Rayn woke to the first rays of sun filtering through Theo's wooden window.
It wasn't his usual bed, but Theo's simple one made of straw and rough fabrics, the feeling was strange, a mixture of comfort and displacement.
He immediately remembered why he was here, the reason for his humiliating escape from the cave, the reason he left Theo behind. The scar of guilt pricked his heart, more painful than any physical wound.
He fidgeted in bed for a few moments, staring at the ceiling, listening to his steady breathing, in a desperate attempt to move his friend, who was stuck to the ground and wouldn't move.
He slowly rose, his body still aching from the injuries he sustained inside the cave, the recovery process was slow and painful without Theo's healing magic that he had been accustomed to for a while.
He headed towards the kitchen, where the smell of food filled the air.
He found Elena there, engrossed in preparing breakfast as usual. She seemed more fragile and weak than he remembered her last, and signs of worry and lack of sleep were clearly visible on her face.
He felt a wave of sadness towards her, she, too, was suffering because of Theo's disappearance.
"Good morning, Auntie," Rayn said in a cheerful voice, trying to sound as normal as possible.
Elena turned to him, her face bearing a faint smile trying to hide the sea of worry raging within her. "Good morning, Rayn. Did you sleep well?"
"Yes, Auntie, thank you," Rayn lied, for how could he sleep well knowing his friend was trapped in a dark, unknown place? "Do you need any help?"
"No, my dear, thank you. Sit down, breakfast is almost ready," Elena said, and returned to her work in silence. The silence was heavy in the kitchen, devoid of Theo's quiet chatter or Celia's gentle sarcasm.
Elena was placing the food on the table, her movements automatic, as if she were doing it out of habit only.
Rayn sat on the chair, eating his food slowly, trying to enjoy it, but the taste of worry spoiled everything.
He watched Elena, seeing in her eyes the frightened motherhood, the boundless love for her only son.
He remembered how she had threatened him if Theo didn't return within two weeks, and how she had insisted that he stay with her and go to the cave daily. He had no choice but to agree, for his fear of an angry Elena was intense.
After breakfast, Rayn went out to the back yard. The weather was a bit cold, refreshing. He stood in the middle of the yard, where Theo used to train daily.
He looked around, saw the physical training marks Theo had left on the ground, footprints, perhaps some light scratches on tree trunks, then he spotted a patch of grass that looked like it had been exposed to intense heat, remembering Theo's fire magic training.
'Oh my God, is this the life Theo lived?' Rayn thought to himself. 'Every day harsh training, constant exhaustion.'
His training with Kyle was certainly tough, but it never reached Theo's level.
Theo pushed himself to the limit, physically and magically, as if he was living in a race against time, as if he was preparing for something.
Rayn began training in the yard, repeating some movements he learned from Kyle. His muscles ached, but the pain was familiar, different from the terror he felt in the cave. As he trained, he wondered again about Theo's nature.
Why is he so different? Why does he possess this exceptional affinity for the element of darkness? And that powerful talent? Why does he seem to carry the weight of the world on his slender shoulders?
Rayn finished his training in the yard, then prepared to go to the second part of his daily mission, searching for a loophole around the cursed cave, which Elena knew as 'helping Theo with his training'.
He put on his clothes, drank some water, then said goodbye to Elena, who was watching him anxiously.
"Rayn, be careful," Elena said in a pleading voice. "Don't go too far, and don't be late, just... stay with him for a while, and make sure everything is okay."
"Don't worry, Auntie, I'll be careful," Rayn reassured her, knowing well that he wouldn't limit himself to searching 'a little'. He entered the forest, the cold air whipping his face. The forest was familiar to him, he had spent years training there with Kyle. But today it seemed darker, more threatening, as if it held secrets no one wanted to know.
Rayn began to circle the area where he believed the cave was located.
The ground was rough in some places, full of tangled roots and sharp rocks.
He stepped cautiously, constantly surveying his surroundings, not knowing what he might find. Would he find another entrance to the cave? Would he find any trace of Theo? Would he face the traps that almost killed him?
As he walked, he heard a sound that was both familiar and disturbing at the same time, the creaking of trees breaking the silence of the forest, accompanied by low murmuring sounds. The sound of goblins.
Goblins were relatively weak creatures, and he and Theo often hunted them during training or Theo's hunting trips.
