***

"I told you to be careful!"

Sofra didn't like to raise her voice for no reason, so Tao turned his attention to his mother and the person she was talking to. It was a young woman, almost a girl, named Asarate, who had been taken as a wife by the battle magic user Vern a year ago. Tao was sure that this woman used to buy some medicine from Sofra regularly and figured that today was no exception.

Noticing her son's gaze, Sofra leaned closer to the other woman and began to speak so softly that the boy could no longer catch her words. The two women stood at the front door while he was on the other side of the kitchen, so getting closer without drawing attention to himself was impossible. But Tao didn't need to do that to find out what was being said. The boy began to concentrate his spirit power to enchant his hearing.

Over many months, Tao had improved this skill considerably. Regular, steady doses of long pulses of the spirit power guaranteed a steady level of enhanced hearing. The boy had also realized that it was more important to concentrate the power on the inner mechanism and nerves of the ear rather than the physical part. The human ear was sensitive enough to pick up relatively tiny vibrations from the other end of the room. It was more important to be able to interpret these signals correctly in the nerves before the brain perceived it as language.

As usual, the more Tao understood how supernatural forces worked, the more effectively he could use them.

"...I did’n hear him come... When he asked what it was, I said... it's the medicine I got from you." The boy was able to hear Asarate's amplified whisper again.

"Eternal father... did he guess what it was?" Sofra seemed quite worried.

"No, no! Me sure, he would have raised a fuss right away... But me still afraid." The other woman's voice and hand movements also expressed anxiety.

Her language was also slightly different, with a kind of accent.

"If your husband is truly hoping for an early result, then suspicion will only grow... especially if he also finds out that you come to see me regularly."

"Then what should I do?"

"You... want to continue?"

There was silence for a moment, Asarate was thinking, lowering her gaze. The fingers of her hand played restlessly with the top of her apron.

"I… me not ready yet... so..." The young woman's reply was vague.

Tao though was sure he heard every word that came on Asarete's lips, she just didn't say everything out loud.

"I understand." Sofra nodded seriously.

"Is that... be good? I don't want you to get in trouble because of me."

"Don't worry about it. I want to help you because I understand better than anyone." Sofra put her hands on the other woman's palms and smiled.

"Thank you..." Asarate's voice trailed off.

The two women embraced and then went deeper into the house. Sofra offered the guest tea and sat her down at the table. They began to talk in normal voices but about everyday things. Tao never understood what had upset his mother and the other woman. As far as they could tell, it had something to do with Vern, who was arrogant, petty, and otherwise unpleasant in the boy's eyes.

Well, it didn't sound like they were planning to poison this one... I hope Tao was thinking.

"Is a husband of yours helping the young hunters prepare for the contest again?" Asarate asked.

"Yes, for over a week now. Indres is not quite pleased though..."

"Why so?"

"They plan to impress the guests with an excellent display, but they can't learn serious skills in such a short time. Indres is afraid that the young men will overdo it and hurt themselves seriously."

"Oh yeah... my husband often goes there to laze around... umm... better say - to watch the youngsters train. Vern laughs about it at home, but me think, you see, he's envious because he doesn't have any apprentices himself." Asarate lowered her voice a little, but not so much that Tao had to use his spirit power again.

"Well, there's nothing he can do. Only fully-fledged mages are allowed to teach battle magic to others."

"Uh... don't tell him that. He doesn't like the word 'acolyte' either."

"How silly... " Sofra shook her head.

"So it is... but enough about that. How are your children?" Asarate's gaze went to Tao, then to the cradle where Inya lay.

"Safe and sound, as usual. Safia is visiting friends, so the house is calmer today."

"It befell to me... can I help? Maybe?"

"Help?"

"Yeah, to look after the children when you go out or something"

"Thanks, but I don't want to bother..."

"No! I be in joy to do it!"

"And what about your husband?"

"Well, I can say that me want to go learnin’ take care of kids. You see, for the time when me will have little ones of my own... Besides, that would help to answer why I'm coming to you."

Sofra seemed to ponder this proposal. As far as Tao could tell, there was nothing like a kindergarten in the village, and the young children were usually looked after by their mothers or other close relatives. The boy's parents had no other relatives in the village, so Sofra usually got help from her friend Reyte or older aunties in the neighborhood. Tao had noticed his mother was often hesitant to ask for help taking care of kids and felt embarrassed when someone offered it.

However, Asarate spoke insistently and acted as if Sofra was doing her a favor by agreeing to help.

"Then I will rely on your kindness." Tao saw his mother nod her head.

"What kindness there... rather you help me. " Asarate blushed a little.

Sofra's respectful demeanor seemed to embarrass the young woman.

Another nanny, eh? Tao examined Asarate more closely.

