It had been a long time since Toby went to fetch wood.
My anxiety was at its peak now, and my head throbbed with tension.
I didn't have a watch with me, so I couldn't be certain, but it had been more than an hour since he left.
I glanced down at Sylv, peacefully asleep on my lap.
I had been gently patting her head and was midway through a story when she drifted off.
Her face was calm, a sharp contrast to my mind, which swirled with dark, restless thoughts.
It shouldn't have taken him this long.
I was stuck in a dilemma now.
I could either wait here or go look for him.
If it weren't for Sylvie, I would have already chosen the latter.. but I wasn't alone.
Fifteen more minutes passed by, and I couldn't sit still any longer.
The relentless thoughts were making my mind hazy, so I decided to go find Toby.
" Sylv, Sylv.. wake up. We got to go and look for Uncle Toby. "
Leaving Sylv alone here would be beyond foolish, so I shook her awake.
" Mhmm.. he hasn't come back? " She mumbled, still half sleepy.
I shook my head. " He hasn't, he must have been lost. "
" What if something happened to him? Could it be he is hurt? Or what if something like what happened with ma- "
I didn't let her finish the sentence, placing my hand gently over her mouth..cutting her off.
Lily's death has left a permanent scar on her soul, one that would take far too long to heal.
" I am sure he is alright, he is Uncle Toby after all. He is quite strong, you know. "
She wasn't entirely convinced, but she relented with a small sigh.
While she freshened up, I took care of a few things.
Once we were both ready, I took one last glance behind us before we ventured into the forest.
----
Toby was still in the forest, still standing in place where he had been collecting wood.
He hadn't moved an inch, trapped in the illusion for who knows how long.
Everything that transpired had played out in his mind, his imagination guided and controlled by someone or something else.
It would have been terrifying, if not for the sight of him standing outside the illusion, breaking it apart.
He seemed perfectly fine, well except for the trauma resurfacing and the gaping wound on his thigh, from which crimson blood still dripped.
But Toby wasn't worried about the wound, it was a wound he could handle.
His whole focus was on his surroundings, the battle wasn't over until the enemy is dead or captured.
He brought his hand over the wound, and green light started emitting from it.
As the magic flowed over the wound, the blood started to dry and form a crust.
The skin began to regenerate, pulling together as new cells emerged, knitting the flesh until it was whole again.
In moments, the gaping injury transformed into a smooth scar, a quiet reminder of the healing process.
Ripping apart a part of his shirt, he used it to cover the wound.
"It's still fresh regeneration. It will take some time to restore fully and be as it was."
Toby was a user of healing ḥkꜣ, or healing Heka, as it's commonly called.
He learned to wield and use it at an early age, becoming proficient by common standards, though he still wasn't perfect.
His healing magic rejuvenated tissue but didn't fully restore it to its original state, resulting in scars that took time to heal.
The regenerated skin remained fragile and could be easily broken if wounded again.
It typically took a day or two for the new skin to assimilate with the old, becoming sturdy once more.
Toby's affinity for healing Heka was just above average, but it was his hard work and resilience that brought him to this level.
On the other hand, his affinity with elemental Heka was remarkable.
He could wield three elements - fire, water, and air.
But as if the gods had been cruel, his internal capacity for Heka was limited.
His Heka reserves were low. Thus, to compensate, he relied on tools that allowed him to use Heka more efficiently, minimizing waste.
" The wound is being taken care of. Time to hunt that mother fucker. "
He took a deep breath, and channeled Heka into his eyes.
The darkness resided back, revealing the forest in sharp, green-tinted detail, every tree and path now clear in his sight.
Leaves and branches seemed flat, their details blending together under the glowing filter.
Depth and color faded, replaced by a monotone world of green and black.
It was, in essence, like night vision.
But it drained his already low Heka reserves, so he used it sparingly.
Still, in battle, he never took risks and this time was no exception.
Toby stood still and channeled his inner Heka.
Invisible waves pulsed from his body, undetectable to the naked eye but sensed by those with a similar or higher level of sensory sensitivity.
The waves extended out 500 meters when he picked up on a large shadow behind the trees.
It stood on four legs, had a single mouth, and a long tail.
The creature seemed massive, towering around 3.5 meters tall.
The scariest was always the unknown and now that he knew where his enemy was and how it looked like, Toby was feeling better.
'It looks like a giant animal. If it's a divine beast, I'm as good as dead. But if it's a duskren, this could be an interesting fight. Either way, I have to face it. Now that it's targeted me, and I've broken through its illusion, it won't let me leave alive.'
Toby was never the cowardly type, but that didn't mean he was reckless.
Cautious by nature, he always preferred to learn about his enemy before striking.
This time, however, he didn't have that luxury. He was the one being targeted, forced to choose between waiting for another attack or taking the initiative.
The choice was obvious.
He sprinted through the forest, heading straight for the beast's location.
His hands gripped his daggers tightly, ready to strike at any moment.
He had made up his mind
" Tonight is going to be fun "