Before he knew what was going on Jarek found himself running. He passed by his friends and hurried onward, toward his house where his mom and sisters surely were. As he passed the center of the village, his eyes were drawn to large bloodstains on the ground which was being cleaned up by an elderly man. At the sight his heart clenched, but when he looked around all he saw was the body of one of the men that had invaded earlier laid to the side, with a gruesome wound on his neck.
'Your mom is safe,' he comforted himself. 'And so are your sisters. You just have to get home and you'll see them, completely fine.'
He hurried past the corpse, ignoring the part of him that tried to be logical. If someone was dead, there must have been a fight, and if those armed men had fought, then there must be casualties on the villagers side too.
Jarek approached his house, heart pounding, and dread clawing at him. He pushed the door open slowly and was met with a horrifying sight. The furniture lay in disarray, personal belongings strewn across the floor, as though a storm had ravaged his home. He couldn't help but notice the room's eerie silence. There were no intruders, just the aftermath of a relentless search.
Tears welled in his eyes as he pieced together the grim reality. The villagers' guilty looks, the ominous bloodstains too vast to belong to a single victim, and the empty house—every sign pointed to the same horrifying conclusion.
Despite the lump in his throat, he blinked back the tears and stepped out of the house. He couldn't afford to accept the truth until he found his sisters and mother. As he emerged from the wreckage, he came face to face with Willem and Rowena.
Their expressions were evasive, eyes avoiding his gaze. His voice quivered as he asked, "Where's my family?"
"Your sisters are with Mrs. Tamsy," Willem replied, dodging the crucial detail.
"And my mother?"
Silence hung heavy in the air. Rowena finally spoke in a hushed tone, "She... they... they killed her."
Jarek stood still, the words sinking in, but he felt strangely numb. "Take me to my sisters."
Willem hesitated, trying to say something, but the words eluded him. "Follow me."
In somber silence, they headed towards Mrs. Tamsy's house. The villagers avoided their gaze, and Jarek didn't spare them a second glance. The path to their destination was filled with unspoken tension. Even before they reached the doorstep, he could hear Mrs. Tamsy arguing with her husband, their voices a backdrop to his unfathomable grief. He knocked on the door.
A second later, Mrs. Tamsy yanked the door open, her face flushed with anger. As her eyes landed on Jarek, her expression shifted from anger to an enigmatic mixture of emotions, before finally settling on sadness. "Come in, Jah," she said, holding the door wide open.
Jarek entered the house, noticing Mrs. Tamsy's husband, who barely spared him a glance before exiting the room. Mrs. Tamsy led him to one of the bedrooms but stopped him just before he could enter.
"Listen, Jah," she began, her voice weighted with concern. "Your sisters died earlier today, but somehow, they're still alive. I think they might have been possessed by something. Be careful."
Jarek nodded, absorbing the shock of her words, and then he entered the room. The space was dimly lit, with the window shutters drawn, and it contained little besides two mats on the floor. An unlit lantern sat near the door, ready to be lit when night fell.
Lying on the mats were his two sisters, their pallor and dark circles under their eyes evident even in the dim light. They seemed to be in a deep sleep.
Jarek settled on the floor between their mats and closed his eyes, waiting. In the silence of the dark room, he soon drifted into slumber.
At some point in the night, a noise stirred him awake. Blinking in the near pitch-black room, he turned his attention to Alicia, who was on the mat beside him.
"Jah?" her teary voice called out.
"I'm here," he reassured her. "How are you? Are you hurt?"
"No," Alicia replied, her voice filled with an odd mixture of relief and gratitude. "He healed us."
Confusion washed over Jarek. "Who?"
"Reynard. We would have died without him."
Alicia then recounted what had happened, and at the end, she asked with hope in her voice, "Mom—did he also heal her?"
"No."
Alicia's heart-wrenching sob pierced the darkness. Without words, Jarek pulled her close and gently patted her head, offering what little comfort he could in their shared grief. There, in the shadowy room, they both wept silently.
