Breakfast ended with final instructions from Aldric about where each of them would go. konstant would feel the weight of those words for days afterward: "Today you begin to build a place for yourselves here. It will not be easy, but it is necessary."
They left the house together, the three instinctively staying close as Aldric guided them through the now fully awake village. The morning was clear, the sun with its impossible blue ring already high in the sky, bathing everything in that slightly bluish light that made shadows seem deeper than they should.
Thornhaven in the daylight was different from the silent, frightening village of the night before. People were everywhere now, carrying out their morning tasks. Women carried baskets, men sharpened tools or mended fences, children ran between houses in games that seemed universal even in different worlds. The smell of burning wood mixed with fresh earth and something that might be bread baking somewhere.
konstant noticed how people stopped to look at them. Not in an openly hostile way, but with clear, cautious curiosity. Low conversations started as they passed, gazes followed them. He tried to ignore it, focusing on keeping his posture firm, his expression neutral. Beside him, Keiko had her arms crossed defensively, her chin raised in silent defiance. Raid was practically glued to konstant, his shoulders hunched in his usual attempt to seem smaller and less visible.
We are the outsiders, konstant thought. The strangers from another world. Of course they will stare.
Aldric led them first to a house on the edge of the village, closer to the tree line marking the start of the forest. It was a solid construction of wood and stone, with a well maintained roof and a small attached workshop where hunting tools and leatherworking equipment were organized. The smell of woodsmoke and cured leather was strong there.
"This is Gareth's house," Aldric said, stopping in front. "Our most experienced hunter. He patrols the forest, manages the traps. konstant, you will stay with him."
Before konstant could respond, the house door opened. A tall man came out, closing the door carefully. Gareth was lean and muscular, the kind of physique that comes from years of hard work. He looked to be in his early forties, with very short graying hair and a sparse beard that didn't hide the scars on his face and neck. His grayish green eyes seemed to see everything, analyzing every detail. He wore simple clothes of leather and linen, with a large knife on his belt. Leaning against the wall near the door were a bow and a quiver.
He looked at konstant with those penetrating eyes, a silent and complete assessment that lasted only seconds but felt much longer. Then he nodded once, apparently satisfied with what he saw.
"Aldric," he greeted, his voice deep and rough like ground stone. "This is the boy?"
"konstant," Aldric introduced. "He has some experience with hunting and basic survival, but he will need to learn our forests, our animals."
"Hm." Gareth continued studying konstant, who forced himself not to look away. Finally, the man spoke again. "Do you know how to use a bow?"
"A little," konstant answered honestly. "I made a simple one and practiced for a few weeks. I'm not good, but I know the basics."
"Knives?"
"Better with knives. I used them a lot for preparing food, cutting branches, things like that."
Gareth nodded again, then looked at Aldric. "He'll do. I'll test him today and see what he really knows. If he can keep up, he'll have a place here."
It was said without emotion, just fact. konstant didn't know whether to feel relieved or more nervous.
"There's one more thing," Aldric said. "Luna also works with you, correct?"
For the first time, something close to an expression crossed Gareth's face. Not quite a smile, but a slight softening around the eyes. "Yes. She must still be inside, finishing breakfast. Do you want me to call her?"
"Please."
Gareth turned and opened the door again, putting his head inside. "Luna! Come here for a moment."
There was a sound of a chair scraping on the wooden floor, then quick, light footsteps. The door opened completely and a small figure came running out, almost bumping into Gareth in her haste.
Luna was six years old, but seemed to have enough energy for three children. She was small even for her age, thin and in konstant motion, as if staying still was physically impossible. Her hair was an unusual reddish pink hue, falling to her shoulders in slightly messy waves, with one side tied in a sideways ponytail held by a large bow that was already crooked. Large, expressive eyes of a greenish brown dominated a round face still holding all the softness of childhood. Rosy cheeks, a few small scratches on her arms and knees that spoke of someone who climbed trees and ran without care.
She wore a simple tunic of light beige fabric, surprisingly clean for a child her age. The hem of the tunic, however, was stained green at the edges, witnessing her recent adventures. The small leather boots were well worn at the toes. And on her neck, partially hidden by the collar, konstant could see a thin line of bright white.
She was a Mystic too. The one who had saved him.
Luna looked first at Aldric, then her attention was immediately captured by the three strangers. Her eyes widened comically and she practically vibrated on the spot with contained excitement.
