Sarah Susago — POV
The moment I stepped outside, I pressed my back against the wooden door of our house and tried to calm myself down.
My heart was beating faster than usual. Way faster. I felt embarrassed, my whole body warm, my blood rushing everywhere at once. I placed both hands on my chest and tried to breathe.
I reached into my pocket and took out the gift my parents had given me today. A silver necklace with a red heart-shaped gem. I still hadn't put it on yet. I hadn't been able to. I had heard Dad say that and left in a flash. I looked at the necklace for a moment before putting it back in my pocket.
Through the door behind me I could hear Mom talking to Dad, telling him he should apologize for what he said. Classic. The moment they see you spending time with someone of the opposite sex and they already think you're in a relationship. Geezers.
"I forgive you, Dad," I whispered. "I know you didn't mean it that way. I could never stay mad at you." I paused. "And Mom, I only thanked you for the necklace. I ran out without thanking you properly. I'll make it up to you later."
A cold gust of wind hit me and snapped me back into the moment. My long brown hair whipped in every direction. Some of it got into my eyes and I pulled it back, draping it over my shoulders. The air was clean and the sky was clear, a few snowflakes drifting down. It was cold, but my thick red sweater that I wore kept it tolerable.
I exhaled slowly. My heart had settled a little.
"Lazar," I murmured to myself as I started walking toward his house. "What is he going to think about the necklace?"
On the way there, my imagination wouldn't leave me alone. I kept picturing him standing in front of me, looking at it and saying something like:
"Hm? A gift?"
"A necklace? Let me see."
"Well... it's nice. But I've seen better though."
"Why something like that? Wouldn't you prefer something more feminine? Like some earrings or rings?"
I shook my head and walked faster, crunching through the snow.
"No. There's no way he would ever say something like that." I muttered it quietly, moving my head back and forth. "He's not like that. I have no reason to think otherwise."
Before I realized it, I was already standing in front of his house.
I stepped toward the wooden front door, took a breath, raised my right hand to knock, but then I stopped. Just before my knuckles touched the wood.
What is wrong with me? I've done this a hundred times. Why now?
My father's words came back to me.
"You two spend a lot of time together." I gritted my teeth as the heat crept back into my face.
"Come on, Sarah. Not right now. You are strong."
I took another breath, raised my hand again, and this time I didn't stop.
Knock. Knock.
I knocked two times on the door.
From inside, a familiar voice called out. "Coming." I heard footsteps approaching the door.
It opened. Maya stood there, looking surprised to find me on her doorstep. Then her expression softened into a warm smile.
"Sarah! What brings you over here? Do you need something?"
"Hello, Miss Maya." I fidgeted with my fingers. "Um, is Lazar here?"
"Lazar?" she repeated. "He went out about ten minutes ago."
"He went out? Do you maybe know where he went?"
Maya tapped her chin thoughtfully.
"Hmm. You know Lazar, he never really says where he's going. But if I had to guess, he probably went into the forest. He likes to go to the lake in there."
"In the forest?!" The words came out louder than I intended. "I'm sorry for raising my voice, Miss Maya."
Maya laughed softly. "You don't need to apologize. And yes, I think that's where he went, but I am not sure. He spends time by the lake. He told me he likes it there."
"Thank you, Miss Maya. I'll come back later then."
"Oh, don't be silly. Come inside. You'll freeze out here." She reached out and gently pulled me in by the hand. "I have made something special. Come, come." She basically dragged me into their house as she said all that.
Once we got inside, she asked if I wanted something to drink.
"N-no, it's fine, Miss Maya. I don't need anything."
"Oh, come on." She smiled at me. "Why are you so shy? You've been here before. Look at that red face. You're acting like a little child. Who would guess you're older than Lazar?" She gestured toward the couch. "Sit down. Relax."
I walked to the couch and sat, placed my hands on my knees and looking at Maya that glanced at me.
"Want some Tea? Juice?"
"Tea is fine," I finally answered.
"Just give me a moment." She disappeared into the kitchen.
I sat alone in the living room of Lazar's house, glancing around. In front of me was a small carved wooden table, and on the shelf below it were some stacked papers, probably belonging to Lazar's father. I was curious to know what it is, but I kept my hands to myself.
