The journey back to Dorian's house was quieter than usual.
Aldric and Leoric walked alongside him while Evander occasionally glanced in his direction, still concerned about what had happened at Willow Rest.
Dorian barely spoke. He had answered a few questions, but his responses were brief, and his attention seemed to wander whenever someone tried to engage him in conversation.
By the time they arrived at his house, he looked completely exhausted.
"I'm fine," Dorian insisted when Aldric asked whether he needed anything. "The only thing I need is some rest."
Leoric studied him for a moment before speaking.
"Then you should go inside and lie down. You've had enough for today."
Dorian nodded and pushed the door open.
The others followed him inside.
His house was modest, furnished with a few wooden pieces. However, it was noticeably untidy. Clothes lay scattered near a wooden chair, some belongings were out of place, and several items rested on the table as though they had been abandoned in a hurry.
Dorian barely seemed to notice the state of the room.
He walked towards his bedroom, barely acknowledging the others.
"I'll be fine," he repeated.
Aldric exchanged a concerned glance with Evander.
"Perhaps we should let him rest," Aldric suggested.
Evander nodded.
"Come on. We can check on him later."
Leoric, however, remained where he was.
"I'm staying."
Aldric turned towards him.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. I don't think he should be alone right now."
Dorian glanced back at them from the bedroom doorway.
"You don't have to stay. I'm not dying."
"I'm aware," Leoric replied. "But that doesn't mean I'm leaving."
Dorian sighed and disappeared into his bedroom.
After exchanging a few more words, Aldric and Evander eventually left, agreeing to return later to see how he was doing.
Leoric closed the door behind them and turned towards the untidy room.
For a moment, he simply stood there.
Then he began walking around, examining his surroundings. His gaze moved from the wooden table to the shelves, then towards the small window near the entrance.
Everything appeared ordinary, apart from the disorder around him. Yet that only strengthened his feeling that something was completely wrong.
He remembered Dorian's expression at Willow Rest. He remembered the way he had suddenly become still, almost frozen, and how he hadn't been able to hear anyone calling his name.
And then there was the strange story about the girl and the man in the water.
Leoric frowned.
"What happened to you, Dorian?" he muttered.
He continued looking around, hoping to notice something that might explain his friend's unusual behaviour. But there was nothing.
---
Meanwhile, Dorian had collapsed onto his bed.
He was still unsettled by everything that had happened. Even with the door closed and the familiar surroundings of his bedroom around him, he couldn't bring himself to relax completely.
He stared at the ceiling for a while, his thoughts returning to the girl, then to the man. He remembered the strange forest and the still pool of water. He could still recall the man's desperate expression as he begged for help.
Dorian turned onto his side and closed his eyes. He hoped sleep would offer him a little peace.
But even as he tried to rest, part of him remained alert, anticipating another strange occurrence.
Would he hear the whispers again?
Would the girl return?
He didn't know.
Eventually, his thoughts slowly faded, and he drifted into sleep.
---
Some time later, Leoric quietly approached his bedroom and looked through the slightly open door.
Dorian was asleep.
Leoric stepped inside, taking care not to disturb him. He pulled a nearby chair closer to the bed and sat down. He watched his friend for a moment before leaning back.
Whatever was happening to Dorian, Leoric was determined to understand it. He couldn't keep watching him struggle without knowing why.
After a while, Leoric quietly left the bedroom and returned to the main room.
He glanced around at the scattered belongings before deciding to put a few things in order. He picked up the clothes near the chair, folded them, and placed them neatly on a nearby surface. He then gathered some of the items scattered across the table and returned them to their proper places.
He wasn't trying to rearrange the entire house. He simply wanted to make the place a little more comfortable for his friend.
Once he was done, he returned to the bedroom and sat down again.
After a while, Dorian began to stir.
His eyes slowly opened, and he shifted beneath the sheet. For a few seconds, he stared blankly at the room before noticing the figure sitting beside his bed.
He frowned.
"Leoric?"
Leoric straightened.
"Finally awake?"
Dorian pushed himself up slightly, rubbing his face.
"You're still here?"
"Of course I am."
"Why?"
Leoric gave him a questioning look.
"Why do you think? I'm worried about you."
Dorian looked away.
"There's nothing to worry about."
"Are you serious?"
"Yes."
Leoric moved his chair closer to the bed.
"Dorian, you've been acting strangely for days. Do you think we haven't noticed? We just kept quiet, hoping you would confide in us."
"Everything is as it should be."
"Really? You looked like you had barely slept for days when I saw you in the morning. You stood motionless at Willow Rest, and then you started telling us about a girl and a man appearing in the forest."
He paused, watching his friend's reaction.
"What is wrong with you?"
"Nothing."
"Don't tell me that."
Dorian sighed.
"Leoric, I was tired. I just wanted to rest. Didn't you notice how peacefully I slept?"
"I know you were tired, but I have a strong feeling that this is far beyond exhaustion."
Dorian remained silent.
Leoric leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees.