It was hard to think of this high-school-age girl as a married woman, especially as her round face and big eyes made her look even younger. Her look and her voice also conveyed a kind of adolescent shyness. The boy judged that Sofra was perhaps only about 5 years older, but the difference in mannerisms between the two women was remarkable.

To help the children get used to the new face, Sofra encouraged Asarate to spend some time with Inya and Tao. As could be expected, Tao's little sister did not quite want to be taken in arms by a stranger and at first called after her mother. With Sofra's help, however, Inya slowly accepted the other woman's presence.

Tao did not consider this girl a threat or anything, so he tried to be friendly to Asarati from the beginning. But Sofra still insisted that Asarate spend some time with the boy, so he had to put up with it.

So, Tao had to sit in the lap of this barely grown-up woman while she read a book in front of him.

"In the Realm of Old, one father had three sons, two wise and one a fool. When it was time for the eldest to take a wife, his father gave him three gold coins and sent him to the town to find a sui… sui-table bride...' Asarate read slowly.

When the eldest son crossed the mountain valley, a tiny deorg in tattered clothes sat by the roadside and asked for a copper coin, but the eldest son gave none... Tao was reading the story further forward in his head.

Unlike the boy's mother (and Tao himself), Asarate's reading skills were not very good. Moreover, the book had been read often enough for Tao to know every story by heart. And yet he patiently stayed in the girl's lap and let her spell the words. That didn't mean the boy couldn't do something useful.

In addition to the usual spirit power training, Tao tried to improve his ability to perceive spirit power with his mind. He persuaded Eleya to help him with the protective barrier for three more nights to further master this ability. A month later, Tao's mind was able to perceive a much smaller amount of spirit power, and with his own barrier active.

It was still strange - taking information into the mind not from the senses but directly. Sometimes Tao had the thought that he was imagining it. But by moving the hand from which the spirit power flowed, or by changing the intensity of the flow, what the boy perceived changes in his mind immediately. Eleya also confirmed that his perception was true to reality.

Tao was still careful not to release spirit power when Sigi was at home. Fortunately, Indres took the dog, who was growing rapidly, out with him often, providing such a valuable opportunity for training. Asarate's presence did not change that.

The boy innocently folded his hands in his lap, palms up, and let the spirit power flow upwards from them. Tao did not close his eyes but tried to distance himself from what he saw and heard, concentrating his consciousness on abstract thoughts.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Slowly, the information about the spirit power spreading from the boy's hands into the air crystallized in his mind.

Too slow, Tao was not satisfied.

To be able to use the sonar technique, he needed to be able to pick up information instantly, which, moreover, would be more complex than a simple stream in a straight direction

Asarate spent several hours with Sofra and her younger children before finally going home to prepare dinner for her husband. It turned out that she was not the only visitor today. This was revealed when Indres returned home with Sigi at dinner time.

"Wife, we have guests." He announced immediately as he walked through the door.

He was followed by an old man in a traveling cloak but a familiar face. It was selesti Neter, who visited the village from time to time.

"Greetings, Sofra. I'm sorry to bother you so unexpectedly with my presence." He bowed politely.

"No, we have the honor of welcoming the noble Neter." Sofra hurried closer and bowed lower.

"Noble Neter will join us for dinner," Indres announced.

"If our modest meal is acceptable..."

"It's all right, I actually just wanted to have a little chat with your husband, but he insisted I stay for dinner." The old man smiled guiltily.

Tao noticed that his father's usually serious face expressed more concern than usual. The boy judged that selesti had not just come for a courtesy call. This conviction was strengthened when the old man also greeted Sofra's children and examined Tao particularly closely, even kneeling on one knee in front of him.

"Noble Neter?" Sofra seemed surprised by this.

"It's good, I just wanted to see better... the children are growing fast, that's true." The old man replied to the woman.

Then he spoke directly to the boy.

“I hope, you are obedient to your parents?"

"Yes..." replied Tao simply.

"That's good, child... " Neter smiled.

Unlike the noblewoman, the selesti, who had paid attention to Tao the first time, Netera's eyes were more sincere, less interrogative. As far as the boy could tell, the old man wasn't using any supernatural powers either. Still, the keen eyes kept Tao on his guard.

Neter got to his feet and smiled soothingly at the boy's mother. Indres' face showed nothing.

Both Tao's parents and other adults used to say a short phrase, like a mantra or a short prayer, before meals.

"Gratitude and harmony."

In a way, this was not much different from Japanese culture, so it was not difficult for Tao to accept it.

The selesti did not seem to be full-fledged priests, more like monks, but a religious profession nonetheless. Perhaps that's why Neter's words before the meal were different.

"Gratiepharu. Gratitude in the heart. Peace in the mind."

This was a bit strange not only for Tao but also for Safia, who usually tried to repeat "gratitude and harmony" with her parents. Perhaps that was why, during dinner, the girl looked suspiciously at the grey-haired man who had disturbed her routine.