Maya came back with two steaming cups. She set one on the table and handed me the other.
"Here you go. I hope you like it."
I thanked her and took a sip. It was sweet and warm and genuinely good. I took another.
"It's good, isn't it?" Maya said, sitting beside me with a smile.
"It's really good," I answered, holding the cup in both hands and feeling the warmth spread into my fingers. "What flavor is it?"
Maya grinned. "Wild rosehip tea, with a little honey for sweetness. One of Lazar's favorites." She paused. "He brings some home whenever he comes back from the lake. And imagine this. He actually prefers it cold." She laughed.
We both laughed at that.
The atmosphere in the room felt warm and comfortable. We talked like that for about ten minutes. Then I glanced toward the front door.
"He's still not back," I said.
"Seems not," Maya replied.
"Does he always stay this long in the forest?"
"Oh yes. Sometimes even longer. Up to an hour or more."
"An hour?!" I exclaimed. "But that's dangerous. How can you let him wander in there alone? Something could happen to him."
Maya's eyes lowered.
"Lazar always begged us to let him go. Ever since Keigo first took him there, he wanted to go back almost every day. He talked about it constantly, begged and begged, and in the end I gave in. Keigo as well." Her smile faded. "Every time he leaves, my heart beats faster. I get scared something will happen to him in there. If something ever did… I don't know what I would do."
Her voice shook. I stood up from the couch before I'd even decided to.
"Miss Maya!" I burst out. "Don't say things like that. Instead of imagining the worst, try to think about what he sees in there and why he keeps going back. I understand your concern, I really do. But you are his mother. You are supposed to believe in him, no matter where he is or what he is doing."
As soon as I finished, silence fell, and in its wake, a sense of awkwardness washed over me, forcing me to sit down and stare at the floor while my face burned with embarrassment.
Maya looked at me, stunned at first. Her expression moved through several things at once. Then she smiled.
"What is it with young people these days?" she sighed. "Teaching adults how to think. You all grow up too fast."
She leaned back into the couch, glanced at the ceiling, then at the door, then at me.
"You know, Sarah. Lately, you've been spending an awful lot of time with Lazar."
I froze, still holding the cup in my hands.
"…"
"And you talk about him quite a lot," she continued, raising her eyebrows at me with a teasing expression. "Not to mention how concerned you are about him." She leaned closer to me.
I laughed awkwardly, wishing the cushion beneath me would swallow me whole. "Miss Maya..."
Her next words landed like lightning.
"Are you his girlfriend, by any chance?"
"!"
I choked on my tea. I sat up, coughing, completely unsure how to respond. My parents had already said something similar, and now Lazar's own mother was asking me directly the same thing. I stood from the couch, then sat back down again.
"N-NO. No, no, it's nothing like that! You have the wrong idea, Miss Maya!"
She looked at me with an expression that said very clearly that she did not, in fact, have the wrong idea. She moved closer and leaned toward me slightly, those green-blue eyes of her looked straight at me, her smile wider than before.
She placed her right hand gently on my left.
"Sarah. Look at me."
I slowly lifted my eyes until our eyes met.
She leaned back, the smile warm and unhurried on her face.
"I know you like my son," she said softly. "Talking about feelings is hard. I understand. I was your age once too. I know how complicated things can get, especially for us women."
She wasn't making any of this easier. I could feel the heat rising in my face again. I stared at the cup on the table, then at the floor.
"Why is today like this?" I thought.
I tightened my right hand before answering.
"Maybe... I find him a little attractive," I said shyly and weak. "Maybe there's something about him that I like."
Maya's face lit up immediately. She brought both hands to her mouth.
"And what do you like about him?" she asked, smiling.
I thought for a few seconds before answering. "His hair. The way he acts around me. His green-blue eyes." I paused. "He's different."
She laughed with genuine happiness. But then my expression fell a little.
"I just don't think he feels the same way," I muttered.
Her smile softened into something gentler.
"And why would you think that?" she asked.
"I don't know. I just have a feeling. He never gives any signs back."
