The sounds of hushed voices and bustling activity woke Aaryan from his deep sleep. His mind, foggy from the heavy rest, quickly noticed how little pain he felt from his injuries. It felt as if he’d slept through the afternoon, and he couldn’t help but think it was strange that his body had healed so quickly.

He pushed aside the tent’s curtains, stepping into the cool morning air. Immediately, a sea of eyes turned toward him, and Aaryan felt the weight of their gazes. He wasn’t just a child anymore. After the events of yesterday, he had somehow become the focal point of the village’s hope, the one they looked to for guidance.

One of the older men whom Aaryan had helped was the first to speak, his voice warm with gratitude. “You’re looking much better. How’s the pain?”

“I’ll be fine in a day or two,” Aaryan answered with a smile. His injuries had indeed been minor compared to what they had first seemed. “But what about the others?”

“Thanks to you, most of us are doing well. Not many injuries to speak of.” The man nodded, smiling back at Aaryan.

There was a shift in the crowd then. A voice behind Aaryan spoke with a tone of disbelief, “That smile... it’s different somehow. It doesn’t seem so annoying now.”

Another boy, who had once shared that sentiment, added, “I never thought I’d say this, but... it looks good on him, doesn’t it?”

For the first time in a while, the air around the group felt lighter, as if the heavy weight of fear had lifted. Laughter, albeit soft, rippled through the crowd. Aaryan was about to head toward his camp when he saw Sharan looking at him from a distance.

Their gazes met, and Sharan’s smile sent a chill down Aaryan’s spine. It was the kind of smile a predator gives when its prey is just within reach.

That doesn’t look good, Aaryan chuckled inwardly but quickly turned his attention back to the crowd, making his way toward his tent.

Could it be? he thought. Did that dagger really mean that much to him? Is he still holding a grudge?

He picked up the pace, his thoughts swirling.

“Enjoy the glory while it lasts, Aaryan. You may be a hero today, but everyone loves a tale of sacrifice. Heroes who shine and save the day are memorable, but those who sacrifice themselves for the greater good... that’s the story the village will tell for years to come.” Smiling, Sharan turned and entered his tent.

“Seems like things won’t be easy for me from here on,” Aaryan thought. They’re surely trying to cause trouble for me, but what can I do? In his tent, Aaryan was thinking about how to avoid the coming disaster, but no matter how he racked his brains, he couldn’t come up with anything.

“Forget it, I’ll deal with it when the time comes. There’s no sense in overthinking this now.” Having made up his mind, he closed his eyes and laid down to rest.

The days that followed were deceptively quiet. No one went out to hunt the wolves. The villagers were content, some almost starting to believe that perhaps they were free of the threat. But for Aaryan, an unsettling feeling crept over him.

Something isn’t right. They wouldn’t just give up... not without a reason.

A few days later, the sharp sound of a horn broke the silence. It was a signal to gather at the main tent.

Aaryan’s stomach tightened. The villagers murmured in confusion, speculating about what was to come.

“They must be sending another party to search for the wolves,” one man grumbled.

“No, I think they’re planning to head back to the village,” another suggested.

Everyone walked toward the main camp, their footsteps heavy with uncertainty. Among them, Sharan stood with his usual calm expression, hands clasped behind his back. As Aaryan approached, Sharan’s eyes met his again, and a smile played at the corners of his lips. He muttered something to one of his men, but Aaryan couldn’t hear the words.

The crowd gathered, their focus solely on Sharan and the leaders surrounding him.

“All of you have worked very hard for this mission, and hence everyone here will receive one sack of rice as a reward.” Unexpectedly, the one speaking was not Sharan, but the eagle-nosed man.

A cheer went up from the crowd. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to last a month for most families. The mood lightened.

“And the families of those who lost their lives... they will receive five sacks,” the eagle-nosed man continued.

Aaryan was taken aback. Five sacks? For the dead?

A wave of gasps passed through the villagers, who looked both surprised and relieved.

Have they really given up? he thought. But then his eyes drifted toward the other leaders and paused at Sharan, who was still looking at him.

“No, they are definitely up to something,” Aaryan thought and kept listening carefully.

The eagle-nosed man was very pleased. This was, more or less, what he had expected.

“We are planning on returning to the village to come back with more reinforcements and tools...” Now it was the short silver-armoured leader who spoke.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

A cheer, much louder than before, rang out. Aaryan was stunned, but before he could process what was happening, the next sentence confirmed what he had been thinking all along.

“We want to give it one more try. We have come up with a plan to capture those beasts with the help of these.” The silver-armoured leader continued, gesturing toward a tray held by a nearby man. On it rested three dark spheres.

“These are Violet Mist Spheres. The mist contained in them is made by extracting the poison of 20 Three-Ringed Black Spiders, known for their hallucination-inducing poison, along with many other herbs that can knock out those beasts unconscious. Once they are unconscious, we can easily deal with them,” said the eagle-nosed man.

Aaryan listened to every word very carefully. He knew whatever the leaders had planned would surely involve him, so he wanted to be ready for all possible situations.

“If these spheres can take down the wolves, why didn’t we use them before? Why wait until now?” he asked the leaders.

Another man added, “We could’ve avoided so much loss if we had them earlier.”

Nayan couldn’t contain himself and was about to jump out when Aman stopped him.

Before the eagle-nosed man could respond, Sharan stood, his voice calm but authoritative. “The problem wasn’t that we didn’t want to use them. The issue was that the spheres need to be used all at once. The area they affect isn’t very large, so we needed to ensure the wolves were close enough together for the mist to work.”

