The sound of footsteps broke the quiet rhythm of the mountain — heavy, uneven, filled with fear. The wind carried voices up the slope, sharp and angry.
Inside the cabin, Garrick stopped sharpening his blade. The faint tremor in the air told him everything.
He thought,
"So… it really comes to this."
Lyra burst from the hall, fury burning in her eyes.
"You! See what you've done?"
Kaien froze, guilt tightening his throat — but Garrick's calm, commanding voice cut through her anger.
"Kaien. Hide. Now."
No argument. No hesitation. Kaien obeyed, slipping into the shadows behind the curtain.
---
Outside, the night burned orange with torchlight. Dozens of villagers stood before Garrick's home, their faces twisted by fear and suspicion.
At their front, a trembling man pointed an accusing finger.
"You're hiding him — the cursed one!"
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
Garrick's expression hardened. His voice dropped low — calm, yet carrying the weight of a man who once silenced armies.
"Such accusations…" he said coldly. "Can you prove them?"
A hush fell. Even the flames seemed to dim beneath his words.
For a moment, they remembered who he was — the Exalted Knight, the man who once served under divine command.
Even broken, even scarred, Garrick was still a storm waiting to be unleashed.
"You all know," he continued quietly, "that even crippled as I am, I could end your lives in a heartbeat for daring to insult me. But I won't. I don't kill out of pride anymore."
Torches trembled in weak hands.
One villager stammered,
"We—we know your strength, Garrick… but can you blame us? Our children saw him! The boy with black hair — the cursed one!"
---
A gust of wind whispered through the trees. Garrick's eyes dimmed with an old, heavy memory.
Long ago… another night like this.
The smell of burning wood. Children crying. Flames swallowing homes.
A younger Garrick crawled from the rubble, coughing through smoke. A shadow loomed — the future village chief, Edrin, pulling him free. Behind them, Lucan clung to life, and before them stood the so-called "cursed child."
Black hair. Frightened eyes. Power spiraling out of control.
Monsters had descended from the forest that night, drawn to something unnatural. The villagers screamed that the boy had summoned them.
But in truth, the child had tried to protect them. His fear became his power — wild, untamed — and when the largest beast charged, it was he who shielded Garrick and Edrin.
Garrick never forgot that sight: the boy's trembling hand, his body breaking apart from the strain — saving the very people who condemned him.
And from that day on, Garrick swore never to judge a soul by their birth or the color of their hair.
---
Back to the present.
"I know you're all afraid of old tales," Garrick said, his tone sharp as steel. "But do you really believe those lies about curses?"
He thought, Only the South Kingdom still teaches such nonsense.
One man stepped forward, his voice trembling.
"Have you forgotten what happened back then? So many died — all because of a cursed one!"
"Then?" Garrick smirked. "You mean that time when there was a so-called cursed child in the village?
Ah no — not cursed. He was the savior who kept you alive and breathing."
He stepped forward, his shadow stretching beneath the torchlight.
"What happened then was the fault of your chief — for ignoring my father's warnings."
---
Flashback — Years Ago
Garrick, Lucan, and their father, Vulcan, moved through the Forest of Duskveil.
Shhk!
The sound of a blade cutting through flesh echoed — monsters falling one by one.
"This is strange," Vulcan muttered, scanning the dark woods. "These creatures should be deep within the forest, not near the entrance."
He glanced back at his sons. Both were exhausted.
Vulcan frowned. I should report this. We might need to evacuate.
He returned to the village and warned the chief about the unnatural behavior of the beasts — but his warning was ignored.
Two days later, the stampede came.
---
Back to the present
"It's because of that cursed child!" shouted one of the villagers.
"Cursed this, cursed that!" Garrick roared. "Are you blind to the truth? The one you call cursed is the reason you're still alive!"
He stepped closer, eyes blazing.
"So what now? You want me to sacrifice my child to the stars just to ease your pathetic fear?"
"So you really have a cursed one," one villager sneered.
Garrick's face darkened.
"Kaien is not cursed. I can vouch for him — I'm the one who raised him."
"So you're raising a monster that will bring disaster to this village!"
"Disaster?" Garrick growled. "What disaster? The shaman and I have done everything we can to protect this village. If not for me, powerful monsters would've descended long ago. I was born here… but it seems my sacrifices were in vain."
The crowd fell silent.
Then, through the hush, Edrin stepped forward. His once brown hair was now silver, but his gaze was steady. He raised his hand, commanding silence.
"Enough," he said firmly. "That boy — Kaien — has done nothing wrong."
"But he brought a monster into the village!" a parent shouted. "That Nibblefang almost killed my son!"
Edrin's gaze hardened.
"And who was it that chased the blind boy into the woods in the first place?"
The villager lowered his head, speechless.
"Fear makes fools of us," Edrin said softly. "And tonight, I've seen enough foolishness."
He turned to Garrick.
"From this night onward, no one will disturb your home again. But… I ask the same in return."
Garrick nodded slowly.
"Understood. We'll keep to ourselves."
The crowd murmured — disappointment, relief, guilt — a storm of emotions that faded as torches dimmed and footsteps retreated.
One by one, the villagers left, leaving only the crackle of fire and the whisper of the mountain wind.
---
Edrin lingered.
"It's happening again, isn't it?" he murmured. "History repeating itself."
Garrick's jaw tightened. "Maybe. But this time, I'll make sure it ends differently."
"I was one of them before… before that happened," Edrin said quietly.
Flashback — A Younger Edrin
Garrick and other children surrounded the so-called cursed child — shoving, mocking, laughing, while Edrin looked at him with disgust.
The boy's frightened eyes never fought back, only glowed faintly as the wind stirred.
Then the memory faded.
Back to the present.
Edrin sighed. "Then may the stars guide you, old friend. And… can I ask one more thing?"
Garrick nodded.
"There's a child," Edrin said quietly. "One who bears the curse of Veylith — his name is Kyras."
Garrick frowned. "The shaman's grandson?"
Edrin nodded. "He was a cheerful boy, always visiting his grandmother. But after the Ebonveil appeared during the festival two years ago…"
"The sudden appearance of the Ebonveil," Garrick muttered. "I remember."
Edrin nodded gravely. "Yes. After that day…"
---
Scene Shift — Kaien's POV
The village was silent now.
Kaien slipped out once Garrick stepped outside the cabin. He roamed the streets of the village, but they were empty — everyone still gathered near the square. Guilt gnawed at him.
"All this… because of me."
He wandered through the quiet alleys, guided more by curiosity than sense. Lanterns flickered faintly, shadows stretching long across the path.
Rustle… rustle.
Kaien froze, his senses sharpening. Nothing.
Then he heard another sound — close, faint.
Ahead, a familiar figure moved through the alley — the blind boy he had met before.
He walked alone, heading toward a small hut at the edge of the village — one Kaien had never known existed.
Kaien frowned.
"What is he doing…?"
The boy opened the creaking door and slipped inside.
Kaien hesitated… then followed quietly, unaware that the night's true secret was about to reveal itself.
---End of Chapter 14---