"Well," Maya said, playing lightly with a strand of her hair, "you're wrong, Sarah. I can say with confidence that Lazar cares about you far more than you think. He cares about everyone close to him. He just has a hard time showing it. He always has. He avoided visitors even as a small child, stayed in his room, said loud places bothered him. He preferred silence. And with no school nearby and so few people his age in the village, he never had much chance to practice expressing himself."
She looked at me steadily. "So I'm not so surprised you see it that way. But you're wrong."
Hearing all of that left me with a strange mix of feelings. Sadness for him, and something warmer underneath it.
"Does he really care about me the way Miss Maya says?" I wondered.
"That's kind of sad," I whispered.
"I don't think so," Maja replied. "If he's comfortable being the way he is, then that's what matters. I'd like him to spend more time with others, but you can't force someone to do something they aren't ready for or don't want to do."
I nodded quietly.
"Miss Maya... I've already stayed too long. I should get going."
"Why so soon?" she said, standing with me. "You can stay as long as you like. I haven't had a conversation like this since I left the castle."
"You worked at the castle?" I asked, genuinely curious, as we made our way toward the front door.
She smiled at the question. "I did. I left because of Keigo. We met when he was still a soldier. He kept coming to the store where I worked, asking questions, trying to impress me. I didn't make it easy for him." She laughed quietly.
"Eventually he asked if we could spend more time together, and we did. He kept coming back, and somewhere along the way I fell for him."
"That's so sweet," I said with a small smile. "So, I suppose that's how you ended up in the village of Liva?"
"He asked me to come and live here with him, and I agreed. We got married along the way, and soon after, I became pregnant with Lazar."
She reached for the doorknob and opened the front door. Cold air rushed in immediately.
"Ugh, it's freezing," she said, pulling her sweater tighter.
"It's not as bad as it was few days ago," I replied. "Thank you for the tea, Miss Maya. And for the company."
"The pleasure is mine Sarah, you should come to us more often."
"I will," I said, already looking toward the forest gates in the distance.
"You're not thinking about going in there, are you?" she asked.
I went still.
She stepped closer, placing a hand on my shoulder.
"Don't even think about it," she said in a very serious tone. "It's too dangerous out there, Sara. If something happened to you, what would I tell Marco and Maria? My head is already full enough with worries about Lazar. Please, understand that, Sarah."
I looked at the snow beneath and said nothing.
Maja sighed, reached into her pocket, and pulled out a small crystal that faintly shimmered with a blue light.
"Sarah. This is a Mana Shard." She placed it carefully into my palms. It was cold, its shape irregular, pressing slightly against my fingers when I closed my hand around it. "Keep it with you the whole time while you're in the forest. Don't let it go."
"As long as it glows, you'll be safe. If it starts flickering or goes dark entirely, return to the village immediately. If you can't, hide somewhere and stay put. I will find you. I promise."
I nodded.
We walked together toward the gates, passing a wooden bench and another house along the way. The two large red gates stood ahead of us, connected at the top, around three meters tall.
"Do you understand Sarah?"
"Yes."
Before I stepped through the gates into the forest, Maya pulled me into a hug.
"Do you know which path to take to reach the lake?" she asked quietly, stepping back from the embrace.
"No," I admitted.
She pointed down the snowy path in front of us. "Walk straight until the path splits. There will be a left path and a right path. Take the left one. Don't take the right. After that, walk a little further and the lake will be on your right side. You'll see it."
"Yes, ma'am," I answered automatically.
"This isn't a drill, Sarah," she said firmly. "Take this extremely seriously. You can get hurt in there if you are not careful. When you take the left path, walk straight and the lake will appear on your right. Understood?"
"Understood, Miss Maya."
"And one more thing." She looked at me directly. "Don't lose that Mana Shard. Remember what I told you. If it stops glowing or starts to flicker, you're in danger. Come back to the village or find somewhere to hide. Do you understand everything I just said?"
I swallowed. "I understand, Miss Maya."
She pulled me into another hug, this one tighter than the first.
"Please come back safely, Sarah."
"I will," I said.
I thanked her for everything before I went. She nodded and raised her hand in a small wave.
And then I stepped through the gates and began walking down the path. Into the forest.