About five days later, when Vayu was finally able to walk again properly, he was discharged from the infirmary. When Vayu didn't returned home for two days the first elder had told his mother that he had been helping the First Elder with some important work needing constant supervision. Two days after that, when most of his bruises and injuries had healed, they explained that Vayu had a minor accident while transporting some boxes. When his mother came to visit, Vayu was fast asleep. Seeing no serious wounds, she went back home with a calm heart.
Later that evening, as Vayu walked back toward their home, he saw his mother outside, washing dishes with a bucket of water beside her. The moment she noticed him, her eyes widened in surprise. She rushed over and wrapped him in a tight embrace.
"How are you?" she asked softly.
"I'm fine, Mother" Vayu replied with a small smile. Without warning, she gave him a light smack on the forehead.
"Ouch!" Vayu winced
"You can't do a single thing properly!" she scolded him, although her tone carried more relief than anger. Grabbing his hand, she dragged him inside.
"I'm sorry mother, I'll be more careful next time" Vayu said, laughing awkwardly.
Once inside, she immediately began preparing food.
"What are you doing, Mom? I'll eat whatever you already made—no need to cook again" he protested but his mom continued and just like that Vayu started to live his life normally again.
Five days later, the whole village was summoned to gather in the central square. No one knew the reason for the sudden assembly, within minutes, almost every villager had arrived — except the hunter squad and a few who rarely appeared at such gatherings. Soon, the five elders took their seats on the wooden platform at the front. A hush fell over the crowd as the First Elder stepped forward, her expression solemn. She scanned everyone's faces before speaking.
"Our village…" she began, her voice calm and heavy "was attacked"
A ripple of shock spread through the crowd — gasps, whispers, and wide eyes.
"But" she continued, her tone firm "the threat was stopped before it could cause any harm to our village, The danger has passed" people started clapping in joy.
"Today, we have all gathered here to honor the brave ones who protected our village from a great disaster" she began "They showed courage and risked their lives to ensured that no harm befell on our village, For that we owe them our deepest gratitude" She paused, letting her words sink in before continuing "So now, I would like to call upon our savior — Aspen"
A wave of applause rose through the crowd as Aspen made his way to the stage. He bowed slightly before the elders, although his expression seemed calm but his eyes shone with excitement. The First Elder spoke a few more words of praise, acknowledging his valor and quick action, before gesturing him to step down from the stage. As Aspen returned to his place among the villagers, murmurs began to ripple through the crowd. That was when Suwaha's voice rang out.
"I told everyone that Aspen was the real hero" he said, loud enough for everyone to hear. "But most of you didn't believe me — but now, even the First Elder has acknowledged it" Several villagers nodded and murmured in agreement. But before the discussion could go further, the First Elder raised her hand, silencing everyone.
"Now, we call upon the true hero — the bravest man of our village… Vayu" she said, her voice filled with pride.
At her words the whole central arena got silent, confused by her words, only a few claps echoed through the square as most were still doubting her words. Vayu stepped hesitantly onto the stage, unsure how to react. The First Elder began, describing how bravely he had faced the intruders head-on, fighting despite being gravely injured, and how his actions had bought precious time for Aspen to respond. After listening to her words Suwaha couldn't hold back. He stood abruptly, anger flaring in his eyes. "This is not fair, Elder!" shouted then pointing towards Vayu he continued "You're favoring him because he's your student, What did he do except getting beaten half to death? Aspen risked his life to save him — and now you call him the hero? I demand an explanation!"
The crowd buzzed, and most agreed with Suwaha, The First Elder slowly raised her hand, and silence fell once again "Third Elder" she said firmly, turning her gaze toward him she said "Explain" and went back to her seat, because third elder was the one who had bragged about Aspen's achievement so she gave him the task to explain, that what had actually happened.
The Third Elder stepped forward and started speaking "For all those who demand an explanation" he began, looking over the crowd "While I agree Aspen had fought bravely, it was Vayu who struck down the intruders' leader and had killed more than twice the number of enemies Aspen killed. If he had not stepped forward, risking his own live, many more lives could've been lost that day" then he quickly glanced ay the first elder and she nodded towards him "and ... and " he took a deep breath, it looked like he didn't wanted to say those words " and I wanted to thank the boy from the bottom of my heart" he said quickly and returned back to his seat. A heavy silence fell over the central square. After a long moment, the First Elder's voice broke through the stillness. "Any more questions?" she asked, her voice cold . Suwaha shifted uncomfortably, lowering his gaze. He shook his head silently. The First Elder gave a single nod, Vayu stood there dazed, unsure how to react. Then, quietly, he began stepping down from the podium. As he descended, a few villagers started clapping — hesitant at first, then stronger, spreading through the crowd until the entire square echoed with applause.
The sound wasn't just for his victory, It was for acknowledgment, to be seen as the bravest man in the village.
As Vayu made his way home, the cheers of the day still faintly echoing in his mind, he started grinning like a fool, but suddenly he felt something — a faint presence behind him. He turned around but no one was there. He frowned slightly. Maybe I'm just imagining things, he thought, continuing down the narrow path. But after a few steps, the feeling returned, like someone's was watching him, he could feel eyes on his back, he felt uneasy so, without making a sound, Vayu slipped behind a nearby tree and waited.
A few moments later, soft footsteps approached as he heard footsteps his hand slowly reached towards his dagger "Where did he go?" whispered a boy. It was the same group of kids who had once followed him before.
"He was here! I saw him!" another insisted, glancing around nervously.
"Then where did he go?" the first asked, scratching his head as they began searching the area.
Vayu quietly stepped out from behind the tree "Why are you following me again?" he asked calmly.
All of them froze in place, as they were caught red-handed. For a second, no one moved — then, in perfect unison, they turned and ran. Vayu sighed and reached out, grabbing one of them by the back of his tunic. The boy squirmed, trying to escape.
"Why are you running?" Vayu asked, raising an eyebrow.
"We… we just wanted to meet you," the boy stammered.
"Then why didn't you just come talk to me?"
"Because…" the boy trailed off, looking down in embarrassment.
Vayu smiled softly. "Next time you want to meet me, come to my house instead, Don't sneak around."
Before the boy could answer, another voice came from behind.
"Can I come too?"
Vayu turned — the whole group had reappeared, watching him sheepishly from the path.
"Yes, you can all come," Vayu said with a laugh. "But it's late now. Come to my house tomorrow, alright?"
Their faces lit up, and they all nodded eagerly before running off toward the central square, laughing and calling out to each other.
Vayu watched them go, a faint smile on his face, before continuing his quiet walk, beneath the fading evening light.