Arcane Innovator

As per Old Sven's advice, I then headed north, following a narrow path leading to the neighboring village.

Since this road was rarely ever used, it was overgrown in places or almost disappearing in others.

So, in some instances, I had to resort to orienting myself solely by the position of the sun, which occasionally peaked through the heavy clouds above to keep the right direction.

Ultimately, it took me almost half a day to get there, but I didn't mind much.

The soft rustling of ochre leaves overhead provided a pleasant ambiance, reminding me of all my childhood adventures spent running between these ancient, towering trees, not having to care about a thing.

Nevertheless, by afternoon, the everpresent trees of the Forest gave way to a large open valley, and I could see many tiny wooden houses scattered across it.

It took me a while to find Old Bertha's house, but as the sun was beginning its descent, casting long shadows that danced among the trees like fleeting spirits, I had finally caught sight of it.

It stood alone at the very edge of the village, quite neatly hidden in the shadow of several towering trees right next to the Forest's entrance. Its walls were covered in creeping vines, and the windows glowed warmly in the dim light.

Right next to it was a small garden that seemed to be well taken care of, and in the middle of it stood a tall woman tending to the crops, her face covered under a thick veil.

'Is that the woman Old Sven was telling me about... her name was Bertha, right?' I wondered as I made my way over.

The air carried the sweet scent of herbs and flowers, mingling with the earthy smell of the nearby Forest and the distant aroma of wood smoke from chimneys in the village.

I quickened my pace, eager to rest and finally reunite with my family after so long on the run.

"Excuse me..." I called up to her as I got close, not wanting to frighten her too much.

Still, the woman jumped a little, quickly turning around, and as she removed her cloak, I could see, to my utter surprise, the widened eyes of my mother staring back at me. "D-Darian? Is that you, my child?"

My mother's eyes shone with relief and a hint of disbelief as she rushed to embrace me.

"How did you find us here? We thought you were lost to us forever..." She said in a low voice in between quiet sobs.

I hugged her tightly, replying, "Old Sven told me that he brought you here to Bertha's house."

Mother then beckoned me inside, where I was enveloped by the cozy warmth of the flickering hearth and the pungent aroma of the many herbs hanging on the walls.

"I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait a bit for dinner as we usually eat a bit later here. However, we should have fresh milk and bread as Bertha went on an errand into the village and said she'll bring some."

I looked around briefly before saying. "Don't worry about it. I've eaten plenty on the road. By the way, where's Father and Rolf?"

"Oh, they're still by the stream, burning charcoal."

'Huh? Since when did Father know how to burn charcoal? I've never seen him do it back home; he always just bought it in the city.' I wondered silently.

I had plenty of questions to ask about everything that happened to them since we split apart, but I decided to wait until Father returned.

Then, the doors creaked behind us, and an old, hunched woman entered, carrying a large sack over her shoulder.

She seemed to limp but was still moving with surprising vigor, given her advanced age.

"Oh? We have a guest?" She said with a certain mirth in her voice before raising an eyebrow in amusement. "You must be another of Gorn's sons, aren't you? I can see the resemblance..."

"Well, yes, I am. Darian, a pleasure to meet you." I said, quickly making way for the woman as she hurried to the kitchen area.

Bertha nodded knowingly as if she already knew who I was before I even said anything. "Why don't you sit around for a bit? I'll get the dinner ready in a moment. I'm sure you must be starving after such a long journey."

'What a forward-going woman.' I thought before deciding to take up on her offer and sat down on a creaking chair by the hearth.

It took almost another hour before Father and Rolf returned, both tired-looking and covered in soot. By then, dinner was already on the table, and they quickly joined the rest of us over the table after a quick wash in a nearby trough.

"Darian! I'm glad to see you're healthy and well!" Father said, greeting me.

"Likewise, Father," I replied with a smile. Rolf gave me a simple nod before he quickly began wolfing down his dinner.

'I guess he still blames me for losing his precious forge...' I thought as I, too, gave him a nod, deciding not to impose myself on him until he was ready.

During the dinner, we then engaged in some light chatter as everyone consciously avoided mentioning any heavy subject.

