And then
Fury burned so bright
The heart
Solid, cold as ice
No more
Could he feel a thing
So numb
Shadow of a soul

"Aeric...you should rest, too. I think we're far enough away from Lo'ol now."

Aeric didn't reply. Instead, he adjusted his hold on Dov who clung onto his shoulders a little tighter. The younger didn't have as long of legs as the older and became tired much quicker. In order to keep their pace, Aeric carried Dov on his back. All night they had walked, and all day they continued forward. The realm was dark, even during the day, and Aeric feared the light of their lanterns would make them easy-to-spot targets. It was that fear that kept him going, but he knew he was reaching his limit.

Veering off to the right of the path, Dov noticed an oddity in the trees. By his vantage point, he could barely see the blue glow of a life-flame. That was when he realized it was a makeshift shelter, made to blend in with the trees. It looked to be something that was once used to keep out of sight from game while hunting.

"Over there." Dov pointed in the direction of the shelter. "I think there's somewhere we can sit and hide. Someone's there, but maybe they'll share with us?"

Once again, Aeric made no indication that he heard, but nonetheless followed Dov's direction. It took a bit of maneuvering through the branches, Dov squirming out of Aeric's hold to move through easier, but they soon came across what was indeed an old hunting shelter. There was another man there when they entered, laying on his side with his back turned to them. Both assumed he was asleep, and simply settled on the other side soundlessly.

"You should sleep," Dov said, his voice just above a whisper. Aeric opened his mouth to object, but Dov quickly silenced him by covering his mouth with his hand. "I already got to sleep today, and I promise I'll wake you up if something happens or if I get really tired, ok?"

Aeric pulled Dov's hand away, scowling, but settled against a tree that supported some of the structure. He would never admit how quick he was to fall asleep, especially when the last thing he saw before shutting his eyes was a smug expression on Dov's face. He neither knew how long he was asleep. Yet when he woke, he immediately found himself lying on the ground with his cloak rearranged to be draped over him. Must've been Dov, he thought.

Sitting up, the first thing that caught his eyes was the man. He may have been exhausted previously, but he could've sworn the man hadn't moved since they got there. A heavy sleeper? He then looked to Dov.

Dov was staring at the man with an unsettled expression. Aeric was about to ask what was the matter, but Dov blurted out a sentence before he could even open his mouth.

"I think he's dead."

Aeric immediately sat up straighter and snapped his attention back to the man before them. He couldn't tell if the man was breathing or not.

"He hasn't moved at all since we got here," Dov continued, "and didn't even jump when I dropped the food bag."

Wordlessly, Aeric stood and began approaching the man. "Sir?" he began, only taking a step closer when the man did not respond. He crouched next to the man and lightly shook his shoulder, only to jump back when a sudden crack sounded. The man had rolled back stiffly at the movement. His eyes were partially open and glassy, and his jaw was clenched shut. Aeric was glad he hadn't eaten yet. He would've thrown up at the sight. That didn't stop the dry heave, however, that soon came after the discovery. Dov fared a bit better than his brother, but he still looked green as he stared at the man's arm which had snapped off so easily, simply hanging in the sleeve.

The man had frozen, although Aeric didn't think he had frozen to death. The life-flame still stayed lit in the man's lantern, after all, but the life-flame couldn't keep something warm that was already lifeless. It didn't look as if the man had any other possessions on him—though Aeric wasn't about to go digging either. All there was, was the lantern. After contemplating the thought for a second, Aeric reached down and opened the lantern, beckoning it into his own. The blue flame leaped from lantern to lantern, and his life-flame grew brighter.

"Aeric!" Dov looked at him with a shocked, if not a bit scandalized, expression. "You can't just take someone else's—"

"He won't be needing it," Aeric cut in gently. He took Dov by the arm and helped him up, dusting him off a bit of dirt and leaves. "The life-flames can do nothing for the dead."

"I—I guess..." Dov still looked uneasy from the action, glancing at the frozen man one last time before exiting the hunting shelter, Aeric following close behind.

They continued to travel towards the Neverdawn Plains, following the plan of their late father. Walk, rest, eat, loot, sleep, it became a sort of routine, and the urgency had begun to fade. Aeric made sure to keep his guard up, however, always making sure to cover their tracks and finding places to hide as they slept. He may have been raised in the city, but he did learn a few tricks while listening to the local hunters tell their tales. He had yet to spot a Theodi or person of Tir, so he assumed he was doing something right.

