Faren tightened the cloth above the wound but the bleeding didn’t subside.

“We need to stabilize him. Quickly, bring me some bandages,” Faren screamed.

Erik gulped before stepping forward, holding out the potion vial. “Use this. It can heal his wounds.”

“Did you make this potion with properties to repel diseases?” Faren asked as he got handed the potion.

Repel.. what—’ Erik started thinking but shut his mind quickly as he didn’t have the time to ponder. “No,” he said as it was better to be safe than worry about it later.

Faren grimaced, took the potion, and turned to the lying man. “You’re in for a world of pain lad,” he said before opening the cork of the alcohol bottle and dumping it on the wound, the liquid hissing as it met the torn flesh.

The hunter screamed in agony, his body convulsing in response. His eyes were bloodshot.

Several villagers rushed to hold him down, their faces grim as they struggled to keep him still. The air was thick with tension and the acrid smell of blood and alcohol.

It was the first time Erik himself had seen an injury so severe. His heart seemed to pound on his ears as the screams of the hunter echoed throughout the village.

Once the wound was cleansed, Faren uncorked the potion and poured it over the injury—as healing potions could either be healed or applied to the wound for a quicker, more specific effect. The potion’s magic took hold, the bleeding slowed down and the torn flesh began to knit together.

The hunter’s screams subsided into pained whimpers as the potion worked its way through his system. The villagers’ expressions shifted from fear to awe as they watched the miraculous healing. There were gasps and stares among the crowd.

Faren sighed and got up. The empty bottle he held in his hand had saved the situation.

“Thank you for saving his life, Elder. My son was too young to die,” an old villager who had brought the hunter here said before kneeling. His hands interlaced together in gratitude.

Faren turned to the assembled villagers, raising his voice to address them. “This was only possible because of Erik Blake’s potion. He is willing to provide these potions to the village every week for fair compensation, so he can help his family, who have been in trouble for a while now.”

There were murmurs of distrust from the crowd, skeptical voices rising in protest. “Why should we trust him?” someone called out. “His family has always been different.”

The voices kept on growing until the hunter who had been just saved finally sat up, gasping for air. Seeing the almost dead man a minute ago get up stopped the voices.

“I, John, will be forever grateful for being saved by both our Elder and Erik Blake,” he said, his voice hoarse but determined to reach everyone around. “If it wasn’t for that potion, I’d be dead.” He raised his gloved hands, his eyes wide with the memory of his near-death. “I was sure I was seeing the gates of heaven when they started treating me. I thought I was a lost cause, but this saved me.”

He paused, taking a shaky breath before continuing. “I’ve lost friends in past years to animal or monster attacks. We can stop this now if we all gather some coin. Let’s make sure no one else has to die like that.”

The voices of distrust quieted as the weight of the hunter’s words settled over the crowd. Slowly, the villagers began to nod in agreement, their initial resistance giving way to acceptance.

Faren nodded, satisfied. “Let us put our grievances aside. This is about the well-being of our community. If we work together, we can ensure that no more lives are lost needlessly.

The crowd that had gathered outside soon dispersed. Not all were satisfied with this, of course, but most people were tired of seeing their loved ones dying every year and deadly attacks seemed to be increasing for quite some time now. John once again thanked Faren and Erik.

“If you ever need something, come by my hut near the woods. I’ll be happy to help,” he said before waving and leaving.

Erik waved back, he was satisfied with this result—things were really going for him now.

“Thank you, Elder,” Erik said earnestly. If he could live with this, then it would do wonders for the way he was leading his life until now.

Faren nodded, his expression softening. “Your efforts saved a life today, Erik. I’d love to set a deal with you right away, but I need to arrange a meeting with the other villagers first.” He clapped a reassuring hand on Erik’s shoulder. “Go tell your family the news. I’ll get back to you in a couple of days with a fair deal.”

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“I understand,” Erik replied, a warm smile spreading across his face.

----------------------------------------

A few hours had gone by. Erik had returned home and eagerly shared the news with his family.

Anna and Ben hugged Erik so hard that he lost his breath. They told him countless times how incredible he was. Erik told them he really wasn’t since he only provided the potion but he couldn’t help but feel happy with all the compliments.

Surprisingly, even his mother joined in the hug, though she wasn’t as bone-crushing as the siblings. She even felt that it was necessary to cook a nice meal. It was a change, to say the least. This feeling of home, of love, was something that the family were finally able to feel after so many struggles that left an emptiness in their hearts.

Perhaps the change was ongoing.

After dinner, Erik stepped outside to watch the sunset, the sky painted in hues of orange and pink. He felt a calm he hadn’t experienced in years, a feeling of things finally falling into place.