It was only later that evening when Bertha sensed the uneasy atmosphere and said merrily, "What a lovely night! I think I'll go have a smoke in the garden."

She then grabbed a long, elaborately carved pipe and quietly slipped out of the house.

My parents and I then exchanged uneasy looks before sitting at the table. "I revenged Helga's death, mother." I finally said after a while, breaking the awkward silence that suddenly filled the room.

A look of worry and fear crossed my mother's face as she exclaimed, "You shouldn't have done that! What if something were to happen to you? I couldn't bear the thought of losing you too..."

"I had to do it," I said firmly.

Mother shook her head in resignation and said softly, "If you say so..."

"I know I caused you so much grief, and you must probably hate me right now... So, I apologize for everything and hope you'll be able to forgive me someday."

"Don't beat yourself over it too much. You are our precious son; we can never hate you!" My father chimed in.

"Besides, we share the blame for what has happened. You were... still are, just a kid. You didn't know any better. We should have stepped in to protect both you and Helga.

The world is a cruel place, Darian; sometimes things simply happen, and there is nothing you can do about it but grind your teeth and endure it." He said, grimacing.

I suppressed the pang of guilt in my chest but didn't say anything. There was no point telling them I was an adult on the inside as my parents would have trouble understanding, and it could bring even more chaos into our already upheaved lives.

"So what happens now?" I said after a while.

My father chuckled. "We endure it... I'll continue burning charcoal in the woods, making money on the side until the situation settles and everyone forgets what happened, and then I'll go rebuild our house and the smithy so I can pass it on to Rolf."

That reminded me. "How come you knew how to burn charcoal? I've never seen you do it back home." I finally asked Father the question I wondered about before.

He looked at me with a meaningful look, and after a prolonged silence, he finally said. "I guess it's about time I tell you about how I ended up in our small village..."

Father then cleared his throat, looking into the fire that was crackling softly in the hearth, casting flickering shadows on his weathered face.

"You already knew I used to live in Ereneth. Leif - your uncle was set to inherit our family business, so my father arranged for me an apprenticeship with his friend, a master smith who agreed to take me as an apprentice..."

He then paused, grimacing, "I didn't know it at that time, but they also made a secret arrangement that I would marry my master's daughter. But by the time I ultimately found out, I had already met your mother and had no intention of following through with the betrothal."

A wistful smile tugged at the corners of Father's lips as he continued, "It might not be apparent now, but your mother was quite a free-spirited maiden back then."

He chuckled, giving my mother a meaningful look, and I could see a slight blush coloring my mother's face as she quickly averted her eyes.

"Gorn! Don't you go around filling his heads with your nonsense!" She promptly reprimanded him.

Father quickly cleared his throat, pretending like nothing had happened as he continued with the story.

"Let's just say my master didn't take it well. He threatened to throw me out of the shop and also assured me that no other smith in Ereneth would take me in. My father also threatened to banish me as breaking the agreement would bring shame to our family.

But by that time, your mother was already with a child- Rolf, your brother and there was no way I would abandon her. So we ran away.

We went from village to village, and I did whatever job I could. Luckily, it was summer back then, so getting a job in the fields was pretty easy.

But then, shortly before the winter hit, I managed to learn about an old blacksmith in one of the Frontier villages who was looking for an apprentice, so we went there."

He paused, letting the crackling fire fill the silence as if seeking solace in its warmth before continuing.

"He was an old goat with a nasty personality, but he took pity on me and allowed your mother and me to stay.

But the beginning was harsh - he wouldn't pay me a wage, and the only way to obtain some money was to sell the stuff I made.

Still, I had no money for the raw materials, so I had to settle for using scraps of iron from my master's forge and had to learn how to burn my own charcoal.

After several years, I had finally made enough to build our house, and after the old blacksmith retired, he passed his tools on to me.

That's why I said there are more important things than money in life. And why did I allow you to pursue your dreams, as I didn't want to be like my own father.

In the end, I never reconciled with my father before he died, but I managed to come to terms with Leif.

That's why I hope you'll one day be able to put your differences with Konrad aside and come together as brothers..." He finished up his story with a longing smile.

'Wow, what a story!' I thought as I drifted off to sleep later that night.