After a year of traveling, through mountains and over hills, along paths they themselves had made, through places where it seemed that neither man nor beast had ever walked, Ioh together with Luc and Nicolai managed to find a peaceful place to rest for a while.
In that place, the water shimmered, reflecting the rays of a sunrise unseen even by Ioh; the hills were so green, and the nearby mountain was so tall it watched over them like a parent. The hunter had found a wonderful place to raise the children. Luc and Nicolai felt freed from their fate. For the first time, Luc seemed more alive; his cheeks turned rosy. A shy smile appeared on his face, and his gaze radiated life. Nicolai, ever more cheerful, was enchanted by the surroundings he explored with wide eyes. His endless curiosity made him search with his gaze for every movement.
Animals wandered near: deer, bears, wolves, foxes, and smaller creatures, like rabbits or little squirrels, who, out of curiosity, slowly approached the two twins.
From the shadow of a great oak, thick and tall as the mountain itself, a female silhouette could be seen, watching the three carefully. After studying the situation and seeing the hunter Ioh, the woman mounted a stag and approached the new travelers.
Ioh had noticed for some time that they were being watched by a woman's eyes, so he waited for the watcher to come to them.
The woman reached them and, with a dignified and determined voice, said:
— "Are you truly the monk Ioh? The hunter cast out from his land. The one who set out on his journey to seek justice?"
Ioh, surprised that the woman knew his name, raised his gaze to her, studying her carefully. He noticed the missing ear, but pretended not to, and with a slight smile at the corner of his lips, said:
— "Am I truly the monk Ioh you ask about, my lady?"
The woman, knowing she was never wrong, answered confidently:
— "I have heard much about you, both good and bad. But my eyes do not lie; I know who you are and I see the kindness in your soul, even if you hide it beneath your cloak. I see in your gaze that you have a path to follow and a promise to keep. I see how your road will be hard and full of shadows."
Ioh saw that the woman had read him like an open book in moments and realized he was not dealing with an ordinary person. So he asked:
— "Can you see the shadows that follow me through the years?"
— "I can see much, but your future is full of trials. I also see other shadows fighting by your side, yet these children you travel with have a destiny veiled in mist, a future unknown even to me," said the woman, with fear in her eyes.
Ioh clenched his fists lightly:
— "I have a path to follow and a promise to keep… Even if I must return from the dead, these children will grow up happy, in peace."
The woman looked at him with respect, and her voice, low and velvety, seemed to carry the weight of centuries:
— "I am Nira… she who can foresee the future! The future I saw lies far ahead, fifteen years away. For a beetle, fifteen years are a fading dream; for an owl, it could be a whole life; and for a man… merely a moment."
Her eyes darkened slightly, and her words became more grave, almost a whisper:
— "But even so… Dacus, my master, remains sunk in a deep sleep, from which no one, however they try, can awaken him."
Ioh watched her intently, slightly frowning, while his cloak fluttered gently in the wind:
— "Who is your master… the one caught in such an endless sleep?"
Nira lifted her chin slightly, and her voice became solemn, almost like a call from another time:
— "Dacus… the last descendant of an ancient guild of guardians from the Western Transylvania."
Nira paused briefly, and her gaze fell on the twins, who slept peacefully:
— "In his place… I offer you shelter in the manor atop the mountain. There, the children will know neither fear nor the shadow of any danger."
Ioh removed his hat in gratitude:
— "Thank you, Nira… In times like these, a safe roof is worth more than a hundred swords."
Then, Ioh lifted the twins from the grass as green as in a story and introduced them to Nira:
— "The one on the left is Grimm Nicolai, livelier and more spirited… and the other, on the right, is Grimm Luc, who has only just found a bit of will to live."
Nira loved children, and because of that, she took Nicolai and Luc by the hand, and with a look that sparkled, she said:
— "Grimm Luc and Grimm Nicolai… I feel they will change something in this world."
Nicolai, ever curious, immediately clung to the woman's garment, tugging gently, with wide, bright eyes.
Nira looked at him surprised, then smiled warmly, as if understanding without words what the little one wanted to ask.
— "You'd like to know more, wouldn't you?" – she whispered, bending down slightly.
At the same time, Luc tugged more timidly at Ioh's cloak with his frail hands. His eyes seemed to seek the security that only the hunter's presence could give.
Thus, Nira held Nicolai to her chest, Ioh wrapped Luc in his cloak, and they began to climb the mountain without delay. After they walked for half a day, just as the sun began to set, they reached the peak. In the sky, the red disk of the sun burned like an ember, reddening the clouds, and more and more, a manor could be seen. The manor was an imposing building with strange architecture, patterns Ioh had seen only in old books read long ago. Luc and Nicolai watched, spellbound. In their eyes shone the peace they had only felt before in their mother's womb.
Nira, surprised by the light in their eyes and their wonder, said softly:
— "Step inside… don't let the night's cold disturb your peace."
Inside, the woman led them into a room.
— "This room is yours, until you decide to leave!" – said Nira after opening the door.
Ioh laid the twins down, carefully covering their fragile bodies with blankets, and the faint light of a candle flickered in the old room, like a promise to watch over them. With one last look at their calm faces, he stepped outside into the cool evening air.
He pushed open the heavy wooden gate, which creaked, and walked with measured steps along the stone path that led to the edge of the courtyard. The air smelled of moss and damp earth, and the wind blew gently among the branches of ancient trees.
He reached an old oak, its trunk scored with deep cracks, and silently set down his bag.
From a lit window, Nira watched him closely, pressing her forehead against the cold glass, curious.
Ioh took out the old bone whistle, brought it to his lips, and began to play softly, a harsh, ancient call meant to draw out creatures of the night. But the air remained still – no rustle among the leaves, no answer from the darkness.
With a focused look, he scattered a few baits for vampires, measured steps, sure movements. But still, he felt no shiver, no sound torn from the depths of the night. Only silence, heavy and oppressive.
Ioh stood still for a moment:
— "Strange…"
When he turned, he saw Nira waiting by the gate, arms crossed and a curious glint in her eyes.
— "Did you manage to set enough traps?" – she asked, in a pleased tone.
Ioh sighed lightly and replied:
— "It wasn't necessary. It's quiet… too quiet. The area seems free of any danger."
Nira lifted her chin with calm pride and said, almost as a confession:
— "These places are under my watch. I am the guardian of the forest."
Ioh answered with a short smile:
— "Then perhaps I can finally sleep peacefully."
Surprised by his sincerity, Nira bowed her head slightly and whispered:
— "Go and rest. Guarding the manor… is my duty."
Ioh returned silently inside, pulled his cloak around his shoulders, and sat beside the twins, listening to the wind whispering among the old walls.
Night came with a full moon, yet sleep was slow to take him. Thoughts tormented him: Why does Dacus sleep? What keeps him captive? – questions that carried him, against his will, back into memories of that journey which had changed his life…
With his gaze lost in the pale flicker of the fire, Ioh felt the past pulling him back, with a force even his sword could not stop. And for the first time in a long while, he allowed himself to remember…
Long ago, when he was nothing but a simple monk, Ioh spent his days in the silence of the monastery of Stigma, in the eastern part of Moldova…