All three of them had slid inside just in time. Outside, the zombie-like creatures kept hammering at the gate, trying to break through. Jhed got to his feet. The scrapes he'd gotten healed within moments. Shine hadn't taken so much as a scratch. He stood up too.
Nain was still lying on the ground.
After all that running, Jhed and Nain were completely out of breath. Jhed had his hands on his knees, gasping. Nain lay where she'd fallen. Her hands and knees were scraped up.
"Come on, children, let's get away from here," the old man said.
"But what were those things?" Shine asked. His breathing was steady — probably the result of years of hard training.
"I'll tell you everything. First, let's move." The old man said.
"You might be hurt," Shine said, extending his hand toward Nain.
"You took quite a few scrapes. Come on — I'll carry you on my back." He lifted her onto his back without hesitation.
They followed the old man.
Jhed glanced over at them.
"It's just a few scrapes. She's being dramatic," he thought to himself.
As they walked, Jhed looked around. Small and large wooden houses stood on either side. Most of them were empty — only a few showed any light from within, and the road itself was deserted. The further they went, the more they noticed collapsed structures. Many houses had been destroyed, as if an army had torn through the village at some point.
The village was very small.
In a short while, they arrived at the old man's house.
"Come inside."
They went in.
A wooden sofa sat in front of them, surrounded by all kinds of handcrafted wooden objects.
Jhed looked around at them.
"Such fine carvings. What a remarkable sofa."
They sat down.
The old man went into the room behind the sofa.
All three of them examined the wooden crafts around them — wooden swords, chairs, dolls, and more.
The old man came back out. He was carrying food.
"Here — eat something."
All three took what he offered and started eating. It turned out to be rabbit soup.
"This soup is terrible. These chunks of meat are so tough," Jhed thought, making a face as he chewed.
The old man noticed Jhed's expression.
"Not good?"
"No, no — it's very good."
"Here, child." The old man handed Nain a healing potion.
"Thank you." She took it and drank it.
"Where have you all come from?" the old man asked.
"We came from Mariana city," Nain said.
"Mariana — really? Then you must know my son. He lives in Mariana too. He's an adventurer."
"What's his name?" Nain asked.
"...Mite." The old man said it with a smile.
All three of them choked at exactly the same time.
"My son is a good person. He helps people. He sends me money every month, right on time. I've told him — don't send so much, I don't need it. He has a kind heart, just like me." The old man shared all of this with quiet happiness.
The three of them exchanged glances.
"So — do you know him?"
"Yes, we know him. He was truly a good person... I mean, he is a good person," Shine said carefully. "He helped us more than once too."
"Hearing that makes me very happy."
"Is this really Mite's father? Should I tell him the truth about his son? No... let it go. He just saved our lives. I'll keep it to myself." Jhed thought.
They finished the soup quietly.
Silence had settled over them — the strange weight of being helped by the father of the very man whose death they were connected to.
"I heard the prophecy — Mariana is free, and the hero has arrived. Let me tell you, my son fought every day for Mariana's freedom. His efforts weren't wasted." The old man said. "Oh — I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Andrev."
"I'm Shine, this is Nain, and that's Jhed. It's a pleasure to meet you," Shine said.
"Will you tell us about those monsters? Nothing seemed to affect them at all," Shine said.
"Then listen carefully..."
The old man began to speak — about what those monsters really were. Zombies, or something else entirely? Whether anything could actually stop them. All three of them were desperate to know. And somewhere inside, Jhed was afraid. He knew he needed to get stronger. The weak always die first — and even if he couldn't die, he'd need real power to defeat whatever lay ahead.