Tao's parents questioned the guest about events further south, closer to the provincial center, while Neter inquired about life in the village and news in the area. Although the conversation was calm, Tao felt a kind of tension from his parents.

Sofra soon encouraged the older children to finish their meal and go to their bedrooms, while she put Inya to bed. A serious conversation was to be had without the children present. Tao was no longer at the age when his parents allowed him to hear everything because they thought the boy would not understand. Safia pouted her lips in frustration, but her mother was implacable.

Tao didn't object, because she could listen anyway with enchanted hearing. True, Safia's presence could cause problems if she started making noise nearby. So, the boy asked Sofra to let him stay in his parents' bedroom, away from his sisters. Used to her son's inclination to stay alone, Sofra did not object.

"The children are in the bedrooms. Shall I leave you two?" Tao heard his mother's voice.

"No, that won't be necessary. In true... you could say this applies to both of you." Neter said.

"We're listening." Indres chimed in.

"First... about your boy. Have you noticed anything strange lately?" The first question immediately made Tao's heart beat faster.

"Strange? Is... is it because of what noble Avelin said?" Sofra's voice was also filled with concern.

"Well, she and your husband too, Sofra. I don't think there's anything wrong with the child, I just want to know if he's shown any unusual ability, as those who have received a gift tend to do." It seemed that Neter was trying to comfort the woman.

"Tao was unusually perceptive from the early days, but otherwise I have nothing to say." Tao sensed the protective tones in his mother's voice.

"I haven't noticed anything strange since we last spoke on the subject. Sigi, our new sereni, doesn't react the same way as Teru in the presence of the boy." Indres replied.

"That's probably good... although, no definite answer as to whether Indres' guess is correct... " the old man seemed to relent.

"When the boy is older, we'll see. I would be happier, though, if the Temple were more interested in how to deal with the threat from the forest." There seemed to be a colder tone in Indres' voice.

"Then I guess I have good news for you... if you can put it that way. I have been asked to move to your village, to take care of your shrine, blessings, and healings."

There was silence for a moment. Tao got the impression that his parents were surprised by the announcement.

"I don't know if it will be permanent, but I think as long as this threat exists, Ueki will be my new home." Neter continued to speak.

"Why now? Has something changed?" Indres asked when he regained his voice.

Neter drank a little before he began to tell.

"You could say that. I don't know all the details, but... It seems that since last autumn, people started disappearing in the villages around the town of Silvaya, southeast of the forest. Mostly hunters, lumbermen, berry pickers, and others who went into the forest for one reason or another. Spawns and other animals occasionally attack people, so it is not unusual. But this winter the number of disappearances was much higher than usual, and there were other strange circumstances. In particular, it seemed that many people went deeper into the forest than usual for no good reason. Sometimes traces were found that indicated an attack by beasts or monsters, but not corpses or their remains. Everyone was afraid to go into the forest to find out what had happened.

Although no one knew the true nature of this matter, highway robbers had been operating in the Silvaya area for some time, hiding somewhere in the woods, so suspicion fell on them. The town then organized a group of hunters and soldiers to find the robbers and deal with them. This warband, as far as I understood, numbered more than 100 people. It took some time, but eventually, the hunters found the den of robbers in a rock cave. But it was empty, abandoned by the people before the onset of winter.

The warband didn't want to give up so easily, though, and decided to find the traces of the last missing victims and try to find something by following them. The plan was successful. Among them was the master hunter who served a noble family. He had been permitted to bring dogs and birds that could follow the traces of magic, like your dog here."

"Sereni?" Indres chimed in.

"I guess. They found a place where one of the missing had fought with a creature and the animals sensed something leading deeper into the forest. The whole band then followed. For a while, all was well, but a few days later they were attacked by a group of spawns. The attack was repelled and the warband continued to push deeper into the forest. But the next attack was different. In the middle of the night, the monsters unexpectedly attacked from several sides, but without much force, and the warriors quickly began to pursue them. But when most of the men had moved away from the camp, another monster, different from the others, unexpectedly attacked it. It seemed to appear out of thin air and swiftly killed the magical birds and dogs, as well as the master hunter. This enemy fled before the others could get to him. As far as warriors could see, the monster had large, dark wings and sharp claws. Its scream made the people feel an unnatural shiver."

Listening to selesti’s words, Tao also felt a shiver down his spine. Memories of gloving red eyes and a heart-rending scream came unbidden to his mind. The sharp teeth that grabbed the boy around the waist, the smell of burning flesh...

"I'm sorry, Neter... Sofra, would you like to rest?" Tao heard his father's voice.

It seemed that Sofra wasn't feeling well either.

"No... no, it's all right. Noble Neter, what happened next?" She insisted that the old man continue his story.

