The walk back felt endless. Yet his body barely hurt anymore. Leveling up had erased every injury left by the battle with the goblin. His shoulder moved normally again. His breathing was steady once more. Even the deep slash left by the goblin's knife had completely vanished.
Aiden slowly raised his left arm. He opened his hand. Then closed it again. No pain. He spent a few seconds staring at his fingers.
His gaze soon drifted into the distance. One thought gave way to another. The system had been silent for several minutes. Aiden still couldn't forget the choice he had been forced to make to survive. He had accepted the price. He still had no idea what he had truly lost. Only that, deep inside... something was gone. Like a word whose meaning you can no longer remember. Like a face you know once mattered, yet can no longer picture. Every time he tried to think about it... a dull ache formed behind his eyes. Eventually, he gave up.
"What's the point..."
The past wasn't coming back. Ahead of him, Bone walked at an unhurried pace. The skeleton seemed different as well. His movements were smoother. More natural. He no longer limped. Not a single crack remained on his bones.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Bone
Level 3
Condition: Excellent
_______________________________________________________________________________________
"You're completely healed..."
Bone turned his head toward him.
Then, as always, he raised his bony thumb.
A faint smile appeared on the young man's face.
"There you go again..."
He stepped closer.
Then placed a hand on Bone's shoulder.
"Thank you for saving me."
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Servant Emotion Detected.
Happiness.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
"Me too..."
They continued walking for nearly an hour. Little by little, the trees gave way to the first cultivated fields. In the distance, the rooftops of Ashbrook finally came into view. A wave of relief washed over him. He was alive. Against all odds... he had made it back. Ashbrook was now only a few hundred meters away.
"Bone."
The skeleton lifted his head.
"You can't enter the village looking like that. Go back to the shed. Like always."
The skeleton nodded.
They made their way around the first houses until they reached the family garden. Bone stepped into his shelter. Before closing the door, Aiden looked at him one last time.
"Get some rest."
Bone turned his skull toward him before raising his thumb. A smile spread across Aiden's face. Then he closed the shed door and headed toward the village.
The streets of Ashbrook were already bustling with activity. Villagers moved from stall to stall while the merchants in the town square called out loudly to passing customers.
Just a few hours earlier, Aiden had been fighting for his life.
Every step reminded him of the battle. The goblin's knife. The blood. The pain. And above all... that strange feeling of emptiness. By reflex, he placed a hand against his chest. Something was missing. He was certain of it. But every time he tried to recover that memory... he found nothing. Only the unsettling feeling that a part of himself no longer existed. At last, he shook his head.
"There's no point..."
For the first time since his reincarnation... Aiden truly took the time to look around the village. Then a familiar voice called out from behind him.
"Well, look who it is."
Marcus.
"So, the great hunter's son finally crawled out of his den? What, are you tagging along with your father today?"
He pretended to look around.
"Oh, right... I forgot. He never takes you with him. You'd probably just slow the whole hunt down."
Marcus stepped even closer.
"Tell me... have you ever even held a real bow? Or do you prefer chopping firewood while your father does all the work? Then again... I get it. If I had a son who couldn't hit a rabbit from ten meters away, I'd leave him at home too."
A few days ago... those words probably would have hurt him. Today, all he could see was the goblin's knife stopping just inches from his throat. Compared to that... Marcus seemed almost laughable.
"Finished?"
He stepped around Marcus and continued toward the market stalls.
"Hey! I'm talking to you!"
Aiden kept walking. He neither had the time... nor the desire to waste his energy on such childish provocation.