When they crossed the border into the kingdom of Tarhal, silence accompanied them at every step. The road took them through small villages, but none of them were alive. The houses stood upright, but with doors open, windows broken, and hearths cold. There were no bodies, no traces of blood, only signs that people had fled in a hurry.
Tiberku advanced with Renji on his back and carefully observed the surroundings. In several places, they had found traces of recently extinguished fires, broken fences, and a spear stuck in the ground.
— "It doesn't seem like there was a war," Tiberku said with a troubled voice. "More like brief skirmishes."
Renji shook his head slowly, trying to understand the scene.
— "Skirmishes between whom? Between villages? Between soldiers and locals?"
Tiberku didn't answer immediately. His gaze stopped at an overturned cart, with the wheel broken and empty sacks thrown beside the road.
— "I don't know, but it's clear the people ran from something. They didn't leave everything willingly."
They continued, and each village they passed told the same story. Empty houses, abandoned wells, streets without voices. Only the wind raising the dust and their heavy steps.
After hours of walking, they stopped in a larger village, set next to a cluster of trees. In the small square, tables were overturned and a few broken shields were thrown near a well. No one answered them, not even a dog or a bird.
Tiberku set Renji down, leaning him against the wall of a house.
Renji's gaze wandered across the empty street and he whispered:
— "If the fighting only happened here, near the border, it means that deeper in Tarhal it could be different."
Tiberku didn't understand what was happening; a few weeks ago, when he left Tarhal, everything was normal.
A creak came from a wooden house a few steps away from them. The door moved slowly, as if someone inside had touched it.
Renji and Tiberku turned their gaze at the same time, and the silence of the village suddenly became oppressive.
Tiberku made a short hand gesture to calm Renji, then stepped toward the house with his bow drawn. The wood of the door creaked with every gust of wind, but beyond it, a faint movement could be felt.
With a decisive push, he opened the door and stepped inside, the bow ready to shoot.
The interior was dark and dusty. The tables were overturned, the pots empty, and a few clothes were scattered on the floor. In a corner, near a low cupboard, someone moved quickly, trying to hide.
— "Come out!" Tiberku shouted.
A soft whimper answered. From the shadows, a child rose, no older than ten, with dirty and torn clothes. He held in his hand a piece of dry bread he had taken from the cupboard.
His large eyes looked at the tip of the arrow in fear.
— "N-no… don't kill me," the child whispered, trembling. "I just… was looking for some food."
Tiberku slowly lowered his bow but didn't let it go. He approached carefully, ready to react.
— "Are you alone here?" he asked.
The child nodded, tears gathering in his eyes.
— "Everyone left… mom, dad, neighbors. Everyone ran when the fighting started. I stayed hidden. I wanted to catch up with them, but I couldn't find them anymore."
Renji, who watched from a distance, leaned against a cart and looked long at the child. He felt how the emptiness of the villages now took on a living, fragile face.
— "Tiberku… he's just a child," he said.
The child held his piece of bread to his chest like a treasure and took a step back, fearful.
— "You… you are not like the others, right?" he asked. "Those with claws and red eyes… you're not one of them, right?"
Tiberku lowered his bow completely and caught him with both hands, looking carefully at the child.
— "No, we are not one of them," he said. "But you must tell us who the 'others' are. Who fought here?"
The child held the bread to his chest, his voice trembling but continued to speak.
— "People who were no longer people… they made strange sounds, had red eyes and black blood. They began passing through villages and striking anyone they found. The soldiers of Tarhal tried to stop them, but there were too many."
Tiberku listened with furrowed brows.
— "And how did they appear?" he asked.
The child raised his gaze toward Renji and spoke in a faint voice:
— "It was a boy… your age. He had a medallion and opened a portal right here, in the square. Through it came some large monsters, with skin like stone. But after a while, the monsters melted into the air, as if they had never existed. Only those people… changed… remained."
The child's words struck Renji in the chest. Everything around seemed to fade for a moment. Medallion. Portal. A boy his age. A single image suddenly appeared in his mind: Kaede's face.
His breath caught, and his fingers clenched the wooden post he was leaning against.
— "Kaede… you were here? You did this?"
