As the sun dipped below the horizon, the group finally found a suitable place to set up camp. A natural hollow sat hidden among a cluster of trees near the river, its thick branches forming a roof of tangled leaves.
Hound studied the area for a moment before nodding. "This will do."
The three immediately got to work.
Zyon and Lorenzo gathered sturdy branches while Hound selected the strongest pieces and laid out the frame. Vines were woven through the structure to hold everything together, and layer by layer, broad leaves and smaller branches were added until the shelter blended almost perfectly into its surroundings.
By the time they finished, it looked less like a shelter and more like a dense patch of undergrowth.
"Not bad," Lorenzo said, admiring their work.
"Good," Hound replied. "That's exactly how it should look."
Inside, there was just enough room for the three of them to sit comfortably. Hound raised a hand, and a soft glow spread through the shelter. Thin strands of light flowed into the walls, weaving themselves between leaves and branches. The interior remained illuminated. The outside stayed dark.
Hound listened for a moment before nodding in satisfaction. "No light escaping. No sound either."
Night settled over the river.
Zyon's familiar weakness returned almost immediately. He felt it every evening.
The moment sunlight disappeared, a heaviness crept into his limbs.
Hound noticed. "Ready to test something?"
Zyon straightened. "What kind of test?"
Hound motioned for him to sit in the center of the shelter. "As I said before, it seems your light absorbs an enormous amount of Heka. The last few days I got the chance to watch you closely, and there are some things I want to try."
Zyon sat down.
"Create the strongest orb of light you can." The master demanded.
Zyon nodded and held out one hand.
Golden-amber light gathered above his palm, gradually forming an orb about the size of an apple. Warm light filled the shelter, casting dancing shadows across the walls.
Lorenzo leaned forward. "That already looks better than before."
The orb remained stable.
One minute passed.
Then two.
Then three.
At five minutes, Zyon couldn't help but smile.
Before the village fell, he would've lost control long ago.
The light suddenly flickered and his breathing became heavier.
Hound placed a hand on his back, channeling warm light and Heka into him. The effect was immediate; the orb flared and surged outward.
The apple-sized glow expanded until it was nearly the size of a melon, filling the shelter with rich golden light.
"Whoa..." Lorenzo's eyes widened.
Even Hound looked surprised.
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The older man slowly removed his hand, and Zyon was able to keep the orb stable.
One minute passed. Then two more. By the fifth minute, Zyon felt himself growing weaker, but he could still press on. When he reached the seventh minute, the pressure eased once again, though only slightly.
Hound frowned thoughtfully. "Again."
This time he raised his own hand and created a small orb of white light beside Zyon.
The result was different. Zyon's orb brightened slightly.
But only slightly.
Hound's eyes narrowed.
Then he tried again.
Light appeared in one hand while a stream of supportive Heka flowed from the other.
The golden orb immediately stabilized.
It grew brighter.
Larger.
Stronger.
Silence filled the shelter.
Then Hound slowly smiled. A genuine smile. "I knew it."
"What just happened?" Zyon asked.
Hope shone in his eyes. "I felt it."
He looked down at his glowing palm. "It felt like I could go on forever."
Hound remained silent.
For a moment, he simply stared at the light.
The smile slowly faded.
Not because he was disappointed.
Because he was thinking.
Deeply.
'That vision of mine. Could it really be?'
"Master?"
Hound finally looked up. "There are things about your power I've suspected for a long time, actually."
Neither boy interrupted.
"When I watched you meditate for hours beneath the sun..."
His gaze shifted toward the hidden roof above them.
"When I saw you walk through the wastelands without slowing down..."
Then back to Zyon.
"And when your strength disappeared every night..."
He exhaled slowly. Then his expression grew serious again.
"Unfortunately, I still don't know if I'm right."
For a brief moment, Hound retreated into his thoughts. 'No. I can't burden him with that vision. Not yet. And what if it's not true?'
His silence left the boys wondering what was going on in their master's mind.
"Whatever the truth is," Hound finally said, "your ability is far from ordinary. It appears you can absorb more than just the sun's energy. You can absorb my light as well, provided it's infused with Heka."
"My light?" Zyon asked.
Hound nodded. "It works without Heka too, but only barely. The effect is negligible. Once Heka is involved, however, the absorption becomes significantly stronger."
Zyon looked down at the faint glow lingering around his fingers.
Lorenzo, once again resting a hand on his chin, emerged from his thoughts and spoke. "Maybe if Zyon increases his Heka capacity, he could fight all day without getting drained, as long as he remains under the sun."
"There are many ways for a fighter to become weakened in battle, Lorenzo," Hound replied. "But in theory, what you're saying makes sense."
For the first time in his life, being different didn't feel like a curse to Zyon.
It felt like possibility.
Before sleep, Zyon returned to his usual meditation.
The others settled inside the shelter while he sat near the entrance beneath the soft glow of Hound's barrier.
Slowly, he closed his eyes.
His breathing steadied.
The cool night air brushed across his skin while the distant river flowed endlessly through the darkness.
At first, he felt only his body.
The soreness from training.
The lingering exhaustion.
The warmth left behind by Hound's Heka.
Then something shifted.
His awareness sank deeper.
The world seemed to fade.
Light remained.
Golden.
Endless.
He drifted through memories of the village. Sunlight reflected from rooftops. Children laughed in dusty streets. Golden strands within his own hair shimmered beneath the afternoon sun.
'I have to go deeper.'
Zyon went further.
Something stirred.
Not outside him.
Inside.
Like an ancient river flowing through his veins.
For a brief moment, the light felt too vast to belong inside a single person.
Then the sensation faded.
When Zyon finally opened his eyes, the exhaustion was gone. Not completely, but enough.
Hound waited until both boys settled back inside before speaking. "Good news."
Lorenzo immediately raised an eyebrow. "I like good news."
Hound pointed north. "Seven more days and we should reach a major landmark. It's a waterfall. The river widens there before splitting into many smaller rivers. After that, the wilderness becomes much harsher."
Lorenzo frowned. "Harsher how?"
"More life," Hound said.
That answer only confused Lorenzo further.
"More animals. More plants."
A pause...
"And more Ethereals," Hound said with a grim voice.
Now Lorenzo understood. "Oh." The smile vanished.
Hound leaned forward. "Furthermore, we'll start hunting them soon."
Neither boy spoke.
Hound continued, "We need armor."
He pointed toward their crude weapons.
"We need better weapons."
"And we need resources."
Lorenzo swallowed. "For real?" The thought clearly made him nervous.
Zyon, however, remained quiet.
When he finally spoke, his voice was calm. "I'm ready."
Both turned toward him, and they saw the fire in his eyes.
"If we're going to survive..."
His hand slowly closed into a fist.
"...then we have to get stronger."
Lorenzo let out a long breath and shook his head. "If you're doing this, then I'm doing this."
A grin appeared, smaller than before.
But genuine.
"Just don't turn into some light god and leave me behind."
Zyon laughed softly. "Never."
He bumped his shoulder against Lorenzo's. "We do this together, brother."
Hound watched the exchange in silence.
A faint smile appeared before he looked toward the darkness beyond the shelter.
'Tomorrow will be harder, and the days ahead even harder still.
But for now, we're alive.'