It was well past midnight. I hadn't drunk much, so the wine hadn't affected me much. The fire in front of me was dying, and only a few people remained around. Eventually, I stood up and made my way home.
As I opened the door, a wave of cold air hit my face. The stove had long gone out, and the room was drowned in darkness. My footsteps echoed on the wooden floor, as a deep silence swallowed everything.
This was my home. Every time I stepped inside, I felt like I belonged here. The books lined up on the shelves, the old map on the table, the bow and arrows hanging on the wall... Everything was still in its place. But Edric wasn't in the room.
I sat down on the edge of the bed and took off my shoes. This was once Edric's house, now it was my shelter. The man who embraced me and taught me how to survive had long returned to the earth.
Edric had a square face, his sunburned skin carried the harshness of years. His slightly wrinkled skin and long, snow-white beard gave him an even wiser appearance. His hair was also completely white, usually neatly combed. Anyone looking at him could easily tell he'd spent most of his life under the sun and wind.
Without him, this place was nothing more than stone walls.
But I'd gotten used to it. Living here, listening to the silence, being on my own… I threw a few logs into the stove and lit them. As the flames rose, the room began to warm up a little. I leaned back in the chair and stared into the fire for a while.
I started feeling really depressed.
I began talking to myself.
"Guess I need to go on a long hunt tomorrow. I'm 18... what am I even living through? Old man, there's a time for dying, but leaving me like that—was that fair?"
I lay down on the bed. I was staring at the window where the crow had landed this morning. "I need a purpose."
Suddenly, I saw the elf—the leader of the adventurer group—outside the window. I thought they'd left already. "Looks like they decided to spend the night in the village."
I closed my eyes to sleep. After a long time tossing and turning, I finally drifted off.
In Edric's old house, alone in a room dimly lit by flickering light, silence wrapped around me like a heavy blanket. Inside, there was a feeling I couldn't quite name—not exactly sadness, nor peace. Just… emptiness. A deep, gnawing sense of something missing.
I stared at the ceiling. The weight of my thoughts pulled me deeper into the bed, but I knew I wouldn't fall asleep. The memories scattered across the corners of the room wouldn't leave me alone.
I started talking to myself again, maybe just to hear his voice—even if it was only in my head.
"Guess I need to go on a long hunt tomorrow… I'm 18, what the hell am I going through? Old man, there's a time to die—but you leaving me just like that? Really?"
My words hung in the air like I was expecting a response… but of course, there was none. Only the faint whistle of the wind sneaking through the window. When Edric was here, this house always had a voice—his firm, wise words or the crackle of the fire… Now, all of that was gone. Replaced by the silence of death.
I lay down, staring at the ceiling for a while. My gaze drifted to the window where the crow had perched in the morning. I felt isolated from the world behind that dark pane of glass.
"I'm starting to feel really depressed."
"I need a purpose."
Those words echoed in my mind. I was searching for meaning in the void. If Edric were here, what would he say? Probably tell me I was being overly dramatic, then smack me and say, "Come on, get up, be strong."
I turned from side to side, trying to sleep, but my mind wouldn't rest. Then I noticed movement outside the window.
I blinked and looked carefully. Despite the village's darkness, I could see the figure illuminated faintly by the moonlight. The elf, leader of the adventuring party... I thought they'd left already.
I frowned. What was he doing here? Had they decided to stay the night and leave in the morning, or was something else going on?
I squinted, trying to focus on the elf's face, but the darkness concealed his features. He stood there for a few seconds more, then disappeared. With a strange feeling curling in my chest, I turned back to my bed.
I closed my eyes. After a long time tossing and turning, exhaustion finally won. My thoughts blurred, sounds faded, and slowly, I drifted into a deep sleep.
As the first rays of sunlight filtered through the window, I started to wake up. But before I could fully open my eyes, I was startled by a scream-like sound coming from outside the glass.
"What the hell is it this early?!" I grumbled, rubbing my eyes and turning toward the window. The crow was there. The same one I saw last night. It looked like it was staring at me.
Then… it spoke.
"You've been cursed, little one."
I paused for a moment. Then, squinting and looking more closely, I noticed someone hiding behind a tree. Lia.
I sighed. Is this a joke now?
Alright then, let's play along.
"How old are you? Three hundred? 'Little one' is kind of rude," I said, looking at the crow.
The crow tilted its head, then responded in that same deep yet funny voice:
"Wrong guess! I'm a sprightly 288-year-old crow!"
