After resting for a few days, I tried getting my body, and my eye mostly, to move around like it used to. It took a great effort to deal with my worse sight. Blago kept showing me openings in my defense, mocking me at every step. I was pretty horrible when it came to the obstacle course. Climbing fences, dodging stones that Blago and Sylvar threw at me. Everything that had to do with staying in touch with my surroundings proved difficult. Regardless… It is time. Eadwald will finally teach us magic. We decided to stay inside a small area that we have fenced, Thando’s little box as he likes to call it. This is where most of the Villagers train. It appears that Blago actually convinced Thando to teach everyone about fighting and self defense. The Village is looking better and better. The plan I thought of with Meuko is working. I am excited to learn about magic, though. I wonder if I could do what Ean did to close my knife wound. Some sort of burning hand. That could give me an upper hand in combat. Or… Healing. No, no way that could happen. The Hunters have not mentioned a lot about magic but they have mentioned that Julie’s abilities are rather unique. How about the staff? I could use it to lift people up. That would be useful.

“First I have to see what sort of magical properties you have.” Eadwald says, moving her hands around… I have to say, it does look a bit weird. At least I know that it has something to do with spells. The knowledge does not help with the chuckle I cannot seem to control, however.

“You will have to use signs like that if you want to use magic, Volter.” Eadwald says, her eyes suddenly glowing blue.

Sylvar steps forward, ready to be tested and all that. Eadwald moves closer, eyes ever glowing.

“Of course” Eadwald says “Nature, plants mostly, and… Language? No, communication. There does seem to be some sort of blockage though. You are suppressing aspects of your magic. We will work on that.”

“How does that work?” I ask, readying my notes.

“The rocks, metal, flesh, blood, trees… All these different materials and rules of existence… They coexist, shaping our world. Magic runs through all things, more in some places than others. As people, we learn a few things and gain some specialized knowledge if we want.”

“So some people are better at certain magic properties than others, got it.” I say, hastily scratching notes.

“Meuko, Volter seems busy so you are next.” Eadwald says.

“Right.” Meuko says, stepping forward.

“Nature as well, would you look at that. But, your magic seems to be about the earth. Rather simple. There is also a very small affinity with fire.” Eadwald says “Nothing to worry about, of course. You can always learn about other aspects of magic. The reason we call everything magic is because we do not know the full extent of its potential.”

“No. I like it.” Meuko says, tightening her fists and breathing in.

“Julie.” Eadwald gestures at Julie.

“Sure. Though, we already know I basically heal. I am lucky to be able to do that.”

“Still...” Eadwald focuses on her. “I see a lot of affinity for light. Light is healthy for almost all living beings, as far as I know, so it must have something to do with your healing. And a little affinity for wind, maybe.”

“That is why you glow every time you heal us.” I say, laughing.

The rest of the group does not share my laughter. Come on, I thought that was a light joke. Wow, I did it again.

“You could do better than that.” Meuko says.

“Volter...” Eadwald says.

“I am still writing, give me a moment.”

“Volter…” Eadwald says. The voice is different. Worried.

“I am sorry. This is all so interesting.”

“Look at me.”

“Is there something wrong, Eadwald?” Sylvar asks.

“He… He is Empty.”

“No, I am not lying, I am writing. Done.” I say, excitedly standing up.

“Look again. Please.” Sylvar begs.

Eadwald moves closer, inspecting my body, touching my arms and waist. What is going on? Why is Sylvar as shocked now as he was when Travlon admitted to attempting a murder? Eadwald’s long hair keep getting in my face.

“I am sure of it.”

“Outsider. Explain.” Meuko says, reading the atmosphere and getting serious.

“Everything okay?” Julie asks.

“Eadwald?” Sylvar asks again, hoping for a change.

“I have never seen an Empty One before.” Eadwald says, the glow in her eyes irritating my eye.

Some sort of instinct causes me to move away from Eadwald, who maintains the same shocked expression.

“What is happening.” I say, almost scared… Almost.

“Empty Ones…” Sylvar mumbles, unable to finish the sentence.

“They do not have any magic inside them.” Eadwald says, maintaining eye contact.

I get a good look at her, since there is literally nothing else I can look at right now. She is supposed to be an elf, yet has no elf features. I remember that much. Scars that start from the collarbone and get lost under the chest armor. She must have some intense routine for working out. Even her neck muscles look tight. The eyes are a bit intimidating at the moment, glowing arcane things and all that.

