"Come on, Mr. Vane, repeat after me—'here'."
Irene's pronunciation was clear and slow, like a very patient and dedicated teacher.
"Here..."
Vane repeated listlessly, his eyes occasionally drifting to the tightly closed old wooden door, praying that someone would interrupt this tedious lesson:
It was as if I could hear his longing—
Knock knock knock.
"I'll go open the door!"
Vane sprang into action instantly, and in the next second he was clinging to the edge of the door.
The person standing outside the door made Vane raise his eyebrows slightly.
The middle-aged fisherman who had been cursing the most that morning instantly turned from indifference to panic when he saw that the person who opened the door was Vane.
Before Vane could speak, he hurriedly hung what he was carrying on the door and ran away without looking back.
"..."
Vane watched the other person's hasty retreat and shrugged.
He had no interest in scaring an ordinary fisherman, at least not now.
He reached out and took the package down; through the rough fishing net, he could feel hard, strip-like objects inside.
"What's this?"
Irene curiously came over, and Dario opened his eyes and looked in their direction.
Vane untied the knot in the fishing net, revealing a bundle of dried, brown strips of meat that looked to be in good condition.
"Fish?"
Irene recognized that dried fish was one of the most common food supplies in the seaside village.
"I can't smell anything unusual..."
Vane picked up a fish and sniffed it; the strong smell of the sea and salt masked any other possible odors.
He turned his head and waved enthusiastically to the boy, Aegir, who had shrunk into the shadows inside the house.
"Hey kid, come here for a second~"
Aegir's body stiffened, but he still moved over little by little.
The next moment, Vane's words froze him in place.
"Come on, come and taste it to see if it's poisonous~"
"Mr. Vane!!"
Irene rushed forward and spread her arms to shield the terrified boy behind her:
Please stop scaring him!
"Well--"
Unexpectedly, Vane did not press the matter further, but instead let out a long sigh.
"Little bird... you'll easily get hurt doing this."
Irene was taken aback by his sudden change in mood and words, and the anger she had been holding back was forced out.
Vane stopped looking at her, shook the jerky in his hand, and walked towards Dario, who remained silent.
"Darwin~"
He switched back to his lighthearted tone.
"Would you like to try a bite?"
"It's Dario."
The Inquisitor, expressionless, corrected him again, then reached out and caught the jerky Vane tossed to him.
By the flickering firelight, Dario carefully observed, even gently breaking it open a little to check its internal condition.
After a moment, he said nothing, but silently placed the jerky beside him.
Irene watched this scene nervously, and couldn't help but lower her voice:
"Teacher... could it really be poisonous?"
No.
"Then why did you...?" Irene was even more confused.
"Don't eat things given to you by strangers."
Dario calmly looked at his apprentice.
"This is a level of caution that even a three-year-old child should understand."
Irene blushed slightly and apologized softly.
Vane shrugged, walked back to the hammock, sank back in, adjusted his position, and closed his eyes.
Irene frowned, wanting to say something more about his earlier nasty joke, but then she felt a gentle tug on her clothes.
She turned around, and there stood the boy Aegir.
The boy was no longer as terrified as before. He pointed to the jerky that Dario had placed on the ground, his eyes questioning.
"You... want this?"
Irene asked tentatively, her tone softening.
The boy nodded.
Irene hesitated for a moment, glanced at Dario who had returned to "silent chanting" mode, and finally bent down to pick it up and hand it to the boy.
The boy took the dried meat, rummaged through the clutter in the house and found a small iron pot, then poured some water from a ceramic jar by the wall.
Tear the dried meat into small pieces and throw them into the pot, then carefully place the iron pot on the heated brick bed.
Soon, the aroma of fish soup filled the air.
Vane opened one eye a crack, glanced at the busy boy, and seeing that Dario still didn't react, closed his eyes again.
The fish soup was cooked quickly, and the boy ladled out a bowl and carefully handed it to Irene.
Irene hesitated as she looked at the wooden bowl handed to her. Vane's joke and Dario's wariness had inevitably left their mark on her.
The boy seemed to sense her hesitation.
He didn't urge him, but silently turned around and carefully drew two neat words on the sand beside the kang (heated brick bed) with his finger:
[Thanks.]
Irene was taken aback, then her eyes softened.
Is he thanking himself for his previous help...?
Doubts dissipated, replaced by a gentle apology and warmth.
Seemingly to completely dispel her concerns, the boy served himself a small bowl of fish soup and drank it in front of Irene.
Faced with the boy's direct gaze, Irene blushed and quickly waved her hands to explain:
"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to doubt you! Really!"
To prove her sincerity, she no longer hesitated, picked up the wooden bowl, and brought it to her lips.
"Irene".
