Chapter 5: An Uncle’s Sacrifice

An adolescent male was bathed in the morning’s sunshine, highlighting his tanned skin and lustrous blonde hair. His eyes remained closed as he rested on a simple wooden frame bed. The thin walls couldn’t block the boisterous noise from outside leaking in, yet the youth remained asleep. 

The door creaked open, and Polius stepped into the room. His sight focused on the youth who abruptly opened his eyes at the sound. 

“I was told you had woken up. Did I disturb you?” Polius asked, closing the door behind him. 

“C-Chief…” Reynold’s shaky voice rang out. He shifted underneath the blanket, attempting to sit up.

Polius rushed to the bed, “It’s fine, you don’t have to get up.” 

He placed his hand on Reynold’s chest and a burst of astral energy flowed through his hand, into the boy’s body. Reynold relented and sank back into his bed as a wave of relief washed over his fatigued body, calming his tensed nerves. His heart returned to a steady beat and his breathing stabilised. 

“...What happened to the tide?” 

“As you can see, the village is still here.” Polius uttered as he sat on a chair next to the bed. 

Reynold nodded at his words. 

“If it wasn’t for your warning more would have perished in the battle,” Polius sighed. 

Reynold’s throat was as dry as a desert, and his dehydration dissuaded him from responding with words so he could only nod once again.     

“Reynold… what happened to your Uncle?”

Reynold’s eyes shot wide open at the question, yet he couldn’t answer. Instead he glanced over at the pot of water by the room’s door.

Polius followed Reynold’s line of sight. “Ah!” 

He got up and walked towards the door. 

Reaching down, Polius picked up the mug at the side and then scooped water from the pot. 

Reynold struggled as he pushed against the bed, finally managing to sit up and lean against the bed frame. Sweat slowly collected around his collarbone from the exertion. 

“Here,” Polius said as he handed the mug of water to Reynold.

Reynold reached out with shaky hands. Seeing this, Polius moved closer and held the cup up to Reynold’s lips. 

After downing the contents of the mug, Reynold’s thirst was barely quenched, just enough for the drought to go away. Only it left behind a lump in his throat. 

“Uncle…” Reynold’s trembling eyes stared down at the bed. “He didn’t make it.” 

Polius’ eyelids dropped upon hearing the news, “It must have been hard for you. Well done for coming back here alive.” 

His nails dug deep into his palms, and veins popped out around his knuckles. Yet his eyes didn’t reflect the anger he felt, instead dulling down— showing the sorrow that swept his heart.

Hearing Polius’ words, Reynold's eyes darted back to stare at his Chief. His ears twitched in disbelief. Why… why aren’t you blaming me? Uncle was one of your closest friends, Chief. He should have been the one to come back… not me. 

Countless questions plagued Reynold’s mind, yet maybe none of them would ever be answered. Polius didn’t avoid Reynold’s shivering stare; greeting it with eyes that were steady like an untainted pond. Eyes that held something Reynold couldn’t quite place. 

He really doesn’t blame me. Reynold broke eye contact as he turned to face the wall. A hand squeezed his heart within a death grasp. A hand made out of guilt. 

“Reynold, what happened?” 

Reynold took a few seconds before opening his mouth and letting out a hoarse voice. “As you know, we left the village around five days ago. On the third day of our journey, we reached the village of Glane with the help of Asena.” 

Scenes flashed through Reynold’s mind. The giant blue sky without any clouds in sight. The fresh scent of bread, Glane’s speciality. The laughter and bustling village could still be heard in Reynold’s mind. It was only days ago, yet everything was deeply ingrained into his memories.

“Everything was fine. We stayed the night, planning to leave the next day. But…” Reynold squeezed the blanket covering him, “it occurred during the night. No one was prepared. The tide bulldozed through the fence and the buildings, bringing everything down in what seemed like an instant. Uncle dragged me out before the house collapsed onto us. There was so much blood… the ground was coated in it.” 

Burning tears dripped onto his hands as they snuck out of Reynold’s eyes. The uncanny scent of iron still wafted around his nose. The urge to vomit rapidly surged through his gut and up his throat.  

A cooling sensation once again washed over Reynold’s body, driving away his desire to vomit. He glanced over to see Polius holding his shoulder— channelling more energy into him. With his help the cursed scent seemed to vanish, yet the bloody scene was still so vivid, as if it were still before his eyes even now.

“We rushed towards the barn where Asena was sleeping. On the way there, there was a lot of screaming, asking for our help. Uncle… he said not to look back. That we couldn’t help them. So we just ran.”

Reynold gritted his teeth. “Once we reached where Asena was, we hopped onto her and got out of the village. We had just gotten out when it struck.” Terror swam around his eyes at the thought of that thing, and his body began trembling once more at the memory. 

Not even Polius could stop it. This was something that had been etched into Reynold’s very core.

“It… wasn’t huge. No. It was only around Uncle’s height. But that thing had burn marks all over its grey skin and a pair of scythes for hands.” Reynold’s trembling worsened as the memories slowly took over. 

 “Uncle, he sa—” Reynold choked on his words, coughing non-stop. 

