Lion Province. Two hours after the events with the bandits.

Jack walked in measured steps along the forest path, with a young girl and a teenage boy to his right. They were looking at Jack with a mixture of fear and awe in their eyes. Naturally, they were afraid of him; he was young, cold as ice, and cruel. They knew nothing about him except his name. Jack. And for the past two hours they never started a conversation. Jack just didn't care, and the others were afraid to speak first. finally the girl pulled herself together and made up her mind:

- "Um, Jack, right? Where are you going?" she asked.

Hearing the question, Jack stopped and turned to the girl, but didn't say anything.

- Uh, my name is Nelia, and this is my little brother Chris. The people who died there with us were our father, mother, and uncle..." she lowered her gaze sadly at these words.

- We are a family of blacksmiths, we were on our way to Parnifal to sell some of our wares and learn from the blacksmiths there, but half way there we were attacked by bandits... and they killed our parents... if it weren't for you... we would have been killed..."

- Not killed." said Jack coldly.

- W-what?" Jack's sudden answer caught Nelia off guard.

- You wouldn't have been killed. You're too beautiful and valuable to kill, they'd probably sell you as sex slaves after they'd had some fun with you themselves," Jack cut off, glancing over their scrawny bodies.

At these words, the hitherto quiet Chris began to tremble, his eyes widening as he seemed to imagine the picture. Nelia looked at her brother anxiously, but there was nothing she could do.

- Thank you Sir Jack. We'll repay you what we can." Nelia bowed to Jack at the waist.

- Don't call me Sir. And don't talk to me like I'm older than you," Jack said in a cold tone.

Only now did Nelia notice how young Jack was. By all parameters he was a normal teenager, except for a few things. His demeanor and his eyes. Those two parameters, stood out very much, so much so that those around him could mistake him for an adult in the guise of a child. Nelia looked at Chris from the corner of her eye, he was 13 years old, standing there shaking like an aspen leaf in the wind, his eyes radiating fear and desolation, compared to Jack, he looked like a real child.

- And where are you going Si... Jack?" interlaced her fingers, Nelia asked.

- I'm also going to Parnifal, I want to take part in the war." said Jack.

- Oh! Are you a knight? Or a warrior?" asked Nelia enthusiastically. Hearing the word "knight," Chris raised his gaze to Jack.

- No. I am not a knight. Nor am I a warrior. Just a wanderer going where the war trumpets." said Jack tiredly.

Chris slumped again, his gaze fading. Nelia noticed her brother's behavior and was aware of what was wrong with him, but she couldn't help.

Jack quickened his stride a little and found himself ahead of them, leaving behind brother and sister to be alone and talk. From behind? his figure? under the cold light of the sunset blurred in the air, making his silhouette mysterious and incomprehensible to Nelia.

<....>

By evening, they were camped on the edge of the forest. Chris immediately dropped dead on the ground and fell asleep. Jack stood over the fire and cooked the rabbit he caught along the way, Nelia sat on the sidelines, watching Jack cook. Truth be told, she didn't know how to cook and wasn't very independent, her parents did everything for her, she was their favorite. She regretted it now, wanting to help Jack, but all she could do was watch.

It got dark. Soft lights clubbed up into the evening sky to the soothing crackle of the fire. Jack looked at the rabbit, tasted the broth, and with a nod turned to Nelia.

- Done, wake your brother."

Nelia got up and wandered over to Chris, wrapped in her cloak. She poked him lightly in the shoulder. Chris began to tossing and turning, but still he didn't wake up. She began to push him harder.

-Waaaah!" shrieking, Chris stood up abruptly and pulled a dagger out of his cloak, threatening Nelia. Soon he came to his senses and put it down. His face was drained and drooping.

- I'm sorry, Nelia, I didn't mean..." he said in an apologetic tone.

- Um, come on, the rabbit's ready let's go eat." Nelia tried to say it as blandly as possible and it worked, Chris staggered toward the fire, glancing at Jack.

Jack pulled a bowl out of his bag, poured broth and meat into it, and held it out to Chris. In the reflection of Jack's eyes, Chris saw dancing lights. Chris walked over and took the bowl.

- T-thank you." He sat down and began to eat. Noticing that the others were looking at him, he cocked his head questioningly, swallowing his soup.

- Wh-what? Why are you looking at me like that?"

- Well.... I forgot to take our bowls... so we only have one... and that's Jack's..." Nelia said guiltily, looking at Jack shyly, like a five-year-old girl at a grown-up uncle.

Realizing what was going on here, Chris began to eat faster. All that was heard around him was his quiet slurping. When he finished his soup, he handed the bowl to Nelia as Jack gestured to it.

