The sun dipped toward the horizon, spreading warm gold over the wheat fields that danced gently in the breeze. Liora and Amy walked side by side, their steps light and synchronized, as if they had walked this same road a thousand times together. Their friendship radiated from them — a natural warmth that Kaelith watched with quiet fascination.
He walked behind them, hands tucked behind his back, analyzing their every movement. They laughed easily. They nudged each other for no reason. They spoke without fear.
He had never seen this before.
His mother only taught him about survival, power, and strength. She never laughed. Never teased. Never softened.
To him… this scene was foreign.
And yet strangely peaceful.
"Are you cold again?" Liora suddenly scolded, wrapping an arm around Amy. "You stayed outside too early, didn't you?"
Amy blinked, confused. "Cold? Really? I didn't notice. And no — I stayed in bed till eight."
"Mhm! Good." Liora gave her a proud thumbs-up.
Kaelith tilted his head slightly.
Human affection was strange. Gentle. Pointless. But… interesting.
Liora kept chatting, explaining how Amy worked nonstop, from the moment she arrived in their village. She had harvested wheat alone until Liora practically dragged herself into Amy's life and forced friendship onto her.
Amy only smiled shyly at the story.
Kaelith listened — until something else pulled him.
A flash.
A pulse.
A tug in his chest that didn't belong to him.
He froze.
His gaze snapped left, toward the seemingly empty wheat field.
Nothing moved.
Nothing stirred.
But something ancient and instinctive inside him reacted.
His blood hummed.
A thrill — sharp and dark — cut through him like lightning.
For a brief moment, his aura flickered violently.
He forced it down.
A faint, chilling smile crossed his face.
Liora felt something.
A ripple — faint, but unmistakable.
She paused, turning sharply toward him, eyebrows raised.
Amy turned too.
"Is something wrong?" Liora asked, watching him closely.
Kaelith shook his head. "No."
He walked on calmly, though his eyes lingered on the field longer than they should.
To hide the shift, he asked, "Where are your parents?"
Amy turned slightly, stealing another glance at Kaelith's face before answering, "They're in another village… actually, they're living in the city." Her voice softened. "I left to become independent."
Liora nodded thoughtfully. She knew this — she had been the one to help Amy settle in, to keep her from feeling alone, to bring her into her daily routine.
"You're strong," Kaelith said plainly.
Amy froze.
A blush hit her cheeks.
She spun away so fast that Liora almost shouted.
Amy? Blushing? Because of HIM?
Liora's jaw dropped.
This was the same Amy who once glared at a boy for complimenting her hair. But Kaelith? One sentence and she melted.
Liora squinted at him.
What exactly are you?
Her gaze drifted.
His face was undeniably handsome.
His posture too steady.
His aura… ancient, heavy, unnatural.
Before she knew it, she found herself staring too long.
Kaelith turned his head sharply, catching the spike in her emotions.
"What are you thinking about?"
Liora jolted.
"NOTHING!"
She practically ran to Amy's cottage.
Amy hurried to open the door, but paused for a single second. It hit her — a guy was stepping into her house for the first time. And not just any guy.
Her imagination sprinted out of control.
Liora noticed immediately and whispered, "Relax. Trust me, he's not worth obsessing over. You'll find someone better."
Amy stared at Kaelith…
Then whispered, "Nope. Worth it."
Liora nearly fell over.
Kaelith just blinked at both girls like they were speaking dragon-tongue.
Amy escaped to the kitchen before her brain overheated.
Kaelith took a seat, scanning the cottage. It was small, warm, human — nothing like the colossal, shadow-forged halls he grew up in. The decorations were hand-made. The chairs were uneven but comfortable. The air smelled faintly of herbs and bread.
It wasn't grand — but it felt alive.
Amy returned with tea and a tray of freshly baked muffins.
Kaelith sniffed the muffin suspiciously.
"What is this mushroom-like creation?"
Both girls stared at him.
"It's a muffin," Liora sighed. "You've really never seen one?"
"No."
He poked it again. "Is that what it's called?"
He took a bite.
The world stopped.
He took another.
And another.
Then several more.
Before he even realized it, half the tray was gone.
Amy watched his face with dreamy eyes.
Liora watched Amy with horror.
Everything was chaos.
"This is delicious," Kaelith said. "You have talent… baking."
Amy lit up with pure pride.
They all sipped their tea. Kaelith felt the faint unnatural ingredient immediately. A mild sleeping agent — harmless. He sensed its effects activating.
He made no attempt to stop it.
Within minutes, Amy slumped sideways, asleep. Liora followed shortly after, her head gently falling onto a cushion.
Kaelith stood over them for a moment, expression calm.
"Humans," he muttered.
He wandered the cottage then — slow, observant. He respected boundaries, avoiding bedrooms. He observed the home like a puzzle trying to understand its meaning.
Soon, the kitchen called to him.
Something in the top cabinet pulsed faintly — not magic, but hidden. Concealed. Important.
"There is something here," he said.
He reached up—
SHING.
Cold metal pressed against his throat.
The blade was steady.
Sharp.
Confidence radiated off the one holding it.
Kaelith didn't flinch.
A woman stood behind him — her presence heavy, disciplined. She wasn't like Liora or Amy. She carried herself like someone who had lived through storms and refused to bow to any danger.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," she said, voice low.
Kaelith turned slowly, unbothered by the blade.
His eyes darkened — an ancient, predatory look surfacing.
The shadows in the room trembled faintly around him.
Yet the woman didn't take a step back.
That alone… surprised him.
He lowered his eyes briefly to her knife, then raised them again.
"What are you protecting?" he asked. "You hide something."
Her arm didn't waver.
"Step away from that cabinet."
Kaelith didn't move.
"Why are you in Amy's home?" she demanded.
"Why are both girls unconscious? And who exactly are you?"
Kaelith blinked once.
He wasn't intimidated — but he was intrigued.
This woman had strength — not overwhelming, but real, hardened strength born from experience rather than bloodline.
"She drugged the tea herself," Kaelith said plainly. "I allowed it."
Her grip tightened. "Why?"
Kaelith tilted his head, analyzing her the same way he analyzed everything.
"You are not a villager," he said quietly.
"You move like a trained fighter. You don't belong here."
The woman glared. "Answer. The. Question."
Kaelith stepped away from the cabinet, but only slightly.
He wasn't obeying — just losing interest.
"I came with Liora," he replied simply. "She insisted."
The woman's eyes flickered.
At Liora's name, her blade dropped just an inch.
Not enough to let him go.
Just enough to show recognition.
"You know Liora?" Kaelith asked.
"Everyone here knows her," the woman said.
"But you? You are not normal."
Kaelith smirked. "Correct."
A tense silence hung between them.
Then—
A faint creak came from outside.
A shift in the air.
The same pulse he felt earlier in the field echoed again.
His eyes turned sharp.
The woman noticed.
"What did you sense?" she whispered, knife loosening slightly.
Kaelith didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
Something — or someone — was approaching the village.
And whatever it was…
It wasn't human.