The night finally fell over Grayville Village.

  Kael was tired.

  To say the last day had been eventful would have been an understatement. A boar hunt. A fire that nearly destroyed the entire village. A sudden jump in rank. His first ever achievement. And now… earning merit points by singing?

  He shook his head.

  “I don’t understand what’s happening to me,” he muttered quietly, “but tomorrow I’ll think more clearly.”

  He waved goodbye to the people still gathered in the tavern and stepped outside, heading toward his small home.

  A chilly but comfortable night greeted him.

  The sky above Grayville was beautiful as always. The stars stretched endlessly across the darkness. Kael looked up, slowing his steps for a moment.

  There was Orion, the great hunter, his belt shining clearly against the night sky as he pursued his celestial prey.

  And there, to the north, the brightest guiding star.

  One day, Kael thought, he would follow it.

  It had been his childhood dream — to travel beyond the forests surrounding Grayville, to see where the stars led, to discover what lay beyond the endless hills and roads.

  How large was the world really?

  What secrets waited out there?

  The cool wind brushed against his face. After the brutal winter that had just passed, the cold air felt almost refreshing.

  But winter had left its mark.

  The village had lost thirty-two people this season.

  Kael’s expression darkened slightly.

  It had been worse than last year.

  Still, no one in Grayville spoke of it much anymore. Death had become something ordinary — something expected. Life on the frontier rarely allowed people the luxury of grieving for long.

  Death was inevitable.

  It came for everyone.

  Especially for those who remained unrecognized by the Authority.

  Kael had heard stories.

  They said that even reaching the Initiate Tier strengthened the body so greatly that a person’s lifespan could extend beyond two hundred and fifty years.

  A few years ago, a traveler had passed through Grayville — a man who was said to be two hundred and thirty-four years old.

  The entire village had gathered just to see him.

  Children stared in awe. Adults whispered among themselves.

  No one in Grayville had ever witnessed the benefits of the System so clearly before.

  For the first time in their lives, the villagers had seen what power — true power — could look like.

  And ever since then, Kael had wondered the same question.

  What would it be like… to live long enough to see the world change?

  The walk was long.

  Normally it took about forty minutes to reach his house on the opposite side of the village, but tonight Kael took a different path. Instead of heading straight home, he passed through the marketplace.

  He wanted to see it.

  Or perhaps he felt that he had to.

  The square was quiet now. Earlier that day it had been full of smoke, shouting, and panic. Now only the dark silhouettes of damaged buildings stood beneath the pale moonlight.

  The storehouse was nothing more than a blackened skeleton.

  Ash covered the ground like gray snow.

  Kael stopped.

  For a long moment he simply stared.

  “How is it,” he whispered to himself, “that something good can come from something so terrible?”

  His boots crushed softly against the burned wood as he stepped closer.

  “How can I gain merit points… while others lose everything?”

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  The question weighed heavily on him.

  The system had rewarded him.

  Yet the village had suffered.

  Inside his mind two emotions fought fiercely against one another.

  Guilt.

  And excitement.

  They clashed like two warriors locked in a duel, neither able to gain the upper hand.

  One moment he felt ashamed for benefiting from disaster.

  The next moment his heart raced with the thrill of progress — of power — of the possibility that his life might finally be changing.

  Back and forth the battle went.

  Neither side winning.

  Neither side surrendering.

  And the struggle gave him no peace.

  Not even for a moment.

  Kael sighed quietly and looked up at the silent ruins of the storehouse.

  The village would rebuild.

  It always did.

  But something in his heart told him that his life would never return to the quiet normalcy it once had.

  Something had changed.

  And whatever path the System had opened before him…

  …it was only just beginning.

  Here it was.

  Home.

  A small wooden structure stood at the edge of the road, weathered by years of wind and winter. One of the windows was broken — a jagged hole in the frame that Kael still hadn’t fixed. Glass was far too expensive for someone like him, especially in a village like Grayville.

  The moonlight slipped through the opening and stretched across the floorboards inside.

  A single wooden chair sat on the porch.

  Kael paused when he saw it.

  That chair had belonged to his mother.

  She used to sit there in the evenings, watching him run through the yard chasing squirrels and rabbits with childish determination. Sometimes she laughed when he tripped. Sometimes she scolded him for scaring the animals away.

  Those had been good days.

  Simple days.

  Kael pushed the memory aside and walked inside.

  The house was quiet, just as he had left it.

  All he wanted now was to collapse onto his bed and disappear from the world for a few hours. The day had been overwhelming — too many events, too many emotions, too much stimulation for one mind to process.

  He finally understood something adults used to say when he was younger.

  Life could be exhausting.

  Kael dropped onto the bed and let his body sink into the rough mattress. The pillow welcomed him like an old friend. For the first time all day, his muscles began to relax.

