Under the light of dawn, the bandits cautiously moved through the forest, following the trail left by the horses. They had seen Adonis and Arphaxad leaving the forest and were curious about the unusual activity in a supposedly uninhabited area. Using the marks left by the horseshoes, they tracked the path deeper and deeper into the forest.
At Hadon's house, the daily routine began. Everyone felt the absence of Adonis, Arphaxad and Kal. Yorin, with his jovial nature, tried to lift spirits, making jokes and trying to bring smiles to faces. The absence of their friends was real, but Yorin's efforts helped alleviate some of the tension.
Set, aware of his imminent departure for the capital for the approaching war, perceived the heavy atmosphere. He wanted to leave knowing he had done his best to lift everyone's spirit. Moving through the house, he spoke to each person, offering words of encouragement and support. He knew maintaining morale was crucial, especially when he could not guarantee his return.
Outside, Draka and Ninea sat together, their gazes fixed on the forest. Draka's thoughts were full of concern for Kal, while Ninea, with her silent determination, kept a silent vigil. Set approached them, sensing their restlessness.
"You two seem lost in thought," Set said gently, breaking the silence.
Draka looked up, a slight smile forming. "We're just waiting for Kal. He promised to help me find my mother."
Set nodded, his expression understanding. "Kal is strong. He will return. Meanwhile, let us do our best here. We all have roles to play and we will support each other."
Ninea nodded silently, her eyes never leaving the forest's edge. Set placed a comforting hand on Draka's shoulder before going back inside, hoping his words brought some comfort.
As the day progressed, the climate in the house slowly improved. Tasks were completed and conversations flowed more naturally. However, beneath the surface, everyone felt the weight of the uncertainty hanging over them, knowing the bonds they shared would help them face any challenges that arose.
Late in the afternoon of that day, as Markel and Sahara prepared dinner, Set was sitting in a wooden chair watching the sunset enjoying a teacup of flowers that Sahara grew in the garden, when Draka approached him.
"Brother Set, may I sit by your side?" asked the girl.
Set just smiled and nodded as he took a puff from an ornate pipe. After a few minutes sitting in silence, Set asks: "What is troubling you, child?".
Draka, wanting to change the subject, said: "I'm just missing Kal, that's all!".
"I'm 32 years old, not that old but not so young anymore, and I recognize a heavy heart when I see one. I know you miss Kal, but I also know it's not just that. What truly afflicts you, child?" asked Set, conveying an air of tranquility and kindness. The aura of peace that Set emitted touched Draka's heart and she felt she could trust him.
"It's just that my mother was taken by the golden-eyed soldiers a few months ago. Kal said he would help me find her".
Set, realizing the girl's heart was full of anxiety and fear, touched her head and smiling said: "Do not afflict yourself before your time, Draka. Not even the wisest can say what will come to pass in the future".
Draka, with tear-filled eyes, then asks: "So what should I do? I don't know if my mother is alive or dead, I don't know where she is, I don't know what I should do".
Set, still caressing Draka's head, responds: "Most men are controlled by fate and die in uncertainty and doubt, but those who control their own fate are capable of the greatest feats. Do you want to rescue your mother? Pay attention to what you can do and forget what is beyond your strength!"
Draka then asks: "So what should I do?".
Set, this time removing his hand from Draka's head, says: "Fate bends before those who have the power to bend it. Do you have the power to bend fate, Draka?".
The girl then closes her eyes and says: "No!".
Set then smiles and standing up to leave completes: "Then seek that power!".
Before Set could leave, Draka continues: "But I'm not like Kal, like Adonis or like you. I can't!".
Set, walking toward the door, concludes: "A hero is not a hero for having golden eyes or silver hair. Think on that!".
That night, Yorin was doing his daily patrol of the forest. The bandits, seeing a young man with silver hair walking carefree among the trees, decided to follow him. For hours, they tracked Yorin, carefully hiding in the shadows.