But fighting, even with goblins, required focus and skill.
Rayn drew his worn sword and took a ready stance.
A small goblin appeared from among the trees, its eyes gleaming with malice. The goblin wasn't alone, two more followed, three goblins facing Rayn alone. This wouldn't usually pose a significant threat to Rayn at his current rank as a fighter approaching the third rank, but his recent injuries and current weakness made the task more difficult.
The first goblin pounced on Rayn, trying to hit him with its swords, which gleamed unlike Rayn's worn sword.
Rayn barely dodged the attack, and responded with a quick sword strike that hit the goblin's shoulder, making it wince and retreat. At that moment, the second and third goblins attacked from the sides. Rayn couldn't completely dodge them. He felt a sharp pain tearing through his arm and leg. He cried out in pain, but forced himself to focus.
He remembered something before he smiled sarcastically. He struck a powerful blow with his sword towards the goblin that had injured his leg. The blow hit the goblin's head directly, causing it to fall to the ground motionless.
Only the first and second goblins remained. They were more cautious now.
"Damn it, it seems like it won't be easy now," Rayn said, scoffing at himself in a low voice.
They circled him, looking for an opportunity to attack. Rayn felt exhaustion creeping into his body, and the new wounds ached, but he didn't give up. He held his sword with both hands, ready to parry any attack.
The first goblin pounced again, followed by the second. Rayn barely dodged the first attack, then used his sword to block the second goblin's attack.
Their sword blades clashed, creating a spark.
Rayn used this brief moment of pause to thrust his sword towards the second goblin. The blow hit its chest, making it wince and fall. Only the first goblin remained. It hesitated, seeing its two companions fallen before it.
"Come on, you ugly creature!" Rayn shouted, challenging it. "Come and fight!"
The goblin hesitated for another moment, then turned and began to flee back into the depths of the forest. Rayn did not try to pursue it. He was exhausted, and his wounds hurt intensely. He sat on the ground, breathing heavily, wiping the sweat from his forehead. Three goblins alone, it was a battle that should have been easy, but it was difficult for him now, but he ultimately won.
Rayn gathered his remaining strength and slowly stood up. He had to continue searching. He quickly bandaged his wounds with some herbs he knew, and before continuing to circle the cave area, his body froze and he looked in the direction the goblin had fled, deeply shocked.
'They had swords! Even its sword was almost better than my worn one!' Rayn was shocked, as goblins, even the best of them, were supposed to carry stone daggers and were a minority, but he had just faced three goblins carrying swords.
How could he not be surprised by such a thing, he didn't even notice until after the fight.
Rayn returned to the battle site, feeling anxious as he examined the fallen swords. 'Damn it, it's better than this thieving blacksmith's swords!' Rayn cursed his bad luck and poverty, as he had just seen swords better than any he had ever used before.
Rayn got those swords and moved quickly, trying to finish his mission as fast as possible!
Rayn continued to scan the area around the cave, looking for any cracks in the ground, any hidden entrance, any sign that Theo was still alive inside.
The task seemed impossible, the cave appeared like a solid rock mountain, impenetrable.
He thought of Theo, who was frozen in place and couldn't even be budged.
As he circled the cave, he suddenly felt a powerful aura, different from the weak goblin auras.
It was an aura carrying a sense of real danger, of raw power. Rayn stopped, and drew his sword again. This time, it wasn't just goblins.
A huge creature emerged from among the trees, much larger than the goblins, and more threatening. Its body was covered in dark fur, and it had sharp, curved horns protruding from its forehead. It was a "Demonic Orc." Rayn had heard of them, powerful beings inhabiting the rugged areas near the cave, but they usually didn't approach the village. This was his first real encounter with one.
He remembered what Theo had said about the Demonic Orc, that it wasn't fast, but it was very strong, and its horns were dangerous, causing bodily decay upon contact. Its main weakness was the belly and head.
The Demonic Orc looked at Rayn, its eyes gleaming aggressively. It let out a low growl, as if challenging him.
Rayn was exhausted from fighting the goblins, and his wounds ached, but he didn't let fear control him. He remembered his promise to Elena, he remembered his friend trapped in the cave. He had to be strong.