“So what? You just said it is almost everywhere, so I can just call on it like the Leader.” I say, nearly scoffing.

“You do not get it. It is everywhere. Except you. People use a combination of their own magic and the world’s to perform spells.” Eadwald explains, keeping a stable voice, ensuring I focus on her words “If you do not have any magic running through you, calling on it affects you as well. Like having an allergy or the magic not recognizing you as its wielder.”

“It is rare enough that I have never encountered Empty Ones. I have read about the condition, though.” Sylvar says “Little is known. People experimented on Empty Ones. But… The experiments for magic usage ended in the same manner… Supposedly. The subjects ended up killing themselves, either overloading their bodies or just… Ending themselves out of desperation, wanting the pain to stop.”

Deafening silence. At times like this, the same thing happens. I hear my heart beating from my chest and it feels like it is beating from my ears as well. What is it trying to do, remind me that I have one? I know. I am there. Sylvar… Sylvar, the man that never talks about anything that happened outside of this Village. He brings up experiments, subjects.

“Volter, look at me. You cannot use spells. You have no idea how they could affect you. Misjudging how much power you want to use could hurt you, badly. What starts as a light shock could become a permanent paralysis.” Eadwald says, putting her hands on my shoulders.

“Some talk of Empty Ones as vessels. People used them to transfer magic to them. There are many stories about them. None end good.” Sylvar says.

“I… I think I understand.” I say, realizing my face is full of dread, my facial muscles hurting because they stayed still for too long.

“Besides...” I say, chuckling “I did not use magic before, and we killed a sorcerer, so I must have done something right.”

“Volt-”

“We got this. We did it once, twice. We will keep getting stronger.” I interrupt Meuko.

“Right.” She says.

“Is that why Volter feels more pain when I heal him?” Julie says.

“My friend Julielle, there is no-”

“Probably.” Eadwald says.

Julie looks like she is somewhere else, not processing the same space as us. Is she thinking about all the times she healed me? About the one where I screamed in pain, asking for the pain to stop.

“Julie. Julie, no. You saved my life, every time.”

She must be thinking about my screams when I lost my eye. The crying, the growling, the blood.

“Julie.” I talk to Julie. She does not respond. I do not know what to do. Something to make her feel better. Anything.

“But what if, what if the pain… I could have-”

Meuko slaps her.

“You saved him, same way you save all of us. Snap out of it. Without you, he would have been dead a long time ago. If pain is what it takes for him to stay alive, I am sure Volt would gladly feel it.” Meuko says.

“Of- Of course.” I say “Anytime.”

“You are right.” Julie says.

Eadwald seems like she is at a loss for words. She did not expect this was going to be her morning. And… Meuko notices that, of course she does.

“What? She is stronger than you think.” Meuko says.

Eadwald looks at the rest of the group. We all gesture in agreement.

“Meuko is right.”

“I have never doubted my friend Julielle.”

Julie is not just some magic kid that can heal a few wounds, a girl waiting for her sister to do the work. She has spent years studying plants, how the body of each race in this Village works, what diseases and ailments can be cured or at least lessened. She is a warrior, just like her sister.

“You all have… A weird friendship.” Eadwald says “Regardless. Volter, you should go. The rest of the morning does not concern you.”

“I disagree. If we face magic, I want to know how it works.” I say, readying my notebook.

“He is right.” Meuko says.

“It is only a given he would.” Eadwald says, sighing “Let us proceed.”

