Theo stirred awake, the ache in his body making him groan softly. The bed beneath him was firm but far more comfortable than he'd expected. Slowly, his eyes blinked open, taking in his surroundings.
The room was simple—plain wooden walls, a single chair tucked into a small desk, and shelves holding a handful of books and neatly folded clothes. A faint breeze drifted in from an open window, carrying with it the fresh scent of the outdoors.
This… isn't home.
Theo sat up quickly, wincing as the sudden movement sent a sharp pain through his shoulder. His memories of the fight came rushing back—that guy, the flames, his flute flying out of his hands. He remembered falling, and then… nothing.
His heart began to race. Where am I?
The room's simplicity was disarming, but Theo wasn't about to sit around waiting for answers. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood, wobbling slightly before steadying himself.
The door wasn't far. Quietly, he crept toward it, his bare feet barely making a sound on the wooden floor. He reached for the handle and opened the door, but something caught his eye.
The hearth.
It was built into the wall just outside the room, glowing faintly with a steady fire. Above it, etched into the wood, was a symbol Theo recognized immediately: a stylized flame surrounded by intricate patterns.
The symbol of Hestia.
Theo's breath hitched, his chest tightening. This house… it belonged to one of the 13 families.
"No," he whispered, his voice trembling. "No, no, no."
He stumbled back a step, his hands shaking as panic took hold. He'd attacked a place connected to the 13th family—the fallen house known for its misfortune and curses. And now, he was inside their home.
This is it, he thought frantically. They're going to curse me. My family will suffer, and I… they're going to kill me.
A quiet sound snapped him out of his thoughts.
Theo turned to see a woman standing near the hearth, her auburn hair catching the firelight. Her green eyes met his, calm but curious, and Theo's legs buckled.
He fell to his knees, bowing his head to the floor.
"Please!" he cried, his voice cracking. "I didn't know! I didn't realize this place belonged to your family! I'll do whatever it takes—my family will pay for the damages, I'll leave and never return—just please, spare me! Don't curse us!"
The woman blinked, taken aback for a moment. Then she sighed softly and knelt down to Theo's level, her voice gentle. "You don't need to do that. No one's going to curse you, and no one's going to hurt you."
Theo hesitated, lifting his head slightly to look at her. "You're… not going to kill me?"
Her lips curved into a faint smile. "Not unless you keep shouting like that."
Theo blinked, his fear momentarily giving way to confusion.
"Come on," she said, standing and motioning for him to follow. "You should eat something. You're pale as a ghost."
Theo sat at the small table in the dining area, his shoulders stiff and his gaze darting nervously around the room. The hearth crackled quietly in the background, its warmth filling the space.
Calia set a plate down in front of him. The food was simple but thoughtfully arranged—a mix of roasted vegetables, fresh bread, and a small bowl of nuts.
"I wasn't sure what you'd prefer," she said, sitting across from him with a faint smile. "But I know people from the House of Pan tend to avoid eating meat, so I put together something I thought you'd like."
Theo stared at the plate, his mouth opening and closing as if struggling to find words. After a long moment, he whispered, "You… made this for me?"
Calia tilted her head. "Of course. You're a guest, after all."
A guest? Theo thought, his chest tightening. I attacked her family, and she's treating me like… like this?
Before he could process his emotions, a voice cut through the air.
"Good, you're awake," Kael said, strolling into the room with a smirk.
Theo jumped, his chair scraping against the floor as he stood abruptly. "What happened to my friend?" he demanded.
Kael's smirk widened, and his tone grew mockingly serious. "Oh, the boar? I had to kill it. Retribution and all that."
Theo's eyes widened in horror. "You what?!"
"Kael," Calia said sharply, her tone firm but affectionate. "Stop teasing him."
Kael sighed, shrugging. "Fine. Relax, kid. Your boar's fine. It's actually a pretty decent animal when it's not trying to gore people."
Theo blinked, his shoulders sagging in relief as he sank back into his chair. "Don't joke about stuff like that…"
Kael chuckled, grabbing a piece of bread from the table and tearing off a chunk. "You made it too easy."
The tension in the room began to ease, the warmth of the hearth and the smell of the food creating a strange sense of calm.
Calia reached for the teapot in the center of the table, pouring a cup of tea for Theo. "You really ought to introduce yourself, you know," she said lightly. "It's polite."
Kael leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "Yeah, we've got a name to go with the ruckus you caused?"
Theo hesitated, his fingers tightening around the cup of tea. "I… I'm Theo."
Kael raised an eyebrow. "A bit stiff. You're in someone else's home. Try again."
Theo frowned, his cheeks flushing as Kael reached over and lightly tapped him on the head with his flute.
"Alright, alright!" Theo groaned, rubbing his head. He took a deep breath, sitting up straighter. "I'm Theo Arcadia from the House of Pan. And… I'm sorry. For everything."
Kael smirked, leaning back again. "Now we're getting somewhere."
Calia smiled softly, her gaze shifting between the two boys. "Well, Theo, welcome to our home."
Theo felt the faintest hint of peace for the first time since waking up.
Theo stared at the plate of food in front of him, his appetite returning slowly as the tension in the room eased. The roasted vegetables were warm and fragrant, and the bread was soft enough to tear apart with his hands.
Still, his thoughts lingered on the boar, the fight, and the destruction he'd caused.
Calia sat across from him, sipping her tea quietly. Her calm presence was unnerving in a way—it wasn't the kind of quiet that came before judgment or punishment. It was genuine.
Kael leaned back in his chair, balancing it on two legs as he chewed a piece of bread. "So," he said, breaking the silence. "Are you going to tell us why you went berserk back there, or do we have to guess?"
Theo frowned, his grip tightening on the edge of the table. "I don't have to explain myself to you."