The Demonic Orc pounced towards Rayn, raising a huge club it was carrying, its blow was powerful, but relatively slow. Rayn barely dodged the blow, and jumped aside.
He responded with a sword strike towards the Orc's side, trying to target its belly area. But the Orc's skin was thick and tough, his strike only caused a small scratch.
The Orc grew angry and attacked again with greater ferocity. Rayn dodged and weaved with increasing difficulty, avoiding its horns and club.
He was trying to apply Theo's instructions on dodging and identifying weaknesses. The battle was taking place around the cave, very close to the sealed entrance.
In one moment of dodging, Rayn saw an opportunity. The Orc was trying to deliver a powerful blow with its club, which exposed its left side. Rayn seized the moment, and thrust his sword towards the Orc's belly. The blow hit its target this time, slightly penetrating the thick skin, making the Orc wince a little in pain.
But the Orc considered it a mere scratch. It was still very strong. It returned to the attack, more angry and dangerous. Rayn felt his exhaustion reaching its peak. His muscles screamed, and his wounds bled. He couldn't continue like this for long.
A reckless idea crossed his mind. He had to try to end the fight quickly.
He waited for the right moment, and when the Orc tried to hit him again, he barely dodged the blow, then jumped towards the Orc, delivering a final blow with all his remaining strength towards the Orc's head, trying to target its skull.
It was a desperate blow, but it was accurate. The blow hit the Orc's head forcefully, making it stagger. Rayn used this moment, delivered another quick and powerful blow to the same spot. The huge Demonic Orc collapsed, falling to the ground with a resounding thud, leaving behind a sudden silence.
Rayn fell to his knees, panting heavily, his body trembling from exhaustion and the fear he had suppressed. He had defeated a Demonic Orc alone, for the first time.
It was a great achievement for him, but it almost cost him his life.
Rayn spent the remaining daylight hours trying to find any loophole around the cave, anything to indicate Theo's presence inside.
But his efforts failed. The cave seemed completely sealed, like a rocky tomb. As dusk fell, and with the increasing coldness of the air and the creeping shadows, Rayn realized he could do no more for the day.
Rayn returned to the village as darkness fell. His steps were slow and faltering, his body exhausted, and his wounds ached. Elena saw him approaching the house, and rushed towards him with a pale face.
"Rayn! What happened? Why are you covered in blood like this? How did you get injured like this? Is Theo okay?" Her questions poured out quickly, her eyes gleaming with tears.
Rayn smiled a tired smile, trying to calm her. "Don't worry, Auntie, I'm fine. Just some goblins in the forest." He decided to lie about the Demonic Orc, it wouldn't add to her worry. "I didn't talk to Theo much today, he often ignored me, I sat next to him until I ran out of patience and came and met some goblins on the way."
Elena sighed a little, but the worry didn't completely disappear from her eyes. "Are you sure, Rayn? Is he really okay?"
"I'm sure, Auntie. Theo is strong, and I believe he's gaining more strength inside. He just needs time to finish his training," Rayn said, then remembered Elena's threat to him.
"I'll go to the cave again tomorrow, and I'll look for any changes."
"No, my dear. Come in, I must treat your wounds, then you rest today and tomorrow," Elena said, and supported Rayn into the house.
Rayn felt a little strange, as she almost seemed like she would kill him yesterday, but he quickly understood that she was also worried about him despite her worry for Theo, then he quickly frowned but it didn't show on his face and he remained contemplating a little as she helped him.
That night, Rayn slept in Theo's room. The room was simple, but it carried Theo's scent.
He remembered Elena's threat not to touch anything. He didn't need her threat, as he had no desire to touch anything in this room, which was sacred to Theo's mother.
He lay in Theo's bed, his body exhausted, his mind full of thoughts, he thought of Theo, of the cave, of the dark entity, of the Demonic Orc.
The recent events were strange, and he felt the weight of responsibility fall on his shoulders, the responsibility of reassuring Elena, and the responsibility of trying to understand what had happened to Theo.
'Theo, where are you? I hope you're truly okay as I told your mother. I'm here, trying to do what I can. I hope you come back soon, my friend. I don't know how long I can keep this deception going, and I don't know what we'll do if you don't return within a week.' Rayn thought in despair, staring at the dark room's ceiling, listening to the sound of his breathing in solitude.
This was his new life, filled with guilt.