The air changed the further we walked.
It carried life. It was faint and trembling, but life all the same. Smoke drifted lazily from thin chimneys, curling upward like shy ghosts afraid of the open sky. The sound of voices reached me soon after. The voices were quiet, cautious things, like the desert itself had taught them to whisper.
The boy walked a little faster now.
His steps grew lighter the nearer we got, though every few seconds he would glance back at me, as if still unsure whether I was truly following or merely a mirage.
We crossed the last of the dunes and stepped onto firmer soil. The texture changed under my boots. It was no longer loose sand, but earth baked dry by countless suns. Sparse grass bent beneath the wind, brittle and pale.
Ahead, the houses came into focus—mud-brick walls and patched roofs, sun-worn and leaning from years of wind. Each home was small, built close together, their windows narrow like watchful eyes.
A woman spotted us first. She froze mid-step, a basket of kindling in her arms. Her gaze flicked between Adam and me, lingering far too long on the armor, the strange sheen of metal untouched by rust.
"Adam?" she called, hesitant. "By the gods… is that you?"
He waved weakly. "Aunt Marina! I—uh—I found someone."
Her eyes sharpened. "Found?"
I could feel her measuring me from where she stood that every inch of me an intrusion. By the time we reached her, others had emerged: men with the same sun-scorched faces, women clutching children close.
A dozen eyes fixed on me. None trusted what they saw.
The woman stepped forward, voice trembling but steady.
"Sir Knight...if that idiot has offended you in away.." she started saying. Her voice seemed meager and wary,her head kept low.
"I apologize in his stead,please,do not take any of his behavior as an insult..." She said. I could see the fear in her eyes.
I didn't know what to say.
I looked towards Adam,he seemed to also kto know what to say.
I thought for a while and stayed silent. She looked at me,he eyes seemed to grow more wary with time.
Finally, I did what felt right.
I lowered my head and bowed, as Adam had done when we first met.
Gasps rippled through the small crowd. The woman stumbled back in shock.
"Sir—please, don't!" she cried, voice breaking between disbelief and dread. "You mustn't bow… not to us!"
I lifted my head. Although I didn't know the full picture I had started to understand. These people are afraid,they have been oppressed.
Adam was fearful of me because he recognized me as a Knight.
This woman and this village is also wary of me because of that as well.
I stood up and looked her in the eyes.
"I..." My words caught at my throat.
"My name is Alaric. I am not from this land,I am a wanderer," I said.
"I met your son in the desert and he helped me navigate, I...bear no agression towards you. Please do not be scared of me," I said. That last sentence almost came out as a prayer.
The woman stayed silent. Almost as if she was to shocked to know what to say.
Tap-Tap
Tap-Tap
Tap-Tap
The sound of wood tapping against the ground came from behind her.
A figure came out of a hut that seemed much older than the rest.
The figure was dressed in heavy cloth and fur,lined with stone tablets etched with markings. The figure's face couldn't be seen. Their aged and wrinkled arm held a heavy and old walking stick.
Around the figure,twin guards stood. Dense muscles coiled underneath tanned skin.
The villagers expressions softener and relaxed at the figures presence.
Before long,a groaned and wise voice came.
"Ah, move aside, move aside," the elder grumbled, swatting a gawking child with their stick. "You all look like you've seen a ghost. And you—" they pointed at Adam's Aunt "—close your mouth before the sand flies in."
The villagers fell silent immediately, though several looked like they wanted to vanish into the earth.
The elder came to a stop in front of me and tilted their head back to squint up. Their eyes were sharp—far too sharp for someone that ancient. They studied me for a long moment, then snorted.
"Well," they rasped, "you're taller than I expected. And less dry. That's good. I hate when the desert sends me ugly ones."
I blinked, unsure if I was supposed to answer.
"I… didn't mean to alarm your people," I said carefully.
"Alarm?" The elder barked out a dry laugh that turned into a cough halfway through. "You nearly gave half the village heart attacks just by breathing too loud. You stroll in here shining like an age old relic from the age of myths. What did you expect? A feast?"
A few villagers chuckled nervously. The elder waved their stick dismissively.
"Oh, stop clutching your pearls, all of you. If he wanted you dead, we'd already be fertilizer."
That actually made them quieter.
The elder turned their eyes back on me, the humor fading just slightly. "So.Tell me, brat—what are you doing walking around?"
"...Brat?" I echoed.
"Yes, brat," they said bluntly. "Don't give me that look. I may be old, but I can tell a stubborn face when I see one. You've got the same expression I have seen a thousand times."
They leaned on the staff, eyeing me as if I were both ridiculous and familiar.
"Hmm. Not much of a talker, are you? Good. I hate chatter."
'That's a lie,' I thought.
"What did you say?" She asked as if she could read my thoughts.
I was a bit shocked but steadied myself.
"I didn't come here to cause trouble," I said.
"Good. We already have plenty."
Their grin widened—thin, toothy, and not entirely sane.
"Still… funny thing. I knew you'd show up eventually. Didn't think it'd be today, though. The sands don't usually deliver on time."
I frowned. "You… were expecting me?"
The elder gave a low hum. "Expecting, remembering, forewarned—take your pick. The winds talk, you know. They said an old knight was walking again. Said he carried lightning in his blood and ghosts in his armor."
They leaned closer, lowering their voice to a rasping whisper only I could hear.
"Didn't think they meant you, though. You're supposed to be dust, old man."
'Old...?'
"Yes,old."
She again seemed to be able to read my thoughts.
I froze. "You know my name?"
The elder straightened up with a grunt, laughing softly. "Know it? Hah. No. But I've heard it whispered in places beyond the horizon. And now here you are—standing in my damn village like you just crawled out of legend."
"What is it? Your name." The elder added.
"....Alaric"
The elder jabbed the staff lightly against my chestplate. "Welcome back to the world, Alaric. Not much is left."