Eldermire woke the same way it always did—slow, warm, and unbothered by the rest of the world.
Roosters called from distant roofs. Smoke curled from chimneys. Dirt paths carried the weight of familiar footsteps. Nothing in the village ever felt rushed, as if time itself had agreed to take its time here.
At the edge of it all, Renn Valehart was already working.
A heavy bundle of firewood rested on his shoulder as he walked through the village path like it weighed nothing at all.
"Morning again, Renn," an old man by the well called out. "You ever sleep late like normal people?"
Renn adjusted the wood slightly. "I tried once. Didn't like it."
The old man chuckled. "That explains a lot."
From a nearby house, a woman leaned out the window. "Don't forget the grain sacks this time!"
"I won't," Renn replied.
"You said that last time!"
"I still didn't forget," he said calmly. "I just gave them away."
"THAT'S WORSE!"
A group of children ran past him, kicking up dust.
"Renn! Race you to the river!" one of them shouted.
"You'll lose," Renn said immediately.
"That's what you said yesterday!"
"And yesterday was correct."
The kids groaned, but before they could run, one of them suddenly stopped.
"Hey… when I grow up, I'm gonna be a Royal Knight!"
The others paused.
"Me too!" another shouted. "They wear those cool uniforms and fight monsters!"
"I heard they can take down ten enemies at once and they protect the whole kingdom!"
"They probably don't even get tired!"
The group buzzed with excitement, talking over each other. Renn watched them quietly.
"…Is that so?" he said.
They all turned to him.
"Yeah! Royal Knights are the strongest in Aurelian!"
"Way stronger than hunters!"
"They fight Mist Wraiths and don't run away!"
Renn thought for a moment.
"I wonder if those knights can carry ten grain sacks in one go."
The children blinked.
"…Huh?"
"That's not the same thing," one of them argued.
"Yeah! Fighting is different!"
"They're strong in a cool way!"
Renn tilted his head slightly.
"…What's a cool way?"
The children paused. Then one of them grinned.
"They look like heroes."
The words lingered. Renn didn't respond.
"…Race you anyway!" one of them shouted suddenly, breaking the moment.
They bolted forward. Renn sighed lightly. Then moved. Gone in an instant.
A blur crossed the dirt path, wind snapping in his wake. The children hadn't even reached the bend when he was already at the riverbank.
The forest rustled.
A deer froze—
Then ran.
Too late.
Renn moved again.
A soft crack echoed as he caught it cleanly, stopping its full sprint without effort.
"…You're faster today," he muttered.
From behind him, the hunter arrived—just reaching the clearing. He stopped.
"…You ran again, didn't you?"
"They challenged me."
"That wasn't a challenge. That was children .running for fun."
Renn tilted his head. "Same thing."
The hunter looked at the deer.
Then at Renn.
"…You're going to break something one day."
"I try not to."
"That's not what I meant."
Renn didn't respond.
He carried the deer back like it weighed nothing.
By midday, Eldermire moved as it always did. By evening, it settled the same. Renn sat at the edge of the fields as the sun lowered. The same boy from earlier dropped beside him.
"Renn," he asked, "why are you so strong?"
Renn thought for a moment.
"I don't really feel strong," he said.
The boy frowned. "That's not fair."
Renn looked toward the horizon.
"…They said Royal Knights are heroes."
The boy nodded quickly. "Yeah!"
Renn was quiet for a moment.
Then—
"…I wonder what that feels like."
The boy smiled.
"You could be one."
Renn didn't answer. But for the first time, he didn't dismiss the idea.
And as the sky turned gold over Eldermire, life continued exactly as it always had.