"AHH! WHERE ARE THEY?!" Kyro's scream tore through the quiet as he jolted awake.
Tharic smacked the back of his head. "Keep it down, you moron."
"Ow! That hurt," Kyro grumbled, rubbing the spot before taking in his surroundings. The two of them were in a modestly furnished room—bare walls, a low table, their weapons stacked to one side, and thin blankets draped over them.
"Huh? What's going on? Where are the Aether hunters?" Kyro asked.
"We beat them," Tharic said. Then, after a pause, "Well… more like escaped. I carried you on my back and ran until I found shelter."
Kyro's eyes widened. "What about Rena?"
"She'll be fine," Tharic replied with unwavering confidence. "If you saw the power she wields, you wouldn't doubt it either."
"I see…" Kyro's voice trailed off. Then a sudden thought struck him.
"Wait—my chest…" He clutched at the spot where the kunai had pierced him. To his surprise, there was no wound—only smooth, unbroken skin.
"The old lady here healed us both," Tharic explained. "She's the reason you're still breathing."
***
When Tharic had first stumbled out of the forest and spotted a village in the distance, he'd dropped Kyro to the ground and collapsed beside him, completely spent. The last Gale Step Technique had wrung every drop of energy from his body. He lay there, staring up at the pale blue sky, replaying the events in his mind.
"I've never fought so many strong Aether hunters at once. If it weren't for Rena, we'd both be corpses right now."
The hunters here were far stronger than the ones near his home. The thought burned in his mind.
"I thought I was strong enough… but this proves I still have a long way to go."
Images of his father, his village, and, most vividly, his late mother flooded his thoughts. He clenched his fists.
"I have to become strong enough to protect my village as long as my father and I are here. No one else should suffer the way she did."
But then, unexpectedly, another image crept in, Kyro, unconscious, his face twisted in pain.
"Why am I thinking about him? I don't care about that fool… always spewing idealistic crap about saving a dying country. Let him chase his doomed dream. He can die for all I care."
Tharic turned his head toward Kyro, still writhing faintly in unconsciousness.
"And yet… after what I heard in Pinehallow, I couldn't just leave him there. I wish he'd quit his journey before it kills him, before it drags me down with him."
"Are you two alright?!" a voice called out from behind. Tharic turned toward the village and saw an elderly woman approaching.
"We're fine," Tharic replied, though it was hardly convincing.
The old woman smiled knowingly. "This doesn't look fine to me."
She reached into her robe and pulled out a rectangle of notepaper, adorned with a delicate flower sketch and text looping around the border. Tossing it into the air, she snapped her fingers. The paper dissolved into shimmering motes of light, which swirled and expanded into a gentle, glowing bubble around them.
Tharic felt the weight on his body lift as the ache in his muscles melted away. Across from him, the kunai embedded in Kyro's chest slid free, the wound closing beneath it.
"Tha—" Tharic began.
"Shhh," she interrupted. "Not another word. Come with me. You'll rest at my home for the day, and then we'll talk. Understood?"
Tharic simply nodded.
***
Later, Kyro looked over at him with a faint smile. "Thank you, Tharic. Without you, I wouldn't be here right now."
Tharic turned away. "…No. I should be thanking you. You saved me… again."
"What was that?" Kyro asked, leaning forward.
"Ahem—anyway," Tharic said quickly, rising to his feet. "Let's go thank the old lady for helping us."
They stepped outside and found her seated at the front of her home, gazing at the painted hues of the evening sky.
"Ah, you're awake," she said without looking at them. "Come. Sit."
They joined her in silence, the air heavy with stillness until Kyro finally spoke. "Uh… if you don't mind me asking, where are we?"
"Do you hear that?" she asked, ignoring his question.
Kyro blinked. "Hear what?"
"The peace of the evening sky," she said softly. "Since I was a child, I've always found it calming—like the world itself is taking a deep breath after a long day."
She turned her eyes to him. "Can you feel it?"
"…Yeah," Kyro said, uncertain where she was leading.
"Evenings like these are rare," she murmured.
Her gaze drifted to the horizon, where the fading light was deepening into shadow. "Rarer still with the tremors plaguing our country. Enjoy these moments while you can, even in the midst of battle."
Kyro inhaled sharply. "How did you—"
She chuckled. "Please. The way you both stumbled out of the forest covered in bruises, it wasn't hard to guess."
She rose to her feet. "Come inside. We have much to discuss."
Inside, the three of them sat around a round table, its surface worn smooth from decades of use. The room smelled faintly of dried herbs and burning wood from the small hearth tucked into the corner. Shelves lined the walls, cluttered with glass jars of strange powders, bundles of hanging plants, and yellowed scraps of parchment covered in looping handwriting. A single oil lamp on the table cast a warm, flickering glow, throwing soft shadows across Elaara's weathered face. The floorboards creaked gently under every shift of weight, and outside, the faint chirp of crickets bled in through a slightly open window.
"To answer your question, we're in Hosta Village," she said, looking at Kyro. "Welcome."
Before Kyro could say anything, Tharic dipped his head respectfully. "Thank you for saving us and offering us your home."
"There's no need for that," she said gently. "Our society may have forgotten how to care for each other, but those of us who remember must give back where we can."
Tharic slowly lifted his head back as the old lady began to ask her next question.
"Now then, what are your names?"
"Kyro."