This time I rolled my eyes, but I felt the urge to laugh rising within me. I continued with a serious tone:
"Wow, crows live that long? So, mighty crow lord, how much gold do you want to lift the curse?"
I heard a soft giggle coming from behind the tree. Lia was trying to stay hidden, but failing miserably. I finally couldn't take it anymore and shook my head.
"Lia, do you think I'm stupid?"
There was a brief silence. Then Lia slightly stepped out from behind the tree, looking at me like someone caught red-handed.
"Well… a little?" she said, though her grin never left her face.
I continued watching the crow slowly. Its eyes were still on me. There was a slight unease in me, but despite that, Lia's excitement was starting to rub off on me. The crow disappeared from my view for a moment, then reappeared, repeating the same motion.
"I'm hurt," I said, still keeping my guard up. "Why'd you come so early in the morning?"
Lia answered with that familiar smile. "They're setting out to climb the mountain, and guess what?" Her excitement was clear; her voice was trembling, her eyes were shining.
"They gave up?" I asked indifferently. I felt a bit uncertain as I waited for her response.
"No, they didn't give up but… apparently they're going to take a few volunteers from the village. Come on, let's try out!" Her smile didn't fade for a second.
I stayed silent for a moment. "Only our village gets to join?" I asked more thoughtfully. My voice grew deeper, I was weighing things in my mind.
Lia hesitated for a moment. "I mean, I don't know much, but I think… it's a spur-of-the-moment decision."
There was still a bit of hesitation in me, but I didn't want to ignore Lia's excitement and eagerness. "Ugh, are you serious?" I asked slowly, trying not to say anything hurtful directly. But this didn't seem like a sane idea to me.
We stared at each other in silence for a while, both unsure of what to do.
"I think we shouldn't join," I finally said seriously. "You saw them yesterday too, didn't you? They looked like they were in a rush. And now today they want help from the village?"
Lia's face dropped, she looked away with pursed lips. "Buzzkill," she muttered. "Where else are you going to find a chance like this?"
God, I want to get out of this so badly right now. Of course, let's just climb a mountain no one ever returns from. Why? Because it's a 'chance'! Great idea, right?
"I mean," I sighed, "Stop pushing it. I'm not going to that mountain. Some fool threw a stone in a well, and now ten smart people are trying to fish it out. So what if there was a flash of light on the mountain? We're kids, kids! Do you have combat training? Are you a high-tier mage?"
I tried not to break her heart, spoke without raising my voice. I stepped toward the crow, but Lia still looked angry. She pressed her lips together, averted her eyes, seemed like she was about to say something but gave up.
Silence.
The wind blew harder, the morning chill brushing against my face. I didn't know where this was going to lead, but something felt off inside me.
Lia's determination stirred a strange unease in me. It was normal for her to be this insistent, but something was different this time. We fell silent for a moment, surrounded by the quiet of the morning. Even the crow seemed to have decided not to talk anymore.
Finally, I sighed. "Let's say we decide to try out. Let's say we get chosen. If something happens to us on that mountain, do you really think the adventurers would care about us?"
Lia rolled her eyes. "If we show we're strong and useful enough, why wouldn't they care? We have to prove ourselves, Rowan. We can't just rot away here."
Now I understood—Lia wants to escape this small village. She wants to prove herself on that mountain... I never thought of leaving the village before. Wait a minute, does she want to leave with me?
I shook my head. "What if we're not chosen?"
Lia shrugged, like she hadn't even considered the possibility. "Then at least we had fun. At least we tried something."
She looked at me with pleading eyes. I tried to resist. I really did…
I can't let my only childhood friend risk herself over something so stupid…
Besides, everything's been so boring since Edric.
Maybe we really could have some fun.
And maybe... my real goal will be to marry Lia.
I narrowed my eyes. "I still don't get how you convinced me to this."
Her eyes sparkled as she spoke with a huge grin. "Because deep down, you want to go too."
Alright then, all I need to do is join and get eliminated.
The crow looked at me.
It wasn't flying away—it was perched at the window, listening to us.
"CAAW!!"
"What do you mean 'caaw'?! Damn crow."
Why are these crows suddenly haunting me? It's maddening.
"Get ready," Lia suddenly broke my gaze toward the crow.
"What? Now?"
"Yeah, now." She was so happy I had agreed.
The fact that she specifically wanted me along was suspicious. Still, I won't read too much into it.
Guess I'll have to postpone today's to-do list.
To-Do List
Go to the forest
Hunt deer, rabbits, or whatever comes
Return to the village
Skin the animals
Dry the meat
Stare at your ceiling doing nothing