Nelia poured the soup as well and began to eat quietly. There was something magical, enchanting about that evening silence. But these three were not quite imbued with the beauty of nature; no one wanted to talk, but they did not want to sit in silence either. So Chris, staring deadly at the smoldering logs, asked: "Jack, I saw how you dealt with those bandits..."

Chris looked up at Jack, his voice was firm, "You know how to sword fight, can you teach me? I want to protect myself and my sister, I want to be able to protect what I hold dear, please teach me."

Jack looked at Chris with a piercing look, Nelia stopped to eat her soup and looked at the two of them. Just then, Jack stood up and headed straight for Chris. Chris fidgeted in his seat and got nervous, he could see what Jack was capable of, even though they were the same age, but Chris felt threatened by Jack, more, much more than by his father or those thugs. Jack kept moving in his direction, beads of sweat beginning to appear on Chris's forehead, either from the heat of the fire or from worry for his safety. As soon as Jack got too close, Chris clenched his eyes in fear and covered his face with his hands, supposedly to protect himself. A few seconds passed, but nothing happened, Jack walked past him. Chris turned around and saw Jack picking up brushwood for the fire from the pile behind Chris. Chris's face turned pink with embarrassment. Nelia laughed softly. In response, Chris stared angrily at his sister and turned even more pink, looking like a pitahaya now. Jack threw the kindling into the fire, causing a surging swirl of flames into the air, and sat back down in his previous seat.

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- How do you figure it? It's a day and a half to Parnifal. How can you teach someone to wield a sword in a day and a half? Even if you were the world's most brilliant swordsman, it would take you longer than that." Jack brought Chris down to earth with his words.

- Besides, I wouldn't take it upon myself to teach you anyway. I'm self-taught, no one taught me. I have no idea how to teach other people what I perceive as images in my head." cut off Jack and shut up.

- Well... Can you at least show me some stances or moves? So I can hone them in the future?" asked Chris hopefully.

- I won't do that." Jack said sternly, looking Chris straight in the eye, the tattoo, the same as Nelia's, illuminated by the light of the fire.

- But... I can give you this." With those words a small object flew at Chris, and he caught it on the fly. Opening his fist to see what it was, he saw a medallion with a red sword engraved on it with wings coming off it. Chris recognized the medallion immediately, it was the symbol of the mercenaries of Haras, the best mercenaries of Diolas.

- Go to the Mercenary Guild and show them this medallion. They'll give you a chance to join them. Maybe they'll teach you something, you' ll gain experience for sure... If you make it out alive." Jack blankly muttered, staring into nowhere.

Chris glanced back and forth between Jack and the locket in his hands. Jumping up, he bowed to Jack.

- T-thank you Mr. Jack! I won't forget this!" there was enthusiasm in his voice and the renewed ardor of youth.

At this, Nelia smiled warmly as she looked at her joyful brother. Her brother had always been sullen and windy, but now he looked like he was at ease. Nelia handed the bowl to Jack with a smile, and he took it and began to fill it with the rest of the soup.

Without saying anything, he got up and walked with the bowl away from the makeshift camp, there by a lone tree, he sat down and began to eat, then curled up on the ground and began to sleep.

At the fire, Chris looked at Jack's lying figure, his face a little puzzled.

- Nelly, who do you think he is?" Chris asked her, turning his gaze to her.

- 'I don't know. All I know is that his name is Jack. And I feel like he's nice, just a little different... I don't think he's a danger to us. On the contrary, we're a danger to him. He could be attacked by bandits again because of us. But still he didn't chase us away, he agreed to take us to Parnifal... I have very vague feelings about this whole situation, but one thing is certain, I want to repay him for his kindness in some way, but I don't know how..." Nelia dropped her head between her knees.

- Ha! You don't know! Pay with the most precious thing you've got!" laughed Chris sneeringly.

- What do you mean?" asked Nelia in bewilderment.

- Hehe. I mean your body! Body! Sis!" now Chris's laughter got even more lewd.

- W-what are you talking about! Y-you! Wh-what? He's younger than me! He's almost a child!" Nelia burst into tears and began to stutter at every word.

- Oh, come on! You know guys our age are very curious about love stuff! So it might work! Well, it's not up to me anyway. Oooh, oooh." at the end of his tirade, Chris yawned.

- Okay. I'm sleepy. I'm going to go." Chris got up and went to his cot, leaving Nelia alone with her thoughts.

Nelia sat alone, listening to the distant cry of the night owls. Her thoughts were a mess, and her face was constantly changing color. She glanced up and down at Jack, but each time her expression grew hard. Soon the fire burned out and night covered them with its dark veil.

