The potion burned worse that night.
Aldreic sat at the wooden table gripping its edge tightly while heat spread through his veins like molten metal. The liquid his mother had given him was darker than usual, almost black beneath the candlelight, and carried a bitter metallic taste that lingered at the back of his throat long after swallowing.
His breathing became uneven.
The room blurred slightly.
The familiar sensation followed shortly after.
His heartbeat accelerated.
His skin grew hot.
Every sound inside the house became sharper.
The crackling fire.
The dripping water outside.
Even the scratching of his mother's quill against parchment sounded painfully clear.
Aldreic lowered his head quietly.
He hated this feeling.
Not because of the pain anymore.
But because each potion felt as though it was changing him into something unfamiliar.
His mother continued writing notes without looking at him.
"How painful?"
"…More than usual."
"Dizziness?"
"A little."
"Numbness?"
"…No."
That answer seemed to relax her slightly.
She scribbled something else quickly.
Aldreic stared at the flickering candle nearby.
The orange flame reflected faintly within his grey eyes while sweat rolled slowly down the side of his face.
The dream from earlier still lingered inside his mind.
His mother smiling.
His father laughing.
A peaceful home.
He could still remember the warmth clearly.
And somehow that made reality feel colder.
"Can I go now?" he asked quietly.
His mother nodded absentmindedly.
Aldreic slowly stood from the chair.
The burning sensation still crawled beneath his skin as he climbed the stairs toward his room. Every step creaked beneath his weight while the smell of alcohol drifted upward from below.
Normal again.
The house had returned to what it always was.
Silent.
Cold.
Heavy.
He entered his room and shut the door quietly behind him.
Moonlight spilled through the narrow window above his bed, painting pale silver across the wooden floorboards. The forest outside swayed gently beneath the night wind, branches scratching softly against one another like whispers in darkness.
Aldreic sat near the window silently.
Why couldn't they be like that?
The thought returned again.
Why couldn't his family simply be normal?
He looked down toward his hands.
The same hands that carried water every morning.
Chopped wood.
Gathered herbs.
Cleaned blood from the floor when his father became violent.
Hands that trembled less and less each year.
Maybe the dream hurt because it showed him something he never realized he wanted.
Not riches.
Not power.
Just warmth.
Aldreic leaned his head lightly against the wall.
Then another thought appeared.
A strange one.
How does mother never run out of potions?
His eyes narrowed slightly.
There were always herbs.
Always ingredients.
Always glass bottles.
Always food.
Always alcohol for his father.
Yet none of them ever left the forest.
They had no farm.
No livestock.
No visitors.
Or at least…
No visitors he knew about.
Then the memory struck him immediately.
The crate of beer from earlier that morning.
Fresh.
Recently delivered.
Someone had brought it there.
Someone always did.
Aldreic slowly straightened.
For years he had accepted the strange life around him without truly questioning it. Perhaps because survival consumed most of his thoughts.
But now…
Questions had begun appearing faster.
Who keeps bringing supplies?
How do they know this house exists?
Does father have old friends?
Was father some important soldier once?
Could he have been a lord?
No.
That sounded ridiculous.
Yet the questions refused to disappear.
Aldreic glanced toward the ceiling thoughtfully.
Maybe tomorrow…
I'll look.
The next morning arrived beneath thick grey clouds.
Cold mist covered the forest surrounding the house while damp wind drifted between the trees. The world looked pale and lifeless beneath the weak sunlight barely piercing through the clouds overhead.
Aldreic carried an axe over his shoulder while walking deeper into the woods.
The air smelled of wet soil and pine.
Birds chirped somewhere far away, though even those sounds felt distant within the heavy silence of the forest.
He moved quietly through the familiar paths.
Every tree.
Every stone.
Every stream.
He knew them all.
This forest had been his entire world for as long as he could remember.
But now it suddenly felt smaller.
As though hidden truths existed somewhere beyond it.