"The other monsters scattered in all directions immediately afterward. Although the hunters could follow their physical tracks, it was not clear which direction was the right one. Moreover, it was clear that the extermination of the magical animals was not accidental. Someone wanted to hide something magical in the forest. The group decided to retreat and returned to the town to tell what had happened. They returned two weeks ago.

The Silvaya town’s council then turned to Lord of Keser for help, as well as the Temple, because they judged that more than a band of marauders or spawns were to blame. Noble Endrea Baern, the Lights guard you know, volunteered to help organize a stronger, better-prepared regiment to fight this enemy. Your hunch, Indres, was correct. It seems that this evil force is indeed able to dominate the spawn, incredible as it may seem...

Well, while Noble Baern is organizing the new host, he also convinced my order that someone should be sent to this village, where the unusual spawn attack happened for the first time. And as I am most familiar with the area, this duty was entrusted to me."

For a moment, Tao could no longer hear voices from the kitchen, only Safia's from the other room as she played with her dolls alone.

"Will... will Indres have to join this group too?" Sofra was the first to speak up.

"I don't know the details of the new plan, but they didn't ask me to look for volunteers or to spread the word about what was going on. Besides... " Neter fell silent.

"Yes?" Tao heard his mother urging the old woman to keep talking.

"Well, they didn't ask me to keep it a secret...I was also entrusted to keep an eye on Indres and the little Tao."

"The temple wants you to spy on us?" Indres' voice held both surprise and anger.

"No one asked me to spy, only to look after. If this evil force in the forest had an interest in the boy in the past, it's best to be cautious."

"Well, when it comes to protecting my son, I have no objections." Indres seemed to calm down.

"I'm glad to hear that... But to answer your wife's question, if the Temple gave me such an order, I don't think they would insist that Indres go into the forest, away from his son."

"That's good to know, thank you," Sofra replied.

"There is another thing. When I heard about the events in Silvaya, I found out that also around Ulma, where my shrine is located, the cases of people disappearing into the forest have increased in the last six months. Not as much as in Silvaya, but still more than usual. So, it occurred to me that perhaps the land to the southeast of the Elesa Forest was not the only place where people were disappearing in large numbers. I sent out a message to the town of Grensa and the villages nearby, but there was no time to wait for a reply. I was only in Deria on the way here, but they said there had been very few cases of missing people recently." Neter continued talking.

"Same here. As far as I know, it's the same in Periya. I can't say about the villages further away, although I think I would have heard about it if the number of attacks had increased a lot." Indres spoke slowly.

"But that's because there are fewer monsters around the village, isn't it? You said it yourself." Sofra chimed in.

"Yes. Since the battle at the tower in the forest... No, since the attack on the village last spring, the monsters have stopped showing up near the village. They are also harder to find in the immediate area. But... I don't think it's natural. It looks like they just started doing their evil in a different area." Indres' voice was somber.

"That's what it looks like... I'm hoping for an answer from Grensa soon, but I also want to know what's happening in the other Free Villages. Fortunately, your contest for young warriors is in a few days, isn't it? I remember last year there were people from other villages too." Neter said.

"Yes, but mostly from the ones nearby. Vestra and Norta are several days to travel, but Reivete is about as far as Ulma. I don't know if anyone will be from those faraway places." Indres seemed skeptical.

"You need to start keeping more messenger birds... but well, it is what it is. Can I ask for your help?"

"In what way?"

"Find guests from other villages during the event and find out if disappearances have become more frequent in their homes. Or anything else strange. Something bad has taken root in this forest, no doubt. The more we know, the better."

"I'll take care of it," Indres promised.

"I'll help too," Sofra added resolutely.

"Thank you both."

Soon, Neter left for his accommodation and Indres accompanied him. Sofra, meanwhile, went into the bedroom to see her son. He managed to move away from the door and tried to pretend that he was snoozing in his parent's bed.

"Upety... time to sleepee." Sofra took the boy in her arms and kissed him on the cheek.

Although the tone of his mother's voice was warm, Tao also felt something strange. Curious, he opened his eyes and looked at his mother's face.

"Oh, I woke you up? Sorry. Shall we go to bed?" Sofra smiled at her son.

Outwardly she looked normal... but the boy could feel the anxiety in his mother's hands and eyes. No doubt, the selesti’s story had thrown her off balance.

"Everything will be all right. Mummy won't let them near you..." Sofra spoke more to herself than to Tao.

He snuggled against his mother's chest as she carried the boy to the kids' room.

Tao's heart clenched in a pain he had hoped to forget.

Guilt and shame.

Once again, Sofra was forced to lose her peace of mind because of him.

The realization that many people had fallen victim to the enemy while he was oblivious.

Could I have prevented it by doing anything differently? An unpleasant question came to mind.

Unfortunately, there was no answer.

***