Thwack. Thwack.
An axe struck rhythmically into the base of a thick tree, its bark cracking with every blow.
Two farmers worked in the early light of dawn, deep in the outskirts of the forest. Both were seasoned men from Almsworth, familiar with every path and root, but even they hadn't planned to come this far today.
"Damn those stubborn horses," muttered the first, wiping sweat from his brow. "Smashed the wheel clean off. Now I've gotta build another bloody carriage from scratch."
The other gave a tired chuckle.
"Complaining won't make the wood fall faster. Besides, we're helping the whole town. It's our job, remember?"
The first grumbled but didn't argue. Together, they chopped and loaded wood, filling their cart slowly as the morning haze lifted.
But then... They stopped.
Something was wrong.
Just beyond the clearing, in a patch of trampled grass stained a dark red, lay two small figures.
"Wait… isn't that—?" the first farmer blinked, eyes wide. "Isn't that Zane's boy?"
"And a girl… gods, they're covered in blood!" the second gasped, dropping his axe. "Are they alive?!"
They rushed forward, hearts pounding. Up close, the truth was worse. Ethan's clothes were torn, his body limp, blood soaked from head to toe. The girl, Lisa was less wounded, but equally drenched in crimson.
The second farmer leaned down, pressing fingers to Ethan's neck. "He's breathing. Faint, but he's alive."
"What the hell happened to them?" the first whispered.
"I don't know," the second replied grimly. "But we have to get them back. Now."
They lifted the children with great care and turned back toward Almsworth, abandoning the wood pile. The forest watched them leave, silent and stained.
*****
Zane's mansion erupted into chaos.
Freya fell to her knees the moment she saw Ethan's limp form.
"No… no, my boy... Ethan!" Her voice cracked as tears filled her eyes. She reached out, her hands glowing faint with healing magic. But the light flickered, struggled, something was resisting her power.
Sera stood frozen, one hand over her mouth. "Lisa…?"
Her daughter had no visible wounds, but her clothes were soaked in dried blood. Her face was pale, her expression distant even in sleep.
"What happened to them?" Freya demanded, desperate, her hands trembling over Ethan's chest.
"My lady," one of the farmers said softly, "We found them at the edge of the forest, just after dawn. We were collecting wood. They were just... lying there."
Freya's heart dropped.
She knew exactly why Ethan had gone. He had chased the demons once more. She had felt his restlessness building, but never imagined he'd drag Lisa into it.
They quickly laid Lisa in a bed, changed her clothes, and wiped the blood from her skin. She stirred faintly, but did not wake.
Ethan's case was far worse.
His body convulsed every few minutes. Blood still leaked from his nose and ears. Freya poured all her mana into him, but something dark. clung to him. Something unnatural.
"He's fading," she whispered. "I... I can't reach the root of it. His life force is... draining."
No one spoke.
Even the healers summoned from the village stood helpless at the door.
Moments later, Zane stormed through the gates of his mansion, Ander close behind. Their armor still bore dust and blood from the battle in Beornleigh, but the news they'd received at the gate left no room for rest.
Zane burst into the manor. "Where is he?!"
The servants pointed without a word, and he sprinted toward Ethan's room. What he saw inside made his heart stop.
Ethan lay pale and limp on the bed, barely breathing. His body was wrapped in blood-soaked bandages, and even from the doorway, Zane could feel how faint his life force had become, like a candle flickering in a storm.
Freya rushed to him, tears streaking down her face. She clutched his tunic with trembling hands. "I'm sorry, Zane… I—I wasn't able to protect him. I should have known he'd try something while you were gone…"
But Zane didn't respond, his eyes were fixed on Ethan's wrist.
The relic was gone.
The enchanted bracelet, the mana suppressor he had forged with Koby himself, was missing.
He closed his eyes for a brief moment. That alone explained the condition Ethan was in. His son had pushed beyond his limits… again.
He turned sharply toward the guards by the door. "Send word to the west quarter. Find Doctor Reinhard, the one who works with relic rebalancing. Go with a full escort. Don't let anything slow you down."
"Yes, my lord!"
The guards and maids rushed off.
Inside the room, Freya and two other healers worked tirelessly, their hands glowing with restorative magic, sweat beading on their brows as they tried to stabilize the boy.
Ander stood quietly by the door, stunned. "What… what happened here?"
Zane stepped forward, placing a hand on Ethan's cold forehead.
"He took off the relic," he muttered. "And when Ethan's mana runs wild… there's always a price."
He glanced at his wife, his voice low and heavy.
"Now we just have to make sure it doesn't cost him his life."
*****
Morning sunlight filtered gently through the silk curtains, casting warm golden lines across the quiet bedroom.
Lisa stirred.
