The Village Divided

The village of Eldermere was no longer the same.

A storm of whispers spread like wildfire, twisting through the narrow dirt paths between the wooden huts. Aric could feel the weight of their stares—some cautious, others outright hostile.

It had started as murmurs. By midday, it had grown into a storm of fear.

"They say the wolves have become unnatural," an old woman muttered near the well. "That they've started thinking like men."

"I heard the boy led them to the crater," another voice added, low and hushed. "Maybe he's cursed."

"Cursed? That's nonsense," someone scoffed. "But you can't deny things have gotten worse since he arrived."

Aric's fingers curled into a fist at his side. He had expected suspicion, but this? They were turning on him.

Near the village square, a group of men gathered, their voices rising. At the center stood Roderic, one of the senior hunters—a burly man with a thick beard and a blade at his waist.

"We have to do something," Roderic growled, pacing like a caged wolf. "The attacks are getting worse, and now we find out the wolves are guarding that cursed crater? This isn't natural."

A murmur of agreement rippled through the crowd.

"Before that boy came here, we didn't have these problems!" Roderic slammed his fist against a wooden post. "Now we do."

Aric stiffened. There it was. The real reason for their fear.

He stepped forward, his voice cutting through the noise. "You think I caused this?"

The villagers turned, eyes filled with uncertainty.

"You think I woke up in a forest, half-dead, just so I could bring monsters to your doorstep?" Aric's voice was steady, but inside, his patience frayed like worn cloth. "The wolves were already here. The crater was already here." His gaze locked onto Roderic's. "I didn't bring this on you. But I might be the only one who can help stop it."

Roderic scoffed. "Oh? And what exactly makes you so special?"

Aric hesitated. He couldn't tell them the truth—not yet.

Before he could answer, another voice cut in.

"You'd rather turn away help?" Lira's sharp tone rang across the square as she stepped beside Aric. Arms crossed, dagger at her hip, she radiated unshakable defiance.

"At least I can trust a man who fights," Roderic said. "Not some stranger who fell out of nowhere with magic he can't explain."

The tension thickened, heavy as a storm rolling over the horizon.

Lira's fingers flexed against the hilt of her dagger. "And if we drive him out, what then?" She stepped closer to Roderic. "You think the wolves will suddenly forget about us? You think that crater will seal itself shut?"

Roderic's jaw tightened, but he didn't back down. "Maybe not. But he's not one of us. He shouldn't be here."

A voice broke through the argument like the crack of a whip.

"Enough."

Elder Mara stood at the steps of the village hall, her wrinkled hands gripping a wooden cane. Though her face was lined with age, her presence alone silenced the crowd.

She let the hush settle before she spoke again.

"I will not have my village torn apart by fear." Her sharp gaze cut through both Roderic and Aric. "We survived worse than this before, and we will again."

Roderic opened his mouth to argue, but Mara raised a hand. "You want to cast him out?" Her voice, though soft, was razor-sharp. "And when the wolves come back tomorrow night, who will stand in his place?"

No one spoke.

Aric exhaled quietly. The elder had seen what the others refused to admit.

Still, doubt lingered in the air.

Mara turned her gaze to Kael, who had been silent the whole time, watching the exchange with an unreadable expression. "You've been around long enough, traveler. What do you make of this?"

Kael pushed off the wooden beam he had been leaning against, stepping forward lazily. His gaze flickered to Aric, then to the distant tree line.

"I think," he said, "you're all looking at this the wrong way."

The villagers turned toward him.

Kael lifted his staff and pointed toward the darkened woods beyond the village gates.

"This isn't about the boy." His tone lost its usual amusement, turning eerily serious. "And it's not just about the wolves."

A ripple of unease swept through the crowd.

Kael continued, "I've seen things like this before. It starts small—beasts acting strangely, shadows moving where they shouldn't. Then people start disappearing. Towns go silent overnight." He lowered his staff. "And by the time anyone realizes what's really happening, it's already too late."

Aric's stomach twisted. Kael knew more than he let on.

"What are you saying?" Mara asked.

Kael's lips quirked upward, but there was no humor in his expression. "I'm saying your real problem isn't the boy. It's whatever's waking up beneath that crater."

Silence fell over the square.

For a moment, even Roderic's stubbornness wavered.

Aric took a slow breath. "Then we prepare."

Mara studied him for a long moment before nodding. "Agreed. We hold the village together and fight as one." Her gaze hardened. "Because this is just the beginning."

Later That Night...

Aric sat outside his hut, staring at the distant forest. The argument had died down, but the unease remained.

A rustling behind him made him tense—until Lira sat down beside him.

"That was a mess," she muttered.

Aric snorted. "You think?"

She nudged his shoulder. "You held your ground, though. Not bad for a stranger."

A small, tired smile tugged at his lips. "Thanks."

Lira leaned back against the wooden wall. "But Kael's right, you know. This is only the beginning."

Aric didn't answer.

Because deep down, he already knew.

And whatever came next... he had to be ready.