章 28: Chapter 28: Reunion
"Hey man, do you think Elan is still alive out there?" asked Vren, a tall, lean man with short brown hair and a rugged face, as he stood near the gate. He had always admired Elan's potential and courage, but the thought of him surviving alone in the wild seemed far-fetched.
"Honestly, man, I really don't know," replied Garret, a seasoned hunter with graying hair and a weathered face, his eyes reflecting years of experience. "I mean, Elan is just a kid. Even for us old folks with a lot of experience, I can't say for sure that we'd survive out there in the wild on our own," Garret said as he shook his head. He had seen the dangers of the forest firsthand and knew how merciless it could be.
The two hunters sighed deeply, the weight of their clan's situation pressing heavily on their hearts. First, the plague had wiped out more than half of their population, leaving them struggling to rebuild and survive. Now, Torin was gone, and their leader, Daren, was unable to hunt any longer due to his severe injuries. Adding to their worries was the potential loss of Elan, their brightest hope for the future.
The series of hardships seemed relentless, each challenge compounding their fear and uncertainty for what lay ahead.
As the two hunters lamented their sorrow, they suddenly heard a loud banging noise from the gate.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
"It's Gawin, open the gate!" Gawin shouted from outside.
"Eh, they are back already?"
The two guards, Vren and Garret, looked at each other and looked up into the sky, noticing it was only past noon. They were puzzled since the group usually returned just before sunset. Their curiosity piqued, and they quickly moved to open the gate.
When they swung the gate open widely, they were greeted by a surprising sight: a bloody young man standing with the group.
"Am I hallucinating, or is that Elan covered in blood?" Vren exclaimed, squinting as if to clear his vision.
"I guess I'm hallucinating as well, I see Elan too," Garret said, equally astonished.
The group chuckled at the statements Vren and Garret had just made. Gawin walked inside and said to the guards, "Guys, you're not hallucinating, that is really Elan. We found him." Gawin paused and then continued, "Well, technically, he found us."
The two guards were elated to realize they were not hallucinating and that Elan was indeed alive and well. They quickly greeted him and welcomed him back to the village, their faces lighting up with relief and joy. They patted him on the back and expressed their happiness at his return.
Elan thanked them, showing respect towards Vren and Garret as he entered the village. He nodded politely and smiled, appreciating their warm welcome.
Gawin couldn't help but smile at the sight of a shy Elan. Despite his newfound power, Elan was still a kid who easily became bashful in the face of such attention. Gawin found it endearing that Elan's humility and modesty remained intact, even after all he had been through.
"You should go back to your home first, Elan. I'm sure your family will be very happy to see you again," Gawin said, patting Elan on the shoulder. "I'll head to the clan hall to inform the elders that you're back."
Elan nodded and said goodbye to his three best friends and the other hunters. "I'll see you all later," he said, waving as he turned to leave.
Filled with excitement to return home, Elan couldn't contain his eagerness. Instead of walking, he ran as fast as he could.
The villagers, seeing Elan alive at the entrance, wanted to welcome him back, but before they could say anything, Elan passed them like a blur.
"Was that Elan?" one villager exclaimed, eyes wide with surprise.
"He moved so fast, I could barely see him!" another added, shaking their heads in disbelief.
"He's really back and stronger than ever," a third villager said, awe evident in their voice.
"Are you sure that was Elan? I could barely see his face," an old villager said with a shakey voice.
"It's because you're already half blind, old man," another old man said with a laugh.
Elan's swift passage through the village left the residents amazed and buzzing with excitement. In just a matter of minutes, Elan's return had already spread through most of the villagers.
Seconds later, Elan was standing in front of their cottage. Elan's enhanced hearing allowed him to clearly hear what was happening inside. He could hear his two siblings playing and arguing at the same time. A smile tugged at his lips as he listened to their familiar banter. His younger siblings, always at odds, seemed to be in the middle of another disagreement. Elan chuckled softly, thinking that perhaps this was just the way of things with a middle child and the youngest.
He could also hear his mother busy with something he couldn't quite identify. But the sound that concerned him most was his father's heavy breathing, which was strained and labored, as if he were struggling to catch his breath. The sound tugged at Elan's heart.
Elan sighed and opened the door slowly, the familiar creak of the hinges announcing his return. The warmth of home washed over him, and he stepped inside, ready to reunite with his family.
Elan's mother and his two siblings noticed someone entering their cottage. His mother, busy scrubbing the floor, and his siblings, caught in the middle of both playing and arguing over a toy, stopped what they were doing and looked up.
What they saw horrified them. Standing in front of them was Elan, covered in blood. Their faces turned pale with fear, their eyes wide with shock.
Elan stretched out his right hand and said, "Mom!"
The sound of Elan's voice and his gesture shattered the silence of the cottage. His siblings screamed at the top of their lungs, "Ahh, a ghost!" while pointing at him. Their mother began crying loudly, collapsing to her knees, thinking that Elan must have died and that his spirit had come to visit them. Tears streamed down her face as she clutched her chest, overcome with grief.
"-"
Arion burst out laughing, seeing Elan's mother and younger siblings' reactions.