The rest of the… Teachings, I guess, went smoothly. The world works the way it does because of countless properties all colliding and working with and sometimes against each other. Magic is simply a part of this world. In theory, anyone could use it without saying a word or moving a muscle. The problem is that just like a muscle, you need to know how to use it. Just like a baby cannot lift its own head, a person cannot just call upon the weather and burn a whole forest without some knowledge of what it is doing. The reason magic users sign with their hands and say specific words is because it helps them focus. The better you get, the less necessary these actions become and the easier it is to maintain focus on the battlefield. Disrupting said focus disrupts the magical actions they took. Blago had apparently finished examining that staff I gave him and Eadwald explained that it was the focus of that Hobgoblin’s powers. There are as many staffs and other things that help with magic as there are stars in the sky. At least… That is what Eadwald believes. How would I know. Blago mentioned that he would try to create powerful items by breaking apart the magical staff. I wonder how that works out. A problem I face is that Eadwald was pretty secretive about the spell she had when we were forced to tell the truth. The runes she used… She did not explain anything about them when I asked, instead claiming that it was not time yet. And then… The personal training begun. Eadwald mentioned that the Hunters will be constantly going on patrols, so she spent less time training us. I do not know what the rest of them worked on, since Eadwald has us training separately, same as before. Anyways, I have no idea how they could get their affinities, or whatever it was called, stronger. I simply trained with Blago again. A few days of spear training, sword training, unarmed combat. Everything I learned had to slightly be changed, considering my new… Capabilities. Weaknesses. They are just weaknesses at this point. Sylvar spent some time teaching me how to use a bow. Just the basics, so I know how to hold one if there is ever a need. I can manage hitting a tree at short range. Where exactly is a bit tricky as of now, but there is always room for improvement. When I had the chance, I learned about sorcerers from Eadwald. How I could decipher patterns they used, recognizing the spell they would use, making it easier for me to dodge. Basic principles of body and material use for spell activation and other terms I can barely keep focus on. I also got to spend time with Sylvie. That made me forget about things a bit. She learned one command from me. That was the word heel. Now, she could stay right by my side if I ever needed her to. If I had to assume, Sylvar’s commands would take priority, but that is a good first step. Helping around the Village was tricky at first, since everyone was too scared that I overworked myself. I spent some time around the kids, hearing stories of Orcs and seeing them train. I had to see and choose my favorite out of the three daggers that Ana made. Simply choosing one was not enough. Explanation was required. A skilled wood carver needs criticizing to improve, I guess. I approached Murat with an idea. I wanted to learn more about the tactics the Orcs used. At first, she thought I was crazy but I won her over. I would spend some time training the kids so she could… Sleep, I think. In return, I learn of valuable stratagems or at least that is what Murat called them. Blago promised me that he would give me a new type of armor he was working on. Something special for my… Condition. I do not know what the result would be but, knowing Blago, it sounds good. So many things to do… The dreams, their meaning. There is also the matter of the ore in the western area. Then there is that hobgoblin. There was talk about a queen, whatever that means. I guess it is a Leader. It sounded important. The hobgoblin mentioned us and the lack of help. If they know we are here, why are they not asking for help? Why are they not attacking us? I also helped a bit at my parents’ farm, learning about all sorts of things. Ean appears to have an affinity for flame which… Considering he did not roast me alive when I got stabbed… Checks out. Dariy has an affinity for earth. When I told them about me being an Empty One, they had no idea what I was talking about. That conversation was just as weird as the one with Eadwald.

Stolen novel; please report.

Stay safe, son.

This not just about me.

There are other ways to help.

I know, and every single one of them could be an accident waiting to happen. Danger is everywhere. Especially outside, where we have no knowledge of what is happening right now. Something IS happening.

We love you, you know that right?

I love you too. That is why what I want has not changed. I need to get stronger. I will help Blago. I will communicate with these goblins. I will make things better for the Village.

And I do not care if I have to hurt myself using magic to do it. I cannot let people around me get hurt just because I might get hurt as well. Meuko, Sylvar, Julie. Every one of them is vital to the functioning of the Village. As a result of the goblin attacks, any food gathering activity has been halted. My parents are now under pressure to maintain a steady supply of sorghum and other plants. Eadwald allowed people to fish, if such a need arises. Blago also had an increased demand of inspections around the houses, making sure there are no repairs needed. Murat was extremely worried about the kids, making every Villager take turns patrolling around the Village. In a weird way, the problems these past few weeks have increased our sense of unity. Sylvar passed around knowledge of medicinal plants, how nuts help with getting stronger. Julie also started doing visits, helping the elderly feeling safer and teaching them about proper bandage techniques and passing around jars with curative mixtures and the like. A week and a half have passed since that whole magic lecture. The real problem is that we never got the metal ores that our blacksmith wanted. Apparently, Blago is rather patient. He did not mind our temporary absence. Normally, the Hunters would have been getting these resources, only… They have been patrolling the eastern parts of the Village non-stop. Goblin activity has increased. We had a few meetings with the Hunters, discussing threats and general duties. There have been sightings of monsters like griffins, trolls, ogres and a few other names that I had no time to take a note of. The experienced ones would deal with the eastern activity while us would deal with the western one. One encounter was rather weird, though. At the end of one of these meetings, Alayne gestured at me to stay back. Alone.