Eventually, he lost track of time. Erik didn’t know whether he spent twenty minutes or an hour feeling the breeze pass through him and thinking about how his life had been changing. He only knew it was dark now and getting chilly so it was better to head inside.

That’s when he heard footsteps behind him.

“Well, well, look who’s living the good life,” a familiar voice sneered.

Erik jumped off the ground after hearing those words. He turned sharply to see Rat. His heart sank, disbelief and dread washing over him. The gang had found the village.

“It's been a while, eh?” Erik said, trying to play it cool though his heart was racing. His arms were lifted to chest height-

‘No,’ he thought, his mind racing. Starting a fight would most likely be suicidal.

Rat pressed something in his belt. Though it was dark, Erik could see a bit of a blade. If it came to a fight, Erik would be at a severe disadvantage and probably be slaughtered in a couple of minutes. He forced himself to drop his arms and sighed, trying to calm his heart.

“Good choice,” Rat sneered, stepping forward and wrapping his arm around Erik’s neck in a mocking gesture of comradeship. “The nightfall here sure is pretty,” he added with a snarky tone.

Erik stiffened under Rat’s arm, his jaw clenched. The thug’s casual demeanor only fueled his fury, but he knew he had to keep it in check. He couldn’t afford to make any rash moves.

“What are you doing here?” Erik said with a steady voice.

smirked, taking a step closer. “You didn’t think you could just run off and leave us, did you? We’ve been looking for you, Erik. You owe us.”

Erik’s fists clenched at his sides. “I don’t owe you anything.”

“Oh, but you do,” Rat said, his tone mocking. “Our leader, Zac, was nice to you at the start, giving you a high wage and letting you keep a few stolen things because he saw potential in you. Your disappearance for the past month however was a blow to his goodwill.”

‘I can’t believe I associated myself with them,’ Erik felt so stupid. If only he had explored more options instead of jumping to crime, this would’ve never become a problem.

“And yeah? Why should I care about him?” Erik retorted. Though he was in a dire situation, showing weakness would likely only make the man take advantage of him.

Upon hearing Erik’s words, the hold Rat had tightened a bit.

“Oh, I’m not saying you should. I’m just saying that if you don’t show up in Ashford like a good boy tomorrow, we will have the pleasure of taking the payment directly from the source,” he left the hold, stepping back. A devious smile appeared on his face, showing his missing and yellow teeth. “Your mother is quite the looker, I’m sure our boys will think the same.”

Erik's knew the gang was capable of violence, and he had seen firsthand what they were capable of. But his family—his mother, his younger siblings—were innocent. They didn't deserve to be threatened or harmed. This was no different than any other family they stole, these people felt no remorse over destroying someone’s life.

"You stay away from my family," Erik warned, his voice trembling with suppressed rage. "If any of you lay a finger on them—"

Rat interrupted with a cruel laugh. "What will you do, Erik? You think you can protect them all by yourself? You're just a kid playing hero."

Erik clenched his fists tighter, his nails digging into his palms. He knew Rat was trying to provoke him, but he couldn't ignore the threat to his family. "I'll kill all of you," he growled, his voice low, yet wanting to be heard by the thug.

Rat shrugged nonchalantly. "I’d like to see that. But well, you've got until tomorrow, Erik. Be back in town, ready to work. If you don’t.. well, let’s just say that you won’t like what happens next," With a final smirk, Rat turned and walked away, disappearing into the gathering shadows.

Erik stood there, trembling as the man left.

His jaw was clenched tight with his nails cutting his own hands.

The boy couldn’t believe he had gotten himself in a situation like this to begin with.

Without a second thought, Erik ran inside his home. He told his family he would go see Katherine because of the potions, and with their blessing, he ran into the woods as fast as he could.

He had traversed this path countless times by now, and with the use of fire magic, he could do it as easily as when it was day.

Erik finally staggered to a halt in front of the door, his breaths heavy. Cold sweat was all over his face on his face, running down his flushed cheeks. Every breath was a struggle, his lungs burning from the effort. He leaned heavily against the doorframe, feeling the weight of fatigue settle into his bones. He knocked many times, as loud as he could.

“Seriously, who is this at this time?” The voice of the witch chimed in from the inside, it was raspy and annoyed. After a few moments of silence, he could hear steps before the doorknob moved and the door opened. “What’s.. wrong?” she asked, likely noticing how weird it was for him to be there at his time, furthermore his physical exhaustion was off to her.

“I need your help, Grandma,” he said seriously, his choice of words and determined gaze told her this wasn’t a joke.

She sighed. “You’re lucky I care. Come on in kiddo.”