"Are they them?" she asked, her voice high and fast. "The ones who came from another world? The ones I found in the forest? I found one of them! I found you!"
Her finger pointed like a spear at konstant, while a jump made her briefly hover in the air. "You were all limp and bleeding and I almost died of fright, but I ran like crazy and called everyone and we came and pulled you, I helped pull too, because you're so heavy! You don't look it, skinny like that, but you are!"
"Luna," Gareth interrupted gently, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Breathe."
She stopped, panting, but the wide smile didn't diminish in the slightest. konstant realized there was something almost frantic about that joy, something too forced, too bright. Like a very strong light trying to hide deep shadows.
"Thank you," konstant said, his voice coming out softer than he intended. "For finding me. For saving me. I... don't know what would have happened if you hadn't found me."
Luna blinked, the smile faltering for just a fraction of a second. Something vulnerable appeared in her eyes, quick as lightning, before being pushed back down under that exaggerated joy.
"Ah, that?" she said, shrugging with an exaggeration that seemed rehearsed. "I was just exploring. Gareth always says I stick my nose where it doesn't belong..., but if I didn't, I wouldn't have found you, right?" She looked at konstant, and for the first time the whirlwind of words gave way to a sincere, almost hesitant question: "Are you... are you okay now?"
"I'm okay," konstant confirmed. He crouched slightly to get closer to her height, instinctively knowing it would be less intimidating that way. "And you? Are you okay?"
It was the wrong question. Or maybe the right one. Luna's smile froze for a split second, something passing behind her eyes that was too old and too sad for a six year old to have. But then she was smiling again, nodding her head so vigorously that the bow in her hair almost fell off.
"Of course! I'm always fine! Always always always!" The words came out too fast, too high pitched. "And you're going to stay here with us? Gareth said maybe one of the new ones would come work with us and I really hoped it would be you because I found you so it makes sense, doesn't it? It totally makes sense!"
konstant looked at Gareth, who just nodded slightly. Confirmation.
"Yes," konstant said, turning his attention back to Luna. "I'm going to work with you."
"Yay!" Luna practically shouted, doing several little jumps in place. "It's going to be so cool! I can show you everything! The best trees to climb and where those sweet red berries are, but not the purple ones because those make you sick and there's a place with stones that echo and"
"Luna," Gareth interrupted again, but there was something almost like affection in his voice. "konstant just arrived. Let's let him adjust before burying him with information, shall we?"
Luna made a face, but nodded. "Okay. But I'll show you everything later, promise?" She looked at konstant with those big, hopeful eyes.
"I promise," konstant said, and realized he was half smiling. It was hard not to smile in the face of such pure energy, even if he could see the cracks underneath.
Aldric took advantage of the pause to gesture to Keiko and Raid. "These are Keiko and Raid. They will be in other places in the village, but I imagine you three will see each other often."
Luna looked at both with the same intense interest. "Hi! Did you also come on the stars? You must have because the stars were very bright that night and daddy always said bright stars bring changes and" she stopped abruptly, the smile faltering again. "...daddy used to say that."
A brief, uncomfortable silence fell. Gareth put his hand on Luna's shoulder again, a gesture of silent support that she didn't seem to notice.
Aldric cleared his throat softly, breaking the moment. "Well. konstant, you stay here with Gareth and Luna. We'll take the other two to their places."
konstant looked at Keiko and Raid, feeling a knot form in his chest. Separating from them, even temporarily, felt like a betrayal of the pact they had made. Together, Keiko had said. Always together. But practical reality was imposing itself; they couldn't be a single shadow, a single body. Survival, there, demanded they learn to walk on their own.
Keiko must have seen something in his expression because she waved her hand, trying to seem nonchalant. "We'll see each other later, right? At dinner or something."
"Yes," konstant agreed. "Later."
Raid said nothing, just looked at konstant with those huge eyes for a long moment before nodding slightly. A silent understanding passed between them.
We'll be okay. All of us.
Then Aldric was guiding Keiko and Raid back through the village, their figures growing smaller in the distance. konstant watched them go, that feeling of discomfort not diminishing until they disappeared among the houses.
"Let's go," Gareth said, his voice bringing konstant back to the present. "I have traps to check in the forest. You're coming with me. Luna, you too."
"Can I take my slingshot?" Luna asked immediately, already jumping towards the door.