Vane's voice suddenly rang out again. Irene paused, the rim of the bowl resting on her lips, and turned to look in the direction of the hammock.
"What's wrong, Mr. Vane?"
Vane didn't open his eyes, and his voice sounded somewhat faint in the dim light:
Will you regret the sincerity you gave...?
What are you talking about?
Irene couldn't understand this abrupt question, but looking at the warm fish soup in her hand, she suddenly realized.
"Are you embarrassed? It's alright, there's plenty of fish soup, please don't be shy."
"Never mind..."
Vane rolled over, and a muffled sound came from behind him.
I'm not hungry.
Irene was exasperated by his capricious attitude and could only turn her gaze to Dario was sitting quietly by the fire.
Dario didn't reply; only his even, long breaths could be heard.
"Asleep?"
Irene lowered her voice in surprise; she hadn't expected that such a serious teacher would actually fall asleep in this environment.
She immediately became very quiet, even drinking her soup cautiously, afraid of waking him.
Over at the hammock, Vane also let out a long yawn, covered his eyes with one hand, and mumbled:
"I'll leave the night watch to you."
Irene took a sip of the fish soup, the warmth flowing down her esophagus and dispelling the chill in her limbs.
"Okay... I'll leave it to you."
The night grew deeper and deeper.
The firewood in the kang (heated brick bed) crackled and popped, the flames gradually dying down.
A soft snore came from Vane's side. Irene rested her chin on her hand, straining her eyes to stare at the shrinking flame.
A yawn rose in her throat, and she quickly covered her mouth with her hand, then raised her hand to pat her cheeks, trying to use the pain to dispel her sleepiness.
I can't sleep... I promised to keep watch... The teachers are all resting...
She repeatedly told herself this, but her eyelids grew heavier and heavier...
Time crawled slowly through its weary struggle.
Irene felt her head growing heavier and heavier, involuntarily drooping downwards little by little...
Just then, I felt a slight touch on my arm.
Irene jolted awake and looked up abruptly; it was that boy Aegir.
The boy pointed to the simple wooden bed in the room, then to the spot where Irene had just been sitting, and finally made a "sleep" gesture.
The meaning is clear: Go to bed and sleep for a while, I'll take over the night watch.
Irene paused for a moment, a warm feeling welling up inside her, but she immediately shook her head and quietly refused:
"... Thank you, but I have to stay and guard it; it's my responsibility."
She tried to make her gaze appear clear and resolute.
The boy didn't leave; he just watched her quietly.
Under that persistent gaze, Irene's unwavering resolve gradually melted away.
"Well... just for a little while. Really, just for a little while!"
Seeing that Irene had agreed, the boy immediately nodded.
Irene stood up, stretched her stiff body, and added a few thin pieces of firewood to the fire.
"That..."
She turned and gestured to the boy.
"Wake me up when the fire is out, okay? You must wake me up!"
The boy nodded again, indicating that he understood.
Irene then slowly walked to the bedside and lay down fully clothed.
In an instant, the accumulated drowsiness overwhelmed her, and her consciousness sank into the dark depths of the sea in just a few breaths.
Time passed...
The flames quietly died out, plunging the room into complete darkness.
The moonlight slanted in, illuminating the face of the boy by the heated brick bed.
The light divided his thin profile into two halves, one as pale as paper, the other hidden in deep shadow.
After a long while, the moonlight gradually shifted, and darkness enveloped the room.
Young Aegir slowly got up, and after confirming that everything was alright, he walked towards the door.
Click--
An extremely faint sound—the sound of the latch being carefully pried open.
At the same time, the sleeping Irene frowned and groggily opened her eyes.
She was met with thick darkness. It took her a few seconds to adjust, and she turned her gaze around blankly.
The fire... went out?
Her heart tightened, and most of her sleepiness vanished instantly. She'd promised to wake me up once the fire was out...
She immediately turned to look at the edge of the heated brick bed—it was empty.
Where is that boy?
Irene was fully awake, her gaze quickly sweeping across the room:
Vane was still "sound asleep" in the hammock, while Dario remained in his meditative posture.
Only the boy Aegir was nowhere to be found.
"Is it convenient for you to go out now?"
Irene threw back the thin blanket and gripped the staff and sword beside her.
After hesitating for a moment, she didn't immediately wake Vane or Dario.
What if it's just a false alarm? Besides, the teacher looks like she's sleeping soundly...
She decided to go out and take a look first.
Irene tiptoed to the door, which was ajar, and there was no one outside.
He really went out.
Irene pursed her lips and quickly made a decision.
She retreated back into the house, picked up a wooden stick, and gently braced it against the door.
In this way, if someone pushes the door open from the outside, the wooden stick will fall down, providing a simple yet effective warning.
