Kael'tar limped his way back to the village, every step a reminder of his pathetic defeat.
His lips twisted into a snarl as he muttered curses under his breath.
"That overgrown lizard! That smug, scaly bastard! I'll rip his tongue out and use it as a belt! I'll—"
He kicked a loose rock, watching as it tumbled into the darkness ahead. His anger flared anew. "Damn lizard! May you trip on your own claws and choke on your self-importance!"
Just as the words left his mouth, the ground beneath him shifted. His foot failed to find solid earth, and Kael'tar's heart sank—literally.
"What the—!"
He plummeted, arms flailing, the wind rushing past him as the world turned upside down.
He landed with a painful thud, his body bouncing off the rocky ground. For a moment, there was only silence and the distant sound of leaves rustling above him.
Kael'tar groaned, sprawled out like a crushed bug. "What goddamn luck…" he muttered before blacking out.
Two days later, Kael'tar opened his eyes to the sight of a low wooden ceiling.
The smell of herbs filled his nostrils, and his entire body felt like it had been trampled by a herd of oxen.
"You're awake," came a gruff voice.
Kael'tar turned his head to see the village doctor sitting by his side, inspecting a bundle of dried roots.
The older man leaned forward, his sharp eyes scrutinizing him.
"The village hunter found you two days ago, lying on the ground near the forest's edge," the doctor said. "Bruised, battered, and unconscious. Care to explain what you were doing out there?"
Kael'tar winced as he tried to sit up, only to be pushed back down by the doctor's firm hand. "Didn't the villagers warn you not to wander into the forest at night?"
Kael'tar sighed, his pride taking yet another hit. "I… fell from a cliff."
The doctor froze, his brow furrowing. "A cliff?"
"Yes, a cliff," Kael'tar said, glaring as if daring the doctor to question him.
The older man's lips thinned. "Young man, there are no cliffs in that forest."
Kael'tar opened his mouth to argue, but the memory of the fall—the ground disappearing beneath him, the endless plunge—gave him pause. His jaw tightened.
'It must be that lizard's doing,' he thought bitterly, his fists clenching at his sides.
That wretched creature must have set a trap, twisting the terrain to make a fool of him.
Every joint and muscle in his body felt shattered and torn.
"It's okay. Take it easy."
'Don't tell me to take it easy, fool! It feels like all my joints are broken, and all my muscles have been torn apart!'
The doctor's voice interrupted his brooding. "Rest up, young man. Your mother and brother have been worried sick about you."
With that, the doctor rose, gathering his things before leaving the room.
Moments later, his mother and Ryn rushed in.
His mother's eyes were red from crying, and her lips trembled as she spoke. "Carseain, do you have any idea how worried we were? What were you thinking, going into that forest at night without telling anyone?"
Kael'tar opened his mouth, but Ryn beat him to it. "You're so stupid, big brother!" the boy wailed, throwing his arms around Kael'tar. "You could've died!"
Kael'tar groaned, his bruised ribs protesting the sudden hug. "Easy, Ryn. I'm still in one piece."
"Barely!" his mother snapped, her tone shifting from worry to anger. "What possessed you to wander off like that? And at night, no less?"
Kael'tar forced a smile, though it felt like his face might crack under the strain. "I'm fine," he said, his voice tight. "Just a little… sore."
His mother's relief quickly turned into anger. She placed her hands on her hips, glaring down at him. "Sore? Do you have any idea how worried we were? Wandering into the forest at night without telling anyone? What were you thinking?"
Kael'tar's forced smile widened, though his mind simmered with resentment. 'How dare this mortal woman scold me? Me! The Demon Emperor!'
"I didn't mean to worry you," he said, his tone dripping with false sincerity. "It won't happen again."
"It better not," his mother snapped. "Do you know how dangerous that forest is? Tripping and then fainting?"
Kael'tar hesitated, recalling the doctor's words.
He couldn't exactly explain that he'd been chasing a glowing anomaly and fighting a sentient lizard and he lost pathetically! Instead, he simply said, "It was… an accident."
"An accident that could have cost you your life," his mother said, her voice trembling. "Carseain, you're my son. I can't lose you."
Her words struck an odd chord within him, but he quickly buried the feeling beneath his pride. 'I'm not your son,' he thought bitterly. 'You're just mortals playing house.'
Ryn sniffled, wiping his tears with his sleeve. "Promise you won't go back to the forest, big brother."
"I promise," he said finally, though the words tasted bitter on his tongue.
Ryn's face lit up, and he threw his arms around Kael'tar in a tight hug. Kael'tar's bruised ribs protested, but he, no more like this body didn't push the boy away.
His mother sighed, her anger giving way to exhaustion. "Rest, Carseain. We'll talk more later."
As they left the room, Kael'tar's smile vanished, replaced by a dark scowl. He clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms.
'Mortals… scolding me? Ordering me around? I should incinerate them where they stand.'
But he knew he couldn't. Not yet. He needed them, at least for now.
He sank back into the bed, his body aching and his pride bruised.