"You can. But remember the rules."
"I remember! Never shoot at something I don't intend to kill, always check what's behind the target, and never, ever point it at people!" She recited the rules as if it were a song she had memorized.
Gareth nodded, approving, and looked at konstant. "Do you have good boots?"
konstant looked at his own feet, at the worn, stained sneakers. "I'm not sure if they're good for the forest here."
"Probably not. I'll find something for you." Gareth disappeared briefly inside the house and returned with a pair of worn but sturdy leather boots. "Try these. They belonged to someone who outgrew them."
The boots were a bit big, but with the socks konstant already wore, they were acceptable. Much more suitable for rough terrain than his sneakers.
Gareth then picked up his bow and quiver, checked the knife on his belt, and picked up a second knife which he offered to konstant. "Never enter the forest unarmed. Never."
konstant took the knife carefully. It was longer and heavier than any knife he had used before, closer to a real hunting knife than a kitchen tool. The blade was sharp and well cared for, the wooden handle polished by konstant use.
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet. You'll have to prove you deserve to use it." Gareth started walking towards the forest, Luna already hopping a few steps ahead, and konstant followed him.
As they left the village behind, konstant cast one last look over his shoulder, searching for Keiko and Raid but not seeing them. Just wooden houses, working people, smoke rising from chimneys.
They'll be okay, he told himself. They have to be.
And then he was entering the forest of Excelsior, following a veteran hunter and a six year old with too much energy, beginning the first day of what would likely be three long years.
Meanwhile, Aldric guided Keiko and Raid further into the village. The first stop was a two story house that had a strong smell of herbs and something slightly medicinal. Jars and ceramic pots were organized on shelves visible through an open window, and dried plants hung from the ceiling in bunches.
"This is Mira's house," Aldric said, stopping in front. "Our apothecary. She makes remedies, ointments, works with medicinal herbs and preserves. Keiko, you will stay with her."
Keiko looked at the house, then at Raid beside her. He seemed so small suddenly, so vulnerable without konstant there as an anchor. Keiko's fingers touched his shoulder for a fraction of a second a quick, almost imperceptible gesture of reassurance before she straightened her posture and lifted her chin.
You can do this, she told herself, swallowing dryly. It's just one day. Just new things.
Mira was perhaps in her early fifties, black hair streaked with white, pulled back into a bun so tight it stretched the skin of her temples. Her face was carved in severe lines, with dark eyes that scanned Keiko from head to toe in a single instant, a look that seemed to weigh and measure every imperfection.
"This is the girl?" Mira asked, her voice rough and direct.
"Keiko," Aldric introduced. "She..."
"I've heard about them. The whole village is talking." Mira crossed her arms, still studying Keiko. "Do you know how to do anything useful?"
Keiko felt her cheeks grow warm, a mixture of shame and defensive anger rising. "I can read. And write. And"
"That's not what I asked," she cut in, her voice sharp as a blade. "I asked if you know how to do something useful. Can you sew? Cook? Tell a medicinal herb from a poison? Prepare a preserve that won't spoil in a week?" Each question was a precise blow, a calculated attack to test the girl's fiber.
"No," Keiko admitted, forcing her voice to remain firm. "But I can learn."
Mira studied her for another moment, then something that could be approval flashed briefly across her face. "At least you're not crying or making a scene. Good." She gestured inside. "Come in. We have a lot of work and little time. The faster you learn, the more useful you'll be."
Keiko looked at Aldric, who nodded encouragingly. Then she looked at Raid, who was very quiet beside the elder.
"We'll see each other later," she said, trying to sound confident.
Raid just nodded, but she saw something in his eyes. Fear. Not of her leaving, but of him being left behind, of him having to face something alone.
Damn it. She took a step towards him, lowering her voice. "You'll be okay, alright? It's just one day. And konstant is right, we have to do this. We have to show we can contribute."
Raid looked at her, then nodded again, a small, but real movement.
Satisfied that he wasn't completely panicking, Keiko turned and entered Mira's house. The door closed behind her with a final sound, cutting off the sunlight.
Aldric and Raid stood there for a moment. The silence stretched, not exactly uncomfortable, but heavy. Raid could feel the old man's attention on him, waiting for him to say something, but the words wouldn't come. They never came when he needed them.
Finally, Aldric spoke gently. "The last place is on the other side of the village. Come. Let's meet Tomos and his wife."
