The bushes parted with a sharp snap of twigs, and two boys stepped into the moonlight.
Revvyn knew them right away.
Jaxen, the tall one with the thick neck who'd summoned the rock-hound during the trial.
Beside him was Silas, older, leaner, scar running down his left cheek like someone had tried to open his face with a dull knife. Lucien's shadows. The kind of guys who hung around the wealthy district looking for scraps of favor and violence.
Neither of them had their beasts out.They didn't need them.
"Lucien said you would be stubborn," Jaxen said, cracking his knuckles. His voice was casual, almost bored, like he was commenting on the weather. "Said you'd say no to the easy way."
Revvyn took a step back. His heart slammed against his ribs so hard he could feel it in his throat. The silver pouch suddenly felt like a brick at his hip.
"Syll, get ready," he whispered.
He looked down, expecting the indigo blob to darken, to grow spikes, to at least look threatening.
Instead, Syll's little black-dot eyes drifted shut. The slime flattened completely against the dirt, then without a sound, syll dissolved into a shower of pale blue particles and vanished into the system's storage space.
Revvyn stared at the empty spot on the ground.
"Wha—? Syll! Get back here!"
Jaxen and Silas burst out laughing.
"Did your puddle of spit just ghost you?" Silas said, shaking his head like he couldn't believe it. "This is going to be fun."
They didn't call their beasts. They just walked forward, shoulders broad, boots crunching on dry leaves.
Revvyn tried to pull on his mana, reaching for the [Tough Hide] trait Syll had unlocked earlier. He felt a faint warmth under his skin, then it died.
Mana: 2.
He was empty.
"My turn," Jaxen said.
The first punch caught Revvyn square in the jaw. His head snapped back. Stars burst behind his eyes.
Before he could recover, a boot slammed into his ribs. Pain exploded across his side like someone had swung a hammer. Another kick landed in his stomach.
He tasted copper then blood filling his mouth. He tried to swing back, but his arms felt heavy, useless. He was one malnourished sixteen-year-old against two well-fed thugs who did this for fun.
They didn't stop until his face was a swollen mess and his ribs felt cracked. Silas reached down, unclipped the leather pouch from Revvyn's belt, and tossed it to Jaxen like it weighed nothing.
"Lucien says thanks for the interest," Jaxen said. He opened the pouch, pulled out four measly silver coins, and flicked them into the dirt right next to Revvyn's head. They clinked softly against the stones. "Buy yourself some bandages. You look like hell."
They turned and walked back the way they came, laughing low under their breath. Revvyn stayed on his knees in the dirt until their footsteps faded completely.
The forest went quiet again. Crickets. Wind in the pines. His own ragged breathing.
He stayed there a long time, blood dripping from his lip onto the ground. Eventually he crawled forward, gathered the four coins with shaking fingers, and pushed himself to his feet.
The walk home was agony. Every step sent fresh pain through his ribs. His left eye was already swelling shut. The silver pouch was gone. All of it. The debt payment. The medicine. The hope.
When he reached the cottage, he didn't have the strength to knock properly. He leaned against the doorframe and shoved. The door swung open.
Lily was the first to see him. She froze in the middle of the room, basin of water in her hands. Her eyes went wide.
"Revvyn?"
He tried to speak but blood dripped from his lip onto the floorboards.
His mother appeared behind Lily. She dropped the cloth she was holding.
"Revvyn—"
His knees gave out. Lily caught him before he hit the ground. She lowered him gently to the floorboards, cradling his head in her lap.
"What happened?" she whispered, fingers brushing the swelling around his eye.
Revvyn swallowed. The taste of blood was thick in his mouth.
Lily's face went pale. She looked up at his mother, then back down at him.
His mother knelt beside him. She didn't cry. She just stared at the bruises on his face like she could will them away.
"He's still breathing," she said quietly. "That's something."
Lily looked at Revvyn. Her eyes were shining with tears she wouldn't let fall.
"They—," he rasped.
Lily shook her head. "Don't. Just... rest."
He closed his eyes, laid there, bruised and bleeding.
♦♦♦
The next morning, Revvyn woke to pain.
