While the mercenaries ventured into the forest, there was a sense of tranquility in Hadon's house. Everyone had gathered for a quiet dinner, feeling the absence of Adonis, Arphaxad, Kal, and Set, who had departed some time ago. Despite this, the family tried to keep spirits lifted.
After dinner, they directed themselves to the living room to tell stories. Sahara, with a smile, asked Eron if he had any interesting stories from where he came from. Eron, however, gently refused, saying his stories were mundane. Draka, always lively, jumped in to share some stories from her childhood involving her mother and father. Draka's memories brought laughter and joy to the group, creating a moment of unity and fun.
However, Yorin stood up, reminding everyone that it was time for his patrol of the forest. Eron, who was increasingly intrigued by the chess game, asked Yorin to leave the watch to Nia, the protective puppy, so they could play another match. Yorin, in his gallant way, joked: "Do you need me this much? I feel flattered! Fear not, I will stay here and entertain you!"
Though Yorin's words caused strangeness, his behavior had always been unpredictable and charming. Sahara then helped the girls get ready for sleep while the others directed themselves to their rooms. Only Eron and Yorin remained in the living room, immersed in an intense chess dispute.
The night proceeded with the house of Hadon's usual calm, but an unease hovered in the air. The group did not know that in the forest's shadows, danger approached.
When all were sleeping, Eron and Yorin continued their chess game. During one move, Eron asked: "What would you do if you could foresee the future?".
Yorin was confused by the question but answered: "I don't know, maybe I'd use it to earn a lot of money and get out of this cursed country!".
Eron was silent for a few seconds before saying: "My grandfather had a book that talked about this, in it said that the flow of time was so complex and fluid that anyone who could access it would go insane".
Yorin just laughed: "You're trying to distract me, Eron. These tricks won't work on me! Haha".
Eron then smiled and concluded: "You're quite perceptive, Yorin. After losing 8 times in a row to you, I thought to use a different tactic!". The two laughed and continued the game.
In the early hours, in Draka and Ninea's room, while Draka had already dozed off, Ninea could not sleep. She seemed very confused and lost. Perhaps Set's presence had somewhat soothed her anxiety, but now that he was gone, she turned her thoughts to Kal. She thought she had to find him any way she could, as by that point he should have already returned. Many dark thoughts passed through the girl's mind and then, in the middle of the night, while Eron and Yorin still played, Ninea went out the window and wandered aimlessly in search of Kal.
Ninea, driven by anxiety and desire to find Kal, ventured into the forest without a clear plan. She felt she had to do something, she couldn't simply wait. The forest was dark and silent, but this did not deter her. Ninea walked quickly, trying to remember the path Kal had taken when he left.
Meanwhile, at Hadon's house, calm reigned. Eron and Yorin were deeply concentrated on their game, laughing and talking, without noticing Ninea's absence. The house was enveloped in an illusory peace, oblivious to the danger.
Outside Hadon's house, Ninea ventured into the darkness of the forest, determined to find Kal. The young woman was so absorbed in her thoughts and worries that she barely noticed the presence of Nia, the puppy that kept watch during hours when Yorin was not on duty. Nia tried to stop Ninea from proceeding, firmly biting the girl's pants, as if trying to force her to return.
But Nia seemed to sense something strange. Her guardian instincts were on alert. Still, Ninea, disturbed and confused, continued into the forest, ignoring the puppy's warnings. Nia, fearing Ninea would go alone into the forest, decided to accompany her. The small puppy was special and had the ability to sense the presence of evil spirits, and knew the forest was infested with them.
As they walked the dark trail, Ninea began to feel a slight chill. Every step she took seemed to sink into an oppressive silence, broken only by the soft sound of Nia's steps at her side. The moon, hidden by thick clouds, left only a dim light that barely illuminated the path. The shadows of the tall trees danced sinisterly around them.
"Nia, I know you're afraid, but I need to find Kal. He promised he would help me find my mother. I can't give up now," thought Ninea, stroking the puppy's head to try to calm her.
Nia let out a low whine, as if trying to communicate something important. Her eyes, usually full of liveliness, were now filled with concern. She knew the dangers lurking in the forest's darkness and felt the evil presence lurking nearby.
