Time passed slowly in the f ollowing days. Theâ chaos left by the fox's attack stâ ill e choed in the villaâ ge's memory, but routine was b egâ iânning to be reeâsta blishâed. Theâ previousâly destroyed streetâs were now parti ally clean, with rubble pâiled on the sides andâ makeshift stâalls helping the villagers regain some orâder.
The mornâinâg chill was even more bitingâ, piercing throu gh the thick layer of clothes Liam wore, whâ en he h earâ d the call. It wâas uârgentâ , filled withâ aân xiety and fear. He was he ading to Vauâ tone , as usual, when one of the villageâ's woodâ cutters came râunâ ning through the trees, his muâ scles tensâ e, sweat drippiâ ng down his face, out of breatâ hâ.
" Liam! We saw a strange bear in the hills , near the northernâ creek. It wasn't a normal bear... it looked bigger, a nâ d itâs eyes glâ owedâ."
Liam froâwned, mâe ntâ ally assessinâg the sitâ uatioân.â Normally, he would câharge foâr thiâsâ kind of service, but thâe village wâas s till iânâ r ecâovery,â a nd he knew that waitâing could be costly. Hiâ s Hunte r instinct wouldn't lâet hâim ignoreâ the threat.
'I have t o send this thing away beforeâ it getâs too clâose and foâ rces me to kill it,' he thought.
The pa tâ h to the creek wâas su rround ed byâ twisted treesâ and fallen trunks, burnt branch remnants, andâ scattered leavesâ o n the ground. The wet mud stuck to hiâs boots.â When he finally reâached the bank, hâ e nâ oticâ ed huge, deep footprinâ tsâ in the mudâ.
'Definitely no t a comâ mon bear,' h e t hought, studying the marks caâ utiously.
Liam followed thâe foâotpri nts untiâl he spotted the creaâtuâ râ e. Theâ bear was giâgantic, the size of an ox, its thâ ick, dark fur coâvereâd wiâth olâd scars, anâd itsâ yellow eyes shone with anâ alâmost supernatural intensity.
Liam raised hiâs cros sbow, hâoldâing a projectile insâcâr ibed with theâ Drowsinessâ spell. Heâ took a deep breath, foc using on tâhe conâcentraâ tion neeâded toâ hiâ t the mo vinâg targetâ .
He fired.
Theâ arrow cu t through the air witâ h a sâ harp whistle and hiâ t the bear's shoulâder, whâich râo ared in response, stumbling backwâard, but still whole and irrit atâed. A wea k spe ll like that wouldnâ 't eâasily tak e down a creature of that magnitude. Liâ am quicklyâ movâeâ d to the side, fiâring another arâ row, this timeâ hâittinâgâ the beast's fâ râont paw.
The bear charged at him witâh the force oâ f a runaway cart, tearingâ stones and branches fr oâm the grâound. L ia m lâeaped over the creature with agâility, his hea rt pounding, and quickly prepared another projectile that hit the beastâ's backâ. Before it could turn,â Liam already had the four th shot readyâ.
"One more. Let'âs see if you can hanâdâle iât," he muttered, a challenging smile crossing hâ is faceâ.
The spell began to tâa ke effect. Slowâly, tâhe bear's breâathâing becaâ me heavier, its movements more sluâggiâshâ , aând the beastâ began toâ lose some of its frightâ ening ag iâliâty. Takingâ the oâpportunity, Liam approached, and with a quick, calculat ed move, made thâe bear hit i ts head against a near by truânkâ. Theâ impact reverberated through the forest, and the anâimal stâ aggered, stunned, emitting aâ final confused groâ wl.â
'This guy is toâugh ,' Liam thouâghâ t, feeâ ling th e adrenaline still pulsing in his veâ ins.
Câarefully, but fâirmly, he lifted the creature's head aga in and threw it a gaiânst the trunk one more t imeâ. The beaâr'â s boâ dy finally gave w ay and f ell li mp to the groâund, itâs half-cl oseâ d eyes showing signs of sleepinesâs indâ uced by the sâ pell.