After marking the spot, Irene stepped outside and gently closed the door behind her.
Moonlight occasionally peeked through gaps in the clouds, providing only a very limited amount of light.
Irene crouched down and discovered a set of fresh footprints heading towards the village.
"..."
Will you regret the sincerity you gave?
Gripping her sword tightly, the girl followed the footprints and quietly chased after them into the village.
The village was deathly silent, save for the howling wind, which added to the eeriness of the place.
Irene moved slowly, clinging to the stone wall. The footprints on the ground became difficult to follow once they entered the main road of the village.
She stopped in her tracks, her heart pounding heavily.
Should we go back and wake up the teacher and Mr. Vane?
The moment the thought arose, Vane's nasty "poison-testing" joke from that afternoon and the cold glint of the sickle he wielded against the villagers that morning vividly came to mind.
What if... what if the boy really did have some unavoidable hardship, or that he misjudged the situation?
Would waking them up abruptly make the situation even more uncontrollable?
And...
She rubbed her still tired and sore eyes, trying to dispel the fog in her mind.
We can't always rely on others... We need to make sure we understand things for ourselves first.
Taking a deep breath of the damp air, Irene steadied herself, gripped her staff and sword, and continued deeper into the territory.
The alleyways crisscrossed, and the shadows of the houses resembled crouching monsters.
There was no snoring or murmuring behind any of the doors or windows; the silence was unsettling.
A sense of unease quickly spread through Irene's heart.
She stopped, hesitant.
Suddenly, the unusual area that the teacher had circled on the map during the day flashed into her mind.
The closer you get to that direction, the more obvious the villagers' wariness and hostility become...
Could it be...?
Irene changed direction and crept more cautiously toward the area marked by Dario.
Move on--
Just as she was about to turn the corner at the end of the alley, a very faint voice drifted into her ears.
"... They must... be sent away..."
"... There's no other way... I can only..."
"... another... to handle..."
Irene held her breath and blinked hard. Her vision was dim and blurry, whether from nervousness or lingering drowsiness.
She cautiously peeked out.
A dozen or so villagers had gathered in the open space ahead!
They huddled together, and in the middle on the ground, there seemed to be a long, narrow object covered with coarse cloth.
Immediately afterwards, Irene's pupils contracted sharply.
She saw two villagers bend down and lift the long object from the ground—it was clearly human-shaped!
A night breeze blew by, lifting a corner of the coarse cloth.
It's Jim and Carl!
Wasn't it agreed that they would temporarily keep the prisoners in their custody?! What are the villagers trying to do?! Transfer the prisoners without authorization?!
Irene gripped her staff and sword tightly, her body instinctively leaning forward to get a better view.
But at that moment—
Light footsteps sounded behind me.
Irene froze, then abruptly turned around.
It was that young Aegir.
He stood a few steps behind her, silent, as if he had always been there.
His upper body was shrouded in deep shadow, with only his lower body visible.
Irene breathed a sigh of relief, followed by confusion—when did he catch up?
Without thinking, I immediately made a "no shh!" gesture to him.
However, Irene froze.
She suddenly realized that the boy hadn't made a sound since he appeared, even though he was so close to her.
And now...
He stood there quietly, offering no response to her urgent gestures and signals.
Shadows shrouded his face, so Irene couldn't see his expression.
A sudden, inexplicable chill ran down my Spine, and Vane's words echoed in my mind without warning:
Will you regret the sincerity you gave...?
No...
Irene instinctively denied it in her mind.
No, he's just scared, or he didn't understand what I meant...
As if in response to her inner struggle, the dark clouds that had been obscuring the moonlight dispersed at that very moment.
The moonlight, like a spotlight on a stage, poured down without reservation, illuminating the boy's face, which had been hidden in the shadows.
Irene stopped breathing.
What a face it was!
His brows were furrowed, his jaw clenched, and the muscles in his cheeks twitched uncontrollably. His gray-blue eyes were no longer clear or filled with fear, but with intense struggle, pain, and... madness!
No...
Irene's mind went blank as she saw the boy's mouth slowly open in the moonlight.
No...
Without bothering to hide, Irene burst out from the corner and charged towards the boy!
No--!
The painful struggle on the boy's face suddenly reached its peak, then he abruptly retreated, disappearing completely into the shadows.
He raised his head, staring intently at Irene, the veins on his neck bulging.
A clear shout erupted from the throat of the boy, who had been considered "mute" during the day, like the roar of a wild beast.
"She's here--!"
The sound was like a boulder thrown into a still lake, exploding instantly!
In the center of the open space, all the villagers froze, their eyes instantly locking onto Irene stood frozen at the entrance of the alley!
Under the moonlight, the girl's frail figure and the deathly paleness of her face were clearly visible.
Night...
It broke.