Kael raised an eyebrow. "You're in my house, eating my food, after trashing my village. Yeah, you kind of do."
Calia set her cup down gently, her gaze soft. "Theo," she said quietly, "I'm sure you had a reason for what you did. We just want to understand."
Theo hesitated, his jaw tightening as he looked away. He didn't owe them anything, but… something about the way she spoke made it hard to stay defensive.
He exhaled slowly. "The boar… he's my friend."
Kael blinked. "Your friend?"
"Yeah," Theo said sharply, glaring at him. "You wouldn't get it. Animals don't judge you or look at you like you're less than everyone else. They don't care where you come from or who your parents are. They just… they just are. And they're all I've got."
Kael's chair thumped back onto all four legs, his smirk fading slightly.
Theo's voice dropped, his hands clenching into fists. "There was another one. A wolf. He was my first companion—loyal, smart, stronger than anything. But… a few weeks ago, some poachers got him. They didn't even want him. Just shot him and left him to rot."
Calia's expression softened, and she placed a hand over her heart. "I'm so sorry, Theo."
Theo's throat tightened, and he looked down at the table. "I couldn't do anything to stop it. I just stood there while he died. And then, when the boar came back to me with those burns, I thought…"
He swallowed hard, his voice cracking. "I thought I was going to lose him too. And I wasn't about to let that happen again."
The room fell silent, the weight of Theo's words hanging heavily in the air.
Kael rubbed the back of his neck, his gaze shifting to the hearth. "Look, I get it. You're protective. But that doesn't mean you can just go on a rampage every time something bad happens."
Theo's head shot up, his eyes narrowing. "What do you know about it? Have you ever lost something you cared about?"
Kael's jaw tightened, but he didn't reply.
Calia stepped in before the tension could escalate further. "I think what Kael means," she said gently, "is that you don't have to carry that pain alone. It's okay to let people help you."
Theo scoffed, looking away. "People? Like who? You're the first ones who didn't try to throw me out or call me a bastard the second I opened my mouth."
Kael leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "Well, you're in luck. You're stuck with us for a while, so maybe you'll figure out we're not all bad."
Theo blinked, caught off guard by the sincerity in Kael's tone.
"Your friend really is fine by the way," Kael added, grinning. "You'll see him soon. He seems to be worried about you"
Theo frowned, his voice quieter now. "Thanks, I appreciate you keeping him safe."
The silence lingered after Kael's comment about the boar, broken only by the faint crackling of the hearth. Theo slumped in his chair, his fingers tightening around the edge of the table.
He didn't know what to say. The weight of his earlier words still hung in the air, and the kindness he was being shown felt… strange.
"I know it's hard to trust people sometimes," Calia said softly, drawing his attention. "But if you'd like, you're welcome to stay here. At least until you figure out where you want to go next."
Theo's head snapped up, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Stay here?"
Calia nodded, her expression gentle. "You don't have to decide right now, but the offer's open. You need a place to rest, and it sounds like you've been on your own for a while."
Theo hesitated, his chest tightening. "I… I don't know. I don't think that's a good idea."
"Why not?" Kael asked, leaning back in his chair with a smirk. "Afraid we'll make you do chores or something?"
Theo shot him a glare. "No, it's just…" He trailed off, his gaze dropping to the table. "You're from one of the 13 families. I don't belong here."
Calia's smile didn't waver. "You belong wherever you're treated with kindness, Theo. That's all that matters."
Her words struck a chord, and Theo felt his throat tighten. He looked away, struggling to keep his emotions in check.
"Think about it," Calia added, her tone soothing. "You don't have to decide right away."
The tension eased slightly as Kael leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "Alright, serious question. How old are you?"
Theo blinked, caught off guard by the abrupt change in topic. "What?"
"How old are you?" Kael repeated, tilting his head.
"Fifteen," Theo said slowly, still unsure where this was going.
Kael's eyes widened. "No way. You're fifteen?"
Theo frowned. "Yeah, why?"
Kael leaned back, crossing his arms with a dramatic huff. "You look older. I mean, look at me—I'm fifteen too, but I don't look like someone who's already thinking about retirement."
Theo glared at him. "Are you seriously making fun of me right now?"
Calia stifled a laugh, covering her mouth with her hand. "Kael, be nice."
"What? I'm just saying he looks like he's seen some stuff," Kael said, shrugging. "I mean, I guess that makes sense with everything you've been through, but still. Lighten up a bit, you'll shave five years off instantly."
Theo rolled his eyes, but the corner of his mouth twitched, betraying a faint smile. "You're an idiot."
"Yeah, but at least I'm a charming one," Kael said, grinning.
Theo leaned back in his chair, his shoulders slumping as the humor faded. The offer to stay still lingered in his mind, but the weight of his past made it hard to accept.
"Why are you doing this?" he asked, his voice quieter now. "Why would you let me stay after what I did?"
Calia reached across the table, resting her hand gently on his. "Because everyone deserves kindness, Theo. Especially those who've been hurt."
Her words sent a pang through his chest, and Theo looked away, his throat tightening.
Kael chimed in, his tone more serious this time. "Besides, you're not as bad as you think you are. You just need someone to set you straight every now and then."
Theo frowned, his gaze shifting between them. "I… I'll think about it."
"That's all we ask," Calia said warmly.
Kael grinned, standing and stretching. "Cool. Just don't think too long. If you're staying, we'll probably have you fixing fences by tomorrow."
Theo groaned, rolling his eyes. "You're impossible."
"Yeah, yeah," Kael said, waving a hand dismissively. "Come on, let's check on your boar. It's probably wondering why you're sitting around sulking instead of saying hi."
Theo hesitated, then nodded slowly. "Okay."