He felt his throat dry and his gaze lost, as if the whole world had shrunk to that unspoken name.
Tiberku looked at him carefully, sensing the change within him.
— "Renji, do you know him?" he asked softly. "The boy from the story… is he who I think he is?"
Renji didn't answer immediately. He lowered his head, clenching his fists, his thoughts screaming inside him.
— "If Kaede really was here… then everything that happened is no coincidence."
Renji raised his gaze to Tiberku, his eyes burning with both anger and fear.
— "If the child is right, then the person who destroyed my life… is here," he whispered through his teeth. "The one who made me hunted throughout the kingdom of Ardyn, the one because of whom I am pursued like a criminal… he is here and he has a plan."
The words fell heavy in the room. The child blinked rapidly and took a step back, his face pale.
— "You… you are being hunted, general?" he asked, his voice breaking. "Does that mean you're a criminal… a killer!"
His eyes filled with panic and suddenly he turned toward the door.
— "Wait! It's not what you think!" Renji shouted, reaching his hand toward him.
— "Child, listen to us!" added Tiberku, stepping forward.
But it was too late. The child ran out and crossed the threshold of the house, his steps echoing on the empty street.
— "Come back! You don't understand, it's not what it seems!" Renji shouted with a broken voice.
No answer. Only the sound of footsteps fading into the distance, then silence fell again over the abandoned village.
Renji remained motionless, his hand still outstretched and his gaze lost on the open door.
— "Now… he will tell anyone he saw me," he murmured. "And they will believe I am exactly what I have been running from all this time."
Tiberku sighed deeply and held his bow to his chest.
— "We need to move quickly. If that child spreads the news, we will no longer have peace in any settlement."
Tiberku took a deep breath and approached Renji, who still watched the door through which the child had disappeared.
— "If what the child said is true, then that boy, Kaede, is not just a memory for you," Tiberku said. "He is a living threat. If he brought the demons and opened the portal, it means he has a bigger plan. And we need to decide now what we do."
Renji raised his gaze, his eyes full of bitterness.
— "Kaede was my best friend," he whispered. "I don't want to believe he did all this. But if he did… then everything I have lived until now was just the beginning. I cannot run forever."
Tiberku nodded, understanding the weight of the words.
— "Then we head to him. We find him and learn the truth. If he is your enemy, we will stop him."
Renji clenched his fists and sighed.
— "I still can't fight… I don't have a sword. Without it, I have no way to stand against him."
— "And I need more arrows too," Tiberku added, smiling shortly, bitterly. "Then he looked straight into Renji's eyes. I received orders to take you to Eris, that was my mission. But after everything we've experienced since meeting… after everything I've seen alongside you, I cannot stop here. I will accompany you to the end of your journey, wherever it leads."
Renji looked at him in surprise for a moment, then nodded slowly, feeling that for the first time since his flight he was no longer alone.
— "Tiberku… you know exactly where Eris is, right? If the plan was to take me to her, then you must have a clear destination," he asked.
Tiberku froze for a moment, as if the question had hit him unprepared.
— "Here's the big problem," he said slowly. "Eris has helped me many times, given me information, and gotten me out of impossible situations. But… I've never seen her with my own eyes. I don't know what she looks like and I don't know where she stays."
Renji stepped back, astonished.
— "So, we have to find a person about whom we know nothing. No face, no location. How can we do that? It's like searching for someone's shadow we have never met."
Tiberku ran his hand through his hair and sighed deeply.
— "We cannot leave blindly. The only way is to reach Lioren. It's a large city, full of couriers and contacts. There, Eris usually leaves messages or people to liaise. But don't expect to find her quickly. Several days will pass before we can make contact."
Renji looked toward the empty village, feeling that their journey was only now becoming more complicated.
— "Then Lioren will be the next step," he said. "But time is not on our side."
Tiberku placed his hand on his shoulder.
— "That's precisely why we need to prepare well. Lioren is not a safe place for two fugitives, but there we have our only chance to reach her."
Renji and Tiberku set off toward Lioren, walking through the empty streets of the village and among the trees on its edge. The air was cold, but every step brought them closer to the city where they hoped to contact Eris.
Renji turned his gaze toward the bow Tiberku always kept close.