  His eyes slowly closed.

  Then—

  BARK.

  His dog’s sharp voice shattered the silence outside.

  Kael groaned into the pillow.

  “Jake… not now,” he muttered. “Stop barking.”

  But the barking only grew louder.

  And more aggressive.

  Kael sighed heavily and pushed himself up from the bed.

  “Alright, alright. I’m coming.”

  He stepped outside, ready to yell at the dog for disturbing the only peace he had managed to find that day.

  But the words died in his throat.

  Standing at the gate of his small property was Thomas Hale.

  The village’s number one ranked individual.

  Kael froze.

  A dozen questions exploded in his mind all at once.

  Why was Thomas here?

  Had something happened in the village?

  Was there another emergency?

  But among all those questions, one rose above the rest — louder and more unsettling than the others.

  Why now?

  Thomas saw Kael and greeted him quietly.

  “I’m sorry for coming so late, Kael,” he said, stepping closer to the gate. “But tomorrow I’ll be busy all day dealing with the aftermath of the fire, and I needed to handle this as soon as possible.”

  Kael’s face showed a mixture of curiosity and nervous anticipation. Something in Thomas’s voice carried weight.

  “Tell me,” Kael said.

  Thomas nodded.

  “I received a message from Tibetan City. They are preparing a caravan that will start heading this way tomorrow. The fire destroyed too much of our supply, so they’re sending food and equipment.”

  Kael’s eyes sharpened.

  Thomas continued.

  “They asked for a team of locals to meet them halfway and guide them through the forest.”

  The realization struck Kael almost immediately.

  “You want me on that team,” he said slowly. “Because I know the forest better than anyone here… don’t you?”

  A warm smile appeared on Thomas’s face.

  “Yes. You’re always somewhere deep in that forest setting traps and wandering those trails. And judging by the boar you dragged into the village this morning, those skills seem to work.”

  Kael scratched the back of his head with a small grin.

  “Who else is going?”

  Thomas sighed.

  “My daughter Mara… assuming she sobers up by tomorrow. I swear she drinks almost as much as her mother used to.” He shook his head with a tired chuckle. “And we’ll send two more guards as well. The caravan will be carrying valuable supplies, and we need to make sure it arrives safely.”

  Kael grew serious.

  This was no small task.

  If the caravan failed to arrive, Grayville would face a terrible future. People could starve.

  He nodded.

  “Alright, Thomas. Tomorrow at lunch we head out and meet them somewhere between the Kosia River and the entrance to the forest.”

  Thomas Hale—the number one ranked man in Grayville—looked relieved.

  “Thank you, Kael,” he said sincerely. It was the second time that day he had thanked the young man.

  After saying their goodbyes, Thomas disappeared into the night.

  Kael closed the door behind him, the quiet of the house returning once again.

  The day had drained every ounce of energy from his body.

  He barely managed to reach his bed before collapsing into the warm embrace of his pillow.

  Within moments, sleep finally claimed him.

  Kael opened his eyes as the morning sun fell across his face in warm golden beams. The light filtered through the broken window and rested gently on his pillow.

  He stretched and sat up slowly.

  After yesterday’s adventures, his body felt surprisingly refreshed. The exhaustion of the hunt, the fire, and the long night had faded, replaced with the quiet energy of a new day.

  A small smile crossed his face.

  “Another day,” he murmured.

  Kael swung his legs off the bed and walked to the basin near the door. He splashed cold water onto his face, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The chill helped clear his thoughts.

  Breakfast came next.

  He lit the small iron pan over the stove and cracked a couple of eggs into it. The quiet sizzle filled the little wooden house as the smell of cooking eggs spread through the room.

  That smell did not go unnoticed.

  From outside, claws scraped against the wooden floor as Jake burst through the door. The large black hound’s nose twitched wildly as he rushed toward Kael, tail wagging like a storm.

  Kael laughed.

  “Of course you smelled it.”

  He tore off a small piece of omelet and tossed it toward the dog. Jake caught it mid-air and devoured it instantly with his enormous omnivorous maw.

  A satisfied bark followed.

  “Yeah, yeah. I know,” Kael said, shaking his head with amusement.

  He finished the rest of the omelet quickly before grabbing his coat and short sword. Then he crouched down and rubbed Jake behind the ears.

  “Alright, Jake. Today’s agenda.”

  Jake tilted his head slightly, as if listening.

  “First, we check the ranking board to see my updated status.”

  Kael smirked.

  “Then we go visit Melery the blacksmith. I need a new blade for this thing before it snaps in half.”

  He tapped the worn edge of his short sword.

  “And after that…”

  His grin widened.

  “We meet Mara.”

  Jake barked once in approval.

  “Easy enough day.”

  Kael stood, opened the door, and stepped outside into the cool morning air of Grayville Village.

  “Let’s go.”