The farther they wandered from the cities, the more sparse the towns became, and less willing were they to part with any food. It came to the point where they were chased away more often than taken pity upon. When all they had was stale bread, moldy cheese, and near-rotten fruit, it was time to take their chances with the next town.

Upon entering the next town—more of a village and Aeric noticed the broken signpost where its name should have been—they were met with complete silence. Not a sound was heard, and not a soul roamed the streets. The only signs of life were the faint glow of candles from inside a few houses. The brothers had entered into the main square before Aeric began to call out.

"Hello?" He gently set Dov down who he had been carrying once again. "Is anyone here?"

He was about to call out again when no one responded until a door to his right swung open. Out peeked the head of a woman, her eyes wide in surprise, before stepping out completely.

"Young lad, what are you doing out here in the cold?" she asked while approaching briskly, soon standing directly in front of them. She laid a hand on his cheek, and he heard another door open from somewhere behind him. He felt Dov bump into his side, and he instinctively put an arm around his shoulder to draw him closer. "Why, you're practically frozen!" the woman continued, and soon, she was joined by another.

"You poor boys! You must have been wandering for days! Look how thin you are!" the second woman said while inspecting Aeric's arm.

"Ah, but the young man looks healthy enough. They're sturdier than they look," said a man.

"And the boy's still soft." The second woman had reached to pinch Dov's cheek, causing the younger to make a startled sound. Immediately, Aeric pulled Dov away from the group who had surrounded them and took a few steps back. They stared at the brothers in uncomfortable silence while Aeric rocked uneasily.

"Sorry," he said, trying to figure out why these people were behaving so bizarrely. "The Tir had invaded Lo'ahm—if you haven't heard yet—and we've been on the run for a while. We're a bit jumpy."

The first woman gave them a sympathetic look before shooing the other two away. Begrudgingly, they stepped back and headed to their homes, but gave the brothers one last, unnerving stare before shutting their doors. Yet Aeric still felt as if they were being watched, and he was sure there were many more eyes peering from the windows around them.

"Apologies, we don't get many visitors in these parts," the woman soothed. "We were just surprised that two boys such as yourselves had traveled this far. And alone, too. Please, I was just about to prepare a meal. My family and I wouldn't mind at all if you joined us, and I'm sure we could provide a room to stay for the night."

"Oh, we wouldn't want to be a bother," Aeric said hurriedly. "Just some—"

"You wouldn't be a bother at all," she insisted, stepping close and placing her hands on his shoulders before guiding him towards a house. Aeric made sure Dov stayed glued to his side. "Come in, come in. We don't have much, but may Pyrilor frown upon us if we turn away someone in need."

Everything about this situation felt off to Aeric. The village was eerily quiet, and the people...something felt wrong about them. Dov sensed it, too, as he clutched onto his older brother's shirt tightly. Yet something told him, if they didn't accept the offer, something much worse would greet them.

"If you're sure..." Aeric accepted carefully, unable to shake off the feeling of being watched. The woman grinned, almost inhumanly so, and opened the door to the house.

"Please make yourselves at home," she began, leading them to the main room where a man and two children sat. A boy and a girl, both roughly the same age if not twins. "There is my husband, Orvic, my son and daughter, Parcus and Parvine, and you can call me Nimma."

If anyone else in the family had heard her, they made no indication that they did. Instead, the husband regarded them silently, giving a nod of approval and turning away while the children grinned in delight. Aeric wasn't given enough time to evaluate their behavior before Nimma spoke again.

"I'll be in the kitchen if you need me, just going to start heating up the water for a stew. Please, sit down and rest." With that, she left to where they assumed to be the kitchen, leaving the room in uncomfortable silence.

Not knowing what else to do, the brothers followed Nimma's instructions. They settled near the family's hearth—on the opposite side of the remaining people in the room—gladly absorbing the warmth it provided, even if the life-flames glowed dismally. Yet their comfort soon turned back into unease. Orvic continued to glance at them, always with a sort of calculating look in his eyes, while the children continued to grin, their grins now beginning to look abnormal as well. None of them initiated any conversation, and when either of the brothers tried to break the deafening silence, they were either brushed off or completely ignored. With talking out of the question, Aeric instead stared into the blue flames before him.

