Vali was the language of the Empire, where Ethan came from. The Empire controlled the center, north, and west of the continent and was the most prominent power.
Kal'Sifi was the language of the southern subcontinent, where the people possessed the most fertile fields.
And Liuk, language of the eastern lands, they who dealt with the sea and the ones who faced the invasions, and received support from both the Empire and Southern lands, and from Ethan's house as well.
The man in front of him was speaking the language of the eastern lands, Liuk, and although it was broken and spoken with a heavy accent, Ethan could still understand and respond.
However, what confused him, or made him wary, was that he had no idea what the other languages the man had spoken were. Ethan was panicking for a moment.
"You understand this well, do you not?"
The man asked, and with time, his grasp of the tongue Liuk began to improve, making it easier for Ethan to understand.
Ethan responded.
"Yes."
"Great, I have questions for you, boy. Answer them truthfully, and I will take care of you until you are well."
"..."
The man offered, and Ethan narrowed his eyes. He couldn't refuse even if he wanted to, with his limbs in this state, what could he even do?
Ethan himself was confused as well; he was confused about many things, but the man didn't give him a chance to collect his thoughts.
"How did you come here?"
"I don't know, I woke up in a clearing in the forest."
Ethan could have made up anything; he could have lied, but his instincts were telling him to tell the truth. There was something in the air that made his hair stand on end. The man asking the questions wasn't necessarily dangerous, considering he provided him with first aid.
But there was a certain chill to him, one Ethan knew of, albeit not well.
'He's a warrior, retired... but he still has some of his instincts.'
"Hmm, how did you proceed from there?"
Ethan hesitated for a moment, wondering if the man would believe him or not, but in the end, he let it all out.
"... I didn't, I was ambushed by a beast of many horns all around its body, it was a dire wolf with a head hidden in shadows, accompanied by a hunter who could use sorcery."
As he recounted his experience, Ethan took special care in examining the man's facial expressions. Perhaps he would have an idea of what he faced, but wouldn't tell him.
All he needed was a twitch, a sigh, or the signs of danger in the eye. But there was nothing, much to Ethan's dismay, only concern.
Concern of the Unknown.
"... Give me a moment."
The man turned to the others and was probably telling them what Ethan had just said. Ethan noticed the bearish man flinch in the middle of the old man's speech, and raised his brows.
Ravu almost broke out in hysteria and informed.
"... That was it! I also saw something like that!"
Everyone focused on Ravu, although one of them couldn't understand a single word.
----
The snow was tough and unyielding. Every step Ravu took felt as if he were plowing through an entire field, as if he were an ox carrying a yoke to plow a field.
But there was no field, only an endless amount of snow. With every passing second, the storm threatened to consume him; the snow was rising, every second, it was already at his thighs...
If he didn't get back to the village in time, he would probably be submerged in the snow and die of frostbite. Ravu, as a bearman, was resistant to the cold... but even he had limits.
His hands were between his armpits, his head was tucked low, and his nose was as red as molten iron. It was so cold, and he was beginning to lose his mind. It was getting duller and less... aware.
In the brutal cold, in the unrelenting storm, and in the rising tides of snow, only the thought of his family kept him going. He had a wife and two kids waiting for him, a damn wolf that didn't listen to him, and an endless number of unfinished projects...
The village needed him... damn it.
But every step was a hurdle that was becoming increasingly difficult. His strength was fading, and he was getting dizzy...
And...
And...
'... Sleepy.'
Ravu almost punched himself to stay awake, but whatever he did, the drowsiness didn't go away; rather, it came back more powerful.
And just then, as he almost fell asleep, falling to the snow like a corpse, he saw it.
In the distance, a black shadow, at first, hope flickered in his heart as he realized it may be one of the village buildings... but then a realization came to him.
"...No, I didn't build anything like that."
He would know, he knew he still had some distance to cover to get to the village; the only reason he would be close was if he had lost track of the distance he was covering in the snowstorm. It was also in the wrong damn direction!
It was possible...but not for Ravu, he had traveled the same path for so many years, he wouldn't make this kind of mistake.
And then the drowsiness slowly vanished, the loss of his vision was gone as well, as Ravu squinted his eyes to see what exactly he was looking at.
It was a thin woman, wearing thin clothing that no one would wear to these lands, riding a dire wolf with many protruding... what were they? He couldn't make them out.
But seconds later, Ravu was running. He had regained the strength in his legs for a moment and sprinted as fear overtook his body.
He had focused on the woman's face, and saw nothing but black... which quickly erupted in carnivorous teeth in a vicious smile that sent shivers down Ravu's large spine.
He didn't look back; the gentle Ravu was scared as he ran for his life from the 'monster'.