As Olian's story reached its end, the space between them seemed to grow unbearably heavy.
Neither spoke.
Nearby, firewood crackled softly, each tiny snap briefly disturbing the silence before disappearing into it. The sound was nowhere near enough to lift the weight that had settled over the porch.
Elifero stared at the ground.
His thoughts were tangled.
Everything Olian had told him—the truth about her father, the burden her mother had carried, JJ abandoning his own future to support them, Miranda entering their lives, and finally her brother's death—wasn't something he could simply respond to with a few comforting words.
What was he even supposed to say?
I'm sorry?
It sounded too small.
Everything will be okay?
That would be a lie.
Elifero rubbed his fingers together, struggling to find something meaningful to offer.
After several long moments, he finally spoke.
"Look..."
His voice came out quieter than he'd expected.
Olian didn't look at him.
"I can't say I understand what you've been through. I really can't."
She remained silent, her gaze fixed ahead.
Elifero hesitated.
"But..."
He remembered her final words.
That's not anger. It's a promise.
"I don't think a goal like that is something you should be chasing."
Olian's eyes shifted slightly.
Elifero continued carefully.
"I understand that she ruined everything for you. For your family. Maybe even for the village. I do."
He paused.
"But revenge..."
His eyes lowered.
"I don't think it's worth it."
Olian's jaw tightened.
Elifero didn't notice.
His attention had drifted toward the road ahead as he tried to put his thoughts into words.
"What if one day that revenge takes you too?"
Olian finally looked at him.
"What?"
"What if you're the one who disappears next?"
His voice wasn't accusing.
If anything, there was genuine concern behind it.
"What if you spend years looking for her, finally find her, and something happens to you?"
Elifero turned toward Olian.
"Have you thought about how that would make your mother feel?"
Olian's shoulders stiffened.
Her breathing changed.
Elifero kept talking.
He didn't notice the anger slowly building beneath her silence.
"In my opinion..."
He searched for the right words.
"You should let the past be."
Olian's fingers curled against her dress.
"I don't think anything good comes from chasing revenge. You could waste your whole life searching for someone who might not even be out there anymore."
Her fists tightened.
"What if you find out she's already dead?"
Elifero's expression became serious.
"What then?"
Olian slowly turned toward him.
"Would you go after her children instead?"
The moment the words left his mouth, something changed.
The silence between them sharpened.
But Elifero still hadn't realized how deeply his words were cutting.
"Try fixing things at home with your mother," he continued. "Try living a better life instead of—"
"Shut up."
Elifero stopped.
He turned toward her.
Olian's head was lowered.
"What?"
"I said..."
Her fingers tightened around the front of her dress.
"Shut up."
Elifero's eyes widened slightly.
Then Olian snapped.
"Would you just shut up!"
Her voice tore across the porch.
Elifero recoiled.
Everything went silent.
Olian stood abruptly, her chest rising and falling as she stared at him.
Her eyes burned with anger.
But there was something else behind it.
Pain.
"What do you know?"
Elifero froze.
"What do you know about losing people who actually mattered to you, huh?"
The words struck him harder than Olian intended.
For the briefest instant—
Something flickered.
Fire.
A scream.
Someone's voice.
A feeling of something being ripped away from him.
Then it vanished.
Elifero blinked.
His head suddenly felt strange.
But Olian continued before he could understand what had happened.
"You keep talking about 'what if' like I haven't thought about any of this!"
Her voice cracked.
"You think I haven't wondered what could happen to me?"
Tears gathered in her eyes.
She fought them.
"You think I'm stupid?"
"I didn't say—"
"Then stop talking to me like I am!"
Elifero fell silent.
Olian inhaled sharply.
"Yeah."
She wiped at one eye before the tear could fall.
"Sometimes my emotions get the better of me."
Her voice trembled.
"But I'm not stupid."
She glared at him.
"I don't just rush into things without thinking and let my feelings destroy my life."
Her grip on her dress slowly loosened.
The anger remained, but her voice dropped.
Cold.
Exhausted.
"Just..."
She looked away.
"Mind your own business."
Elifero opened his mouth.
"Olian—"
She stood.
He watched helplessly as she walked toward the house.
Julie appeared near the doorway.
"Olian?"
Her daughter brushed past her.
"What's wrong?"
Olian didn't answer.
She climbed the stairs.
A few moments later, a door slammed upstairs.
Julie remained near the entrance, staring after her.
Then she looked toward Elifero.
He immediately lowered his eyes.
Elifero remained on the porch.
Alone.
His hands rested between his knees while his eyes remained fixed on the ground.
The conversation replayed itself in his head.
Would you go after her children instead?
Elifero grimaced.
