Kosak stood leaning against the village gatepost, arms crossed and gaze steady. The hunters were returning — bruised, bloodied, but walking. Relief filled him… until he saw Talmir.

  After Ulmak and Tolk brought him on the stretcher, they laid him down as gently as possible, then two guards picked Talmir back up and rushed toward the church.

  Two other guards flanked Darnel, half-carrying the seasoned warrior, his back scorched and his steps uneven.

  Kosak winced at the sight.

  "Oh man… Saldia isn't going to be happy."

  Reluctantly, he pushed off the post and made his way toward their cottage, each step feeling like he was delivering a death sentence to Talmir.

  "I'm sorry, old friend, but she has to know… at least you came back alive and spared me from that fury and sadness from her." Kosak muttered, mentally preparing for any stray curses aimed his way.

  He found her outside the house, sitting on their porch and sorting bundles of dried herbs.

  "Saldia," he said carefully. "You might want to head to the church…"

  She looked up immediately, eyes sharp and narrowing. "Why?"

  Kosak scratched his neck. "It's Talmir. He's back. Hurt badly, I think… but don't worry too much he's definitely not dead."

  The shock lasted only a moment — she didn't respond, not with words anyway.

  The bundle dropped from her hands, and in a blur she was gone, sprinting toward the church.

  "Phew....Good luck," Kosak said under his breath to Talmir. "Alright now that this is over… where's the kid now?" He headed inside the house.

  Two guards carried Talmir through the threshold of the Dawn Church. Father Pella stood waiting, sleeves rolled back, a glowing flask already in hand.

  "Lay him down here, on the table." Pella ordered. The guards obeyed and gently put him down.

  Talmir's breathing was steady but shallow — his face tight with pain. As soon as he was down, Pella tipped the flask to his lips.

  "Drink. Every last drop of it."

  Talmir grimaced at the bitter taste but he obeyed. The potion worked fast — numbing his nerves while enhancing the body's response to life-mana and healing.

  Pella placed his hands over the burns and closed his eyes. Green light pulsed from his palms, gentle but strong.

  "These wounds are deep," Pella muttered. "I heard roughly what happened. Your skin was burned badly… but the heat closed and sterilized the wounds. You're a lucky boy, Talmir. This could've ended far worse with an infection."

  He exhaled slowly, focusing as the light in his hands intensified.

  "Now tell me — how does our fastest hunter end up with a claw scar on his back?"

  Talmir closed his eyes. "We ran into a mutant. It had the lightning attribute. It was so fast, i had almost no time to react."

  Pella raised an eyebrow. "Hoh? We'll need to message the Count to send an extermination party through the woods again it seems… Though that doesn't matter right now."

  Just as father Pella finished the treatment, the church door slammed open.

  "TALMIR?!"

  Saldia's loud voice rang through the hall.

  He winced. "Oh no…"

  Pella shot him a dry look and patted him on the shoulder. "You brought this upon yourself, boy."

  Saldia rushed to her husband's side, eyes wide and glassy.

  "You reckless idiot!" she cried, checking his chest, then his face, then his bandaged back. "What if—? What if it had been worse? What if—?!"

  Her voice broke.

  He reached for her hand — weak but warm. "But that didn't happen...it's allright."

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  "You promised me," she whispered, choking slightly. "You said you'd be careful after that god awful hunt."

  "I was careful," he murmured. "I just didn't expect something that fast."

  "You were?!" Tears streamed freely now — half anger, half relief. "What if I had lost you? What if Teclos had lost you? Have you thought of that?"

  She leaned into his chest, burying her face, breath shaking and crying.

  He smiled faintly. "I know it's dangerous out there and i know you worry about me every day… but someone has to do it. And I'm still here aren't i? Just a bit… roasted."

  He instantly regretted the joke when Saldia lifted her head with a furious frown.

  "This isn't the time for your jokes, mister. You are forbidden from leaving your bed until you fully recover. And I mean fully, no arguments!"

  While Talmir was trying to apease Saldia.

  Pella, watching with a softened expression, cleared his throat.

  "He'll live, Saldia. No long-term damage. But yes — he needs two weeks of nothing but eating and sleeping. No walking, no hunting. My life-mana did its part, but his body needs time."

  Saldia nodded, still gripping Talmir's hand.

  "Thank you father Pella,

  "No problem dear, now if you'll excuse me i have to check on another patient." With that Pella gave them space and moved toward the back of the church to check on Darnel.

  That was when the door creaked open again.

  Earlier that morning…

  Teclos was meditating behind the cottage, seated in the deep shade cast by the wooden wall. His breath was slow. His eyes closed. Mana gathered tighter than usual — smoother.

  A small breakthrough.

  His third circle was still forming, but now he could pull mana slightly faster. The difference was subtle but real. And he'd noticed something else: training was easier in the shade or at night. Darkness seemed to respond better at those times, in the stillness of the night it flowed faster..

  Someone stepped into his quiet space.

  It was Kosak.

  "Oh, there you are, buddy. Listen — I've got something to tell—"

  Before he could finish, Ralph came running.

  "Hey!" he said, breathless. "Your dad's hurt. Like… bad. They were carrying him to the church."

  Teclos didn't even open his eyes. "Right, right. Maybe try a more believable joke next time."

  "I'm serious!" Ralph protested.

  Kosak added, more gently, "It's true. He was brought in on a stretcher. Scorched pretty badly, but luckily he's alive."

  Teclos's eyes snapped open in disbelief.

  He was running before Ralph could even process it.