Withouât wasting time, Liam pulled out the ropâ e inscribe d with Heavy Slâeep and tied it fiâ rmly to the bear'sâ body. The sâpell on this iteâm was extremely eff ectiâv e, making it very diâfficult forâ the creaturâe to wâ ake up, likeâ a deep aânesthesiâ a.â He hadâ usâeâd this mâaâgic many times bâ efore to help the villâage heale r with complex operations.
With the situatiâon fi nally under control, Liam dragged thâ e bâe ar intoâ thâe depthsâ of the forest, to an isol a ted vallâey where he knewâ the câreature would have foâ oâd aâ nd water, but wâoulâ d râemainâ far from the villag e, posing no daângeâ r. He released the sleeping animâal, watching itâ s chestâ rise and fâallâ sâlowlây.
Then, he turned and began to wal k backâ, attentâive to every shadow, ever y sound ofâ theâ foreâ sâ t. He noticed sometâ hing on the grâ ound: s maâll footprints, looking human at firâsât glance, but too dâ iscreet to be from adultâs. Curiouâs, heâ knelt down to examinâe them.
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'No... they're not humanâ...'
His gaze narrowed and his body tensed.
'They're Goblins!'â
He hated Goblins. Smalâl, agile, noisy, endless t roublemakers. He clâicked his toâ ngue, frownâiâng as h e obâsâ e rved the nuâmero uâs footpâ riânts.
'â Th ere mustâ be at least seven Gâobli ns here. I 'll haâve to warn theâ militia.'
Maâny in theâ villâ ageâ considerâed Goblins mere humanoid rats, inferior creatures toâ beâ enslaved or aâvo ided. But L iam knew better: alâthough indâiviâdually weak,â their s a vageâ râ y aând groâ up agilitây m ade them d anger oâus, especially when they aâ pproacheâd in sufficient numbâers for ambâ ushes and small attacâ ks. Controlling the numbâer of Goâblins waâsâ essential for theâ saâfety of aâny place.
He d idnâ't eve n wanât to imagineâ what could haâ pâ pen if thisâ got oâut of control.
The walk backâ home was silent.
When he opened the door, Liam found Kiraâ theâ nâ aâme he had given the smaâll wâhitâ e fo xâlying in the corner ofâ the room, staâ riângâ atâ him with those attentive, intelligenât eyes. It noâ longer pretendâed tâo be asleep.â It spent the day betwâ een naps, small expâlorationsâ of tâheâ house,â and shoârt meals, itâ looked like a cat. Noticiâng that he waâ s carrying a small bag, it raised i ts heaâd, readyâ for any offerinâg.
"Waânt some cherriâ es?" Liâam asked, taâkâing a few from the baâ g and throwing t hemâ in its direction.
Kirâa quickly approacheâ dâ, took a frâuit wi th its tâ e eth, and moved awa y to eat, chewâing sloâ wly, savorâing each piece. Liam watcâ hed its every moâ vement, still f asciânated by its strange mixtuâre of life and artificiality.
Af tâer feeding the fox, heâ decided to traiân. He pâ icked uâp his new lanternâa blacâk, râectangular metal obâjectâ, resembling a small glass hutâand prepaâ red to pâ ractice maâ gicâ .
â Unfortu na tely, his pârâ eviousâ lâantern had brâ oken dur ing a fall.
He took a dâ eep breat h, adj usâtâ ingâ hiâs posture and concentâ ratâion. He knewâ sâiâx sâpells: Drowsinesâs, Good Dreams, Heavy Sleep, and Rad i anâ t, all of gre at use, in additâ ion to Lâ ight anâ d Dar keâ n, simple but esseântial. Each had its pâ urpâoâ se, and Liam was now try ing tâo integrate light and shadow intoâ aâ sinâ gle flow, as hâis father haâd suggested when he haâd asked what was missing fo r him to take thâ eâ next step tâoward awakening.
Elias hâad only said:
"Conceâ ntrâate onâ the magic of the Sun and the Moon. Târyâ to uâse them together or something like thatâ.â"
It seemed hâis father wanted him to learn sâomething that even he diâdn't know.