Maybe he'd gone too far.
No.
He definitely had.
He'd wanted to help.
Somehow, he'd managed to make everything worse.
Was I wrong?
He didn't think revenge was good.
That part hadn't changed.
But perhaps telling someone who had just opened up about losing their brother to simply let the past be wasn't something he had any right to say.
Especially when—
Elifero frowned.
Olian's words returned to him.
What do you know about losing people who actually mattered to you?
His chest tightened.
He didn't know.
That was the problem.
He couldn't remember.
He lowered his head.
When Olian had walked past him, he'd seen it.
A tear.
She had tried to hide it.
But he'd seen it.
The image sat heavily in his mind.
For the first time since waking in this village, Elifero genuinely didn't know what to do.
Then—
Creeeak.
The door opened.
Elifero straightened immediately.
Julie stepped outside.
His stomach dropped.
Great.
She'd probably heard everything.
Elifero prepared himself.
A scolding.
Anger.
Maybe she'd even tell him to stay away from Olian.
Instead, Julie quietly sat nearby.
"Please..."
Her voice was gentle.
"Don't blame yourself."
Elifero looked up.
"Huh?"
Julie gave him a faint smile.
"She's not angry at you."
Elifero glanced toward the house.
"She looked pretty angry."
Julie almost laughed.
"Well..."
She folded her hands.
"Maybe she is."
Elifero's shoulders dropped.
"But she'll come around."
Julie looked toward the upstairs window.
"That's what JJ used to say whenever Olian stormed away from him."
Elifero looked at her.
"She used to get angry with him too?"
"Of course."
Julie smiled.
"They were siblings."
For some reason, that answer relieved him.
"Just give her time."
Elifero nodded.
Julie stood.
"Come inside."
She opened the door.
"You can speak to her when the time is right."
Elifero glanced toward the stairs once they entered.
For now, he decided Julie was right.
He would wait.
Morning arrived quietly.
The smell of breakfast drifted through the house as Julie moved hurriedly around the kitchen, preparing food before work.
She glanced toward the time.
"Oh, I'm going to be late..."
Thump!
Something struck the front door.
Julie stopped.
A few seconds later, she opened it and looked down.
A newspaper lay outside.
Nothing unusual.
But attached to it was an envelope.
Julie frowned.
She picked both up.
The moment she saw the crest stamped onto the envelope, her expression changed.
She recognized it.
The village head.
Julie carried it inside and placed everything on the table.
Later, footsteps came from upstairs.
Olian entered first.
Elifero followed shortly afterward.
Neither said much.
The previous night's argument still lingered between them.
Olian sat.
Elifero chose a seat slightly farther away than usual.
Julie noticed.
She said nothing.
Breakfast began quietly.
Olian picked lazily at her food before noticing the opened envelope beside Julie.
"What's that?"
Julie looked toward it.
"It's from the head of the village."
Olian's hand stopped.
"What does she want?"
"It concerns you."
Olian frowned.
Julie continued before she could ask anything else.
"After breakfast, I want you to go to the temple."
Olian looked up.
"The temple?"
"Yes."
Then Julie glanced toward Elifero.
"And take him with you."
Olian's expression immediately soured.
"Why does he have to come?"
Elifero looked down at his food.
"They asked for me, didn't they?"
"I can't leave him here by himself."
"He'll survive."
"Olian."
She sighed.
Julie gestured gently toward Elifero.
"He's been inside this house for days. Seeing the village might do him some good."
Elifero looked toward the window.
She wasn't wrong.
Aside from the porch, he hadn't really seen anything beyond the walls of the house.
Olian leaned back.
"Fine."
Julie smiled.
"Thank you."
"I'm not doing it because I want to."
"I know."
Julie glanced at the time again.
Her eyes widened.
"Oh!"
She stood quickly.
"I'm definitely late."
She gathered her things and hurried toward the door.
"Olian!"
"What?"
Julie turned around one final time.
"Be a good girl."
Olian's eyes narrowed.
"And don't cause trouble."
"I don't cause trouble."
Julie stared at her.
Olian stared back.
Elifero looked between them.
Julie eventually sighed.
"Just... please."
Then she hurried outside.
The door closed behind her.
Silence returned to the house.
Elifero slowly looked toward Olian.
Olian continued eating.
Neither spoke.
This was going to be a long walk.
It was.
At least, it felt that way at first.
Elifero and Olian walked side by side through the village, but the silence between them made the distance feel much greater.
Elifero repeatedly glanced toward her.
Then away.
Say something.
He searched his mind.
Nothing.
Anything.
Still nothing.
Every possible sentence sounded worse than the last.
Eventually, Olian spoke first.
