Renovich galloped off on his horse, his expression serious, his eyes attentive to the horizon.
As soon as he reached his village, a sense of calm enveloped him. The Bugbears hadn't attacked for three days, which meant that Colin was right; the creatures had indeed headed east.
He tied his horse to the manger and walked to the house.
As he entered, he heard a soft voice in the distance and realized that Jamily was reading to her daughter, who was already sleeping peacefully.
As soon as Jamily noticed him at the door, she carefully left the room and went to him, closing the door softly behind her.
"Renovich!" she exclaimed, her eyes brimming with relief and happiness. She wrapped him in a hug that carried the weight of longing. "It's so good to see you safe and without a scratch!"
"It's good to be back, Jamily," Renovich murmured, returning the hug with the same intensity.
Concern shadowed the widow's face.
"And Colin and Safira? Where are they?"
"They stayed to claim their reward," Renovich explained, disengaging himself from the embrace to accompany Jamily into the living room.
As Jamily prepared the tea, the flames of the wood stove danced, reflected in the warrior's attentive eyes.
"Colin was right," he began, taking a seat. "I did see a fairy. But for that, I fought undead, and we killed a two-headed witch."
Jamily looked at him, impressed by so many incredible things.
"By the gods, Renovich!" she exclaimed. "It must have been dangerous…"
A tired but satisfied smile adorned Renovich's lips.
"Yes, it was, but it was also impressive," he agreed. "However, I prefer the calm of the village, like today."
Renovich's hands found hers on the table.
"A demon has stirred up the area," he continued, his voice laden with seriousness. "Colin will take care of it. After all, he managed to survive the demon that destroyed the mercenaries' village."
Jamily looked at him, worried.
"And you're going to help?"
Renovich squeezed her hands, conveying reassurance through the touch.
"No, I belong here," he replied. "I don't have the youthful thirst for adventure. If anything happens, I'll be here to protect you."
◊❱───────⸂◍⸃───────❰◊
The fairy had left to stay close to her horse. Colin and Safira returned to the inn.
It wasn't a five-star hotel, but it was enough for the night.
Colin had the covers pulled up to his abdomen and his fingers laced behind his head, watching the stars through the small grooves in the ceiling.
Unlike the other rooms, the one they were in had the least musty smell. Colin was distracted, thinking about how he could maximize his combat skills.
The duel against the witch had been essential for teamwork, but he would rather not depend on the fairy, let alone Safira.
After a long sigh, he turned to face the girl, who was still awake. She looked a little shaken, but Colin didn't care. If she needed to talk to him, then she would say something.
He got into bed and turned his back to her.
After a minute, she decided to speak.
"Colin…" she called softly.
"Huh?" he grunted with his eyes closed.
"Aren't you scared?"
In theory, what he should fear most was death, and in fact, he had already died once.
He understood that death should not be feared, because when it comes, he will no longer be aware of it.
His greatest fear was becoming emotionally attached to someone again, as he had become attached to his parents and his ex-fiancée.
"Afraid of what?" he asked disinterestedly.
Safira swallowed and sat down, staring at Colin's back.
"I don't know… of everything… we're up against a demon, a witch, and I'm a Fallen..."
She hugged her knees and tucked her head between her legs.
"I… I'm terrified…"
Colin had never been good at comforting people, his social skills were almost nil.
Spending more time with his father than his mother, he learned to speak only what was necessary and to tease when he had to.
Perhaps that's why he had few friends, assuming a more crude demeanor most of the time.
"There's no need to be afraid," he said. "The fairy is a monarch of two trees. And besides, she can't hurt humans. So, as far as the demon is concerned, we're fine. And yes, you're a fallen, but that doesn't mean you're like them."
He paused.
"Go to sleep, thinking too much about these things will only delay your sleep."
"Um…"
Safira lay down and covered herself, keeping her eyes on Colin's back. She didn't mean to disturb him, but she needed to distract her mind until she could at least fall asleep.
A few things had been running through her head since she first saw him in the village, saving her from that soldier.
"Colin…" she called out once more.
"Huh?"
"Are you really a Dark Elf?"
Even he didn't have the answer to that question.
"Maybe," he answered succinctly.
"It's just that you look more like a human than an elf… Your ears aren't pointed, and you're not as tall as an elf… Which tribe did you come from?"