Aldreic approached the usual area where fallen branches gathered.
Then stopped.
Horse tracks.
Fresh.
His eyes narrowed instantly.
Mud pressed deeply into the earth.
Several horses.
Heavy ones.
Not farmers.
Not travelers.
Aldreic crouched silently beside the tracks.
The edges remained sharp.
Recent.
Very recent.
His gaze shifted farther ahead.
Broken branches.
Crushed grass.
Signs of movement.
Someone had passed through here carelessly.
No.
Not carelessly.
Confidently.
As though they no longer feared being noticed.
Aldreic slowly rose to his feet.
This is it.
Someone really comes here.
The realization sent strange tension through his chest.
For years he had sensed something hidden surrounding their lives.
Small clues.
Fresh supplies appearing mysteriously.
His mother never worrying about ingredients running out.
His father always having alcohol.
But whenever he tried questioning them, silence followed.
Now finally—
proof existed.
But another thought unsettled him more.
Why weren't the tracks hidden this time?
The people who visited before always avoided leaving evidence. Aldreic had noticed small signs occasionally over the years, but never enough to prove anything.
Yet now…
The tracks were obvious.
Visible.
Almost intentional.
Aldreic gripped the axe tighter unconsciously.
Who are these people?
And what do they want from us?
The deeper he followed the tracks, the more uneasy he became.
Then he saw them.
Three horses stood near the house.
Black.
Well-fed.
Expensive.
Three men stood nearby speaking quietly with his mother outside the porch.
Aldreic immediately stepped behind a tree.
His breathing slowed instinctively.
Watching.
Observing.
The men looked strange.
Not knights.
Not ordinary soldiers.
Yet clearly trained fighters.
Dark cloaks covered most of their armor while silver insignias rested near their collars. Their boots looked far too expensive for mercenaries, polished despite the muddy roads leading here.
Swords hung at their waists.
But unlike knights, there were no banners.
No symbols proudly displayed.
Everything about them felt hidden.
Controlled.
Dangerous.
One of the men spoke calmly.
"We're running out of time."
His voice sounded educated.
Refined.
Not the rough speech of common soldiers.
Aldreic carefully listened from the woods.
His mother stood unnaturally stiff before them.
Nervous.
No—
Terrified.
He had never seen her look this shaken before.
"We're progressing as quickly as possible," she said quietly.
"That is not enough."
The tallest man stepped closer.
"The High Court grows impatient."
High Court?
Aldreic frowned slightly.
What is that?
The second man glanced toward the forest briefly.
Aldreic immediately lowered himself lower behind the tree.
"We cannot continue delaying this."
His mother clenched her hands tightly.
"He's still young."
"That was never our concern."
The coldness in the man's voice sent discomfort through Aldreic's chest.
Who are they talking about?
Then suddenly—
The front door burst open violently.
His father stormed outside.
"What concern?!" the man shouted furiously.
The visitors immediately turned toward him.
Aldreic froze.
His father looked different.
Not drunk.
Not broken.
Angry.
Truly angry.
Years of bitterness erupted across his face while his remaining hand trembled violently.
"Is this how you treat your heroes now?" he barked. "You come hiding in forests like cowards?"
"Lower your voice," one man warned coldly.
"Or what?" his father snapped. "You'll kill me too?"
Silence followed.
Heavy silence.
Then his father laughed bitterly.
"I fought for Albionia," he growled. "Lost my arm for your damned kingdom."
His voice cracked near the end.
"And look at me now."
Aldreic watched silently from the trees.
For the first time in his life…
He understood something.
His father wasn't simply angry at the world.
He was betrayed by it.
The realization unsettled him deeply.
The tall man sighed impatiently.
"You were compensated."
"Compensated?" his father laughed harshly. "By exile? By hiding us here like diseased animals?"
His mother stepped forward quickly.
"Please stop."
But the man ignored her.
"You ruined our lives!" he roared.
Aldreic's eyes widened slightly.
