Over the next few days, Calen's life felt different. He wasn't sure if it was the words of the woman in the woods, or just the weight of the world pressing down on him, but he couldn't ignore the changes happening inside him. His body felt more alive, like a spark had been lit within him. It wasn't a feeling he could control, but it was there, growing stronger each day.
His routine remained the same, helping his father with the farm and assisting his mother in her healing work. But now, as he worked, he couldn't stop thinking about the woman's words: You have a role to play.
One afternoon, as he was mending a fence near the edge of the village, a group of strangers approached. They were travelers, worn and tired, their clothes tattered from days of travel. They didn't look like the usual traders or wanderers who passed through Thalewood. There was something different about them—something urgent.
The leader of the group, a tall man with a scar running down his cheek, stepped forward. "We need shelter," he said, his voice rough. "We're being hunted."
Calen's heart skipped a beat. "Hunted?"
The man nodded. "By soldiers. From the empire."
Calen felt a chill run down his spine. The empire? Thalewood had always been far from the reach of the empire, but that didn't mean they were safe. In recent years, rumors had spread of the empire's growing power, its desire to conquer the lands beyond its borders. And now, it seemed, the war was creeping closer to Thalewood.
Without thinking, Calen nodded. "You can stay here, for now. I'll tell my parents."
The travelers thanked him, and Calen led them to his home. His mother and father greeted them with suspicion but welcomed them nonetheless, as they always did for those in need. The group settled in the small cottage, sharing their stories of escape and survival.
As the evening wore on, Calen couldn't help but feel that this was the beginning of something larger. These strangers—these survivors—were part of something bigger than him, bigger than Thalewood. And somehow, he knew that their arrival wasn't a coincidence. The woman's words echoed in his mind: Things are about to change.
He wasn't sure how, but Calen knew his role was just beginning. And as the firelight flickered in the hearth, he realized something: The village, his village, was no longer just a quiet haven. The world outside had found them, and it was only a matter of time before everything would be different.