Slowly his senses were clearing, and before he knew it, a pleasant warmth lay over his body while in the distance, he could hear people conversing in a loud tone.

As he opened his eyes, Sief found himself lying on a bed, covered by a thick cloth that seemed to be made of sheep's wool.

As soon as he moved, he felt weakness engulfing his body, which was covered in bandages, some still stained with blood, reminding him of the confrontation with the monster earlier.

"Was that an alpha?" Once again recalling the creature's strange and terrifying appearance, he clenched his fist and pondered. "It was absurdly strong, but it didn't even compare to that black armor that attacked Dokkel..."

Still having memories from earlier, Sief remembered the burn on his stomach, and when he lifted the blanket, there were no marks, just a gentle warm vapor blowing in his face, making him furrow his brow in thought.

"Where are my clothes?" And looking around, he noticed a room with a table on which lay a change of clothes, but mainly curtains covering a window which, by the gentle sway of the wind, revealed houses, leading him to conclude. "I'm still in that village..."

Sief got up and dressed, feeling strange as for the first time, he wore clothes that fit his size, albeit simple garments and footwear, it was all too rich for what he was accustomed to, and as soon as he finished dressing, the door opened.

From there, Tom emerged looking distracted, and as soon as he noticed Sief, the elderly man smiled and said, "Young man, you're awake!" He squeezed his whole body through the door, revealing a plate emitting steam, and approached, saying, "Edgar, come. He woke up."

Sief listened and turned to the door, seeing that from it the same young man from before emerged, but this time with a metallic armor protecting his chest and with the aged iron sword on his back.

He entered the room and smiled upon seeing Sief. "Wow, that's some tenacity. I thought you'd be sleeping for a few more days with those injuries." He approached Sief, standing next to Tom, and asked, "How do you feel?"

"Confused... and robbed..." Sief furrowed his brow slightly at the sight of the iron sword on the young man's back, who chuckled amused, but Sief continued nonetheless. "How much time has passed? What was that?"

Tom furrowed his eyebrows and looked at Edgar, who sighed and said, "Well, you ended up with my sword, so it was more of a trade than a robbery." He shrugged with a smile and continued, "I can explain everything to you, and I also wanted you to explain some things to me, after all. It's not common for a twelve-year-old boy to kill an alpha, even with help."

Sief raised an eyebrow, and Tom extended the plate, saying.

"Please sit down and eat a little, the conversation will be long, and after that confrontation, it's good to recover."

Again, he turned his eyes to the plate and felt his stomach growl; it was a meat and potato soup, with pieces of bread on the side that looked soft and still warm, teasing Sief's hunger even more, causing him to furrow his brow, but he withdrew, saying,

"I'll explain, but I can't waste time. I have to return to Dokkel today; my sister is waiting." With Sief's statement, Edgar lowered his eyebrows, and Tom looked surprised. "Can you give me a map to get there? We're not far, are we?"

"Yes, we are." Edgar said immediately. "Now I understand a bit more, but as I told you... it's better to sit down..."

Sief looked confused and doubtful, but upon noticing the same look on Tom's face, he lowered his head and waited to hear.

Some time passed, and the three sat at the kitchen table; Tom placed the plate in front of Sief, who again withdrew, saying,

"Thank you, but I don't eat without my sister... thanks to the illness, she needs help; otherwise, she can barely run." He raised his head and looked at the two, saying, "That said, I don't know how far we are, but I need to go today... I can't eat all this while I don't know how she is..."

"Fair enough, actually, I respect that, kid. But if she's the sister of a guy who killed an alpha at this age..." He laughed and said, "I bet she's fine."

"She's not..." Sief clenched his fists and furrowed his brow in frustration. "I don't have time; I can look elsewhere. If you don't have the map or can't help me, please let me go soon. If she could escape on her own, I would say, but..."

The two watched the young man lower his head while clenching his teeth, seeming apprehensive, and Edgar looked serious, staying silent for a few moments, until Tom touched his shoulder and nodded, saying,

"I know she must be important to you, but if you want to find her and leave as soon as possible, you need to eat." He stood up with a long sigh and went to a chest of drawers from which he pulled out a scroll that, when spread out on the table, revealed a simple map of the region. "This is where we are, Forta Village. Luckily, we are still in the region where Dokkel is the capital, but also..."

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His fingers passed over two separate areas that were shaded green, until he reached a last one where a castle was drawn and indicated below: Dokkel, the city of iron walls.

Sief moved his eyes slowly and squinted, realizing how far he had come to a stop, until Edgar continued.

"Each demarcated region is a territory of monsters; even here is one. But thanks to the proximity to Dokkel, it's a safe and green zone; there are few monster attacks, and normally when a breach happens, as you saw, we receive support from the capital, since we can cross a territory in a single day on foot." He crossed his arms and said, "But this one was different from before; besides having that one up in the sky, we lost contact with Dokkel, which should have helped. All we received was a letter indicating that there was a breach throughout the map, and the capitals were attacked by mana beasts unknown until then."

