Kael didn't stop walking.
The moment he left the clearing, his steps became faster, almost like he was trying to outrun something invisible.
Behind him, Clare followed quietly, her wand floating beside her, her blue eyes locked on his back.
"Kael... what's wrong with you?" she asked.
Her question was met with silence. Kael didn't even look back.
Only the feeling in his right eye reminded him that the forest wasn't done with him yet.
He had thought it only happened while he was in the forest, but he was gravely mistaken.
The pain was subsiding slowly, and he felt relief with each step, though an uneasy shiver ran down his spine.
"Kael, wait up! What's wrong? Come on, talk..." he heard Clare say as she hurried to catch up to him. She was starting to get frustrated because of Kael's silence.
Kael slowed his pace a little as they neared the fork in the path—one leading to his house, the other to Clare's.
When he reached the branch, he stopped and waited for Clare.
Clare arrived, panting slightly from jogging to reach him.
Kael still had his hand over his right eye.
Clare gently removed his hand from his eye, and Kael could see that she was irritated, even a little angry.
"What happened?" she asked, fuming.
Kael was silent for a moment before replying, "With what?" he lied blatantly.
Clare's frustration grew. "What do you mean, 'with what'? I mean your eye—why did it change?"
Kael continued to act oblivious.
"I don't think it changed. I just felt pain, that's why I hurried and left," he said, looking her straight in the face.
Clare was now openly fuming, having seen the change with her own eyes.
"Stop lying," she said, gritting her teeth.
Kael felt guilty for lying, but he didn't know what was happening himself.
Maybe when he understood more, he would tell her. For now, it was safer to keep quiet.
Trying to lighten the mood, Kael laughed softly.
"My eye didn't change color. How absurd would that be?"
Clare, already frustrated, snapped.
"Urghh... you dummy! Stop lying!" she shouted as she ran toward her home, clearly upset.
Kael stood there, watching her go.
He really felt bad, but how could he explain something he didn't understand himself?
A cold breeze brushed his face, and the rustling leaves seemed unusually loud in the quiet forest. It reminded him that he was still alone with his thoughts, and the voice he had heard earlier echoed faintly in his mind.
After a few minutes of silence, he continued walking hurriedly.
He tried to process what had happened in the clearing, but his brain refused to function properly.
He was mentally and physically exhausted.
Using magic had drained him mentally, and practicing the sword had strained his small body.
The lights of the floating city appeared on the horizon. They were pleasant to see, but he barely registered them; he was in a hurry and too tired to enjoy the view. The subtle hum of city life reached his ears faintly, but he couldn't focus on it—his thoughts were tangled in the strange events of the day.
His house came into view, and he hurried further, wanting nothing more than a bath and sleep. He wasn't even hungry.
He reached the front porch in less than five minutes.
"I just hope Mum's not in the living room," he thought, knowing his mother could sense when something was off.
Kael sighed before opening the front door.
He was unlucky—his mother was indeed in the living room, scrolling on her wrist link.
She noticed him immediately.
"Hi, son," she said, smiling as she turned off her wrist link and looked at him.
"Hi, Mom," Kael replied, trying to sound like his usual self.
He avoided eye contact, hoping to conceal his fatigue and fear.
Kael took an unusually long time changing his shoes for his slippers, all while his mother watched him.
"How was your day? Did you have fun playing with Clare?" she asked, never taking her eyes off him.
Kael looked up. "It was fun, Mom. Really fun," he said, again trying to sound normal.
His mother raised an eyebrow. "Fun?" she repeated.
"Yeah, Mom," Kael said, smiling weakly.
She continued to scrutinize him, sensing something was wrong.
Something told her he wasn't himself, though she couldn't quite explain why.
"Are you really okay, Kael?" she asked.
Kael sighed inwardly. She would find out eventually, but he didn't want to worry her, so he chose the next best thing:
To lie.
"Yeah, Mom, I'm okay. Really okay, just tired," he said, forcing the biggest fake smile he could muster.
"Why do you ask, Mom?"
She sighed. "Nothing, you just didn't look like your usual self, but it seems you're fine."
"Okay, Mom. I'll be heading up to my room now," Kael said as he went to the stairs hurriedly.
He didn't want to be interrogated again, nor did he want to tell her about what had happened with Clare earlier.
He climbed the stairs quickly and entered his room.
He jumped on his bed, lying on his back. The room was dark; Kael hadn't bothered turning on the lamp.
The cold blanket felt good on his skin, and the soft mattress seemed to swallow his small body.
He stared at the dark ceiling for a minute, thinking about the day—it hadn't been a good one for him.
After a few minutes of staring into nothingness, Kael sat up.
He needed a shower, and he was too sleepy to eat supper.
He lazily got off the bed and searched for his towel in the darkness. After a while, he realized he had forgotten where he put it.
Kael turned on the main lamp, filling the room with light.
He retrieved his towel from the wardrobe and went to the bathroom.
He bathed quickly, still exhausted. After a few minutes, he came out, changed into pajamas, and informed his mother he wouldn't eat supper.
She accepted, and Kael went straight to bed.
He drifted in and out of sleep, struggling to fully rest.
Then, just as he was almost asleep, he heard it again:
"Young one… what are you?"
It was the same soft, laughing voice of the woman he had heard in the forest.