The village felt normal again—at least on the surface. But Aarav knew better. It wasn't that this place was small… it was just that he didn't understand it yet. That thought stayed with him longer than he expected.
Aarav sat outside, watching Rian draw something in the dirt. Leaning forward slightly, he narrowed his eyes. "Let me guess… another terrifying monster?"
Rian nodded proudly. "Yes."
Aarav studied the drawing for a moment. "…It still looks like a potato."
"It's not a potato!" Rian protested instantly.
"It has no arms."
"It doesn't need arms!"
Aarav nodded seriously. "Fair enough… evolution failed."
Rian froze, clearly offended. "That's not how monsters work!"
"Clearly," Aarav replied without hesitation.
Before the argument could turn into something bigger, voices came from the entrance. Daren stepped outside first. "You made it."
Aarav turned toward the gate. Two figures stood there—a boy and a girl, both around his age. But unlike him, they carried themselves differently. Straight posture, sharp eyes, controlled movement. Not villagers. Trained.
The boy stepped forward. "Been a while."
The girl gave a small nod. "We came as soon as we could."
Daren nodded. "Good." Then he glanced at Aarav. "They're relatives."
The boy's gaze shifted directly to Aarav. "Kael."
The girl followed calmly. "Lyra."
Aarav raised his hand slightly. "Aarav."
Kael didn't respond immediately. His eyes stayed on Aarav, studying him. "…You don't look like you belong here."
Aarav shrugged. "I've been told worse."
A brief silence followed before Kael said it flatly, "…You're weak."
Rian gasped. Lyra didn't interrupt.
Aarav blinked once, then exhaled. "Straight to the point."
"No reason to lie," Kael replied.
Aarav gave a faint smile. "Fair."
That response caught Kael slightly off guard. For a brief second, his expression shifted.
Lyra spoke calmly, breaking the tension. "He's injured."
Meera, who had stepped closer, added, "He was found near the forest."
Kael's eyes sharpened instantly. "…Near the forest?"
Aarav noticed that reaction. "Yeah," he said casually, scratching his head. "Would not recommend."
Kael didn't reply, but this time he didn't look away quickly. Something about Aarav had caught his attention.
The conversation eased, but the air didn't. It wasn't hostile—just measured.
Suddenly, Rian stood up. "Let's go to the market!"
Aarav blinked. "You just decide things now?"
"I decided earlier!"
"That doesn't make it better."
Lyra glanced at Daren. "We do need supplies."
Daren thought for a moment, then nodded. "We'll go before sunset."
"I'm coming," Aarav said immediately.
"No," Meera replied without hesitation.
"I'm fine."
"You're not."
"I can walk."
"That's not the point."
Aarav looked at her properly this time. No jokes, no deflection. "…I'm not staying behind."
The tone shifted—quiet, but firm. Meera noticed.
After a short pause, she exhaled softly. "…Stay close."
Aarav smiled slightly. "Yes, healer."
"That's not funny."
"It kind of is."
"It's not."
"Debatable."
Rian laughed. Even Lyra smiled faintly. Kael didn't react—he just kept watching.
A little later, they walked toward the market together. The path felt familiar, but the group didn't.
Walking beside Meera, Aarav said, "…Your relatives are intense."
"They've trained longer than us," she replied calmly.
"That explains the personality."
She didn't respond, but she didn't disagree either.
Behind them, Kael spoke quietly. "…He's hiding something."
Lyra glanced ahead. "Or he doesn't know."
"There's something off about him."
"At least he's honest about being weak," Lyra said.
Kael didn't reply, but his eyes remained focused forward.
Aarav didn't hear their words—but he felt it. That distance. That invisible line. The same feeling he had when the knights passed. Measured. Judged. Not cruel—just real.
His hand moved slightly, as if expecting something… anything. A reaction. A response. But nothing came.
Just silence.
Aarav looked ahead.
*Yeah… I don't fit here either.*
For a brief moment, the ruined world flickered again in his mind—the empty city, that crushing pressure. Then it vanished, like it always did. Too fast to understand. Too real to ignore.
Aarav frowned slightly, then shook his head. "…Later."
He let the thought go, like he always did.
The path ahead slowly grew busier. Voices, movement, people, life—everything looked the same.
But something had changed.
Not outside.
Inside.
Aarav could feel it—a subtle shift. A line he hadn't noticed before, now impossible to ignore.
And for the first time, even in a place that felt warm…
there was distance.
Not from people—
but from the world itself.