"What about Grandfather?"
The words slipped from Kaelen's lips, trembling with doubt. His mother's broken expression answered more than words ever could. Her silence was heavy—too heavy—like a door shutting. When Kaelen turned to his father, he found the man's eyes clouded with guilt, as though he rejected an unspoken truth before it was even voiced.
The room grew stifling. Dust hung in the air, and Kaelen could almost taste the bitterness of it on his tongue. His mother parted her lips to speak, but the door creaked open with a long, dragging moan.
A stranger stepped inside, shoulders brushing against the frame. His smile stretched unnaturally wide, almost painted on. Behind him, the faint scent of rain and cold air seeped into the room.
"Is the bath outside?" the stranger asked casually.
"Yes," the grandfather answered, his tone oddly restrained.
The old man's eyes lingered on the family—Kaelen, his parents—reading the tension like a man watching flames through smoke. The stranger gave them a brief glance, his grin never faltering, then strode away, his footsteps steady, the floorboards groaning under his weight until the door shut behind him.
Grandfather exhaled, the sound rough, and lowered himself onto the cushion. His joints cracked like snapping twigs. "Do you mind if I join you?"
Kaelen's father managed a smile. "Of course, Father."
The old man's hand, dry and warm, brushed against Kaelen's mother's hair. "What's on your mind, Hawa?"
Her voice wavered. "I want you and Kaelen to move to Grandalia. We'll prepare a home for you there… close to us."
The grandfather's touch lingered on her head, then fell away. His eyes dimmed. "You're kind, Hawa… but I can't." His voice was low, heavy, as if each word scraped his throat.
Kaelen's heart thudded. The air tasted of iron. His father's gaze sharpened, restless, waiting for something inevitable.
"Why not?" Kaelen demanded, his voice cracking like dry wood.
The old man's answer came slow, deliberate. "Because I don't have much time left."
The words hit like a stone through glass. His mother's breath caught. She looked at her husband, desperate, blaming. His father turned away, his jaw clenched, his silence louder than confession.
Kaelen's fists curled. "Why? What do you mean?!"
The old man's eyes softened, then narrowed again. "In Lowen, there are children stronger than you. I fear they would beat you mercilessly."
The absurdity shattered the tension. Silence turned into disbelief.
"That's your reason?!" Kaelen's voice rose, raw, almost shaking. His cheeks burned with fury.
"Yes," the grandfather said bluntly. "You are weak, Kaelen. Too weak. I worry for you."
Kaelen's laughter came sharp, bitter. "Strange. You call me weak, yet I defeated you this very morning in our duel."
"You didn't win," the old man retorted, stubborn as stone. "You cheated."
"No—I won."
"Not at all!"
The exchange grew childish, but in that childishness the heavy air thinned. Kaelen's parents exchanged startled glances before realizing: the quarrel was pulling him out of despair.
His mother chuckled softly, a gentle, lilting sound that brightened the room. Kaelen blinked, cheeks warming in embarrassment.
"Then let's make it a challenge," Hawa said, her eyes glinting with mischief.
"A challenge?" Kaelen echoed.
"Yes. Convince your grandfather that you are strong enough, and I'll take you with us."
"That's easy," Kaelen declared. "I'll prove it today."
His father leaned forward, his tone deep and commanding. "So confident, are you? Then I will challenge you as well. Succeed, and I'll place you in a powerful squad—one that hunts the beasts of the city."
Kaelen froze. His father's words were sharp and vast, like the crack of thunder. He only stared, wide-eyed, as though hearing a bedtime tale spun too suddenly real.
The grandfather's chair creaked as he stood, his gaze fierce. "Twelve days. Defeat me in that time, and I'll take you to Grandalia myself."
Kaelen's pulse surged, excitement burning like fire in his veins. "I accept!"
For the first time, his parents glimpsed it—the side of him that lived for the impossible.
The door squealed again. The same stranger returned, his presence dragging the air colder. "Did I miss the family council?" His grin was still plastered on, too wide. "Is there room for me as well?"
"Greedy man," the grandfather muttered with dry humor. "Wanting to join before you've finished your first council."
Their laughter broke the tension as the stranger slipped into another room.
Kaelen's father rose, brushing dust from his hands. "We should go, Hawa."
She kissed Kaelen's forehead, her lips trembling. His father bent, pulling the boy into his chest until Kaelen felt the strong rhythm of his heart thudding against his own.
"Promise me you'll defeat him," his father whispered.
Kaelen's reply was uncertain, yet firm: "I will."
The parents left. Kaelen lingered, the faint echo of their footsteps fading into the house's silence. He ascended the stairs, his mind burning with restless thoughts. That stranger's aura… it clung to him. And in his parents—especially his mother—he sensed the same energy, poorly concealed, sharper and stronger.
His heart pounded with a dangerous thrill.
"That power will be my trump card."