Her eyelids fluttered open, blinking at the unfamiliar ceiling above. For a moment, everything was still.
Then the memories came flooding back.
The forest. The chase. The goblins.
She gasped and sat up sharply, too sharply. Her breath caught as her hand flew instinctively to her chest… but there was nothing.
No wound. No pain. Not even a scar.
"I was shot," she whispered, eyes wide. "I… I should be dead."
She stared at her hands. They felt different. Lighter. Stronger. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, noticing how swiftly her body responded. Her agility felt heightened, her reflexes sharper, as if something inside her had changed.
But then, the strength faded beneath the weight of fear.
The Goblin Leader's roar… the swarm of demon goblins… Ethan's scream…
Her breathing quickened.
She clutched her head with both hands, trembling. "No... no, no, no... "
Sweat rolled down her temples as her body curled into itself, trying to escape the memory, the moment she saw death racing toward her in the form of a black arrow.
That cold chamber…
That mountain of corpses…
She couldn't stop shaking.
The door creaked open.
"Lisa?" her mother, Sera, rushed to her side, kneeling beside the bed. "Sweetheart, you're awake, thank the stars."
Lisa didn't respond. Her eyes were distant, locked in the past.
Sera gently took her hands. "You're safe now. You're home. Please… tell me what happened last night."
It took time. Minutes of silence, broken only by Lisa's shallow breaths. But slowly, her shaking lessened, her words beginning in a whisper.
"Ethan… left the house. I followed him. We went into the forest… we didn't know…"
She spoke in fragments, piecing together the nightmare, the Hellfang foxes that ambushed them, the swarms of demon goblins, and the terrifying chamber beneath the forest floor.
Her voice faltered when she got to the final part.
"I… I remember the leader. The arrow—" she touched her chest again. "Then… nothing."
She looked up, eyes filled with confusion and dread. "Mom… what happened after that?"
Sera pulled her into a gentle hug, brushing back her damp hair. She didn't have the heart to tell her.
Because even she didn't know how Lisa had survived…
Or what Ethan had become to protect her.
Sera gently held Lisa's hand as they walked down the hallway of the mansion. Every step echoed in the silence, the weight of uncertainty pressing in with every heartbeat.
When they reached the chamber where Ethan was being treated, Lisa's pace slowed.
Then she saw him.
Ethan lay surrounded by healers and mages, motionless, pale, his body half-covered in blood-soaked cloth. Magic runes pulsed dimly across the floor. His breathing, barely there, shuddered in short, weak gasps.
Lisa's legs gave out.
She collapsed to her knees, eyes wide, hands trembling, and screamed loud, guttural, desperate.
"Ethan!"
He didn't stir.
Sera pulled her close, shielding her from the sight, but Lisa pushed forward, unable to look away. Tears streamed down her face as the trauma she thought had ended rushed back in full force.
It took a long moment to calm her down. But eventually, the room quieted enough for Zane, Freya, and Ander to kneel before her, desperate for answers.
Lisa wiped her eyes and tried to steady her voice.
"I told Mom what happened… but I'll say it again," she whispered. "Ethan followed the goblins… I followed him. We were attacked by Hellfang Foxes, but he… he killed them. All of them."
Zane's brow furrowed. "All of them? Alone?"
Lisa nodded slowly. "He was so fast. So… strong. But then we got surrounded and captured by demon goblins. I— I got shot. Taken to their chamber. And then… I blacked out."
Freya clutched her chest.
Lisa continued. "The last thing I remember… Ethan screamed. And something burst out of him. Like a… a wave. Of power. It didn't feel human."
The room went still.
No one spoke.
Even the healers paused in their work for a breath of silence.
Zane looked away, his jaw clenched. He was proud, yes, that his son had defeated beasts grown men feared to face.
But that pride twisted into dread when he looked at Ethan now, pale and barely clinging to life.
A knock broke the tension.
One of the maids stepped in and bowed. "Sir. Doctor Reinhard has arrived."
Zane stood immediately. "Bring him in. Quickly."
The tension in the air softened just slightly. Relief washed over the room as the elderly doctor entered, his robes fluttering, his face calm but focused.
Everyone moved to greet him.
But before Reinhard could even reach Ethan...
Another maid burst into the hallway.
Tears streamed down her cheeks. Her lips trembled as she tried to speak, but the words failed.
"Sir… S-Sir…" she stammered.
Zane turned, his heart instantly racing. "Speak. Now."
The maid collapsed to her knees, sobbing.
"He's… the young master… the healers said…"
Zane's face darkened. "Say it!"
She looked up, eyes red, voice breaking...
"He's dead… Young Master Ethan is dead."
Silence crashed into the room like a hammer.
Freya froze.
Lisa gasped.
And the world, for a brief, excruciating moment... Stopped.