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Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

Vir had spent so many cycles in the Godshollow that he could almost navigate it blindfolded… during the day. At night? That was a whole different story.

As he plodded through the inky darkness, boots crunching twigs and leaves underfoot, Vir felt like he was in completely foreign surroundings. Majestic trees that should’ve signposted his way stood sinister and foreboding, the feeble light of his lantern making them seem even taller and grander than they really were.

Forget Maiya—whose jitters made her lantern shake and tremble—even he was getting goosebumps, and that was with Rudvik leading the way alongside Neel. Even the bandy stuck closer to the group than usual, warily eyeing the pitch-black wilderness as they walked.

And the voices! The din of the forest’s chatter genuinely spooked Vir. There was a power in these woods. Something ancient and very deep. It was all he could do to put one foot in front of the other, slowly penetrating the oppressive blackness. He wondered whether he’d made a terrible mistake.

“Alright, we make camp ‘ere,” Rudvik said, breaking the oppressive silence.

“Here?” Maiya squeaked at the thought of stopping in such a foreboding location, but Vir was secretly relieved. He’d hit the limit of his meager stamina a long time ago. If Rudvik hadn’t called for a break soon, Vir would’ve—well, he’d just have walked until he collapsed of exhaustion.

Rudvik bellowed a laugh that echoed through the silent woods, making both Maiya and Vir flinch and look into the darkness. Their gazes were returned only by silence.

“‘S’only gonna get darker and scarier the deeper we go, Crimson. This here’s a fine spot. As good as any,” he said, throwing down his bundle of logs and cracking his shoulder.

Maiya only just noticed the heavy wood Rudvik had been carrying all along. “Why’d you bring firewood when there’s wood all around us?” She asked.

“Gatherin’ firewood’s no simple task, lass. Hard ‘nuff during the day. Downright dangerous at night. Not ta mention all the sweat you’ll shed.”

Maiya wrinkled her nose. “Why’s that bad?”

Vir spoke up. “When your sweat cools off, you get cold. Really cold. And there’s no easy way to recover from that.”

“We’ve all grown used to our utility magic, so most people never even realize it,” Rudvik said with a nod. “We’d be up for hours gatherin ‘n choppin wood. Ain’t that right, Vir?”

Vir nodded vigorously. “People always underestimate how much fuel you need for a fire. It’s a lot of work. A lot,” he said, thinking back to all the times he’d helped Rudvik prepare firewood for the villagers.

Rudvik cleared the area of vegetation and set rocks around the fire’s periphery, while Vir got to work shaving the fire logs. Their loyal brown-and-white bandy did his part too, circling the campsite, proudly claiming his ownership of the area.

Maiya stood with a blank look for a moment before slapping her face. That seemed to break her out of her trance, and she helped Vir with the fire preparations.

“I may not be a lumberjack, but I know how to start a fire. Well, with magic, at least,” she added.

Thanks to Rudvik’s D Grade Magic Heat orb, they had a fire going in no time. Vir always carried flint and steel with him, but lighting a fire from a spark was not a straightforward task. In fact, it’d taken him a solid month of practice to learn how to get a fire going with that method. Most people would find it impossible, even with bone dry tinder.

Magic Heat made the task trivial. Once activated, the orb grew slowly hotter until the tinder combusted automatically. It took almost no skill at all… apart from powering the orb with prana, of course.

“Awwright!” Maiya shouted the moment the fire had stabilized.

It always amazed Vir just how much peace of mind a roaring fire brought with it. Nevermind the heat it gave off; there was something mesmerizing about Adinat’s gift to the world.

In the past, he’d gotten so absorbed by the endless dance of the flames that tens of minutes would pass by without him noticing. And of course, fire had a myriad of uses as well. It kept predators at bay, could be used to cook food and boil water, and provided a far superior source of light than their meager lanterns. Though in the Godshollow, the fire’s bright light only seemed to make the shadows longer, the darkness deeper…

“How long do we have, do you reckon?” Vir asked.

Rudvik stroked his beard. His eyes glowed with the reflection of the flames, giving him a menacing appearance. “Well, Apramor’s gonna give us a diversion. Oughta give us a few days ‘least. Even then, not like those tinheads know their way ‘round this forest. A stranger can’t jes’ waltz right in ‘n find us. No matter how ‘well trained’ they be.”

Vir found his father’s confidence comforting. Others might’ve called him overconfident, but Vir knew better. He was sure that his father could track and navigate through these woods better than any Hiranyan—knight or not.

“But where are we gonna go?” Asked Maiya. “We’re not planning on staying in the forest very long, right?”