<....>

It was nighttime. Small animals made their quiet natural sounds, the wind gently swayed the tree crowns in the darkness. On a mat, wrapped in a marching cloak, lay Jack. He was not asleep, he was awake. If he slept, no one would be guarding the camp against invasion. Nor could he sleep in the presence of strangers, his thoughts creeping into his head like cockroaches in soft cheese. He tossed from side to side, his body itching, but not from dirt, something deeper. His body was cramping, numb, aching. His face was a grimace of pain. It was uncomfortable, but familiar at the same time. He'd been through this a thousand times, another night of nothing.

Suddenly, he heard barely audible footsteps in the darkness. He clutched the hilt of the sword hidden under his cloak, preparing to counterattack. But the footsteps stopped beside him; someone stood, looming over him. Jack turned around. Before him stood Nelia, naked, beautiful. Her naked body was illuminated by the pale light of the moon. Embarrassed, she averted her eyes to the side and her bangs fell over her face, preventing Jack from seeing it. She stood before him, shivering slightly from the cold.

- Why Nelia?" asked Jack with a deep sigh.

- I... I wanted to repay you for saving me... but we don't have anything, so I thought maybe you'd like..." she didn't finish the last part, and the thought vanished into thin air.

- Nelia." said Jack with some tenderness. "I don't need it."

- But I do... Please..." she finally turned her teary-eyed face toward him and saw that he was standing in front of her, she was almost a head taller than him, but still she felt lower.

Jack stepped closer to her and pulled his hand toward her, Nelia pulled away a little, but then gave in and closed her eyes. But she hadn't expected Jack to... to start stroking her head in a fatherly way. With his other hand he took off his cloak and threw it over her.

- Don't, Nelia. Don't. I'll get worse." She saw the maelstrom of sadness and sorrow in Jack's eyes.

But Nelia didn't give up; in a rush of emotion, she threw herself on top of Jack, throwing him to the ground. She unbuttoned and removed his dirty, road-worn shirt. Jack lay still, unmoving, letting Nelia do it. As soon as she unbuttoned his shirt, she bounced to the side with a scream, covering the lot with her palm. Jack was lying on his back with his arms spread out at his sides. His entire torso, now bare, was completely covered in scars, the most horrific that Nelia could imagine. In the center of his chest, there was a huge scar, almost two fists long, as if someone had pierced him through with a huge pipe; on his arms, ribs, and stomach, there were scars that looked like they were left by whips and swords.

Seeing Nelia horrified by his body, Jack slowly stood up and began to put his shirt back on. Now Nelia could see his back, and there was not a spot on it that wasn't scarred. Everything was scarred and terribly wounded from the past. Now, Jack no longer seemed to her the inscrutable hero who had saved her and his brother from daring bandits; now he looked like a poor child, forgotten by his parents and left to die in a muddy puddle of mud and blood. Tears came to her face. Her empathy was great before, but in this moment she felt some of the pain he felt. Gently, she walked up to him and hugged him from behind, wrapping her arms around him. Jack trembled, but remained standing. With his back he felt her warmth.

- Maybe you need, but something entirely different..." said Nelia cryptically. With her hands she stopped his hands from putting on his shirt. With a smooth motion she lowered him to where he lay, he didn't resist, he wasn't used to this. She wrapped both of her arms around his head and pressed him against her chest, then threw her cloak over them, keeping them warm.

Jack showed no emotion, his eyes unmoving, staring straight ahead. He could feel her body and it... that warmth seemed to thaw something inside him. Casting aside thoughts of camp security and danger, he closed his eyes and sank into the night, feeling Nelia's heartbeat and hearing her steady breathing that swayed his hair. Immersed in the awareness of the feeling, in the acceptance of the moment, he withdrew into himself and for a moment, forgot about the past he had tried so hard to forget throughout his life. The past that he dreamed of every night, that he saw in his mind.

Nelia looked at the back of Jack's head and gently stroked his head, soothing him. Only now, she realized that Jack was a child. An adult thinking, maybe, but a child. She didn't know why, but she felt sorry for him. She didn't know who he was, where he came from, what he'd been through and where he was going, why? She didn't care, all she knew at that moment was that he was hurting and she could ease that pain with her presence.

Several minutes passed, neither of them spoke or moved. Nelia noticed that Jack's face relaxed and he fell asleep. And she, lay like that all night, listening to her surroundings for objects of danger.

- Sleep, Jack, you can rest now, you've got a lot to do..." said Nelia, looking at the crimson scars on his back.

Maybe we both needed this... Nelia thought, and smiled up at the night sky.