"The old lady lives in a big house."
Elifero blinked.
"What?"
Olian kept walking.
"There's a statue in front of it."
She pointed farther down the road.
"It's not far from here, but if you're not used to the village, you can get lost pretty easily without realizing it."
"Oh."
Elifero looked around.
The paths certainly didn't help.
Some curved around houses before splitting unexpectedly. Others narrowed into passages between buildings before opening onto entirely different streets.
"Okay."
Silence returned.
But this time, it felt slightly less suffocating.
Elifero took a breath.
"Olian."
"Hm?"
"About yesterday..."
Her steps slowed slightly.
"I'm sorry."
Olian said nothing.
Elifero continued.
"I shouldn't have said those things."
He rubbed the back of his neck.
"You were right."
That finally made her look at him.
"I should've minded my own business."
Olian stared for a moment.
Then looked ahead again.
"I shouldn't have shouted at you either."
Elifero blinked.
She continued walking.
"I was angry."
"Oh."
"And blaming you for things that had nothing to do with you wasn't fair."
Elifero's shoulders relaxed.
A little.
"So..."
He looked at her.
"We're okay?"
Olian gave him a sideways glance.
"Don't push it."
Elifero almost smiled.
At least that was something.
They continued deeper into the village.
And for the first time, Elifero properly looked around.
Children around their age ran through the streets.
Two chased each other between houses while another group gathered around some sort of game Elifero didn't recognize.
Adults moved between buildings carrying baskets, tools, and supplies.
A mother scolded her child for wandering too far from her.
Someone shouted a greeting from across the road.
Another person laughed.
Elifero's eyes moved everywhere.
Left.
Right.
Up.
Back again.
Olian eventually noticed.
"What are you doing?"
"Looking."
"I can see that."
Elifero ignored her.
Everything fascinated him.
The buildings.
The people.
The unfamiliar roads.
Even the smells coming from different homes.
For the first time since waking, something warm stirred inside his chest.
Curiosity.
Maybe even excitement.
He felt almost like a tourist entering a place he'd only ever heard about.
A smile slowly appeared on his face.
Then—
"CHANGE THE LAW!"
Elifero stopped.
"What?"
"CHANGE THE LAW!"
Loud cheering erupted ahead.
His curiosity immediately pulled his attention toward it.
Three boys stood near the roadside holding roughly made wooden boards.
Words had been painted across them.
CHANGE THE LAW
"Change the law!"
"Change the law!"
Elifero stared.
"What are they doing?"
Before Olian could answer, another boy—older than the three—dragged a chair into the open.
He climbed onto it.
Then raised one fist.
"CHANGE THE—"
"HEY!"
An adult stormed toward them.
The three younger boys froze.
"RUN!"
They scattered instantly.
One nearly dropped his sign as they disappeared between the nearby houses.
Elifero watched, bewildered.
The older boy remained.
He didn't run.
He stood atop the chair and stared defiantly at the approaching adult.
Elifero tilted his head.
"Who's he?"
Olian's hand suddenly grabbed his arm.
"Hey—"
She pulled him forward.
"Don't mind him."
Elifero looked back.
"But—"
"And please stop leaving my sight."
"I barely moved."
"If you get lost, the blame will be on me."
Elifero sighed.
"Fine."
They continued.
The village wasn't particularly large.
At least, Elifero didn't think it was.
But he was beginning to understand Olian's warning.
The roads twisted strangely.
Some paths seemed to loop around.
Others branched into several directions with no obvious indication of where they led.
It almost felt intentionally confusing.
Elifero looked around again.
Despite that, everyone seemed happy.
Children played.
Adults talked.
People laughed.
"The people here seem to be enjoying themselves."
Olian's expression changed slightly.
Elifero smiled.
"Don't they?"
She didn't answer immediately.
Her eyes moved across the people around them.
Then she spoke quietly.
"There's nothing normal about this village."
Elifero's smile faded.
"What?"
Olian kept walking.
"Those smiles you're seeing..."
She glanced toward the road where the boys had been protesting.
"They're masks."
Elifero looked around again.
The laughing children.
The adults greeting one another.
The ordinary homes.
Nothing seemed wrong.
"That's what that boy was shouting about," Olian added.
Elifero looked back toward where they'd come from.
He didn't understand.
Not fully.
But there was something about the certainty in Olian's voice that unsettled him.
The warmth he'd felt only moments earlier slowly disappeared.
He looked toward the villagers again.
Their smiles suddenly seemed different.
Not necessarily false.
But now he wondered what might be hiding behind them.
Elifero said nothing.
He simply followed Olian.
And as the twisting village paths closed around them, the cheerful voices continued as though nothing was wrong.