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Vir’s reply caught in his throat. Worse, tears started to roll down his face. “I didn’t know,” he managed.

He was named after Rudvik’s stillborn child. Had Rudvik pinned the same hopes on him as he had his stillborn son? What kind of torture had Rudvik been through following the death of his wife and child?

“Ye, well, not ta kind of story that oughta be told. That oughta ever be told,” he added.

Father and son spent several moments in silence until Maiya returned to report that the tent was up, then ducked back into the tent. She had likely finished some time back. Vir wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d heard everything.

“Thank you, father. For everything.”

“Ya don’t hate me?” Rudvik asked, looking like a sinner confessing his crimes.

“For what? For giving me a home? For not hating me like the other villagers do? Yes, father. Shame on you…”

“Not like dat. I mean, I ne’er told ya. I hid it all from ya. Like a coward.”

“I mean, it’d have been nice if you’d told me. But I understand. And now I know. I know it couldn’t have been easy.”

Rudvik chuckled. “Ya got no idea how long I’ve wanted to tell ya all this. Feels like I jus’ felled a mighty Godhollow, lemme tell ya.”

The lumberjack kneeled before Vir, grasped his shoulders, and looked him in the eye. “Your father—your real father—is gonna come after ya one day.”

Vir wondered about that. Was this giant really his father? Vir was of a smallish, lean build. He had two arms, like any normal person. Sure, his skin was a bit ashen, but that just made him resemble this mythical giant even less. Who was that giant? Would he ever find out?

Thoughts raged in his head like a maelstrom, and a knot formed in the pit of his stomach. He feared it wouldn’t go away anytime soon.

“A bein’ like that gets what he wants, Vir, mark my words,” Rudvik whispered. “Be ready, son. Be vigilant. I’m no warrior, but I do have this ax. I’ll do everythin’ I can to protect ya, that I can promise. Still, I felt you oughta be warned.”

Vir’s eyes narrowed. “Warned? Of what?”

“I could tell he cares deeply for ya, Vir. But there was a madness to his devotion. The way he looked at ya when he handed you over to me… Well, I’d seen that look before. Reminded me o’ a zealot worshiping his god.”

Vir’s mind went blank. Worship… me!? The thought was so absurd that he wanted to laugh. Forget worship. No one had even treated him well, apart from Rudvik and Maiya’s family. He’d been ridiculed, spat at, and ignored. They’d even thrown rocks at him.

Rudvik’s revelation filled him with a cold fury. He didn’t know why.

“I need some time to think about all this,” he said. “Doesn’t really feel real, y’know?”

Rudvik clapped his shoulder. “I’ll bet. Tell ya what? Why don’t you ‘n yer friend take first watch for the night? I’ll cover the rest.”

Realizing that they had finished their conversation, Maiya stepped out of the tent. “You sure, uncle Rudvik? Vir and I could take two shifts.”

The lumberjack wasn’t having any of it. “Chala’s Knees, girl! Yer just babes. What kinda parent would I be if I let ya take two shifts? I’d bring shame to all de fathers out there! Outta the question.”

Maiya quickly realized that there was no convincing the stubborn lumberjack. Maiya took a seat beside Vir and watched as Rudvik eased the hot rocks under the tent for the night.

“Well then. Holler if ya hear anything, alright?” he said before closing the tent flap.

Silence descended upon the camp. The fire had burned down to embers by now, its glowing red coals barely emitting enough heat to keep them warm. Maiya sidled up to Vir, shivering despite the Magic Heat utility orb she clutched against her chest.

Vir didn’t even have the benefit of magical heat, but he’d always been able to tough out the elements better than the other villagers.

“So…” Maiya said, desperate to break the oppressive silence.

“So…” Her friend echoed. “I suppose you heard everything?”

“Sorry! I finished with the tent and the forest’s just so quiet, I couldn’t help but overhear you two.”

“It’s alright,” he said, smiling. He’d probably have told her at some point, anyway. There weren’t many secrets between them. It had been that way ever since he could remember.

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Maiya cleared her throat. “So, do you think what he said was—wait!” she said, startled. “W-What was that!?”

Vir looked out into the darkness. Even with his superior nightvision, he couldn’t make anything out. The forest was truly pitch black without an ounce of starlight.

“I don’t see anything. Probably nothing. Anything we need to worry about would make a bigger thumping sound.”

“You sure?” Maiya said, unconvinced.

“All sorts of prana beasts in the Godshollow. Plenty of animals that could put you out, but they fear us more than we fear them. They’ll be long gone before you ever realize they were there.”

“Oh. I—I see. Well, that’s good,” Maiya said.

“Hey, Maiya?”

“Mmm?”

“If I told you... uh. Okay, this is going to sound really weird. But y'know that run in I had with the cultist?”

“Scary grakkin' stuff.”

“Yeah, but the thing is, I've been hearing these voices in my head since then. Different from the old ones. Or rather, louder, and more coherent.”

“Are you alright?” Maiya asked, frowning with concern.