Raid followed in silence, his fingers interlacing and unlacing nervously, that konstant movement that never stopped. He felt every gaze from the people passing by, every whisper that was surely about him, every second of unwanted attention. But he had no choice but to keep walking.
Aldric led him to the edge of the village, where cultivated fields stretched in orderly rows. A house stood there, modest but well cared for, with a small garden in front and farming tools organized against the wall. The smell of fresh earth and something green and alive was strong.
A huge man was working in the garden, digging with a large shovel. Tomos was burly and solid like a tree, with broad shoulders and hands that looked like they could crush stones. Gray hair and beard, a face weathered by decades in the sun. He worked with slow, deliberate movements, every action thought out and efficient.
He noticed their approach and stopped, straightening up with a soft creak of old joints. His eyes were small and dark in a wide face, and he studied Raid in complete silence for a long moment that stretched until it was almost unbearable.
Raid wanted to disappear, to shrink into the ground, to be anything but the focus of that heavy gaze.
Then Tomos nodded once, a single nod of the head that seemed to stamp an internal decision. "So this is the boy," he said to Aldric, in a solid statement that asked for no confirmation.
"Yes. Raid. He will work in the fields, if you can teach him."
Tomos looked at Raid again. "Are you strong?"
Raid didn't know how to answer that. He wasn't exactly weak, he had broad shoulders and a sturdy build, but he had never really tested it. He shrugged slightly, a small, inadequate gesture.
To his surprise, Tomos almost smiled. Almost. "Honest, at least. Not making things up. Good." He set the shovel aside. "Strength is built with work. You will work, and you will become strong. Simple as that."
The door of the house opened and a woman came out, wiping her hands on a simple cloth apron. Lira was shorter than Tomos, a rounded, soft figure that contrasted with her husband's angular hardness. Her gray hair was pulled into a practical braid that rested on her shoulder, and her face, lit by dark, kind eyes, conveyed a welcoming serenity.
"Is this the boy?" she asked, her voice soft and warm.
"Raid," Aldric introduced again.
Lira came down the steps and approached, and to Raid's complete horror, she reached out and gently smoothed the hair that was falling over his forehead. The gesture was so maternal, so gentle, that he froze completely, not knowing how to react.
"Welcome," she said simply. "You must be tired from all the change. Come, I'll fix you something to eat before work starts."
"He ate breakfast with me less than an hour ago," Aldric commented with mild amusement.
"And? Boys his age are always hungry." Lira made a dismissive gesture. "Come, Raid. Let the men talk about work while I give you something substantial."
Raid looked desperately at Aldric, but the old man just nodded encouragingly. With no real choice, Raid followed Lira into the house, feeling as if he were walking into completely unknown territory.
The house was small inside, but cozy, smelling of bread and something cooking in a pot on the stove. Lira guided him to a table and practically pushed him to sit, then began moving around the kitchen with practical efficiency, cutting thick bread, spreading butter, serving something that looked like milk but had a slightly different color.
"Eat," she ordered gently, placing everything in front of him. "You're too thin. We'll fix that."
Raid looked at the food, then at her, completely lost about what to do or say. Then, because he had no other option and because she was looking at him expectantly, he picked up the bread and took a bite.
It was good. Different from the bread he knew, denser and with a nutty flavor, but good.
Lira smiled, satisfied, and sat at the table with a naturalness that seemed to calm the atmosphere. "So you're going to stay with us. You'll work with Tomos in the fields." She leaned forward a little, as if sharing a secret. "He's a good man, my husband. He's the quiet type, but he has a good heart. You'll see."
Raid nodded, chewing, not knowing what else to do.
"And you don't have to be afraid to talk to us, you know?" Lira continued, her voice still soft. "I know everything is new and scary, but we're decent people. We won't hurt you or be cruel. We just... need you to work. Contribute. Do your part. Can you do that?"
Raid swallowed the piece of bread and forced his voice to work. "I can... I can try."
"Then that's all we can ask." Lira stood up, briefly patting the top of his head as she passed. "Finish eating. Then Tomos will show you the fields."
And so, in three different corners of the village, three children from another world began their first days in Excelsior. They were separated, but not alone. Scared, but still trying. Lost, but seeking to build something that resembled a home, or at least a refuge where they could survive until they found their way back.
If a way back even existed.