At dusk, after the meal, Dorian finds himself unable to sleep. What happened earlier keeps haunting his thoughts. First, his first kill. Sure, the boy was aware of what revenge entailed when he fled his former home, but being aware and experiencing are worlds apart. While, during the act, adrenaline kept him from feeling remorse, his throwing immediately afterwards and the cold shivers still coursing his body ground him on what exactly it means to kill someone. Second, his shadows. When Garm went out, to seek traces of more bandits, Dorian called forth the shadows and, remembering that the bear didn't answer when he wasn't the one to end it, found himself extremely surprised when two of the three men's shadows stood. He even could call the leader's on his second attempt, leaving him dumbfounded.
Another one unable to sleep is the Elder. The man saw both come back from the hunt, once again empty-handed. This didn't surprise him, hunts are not often successful after all, but what caught his attention was the boy's look. His lost gaze, slumped shoulder and heavy steps, while the monster was adapting his own pace to him, told him more than he wanted to know. The boy is now bloodied, one step closer to being the same monster as his mentor. What's still unknown is who did the boy kill ? Besides that, the more disturbing event, for him, is that the little girl didn't talk to him all day, other than perfunctory greetings and responses. Either something he did angered her, or the monster told her to in order to keep her under his empire.
Both finally fall asleep near midnight, only to be woken some hours after by a neighbor's rooster.
— Isa. Cook please, Dorian can't.
The girl nods silently then begins her task. Relaxed since the elder isn't out of his room, thinking that he's still asleep, she looks sheepishly at her found father. The day before, she did see that Dorian had something weighing on his mind, but she thought that a good night's sleep would help him. His state in the morning, however, proved her wrong.
— Garm… This afternoon, can I… Can Dorian stay with me ?
— Yes.
A soft smile on her face, Isa ends her task with more heart before the Elder gets out of his room for the day. Morning, then, continues as usual with the kids' training. Dorian, during this time, sits on the well and looks at them with a complicated face. On the other hand, the Elder looks only at Isa this time, not giving the boys any attention, with a soft gaze, his eyes still having an anxious glint in them.
In the afternoon, Garm out hunting, Isa boldly takes Dorian's hand and leads him to a secluded spot in the village, but only after shooing away the nosy elder. During the walk, she doesn't say anything, then smiles softly at her friend once they reach her destination. Sitting at once, she gestured to him.
— Dorian… What happened ? You are, sad ? Or, something, but there is something. Tell me please.
The teenager swallows his saliva, looking absentmindedly at the sky before sighing. Without moving his eyes, his gaze, he chooses to stay honest, as promised at this fireplace some weeks ago.
— I, you know, I never told you why I was in the woods, this time, right ?
Understanding the rhetorical nature of this question, Isa nods without a word.
— Something happened. In my former home. I… My parents were killed by someone, someone still living openly here and everyone knows it. I… I have to… To avenge them, but…
His shoulders slumps even more now, he drops his head and locks his gaze on the ground while his voice becomes nothing but a whisper.
— Yesterday. We were ambushed. Bandits. He… Garm fought two, but one came to me. I… I killed him and… I'm weak. I can't kill. It's wrong on so many levels. But I have to avenge them… I… I don't know.
Unbeknownst to him, Isa tensed when she heard the word 'bandits'. Her eyes widen with fear but she stays silent until the end. Only then does she put a hand on his thigh.
— You protected yourself. You protected Garm. I think that you did right, and that what you feel is what makes you different. Different from them all, those who took everything from you. You think so too, right ?
— You… Are you sure ? How… You, I'm sorry but, you're younger than me so… How are you so sure ?
A glint of anger flashes in her eyes, before dissipating. She is so fed up to be considered a child, first Garm doesn't want to train her, now Dorian doubts her. They are extremely unnerving, but now's not the time to address this.
— I'm sure. You're as Garm. You use your sword to protect, that's what makes it right.
Sure of her choice of words, Isa stumbles when she sees the horrified look in his eyes.
— I… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have told you all of this… Sorry. Please forget it. I beg you.