“I think so? Like, I think these voices are trying to tell me something. I just can't figure it out yet.”

“What do they say?” she asked.

“It's gibberish. I don't even know if they're real words. But they're consistent. As if they're trying to teach me something about the world. Something hidden, that can't be seen with the naked eye. You have any idea what it could be?”

“I dunno,” Maiya said with concern. “I... I really hope it is what you think it is. And not something bad.”

“Right. Yeah. Well, nevermind. Don't tell Rudvik, okay? I don't want him thinking I've been possessed by some evil god or something.”

Maiya patted his back and flashed him a thumbs-up. “Your secret's safe with me.”

Vir returned to scanning the darkness, but Maiya was determined not to allow the silence to prevail. “So, about what your dad said… You believe him?”

“I do, yeah. Why? You think he’d make something like that up?”

He could feel Maiya shaking her head. “No… But still. I’ve never even heard of a four armed anything, not even in the scriptures. It’s kinda hard to imagine.”

Vir chuckled. “Yeah, and that monster’s supposed to be my father? Or at least someone close to me? If you told me yesterday that I’m related to a mythical giant, I’d have laughed in your face.”

Maiya snorted. “Me too. But, hey! I think it’s amazing. Means you’re not like the rest of us.”

“Well, that was obvious,” Vir said.

“Not like that! I mean that you’re someone important. You’re somebody. Maybe you don’t know it yet, but you are. Me? I’m just a village girl. No mythological relatives or anything…”

“You really want to make a name for yourself, don’t you?” Vir asked. He almost felt like they’d both be happier if their situations were reversed—with him being an ordinary villager and her the one with a mysterious relative.

“I do,” Maiya said. “I really, really do. But I dunno how that’s ever gonna happen.”

“You think this is your chance, don’t you? You think that by joining us, you might visit a big city one day…”

Maiya leaned her back against his, and looked up to the sky. “C’mon. You know that’s not why I joined you.”

Vir frowned. “I know... I take that back.”

“But… well, yeah. If we do make it to a big city, that would be amazing. But even if we don’t, I’ll be happy if I can protect you.”

Vir tried to imagine Maiya slinging fireballs at vicious animals… He started laughing.

“What’s so funny about that?” she huffed.

“Nothing! Nothing. Thanks. I appreciate it.” He really meant it, too. Everything in his life had become suddenly strange, so it was comforting to have as many familiar faces as possible.

“You think we’ll make it out alright?” She asked.

“Think so. Especially if your father leads the knights astray like he said. But…”

“But what?” Maiya asked.

“Nah, it’s nothing.”

Maiya turned to face him, though he could barely make out her face in the darkness. “Tell me!”

Vir sighed. “Well, what do you think’s gonna happen to your father if he’s caught helping us?”

“W-what do you mean?”

“I mean, those are Hiranyan knights! Your father’s playing a very dangerous game, feeding them misinformation. If they ever find out…”

“I have to go back,” she said, panicking.

“Don’t be ridiculous. What could you possibly do if you went back?”

“I—”

“Why do you think he let you come with us in the first place?” Vir interrupted. He continued when she didn’t reply. “It’s because he felt you’d be safer here, with us, than with him.”

Maiya fell silent, and Vir immediately realized his mistake. This wasn’t what she needed to hear right now.

“He’ll be fine,” he said. “Your father’s the only one in the village who can use combat orbs. He’s Balar Ranked, right?”

“Balar Rank Five, but that’s not much. Those knights are probably Balar Ten or higher.”

“He’s a smart man. He’ll be alright,” Vir said.

The minutes turned into hours, but Maiya didn’t speak another word. Vir knew she was brooding over her family, he just didn’t know how to make her feel any better. He regretted his words for the rest of the night.

Luckily, their biggest threat ended up being a large lizard curious enough to venture into their camp. Maiya startled at the sound, but Vir drove it off without issues.

The hours passed quickly for Vir. The forest, while certainly strange, wasn't silent to him in the way it was for his friend. Ever since he was a child, he’d heard its voices. He liked to think it was the voices of the plants and the animals… but he eventually realized it wasn’t. It felt like the collective voice of the Forest itself, though he knew such a thing was impossible. Or at least, he’d thought it impossible, until tonight. If four armed giants really existed, then who was to say that living forests didn’t?

Maiya’s thoughts lingered over her family, but Vir turned to his past.

Who was he? Would he ever find out? As the time went on, the answer became increasingly obvious; if he wanted answers, he had to find this giant. But he had no clue where to even start. Such a being would be famous across the world, yet he hadn’t heard a single myth, not a single word of gossip. But perhaps… perhaps if they made it to a big city, maybe he could ask around there.

Rudvik’s snoring abruptly halted, causing both of them to startle.

“Looks like our shift’s over,” Maiya said with a giant yawn.

“Looks like it,” Vir replied.

Searching for the four-armed demon in a big city was all well and good, but first, he had to make it out of the Godshollow.

Vir’s sleep was fitful and restless that night. He dreamed of tattooed giants and stillborn children.