— "Tiberku, I want to ask you something," he said. "How did you get this bow? It's not ordinary at all."
Tiberku raised his eyes and smiled shortly, with a trace of pride.
— "It's not ordinary at all, you're right. I got it with Eris's help. She was the one who set me on this path. To obtain it, I needed demon blood and a simple bow."
Renji raised his eyebrows in surprise.
— "Demon blood? And you actually managed to get that?"
— "Yes, but not alone. Eris knew where and how to send me. After I had both things, she entrusted the bow to me. Since then, it has been my weapon and part of me."
Renji looked at him carefully, with restrained respect.
— "So Eris gave you more than a mission. She also gave you the power to follow it."
Tiberku nodded, looking into the distance.
— "Yes. Without her, I might not even be here. This bow is proof that I can keep fighting."
On the road, Renji clenched his lips, looking at Tiberku with a shadow of suspicion in his eyes.
— "Tiberku… I have a suspicion," he said quietly. "Eris… maybe she is not just a simple helper. I think she's… a witch."
Tiberku raised an eyebrow and sighed.
— "A witch?" he said, shrugging. "I don't think so. She has helped me so many times and I haven't seen anything that suggests magic or witchcraft."
Renji nodded, but his gaze remained serious.
— "Maybe I haven't seen everything," he said. "But my thoughts don't stop here. The soldier who killed me… Kaizen, you know, had the same armor and a weapon like your bow. Before everything collapsed, Kaizen told me about a battle he had with a demon general, and in that fight, his beloved died. Kaizen used demon blood for his armor and his armor because of the spell made on it with the help of his beloved."
Tiberku remained silent for a few seconds, his eyes lost among the village streets. He didn't know what to say; every word seemed insufficient for the weight of the situation.
Renji looked at him intently, eyes full of determination.
— "I need to get a sword with demon blood from Eris," he said firmly. "If I want any chance to get through what's coming… only she can give me that."
Tiberku sighed deeply, feeling the pressure of Renji's decision.
— "I don't know if it's that simple," he murmured. "Eris… is not just someone who gives weapons. If she managed to give me the bow, it's because she considered me ready and safe. To request a sword with demon blood… that is much more complicated."
Renji clenched his fists, eyes fixed on the horizon as if trying to see through the forest what was coming.
— "I know," he said. "But I have no other choice. If Kaizen… if what he used was enough to protect him in an impossible fight, I need the same. Not for power, but to survive and understand what is happening here."
Tiberku remained silent, but his eyes reflected respect and slight concern.
— "If Eris agrees to do this for you," he finally said, "then you must be ready for the consequences. Demon blood is not something to take lightly… and no weapon built this way comes without risks."
Renji breathed deeply, feeling his heart beat faster.
— "I am ready," he murmured. "More ready than ever. If this means going through everything that brought me here, then I must do it."
Tiberku looked at him carefully, understanding that Renji's decision was not just a step toward power, but a commitment to face everything ahead, no matter how dangerous it was.
Renji breathed deeply and looked down the road. Pain still throbbed in his ribs and arms, but the dust left by the elf gave him enough energy to move. He wasn't fully healed, but his body responded better, each step becoming bearable.
— "Then we must go to Eris," he said with determination. "She is the only one who can help us understand everything that happened and prepare for what's coming."
Tiberku nodded and adjusted the bow on his back, his gaze alert to every shadow in the forest.
— "Step by step," he said. "We must be cautious and leave nothing to chance."
They continued walking, village after village, the road becoming increasingly difficult. Every abandoned or destroyed place bore the mark of the unknown and the battles that had taken place before them. The silence between them was not oppressive but full of understanding: they knew that what awaited them was not just a journey to Lioren, but a test of patience, courage, and trust.
The sun slowly descended, the shadows of the forest lengthened, and the air spread the smell of wet earth and leaves. Renji felt a strange calm, a moment of respite before the storm to come.
— "We will get there," he murmured to himself. "We don't know what awaits us, but we must continue."
Tiberku glanced at him briefly and sighed, then continued on. Their heavy steps on the wet leaves blended with the rustle of the forest, and each moment brought them closer to Lioren, the city where the answers awaited.