“Viridian Coast,” Rudvik grunted. “Safest option’s ta leave Hiranya for a country that… uh, that’s less devout.”

“Less devout,” Maiya contemplated, tapping her chin. “Well, Sai to the north is pretty religious, so, Rani, then?”

“Indeed,” Rudvik said, giving her an appraising look while stirring a pot over the campfire. Camp food always tasted better to Vir, though he never knew why. Maybe it was the company…

“I don’t follow,” said Vir.

“Rani Queendom’s to the south. Mom hasn’t taught you geography yet, so I guess you wouldn’t know… although you really should,” Maiya said.

She was right. Vir’s knowledge of geography was sorely lacking, but that was because he never thought he’d need it. Most Brij folk hadn’t even gone as far as the Godshollow, so what use was there learning about far-off kingdoms and empires?

“The Rani Queendom’s known for its pacifism and thriving trade industry. Unlike our kingdom, they’re considered extremely wealthy.”

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“Huh…” Vir said, thinking it over. Something didn’t fit right, though. “How’re they able to be peaceful in a world like ours? Everyone’s always talking about war. You’d think they’d just be overrun by another country, right?”

Maiya nodded smugly. “Exactly. It’s intriguing, isn’t it?” Vir knew what was coming. Maiya never failed to educate him when she knew more about something.

Sure enough, what followed was a clear and concise explanation. “You see, Rani’s built trade networks that span the world. They single-handedly hold up the economies of several countries, including Kin’jal, who’d be their biggest threat. There are rumors that they even have relations with the Pagan Order, but that’s a little hard to believe. Nobody in their right mind would ever deal with those zealots.”

“Hmm…” Vir said. He was honestly not very interested in this topic, but he didn’t have the heart to tell his friend that.

Luckily, Rudvik spared him from having to play along. “Roll me in dirt ‘n call me an Ash’va, Crimson! Your old man’s taught you well! Thas even more ‘n I know!”

Maiya predictably turned crimson. She’d always been weak against compliments.

“I-it’s nothing. It’s not that impressive, really! Aha! Ha! Ha!” she said awkwardly. Vir rolled his eyes. He’d lost count of the number of times this exact sequence had played out.

“There’s a small dock on the Viridian Coast west o’ da Godshollow. Merchants berth there sometimes. Ever seen foreigners come to the village through de forest? That be sailing merchants lookin’ to trade. Pray to Yuma that a ship bound fer Zorin picks us up ‘afore those knights find us.”

Vir and Maiya exchanged a look. So many things had to go right for that to happen.

“How far is it to Zorin?” Vir asked.

“Week’s journey by boat. A few days less with a pranasail, though I don’t reckon we’ll happen across one’a those,” Rudvik said, passing around wooden bowls for Vir and Maiya.

Dinner was a simple affair; reheated lentil soup with a side of wheat bread. Vir relished the meal, tearing into the hard bread after dipping it into the soup. Neel, who’d grown bored of the fire, immediately perked up when he realized it was dinnertime. Rudvik threw the bandy some dried meat, which Neel immediately pounced on.

Maiya reached for a log to feed the fire, but Rudvik held her off. “Fire’s a great thing for stayin’ warm ‘n keeping predators at bay. But you’d be amazed at how far a fire’s light travels, even ‘ere in these woods. We’d best keep the fire as small s’possible.”

“Why take the risk at all, then?” Maiya asked.

Rudvik pointed to the dozen smooth rocks he’d placed near the fire. “Without heat, we’d freeze to death overnight. Don’t have much of a choice, really. Magic Heat’s good for startin’ fires, but a single orb ain’t enough ta keep all o’ us warm. The hot rocks will keep the heat. We’ll bury them under de tent for the night. With dat, the three of us all oughta keep the tent nice ‘n toasty, eh?”

The lumberjack visibly calmed the nervous Maiya, but to Vir, it felt like his father had suddenly become a little nervous. It wasn’t obvious enough for most people to pick up, but Vir had spent more time with him than anyone in the village. He could tell.

“Crimson, sorry ta ask a favor of ya, but would you mind pitchin’ the tent? Think you know how…”

Maiya glanced at Rudvik, then at Vir, quickly grasping the situation. She set down her empty bowl and stood up, dusting off her pants. “Leave it to me! C’mon Neel. Let’s get to it.”

The bandy barked and wagged his long tail.

As Maiya rummaged through their packs several paces away, Rudvik sidled up to Vir.

“What’s going on? You’re never like this,” Vir said with narrowed eyes.

Rudvik laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head. Then he fell silent. Vir grew even more suspicious.