Finally, they arrived at a clearing. Moonlight filtered through the leaves of the trees, illuminating Yorin's silver hair, making it shine with a pale silvery light. Yorin, sensing their presence, turned in the direction of the trees and said in a calm tone: "You can come out, I noticed your presence!"
The men came out from behind the trees and walked toward the clearing where Yorin was. "Hmm, seems we have quite the tracker here, he sensed our presence even using stealth ability, impressive," said the leader of the bandits.
Yorin then drew his daggers, spinning them between his fingers with a sadistic smile on his face. "You know, Hadon's first rule was to flee immediately to the house when tracking someone in this forest so that Sahara could use her ability, but sometimes I pretend not to notice some of you so you can follow me. After all, I also deserve some fun, don't you think?"
The ghostly and ethereal image of Yorin, illuminated by the moonlight, frightened the bandits. However, their leader Kopa remained steadfast, continuing to smile. "Nice show. Let me introduce myself as well, I am Kopa, right hand of Hwin, and your little show won't frighten me!"
Meanwhile, at Hadon's house, everyone was waiting for Yorin to finish his patrol so they could have dinner. Set, however, felt something was wrong. Acting in a way not to raise suspicions, he walked outside and breathed deeply. Quickly, he sensed the smell of blood in the air.
In the clearing, the tension was increasing. The bandits were on high alert, watching every move Yorin made. Kopa, the leader, advanced a few steps, keeping a confident smile on his face. Yorin, with his daggers in hand, seemed relaxed, but his eyes shone with a threatening intensity.
"So, Kopa, is it? Let's see if you're as tough as you look," said Yorin, spinning his daggers once more.
Kopa just laughed. "Let's see who will have more fun," he replied, signaling for his men to attack.
The bandits advanced quickly, but Yorin, with impressive agility, dodged the first attacks. His daggers cut through the air with lethal precision, and within a few seconds, two of the bandits were already on the ground, gravely injured.
Meanwhile, at Hadon's house, the mood was expectant. Everyone was waiting for Yorin to finish his patrol to start dinner. Set, sitting at the table, couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. He rose discreetly and left the house, inhaling deeply the cold night air.
Suddenly, he caught a faint smell of blood in the air. Set's expression changed immediately. He knew something was happening in the forest. And with the tranquility that was customary to him, he walked in the direction of the smell of blood.
At the moment Yorin was facing the bandits, he was able to deal with some of them, but Kopa, the leader of the bandits, was stronger than Yorin imagined. During the battle, Yorin was managing to dodge the blows, but Kopa and his men fought dirty, throwing dirt in Yorin's eyes and using poisoned weapons. Eventually, they managed to injure Yorin, angering him.
Yorin turned to the men and said: "I honestly hate using this unique ability of mine, but you really got me riled up...". Holding his daggers, he opened his arms and began concentrating his mana around his neck, ready to use his unique ability. However, before he could use it, he saw two red eyes slowly coming through the trees. The smile left Yorin's face, replaced by a fearful expression. He then stopped and put away his daggers.
The bandits, noticing Yorin's changed behavior, looked in the direction he was looking and also saw the red eyes. Emerging from the middle of the trees, Set walked over tranquilly with his hands behind his back. "Yorin, return home promptly," said Set with a voice that emitted peace.
"But, uncle!" tried to retort Yorin.
"Yorin, I will not repeat myself!" concluded Set firmly.
Presenting a reaction of terror, Yorin simply turned and ran back to Hadon's house, leaving Set to deal with the bandits.
Yorin, still tense after the confrontation, thought to himself: "Dammit, I should have finished quicker. Now I feel sorry for those outlaws." He quickened his pace, knowing Set would take care of the rest.
Back at the clearing, the bandits quickly recognized Set. Kopa, confused, asked: "Aren't you the commander of the duchy's armies? What are you doing in this backwater? Don't tell me you came to get some slaves as well?". Set, serene, calmly responded: "And you would be?".