Ruined?
Then one of the cloaked men finally spoke quietly.
"You agreed to this."
The words instantly silenced the father.
Aldreic frowned.
Agreed to what?
His father's breathing became uneven.
For several moments nobody spoke.
Then the visitors turned their attention back toward his mother again.
"We will return soon," the tallest one said.
"And when you do?" she asked softly.
The man's expression remained unreadable.
"We expect results."
The visitors mounted their horses shortly after.
Without another word, they disappeared into the forest.
Aldreic remained hidden until the sounds of hooves vanished completely.
Then slowly—
He looked back toward the house.
His father stood motionless near the porch.
Breathing heavily.
His mother looked pale.
No one spoke.
The air itself felt tense.
Different.
As though something hidden beneath the surface had finally begun cracking open.
The rest of the day felt wrong.
Heavy.
His mother barely spoke after the visitors left.
Her movements became hurried and restless. She repeatedly checked her potion notes, muttering quietly beneath her breath while grinding herbs too forcefully against the stone bowl.
Aldreic silently watched her from across the room.
Then suddenly—
Crash.
Glass shattered across the floor.
His mother froze.
Breathing hard.
The broken vial trembled beside her feet while dark liquid spread across the wood.
Aldreic had never seen her this nervous before.
Not even during his father's violent episodes.
She quickly knelt to clean the mess.
Her hands shook visibly.
Aldreic hesitated.
"…Mother?"
"Don't just stand there," she snapped instinctively.
Then paused.
Regret briefly crossed her face.
"…Sorry."
The word sounded unfamiliar coming from her.
Aldreic quietly helped gather the broken glass.
Neither spoke for a while.
Then finally—
"Aldreic."
He looked up.
"Do not leave the house tonight."
Her voice sounded serious.
Not angry.
Afraid.
"…Why?"
She hesitated.
"…Just stay inside."
That answer only worsened the questions already consuming him.
Who were those men?
Why did they know his parents?
Why were they hiding?
What had his father agreed to?
And why did the visitors speak about him as though he were important?
Aldreic lowered his gaze toward the shattered glass silently.
He wanted answers badly now.
The outside world suddenly felt enormous.
And somehow connected to him.
But he already knew asking directly would accomplish nothing.
At best:
silence.
At worst:
a slap.
So instead, he stayed quiet.
And thought.
That night, rain began falling heavily across the forest.
Wind rattled the windows while darkness swallowed the woods surrounding the isolated house. Thunder echoed faintly in the distance as candlelight flickered weakly downstairs.
Aldreic lay awake staring at the ceiling.
Questions continued circling endlessly inside his mind.
Then voices interrupted his thoughts.
His parents.
Arguing.
Aldreic slowly sat up.
That almost never happened.
His father and mother rarely argued because most days they barely even spoke.
But tonight—
Anger filled their voices.
"He's still a child," his father growled.
"Do you think they care?" his mother snapped back immediately.
Silence followed briefly.
Then footsteps.
"They'll kill him," his father whispered harshly.
"And if we stop now?" she replied. "They'll kill all of us."
Aldreic's chest tightened slightly.
Kill?
What are they talking about?
His father's voice became lower.
"We should stop."
"We can't."
"We should've stopped years ago!"
Another silence.
Then something unexpected.
"How long have you been hiding this from me?" his father demanded.
His mother didn't answer immediately.
Finally—
"I just wanted to protect you both."
The room downstairs fell quiet.
Only rain remained.
Aldreic slowly moved closer toward the door, listening carefully.
Murmuring followed afterward.
Too quiet to fully hear.
Fragments only.
"…not enough time…"
"…they're watching…"
"…Aldreic…"
His own name instantly froze him.
The rain outside intensified.
Thunder rumbled through the forest.
And for the first time in his life—
Aldreic truly understood something.
Something enormous was happening around him.
Something hidden.
Something dangerous.
And somehow—
It all involved him.