Three days had passed, and Haran now found himself in front of the village council. Before him stood a wooden table in the shape of an arc. Seven council members sat behind it, with Haran seated on a chair before them. Among them was Adel, seated to the side.

  To Haran’s right stood two warriors. One of them was Yuri, and the other man wasn't known to Haran, but his physique left no argument that he was also a powerful warrior.

  All the council members were elderly, comprising of four women and three men. At the table’s center sat a woman with fiery red curls and dark skin. She looked at Haran with unfriendly eyes.

  She then addressed him. "My name is Melinda, and I serve as the representative of the Haugstad council. Brother Adel has informed us of your circumstances and requested this meeting to discuss proposals and discuss your stay."

  Haran inclined his head respectfully. "Thank you for taking the time to consider my case."

  Melinda’s expression didn’t soften. When she spoke again, her tone was decisive. "No hearing is necessary," she said. Beside her, Adel shifted in his seat and averted his look so he wouldn't meet Haran's eyes.

  "Brother Adel has provided us with all the information we need," Melinda continued. "Haran, your history is in direct conflict with the values this community upholds. There is little room for options here."

  "With all due respect," Haran began, "I’ve made mistakes. These mistakes I deeply regret. But none of them were directed at you or your village. My errors are tied to another land, not even your kingdom."

  Melinda’s gaze remained steady. "That may be true, Haran. But it doesn’t change who you are or the path you’ve walked. You’ve dealt in methods that we believe contradict the Creators’ vision for humanity. And then there’s the fact that you are a stranger, a man who has crossed great distances, fleeing something that threatens to catch up with him. We cannot risk this village being dragged into a conflict not of our making."

  "Please," Haran started pleading. "Just hear me out."

  Melinda’s demeanor shifted slightly, but she remained resolved. "Haran, our situation is stark. Our resources barely suffice for the village. For several cycles now, we’ve witnessed nature’s changes. They were subtle at first. The land offers less with each passing cycle. The monsters grow more numerous. And some of them..." Her voice faltered for a moment, but she pressed on. "Some of them cannot be fought with conventional weapons. They lack physical form and require crystals. This world is producing blasphemous phenomena. We never saw or heard of these so-called demons until twenty star-cycles ago. Since then, we have been forced to abandon many of our hunting grounds. This cycle, it was a struggle to gather enough to last through this season."

  Melinda paused, taking a breath before continuing. "We have a proposal for you, Haran. Leave your baby here with us until the warmer days return. In the meantime, you can take refuge in the nearby city. You carry the emblem of a citizen. I’m confident you will find refuge there. We’ll even provide you with clothing and camping supplies for the journey. You’ll also have two more days to stay here before you must depart. If the weather permits, you should leave earlier."

  "The city of Jamtara lies two days west of here on foot. The same proposal stands if you choose to take your son with you. But I must warn you that the roads are treacherous. I cannot promise you’ll survive. I am surprised you arrived here carrying no equipment. I'd imagine, by the report of your rescue, you were forced to leave it. So you know the dangers well."

  As Melinda spoke, Haran lowered his gaze to the floor. Slowly, tears began to stream down his face. His hands clenched tightly, and his voice was sharp and hissing as he addressed the council.

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  "Your chief has told me how you all have some moral codes. But you are just as bad as those monsters out there."

  "Haran," Adel loudly interjected, but Melinda silenced him with a raised hand.

  "How can you stand there and hypocritically call this a hearing?" Haran continued, his voice now rising, "You have already made a decision before I even spoke. This is a charade."

  Adel stood up and tried to diffuse the situation. "I understand where you are coming from. But you must understand us. We wish to provide your son with safety and give you a fighting chance out there. We could have left you in the snow if we bore ill will toward you. You’ll have food, water, and proper clothing to see you through. If you made it this far, it’s proof you have the skills to survive the road ahead."

  Haran’s head lifted slowly, revealing eyes that had transformed. His corneas bleached white, and his pupils disappeared. When he spoke again, his voice was different.

  "Fewer mouths to feed means more food for those who remain." There was a second voice between the vowels that sounded distorted. Like multiple people spoke from the same mouth.

  Haran was embued in a pale glow. He was glowing lightly at first, but it kept intensifying.

  Then Adel realized what was about to happen and shouted, "Everyone, take cover!"

  In an instant, all sound was lost, as if it were a vacuum, followed by a deafening blast. The table with the elders hurtled toward the cabin wall. For a moment, it seemed inevitable that the elders would be crushed, but the table stopped mere centimeters from the wall, defying the pressure. The chairs got shattered, and fragments pierced the walls, leaving holes where the splinters had punched through.

  Before anyone could process what had happened, Yuri and the second warrior launched themselves at Haran, tackling him to the ground with practiced precision. Yuri moved swiftly, pulling a small vial of crimson powder from his belt. With one forceful exhale, he blew the powder directly into Haran’s face.

  Haran’s body went limp instantly, and the glow around him extinguished as he fell into unconsciousness.

  "Is everyone alright?" Yuri asked after making sure Haran was indisposed.

  "I… I think so," Melinda replied, visibly shaken. "My bones are trembling from the force of that wind."

  The elders were slowly getting to their feet. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured, only a few scratches. They all gathered around Haran, who lay unconscious on the floor.

  "What are you waiting for?" one of the male elders demanded, his voice rising in panic. "Take a knife and kill him! You want him to wake up and finish what he started?"

  "Stop!" Adel’s voice rang out. "We are not killing anyone. The damage is done, yes, but no one here has been harmed. Besides," he added, with a sorrowful tone, "I’ve seen this before in my youth. That wasn’t Haran."

  Turning to Yuri and the other warrior, Adel continued, "Search him. Find the crystal. It must have been overlooked when you stripped him of his wrappings."

  "But there wasn’t any crystal. Malcolm and I thoroughly searched his belongings when we removed his wrappings," Yuri protested.

  "Then you missed something," one of the female elders frustratingly interjected. "This was clearly an act of magic."

  "No," Yuri said resolutely. "There was no oversight. Every piece of cloth, every belonging, was separated from Haran and his son while the healer worked on their injuries. Whatever this is, it escaped all of us."

  "Look at his hands," Melinda suddenly said.

  The skin on Haran’s hands had begun to crack, forming patterns that resembled vents from which air seemed to escape. And then, as the act was done, his skin returned to normal as if nothing ever happened.

  "Don’t tell me…" Melinda began, but Adel continued her train of thought.

  "This man is a catalyst," Adel declared. "He lied when he said he hadn’t used crystals on himself."

  The weight of his words hung in the air as the elders exchanged uneasy glances. Adel’s brow furrowed as he turned toward the warriors standing over Haran’s unconscious form.

  "Yuri, Marko," he said sharply. "Bind him to a chair. Then fetch two more warriors to guard him until he wakes. I want his explanation. After that, I will decide his fate."

  "And if he tries to attack again?" Yuri hesitated for a moment before asking.

  "Then instruct them to kill him without hesitation," Adel said with a voice ridden of any emotion.

  With that command, there was no further discussion on the matter.