybe Saelac woke up and I used what I had on him… I don’t know why you’re asking me this.”

“So you can’t remember. Is that what you’re saying.”

“I can’t remember,” I admit. “What happened this morning?”

“Interesting. Either you are a skilled liar or you are telling the truth,” he stops me with a hand. “I believe you, in this instance that is. This morning, after you gave your friend the flower you seemed to lose control. You attacked us.”

I attacked them… Did the demon take over while I wasn’t aware? How come I can’t remember anything? It whispered only once to me. I know it only whispered once. This time it didn’t even try to get me to use it.

“Young men and women reach their peak conditions around your age, however, whatever version I faced of you this morning was inhuman. A monster. A demon. If I had not rigged my cabins with spell circles I very well may have died to you.”

My grip on the sword tightens. My knuckles are as white as sheets. It got out again.

“I saw that after I knocked you out with a sleeping spell.”

I freeze. “Why would you knock me out?”

He nods, “So you weren’t in control then either,” he casts his eyes downward. “Tell me this straight out. What happened to you out there because I do not know. You went hysterical after giving away the flower and staring at your knife. What did you see?”

“Nothing. I don’t know what you’re talking about at all. I’ve told you already that I can’t remember. The only thing I remember is… is giving the flower to Istruan. That’s as far as my memory goes.”

“Well, that’s the second part of the question answered. What happened to you afterward? Why did you start attacking us?”

“I don’t know.”

“Why did you start attacking us?” he shouts.

“I don’t know!” I scream back.

He takes a breath. “You may not know, that part sounds true enough but I am certain you know what happened to you out there.”

“It’s possible the sleeping powder you used on me had some sort of side effect. Maybe it gave me hallucinations or one of Saelac’s men used a spell on me. There are lots of different explanations.”

He sighs, “I will not leave until you tell me what is actually going on. I am no child you can lie to and get away with. I am also not a man who lets dangerous and unstable things go by without question. Inside of you, there is something else, something dangerous and something that you cannot control.”

I fall silent. For once I’m glad that he’s the only one in here. How would the others react if they knew? I have to travel with them for a little while longer.

“I think there’s some sort of mistake.”

His nostrils flare and his gaze darkens, “Sure. You keep on denying it but I know. I have traveled to continents outside of this one. The elves are a particularly interesting race. They are keen in earth and wind magic, nature magic. It is there that I learned much of my craft. And it is there that I first experienced a battle with a spirit user, a powerful one.”

Someone knocks on the door.

“I-is everything okay? Did he wake up yet?”

“Everything is fine. The two of us are having a chat. Would you mind leaving us alone?”

“R-right. Okay. I’ll go tell the others that you’re awake-”

“Don’t!” I blurt. “Um, I’ll come out in a bit. Don’t worry about it.”

“O-okay.”

I listen as her footsteps fade away before I speak. What if she was there the entire time? Is Blue Hair the kind of person to listen in on a private conversation? No, she’s not. If she was she never would have said a word.

Gideon continues as if we were never interrupted, “This spirit user was one I had never faced before. She was fast, strong, and seemed to have near infinite amounts of mana. I couldn’t land a scratch. However, I caught her in a trap. The same one I caught you in. She stepped over onto my spell circle and I began draining her mana. As I was draining her dry, something happened that I had never seen before. Her mana, or more accurately, It’s mana became visible. Which is exactly what happened to you.”

“It doesn’t mean a thing. How many times have you used this spell? It’s not something so easy that you can use it every battle,” I try to throw off. I need to distract him as much as possible without making it seem like I’m doing it. He needs to question his own thoughts.

“That’s true, I’ve only used it thrice. And out of those three times, two were exactly like what I saw this morning. Perhaps the first time was the oddity and what happened to you is what’s normal. But I do not think that’s true. Not at all. The spirit user was still conscious when I was draining her mana much unlike the first person who passed out right away. The only reason as to why she was still able to move was because of the spirit she had inside her.”

He’s just speculating but there’s nothing I can say to dissuade him.

“You were exactly the same. Like her, instead of blacking out, you gave up. Or, more accurately, the spirit inside of you gave up. If it didn’t you would have died. The mana it was sending into you was instantly being absorbed by my spell and even if it had kept sending more, little chunks of whatever you had left would have been all used up by the time it broke free.”

I look him straight in the eye while resisting the urge to hang my head. He knows he has me. So do I just tell him? Is he someone who I can trust? What do I have to lose from telling him my secret?

“I am not accusing you of trying to kill me but I am accusing you of hiding something that could kill all of us, everyone in this house!” He lowers his voice and leans in close, “I do not care what it is that you have inside of you or for what reasons but I need to know if you are to stay in my care any longer.”

I try to steady my breathing. I can barely manage a whisper. “Fine. You’ve got me. I’ll tell you everything I know about it but you cannot tell the others. They must know.”

“And why is that?” he asks.

“Because it’s my secret to tell. I’m sure a hermit like you has your own and wouldn’t be so pleased if people went spreading it around.”