“It’s not that we didn’t want to use them earlier, but the thing is, we couldn’t. All three spheres needed to be exploded simultaneously to be effective enough, and the area in which the mist will be effective is not very large. Hence, all the wolves needed to be lured in to close proximity to each other for it to work. We were hoping for the right opportunity to present itself.”

“Junior Chief, what sort of opportunity?” Aaryan looked over his shoulder as the man who spoke was directly behind him. It was the same man he had seen talking to Sharan earlier.

So, they want me to be the bait and have surrounded me in case I decide to make a run for it. Aaryan was very nervous in his heart but kept a calm face on the outside.

“Little Brother Aaryan,” Sharan continued, his gaze landing on Aaryan with an unsettling smile. “This plan would only work if one can manage to get close enough to those wolves. As we saw a couple of days ago, Little Brother Aaryan is very capable of doing so and hence is the ideal candidate for our plan.”

Aaryan’s stomach churned as the pressure of the situation closed in on him. Everything was silent, everyone looking toward Aaryan.

The silver-armoured leader’s voice broke the silence. “We understand it’s a dangerous mission, but you’ve shown courage. Please, think of the village. Success would bring great benefits to the whole village.”

“They handed out rewards to win over the villagers. If I agree, I’ll be the bait, and if I don’t, then these minions surrounding me will surely incite the villagers and turn them against me.”

Aaryan’s thoughts raced, but he knew it was a decision he couldn’t escape. Refusing would doom him. Accepting might doom him as well, but at least he could take control of his fate.

“So, Aaryan, what’s your decision?” asked Nayan, smirking, not willing to give any time for Aaryan to escape.

Aaryan was helpless. He couldn’t agree, as it would put him in a dangerous position, and if he didn’t, he would face the wrath of the masses. Struggling in his heart, his eyes filled with determination.

“Fine, you want to push me to a dead end? I’ll make sure you regret it. You think my fate is in your hands, that I’ll die just because you want me to? I don’t think so. And even if my fate is in your hands for now, I will carve out my own destiny.”

“I’ll do it,” he said, his voice steady despite the storm raging inside him.

The shock that rippled through the leaders was palpable. Sharan’s smile faltered slightly. “Are you sure?” he asked, his voice dripping with amusement.

Aaryan didn’t respond, only nodded. His face was set, his resolve hardening with each passing second.

Seeing him agree so easily surprised everyone, especially the leaders.

“He seems confident. Does he have something that can help him escape the wolves?” asked the eagle-nosed man in a low voice.

“If he had something like that, then he wouldn’t have gambled his life last time,” the short man replied.

“He is just a fool and will die for sure,” Nayan grinned.

“It doesn’t matter what tricks he has; he is just a child. He was lucky last time, but thunder doesn’t strike the same tree twice,” Sharan smiled

viciously.

“So, it’s decided. We’ve already made all the necessary preparations. We will be moving out in an hour. Everyone, get ready.” As the leaders turned to leave, Aaryan felt the weight of their eyes on him. Nayan gave him a mocking look, and Sharan’s grin was full of malice, as if they had already won.

The villagers, while still grateful for his actions in the past, now saw him as nothing more than the bait for their final attempt. But Aaryan wasn’t concerned about them anymore. He was focused on one thing: survival.

Aaryan stood there for a while, clenching his hands. In his village, he had always worked hard for his meals and never complained, always satisfied with what he had. But life had taught him a lesson, a lesson which he engraved in his heart. He turned and left for his tent, determination filling his eyes. And for once, that smile of his was nowhere to be found.

Soon, the whole group left the area. It was their final attempt, so there was no way to leave anyone behind. They made their way toward the depths of the forest, and after a few hours of walking, they came near a clearing.

Aaryan saw the area—it was a valley he had seen earlier. The rest had stopped a bit back, only Aaryan and the three men who had stood against Nayan to save him were left to proceed into the valley.

Clearly, they had been targeted for speaking out, but there was no other way. As far as the villagers were concerned, four lives were nothing if they could get back to the village.

“I’ve dragged all of you into this,” Aaryan said, remorse in his eyes.

“It doesn’t matter. We would have died already if not for you saving us,” replied the old man with a slight smile.

Sharan was hiding some distance away along with his men, ready to take action at any moment.

Aaryan and his group made their way into the depths of the valley, carefully surveying the area. The valley itself was empty except for a few boulders of different sizes.

“This is a trap, not just for them but for us as well. We’re flanked by towering cliffs on both sides, and the only way out is the sheer drop of a waterfall behind. They really don’t want us to survive.” Aaryan shook his head.

They found a suitable place near a huge boulder, lit a fire, and set up a tent nearby. There wasn’t much for them to do, except for Aaryan. His mind never stopped turning, his eyes scanning the surroundings constantly, looking for a way to turn the situation in his favour.

The whole group waited patiently, and the days passed without incident. On the fourth day, as the sun began to set, Aaryan was lying near the fire, eyes closed. The atmosphere was cold and oppressive, with a deep sense of foreboding filling the air. His eyes snapped open, and he looked toward the trees on the right. The tree had a trunk thick enough that three people would have to join hands to cover it, with leaves as big as two inches. He narrowed his eyes, trying to look into the darkness. Suddenly, he yelled with everything he had.

“WATCH OUT!”

The group quickly reacted and got behind the boulder. A boom rang out, and a huge black claw slammed into the boulder, sending chunks of rock flying.

The people in the distance went on alert, and the leaders looked toward the valley with anticipation. They knew—the hunt had begun.