Ere woke slowly, disoriented.
Morning light had already filled the room.
There was no panic. No urgency. Tomorrow had never been guaranteed.
He opened his eyes fully only after hearing Janna's voice in the kitchen. The sound grounded him. She was alive. That was enough.
The memory of the previous night remained blurred.
His gaze moved across the room. The wounds on his body had been treated. Clean bandages. Careful work. He turned slightly to the right—Mika was still resting, his breathing steady. Recovering.
Ere tried to stand.
His body refused.
The moment his weight shifted, his legs gave out and he fell to the ground. The noise echoed more than it should have.
Janna rushed in immediately, carrying hot water. She didn't hesitate.
"Ere, drink this. It has herbs. It will help your body heal."
Her voice was soft, controlled.
She helped him up, guiding him carefully to the edge of the bed. Even sitting felt heavy, his body resisting every movement.
Then he felt it.
A faint warmth.
Magic.
Janna's hand hovered near him as a subtle aura flowed through his body. It wasn't overwhelming, but it was precise. Controlled. Within minutes, the pain dulled, his breathing eased, and strength slowly returned.
It was the first time he had seen someone use magic.
No—
The first time he had seen his mother use it.
He watched in silence.
Why had he assumed she couldn't?
And more importantly… why was her aura so weak compared to what he had seen the night before?
He couldn't ignore the difference.
Then another thought connected itself.
So it was her. She had been the one healing him after the bear fight.
All night.
Ere said nothing.
This was not the time for questions. Not when he already knew she would have her own—questions he couldn't answer. Not yet.
He didn't even understand it himself.
What he used… it wasn't magic.
He had known that instinctively.
Before the age of six, he was already manipulating something beyond his own body.
And that wasn't normal.
He looked at her.
"Is Ella okay?"
Janna paused for a brief moment, then smiled faintly.
"It's rare to see you ask about someone."
She turned slightly, placing the remaining water aside.
"Well… you can go see for yourself. Once you gather your energy, she should be outside in the yard."
She stepped toward the door, then added in a much quieter voice—
"So… is it because she's pretty?"
She didn't wait for an answer.
She left immediately.
Ere didn't react.
Before he could move, his vision shifted.
Darkness.
He was there again.
Ere spoke first.
"We're still far from where we need to be."
The words didn't echo.
They sank.
"You know what comes next."
A pause.
Subtle.
Deliberate.
"Don't disappoint me."
It simply vanished.
The exchange ended as quickly as it began.
These moments had changed. They no longer consumed him. They only pulled at him slightly—just enough to remind him.
Hope wasn't strength.
Only strength mattered.
Ere stood.
This time, his body held.
He walked toward the entrance of the house.
Ella's parents were there.
The moment they saw him, they bowed—deep, without hesitation. Their foreheads nearly touched the ground.
Gratitude without restraint.
Janna stepped in quickly, trying to stop them, but they didn't rise immediately.
Ere didn't speak.
He simply observed.
Then he moved past them.
Mika was still asleep.
The house was quiet again.
After a brief pause, Ere stepped outside.
Ella was exactly where Janna said she would be.
Sitting in the yard.
Waiting.
The sunlight fell over her gently, revealing details he hadn't noticed before. Her red hair reflected the light, soft and smooth. For someone from their village, it stood out.
No one else had that.
The weight in her eyes hadn't faded.
Even with her magic awakened, the fear was gone—
but something else had taken its place.
Guilt.
Ere approached and sat beside her, leaving a small distance between them.
He didn't speak.
For a moment, neither did she.
Then—
"I ignored you."
Her voice was quiet, but steady.
"They told me… what you did."
Her gaze dropped, just for a moment.
"That you saved me."
A pause.
"I didn't think you were that strong."
Another, softer—
"You killed it… alone."
Ere looked at her.
He didn't interrupt.
"I was so afraid I couldn't use magic," she continued, her voice tightening. "So afraid of losing my dream… that I stopped seeing anything else."
Her hands clenched slightly.
"The village… people died yesterday."
Her words began to break.
"Because of me."
Tears fell before she could stop them.
"I feel like… I'm a curse."
Ere spoke before the silence could settle.
"Stop."
His voice was calm.
Firm.
"You are nothing close to that."
She froze slightly.
"You still have parents who love you. Parents who were ready to sacrifice everything so you could reach your dream."
His gaze didn't waver.
"You are far from a curse."
He paused briefly.
"Look at them."
A small shift in his tone.
"They're proud of you."
Silence returned.
He had said more than usual.
Even he wasn't sure why.
Whether he meant it… or not.
But something in her words had connected.
Not to her.
To his past.
And that was enough.
He wouldn't let her believe something like that.
Not when he knew what it meant.