Determined, Ninea proceeded, with Nia by her side, ready to face anything that came in her way. The two moved cautiously, but with a sense of urgency, without realizing how far they were straying from the safety of Hadon's house and venturing into dangerous territory.
It was past two in the morning when Eron lost once again to Yorin. "What happened to you today? Did you manage to lose all ten matches we played?" Yorin asked jokingly.
"I must be tired today, that's all!" Eron responded with an awkward smile.
The two decided to return to their respective rooms and finally sleep. However, before he could lie down in bed, Yorin heard rapid knocking at the door.
"Yorin, open the door!" Aura shouted from the other side.
Yorin opened the door, still shocked. "We have intruders here. My magic detector picked up signs of magic, they're already around us!" Aura informed urgently.
"Damn it, how did this happen? Do you think Nia was killed?" Yorin worried.
"Don't say that! Nia is alive, she must have fallen asleep, just that!" Aura retorted, her eyes full of tears.
Immediately, Yorin and Aura woke everyone in the house and gathered them in the living room. Yorin explained the situation, emphasizing that if Aura's magic detectors had picked up intruders, hiding the house with Sahara's magic wouldn't be enough. The enemy had already seen the house and could return with many more men, making defense impossible.
Yorin suggested that everyone stay inside the house while he went out alone to fight. "I can't let anyone see me that way!" Yorin thought, remembering the strange yet good feeling he felt when he fought Kopa's men. He knew they saw him as a peaceful, funny young man, and he wanted to keep it that way.
At first, Markel volunteered to go with him, and Sahara also said she could fight. But Yorin insisted guarding was his responsibility. As the eldest there, he felt obliged to defend everyone.
"I need to protect you. This is my responsibility," Yorin asserted firmly.
Reluctantly, everyone calmed down and followed the plan. They hid in the secret place while Yorin, with a determined look, prepared to go out for battle.
Yorin took one last look at the faces of his friends and family who trusted him to protect them. "I will not let anyone hurt you," he promised himself before going through the door and heading into the forest's darkness, ready to face the invaders alone.
Inside Hadon's house's secret place, Draka suddenly cried out, missing Ninea. "Where is Ninea?" Her voice trembled with worry. Sahara immediately became alarmed, ready to go out and look for the little girl. However, before she could move, Markel stepped forward, saying he would go look for Ninea so Sahara could stay safe there. Besides looking for the girl, Markel wanted to keep Sahara away from any danger, and that motivated him even more to go out searching for Ninea.
Outside, Yorin went through the front door with his lute, playing a song that said: "I was born in war and she is my friend...". He then stopped in front of the house, facing the forest, and upon stopping playing, said out loud: "You know something, no one had ever come this far before. You were the first, and you know what? I think this was a gift from the gods to someone who was bored like me!"
Among the trees, Hwin appeared clapping slowly. "Very good. I imagined those magic detectors were working well!" said Hwin, holding Aura's magic detector in his hand. "Whoever created this here is a genius. I think this one I'll take as my personal servant! By the way, my name is Hwin" he completed with a bloodthirsty look.
When Hwin finished speaking, more than ten men came out from behind the trees. "I don't think it would be fair if it was just one against one!" said Yorin, placing his lute on the ground.
"Master Hwin, it was him that killed Uncle Kopa and his men!" said Dash. The young bandit had left before Set's arrival, and therefore thought it had been Yorin who defeated his uncle Kopa and his companions.
Hwin walked over to a rock and sat down. "Let's see if you're really that strong!" he said, asking for his most powerful man to step forward. "This is Jallid, my strongest warrior. Let's see how you fare against him!" A dark-skinned, bulky man holding a large axe took the front and positioned himself before Yorin.
"I was thinking you would all fight together, but it's alright, you won't defeat me this way!" said Yorin, watching attentively. He thought the man sitting on the rock was their leader and wondered why they didn't all fight together if they thought he had defeated the men before. Yorin remained alert, as it was clear this so-called Hwin was planning something.
Meanwhile, Markel walked quickly through the house, calling Ninea's name in a low voice not to attract unwanted attention. His heart was heavy, knowing he needed to find the girl before something bad happened. He couldn't allow Sahara to go out on a dangerous search, so he committed to bringing Ninea back safely, no matter the cost.