  "Seriously?! You believe him and not me?!" Ralph shouted behind him.

  Kosak tapped Ralph on the shoulder and went home to get a cart.

  Back in the present…

  Teclos stepped into the church and saw his father on the cot — bandaged, but alive. Saldia sat beside him, wiping her eyes.

  "You…" Teclos whispered in disbelief. "You got hit?"

  Talmir gave a crooked smile. "I wasn't fast enough this time."

  He beckoned Teclos to come closer.

  "That's all it takes sometimes."

  Teclos was more stunned than angry. He'd never seen his father like this — not invincible, not as an unshakeable pillar… just a normal human.

  "Don't worry," Talmir added. "I've had worse and i'll be fine. Just need to calm your mother a bit, and then we'll go home."

  Teclos nodded slowly, still uneasy — but grateful that Talmir was alive.

  Later that day, after treatment had finished, Kosak returned with a small pull-cart with padded feather mats on top of it.

  He helped the still weak and drowsy Talmir into it, while Saldia steadied his legs and sat beside him. Teclos walked beside Kosak, helping pull the cart, watching quietly as the village passed by.

  After they came home, they laid Talmir in his bed, Saldia turned to Kosak and said.

  "Thank you."

  "No problem," he said back quickly, already walking toward the door. "If you need anything, tell Marie or me. We've got your back."

  He tipped his hat and slipped out — partly to give them peace, partly because he still feared being scolded for something.

  Saldia lingered near the bedside, checking the blanket for the third time and pressing her palm lightly to Talmir's forehead — not for fever, just habit.

  "You're not allowed to do that again," she muttered. "You're too old for reckless bravado."

  Talmir smiled faintly. "Thought you liked me dangerous."

  She flicked his forehead. "I like you alive."

  She turned toward the kitchen, pausing when she saw Teclos standing nearby, quietly.

  "I'll make dinner," she said gently. "Don't tire him out too much."

  Teclos stepped into the room and sat beside the bed. Silence hung for a moment.

  Talmir lifted a hand, gesturing him closer. "Come on. I'm not going to break."

  Teclos came forward, arms crossed, expression unreadable. Talmir pulled him into a hug.

  "I'll be fine," he murmured. "Just need to lay off the jumping-around-for-a-week thing."

  Teclos nodded quietly.

  Talmir's gaze drifted upward. "You know… this reminds me of my first real close call. First time I thought I wasn't coming back."

  Teclos's attention sharpened.

  "It was a usual day. I went out for a hunt with Kosak — though he'd get annoyed if he knew I'm telling you this. We were after a vine buck. Maybe a stone boar if luck was with us."

  "You know what a vine buck is, right?"

  Teclos shook his head.

  "It's a nature-attribute beast. Its antlers branch like trees, and it can lash vines at you like whips. Not the most dangerous, but tricky to track and hunt. They're hard to find — the rumors vary about why, but people say they can see through the vegetation the same way earth mages can feel vibrations."

  Teclos's eyes sparkled at the new knowledge, and Talmir chuckled.

  "Anyway, we tracked one and brought it down. I made a clean shot through the heart from the sky. A beautiful kill and almost painless for the buck — still proud of that, but I digress. I was gutting it when it happened. Kosak was at the river a few hundred feet away, washing bones and tossing scraps. That's something I still need to teach you — gutting properly. Can't waste time when the blood's fresh."

  "You said it takes five minutes," Teclos said.

  Talmir smirked. "You listen well."

  The smirk faded.

  "Then the bushes behind me exploded in flame and heat. It was a Fire bear. Big one. Must've smelled the blood and ambushed me."

  "You didn't hear it coming?"

  "No. Fire bears are tricky. Their strenght is one thing but you also have to be careful of their cunning. It sneaked up on me and pounced when Kosak was two minutes away and couldn't help. With a knife in hand, no armor, and back turned. Not ideal."

  "What did you do?"

  "Survived. Barely." Talmir shrugged. "Rolled from its pounce. Hid behind the carcass when it breathed fire. Climbed a tree when it charged. Nothing smart — just stalling after I sent the signal flare. It clawed my arm in the first attack. Still got the scar."

  He tapped beneath his right sleeve.

  "Eventually it caught me because of a mistake and mauled me pretty good. Luckily Kosak arrived in time and cast an earth sphere around me, pulling me beneath the soil. We ran. That was the end of the hunt that day."

  Teclos stayed quiet — thoughtful.

  "Point is," Talmir said softly, "out there everything can go wrong. Even when you're good. Even when you're fast."

  His gaze met Teclos's. "You'll be a hunter someday so remember this. Prepare for things to go wrong. Always."

  There was a pause — then a small smile.

  "Of course, your father eventually tracked that bear down and killed it," he boasted. "That was also the day Saldia armost ripped my ears off. Take it as a lesson from your foolish old man — women can be scarier than bears sometimes."

  Teclos nodded. "Got it."

  Later that night, after dinner and the sound of dishes being washed, Teclos glanced one more time toward the bedroom where his father rested. Then he slipped into his own small room.

  He sat cross-legged by the window, where moonlit shadows danced along the floor.

  His mind wandered — to the story, the wounds, the claw marks.

  Talmir wasn't invincible. None of them were. This was crystal clear now.

  "I should be more careful… and train even more," he whispered.

  The room stayed silent.

  But the resolve settled hard in his chest.

  Tomorrow, training would continue.

  But maybe a bit more focused now, with more effort.

  Just in case he needed it someday.