Avi stood there, staring at the girl who, just moments earlier, he had thrown the blunt spear at. His breath quickened, eyes narrowing as he tried to understand the tiny figure now cradling her aching forehead. Her thin frame shivered with each ragged breath, a trembling mess of tangled brown hair and dirt-smudged skin. The tear tracks across her face made his chest tighten, and he bit his lip, struggling to suppress the soft pang of guilt.
"Hey, kid..." Avi murmured, the edges of his voice rough from exhaustion and worry. He pulled a crumpled apple from his inventory, its bright red skin gleaming in the dim light. The fruit's sweet aroma made his stomach growl in response, but he ignored it, focusing instead on the girl.
The child's eyes widened, a hint of hunger flashing in their depths as she glanced between Avi and the apple in his hand. The silence stretched, and she hesitated, a tremor in her thin frame betraying her fear. Avi's heart ached as he watched the caution in her gaze, the way her little fingers clutched her forehead like it would shield her from harm.
Feeling a soft, unbearable sting in his chest, he bit into the apple, the crunch echoing in the quiet space between them. Taking a breath, he pulled out a plate from his inventory, setting it down carefully in front of the girl before stepping back. "Look, it's safe to eat," he said, his voice softer now, the rough edge replaced by a gentle tone.
A flicker of hope sparked in her eyes as her gaze dropped to the apple, the saliva gathering at the corners of her mouth betraying her desperation. It didn't take long before her small hands reached out, fingers trembling as she grabbed the fruit. She devoured it with a ferocity that made Avi's eyes widen. The sharp, unsettling sound of a ravenous child echoed in the small clearing.
Once she finished, her big, round eyes met his, brimming with unshed tears. She opened her mouth to speak, but only a torrent of unfamiliar syllables came out—words that sounded like a broken song, filled with fear and exhaustion.
"Lyran e'vay il'na? Lyran... e'vay il'na?"
Avi blinked, momentarily lost. The strange cadence of her voice seemed to echo in the air, weaving together flowing, melodic sounds with a faint tremble of desperation. Before he could react, a light flashed before his eyes, an unexpected notification appearing in the air like a hologram:
[Activate Universal Translator for - 150 SP?]
Avi's brows drew together. "Yeah," he muttered under his breath, confirming the prompt. A pulse of warmth spread through him, and the sounds that had been foreign began to make sense, filling his ears like a muted stream of music.
"Am I going to die now?" The girl's voice cracked, full of hopelessness as she glanced up at him, wide-eyed and terrified, as if she'd already prepared for the worst. Avi's jaw tightened, the storm within him almost breaking free. The sight of her fragile, hollowed face, the same features that reminded him so much of his sister Avisya, fueled a simmering rage. No child, no matter where they were, should ever know the idea of dying alone in the woods. The thought alone ignited a fire in his chest.
He took a breath and steadied himself, fighting the anger back with a wry, bitter smile. "Showing her my 'demon face' will only make things worse," he muttered to himself, the sarcasm lacing his tone, a thin shield to keep him calm.
Lowering himself to one knee, he met her eyes at her level, letting the moment settle between them. "No one is going to kill you while I'm here, little miss. I'm Avi. What's your name, and why is a cute kid like you out here?" His attempt at a reassuring grin barely masked the frustration simmering behind it.
The girl looked at him, eyes flickering with a mix of fear and cautious hope. She swallowed hard and raised a small hand to her chest. "Me," she said, voice fragile. Then she pointed at her dark brown hair, which glistened slightly in the muted sunlight. "Eleanor. Village people don't want Eleanor because of hair." Her expression shifted to sorrow, a tinge of anger lurking beneath her thin, starved features. "Village people said Eleanor is cursed, so they threw rocks at Eleanor."
Avi's eyes widened with shock. He bit down on a curse, fists clenching at the helpless cruelty that had brought this girl to such depths. The surge of rage twisted in his gut, but he fought it back. "I really am a sis-con," he thought wryly, a touch of self-awareness breaking through the storm in his mind.