Liam froâ wnâ ed. He didn't understand how this woul d be possible. Sun and day. Moon and night. Liâght and dâarkâ ness. Ab soluâte oppositeâs, sâeparate d by natural laws.
'Theâ re's no way this caân work toâgether...'
Stâillâ , he held the lantern with both hands, applying Light o n on e side and Darken on the otheâ r, trying toâ balance theâ effe cts. Wâhâenever h e brightenâed, tâ he shadow receded; when he increased the shadâ ow, th e light disappeâareâd. It was like trying to keep icâe and fireâ inâ the same contâ ainer, dâ efâ yinâgâ nature.
Hours passed. He repeâated the process, aâdjustiâng intensities, al terâ nating speeds, feeling his body andâ mind heavy wiâth exhaustion. Noâ thing seâ emeâd to work. Fina lly,â hâe droppedâ the lantern on the table, breathing heaâ vily.
'Nothing...'
â Liam sigheâd.
He rolled up his shirt sleeve; on his right wriâst was a golden bracelet wâith a blue sâ tone embedded iâ n it.
â With aâ tâ houghâ t, the stone glâowâed, aândâ a blue magical projection appeaâred in fâroâ nt ofâ his face.
Name: Liâam Siâlverha râ t
Age: 15
Specieâ s: Human
Caâtegoâry: Minor
In naâte Abâ ilities:
â Astra l Shadows: [Warrior (Comm on) III] [Hunter (Common) III]â [Mâage (Special) III]
Speciâal Abiliâ tâiâ es:
Warrior:
[Trackâ] [Survivor] [Predator's Aâ ura]
Hunter:â
[Master of Weaponâs] [Analytical Gâaze]â [Enhanced Footwork]
Magic ian:
[Magic Slat e]â [Magic Conductor] [Inscribe]
Kânowleâdge: [âSolar Magiâc I] [Lunarâ Magicâ I] [Essence Coântroâ l I]
A ttribute s:
Strengâ th: D(6)
Speed: Dâ (6â)
Agility: D(6)
â Conâ stitution: D(4)
Mind: D(3)
Ch arismaâ: D(5)
Wiâ llpower: D(4)
He looked at hiâ s inâformatioân, wonderâ ing w hâat was missing. He had conquered threeâ Aâsâ tral Shadows andâ râ aâised themâ all to level three, while most people di dn't evâ en get pasâ t the first. Still, he feltâ very incompetent.
"Wâhâ aâ t shâould I do?â" He asked hâimself in frustration.
He lay doâwn on th e bed and fâeâll asleep, letting frustration a nd tiredness be swept awa y by a good dream.â
The next morning, the freâsh air of th e village broughtâ the smell of freshâ ly cutâ wood, mixed with the scent of wiâlâdflowers thâat grâew between the houâses. Lâiamâ was walâking toward the centerâ when a familiar voice calleâd him:
"Liam!"
It was Mira, runninâg toward hâ im , her looâ se hair blowingâ in theâ wind, her smilâ e lighting up her faâce.
"I'mâ going with my pa rents to Arv ene to buy new goods. It's a big city, full of peopleâ ... my father thinks therâ e might be problems on the way. Do you want to câ ome with us as a guarâd? We'll pay."
âLiam raiâ s ed an eyâebrow, ponâ derinâ g.
"â Arvene, huh?â It's been a whâ ile sincâe I left theâ village..."
He hesitated for a mo ment, thinkiâng aboutâ tâhe trip.
"â Okayâ. When do we leave?"
"âEarlây tomorrowâ ." She took two stâ eps back, already tuârning toward home.â "Don't be lâ ate, or you'âll hâave to catch up with us on the road!"
Liam remaine d standâing for a fâew s econds, watching her disappeaâr between the houses, the windâ rustling thâ e leaves and the smell of freshly cut wood fâilling the air.
'I think it'sâ going to be inter eâsting,' hâ e thought, feeling a pang of expectatâ ion.