As he says this, utterly panicked, Dorian springs up and flees to the Elder's house. Now alone, unable to understand, Isa begins to sob, then wails. Her cries attract passerby's attention and some of the kids training with her in the morning tries to comfort her, to no avail which makes them cry in turn. Their parents, finally able to calm everyone, bring Isa back, not without hearing her mutter something in line with 'Why… Dorian… I only want to help…'.
When she arrives at the house, Isa sees the elder out of it, in front of the door. His sight makes her want to flee too, but the shock and confusion in his look prevent her to do so. He gestures at her to follow him, and she nods, knowing that she wouldn't escape this. The girl follows her host to his usual stone near the well, where both sit silently for some time.
— He is… Devastated. He keeps repeating "I'm sorry"... Did… Did he do… No. He didn't. What happened ?
She sees his concerned gaze, when he begins to ask if Dorian did something to her, the same gaze that made him stop in his tracks. Despite the final clue proving his protective nature about her, she can't smile for now. She looks at him, tears ready to flow again.
— I… I only want to help… Why… Why… He's scared of me… Why ?
The elder blinks twice. Sure, he was shocked to see the boy come first in this state of shock. Then, hearing his muttering, he began to fear the worst for the poor girl, but nothing could have prepared him to this conclusion. The boy, the monster's apprentice, scared off by their groomed victim ? Something's off.
— I can't answer, sorry. You know him way more than me, he's your… Companion. Not mine.
In her turmoil, Isa doesn't even hear the reluctance in his tone. She only nods.
— He told me… Why he joined us. He feared becoming a monster, but… When I said he's like Garm, that he… He use his weapon to protect… He fled.
The Elder has to fight himself in order to hide a smile. The boys still have humanity in him, after all, this is a good sign, the monster's influence isn't too deeply rooted, yet. Instead, he nods softly to the distraught girl.
— Don't worry. I'm sure that he will recover. Something spooked him, yesterday, with Garm, and I think that he believes that he will harm you by saying everything.
With a silent nod, Isa stands up and both return to the house, where Dorian keeps trying to stay away from her to her utmost despair.
Hours later, Garm appears at the village's outskirts, a hare in hand, only to be intercepted by a concerned villager. Quickly made aware of the day's events, he goes to the house at a hurried pace. Once inside, he freezes at the sight of the Elder closer than ever to Dorian. How could this man, hating both of them to the core and only friendly with Isa, suddenly try to comfort the teenager ? This is good news at least.
— Elder Albert. Can we talk ?
— Not now.
Dorian expectant gaze, when Garm talked, scrunches at the answer. Then, for the first time since their arrival, Albert tries to initiate a conversation during the meal. While only Dorian outright ignores him, the laconic nature of Garm's talk lets this initiative die quickly. At the end of this meal, a head move from Garm suffices for Dorian to follow him outside. Isa, still shaken, stares at them with a neutral expression while Albert sighs.
— We need to talk. Choose what about.
Seated on the usual stone, both men look at each other. Dorian quickly withdraws his gaze, not before seeing the seriousness in Garm's. He'll need to talk about it, but… Not at the beginning.
— His… House. I saw women's clothes in I… Isa's room. There was one here, one time, but… Not his wife. He doesn't have a bed for it.
— Good. So ?
His posture a little more relaxed, Dorian thinks some time before answering.
— He lost someone, a sister or cousin ?
Smiling softly, Garm nods before asking something seemingly unrelated.
— He will always see me as a monster, why ?
Seeing his pupil's lost face, he shrugs.
— I was a mercenary.
— You… You were ? Wait. I don't understand. What does it have to do with this ?
Garm stretches and looks around cautiously.
— This woman. She would have been his world. He hates mercenaries. She may have died by their hands and… Not only died.
Dorian's eyes widen immediately.
— So that's why he tries to separate Isa from you !
— I think so. He flees this by lashing out.
Garm now locks his gaze on Dorian's.
— What do you flee ?
Unhinged fear in the eye, the boy shakes his head violently.
— No ! I can't say it. Please. I don't want to. Not… You'll… Both of you will… Not again…
— You fear… To talk ? Understood.
With a nod, Garm stands up and goes back.