Lucas stirred awake, blinking groggily as he tried to make sense of the dim light filtering into the room. At first, he assumed he had only napped for a short while, but something felt off. The silence was heavier, and the light outside was dimmer than he remembered.
"Wait... how long did I sleep?" he muttered, rubbing his eyes.
Panic crept into his thoughts as he recalled lying down when the sun was still high in the sky.
'I swear it was noon when I got back... Did I sleep through the entire afternoon?'
Sebastian's chuckle interrupted his spiraling thoughts. "You must be feeling disoriented, Lucas. That's to be expected."
Lucas turned his head toward the older man, who stood by the door with a calm smile.
"You see," Sebastian continued, "the porridge I gave you had a special ingredient to speed up your recovery. It's no surprise you slept as long as you did."
Lucas stared at him, dumbfounded. "That... explains a lot. No wonder I feel so refreshed now."
Sebastian nodded. "Good. You needed it. And now that you're up, I've already prepared breakfast for you—it's waiting on the table. You should eat before it gets cold."
Lucas glanced toward the modest table in the adjoining room, where a simple meal was neatly laid out. "Thanks, Dr. Sebastian. You didn't have to go to all that trouble."
Sebastian waved off the comment with a hearty laugh. "Nonsense! You're my guest. Besides, I have some errands to run. I'll be out for a while gathering herbs to sell in town. If I don't keep busy, we'll run out of food sooner or later."
Lucas raised an eyebrow. "Herbs? But I thought you were a doctor. Do you... not practice anymore?"
Sebastian stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Let's just say I've taken a step back from that life. I still help when I can, but these old bones prefer the quieter rhythm of herb gathering these days."
'He really is old,' Lucas thought, though he kept the observation to himself.
Sebastian headed toward the door, pausing with his hand on the frame. "Oh, Lucas. If you don't have anywhere else to go, you're welcome to stay here as long as you like. I wouldn't mind the company—and I could certainly use the help."
Lucas blinked, momentarily stunned. "Wait, you'd really let me stay here?"
Sebastian smiled warmly. "Of course. What good is an empty house, anyway? You're no trouble at all, lad."
Lucas's chest swelled with gratitude. He opened his mouth to respond, but before he could express his thanks, Sebastian was already stepping outside, his sturdy boots crunching against the ground.
"See you later, Lucas!" Sebastian called back, waving briefly before disappearing down the path.
Lucas stood by the door, staring after him. 'Is he in a hurry or something?'
Shaking his head, Lucas turned back toward the house. For the first time, he took a good look around the space. The wooden beams overhead were aged, their surfaces darkened with time. The walls bore faint marks from years of wear, and the floor creaked slightly underfoot. The house was neither too small nor overly large, but it exuded an undeniable sense of history.
'How old is this place?' he wondered, running his fingers along the uneven texture of a nearby windowsill.
The more he looked, the more the house reminded him of something out of a fantasy story. 'It's like the kind of house a witch might live in.'
Lucas's thoughts wandered. 'Sebastian must have lived here for a long time... or maybe it belonged to someone else before him. I've heard that elves live for centuries. That could explain it.'
As the quiet settled around him, Lucas let out a soft sigh and moved toward the table. For now, all he could do was eat and prepare for whatever came next.