Yorin drew his daggers and got into position, feeling the urgency to end things quickly before anyone came out of the house and saw the situation. "I need to finish this quickly, before someone comes out and sees this. But I need to be wary of these guys, I don't think they'll play fair..." he thought. When Hwin gave the signal to begin, Jallid advanced rapidly, raising his large axe and swinging a powerful blow at Yorin. Agilely, Yorin avoided the blow, but the impact of the axe on the ground was tremendous, creating a shock wave that forced Yorin to jump aside.
"What absurd strength, I can't let a hit from this guy connect. Better stay alert!" thought Yorin, preparing again. He ran towards Jallid, who was still removing his axe from the ground, and with his dagger cut the giant warrior's legs. However, Jallid shook his legs towards Yorin, forcing him to back away. "This is going to be harder than I imagined," thought Yorin.
Before attacking again, Yorin looked quickly at Hwin and his men, who remained in the same place, watching with the same bloodthirsty look as before. It seemed they were certain of Jallid's victory.
While Yorin paid attention to Hwin and his men, a large shadow appeared behind him. When he looked, he saw it was Jallid gearing up for another blow. Yorin avoided again, but the impact from this blow was even stronger than the last, cracking the earth all the way to the house entrance and destroying the entire garden that Sahara cared for so lovingly. Markel, still searching for Ninea inside Hadon's house, stealthily approached the window and saw the garden being destroyed.
"What the hell is that idiot doing there? He should be in the secret place of the house..." thought Yorin. Suddenly, a powerful punch hit his guard, throwing him against Hadon's house door and destroying the entire entrance. Yorin felt dizzy from the force of the blow and, putting his hand to his nose, realized he was bleeding.
"Damn, I was careless. They're stronger than I thought, but I can't use my unique ability while that idiot Markel is around!" thought Yorin, getting up from the rubble. He knew he needed to change his strategy and quickly, or everyone would be in great danger.
Yorin got up, wiping the blood from his nose as he walked out of the house again. He approached Jallid and the other mercenaries, slapping his own face to recompose himself. Hwin's men were impressed to see Yorin withstand Jallid's full blow with just a nosebleed.
"Ah ah, right..." exclaimed Yorin. "That big guy really is very powerful. In fact, I also have some tricks up my sleeve that would surprise all of you, I'm sure!"
Hwin continued smiling, at ease with everything he was seeing. "I would very much like to give a demonstration for all of you, but you know what, if I use my unique ability here it will be very bad for everyone, including me. So I think it's better if we settle this another way. How about a strength test?" Yorin added.
Yorin's conversation piqued Hwin's interest. "What do you mean by that?" asked the leader of the mercenaries.
"It's simple, I withstood a powerful blow from your strongest man. I want to see if you guys can withstand a powerful blow as well!" said Yorin, smiling at Hwin.
Hwin then loudly guffawed. "Alright bard, let's see what you've got to show!"
Yorin went in front of Jallid and prepared to strike. Jallid looked at Hwin, who waved his hand for him to allow Yorin to hit him. Jallid then tore off his own shirt, indicating his chest as the target for Yorin's blow.
As he took the proper position, as the braggart he was, Yorin said a few more words. "You must be wondering how I withstood a powerful blow from a big guy like this. Because, after all, with the strength of that blow, a normal human would have at least all their bones broken. But want to know a big secret?" said Yorin, finishing his positioning and raising his arm.
The mercenaries and Hwin watched attentively, curious about what Yorin was about to do. Yorin, with a provocative smile on his face, before striking, said: "Just one last story before finishing!". Hwin, curious, just rolled his eyes in disapproval, but Yorin continued anyway.
"That garden back there was my sister's masterpiece, and if I got furious seeing it destroyed, I can tell you your chances aren't good." Yorin withdrew from the punching position and started walking to the side. "I withstood the blow because I grew up training with someone stronger!"
When Yorin said this, he moved aside, and everyone saw a figure emerge like a hungry lion to devour its prey. The quiet and peaceful Markel appeared, ready to strike Jallid's chest in Yorin's place. His tranquil face gave way to a look of hatred, catching them all by surprise.
The blow Markel delivered to Jallid's chest was so powerful that his innards came out through his back, flying over all the mercenaries except Hwin, causing the great mercenary to fall dead to the ground. "Ha, let me introduce you. This is Markel, and his unique ability is 'Superhuman Strength!'" concluded Yorin with a smile on his face, while everyone else was shocked.