“Are you aware of the trouble you are facing?”

“Of course not, Leader. You are one of the three people that know what is happening outside.”

“That is not what I mean. You have already lost some of your sight. The fight has not even begun. What more can you give, Volter?”

“I can fight, just like before. Nothing changed.”

“Trust no one.”

What is happening? Everyone is acting like we are dying soon. I did not mention that exchange to the rest of them. They are worried enough as it is. Sylvar tried to reassure me…

“I will have your left side, my friend Volter. Do not worry.”

“I love you… But you have to relax.”

“What is it that you mean?”

“I mean that I do not want you to focus on me. I can take care of myself, same as Meuko… Well, maybe not the same but you get it. Your role is watching the fight from afar and supporting us. Meuko is big and definitely strong but she is still mortal.”

“I understand.”

“What about you?”

“You will have to be somewhat more descriptive now.”

“I mean about the dream we had. That kid, learning archery… That was you, was it not?”

Sylvar remained silent, surprised and… Slightly proud.

“You might have lost an eye, but your sight certainly got better.”

“That much is true. Distance is still a bit tricky though.”

“No more throwing daggers unless it is an emergency. Stick with spears for now.”

“Sylvar...”

“Yes. That was me. That was my mother. El’Rtana. She taught me everything I know about bows and arrows.”

“What happened?”

“We might get a chance to talk about it if another shared dream happens. If not, I would like to keep this memory personal for now.”

There is sadness in his eyes… He looks pensive. Whatever memory it is… Happy is not what I would call it.

“Understood.”

“Thank you.”

“Always, my friend Sylvar.”

I did not talk about anything important with Meuko and Julie. Instead, I wanted to take that time to just be with them, have fun, laugh… All the things that were truly important to me. Julie and I avoided the whole kids dying in a nightmare thing. At first, she kept apologizing for the scars I got. Specifically the one on my abs where the liver or something is, and the one on my forehead. I kept talking about how grateful I am. Meuko must have probably been tired of that whole interaction. Once we got our courage back up and our equipment ready, thank Blago, we decided on another excursion. Getting that metal ore is perfect exercise. I think. At this point, returning without losing a limb would be considered a great victory. For the first time since I became a Hunter, sort of… My parents came to the edge of the Village, wanting to say goodbye. They must have been worried.

“You better take care.” Dariy says.

“If I could…”

“You would not allow me to go outside, I know. And if I could, I would make sure we were all safe. Oh, this is what I am doing.” I interrupt Ean.

“This kid...” Ean says “Keep him safe.”

“I will step in front of an arrow to save him.” Meuko says.

Meuko is wearing a cloak that covers her entire upper body. What is up with that? Usually, she wears a shirt and bracers. At least the bracers are still there.

“We will treat him as he treats us. With utmost care.” Sylvar says.

“Okay, okay, this is embarrassing enough. We need to go.” I say, walking away.

“Wait” Julie stops us “Did you check everything?”

“Of course we did, sis.” Meuko says “Outsider, what are you-”

Sylvar opens the bag without even taking it off Meuko’s back.

“Bandages, spears, knives, food for us and Syl- Me, thank you very much. Curatives, rope… Yes, everything is here.” Sylvar looks towards Meuko’s discouraging look. “Better safe than sorry.”

“See you soon.” I say, moving towards the west, getting ready for any problems along the way.

“So… How soon are we getting there?” I ask

“We just started. Some hours, I would suppose.” Sylvar says, leading the group.

“When are-”

“In a few minutes. I want to move further away before calling her.” Sylvar interrupts me, expecting every question.

“Am i-”

“That predictable? I would suppose so.” Meuko says, chuckling.

We all laugh. I missed this feeling of adventure. Forests, birds, deer, rabbits… Even bugs. Well, maybe not bugs. The morning sun tries hard to pierce through the forest’s thick foliage, shadows moving around the ground constantly, reminding me that everything around is alive. A few sudden movements along the lower branches around the trees draws my attention.

“No goblins around here, my friend Volter, you can relax. Only Dire-badgers.”

“Dire what now?”

“An animal that usually resides in open forests and other ecoregions you have not encountered.”

“Eco what now?”

