The Damming Crusaders

The front door of the ancient abode creaked, revealing an old lady who came outside to empty a pale. In the midst of carrying out her chore, she noticed the presence of the siblings in her peripheral visions.

“Who’s there?” She started at the sight of the two strangers, her eyes wide with fear. However, after getting a better look at Silvia and Amich, her expression softened and she beckoned them closer.

"Come on in, young ones," she had a kind and gentleness about the way she spoke. "Come, come. It's cold outside. I have some warm tea brewing over the fire."

Silvia and Amich followed the old lady inside, grateful for the warmth and shelter. While she was bustling about the small kitchen, Silvia couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity with the old woman. Something about her gentle nature and kind words reminded her of the Supreme Magus.

"Charles, we have company." The old lady poured them each a cup of tea while calling out to her husband.

A hoarse voice answered from the other room. A moment later, an old man appeared, his face lined with age and his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What's this, then?" he asked, eyeing Silvia and Amich. "Who are these shady characters, Mary?"

The old lady, Mary, shot her husband a reproving look. "Don't be rude, Charles," she scolded. "These poor children are just trying to find shelter from the cold. They don't mean to intrude."

Regardless of her husband's misgivings, Mary insisted on offering Silvia and Amich a warm blanket and a cup of tea to warm their stomachs. As they sat comfortably by the fire, Mary asked them several concerning questions.

"Where are you from, dear?" she proposed this question to Silvia, seeing that Amich was acting shy. "What brings you to our humble home in the midst of this cold and treacherous forest?"

Silvia hesitated for a moment, unsure of how much to reveal. But something about Mary's kind eyes and gentle demeanour made her feel safe and at ease. She found herself opening up to the old woman.

"We're from a mountain located on the outskirts of Vermont Province." As she spoke, her voice was quiet and filled with pain. "We're on the run from the Grand Inquisitor and his crusaders."

Mary's eyes widened in shock when she heard this. She reached out to take Silvia's hand in her own. "Oh, my dear," the sorrow was quite evident in her eyes. "I'm so sorry you have to endure such hardship. But you mustn't despair. You have found shelter here, and we will do all we can to protect you and keep you safe."

“Thank you.” Tears were welling up in her eyes at Mary's kindness. Silvia understood that she and her brother had been given a rare gift, pure-hearted kindness.

Suddenly, there was a loud commotion outside which interrupted their conversation. The siblings looked at each other in shock, startled by the sudden disturbance.

"What is that noise?" Silvia asked.

"The crusaders are here," Amich’s keen senses would never mistake the smell of the Blessed Silver dripping from the crusaders’ weapons. His hand shook which caused him to accidentally drop his mug, which shattered on the floor.

"Hurry and hide down there," Mary said, quickly picking up the pieces of the broken mug and ushering the siblings towards a small cabinet. "I'll distract them."

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Mary?" Charles was worried about Mary’s decision to shelter the children. "These two are trouble. I can feel it."

"Enough, Charles," Mary said firmly. "What's done is done. We can't turn them away now."

With a heavy heart, Mary hurried to the door, her hands shaking as she fumbled with the latch. The banging on the door grew more insistent. They all could hear the menacing voices of the crusaders outside.

"I said open this damn door before we pound it down!" One of them shouted.

"I'm coming," Mary called out, trying to steady her nerves as she opened the door. The crusaders burst into the cottage, pushing the elderly woman aside then commenced searching the small space for any signs of suspicious activity.

"How many persons are living here?" the crusader in charge demanded. "Is it just you two?"

Mary nodded, her heart racing as she lied to protect the siblings. "Yes, it's just us. These old bones can't handle any more company."

The crusaders gave her a sceptical glance, yet they seemed satisfied with her answer. To be sure, they tapped their skins with Blessed Silver to see if they would react, but they didn’t. This meant the elderly couple were regular humans.

Silvia and Amich breathed a sigh of relief, grateful for the old couple's bravery and quick thinking. However, a rat suddenly sprang out from beneath the old cabinet and startled Charles.

“Gruh!” The old man's eyes went wide as he jumped back, knocking over a nearby chair in his surprise. The lead crusader noticed his sudden movements and thought it suspicious.

"What is up with you?" he inquired roughly.

"It's just a rat sir," Mary quickly intervened, trying to play it cool. But the crusader glanced down at the cabinet where the rat fled from and saw a piece of clothing sticking out from beneath the door.

"What is in there?" he asked, gesturing to one of his followers. "You, go check it out."

Silvia and Amich were filled with fear as they heard the crusader approaching their hiding spot. The elderly couple were also worried, knowing that they would be in trouble if the siblings were discovered.

"It's nothing but old stuff down there," Charles said, trying to prevent the crusader from searching the cabinet. But he was rudely pushed aside.

"Move aside old man!" the crusader bent his back down to the level of the cabinet as he prepared to yank open the door.

“Oh no!” Silvia and Amich were about to be discovered when suddenly, the Cronus Monolith which was back at the stream, flickered and produced a sort of light that created another portal.

The light grew brighter and brighter. While this was happening, Silvia and Amich started fragmenting into pieces that were getting sucked back into the portal.

"What is that light?" The crusader quickly pulled the cabinet door open, only to be met with an empty space. Silvia and Amich were nowhere to be found in the 14th century anymore.

“Hmm?” The elderly couple stared at the empty cabinet in shock and confusion, not understanding what had just happened.

The lead crusader looked around the room with a puzzled look on his face. “I could have sworn I saw a light coming from here. Was it just my imagination?”