Castian, still deep in thought after the conversation with his mother, sat down at the kitchen table. Mei had returned to her household chores, and for a brief moment, everything seemed to have returned to normal. However, Castian knew that nothing would ever be the same. The constant presence of the entity within him brought a weight he was still learning to carry.
The door creaked open, and Cheng, Castian's father, entered with a serious expression, immediately drawing the attention of both Castian and Mei. There was something unusual about the way he walked. Mei noticed right away.
“What happened, Cheng?” Mei asked, approaching her husband. “You look worried.”
Cheng took a deep breath, wiping his forehead, where small beads of sweat had formed despite the cool afternoon breeze.
“The village of Liang is in an uproar,” he began, his voice heavy. “A group of merchants arrived this afternoon seeking refuge. They were fleeing... they said raiders destroyed nearby villages.”
Castian, who had been silent until then, felt a wave of tension sweep through his body. He stood up from his chair, sensing the approaching danger even before hearing the rest of the story.
“Raiders?” he asked, narrowing his eyes. “Where did this happen?”
“The villages to the north and east of ours were devastated,” Cheng replied, sitting down at the table with a weary air. “These merchants barely escaped. They said the raiders are violent and well-organized, not just common bandits.”
Mei placed a hand on her chest, visibly concerned.
“Oh, heavens... Are they coming here?”
“They don’t know,” Cheng answered, shaking his head. “But fear has already started to spread. The village is uneasy. No one knows when, or if, these raiders will arrive, but... everyone is preparing for the worst.”
Castian, still standing, crossed his arms and looked down, his mind racing. A part of him knew there was something more sinister at play. With the recent encounter with the entity and the revelation that something greater and more evil was coming, he couldn't shake the feeling that these events were connected.
“Are you hearing this?” Castian asked the entity mentally. “These raiders... Is this part of the evil you said we’d face?”
For a brief moment, the entity remained silent, as if pondering the situation. Then, the familiar voice echoed in Castian's mind, calm and composed, contrasting with the growing tension around him.
“Perhaps...” the entity replied slowly. “But it’s too early to tell for sure. The information your father brought is scant. These raiders may be a common threat, or they may be the tip of something far darker.”
Castian frowned, dissatisfied with the ambiguous response. He needed concrete answers, something to work with, but the entity seemed just as in the dark as he was.
“So, what do we do?” Castian insisted. “Do we prepare for the worst? Or wait for more information?”
The entity let out a soft sigh, as if deeply contemplating.
“You must remain vigilant, but don’t act rashly. There’s a storm brewing, that much I sense. But whether this threat is directly tied to the greater evil we will face, I cannot yet say. For now, prepare yourself, but do not reveal everything you know. Your strength must be saved for the right moment.”
Castian nodded slightly, still deep in thought. He knew he had to stay calm and not alarm his parents or the other villagers. However, he also knew he couldn’t stand idly by and wait for chaos to descend upon them.
“We need to prepare,” Castian said aloud, interrupting his parents’ conversation. “We can’t be caught off guard if these raiders come here. They’ve destroyed other villages, and there’s no reason to think they wouldn’t attack ours as well.”
Cheng looked at his son with a grave but understanding expression.
“I’ve already spoken with some of the village men,” he said. “We’ll reinforce the defenses and increase watch at the village borders. But we can’t spread panic. The last thing we need is hysteria among the villagers.”
“I’ll help however I can,” Castian offered firmly. “I can coordinate with the other young men in the village to organize patrol shifts. We can’t just wait for them to strike by surprise.”
Cheng nodded slowly, recognizing the determination in his son’s eyes. He knew that Castian had become more than just a young warrior. Something had changed in him, something profound. And Cheng could sense, even without knowing the details, that his son was bearing a burden greater than anyone there could imagine.
“We need to stick together now,” Mei interjected, trying to keep the calm in the air. “No matter what comes, we’ll face it as a family, as we always have.”
Castian looked at his mother and nodded, but the weight of responsibility was already consuming him. He knew that even with the unity of his family and the village, the true battle was yet to begin. And somehow, he felt that this was only the beginning of something much larger.
***
As the night wore on, the village remained on high alert. Small groups of men and women walked through the streets, speaking in hushed tones, full of doubts and fears. Castian watched everything with a keen eye, his mind working tirelessly.
“If they really come...” he thought to himself, “we won’t be ready to face a horde of well-organized raiders. We need more than just walls and rusty swords.”
The entity, as if sensing Castian’s growing concern, intervened again. “Castian, remember: you are not alone. I am here, and when the time is right, you will have the power you need to protect this village. But the time to act has not yet come. For now, watch and plan. This will be a game of patience.”
Castian took a deep breath, trying to find comfort in the entity’s words. He knew that no matter how much power the entity offered, there were still many mysteries to unravel. And as he awaited the unfolding events, one thing was certain: the fate of his village, and perhaps the world around him, was in his hands.
***
That same night, as the wind whispered through the mountains, the hooded figure that had been observing the village for the past few days moved silently along the outskirts. The spy’s eyes gleamed in the darkness, alert to any movement.
“The raiders are approaching,” he thought, his mind connected to the distant Lord Feng. “But something else is stirring here... a force I don’t yet understand. I need more time to observe.”
On the other side of the psychic connection, Lord Feng’s response was cold. “Keep watching. When the time comes, the destruction will be complete.”
The shadowy spy remained still for a moment before slipping back into the trees, invisible to the villagers’ eyes.