Sief continued to stare at the map in silence until he heard about the attack, causing him to furrow his brow while Edgar raised his eyebrows, saying,

"If what you say is true, you came from Dokkel and saw this so-called unknown beast. We've heard rumors from the city of magic, and alongside the navy, they've been the only ones to respond so far." Edgar sighed and sat down at the table, crossing his legs. "Since then, an announcement has been made that adventurers from the guild will be mobilized to help the affected cities and will also mobilize to the capitals in search of answers. Normally, they would wait and act politically, but it seems the problem is much bigger, and so far, they've only been concerned with restoring contact between the capitals."

Edgar looked back at the boy, who raised his head and said,

"Let's trade your iron sword and this map for my sword that you stole... I know it'll take time, but the sooner I leave... the better..." He stood up and bowed his head to the older man, saying, "Thank you for the treatment; one day I want to repay you, but it'll have to be when I return."

"You don't owe me anything, kid. It was you who protected us until Ed arrived, so we owe you." Tom smiled as he continued, "It's a proposition, actually, and it might help you reach your goal, right, Edgar?"

When he turned his eyes back to the swordsman, he saw Edgar staring at Sief with a slightly furrowed brow, realizing that despite that lean structure, he seemed different, and focusing on the bandages, the blood had already dried, making him sigh as he said,

"Tomorrow, I'm leaving the village to join the adventurers; my father said to take you halfway and teach you how to use mana; at least you'll have another guarantee of reaching Dokkel safely, whatever awaits you there." Sief widened his eyes and stood up, but before he could speak, Edgar interrupted, "However, the condition for this is that you're sure you want to go."

"Sure?" Sief furrowed his brow and said, "I have to find my sister!"

"But from what you described, you saw what attacked the city and said she couldn't escape on her own. The two capitals that didn't respond, Dokkel and Filian, there are only two possibilities: they're still facing the beast or have already been destroyed by it." Upon hearing this, Sief froze, and Tom spoke up. "Edgar, stop it."

The young swordsman looked at Tom and stood up, saying,

"Sorry, dad. But it's what he needs to know. There's no point in me teaching if the city is destroyed, and he wants to end his life there; it'll be a waste of time." He walked to the kitchen door and opened it, saying, "If you want to stay, my room is there; actually, I'd prefer you to stay... the people here are good, and it's an area with few really dangerous monsters... but in the end..."

He passed through the door, looking back with a smile and saying,

"I'd trust you to protect these guys."

Immediately after, the door closed, and Sief was still with his arms resting on the table while Tom observed him in silence, briefly directing his gaze to the door before speaking again.

"His words are harsh, but they have some truth to them..." Tom also stood up and rubbed the bridge of his nose, saying, "He's that electric and lively guy you saw earlier, but he also speaks seriously when he needs to, and I'd like you to consider that too."

He walked over to the plate and realized it was still warm, giving a faint smile as he brought it closer to Sief again, saying,

"If you stay, as soon as you reach Dokkel, the rumor will spread, and you'll hear news. It may take time, but if she's still alive, you'll find each other." He stepped back again, and Sief stared at the bowl of soup while Tom continued. "I know the bond between you is strong, and I also know she'll wait for you; it's much safer here than going out there fighting monsters, but in the end, there's no wrong decision... it just depends on what you want."

Tom also held the doorknob and pushed violently, pushing something that was thrown and made Sief see the elderly man still with a smile on his face.

"Regardless of what you do, when you find her, we'll give her a home too for everything you've done."

He left the place, leaving Sief alone with his eyes fixed on the door, which soon turned to the still warm soup.

Nearby, Tom walked towards a tree where Edgar was leaning and rubbed his back, which seemed to be sore.

"That push was harsh, dad..."

"You were too hard on the kid; I raised you better."

"He's not a kid, dad."

Edgar smiled, and Tom stood beside the swordsman, who spoke again with a smile.

"The awakening starts from age 14, and by the way he talks, it's the younger sister he wants to find; his body is small and slender, but he must be around 15 or 16 years old..." Edgar crossed his arms, continuing with an excited smile. "Moreover, the way he fought, he's fast and instinctive. He could already be an adventurer."

"But to have such a small body and to talk about a plate of soup as if it were a feast... I think eating was the real challenge of this boy's life." Tom sighed, closing his eyes, and said, "I wish he would stay; depending on what happened, maybe forgetting about his sister is the best thing for him."

"Do you think so?"

As Edgar commented, Tom saw through the window Sief grabbing the plate and starting to eat hastily, dipping the bread in the soup and practically swallowing the food while tears began to fall from his face, but his eyes still shimmered slightly in a greenish hue.

Tom narrowed his eyes with a faint smile, and Edgar sighed, saying,

"I just wish he'd be more docile with me; I like him."

"Then you should treat him well." Tom turned his face to Edgar with a smile and said, "You took his sword and still spoke to him like that; if I were him, I'd give you a beating."

"But I have the perfect way to apologize; even this grumpy one will thank me."

"From what little I've seen, I doubt it, but what do you need?"