Avalel sits huddled in a corner as Faresoenn tends to the girl, using a small wet piece of cloth to clean the scratches on her knees. It is already quite late, the Elyfesta high above the clouds, the warm winds drifting in through the windows, typical of the midday atmosphere. He didn’t end up going to school at all, his bag slumped over by the walls. But that isn’t on his mind.

The father he has known for twelve years, the gentle pacifist he so adores, has effortlessly disarmed two dangerous men. A girl he has never seen before, an individual from the Outside, has suddenly entered the forest. Both are like strangers to him now, their faces unrecognizable and unreachable.

He has many questions to ask his father later.

“How are your wounds?” Faresoenn asks. “Better?”

“... Thanks,” the girl mutters. “They’re only small scratches anyway. You didn’t have to…” Her voice is timid, still somewhat shocked and bewildered at their encounter.

Judging from her disheveled hair, she seems to have traveled a long way… but how? Avalel

“There is a possibility of an infection,” Faresoenn says, his soothing voice so familiar to Avalel. “We can’t just take that risk, can we?”

“Did you manage to get rid of those two?” the girl suddenly asks.

“... Yes,” Faresoenn answers after a pause. “Took a while, though. I hope Avalel has been good company?”

“I was just sitting here all this time. Didn’t really talk,” Avalel says. “And… uh, Dad?”

“Yes?”

“Can I ask you something after lunch?”

“Sure. Oh, and I’ll just tell the principal you were sick today when I deliver some materials over to the school.”

“... Thanks.” Avalel continues to hug his legs, not knowing what else to say. It’s only been a while, but why does he already feel a gap between him and Faresoenn?

Just what else does he not know?

Just then, the girl’s stomach growls. She doesn’t seem too bothered by it, still sitting like before. Faresoenn, however, is alert, immediately stopping his movements.

“Are you hungry?” he asks.

“Not really—” Another growl.

“Well, that was embarrassing, wasn’t it?” Faresoenn stands and proceeds to enter the kitchen, rummaging through the cupboards storage drawers, grabbing the necessary utensils, pots, and pans. “Looks like we’ll have an early lunch today! Oh, Avalel, can you get the young lady a cup of hot water?”

“Y-Yes!” Avalel responds, being snapped away from his thoughts. He rushes to the kitchen, rejoining Faresoenn briefly by his side.

“Remember to talk to the girl,” Faresoenn reminds him. “At least a bit. You’re good at talking, aren’t you?”

Avalel quickly pours some water into a small pot, heating it up over the stove. As soon as he feels steam wisping from the pot, he pours some of it into a crude ceramic cup, leaving the rest to be used for Faresoenn’s cooking. When he exits the kitchen and approaches the girl, her eyes seem to light up a little, her hands eager to receive the water.

“Be careful,” he says. “The water’s really hot.”

The girl quickly snatches the cup from him, some of the water splashing on her hands. However, to Avalel’s surprise, she doesn’t even wince, immediately drinking the water to her heart’s content. Avalel can only stare at her, amazed at her pain and heat tolerance. All her timidness from earlier fades away, fully indulging herself in the hydration.

How long has she last drank anything? Avalel wonders.

“So, uh…” he begins nervously. “What’s your name?”

“Kavlina, twelve years of age,” she replies robotically as she places the cup down on the floor. It’s already empty. “You’re… Avalel?”

“Yes,” Avalel says awkwardly. She’s… twelve? “So, uh… What brings you here?”

“Figured you wouldn’t know,” Kavlina scoffs lightly. “None of you people would understand what’s going on outside this place.”

“The Outside…” Avalel suddenly realizes: he’s speaking to a person from the Outside! The great, vast world he so wants to explore and witness, ready for him to get a glimpse from this little girl. He cannot contain his excitement, his mouth slowly arching into a smile.

“The Outside… Please, tell me more about it!” he exclaims, leaning closer to her.

“What are you talking about?” She suddenly looks at him in a mixture of anger, disgust, and fear. “You do… You do not want to know.”

“Wait…” Avalel looks at Kavlina in worry, instinctively shrinking back. “Is… there something wrong with what I said?” he asks anxiously.

“The world… It’s scary,” Kavlina mumbles, hunching over, making her look even smaller. “I thought I was… safe. That man, those people—” She chokes on her words, her hands gripping her hair into bunches. Her legs begin fidgeting as if she’s trying to run from something, the soles of her feet sliding on the floor.

“Kavlina—” Avalel slowly reaches a hand out, but it is quickly swatted away by the frightened child.

“D-Don’t touch me,” she whimpers. “You remind me of… of him.” She abruptly looks at him, her eyes burning with rage despite her frail posture.

“H-Him?” Avalel stutters, shocked by her sudden burst of emotions.

“That, that traitor…” Kavlina pronounces even as she struggles to hold back her tears. “The one… who, who… who betrayed us.”

“Kavlina—”

“I stabbed him!” she suddenly lashes out. “I stabbed him, I stabbed… my own… father. I was—no, I was just…” Her voice becomes jumbled, devolving into a series of incomprehensible mumbles, her fidgeting growing more prevalent.

Avalel cannot believe his ears. A murderer in the form of a small girl sitting before his eyes, collapsing from the guilt of her deeds. He doesn’t understand. Growing up in the village where everyone is mostly helpful and kind to each other, he just… can’t comprehend such a matter.

What horrible things did she face to lead her to kill her own father? He just can’t imagine it. He has only ever punched someone once to protect a fellow classmate when he was little, and even now, he still vividly feels the guilt of that one act of force. He remembers his panicked tears as he admitted his guilt to Faresoenn, fully expecting a punishment of some sort… only to receive a comforting talk.

Maybe, just maybe… He can try the same.