"Listen, I'm not trying to upset you. I'm asking because I'm worried. You've been keeping things to yourself, and whatever happened at Willow Rest clearly frightened you."
Dorian lowered his gaze.
"I've told you everything there is to know."
"I think you forgot to explain why that happened."
"I don't know."
"Dorian, things don't happen without a reason."
Dorian rubbed his forehead.
"Can we stop talking about this right now?"
"Dorian…"
"Please, Leoric."
Leoric fell silent for a moment.
Then he spoke again, his voice quieter.
"I'm your friend. Whatever it is, you can tell me."
Dorian looked at him.
For a brief moment, he seemed ready to say something. But the words didn't come.
Instead, he turned away.
"I'm fine. Can you just leave it alone?"
Leoric watched him carefully.
"I'm not going to leave it alone when you're clearly not fine."
Dorian's expression tightened.
"I really don't know what is wrong with me, all right?!"
The words came out more sharply than he intended.
Leoric immediately straightened, startled by the sudden outburst.
Dorian looked at him, then lowered his head.
"I'm sorry," he muttered. "I didn't mean to snap at you."
"It's alright," Leoric replied, though his concern had only grown. "But what don't you know?"
Dorian hesitated.
He stared at his hands for a moment before finally speaking.
"Things started becoming strange. Ever since…"
He stopped.
Leoric waited.
"Ever since what?"
Dorian swallowed.
"Ever since I drank the water."
Leoric frowned.
"What water?"
Dorian slowly looked up at him.
"The water I found in the Mistwood Forest. It was from the Silent Well."
For a moment, Leoric didn't respond.
He stared at Dorian as though he hadn't heard him correctly.
"The Silent Well?"
Dorian nodded faintly.
"When did this happen?"
"Several days ago. We were hunting in the forest, and I became thirsty. My container was empty, so I went looking for water."
Leoric's expression changed.
"Wait. If I'm remembering correctly, the stream you said you fell into while chasing the antelope was actually the Silent Well?"
"Yes. I didn't really fall into a stream. I did chase an antelope, and then it led me to the Silent Well."
"And you drank from it?"
Dorian nodded again.
Leoric slowly stood from his chair.
"Dorian, why would you do that? You heard what the elder told us."
"I know."
"You know?"
"I know, Leoric!"
Dorian stopped himself and lowered his voice.
"I remembered what he said. I really did. But I was thirsty, and I thought it was just an old village tale. I didn't think anything would actually happen."
Leoric sat down and met his eyes.
"And what happened after you drank it?"
Dorian hesitated.
He wasn't sure where to begin.
"The water was behaved unusually," he finally said. "At first, I thought I was imagining things. My reflection…"
He paused, trying to gather his thoughts.
"Something wasn't right about it."
Leoric pulled the chair closer again.
"What do you mean?"
Dorian looked towards the window.
"I don't know how to explain it."
"Try."
Dorian took a slow breath.
"My reflection... It... It smiled at me, but I wasn't smiling. I swear I hadn't moved my face. Then the water began moving by itself, and ripples started spreading across its surface. And then…"
He stopped, his expression growing distant.
"Then what?"
Dorian turned back towards him.
"I heard something."
Leoric's brows drew together.
"Heard what?"
"A voice."
The room fell silent.
Dorian looked down again.
"And ever since that day, I've been hearing whispers."
Dorian remained quiet for a moment, gathering his thoughts.
Leoric stared at him with a questioning look.
"You've been hearing whispers?"
Dorian nodded.
"At first, I thought they would stop. I tried ignoring them, but they kept coming back. Sometimes I hear my name, and other times I can't even understand what they're saying."
"Why didn't you tell us?"
"I didn't know how to explain it. I didn't want you all worrying about me."
Leoric shook his head slightly.
"And Willow Rest? Have you been seeing the girl and the man too?"
"No. This was my first encounter. And there's something I didn't tell you about what happened when I followed the girl."
Leoric leaned forward.
"What is it?"
"When I followed her, she touched my face. Then, suddenly, everything around me changed. I wasn't at Willow Rest anymore. I found myself in a strange forest, and that's where I saw the man."
Leoric stared at him, taking in the revelation.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Dorian eventually looked at his friend.
"Leoric, please don't tell Aldric and Evander about any of this."
"Why?"
"I know how disappointed they'll be when they find out I drank from the Silent Well. We all heard the elder's warning, but I still went ahead and did it."
Leoric sighed.
"They're your friends. We're all friends."
"I know. But please, don't tell them. Not yet."
Leoric studied his face before finally nodding.
"Alright. I won't tell them."
Dorian lowered his gaze.
"Thank you."
Before Leoric could respond, a knock sounded at the main door.
Both of them turned towards the bedroom door.
"They're here?" Dorian asked.
"Let me see."
Leoric stood and headed out of the bedroom. When he opened the door, Aldric and Evander were standing outside.
"Good afternoon," Aldric greeted him. "How's Dorian?"
Leoric glanced back towards the bedroom.
"He's awake."
"We should see him, then," Evander said.
Leoric stepped aside.
"Of course."