He opened his eyes to find a damp white cloth resting on his forehead. Every muscle in his face felt like it had been stretched over a drum. He tried to sit up, but a sharp pain in his ribs forced him back down.
The door creaked open. Lily walked in, carrying a basin of water. Her face was pale, her usual brightness replaced by deep lines of worry.
"What happened to you?" she asked softly, sitting on the edge of the bed.
"I fell," Revvyn croaked, then he blinked his eyes.
Lily's gaze sharpened. "I've known you since you were a kid, Revvyn. You blink fast when you lie. Now tell me the truth."
Revvyn looked away. He felt the shame more than the bruises. Lily was twenty, four years older than him, and she'd always been the one protecting him. It felt pathetic to be sitting here broken while she watched.
"It was Lucien's boys," he finally admitted.
Lily didn't scream or curse. She just sighed, a sound full of heavy sadness. She leaned forward, placing a soft palm on the side of his face that wasn't bruised, and gently guided his head toward her.
She pulled him into a hug, resting his head against her chest. "You don't have to lie to me," she whispered. "I'll always be there for you, no matter what."
Revvyn stayed there for a moment, the warmth of her body and the soft pressure of her chest making him feel like he could finally breathe again. He felt a strange urge to just stay there forever, but she gently pushed him back so she could look at him.
"I'll bring you something to eat," she said, standing up.
"Wait," Revvyn said, his voice tightening. He noticed something. The house was quiet. Too quiet. "Where are Mom and Dad? I haven't heard him cough since."
Lily stopped at the door. Her shoulders slumped. "Your father—"
She didn't finish. Revvyn pushed through the pain, swinging his legs off the bed and stumbling toward his parents' room.
His mother was crouched by the bed, holding his father's hand. She looked like she had aged ten years in a single night. When she heard his footsteps, she turned, wiping her face and forcing a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"Revvyn, you're awake," she said.
"What's wrong with him?" Revvyn asked, looking at his father. He was deathly still. No coughing. No wheezing. Just a pale, hollow shell of the man he used to be.
"I'm a bad mother," she whispered. "I should be congratulating you. Lily told us about the trial."
"Mom, what's wrong with Dad?"
She broke then, her head falling onto Revvyn's chest. "He's dying. He hasn't coughed or moved since last night. His heart is still beating, but... he won't wake up."
Revvyn's hand went to his waist. *The reward money.* He felt the small, thin pouch. He reached in and pulled out the four coins Jaxen had left him.
His heart hammered. The 500 silver was gone.
"What happened?" his mother asked, looking at the four coins.
Revvyn swallowed the bile in his throat. "Nothing. I'm good."
"You should go meet the healer," his mother cried. "She comes to the village square today. She's the only one who can help him now."
"Fine... I don't think I remember where she stays," Revvyn said.
"Lily knows," his mother said, gesturing to the door. "She can take you."
♦♦♦
The walk back toward the village was silent. Lily walked a few paces ahead, her head down. Revvyn kept glancing at her, thinking she was mourning his father, but then she stopped in the middle of the path.
"He took the money, didn't he?" she asked without turning around.
Revvyn paused. She knows?
"I could tell from when you looked at your mother." She turned to face him, and Revvyn was shocked to see real tears streaming down her cheeks. "It's all because of me."
"Lily, no—"
"If I just married that fool... none of this would have happened!" she sobbed, covering her face with her palms. "Everyone would be fine. This family is all I have, and now it's falling apart while I just watch. Maybe if I just go to him... maybe he'll give it back. Maybe he'll save your father."
Revvyn walked over and grabbed her wrists, pulling her hands away from her face.
"It's nobody's fault," he said, his voice hard.
"But how are we going to—"
"You don't need to marry that fool," Revvyn cut her off. He looked her straight in the eyes, ignoring the throbbing in his own face.
"Trust me," he said.
Lily looked at him, her chest heaving. She saw something in his gaze that hadn't been there yesterday. It wasn't just the "prodigal son" anymore but a man who had been pushed too far.
"I want you to trust me," he repeated.
She slowly relaxed, her breathing evening out. "Okay," she whispered. "I trust you."