“S-Slow down,” he frantically says, trying to remember what Faresoenn said back then. “Just… Tell me bit by bit.”

“He… betrayed us… Mother… Mother…” With difficulty, she manages to properly pronounce each word, although nowhere near a complete sentence. “He… I heard he… wanted to— no, needed to… run. I-I heard they were coming to… arrest us, so he… He was going to leave… I, I didn’t want to, so I… I… Then they came and found him… We fled, but Mother, Mother… I don’t know, I just… This place, I thought they’ll be lost, I’ll be lost… They still found me… Then you, your father… But Mother… I-I d-don’t know…” She breathes heavily, controlling her childish, fearful tears as best as she can, but to no avail.

Her bloodshot eyes dart around, not knowing where to stare at. Her fingers begin moving erratically, flinching, her right hand balled up into a fist, almost as if she’s grabbing onto something. Her head begins to shake fervently, the joints on her neck cracking from the abrupt movements. Her breaths gradually grow shallow, becoming mere gasps of terror and panic.

“M-Mother, Mother… No, he deserved to… It was me… I-I did it… They’ll still come… I c-can’t change anything—”

She suddenly stops. In an instinctive, childish move, Avalel embraces her, his mind only occupied with a single thought: She’s hurt. He doesn’t really know what to do, but he can’t just sit there as she writhes in agony. In an impulsive move, he just… did it.

Kavlina sits stunned, her motions all coming to a halt. Her eyes drift to Avalel, the foolish, innocent boy desperately trying to calm her. The warmth of his arms and chest comforting her from her destruction. For a brief moment, the world comes to a standstill, the two of them just locked together, refusing to budge.

“I-It’s… alright,” Avalel says, surprised at what he’s done. “I’ll… protect you from them, if they ever come back.” Not that he is capable of it, but in the heat of the moment, the words simply slip out of his mouth. He’s frightened as well. He has never encountered such a person, nor even emotions close to this scale. Yet he just has an instinct, a feeling, that he can’t show it. Not when she is in pain. Did he make the right choice? Was he too intrusive? He doesn’t know.

The Outside… What is it like out there?

“Lunch is ready!” Faresoenn calls as he steps out of the kitchen. “I heard some noises earlier. Are you two alright?” Taking a brief look at them, he soon returns inside, bringing a pot of potatoes and placing them on the table.

“Everything’s good now.” Seeing that Kavlina has relaxed a bit, Avalel releases his embrace, standing and assisting Faresoenn in setting up the table. It’s only midday, yet he already feels tired, wishing for just a brief nap afterwards. He looks at Kavlina. Visibly embarrassed from her burst of emotions earlier, she rubs her eyes, hiccuping a little as she also attempts to help out. At least that is something slightly relieving.

The three of them sit, Faresoenn using a stool originally from the kitchen. Awkwardly munching on the food, Avalel occasionally sneaks a glance at Faresoenn. The man has already returned to the Faresoenn he knows, his gentle demeanor and carefree nature, pretending to be oblivious to the events that transpired just a short while ago.

“So… Dad?” Avalel asks.

“Yes?”

“Will they come back for her? The men from earlier?”

“No, they won’t,” Faresoenn answers with a smile. “And even if some more of them show up, I’ll deal with them, won’t I, Kavlina?”

“You… listened to us talking?” Kavlina asks nervously. “I never told you my name.”

“I must admit I eavesdropped a little, if you don’t mind,” Faresoenn says apologetically.

Kavlina looks down nervously. “I’m sorry… for rambling like that earlier.”

“Don’t worry. You’re safe here,” Faresoenn replies. “You also managed to get someone to protect you, right?” He eyes Avalel, smiling proudly at his son. “Although… I’d say I may have spoiled him too much for him to be of any help to you right now.”

Avalel sighs. “Dad, you don’t have to…”

“I’m sorry for not teaching you to protect yourself earlier,” Faresoenn laments. “I never expected for them to venture here.”

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing too important, just… The world—The Outside is extremely unsafe now, I’m assuming. I wished we could still live in blissful ignorance, but… Let me tell you two.”

“Yes?”

“There will soon come a day where you will need to protect yourselves. Without me. Kavlina, especially you. Avalel and I can’t protect you at every moment. Not that he can really do anything at the moment.” He chuckles as Avalel shoots him an unapproving glare. “Still, you need to learn to protect yourself, and one day, in this horrible world, maybe protect others as well.” Faresoenn stares at the ceiling for a brief moment, two figures flashing before his eyes in a brief memory.

He sighs. “Before I become an old man, I figure it might be beneficial to teach you two how to defend yourself.”

He places down his bowl, the contents inside already emptied. He makes his way outside, soon returning with two sturdy sticks, originally crafted to be the handle of some tool, perhaps a rake. Without much effort, he begins spinning one of the sticks, masterfully swinging it with great agility and grace, his feet tapping on the floor in a steady rhythm. To Avalel, it almost looks like a dance, an exotic set of motions unseen before his eyes. Kavlina’s eyes, still bubbly and red, seem to sparkle in awe. The middle-aged man in his forties elegantly moves his body as if he is only in his twenties, the long stick akin to some sort of great weapon.

Eventually, Faresoenn stops, lightly placing the stick on the ground, sweat trickling from his neck. “I was a rather seasoned fighter in my day,” he says. “A shame age is starting to get to me.”

“You… never showed me that,” Avalel says.

“People don’t tell you everything at times,” Faresoenn responds. “Sometimes, it’s better that you do not know. Now, eat up. I assume you two are eager to learn something new?”

There is no answer needed. Avalel quickly returns to his grub, shoving the potatoes into his mouth. Kavlina only nods before she too returns to her food.

Faresoenn only hopes they will never need to use the skills he is about to teach them.