He contemplates my words for a second. “I agree. It is your secret to tell. However, it will be our burden to keep so long as I house you and your friends in this house of mine.”

“We’ll leave as soon as possible,” I assure him. “So don’t say a word to them about what I’m going to tell you. What I have inside of me isn’t a benevolent spirit or a spirit at all, it’s a demon. I first noticed I had it around three years ago…”

I summarize most of the story and leave only the crucial parts intact. I pause here and there for questions, sending sidelong glances at him, but he never asks. He doesn’t make a single noise throughout my entire explanation.

“And what about your sister? Did she get caught up in the mess with your little demon that you’re hiding? Or perhaps she was involved with the sword you’re holding.”

“Neither. She doesn’t know about the demon and she thinks this is a regular sword. She doesn’t know anything. She lived with our grandparents while I lived with my uncle. She lived nearly nine years without seeing me. Why are you asking?”

“Because I think it’s a little bit strange that a young noble girl like her has those burns. Although none are in obvious places and she tries to hide them, as a man who prides himself on observing others, I noticed. The burns are unrelated then?”

“They are,” I say with a lower tone than usual.

He nods, “So is that sword what caused the demon to appear?”

“I don’t know,” I reply. “All I know is that it’s part of the problem. I wish that I could leave it behind but if someone else found it and used it for their own gain then I’d be at fault. Something tells me that it would find its way back to me even if I did throw it away.”

“Cursed things tend to do that don’t they?” he muses.

“Do what?”

“Attract other cursed things,” he says. “While I very much admire your outward sense of responsibility, I despise your inward cowardice. Do what you think is best for you and your friends but I will give you some advice, secrets tend to get more people killed than it saves. Think on that while you lie to your friends.”

At that moment, someone knocks on the door.

“Come in,” Gideon says.

I send a quick glare at the healer before setting the sword behind me. Aisha enters with a smile plastered across her face. She stares at us both, her smile dies as quickly as it came. She stands as silent as a statue. I realize I’m still glaring and ease up.

“Did I interrupt?”

“No,” Gideon stands. “As it so happens, I was just about to leave. What did you come for? Just wanted to check up on your brother?”

“No. I mean yes. But also, Sio woke up. Everyone is gathered around him right now. I came to get you.”

Gideon zooms out of the room leaving the two of us behind. I motion for Aisha to help me up. She walks over and simply keeps her eyes on the ground. I tell her that if she doesn’t help me, I’m going to walk out the door by myself. She takes a moment to come to a conclusion and decides it’s best if I’m under her care rather than leaving alone.

In the other room, Gideon examines Sio by checking his heart rate, temperature, and senses. Everyone else watches on with interest, Iris even runs a few tests of her own asking Sio to hold his breath and having him answer a few hard questions.

A memory creeps its way into my thoughts as I watch Aisha’s smile return. My master sits beside me as I wake. He tends to the campfire with his mind somewhere far away. He has a smile but his eyes are lost. As I shift on the bed of blankets he squeezes his eyes shut for a moment before returning back to normal. He taps my forehead with a twig and tells me to prepare for the day.

“The final question. How are you feeling, young man?”

“Good,” Sio says, “I mean, not amazing. I feel a little groggy but other than that I feel… stronger. Like during that whole time I was infected maybe I gained some sort of power from the bear. Maybe when it attacked me it also imparted some of its strength.”

Gideon’s face turns dark, “You mean to say your sword arm is better now that you’ve been bedridden for, what I am told, nearly a week?”

“Right. Sio, that doesn’t make sense,” Fia joins in. “Maybe it’s because you’ve been feeling weak for such a long time that now you’re better you think you’ve gotten stronger.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Sio responds, looking at his hand.

Something about what he said doesn’t sit well with me. He conceded to their judgment but there’s a sense of hope still in him. If the bear did leave some sort of its power in him then I need to keep a close watch. The shard is still wrapped up in the cloth and hidden in my shoes. Will it react if I bring it to Sio?

“I’m glad you’re better now, Sio,” I say.

“Thanks, Rainen. It looks like I keep getting saved by you.”

I nod.

Gideon slaps his thighs and stands, “Right. The sun is beginning to set. I will prepare dinner at once. Afterward, all of you, please get some sleep. Today has been rather eventful if I must say so. Would you mind providing a hand?” he looks straight at me.

“Not at all.”

“Wait,” Aisha interrupts, “Wouldn’t it be better if he got some more rest? I can help you too.”

Gideon smiles, “I won’t stop you if you decide you wish to help but I asked your brother here in order to keep a close eye on him. Those who have been mana deprived often recover quite quickly with the proper rest. I only need now determine if your brother received what he needed. I’m sure he’d like to know as well rather than use the rest of the day sleeping.”

“Definitely,” I reply. “Leave the food to us.”

Downstairs, Gideon grabs the ingredients and tasks me with setting up the table and the cookware. We work without an exchange of words. When he finishes gathering the ingredients, he places them next to the cooking pot and tells me to cut them up. As I walk over, he pulls out a plant and grinds it up in a bowl.

“This one is Sio’s.”