“I… gotta tell ya somethin’. It’s… Sometimes a man has regrets so deep he buries them. Tries ta forget ‘bout ‘em. But then it all comes boilin’ up ‘n overflows the pot.”

“Where’s this coming from?”

”Ah’v ne’er treated ya like my own son, Vir. I regret that, y’know? Truly do.”

“Huh? What in Chal’s name are you talking about? You’ve done so much, taking me in. Even when…”

“Even when Ah’m dirt poor?” Rudvik said with a grimace.

“No! I mean, I know it was hard on you. I just wanted to help you. To pitch in, y’know? But now… I don’t even know where we’re going. I never planned for this.”

Rudvik chuckled. “Ne’er planned on Hiranyan Knights huntin’ ya down, did ya?”

Vir realized how ridiculous his words sounded. Just yesterday, his entire world was the village. His greatest problem was how he couldn’t use magic, and how the village kids never included him in their clique. Everything was different, now. Now, he’d give anything to have those problems back.

“Anyway,” Rudvik continued, “Not makin’ excuses or nuthin, but I just… Every time I think about this, Vir, I think back to the day I found ya, right here in these woods.”

Rudvik had, of course, shared this story with Vir before. “You found me in a basket, right? With a name card?”

Rudvik took a deep breath. “Not exactly…”

Vir waited for him to continue, but the lumberjack fell silent. Just when the silence grew awkward, the man continued.

“I… well, grak it, I’ll just come out ‘n say it. I was deep in the Godshollow that day. Just me ‘n the Ash’va. Then I hear this thunderin’. A deep rumbling in the woods. The beast, or whatever it was, was makin’ no attempt to be quiet. Could hear it a mile away, felt like. For a brief moment, I thought it was the Ghost of Godshollow…”

Vir leaned forward, eager to hear every word.

“An’ outta the woods he comes… a great red skinned giant of a man. I’m pretty tall meself, and I only came up to his chest.”

A giant? Vir began to wonder whether this father was pulling his leg. This was the right setting for a campfire horror story after all…

“There’s more. This giant, he had four arms.”

“Four arms…” Vir deadpanned.

“Ye. Four great trunks. In two, he held a vicious lookin’ greatsword. In another, a tower shield. And in the last… you. Thought I was done for, I really did. Stormed right up to me. Looked me up ‘n down, like a predator eyein’ its next meal.”

Vir gulped. If Rudvik’s story was true—and he never knew the lumberjack to spread tall tales—then he’d been lucky to get away alive.

“The giant bares his teeth at me. The words he spoke next‘ve haunted my dreams ever since. I burned them inta my head, I did,” Rudvik said, tapping his head. “‘Human. Be honored, for I have chosen you. Raise this boy as your own. Nurture him. Ensure he achieves his great potential. Protect him, even at the cost of your own life. One day, I shall return to retrieve him. If I find that he is weak and powerless, I will burn your village to the ground. Then I will cut off your head and place it on a pike for the world to see.”’

Rudvik paused. “Damn near pissed my pants.”

Vir found it interesting that this giant only cared that he was raised strong, rather than with love or anything else. Does that mean I'm weaker than I ought to be? Can I grow stronger? But how?

“What did you say to him?” He asked.

“Nuthin. Just nodded as hard as I could. Dropped to my knees ‘n prostrated.”

“You did what!?” Vir couldn’t imagine his father bowing to anyone, let alone prostrating. “Did he control your mind or something?”

Rudvik shook his head. “No. Me thoughts were me own. But Vir, ya don’t understand. That giant… That being was not of this realm. It was a fearsome thing. Had a kind of aura. Merely bein’ in its presence, I could hardly stand. Like me weight had grown thrice over. It… he… he felt like a livin’ god. Like Janak or Adinat. He was all covered in strange tattoos that glowed.” He paused again. “I did the only thing a sane man would do.”

“What was his name?”

“Didn’t say. Didn’t say yer name either. Just handed ya ta me ‘n took off. Like he was bein’ chased. But what could possibly hunt such a being? I don’t know. Don’t wanna know. Took ya ‘n hightailed it out of da woods. Didn’t venture in for a good long month. S’ides, was a bit preoccupied with you ‘n all.”

“Then,” Vir whispered, “my name is…”

“Make no mistake, Vir. Threat or no, I wouldn’ta left ya there, even if he’d abandoned ya. You… Ya were a blessing. Th-the child I never had. As ya know, yer mum died during childbirth. The child was… Stillborn, the midwife called it. Was the darkest day of me life…”

Vir never knew.

Rudvik cleared his throat. “But we’d already named the child y’see. He was gonna be the best darned kid Brij had ever seen. The Bravest of the Brave. The Undaunted. Ekavir.”