The following days were a relentless torrent of sorrow for Jarek and his sisters. Their mother's passing had left an irreplaceable void in their souls, and the girls miraculous recovery from near-fatal wounds had fueled suspicion among some villagers who branded them as devils.
Jarek, however, fought to keep his mind empty, focusing solely on immediate tasks: arranging a proper burial for his mother, tending to his sisters, and restoring their damaged home. He had no room for anything else, not even for his own tears.
During moments of respite, thoughts threatened to invade his mind. He pondered the true identity of Reynard, the mysterious savior who had breathed life back into his sisters before vanishing into obscurity. He wondered about the book's contents and the secrecy shrouding it, a secrecy so great that it had led to unspeakable violence. But each time these thoughts emerged, he suppressed them, leaving his mind barren of reflection.
The villagers, too, were not idle. They feared the return of the ruthless men who had invaded their lives. With Jarek back in the village, if the invaders returned to the city and discovered his absence, wouldn't they come back? In response, the villagers organized a group of scouts, ready to raise the alarm at the slightest sign of impending danger.
A few days later, Master Osric arrived. Learning of the tragedy that had befallen Jarek and his sisters, he offered to take them back to the city with him, promising protection. Jarek accepted the offer, harboring no fondness for the village. They had remained silent when Tamsy's husband had callously offered his sisters to the marauders, and Jarek had grown to resent them, though not enough to take any action.
The night before he left with Master Osric, Jarek stepped outside and fixed his gaze upon the moon. For the first time since his mother's death, he allowed himself to mourn, his tears blending with the moonlight as a symbol of his grief and the unknown future that lay ahead.
"Hello, child," a deep voice suddenly interrupted Jarek.
Startled, he jumped back, wondering how someone had managed to approach him without his knowledge. Before him stood a wise-looking, middle-aged man with pure white hair. He was dressed in a regal white robe adorned with gold, glowing with an ethereal light. Standing tall, hands behind his back, he smiled gently at Jarek, radiating a sense of pure power.
"Sorry to disturb you, child," the man said in a soothing tone. "It's just that I noticed the aura of a friend on you. Do you know a man called the Observer?"
Jarek shook his head. Strangely, his fear had evaporated. The man in front of him seemed deserving of complete trust, and so he held nothing back.
After hearing Jarek's response, the man frowned and tilted his head, his eyes losing focus for a few seconds. Then he returned to himself and smiled at Jarek. "I apologize; I believe his name is Reynard. Do you know him?"
Jarek nodded, and the man's smile broadened. "Tell me everything about him."
Jarek recounted all he knew. As he did so, time seemed to blur and before he knew it, he was back in his bed at home, morning light streaming through the window.
Later that day, as Jarek prepared to depart with Master Osric, Esme appeared and pulled him aside, away from prying eyes. He wondered what was wrong until she handed him a sealed letter.
"Master Reynard said I should give this to you."
Jarek's gaze sharpened. "When did he give this to you?"
"When he healed me."
"Why are you giving it to me now?"
"He said to give it to you in four days."
Without further ado, Jarek accepted the letter and broke the seal. Inside was a straightforward message:
"Hey, Jarek. I'm deeply sorry for what happened to your family. I tried to keep you all out of it but failed, and realized it too late.
Your sisters will be safe. I've left them a gift that will ensure their protection. However, Jarek, you are in danger, and I believe you know it. Master Osric cannot provide you with true protection.
Your future is yours to shape, but if you ever decide to seek vengeance for your family and ensure your safety, when you reach the city, look for a man named Faris. He's a friend of mine and will wholeheartedly assist you.
Signed, Reynard."
Jarek read the note several times before folding it and placing it in his pocket. Though brief, Reynard's words ignited a fire within him. He was determined to uncover who had sent those men to harm his family and make sure they paid dearly. He would make sure they never bothered him or his family again. He would safeguard his sisters at all costs.
He glanced at Esme and managed a smile. "Come on, let's go."