Even as a part of him warned of the danger of taking her with him—of the risks, of being vulnerable in a forest full of monsters and traps—he knew he couldn't leave her behind. The system's endless interruptions, the constant dangers that haunted every step, wouldn't keep him from protecting this child. Not when she reminded him so much of Avisya, not when she needed him.
"Come with me, Eleanor," he said, offering a hand. His voice softened, the edge of humor still present but layered with sincerity. "Big bro Avi will take care of you. No one will ever throw rocks or tell you that you're cursed when I'm around."
A shiver of something—hope, perhaps—crossed her features. The frightened glint in her eyes began to ease, replaced with a hesitant smile. "Eleanor has a big bro?" The question was small, and yet it held the weight of everything she had longed to hear.
"Yeah, I am Ellie's big brother! Can Big Bro Avi call you Ellie?" His grin widened, more genuine now, as he caught the faint spark of joy flickering in her eyes.
"Me is Ellie from now on, big bro!" Her voice was bright, almost a shout, and for the first time, Avi saw her face light up.
The moment of fragile happiness was cut short when Eleanor's eyes shifted nervously, and she tugged at his sleeve, her tiny hand shaking. "Big bro, we need to go. Ellie show you now." She bolted into the trees before Avi could question her, her feet barely making a sound on the forest floor.
He hesitated for a moment, the gnawing doubt creeping in. Was this a trap? But as he took off after her, adrenaline fueling his movements, he knew he couldn't let her go alone. She was leading him somewhere, and if there was even a chance that it was important, he would follow.
Eleanor babbled along the way, talking faster now that the dread in her eyes had been replaced by something like excitement. "I like big bro's hair! It's like Ellie's! Big bro is strong but scary, Ellie don't like scary big bro."
Avi chuckled, the sound strange in the forest, but it helped ease the tension. "Don't worry, Ellie. Big bro will always be strong for you, and I'll work on not being scary."
After a long, winding path through the trees, they emerged into a small clearing where an old, worn-down cabin stood, leaning and broken from years of neglect. Ivy crept up its wooden walls, and a patch of the roof threatened to cave in at any moment.
Eleanor's eyes shone with a mix of fear and hope as she jumped in front of the old, battered cabin, pointing at it with a small, shaking hand. "Ellie lives here, Big bro!" The excitement that sparked in her voice was fleeting, disappearing as quickly as it came. Her eyes darted to the wooden door, her expression shadowed by an unspoken memory. "But a big monster is inside now, Ellie can't enter, scared."
Avi's chest tightened as he took in the sight of her, the way her small form seemed to shrink under the weight of her fear. It was a look he knew too well, a haunted look that made him ache with the knowledge that no child should carry such burdens. His voice softened, a reassuring smile tugging at his lips. "Don't worry, Ellie. Big bro will handle the scary monster. Hide somewhere safe for me, okay?"
Ellie nodded, eyes glistening with an emotion he couldn't name. She scurried behind the wide trunk of a nearby tree, leaving Avi to face the unknown. His hand moved to the Shadowfangs strapped at his waist, fingers curling around the weapon handles as he stepped forward, each stride purposeful and steady. The old cabin creaked under the weight of the wind, its warped boards whispering as if trying to dissuade him from stepping inside.
Avi's pulse quickened as he reached the door. His fingers brushed against the splintered wood, pushing it open slowly. The air inside hit him, musty and cold, carrying the scent of damp earth and blood. Squinting into the gloom, he scanned the room, eyes darting from corner to corner, searching for signs of movement. The silence that met him felt dense, pressing down like a weight.
Then he saw it: a figure sprawled across the floor, facedown, unmoving. The dark, bloodied fabric of their cloak clung to the body, soaked and sticky where it touched the rough wooden boards. For a heartbeat, his breath caught in his throat. The figure looked human, but the sharp angles of the silhouette suggested otherwise. He took a cautious step forward, eyes narrowing as he tried to make sense of the scene before him.
Avi's gaze dropped to the floor, where the blood seemed to pool, dark and sluggish. His eyes followed the path of crimson staining the floorboards and came to rest on the weapon lying nearby. It was a weapon that gleamed darkly in the thin light, its shape unmistakable:
an axe hammer.