Fenris opened his eyes sluggishly. The first thing he saw upon waking was Serena's face, peacefully asleep beside him while she held him in an embrace. He sat up slowly, careful not to wake her. A dull pain coursed through his body, though he couldn't pinpoint its source. He tried to recall what had happened, but the last thing he remembered was losing consciousness while Eric was being attacked. Everything after that was a blur.
He stepped out of the tent to get some fresh air. Night had already fallen, wrapping the area in deep darkness. A few meters away, Eric was tending to the horses. Beside him, a completely destroyed wagon lay in ruins. Chuck, perched on Eric's shoulder, noticed Fenris's presence and scampered toward him, catching Eric's attention.
"Hey, I see you're awake," Eric said, watching as Fenris petted Chuck, who had climbed onto his head. "This might sound strange, but… who are you?"
Fenris looked at him, puzzled, unsure what he meant. He stayed silent.
"Sorry, I think I phrased that wrong. What I mean is… you're quite an unusual person."
"Why do you say that?" Fenris asked, frowning.
"You said earlier that you didn't know what a guardian was, but you definitely used magic. I know it's none of my business, but…" Eric paused, noticing the surprise in Fenris's eyes as if he didn't understand what Eric was talking about. "Are you okay?"
"Well… to be honest, I have no idea what you're talking about."
"What?" Eric frowned, clearly confused. He paused briefly, searching for the right words. "You defeated the bandits using fire magic. Do you not remember?"
Fenris stared at Eric, searching his expression for any sign of a joke. But all he saw was genuine concern.
"I… used magic?" Fenris murmured, his gaze shifting to the ruined wagon, which still bore traces of ashes from the attack. He looked down at his hands as if searching for evidence of what Eric was saying. "I'm sorry, I don't remember anything," Fenris finally admitted. "Actually, I don't remember anything about my past."
Eric nodded. He didn't feel that Fenris was lying, nor did he want to press him further, so he accepted his words without question. Standing from the stone he had been sitting on, Eric stretched.
"Well, it's getting late. You must be hungry." Fenris nodded, still confused by what he'd heard.
As Eric lit a fire to prepare dinner, Fenris returned to the tent to wake Serena, who was still sleeping soundly. The two joined Eric by the fire he had started. Nearby, several fish were skewered on sticks, slowly cooking. Fenris licked his lips, watching as the fish's skin turned golden and crispy. Once the food was ready, he grabbed one of the skewers and took a bite of the fish, only to burn his tongue on the heat. Serena and Eric laughed as he frantically blew on the fish.
After dinner, exhaustion overcame Fenris. Serena accompanied him back to the tent while Eric stayed on guard to prevent another attack. Inside the tent, Fenris lay on a soft blanket, feeling sleep begin to take hold of him. Serena tucked him in with a warm blanket before lying down beside him. Within minutes, both were sound asleep, surrounded by the tranquil stillness of the night.
The next morning, sunlight streaming through the tent's entrance dazzled Fenris. He stepped outside, still groggy, and spotted Eric in the distance.
"Good morning, Fenris," the young man greeted. "Go wake Serena. We'll head to the city for breakfast."
Fenris nodded with a smile. After waking Serena, the group set out on foot toward the city, as the wagon had been destroyed in the previous night's battle. They made a brief stop at a tavern for breakfast. While Fenris ate some toast, he noticed Eric seemed worried. Serena was the first to break the silence.
"Is something wrong, brother?" she asked softly. Eric looked up at her.
"No, it's nothing. It's just that we need to return to Elvandar today, and I'm not sure how we'll manage. The wagon is destroyed. We could repair it, but it wouldn't be ready in time for us to leave today."
Hearing this, Fenris felt a pang of guilt. After all, he was the one who had destroyed the wagon.
"I'm sorry," he muttered, nibbling on his toast. Serena couldn't help but feel sorry for him and began stroking his head to console him.
"Don't worry, Fenris. You did everything you could to help us."
"Exactly. If we're alive now, it's thanks to you," Eric added, smiling to reassure him. Although Fenris barely remembered how he had saved them, he nodded slightly.
"Why don't we just rent a wagon, then?" Serena suggested.
"Do you think I haven't tried that?" Eric replied. "I went this morning, but they're all rented out. They won't have one available until tomorrow."
"We could explain to the boss that we had some complications," Serena proposed. However, her suggestion didn't sit well with her brother, who slammed the table in frustration.
"Easy for you to say, but I'll bear the brunt of it if we arrive a day late," Eric said, running his hands through his hair, trying to think of a solution.
As the siblings argued, Fenris looked out the window, searching for something to distract himself. That's when he noticed a hooded young man with a wagon loading a few wooden crates.
"Hey, that guy over there has a wagon," Fenris said, pointing to the young man. Eric immediately got up and looked where Fenris was pointing. Without wasting any time, he left the tavern and approached the man. After speaking with him, Eric returned to the tavern, panting from the sprint.
"Good news: he said he can take us to Elvandar. It turns out that's his destination, too."
"Really?" Serena exclaimed, turning to Fenris. "What luck, huh, Fenris?" Fenris nodded, relieved they had found a solution, though Eric seemed the most relaxed of all.
After breakfast, Fenris and Serena headed to the wagon, where a couple was already seated. They greeted them as they climbed aboard. Eric arrived a few minutes later, carrying some bags. The driver looked at him impatiently.
"Took you long enough," the young man muttered.
"Sorry, it took longer than I expected," Eric apologized, handing a few silver coins to the driver, who pocketed them.
Once everything was loaded, the driver snapped the reins, and the wagon began to move along the city's cobblestones.