"Tharic."
Her eyes lingered on Tharic, scanning his features, especially the forest-green eyes. "You're Oliver's boy, aren't you?"
Tharic's jaw tightened. "…Yeah."
Kyro raised an eyebrow.
"That's the second time someone's recognized his father. He must be well known in Sylmora."
"Give him my regards when you see him," she said warmly.
"Right…," Tharic replied flatly.
"My name is Elaara. It's a pleasure to meet you both."
"Likewise," Kyro said politely.
Elaara leaned forward. "Now, will you tell me what brought you here?"
Kyro glanced at Tharic, who still wore an expression of quiet mistrust. The betrayal in Pinehallow had clearly left its mark.
Elaara smiled knowingly. "You can trust me. I'm on your side."
"Besides, I'm far too old to chase you down even if I weren't," she chuckled.
Tharic's expression softened slightly. Kyro gave a small smile, seeing Tharic ease up a bit, before telling the tale.
"Well, it started when we found a distressed woman outside Ashcrest, mourning her husband. She gave us a black tie in his memory, for good luck."
"Right after that, we ran into two Aether hunters, and that's when someone named Rena appeared and saved us," Kyro continued.
"We would've been fine otherwise…," Tharic muttered under his breath, remembering the battle.
Kyro continued, "After meeting her, Rena offered to help find her husband, so we traveled north with her to find some more clues. Long story short, we soon found out that the woman who needed help was all along an aether hunter."
Tharic picked up the thread. "The tie was a tracking device for her comrades and her to track our movement. They all then proceeded to surround in the forest, forcing us to fight and take them down. Rena and I were able to hold it while Kyro was knocked out, but their strongest hunter was proving to be a bit much compared to everyone else we fought."
"Rena immediately told me in that moment to grab Kyro and flee to safety while she fended off their strongest."
"I see," Elaara said slowly. "And do you know if she will be alright?"
"She'll be fine," Tharic answered without hesitation. "She fought like it was nothing from what I saw, effortlessly fighting like a seasoned warrior on the battlefield."
Elaara smiled, "That's a relief to hear. If that's what you say my dear, then I'm sure she is perfectly fine."
Elaara then sighed. "I'm sorry you both had to endure that, but it's not unusual here. People will do anything for Aether. You have to choose carefully who you trust."
Kyro looked down. "I was foolish to take her at her word. I even scolded Tharic for questioning her… so this one's on me."
"I knew she was trouble from the start," Tharic said with a smirk.
Elaara chuckled. "Well, it's over now, and you're alive. That's what matters."
"Yeah," Kyro grinned. "You're right."
There was a small moment of silence before a thought clicked into Tharic's mind as he was reflecting on the battle.
"I did hear something interesting during the fight," Tharic said, cutting through the quiet.
He turned to Elaara. "Something you might be able to shed light on."
"Oh?" Elaara tilted her head.
"The strongest one, Yusef, approached us and said they were from the First Order. He claimed to be second-in-command to their Lord, Ivance. Do you know anything about them?"
Kyro smirked. "Oh, I thought you didn't care about this stuff?"
"I'm asking for your benefit, dumbass," Tharic shot back, folding his arms. "You were unconscious, remember? I'm trying to fill you in here."
Elaara's expression grew thoughtful. "Yes… I know of them."
Then her eyes narrowed as she looked between the two. "But tell me, what exactly do you intend to do with this knowledge if I share it?"
"We intend to save Sylmora from the grip of the Aether hunters!" Kyro declared without hesitation.
Her gaze sharpened, her voice turning cold. "Don't make me laugh, boy. This isn't a game."
Tharic stepped in between them. "He's telling the truth, as much as I'd hate to admit."
"Though personally, I couldn't care less about saving Sylmora. Once this kid gets strong enough to survive on his own, I'm heading back to Pinehallow."
"Is that so?" Elaara asked, studying him while lowering her sharp gaze.
Elaara let the silence stretch, her eyes flicking between them, studying every shift in their expressions to gauge whether their words held truth or mere lies.
"Fine," she said at last, exhaling as if weighing the decision in her mind. The tension in the room loosened, and Kyro and Tharic felt a wave of relief ripple through them.
"But," Elaara began.
"Oh no…I don't like the sound of this…" Tharic thought dreadfully.
"Unlike you two, I don't take people at their word. I need proof, something that shows you're worth the time it would take to tell you what I know."
"And how do we prove that?" Kyro asked.
"You've both fully recovered, yes?" Elaara said.
Kyro gave himself a quick once-over. "Feels like it."
"Likewise," Tharic replied.
"Good. Then you can start by hunting the wolves that have been prowling around the village at night."
"Wolves?" Kyro echoed.
Elaara nodded. "They've been growing more aggressive lately. No one knows why. I want you to investigate and eliminate the threat, protect the people, and our crops. Not only will you earn my trust, but many others in the village as well."
"Got it," Kyro said, grinning.
"Sounds easy enough. Like that bear we took down, right?" He looked at Tharic expectantly.
"Without me, that bear would've gutted you," Tharic thought dryly.
A sudden, ear-splitting howl echoed in the distance, so loud that all three instinctively covered their ears.
"What the hell was that?" Tharic muttered, scanning the horizon.
Elaara lowered her hands and smiled faintly. "Sounds like they're already on the move. The night is still young. Hunt them while you can."