Aksa staggered forward, his legs trembling with every step. He desperately gasped for air even though his lungs burned like hell from the cold wind.
His vision started getting more and more blurry as he walked, with dark circles forming at the edge of his eyes.
He felt as if nature was trying to stop him, as the roots sticking out of the ground bit into his legs, and the sharp rocks scattered around hindered his movement, wounding and scratching his bare feet.
"Just a little more..." As he struggled to push himself forward, Aksa mumbled in a low voice.
His body screamed at him to stop, and his muscles were burning as if they were lit on fire. He tried remembering how long it had been since he went deep into the woods, but to no avail. He could've been walking for hours. Maybe days. But every time he tried to remember, he was met with foggy memories.
Suddenly, his eyes caught a glimpse of something in the distance. A faint flicker of orange light seeping through the trees. He immediately steered himself towards it, hoping for it to be his exit as he tried walking faster.
However, once he got closer to it, his eyes blinked in surprise. A small wooden hut stood nestled amidst the trees. It looked to be old as the wood of its walls was rough and cracked.
Although hesitant, he carefully dragged himself closer before peeking through the open window from which the light was seeping outside. To his surprise, no one was inside. He tried looking further, but he was quickly distracted by the warmth of the place as it hit his face while escaping outside.
His eyes immediately shifted towards the small stone hearth crackling with flames, and without him noticing, he caught his body stretching forward, trying to reach inside. His survival instinct took over, pushing him further inside as his body desperately reached for the heat.
Once he was inside, Aksa swiftly turned his head left and right. However, his tense shoulders quickly loosened as he didn't find anyone hiding inside. His focus instantly shifted as the heat of the fire washed over his body.
He quickly crawled towards the hearth, his stiff fingers stretching to reach the flames. Nevertheless, his comfort was quickly interrupted. He felt dizzy in his head before his vision became completely blurry. Then suddenly, everything turned black. His body gave out before he could even feel himself hit the ground.
***
Aksa's eyes slowly opened. His vision was still blurry like earlier, but it was getting better fast. Once his vision returned to normal, he found himself staring at the wooden ceiling above, while feeling the rough texture of hey pressing against his back.
"Where... Am I?..." As he slowly stood up, Aksa mumbled in a low voice, gently rubbing his sleepy eyes.
"Ahh, you're finally awake." Suddenly, a deep, husky voice cut through his confusion, startling the boy, who jolted in panic. Aksa quickly turned his head around, searching for the source of the voice.
He was panicking as he thought for a moment that Mark had followed him there, but his tense shoulder quickly loosened and he let out a sigh of relief as he didn't see him anywhere.
Next to the hearth, a man with a broad frame sat on a rocking chair, his back hunched over a wooden block that he was carving with a small knife. He had a small but dense beard that was streaked with gray. His messy, long hair was tied back in a loose knot. The wrinkles under his eyes and the few scars scattered across his face moved slightly as he blinked.
"Who are—" Before Aksa could finish his words, a throbbing pain in his head suddenly stopped him, feeling as if someone had stabbed him in the head. His hand moved instinctively as he hissed loudly, reaching for his skull.
However, once his fingers reached his forehead, his hands immediately recoiled back as he felt the wet fabric that was wrapped around his head.
As he stared into his palms, Aksa's eyes widened in a mixture of shock and surprise. His hands were completely drenched in blood. His own blood.
His breathing became heavier, coming out in ragged gasps. His jaw began shivering in panic, and his hands started shaking.
"You were bleeding so much when I found you collapsed here, your whole body was covered in it. Surprised you were still breathing." The voice of the man as he spoke up again quickly snapped Aksa back to his senses.
"H-huh?" Aksa stared at him, confused. "How didn't I notice it?"
"Exhaustion. Your body was too numb to feel it." The man added as he tilted the carving in his hand, inspecting it as he spoke. "You're still bleeding, but you'll live. If you rest."
"Ah… I see. Thank you for—" said Aksa, trying to show a small smile on his face, but he was quickly interrupted.
"Kael." The man turned around in his chair to face Aksa. "Name's Kael. What's yours, boy?"
"A-Aksa." Although startled by Kael's aggressive way of talking, Aksa quickly answered.
"Aksa, huh?" Kael gave a grunt as he nodded slightly. "Now then, Aksa. Mind telling me how you got here?"
"W-what?" Aksa blinked.
"This area's warded. A barrier keeps out anything that isn't an animal. So I'm curious." Kael added as he pointed his knife at the boy. "How the hell did you make it inside?"
Aksa remained silent, staring at Kael with blank eyes as he tried to remember something that could be an answer. He shook his head slightly before replying, "I-uh...I don't know. I was walking aimlessly for a while, and then—I saw a light flickering, so I followed it, and it led me here."
"Hmmm, I see. I will believe your story since I can't think of any other explanation." Although he wasn't entirely convinced, Kael uttered as he stroked his beard, closing his eyes.
Then he stood up before walking closer to Aksa and handing him the wooden spoon that he was carving, "Here. Wait a moment while I bring you some soup."
"No, I uh—" Aksa tried to protest, but he was quickly stopped by Kael.
"No, you need to eat. I know you are not used to this, but your body is too weak for you to refuse."
"What are you—" Aksa looked at Kael, confused as to what he was talking about.
"You were a slave, right?" Kael asked as he glanced at Aksa from the corner of his eye, but the boy remained silent, too stunned to speak. "Judging by your silence, I am right. You don't need to worry, I'm not a slave master." Kael added as he handed Aksa the bowl of soup along with a small loaf of bread.
"Finish eating and then go back to sleep. Your body needs to rest." Kael then headed towards the door, where he put on a long wool coat and grabbed the lantern that was hanging on the wall. "I'll go out to hunt some wild deer. So I'll be back late."
Before Aksa could get a word out, Kael stepped outside, quickly closing the door behind him. Aksa stood still, looking at the door in silence for a few moments before he mumbled under his breath, "That was... Weird."
Before he could start eating, Aksa caught a glimpse of something. A small pile of hay was spread on the ground next to the bed, enough for someone to sleep on.
"Wait, don't tell me..." As he spoke, tears started forming in his eyes while he looked at it, "He slept on the ground and let me sleep on his bed? Why would he...?"
Aksa started sobbing uncontrollably as he had never seen someone treat him with kindness like this before. As his breath hitched, he tried wiping his tears, but they never stopped flowing out. He then held his head with both hands, letting himself cry for a while.
He then started eating, tears falling into the soup. He was munching on the bread like a feral animal. He didn't notice when he was in the forest, but his hunger was driving him crazy. He held the bowl of soup close to his face, as if afraid it might disapear.
Kael stood outside, listening to the boy crying his heart out. He wanted to step inside and comfort him, but he didn't know how. He has been living alone in these woods for so long that he has forgotten how to interact with others. He let out a long sigh before he started walking away.