Polius’ brows furrowed as he funnelled more astral energy into Reynold. The teenager’s coughing fit died down after a few seconds had passed. 

“He said to run, to not look back.” Reynold’s shaky voice rang out, despite his sore throat. 

“Before I could respond to him the monster attacked. It was so fast. I couldn’t see it. But Uncle somehow blocked it. He shouted at me to run again. And I-I… I just ran.” 

Any colour remaining on Reynold’s face had drained away. 

“I ran and ran and ran...” Reynold’s heartbeat quickened with every word, “Not once did I look back.”  

All of his strength gathered in his hands as his grip on the blanket tightened. 

“When I stopped I had no idea where I was.”

A scene permeated Reynold’s mind. An endless number of trees surrounded him and a myriad of stars looked down upon him, providing a sole source of light. His heartbeat thumped at his ear. The smell of iron stained his nose. His courage left behind from whence he came.  

“I didn’t dare to look back… then I heard a rustle behind me.” 

The fear of the past resurfaced as the memories played out. Along with the fear was hope. The hope that it was his uncle behind him. 

“I turned around, but it was just Asena.” 

His own words invoked a vivid image within his mind: a wolf covered in countless wounds with blood dying its prior pure white fur red, its mouth wide open as it struggled to breathe. 

“She was hurt and… I couldn’t see where my Uncle was. He wasn’t riding her nor was he behind her. Just… nowhere.” Reynold placed his hand on his chest and grasped his shirt, his nails digging into his skin.  

“I waited bu—” Reynold’s voice disappeared. Reaching for his throat, he could feel a lump swelling inside. Regardless of how many times he tried, his voice refused to come out.

Reynold’s eyes darted back to Polius and were greeted by a gentle smile. Somehow the sight of it soothed his turmoiled heart ever so slightly.

“It’s okay,” Polius said as he stood up from his seat and walked back to the pot of water. He quickly returned, “Have another drink.” 

He handed over the mug to Reynold, who gulped down the contents in a haste. Yet even then the desert within his throat wasn’t satisfied and his words wouldn’t articulate. He wanted to say it all to the end. It was the only thing he could do for both Asena and his uncle. But it was futile. 

“It’s fine. You don’t have to continue. I understand what happened.” 

Reynold glanced back at Polius with widened eyes upon hearing his words. Then Reynold’s gaze dropped down to the floor. The weight burdening his heart lessened but the grasp around his heart was still soever tight. 

The chains of guilt around his heart were protected by a lock. Maybe if he had fully told the story the chains would be unlocked, yet now he would never know. 

“Don’t blame yourself. If you hadn’t made it back we would have faced the same fate as Glane.” Polius ruffled the reluctant teen’s hair. The normally soft locks were still covered in dust with a few tangles here and there. Polius’ eyes softened at the sight. 

Despite hearing his Chief’s comforting words, the lock in Reynold’s heart didn’t buckle in the slightest. Nevertheless he still nodded at Polius’ words. 

“I will leave now so you can get some more rest.” Polius turned around and headed for the door. No matter how much he wanted to stay and comfort the boy, he needed some alone time.

Just as Polius was about to leave the room, Reynold looked up and opened his mouth. Reaching from the depths of his heart, he tried to voice his words. But alas, his efforts were fruitless.

As nothing rang out and Polius closed the door behind him, Reynold felt as if he’d lost something. 

The moment the door closed in front of Reynold’s eyes, his emotions broke down his thin barriers and flared out in full— overwhelming his senses.  

I couldn’t save Uncle, I couldn’t bury Asena, I couldn’t do anything...

He shoved his face into the blanket as the dam broke open and the tears poured out. The undeniable rage and regret yearned to escape from his body, yet his dried up throat got in the way once again. All that was left were the tears stains on the white blanket.

***

Polius stood outside of the door. He hadn’t taken a single step since exiting the room. 

He knew of Reynold’s abrupt movement and the boy’s attempt to call after him. He could hear the sound of crying behind the door. He could have turned around at any moment yet he was resolute and left without hesitation. 

The stabbing pain in his heart was unmistakable, but he couldn’t turn back. He simply stood there. An exchange from the past started playing in his mind. 

“Hahaha, Polius when are you going to get married?”

“Ask yourself that first.”  

“Why would I need to get married, I’ve already got my trusty Asena and my adorable nephew by my side.”

 “A wolf and a kid.”

“What else would I need? Meanwhile you’ve got nothing beside that old man, hahaha.”

“That’s enough out of you, you drunkard.” 

“...Ren, he’s a really good child. But his heart is heavy... It holds him back from his true potential. And there’s nothing I could do to help him as his uncle.”

“You could have adopted him as your son rather than your nephew back when you picked him up.” 

“No. I’m not worthy or fitting to be a father. Thus, I can only be his uncle.”

“Dae—” 

“Hahaha, enough of this. Here, drink some more.” 

The memory faded away, back to the past from whence it came. Now only he stood here while his close friend was now long gone. 

“Reynold, everyone is starting to move on now. Only you can resolve the issues within yourself,” Polius muttered underneath his breath. They were the words he wanted to say yet the ones he didn’t. 

Finally, he walked away from the door.