"Hahaha. That's hilarious. Do it again next time, Elan, hahaha."
Hearing the loud laughter inside his head, Elan wanted to curse Arion loudly, but he couldn't voice it out. 'Just you wait, Arion,' he thought.
Unbeknownst to Elan, from his mother's and siblings points of view, the simple gesture he made earlier looked like a ghost searching for his mother. The bright light from the outside, along with his bloody appearance, made it look even more ghastly.
Seeing his siblings' and mother's reactions, Elan didn't know whether to cry or laugh at their ridiculous responses. He thought to himself that he should have cleaned himself in the stream before coming home. 'I must look like something out of a nightmare,' he thought, feeling a mix of amusement and guilt.
Hearing the screams from his two kids and the sobbing of his wife, Daren was alarmed. He snapped his eyes open immediately to see what was happening. The moment Daren opened his eyes, he saw the outline of a boy standing near their door.
As he focused on the figure, he recognized it was actually Elan, the son he had been worried sick about for the past few days.
Daren's breath caught in his throat as he struggled to push himself upright. His heart pounded with both relief and disbelief. "E..Elan, is that you?" he whispered, his voice trembling with emotion.
Elan took a step forward, his eyes moist with tears at the sight of his father's frail condition.
"Yes, Dad, it's me. I'm home," he said softly, his voice breaking.
Elan's mother stopped crying from grief and watched the scene before her. She could not believe that it was actually her son, in the flesh, and not a ghost. Her eyes widened with realization.
Then her tears flowed again, but this time they were tears of joy. She stood up and rushed towards Elan, hugging him tightly. "Oh, Elan! I was so worried! I thought we had lost you forever," she mumbled, her voice choked with emotion. "I was so scared. I missed you so much."
Elan gently wiped the tears from his mother's face and tried to comfort her. "Mom, it's okay. I'm here now. I'm safe," he said softly. His mother eventually calmed down and began to laugh, embarrassed by the way she had reacted earlier.
The two younger siblings looked at their big brother and parents, crying and laughing. Finally, they found their voices.
"Hahaha, see! I told you big brother would return. Even though he's now a ghoul, he still returned," Kael said to his sister while laughing.
"Will he eat us if he is a ghoul?" Liora asked, a little horrified.
"No, no, he is our big brother. He recognizes us, see?" Kael pointed at his brother and mother and continued, "Big Brother did not even eat Mom. So it's okay."
Elan's mouth twitched when he heard his siblings talk about him being a ghoul. He walked towards his two siblings and gently tapped on their heads. "You brats, stop talking nonsense. I'm not a ghoul, and I definitely won't eat you. I'm back, and I'm not going anywhere," he said, chuckling.
"For now," Arion suddenly said.
Elan paused, trying to understand what Arion meant. 'For now? Was Arion implying that I would be leaving? If I leave, where would I go? I don't even know where we are. I don't even know how large this wilderness is.' He thought confusedly.
He decided not to dwell on it for now. If the time ever came for him to leave, it would have to be for a good reason, something important enough to justify his departure.
Daren noticed Elan standing still for several seconds and asked, "Son, are you okay?"
Elan snapped out of his thoughts when he heard his father's voice. "Huh?"
"I said, are you okay?" Daren repeated, looking at his son with concern in his eyes.
"Oh, I'm fine, Dad. I just thought of something," Elan said truthfully.
"Okay, good." Daren looked at Elan and noticed how dirty he was, covered in grime and blood. With concern in his eyes, he said, "Go clean yourself first. We'll talk later." Daren instructed gently, wanting his son to be comfortable and presentable before they continued their conversation.
"Okay, Dad," Elan replied.
He ruffled his siblings' hair playfully before walking towards their makeshift bathroom. Inside, he found a large bucket filled with water. He stripped off his clothes and began cleaning himself, scrubbing away the grime and blood that covered him. The cool water was refreshing against his skin, washing away the physical remnants of his ordeal.
Minutes later, Elan could be seen sitting by his father's bedside. His two younger siblings sat on his left side, while his mother sat on his right. They all looked at him expectantly.
Daren, unable to contain his curiosity, asked, "What happened to you out there, son?"
Elan took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts, and began to recount his experiences.
His parents didn't know what to say after hearing Elan's incredible tale. They were overwhelmed by the series of events their son had endured. They thought about how lucky Elan was: first, to have fallen into the hole that saved him from the Sabreclaw; then, to have met a powerful old man who taught him cultivation, making him strong enough to return to the village. Finally, he had arrived just in time to save Gawin and the others from the three Sabreclaws and eventually made it back home safely.
Elan had fabricated the story about Arion, turning the sentient AI into an old man in his tale. He didn't want to tell his parents the truth about Arion, fearing they might react poorly. The concept of an artificial intelligence living inside him was far too complex and unsettling for them to grasp. Elan was worried that such a revelation might cause them unnecessary fear or confusion. So, he chose the simpler, more relatable story of the wise old man, a figure they could easily understand and accept.
週次パワーステータス
-- 推薦
ランキング 
-- 推薦
チケット