Kopa, omitting his connection to Hwin, said his name: "I am Kopa".
The bandits advanced on Set with intent to kill him. In the blink of an eye, Set was behind them. "I would like to apologize to you," he said, causing confusion in Kopa. "Apologize for what?" asked Kopa. "For two things: the first is for leaving you alone...", Kopa looked around and saw his companions dead on the ground. "And the second is for not being able to invite you for a cup of flower tea...".
Kopa, impressed and frightened, asked: "But when?". Set, with the same calm, threw the question back: "When did I kill them?". He approached Kopa: "Let me say one thing... I am a renowned commander, decorated by the Grand Duke himself, but in truth, I am a great liar...". Kopa, even more confused, heard Set continue: "I am a liar because my name is not Set, besides Hadon, no one knows my true name, not even my brothers...".
Set continued walking toward Kopa, keeping his gaze tranquil and serene: "But you are a lucky man, for I will tell you my true name...". Kopa took a step back, but realized his legs would not obey him. "My true name is Seglathad".
Kopa knew little of the ancient language, but enough to understand the meaning of the name. In his mind, as his eyes remained fixed on Set's threatening presence, he saw that the serene demeanor had transformed. Set's eyes shone with a scarlet red, and the serene smile gave way to a demonic smile. Kopa only felt his head being removed from his body as he thought: "Scarlet-eyed demon, what a cool name."
Before leaving, Set said "Porar velah" which in the ancient language meant "Come spiritual animals". And a silvery mist arose from all corners of the clearing and transformed into hungry-looking wolves. "They're all yours," said Set, returning to Hadon's house.
Arphaxad and Adonis continued their journey, riding their horses and following the road toward the capital Zoarlath. The trip would be long, and as they passed through the villages, the reality of the Duchy of Saladon became ever more evident.
Along the way, they encountered several villages where poverty and disease were predominant. The houses were simple and in poor condition, with thatched roofs and worn wooden walls. Barefoot children ran through the dirt streets, their faces marked by hunger and misery. The adults, many of them sick, worked tirelessly in the fields, trying to extract the bare minimum sustenance possible from the infertile land.
"Look at this, Adonis," said Arphaxad as they passed through one of these villages. "These people are suffering."
Adonis nodded with a serious demeanor. "Yes, the Duchy of Saladon has always been a difficult place for the poor. Wealth is concentrated in the hands of few, and the Grand Duke does little to change that."
In one of the villages, they stopped to rest and offered some food and water to the people they encountered. Arphaxad noticed that many were visibly dehydrated and malnourished. An elderly woman, her face marked by wrinkles and pain, thanked them with tears in her eyes. "May the gods bless you, sirs. We have so little here."
"It's terrible to see these conditions," commented Arphaxad as they returned to their horses. "How do people manage to survive like this?"
"With great difficulty," responded Adonis. "And many don't manage. There is a huge disparity between rich and poor here, and resources are not well distributed. This is why our work at Hadon's house is so important, even if it seems small in the face of so much need."
As their journey continued, the landscape showed more signs of devastation. Dry, abandoned fields, skinny sick animals, and people with shadowed, desperate faces. Arphaxad felt increasingly uncomfortable with what he saw, a reality very different from the relatively protected life he led at Hadon's house.
Finally, as they approached Zoarlath, the change was evident. The capital, while still having impoverished areas, was much more prosperous and developed. Large stone buildings, busy markets and paved streets showed the stark contrast between life in the capital and in the villages of the duchy's interior.
"We're almost there," said Adonis, pointing to Zoarlath's imposing walls. "Let's conclude our business and return as quickly as possible. There is much work to be done."
Arphaxad agreed but could not get the images of misery and suffering they had witnessed along the way out of his head. The journey to Zoarlath was a revealing experience, showing him the harsh reality of many people in the Duchy of Saladon.