Mysterious old man

As he slowly opened his eyes, Lear could smell the wood and grass that filled the whole hut. Lear felt weak and aching in his body, and his head was dizzy with memories. He tried to remember how he had ended up here, but all was in vain.

From the window he could see a small clearing surrounded by a dense forest. The leaves of the trees rustled in the wind, creating a pleasant and soothing backdrop. The air was fresh and clean, filled with the scents of herbs and flowers. Turning around, he saw a stranger in front of him. The man was dressed in simple clothes, consisting of a shirt and trousers, and there was an expression of care and alertness on his face.

The stranger, was a tall, sturdily built man in his middle years. In Lear's eyes, however, he looked like an old man, perhaps because of the perceptible difference in age given to the stranger by his, white as snow, gray hair.

Lear guessed that this was the man who had brought him to this house, but still couldn't figure out who he was or why he had helped him. Lear tried to speak, but his voice was weak and trembling. Then, the stranger silently held out the mug to him, but seeing the disbelief in the boy's eyes, he took a sip himself and said soothingly: "Don't be afraid, it's my special herbal mixture. Drink it, you'll feel better. This made Lear sound more skeptical, but it did smell like a pleasant, fragrant tea. Reluctantly, he tasted it. He tasted a sweet, herbal flavor on his tongue as he took his first sip and felt the tension in his body begin to ease and his thoughts begin to clear. His surroundings were brighter and the smell of herbs was even richer and more pleasant.

The man called his name; his name was Adèle. He explained that he had found Lear in the forest when he was unconscious and that he had taken him home and cared for him until he was awake.

As Lear drank his tea, the old man asked him who he was and what had happened to him. To which the boy replied quietly, almost in a whisper.

-B-Lear, my name is Lear... -He hesitantly said the boy. He still seemed to be in a somewhat heavy condition but after the tea he had drunk, it really seemed to have eased a little. Now that he had recovered his strength, Lear briefly retold what had happened to his village and to himself.

After hearing the story, the stranger expressed his regret and sympathy. He understood Lear's feelings, for the pain and hardship were just as familiar to him.

Lear did not understand why the old man felt guilty, but he was worried about something else entirely, it was more important for him to know about the place where he was, with this question he addressed the man. To which the man explained that they were in the demonic part of the continent, in a dark forest, among many people, also known as the 'dusky one'. This dark forest was an isthmus, the only place that connected the demon territory to the rest of the continent.

Meanwhile, the smell of food slowly filled the boy's nostrils. His stomach clenched with hunger and he felt himself rumbling inside.

-I guess I should get back to cooking- said the stranger, slowly walking away from the boy- Wait a while, the soup will be ready soon. You can wait for me at the table if you wish.

Agreeing, Lear slowly rose from the bed and immediately felt his legs shaking with weakness.

Feeling every plank beneath his feet, he slowly reached into the kitchen. Climbing the two steps, Lear reached the kitchen and sat down at the dining table.

Gazing intently at the old man, for some reason, Lear felt inexplicably uneasy, and at one point he asked him the question, "How do I get out of here - out of this forest?"

When Lear asked this question, the old man paused for a moment, a little while later and replied, "I don't think that's a good idea."

The old man turned to the table and carefully set down a plate of hot soup, which emitted a warm steam wafting with a delicious aroma. "I shall have to leave for a while. Please enjoy your meal," the old man said and motioned a bowl of hot soup to Lear. As he was about to leave, he pointed to the pot, "If you want more, feel free to take it." Lear nodded silently and the old man walked away, leaving him alone with the hot meal.

Lear sat at the table and gazed through the thick steam at his reflection in that deep plate. Somehow it seemed to him that the old man was hiding something. Unsure of the stranger's intentions, Lear decided to take the opportunity to leave the forest home, but first he wanted to satisfy the hunger he had accumulated over a long time. "Well, I've seen him taste it, so I think it's unlikely to be poisoned." With an excited appetite, the soup was particularly delicious. Fed and already a little satisfied, Lear began to feel much better.

Before leaving, casting a glance at the cauldron... Lear left the house and moved into the forest. Through thorns and dense thickets, Lear walked cautiously through the forest. It was dark and only a faint light seeped through the dense treetops. Strange and eerie trees came into his path, lichen-covered and sometimes naked as if burnt. Leaves rustled underfoot. It was as if someone was following him, but Lear paid no attention to this, his mind was only focused on getting out of the place as quickly as possible.

But when he heard a strange noise, as if someone was flying towards him, Lear turned around and saw a huge moth-like creature flying towards him.

From a distance he could see the terrible beast: black as night, with huge eyes and sharp claws, glinting subtly in the darkness, it flew toward Lear ready to rip apart everything in its path and no, not even the thickest branches were a barrier to it, certainly not even the largest trees could stop it. Lear felt his heart racing, but he forced himself to pull himself together and began to run. Suddenly, something flew past him, and so fast that he could hardly catch it, turning around, he was dazed - behind him stood the very stranger, seeing him, the creature suddenly slowed down and stopped half a hundred meters away.

-But where from? - Lear asked bewildered.

The old man slowly turned around and looked at the boy.

-For one thing, you didn't get very far, and for another, you have my seal, for which I have spent so much mana that it would have been difficult not to see it- -With a little silence he added. - Perhaps that's why the monster found you.

The boy looked at the fearsome beast that was slowly circling them.

- I usually don't pay attention to creatures like that, but when I sensed it was near you, I thought you might be in danger.

This explanation from the old man did nothing for Lear, he was still unable to understand what was going on.

However, the stranger seemed decidedly confident: "If my mana had already been restored, the creature wouldn't have messed with me." He glanced at the monster once more and added- "Though it's a bit of a mess right now.

And then, the monster, opening its powerful jaws, flew straight at him. The old man, however, rushed towards him, surprisingly deftly, grabbed the monster by its fangs in its mouth and with a sharp blow to the ground stopped the monster halfway. In such close proximity, the difference in size between the old man and the monster was obvious-it was twice his size.

There was an obvious look of amazement on Lear's face, but then, something even more startling happened. A bright light began to shine around the stranger, as if he were enveloped in a kind of white haze, and in his hand, out of nowhere, a similarly bright, white spear re-created.

The creature managed to break free and soared above the ground, whereupon a real battle ensued. The old man and the monster fought like two titans challenging each other.

The old man could only dodge blow after blow, but then suddenly everything changed. Adapting to the monster's speed, the old man began to confidently dodge its every thrust and strike back with precision. Each of his attacks was packed with incomparable power, the sound of which echoed through the forest. Now the monster was already taking its blows. At some point this huge insect, slowed a little, but it had no intention of giving up, it growled and continued to attack the old man with its blade-sharp claws, the speed of which left only a brief flicker in space, but the old man was already ready for each of its blows and the longer the battle continued, the more it turned into a one-sided beating and finally, after taking the last swing of his spear, the old man delivered the final blow, which killed the monster.

The monster's carcass rumbled to the ground, right at the old man's feet.

After the hard battle, feeling somewhat tired but still confident, the old man stood over his defeated foe. Turning around, he looked for Lear and looking around, he was surprised...

-Cauldron? -He looked at Lear watching him from a small depression in the ground, at the cauldron lying beside him, then back at Lear. - Of course I said that if you wanted more soup, you could have some... But I didn't mean the cauldron itself.