“Regardless. Dire-badgers are mostly harmless, which is rather peculiar, since badgers, meaning a smaller version, are actually quite dangerous.” Sylvar says.

“So, dire means large, large badgers good, small badgers bad.” Meuko says.

“Precisely. To find it in such a dense forest suggests a rather harsh migrating period.”

“I will not even pretend I understand.” I say.

After some time, Sylvar finally does this whistle I cannot imitate. After a minute, Sylvie appears, running, leaping and mostly… Panting. We all take the time to properly run our hands through Sylvie’s fur, trading petting with licks. Not having toxic saliva does not do much for the stinky breath. I can only imagine what Sylvie must be feeding herself when we are not around. I want to learn about magic.

“So… What did you learn?”

“Magic?” Meuko asks.

“Of course, magic.” I scoff.

“I learned how to empower my arrows.”

“Checks out.” I say.

“I got stronger.” Meuko says, brushing aside a bush that is in her way.

“No, I meant specifically about magic.” I explain.

“Yes.”

“What? How?” I ask in disbelief but mostly… Curiosity.

“You might get the chance to see it. I cannot explain it that well.”

“Do you shout Strength, and then get stronger? That would be fun.”

“No.”

“How about Power?”

“Volt.”

“Got it. Sorry.”

“Muscle.” Sylvar says, chuckling and pretending that he is focusing on casting a spell.

“Not you, too.” Meuko sighs.

“Admit it, we are gonna fight and then suddenly you are gonna say… I call upon the strength of the Village, ‘Nay, I AM the strength of the Village... And then you are probably going to double in size or something.”

“Well… Not double.”

“I was joking.”

“Silence.” Sylvar says, raising his hand, a signal to stop.

Sylvie lowers her body slightly as soon as she sees Sylvar’s stance. Meuko and I crouch as well. I think it has been an hour and something. No chance of getting reinforcements here. More goblins?

“A troll, some distance away, on our left.” Sylvar says.

“Can we move around it?” Meuko asks.

“Quite possibly.” Sylvar says.

“Move as far towards the right side of this area as we can. Avoid confrontation with that beast.” I say, looking at the troll. As scary as the first time I saw it. This one is closer though.

“Why does it have all that moss around it?”

“It is formed as a natural camouflage for when it sleeps.” Sylvar answers.

“Stop talking now.” Meuko says.

“What? I am interested.” I say

A sudden stop of movement from the troll’s side has us worried. Then terrified, as it looks towards us.

“Did it notice us?” I ask.

The troll moves one of its hands that were on a tree and places it on another. The difference being that the previous one was further away from us.

“It noticed us.” Meuko says.

“Run?” I ask.

“Run.” Sylvar says.

“Run.” Meuko says.

We immediately turn around and pick up our pace. I hear loud impacts from behind. The troll has increased its speed. It does not scream or make a primal call or anything. It is… unwavering. The ground shakes as the troll tries to reach us. Sylvar looks back every so often, making sure that we cover more distance than our potential enemy. I assume he also makes sure that we have not stumbled or anything. Just as I think that we are doing fine, my left leg gets caught in something I cannot see. Of course it is the left. I drop on the ground, scraping my left arm.

“Get up.” Meuko says, lifting me up.

I should have practiced running outdoors. I only focused on fighting. My leg hurts, I think there is blood but I cannot check because it would take a lot of time to do so.

“Everything okay.” I say, gesturing to Sylvar. He has his bow ready, immediately strapping it on his back as I reassure him. A wail. I turn back to see the troll raising one of its long hands, nails extending towards us, almost as if it is complaining. What do you expect us to do? Sit there and die?

“You see this?” I ask.

“Come on. Does not matter.” Meuko says, putting her hand on my shoulder.

Why is it following us if it obviously cannot catch us? After a few minutes of running away, we stop to catch our breath, confident that it is out of sight.

“That was creepy.” I say.

“Are you okay?” Sylvar asks.

“Yes. No worries.” I say, patting my own leg down to check for any bleeds. Looks fine so far.

“Those arms. If it gets a good chance, it could instantly rip us apart.” Meuko says.

“Thanks for that visual.” I say.

“I think we are safe.” Sylvar says.

“Do you have any tips?” I say.

“Sadly, no. I have never read about them or had a close look at them. I always tried to avoid them.” Sylvar explains.

Not much to go on then. Great… Let us hope nothing else goes wrong. If I had to guess though… Everything will.