“What is it?”

“It’s an herb that needs to be digested. It’s rather sour alone but he won’t notice when it’s mixed with the rest of the vegetables and dispersed in the liquid.” Gideon takes a bowl from the table and puts it back in the cabinet.

“I think we’ve lied to each other enough already,” I say.

“I’ve done very little lying,” he replies. “I know my medicine and I have seen a great many surprises in the battlefield but I have never, in my forty plus years of experience, seen someone with such a severe infection sit straight up and act like they’ve just awoken from a nap. It was there this morning when we left, stronger than ever but it disappeared in a matter of hours after one flower was used? This is nothing short of a miracle.”

“Strange things are said to happen during twilight.” I joke.

“You’ve noticed something as well. The others, while not unintelligent, aren’t quite as keen to hone in on these oddities. Perhaps it’s because they still have not yet seen the world. Nevertheless, the plant I’ve ground up is meant to detect outside magic forces. If the all magic is not solely his but rather some of it belongs to the monster who injured him, then we will see traces of mana coming out of him.”

“And what will you do after that?”

“If it happens to be a blessing, then I will leave it alone. If it is malicious, then I will rid him of it,” he resolves.

“If that’s how it is then I’m willing to give it a shot.”

Gideon starts the fire, “You are stubborn and yet not at the same time. I cannot seem to place you.”

“Many would say stubborn,” I answer, cutting the vegetables.

“No, not that scale. I can’t seem to place whether or not you are acting entirely out of your own better judgment or you prefer the idea of following the lead of a stranger. Why trust a stranger? You quickly called me out on my first lie but what if I told you another lie? Are you not going to question my second explanation?”

“I won’t,” I snap at him. “I can see you’re telling the truth…” I stop cutting for a moment and think on my next words. “You’ve given me enough reason to believe in you. And, so you should know, it was a stranger who saved my life.”

“Ah, so I see. And are you hoping that this stranger knows how to exorcise demons?”

I freeze.

“I forgot to mention the other part of that scale, self-interest. Unfortunately, I cannot exorcise demons. Though I wish I could. I saw something sinister when I brought up the talk about strangers and when I asked about the demon earlier today. There was an almost childlike smile when you told me the story of the sword… I would appreciate it if you didn’t point your knife at me.”

I look at my hand and pull it back to the cutting board.

“It seems that the demon inside of you has a certain control over you as well. Perhaps this has to do with the person who saved your life. However, do not trust strangers so easily even if they are as kind as me. You know I have my secrets. Do you not find it strange how I have not been hunted down by the Empire given our sour relations? I am a deserter after all.”

“I’m not interested.”

“Yes, fortunately, I was not interested in telling you why either. Heed my words. To protect those young men and women who follow you, stop allowing people to lead you around at their behest. Stop listening to the sweet whispers of the demon and rid yourself of it as soon as possible.”

I bite my lip, holding back my anger and respond with, “I’ll take your advice.” I finish cutting up the vegetables and throw them into the pot. He fills it with some water and boils it over a fire. Once preparations are done, I call everyone downstairs. They gladly take their seats around the table and eat.

With Sio awake and food that’s not just dry bread and a couple of fruits, the other's spirits have risen. The divided groups gather around a table as one party of friends and the muted conversations that dominated all social interactions back at the inn disappears.

I wait for the others to get close to finishing their meal before talking, “Sio, how are you feeling now?” I ask.

“Good,” he answers, “I feel almost like new.”

I nod and stand, “Everyone,” all heads turn to me. “Since Sio received the treatment he needed and is doing much better, we will be leaving first thing in the morning after breakfast tomorrow.” I head upstairs ignoring Istruan’s cries for me to stop.

“I said hold on!” he grabs my shoulder. “Why are we leaving so soon? We’ve finally found a place where we can rest and gather our bearings. Sio just woke up! Doesn’t he need some time to rest? You do too, I’m sure this morning shook you up a bit-”

“Istruan, this morning made everything clear. We are not safe here. The empire is still looking for us.”

“Yes, but we fought them back.”

“By the skin of our teeth!”

Istruan tries to build a case for staying, “Gideon is strong. You and I were ambushed by that man.”

I shake my head, “Yes, Gideon is strong. He is strong. Not you, not me, not the others down there. What would happen if Saelac came to this cabin with all his men in tow? Do you think someone like Fia or my sister could fight back three people at once? How about Gideon? We were lucky Saelac didn’t have his armored companion with him, otherwise, things may have ended differently. Don’t think that because we won once means we will win again. Our lucky streak will die out sooner or later. Our time is limited!”

“Rainen,” he coughs out, “We have faith that you know what you’re doing but we need time to recover. Your own sister has been worried all day since you came back!”

I clench my fists, “I am making the best choice for us.”

“For us or for you? Whether or not you believe me, I know for certain that we need a place to rest. Ever since we left that city all we’ve done is run and I am tired. If you want to leave tomorrow, fine. We’ll follow. But if something happens, it’s on you.”

Istruan storms back downstairs.

“It’s always going to be on me.”