I thought today would be like every other day.
I was wrong.
I'm not in my bed anymore — I'm in the air. A spear came out of nowhere. Out of that magic circle. It went through my stomach and it's holding me up off the ground like I weigh nothing.
It hurts.
The moment the circle lit up, the spears came.
Dozens of them, erupting from the ground in every direction, punching through tent walls, through sleeping figures, through anyone who hadn't woken up fast enough. Screams split the night air from every corner of the village. Blood ran between the tents in thin, dark rivers.
Linea and Mendriya were already at Jhed's side, both of them pulling at the spear with their hands, their magic, their desperation — trying to get it out without making it worse.
Jhed's eyes drifted past them.
To Loane.
He could tell from across the distance. The angle of the body. The stillness. The spear through his throat.
He's gone.
Jhed waited for something to move inside him. Grief. Shock. Anything.
Nothing came.
He was only here for a short time. That's probably why.
"Mendriya." Linea's voice cut sharp. "Focus on your brother. What's gone is gone. Don't think about it right now."
Linea worked fast — threads of magic winding around the spear shaft, loosening it degree by degree. When it finally pulled free, Jhed dropped back onto the bed and she pressed a vial to his lips immediately.
A healing potion. Probably.
I don't need it, Jhed thought distantly, swallowing anyway. My body heals on its own. But she doesn't know that.
The wound was already closing by the time Linea pulled her hands back.
"Dad—" Mendriya had crossed the tent to Loane's side. Tears ran down her face without stopping, steady and silent, the kind that come when crying out loud would take more energy than you have left.
Jhed stood up.
He walked out of the tent.
Outside, the village looked like the aftermath of something catastrophic. Spears jutting from the ground at odd angles. Tents collapsed. Fires starting where candles had tipped over.
People were crying. People were searching. People were just standing, not knowing where to go.
I should help, the voice inside Jhed said. Even if I don't feel anything. Even if it's just for appearances. Someone will think badly of me if I just stand here.
He moved.
He found an old man pinned through the leg and pulled the spear free, careful and precise. He carried healing potions to those who needed them. He helped carry bodies back to families who were still searching.
He worked without speaking. Without crying. Without stopping.
When he came back to the tent, Mendriya was kneeling beside Loane with her head on his chest, shoulders shaking.
Linea watched her for a moment. Her eyes filled.
She looked away and didn't let herself cry.
"Jhed." She turned to him. "Come say goodbye to your father."
Jhed walked over and stood beside Loane.
The spear had gone through his throat cleanly. He must have died fast. There was something almost merciful about that, if you looked at it the right way.
He came back, Jhed thought. After nine years, he came back. He brought me a sword. He said he'd teach me tomorrow.
There was no tomorrow.
"This place isn't safe anymore." Linea was already moving, pulling their belongings into a cloth sack with practiced efficiency. "We're leaving. Now. Both of you — pack what you need."
"I'm not leaving him." Mendriya didn't move. "I'm not leaving Dad."
"Mendriya." Linea's voice cracked on the name. Then steadied. "Do you want to die here like he did?"
Silence.
"They'll be here soon. The ones who did this. If we don't move—" She stopped. Breathed. "There are safe places. I know where to go. But we need to leave now."
She kept packing while she talked.
"You don't understand what's happening in this world right now. Both of you. This is just how it is here — we survive, and we keep moving, and we find somewhere better. That's all we can do."
Mendriya was quiet for a long moment.
Then she stood up.
They packed in silence.
Outside the tent, Mendriya paused and looked back.
"Dad..."
Just that. No more.
Jhed stood at the entrance and took one last look at the tent — the two beds, the clay pots, Rayo's old spot, the place where the candle had been.
Then he turned and followed Linea into the dark.