Nothing about this village made sense to Aeric. It was as if it should have been left to rot ages ago. If it weren't for the residents he now sat with, he would have assumed it was. But—

Aeric's thoughts stopped short, and he looked up at Orvic. "Where are your facilities located?"

"In the backroom aways," he spoke gruffly, and this was the first sentence Aeric had heard from the man. "Down the hall and to the left. You'll know it when you see it."

"Thank you." Aeric stood, sending Dov an apologetic glance before following the directions given to him.

He did, indeed, find the backroom easily, but instead made his way to the window, checking behind him before slowly prying it open. Careful not to make a sound and making sure it wasn't in view of other houses, he climbed through, landing on the firm soil of the outdoors. Aeric's heart beat madly against his chest as he lightly stepped around the house. Something about this situation told him that one wrong move could get him and Dov killed.

Farm tools were laid around and abandoned in wagons, yet there were no fields in sight. The ground was too hard to sow anything in the first place. Even animal-pulled plows wouldn't be able to till the soil. Speaking of the animals, there was a reason why Aeric thought the village to be too silent. No horse neighed. No ox lowed. No dog barked. There wasn't a living thing in sight besides a handful of people.

As Aeric rounded the corner, his answer laid before him.

There laid a pile of bones. Some belonged to animals as large as a horse, and others as small as a bird. Not even the rats were spared, it seemed, as tiny bones dusted around the pile. Yet most horrifying of all, amongst the skeletons, sat the skulls of humans.

That was when everything clicked. The strange looks, the strange touches, the grins of the children, they never even asked for their names.

They were never intended to be their guests. They were their next meal.

As quickly as he dared, Aeric slipped back inside and made his way into the main room where Dov still waited for him. Trying not to alert the family of his franticness, he leaned down and gently pulled Dov up to his feet.

"You should go as well," he said, beginning to guide Dov to the back, who thankfully kept his questions to himself. "I'll show you where it is."

"I'm sure he can find it on his own," Orvic's voice stated, freezing Aeric in his tracks at the tone as it echoed coldly around the room. The children were no longer smiling.

"I'm sure he can, but he's shy and easily spooked," Aeric tried to explain, but it was as if something was caught in his throat. "I just didn't see the harm in showing him where it was."

"Didn't see the harm in it, you say?" Nimma emerged from the kitchen, her "friendly" smile having long disappeared.

No use pretending.

"Run," he whispered into Dov's ear before taking him by the arm and sprinting down the hall, hastily pulling Dov along with him as he all but flung himself out the window. They could hear the cries of outrage behind them, but neither of them dared to look back. House by house they dodged past, adrenaline once again pumping through their veins as they heard more and more people joining the chase. It was as if they were escaping Lo'ol all over again, yet they did not know the terrain.

Just as they neared the edge of the village, for a heart-stopping moment Aeric felt Dov jerk away from him, and Dov's scream of terror echoed through the air. Someone had caught hold of his cloak and was pulling him back. Other villagers were quickly gaining. Acting before thinking, Aeric grabbed a shovel lying nearby and swung it at the villager holding Dov. The blade of it collided with their head with a sickening crunch, embedding into their skull and they collapsed in a heap. From the sudden release, Dov stumbled forward, causing the lantern at his hip to fly off and shatter once it hit the ground. The life-flames it held were soon swept away by the wind.

"My lantern—"

"Leave it!"

Hands now free of the shovel that was currently shoved in the skull of a person, Aeric quickly gathered Dov back into his arms, prepared to run again. Yet the sight before them quickly froze them in their tracks.

As quickly as it happened did the villagers' attention shift to the fallen one. The brothers seemed to have been forgotten as they surrounded the corpse and began tearing it apart. Dov buried his face in Aeric's side while Aeric looked on in horror. It was Dov's urging pleas to leave that snapped Aeric out of it, and they quickly made themselves scarce before the villagers remembered their existence.

They ran until the village was far behind them, yet the horrific scene of what they saw would be scarred into their memories for the rest of their lives. It was that day they learned what a human would do when pushed to the brink.