Colin turned, staring at Safira, illuminated by the moonlight leaking through the small hole in the ceiling. She looked like an innocent child, staring at him with those big, bright eyes.
Thinking back, they had been together for days, and Colin knew more about Brighid than he did about the girl in front of him, but that didn't bother him, he was never one to talk much about himself, not even when he lived on earth.
Safira had lost her family days ago, while Colin had lost everything he had for some time.
He remembered how much he had wanted someone to talk to in his moments of weakness, and he leaned on his ex-fiancée, who, because she couldn't bear the emotional burden Colin had placed on her, ended up leaving him.
They hadn't even sat down to talk, she just broke up with him by message, took all his things, and disappeared from his radar, blocking him from all social media at the time.
Since then, he had found it difficult to open up to another person, as he considered it a weakness, the same one that had thrown him into the loneliness he had been in before coming to this new world. However, he didn't mind people opening up to him.
"I've come from a faraway place," he said. "You don't know it."
"Um, do you miss home?"
He thought for a moment.
"I don't miss that place at all."
"Or your parents?"
Colin nodded.
"They're already dead."
Safira swallowed.
"I'm sorry…"
They were silent for a few seconds.
"I miss home…" she said. "Not the village, but my real home."
Real home?
"Where did you come from?" she asked.
"We lived in a green valley, surrounded by mountains and forests." Safira smiled, remembering her home. "It was me, my father, my mother, and my older brother…"
It had never crossed Colin's mind that Safira had an ordinary family. To him, it was just the girl and her mother living in that remote village.
"You're a tiefling, or rather an Asmurg, aren't you?"
She nodded.
"I'm more of a half-breed... my father was an Asmurg, my mother and brother were humans..." Her gaze saddened. "I miss them a bit…"
A half-breed… maybe that's why she looked so much like a human, even though she was from a race where the species resembled dragons.
Since Safira had started to talk more about herself, Colin decided to find out everything she was willing to tell him.
"And what happened to your father and brother?"
Safira looked away, pursed her lips, and then turned to face Colin.
"Do you know the Monarch hunters?"
Colin nodded.
"Dad says they're a forceful guild that operates on another continent, but they often do services here, since their strength is known almost all over the world. There was a king who wanted our lands… he said they were magical lands that had great power."
She paused.
"This king tried to buy it from us, but Dad and the others wouldn't give in, it was our home..."
"And what happened then?"
She remained silent and pulled the covers up to her nose.
"In our village, there were only half a dozen Asmurgs who knew how to use magic for combat. The King hired the Monarch hunters, and they slaughtered us. My father protected mom and me so we could escape, but he…"
Safira blinked constantly to keep the tears at bay and barely succeeded. It wasn't that she had erased the feeling she had for her family, but she wanted to look up to Colin, and he rarely conveyed that kind of feeling.
She had seen him deal with a lot of adversity and how people respected him for it.
The girl was trying to be like him, at least in the way she acted.
"And your brother, what happened to him?" asked Colin.
"I don't know… Mom said he was outside the village when we were attacked, but I don't know if he's alive."
Even though he couldn't read her thoughts, Colin understood that Safira still had hope that her brother was alive. He saw it in her eyes, illuminated by the moonlight.
For Colin, that kind of hope was a mistake.
"I know you want your brother to be alive, but it's better to accept that he's dead. It's easier to live that way than to feed something you don't even know is real."
Reluctantly, she decided to do as Colin said, after all, he always seemed to know what he was doing.
"I think you're right…" she said in a tone muffled by the blanket.
"This King, is he in possession of the land you owned?"
She nodded.
"Sometimes, when I was with Mom in the village attacked by the soldiers, we heard stories about our home, that the King was managing to drastically increase the power of his army… I believe they've gotten quite strong..."
Colin turned away.
"You're a Fallen, once you've learned enough about magic, you'll be able to reclaim your home. Don't get me wrong, I'm not getting your hopes up, I'm just assuming that you can get as strong as I imagine."
"I know…"
"Now go to sleep, tomorrow we'll train as soon as the sun comes up."
"Okay…"
Safira turned on her back and smiled. Even with all the misfortune that had befallen her, deep down she was happy to meet someone like Colin.
His selfless, straightforward manner was very reminiscent of her older brother, and somehow, she felt safe with him.
His more serious personality and the fairy's outgoing manner made everything less lonely.
"Thank you, Colin…"
He heard her say thank you, but pretended he was already asleep.