The room fell silent once more.
No one asked another question.
Not because they had fully understood Rowan’s explanation, but because the stories of those legendary figures were simply too vast to take in within a single day.
Aether was still staring at the name tag in his hand.
His fingers slowly closed around the small piece of metal.
For some reason…
his chest still felt strangely tight.
Yet he had no idea why.
After a while, Rowan finally broke the silence.
Rowan: “Enough.”
He glanced toward the window.
Rowan: “It’s already getting late.”
Rowan: “You still have work to do.”
Finn immediately let out a long sigh.
Finn: “Finally…”
Lyra shot him a sideways glance.
Lyra: “You weren’t even listening to half of it.”
Finn: “I was listening.”
Lyra: “Then tell me the name of the legendary Healer we just discussed.”
Finn froze.
Finn: “…U-uh…”
He scratched his cheek.
Finn: “The important thing is that she could heal a lot of people.”
Lyra simply sighed.
Doran burst into laughter.
Mira covered a small smile.
The solemn atmosphere that had filled the room finally began to loosen.
Rowan looked at them one by one.
The corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
Rowan: “If you still have enough energy to joke around…”
His gaze sharpened.
Rowan: “…then apparently today’s workload wasn’t heavy enough.”
Finn immediately straightened.
Finn: “I’ve changed my mind.”
He sighed.
Finn: “I’m exhausted.”
Kael shook his head.
Kael: “Come on.”
He turned toward the door.
Kael: “We still have to help the villagers.”
Everyone began filing out of the room.
But after only a few steps, Rowan spoke again.
Rowan: “Aether.”
The young man stopped.
He turned around.
Aether: “Yes?”
Rowan studied him for several seconds.
Then he spoke quietly.
Rowan: “From today onward…”
Rowan: “You are part of Nareth.”
Aether remained still.
Rowan: “It doesn’t matter who you were before.”
Rowan: “It doesn’t matter where you came from.”
His voice softened.
Rowan: “As long as you’re here…”
He paused.
Rowan: “…consider this village your home.”
Aether fell silent.
Home.
The word felt unfamiliar.
Almost foreign.
And yet…
it no longer felt distant.
Aether slowly nodded.
Aether: “…Thank you.”
Rowan gave a small nod.
Rowan: “Go.”
They left the village hall.
The cool evening breeze immediately greeted them.
The sky had begun to turn orange, and the slanting sunlight washed Nareth in a warm golden glow.
The village was far livelier than it had been that morning.
Fishermen were returning from the sea.
Children ran through the dirt streets with kites trailing behind them.
Smoke drifted from the village kitchens, carrying the scents of warm bread, grilled fish, and vegetable soup.
All of it blended together into the unmistakable smell of home.
Aether watched everything in silence.
Finn stretched both arms above his head.
Finn: “Ah…”
He took a deep breath.
Finn: “Nothing beats the smell of an evening meal.”
Doran nodded firmly.
Doran: “True.”
Lyra glanced at the two of them.
Lyra: “You two are hungry all the time.”
Finn grinned.
Finn: “That’s called enthusiasm for life.”
Before Lyra could answer, a small child came running toward Doran.
Child: “Brother Doran!”
Doran immediately crouched down.
Doran: “What’s wrong?”
Child: “Help Dad, please!”
The boy pointed toward his house.
Child: “There’s a big rock behind our house. We can’t move it.”
Doran chuckled.
Doran: “All right.”
Without hesitation, he followed the boy.
Finn shook his head, laughing.
Finn: “I swear, if this village ever collapses…”
He watched Doran disappear around the corner.
Finn: “…Doran’s going to try holding it up with his bare hands.”
Lyra glanced after him.
Lyra: “And he’d probably succeed.”
Everyone laughed.
Kael then turned toward Aether.
Kael: “Aether. Come with me.”
Aether looked at him.
Aether: “Where?”
Kael: “The warehouse.”
He started walking.
Kael: “Everyone here works.”
Aether nodded.
Aether: “I’ll help however I can.”
That evening…
for the first time…
Aether truly worked alongside the people of Nareth.
He carried crates of fish.
Stacked firewood.
Repaired broken fences.
No one treated him like an outsider.
Everyone he passed greeted him naturally.
“Thank you.”
“Good work.”
“Take a rest if you’re tired.”
Simple gestures.
Yet strangely…
they warmed something inside Aether.
He knew no one in this village.
And still…
they had accepted him without asking too many questions.
From a distance, Rowan stood on the second-floor balcony of the village hall.
His hands rested against the wooden railing.
His gaze followed Aether as the young man helped Doran carry a heavy wooden beam.
Kael, having finished distributing the equipment, stepped up beside him.
Kael: “Do you still suspect him?”
Rowan didn’t answer immediately.
His eyes remained fixed on the village below.
Rowan: “I am suspicious of anything that cannot be explained at first glance.”
Kael nodded.
That was Rowan.
It had always been Rowan.
After a moment, the old veteran spoke again.
Rowan: “But…”
He narrowed his eyes.
Rowan: “His eyes don’t lie.”
Kael followed his gaze.
Aether was helping a small child who had fallen in the dirt.
No one had asked him to.
He had simply stopped to help.
A faint smile touched Rowan’s lips.
Rowan: “At the very least…”
Rowan: “…someone who has truly lost everything couldn’t easily fake a look like that.”
The sun slowly disappeared beyond the horizon.
Not far from Nareth…
on a hill covered in tall grass…
someone stood watching the village from afar.
A black cloak concealed most of his body.
Two short daggers hung from his waist.
His eyes were not focused on the villagers.
They were fixed upon an old hill on the eastern edge of Nareth.
A hill that appeared completely ordinary.
Quiet.
Nothing more than trees and scattered stone.
The man reached into his cloak and produced a communication crystal no larger than a thumb.
A faint light pulsed across its surface.
Then a deep voice came from within.
Unknown: “Report.”
The man answered briefly.
Assassin: “The location has been confirmed.”
He looked toward the old hill.
Assassin: “The ruin’s seal is directly beneath the eastern hill.”
Silence followed.
Then the voice returned.
Unknown: “Continue surveillance.”
Unknown: “Do nothing until the Branch Executive arrives.”
Assassin: “Understood.”
The crystal’s light slowly faded.
The assassin looked back toward the small village, now beginning to glow beneath the warm light of oil lamps.
Children were still laughing.
Villagers were still talking.
No one noticed…
that several pairs of eyes had already begun watching them.
A moment later, the assassin stepped backward.
His body merged with the shadows between the trees.
And then…
he vanished with the coming night.
I love Nareth..