Chapter 82: Village!

The duo walked without urgency, and Jax was relatively casual. He sent out his Raven Familiar back to Aurelion’s Fall, updating Xara on the situation while he walked alongside her, noticing how Ashanti reacted to the changing environment.

For Ashanti, every sensation felt very loud.

The mana here flowed freely, unflattened by wards or conduits. It pooled in shallow hollows, thinned atop rocky ridges, surged faintly near twisted trees whose roots drank from unseen ley veins.

Normally, she would have been cataloging it, but now, she simply let it pass through her.

She walked a few steps behind Jax at first, then slowly found herself drifting closer, until they moved side by side without either of them acknowledging the change.

“How far do you think it is?” she asked eventually.

Jax glanced at the sky, not for navigation, but habit, “A few hours, maybe less. Depends on how isolated the terrain is,”

Ashanti nodded, “I can feel… faint clusters ahead. People. Not many.”

“That’ll be our village,” he said.

They continued.

As they walked, Ashanti noticed something else.

Her mana was still there, vast, coiled, dangerous, but it wasn’t pressing outward anymore. It followed her instead, like a shadow that obeyed rather than strained against restraint.

It unsettled her.

“You’re not suppressing it,” she said quietly.

“No,” Jax replied, “I’m ignoring it.”

She tilted her head toward him, “Is that the difference?”

“For now,” he said. “Control comes later. First, you need to remember what it’s like to exist without constantly bracing for impact.”

Ashanti was silent for a long time after that. They reached the village just as night fully claimed the sky.

It wasn’t large. A handful of sturdy wooden homes clustered around a central fire pit, their roofs slanted to shed rain and snow alike. Low stone walls marked the perimeter,

Lanterns glowed warmly along dirt paths, their light gentle rather than vigilant.

The air smelled of cooked meat and soil, and the sound of people laughing, drinking beer and chatting echoed across.

As they approached, a few heads turned towards them with curiousity.

To the villagers, Jax and Ashanti were nothing more than travelers, tall, composed, a little weathered from the road. Ashanti’s wings were visible, but unremarkable in a Demon Kingdom where such traits were common.

A pair of children ran past them, chasing one another with wooden sticks, shrieking in laughter.

Ashanti flinched slightly.

Jax noticed.

“Relax,” he said quietly. “No one here knows who you are.”

“I know,” she replied. “…It’s just been a long time since I’ve heard children laugh so freely.”

They stepped fully into the village.

A man tending the fire glanced up and gave them a nod, “Evenin’. Travelers?”

“Yes,” Jax replied easily. “Passing through. We were hoping to rest for the night.”

The man studied them briefly, then shrugged, “Plenty of space. You’re welcome to share the fire.” Hitchock’s Inn has some spare rooms,”

Jax nodded and the duo settled near the fire, accepting bowls of stew offered without question. Ashanti cradled hers carefully, inhaling the scent. It was hearty, simple, comforting.

She took a tentative bite.

“…It’s good,” she said softly, almost surprised.

“Have you never eaten this before?” Jax asked, and she shook her head before taking another bite.

Across the fire, a young Wolf-Kin Demon sat sharpening a knife. He looked barely into adulthood, silver-gray ears twitching as he worked. After a moment, his gaze drifted toward Ashanti and Jax.

“You two aren’t from around here,” he said casually.

Jax inclined his head, “Is it that obvious?”

The Wolf-Kin snorted. “You don’t walk like farmers.”

Ashanti stiffened slightly, but the boy only grinned.

“Don’t worry. We get travelers sometimes. More lately, actually.”

Jax’s eyes sharpened just a fraction. “Oh?”

The Wolf-Kin shrugged. “People moving inland. Away from the borders.”

Ashanti felt the shift before the words landed.

“Why?” she asked quietly.

The boy hesitated, then glanced toward one of the houses. His voice dropped slightly, “Ain’t it obvious, it’s that god damn Holy Church.”

The fire crackled, “They came through our old settlement,” he continued. “Said they were ’cleansing corruption.’ Didn’t matter that we’d lived there peacefully for generations.”

His jaw tightened, “Burned half of it. Took anyone who fought back. My family ran. A lot of others weren’t so lucky.”

Ashanti’s fingers trembled. Jax’s expression did not change, but the air around him grew subtly heavier.

“And this place?” Jax asked.

The Wolf-Kin shrugged again, “Farther from their usual routes, and with the new Demon King taking down one of the Heroes, they’ve given us some space, for now at least,”

“For now,” Ashanti echoed.

The boy nodded. “Yeah.”

He glanced down at his knife, then added, “Monsters have been getting worse lately, though. Probably driven closer by all the chaos.”

Ashanti’s head tilted, “Monsters?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Big ones. Not the usual packs. Our guess is all the Holy Church stuff made a-lot of the monsters migrate too,”

Jax leaned back slightly, “Who handles it?”

“My father,” the boy replied. “He’s a hunter. Strongest one we’ve got. He hunts with a team of some of the other adults here,”

Ashanti felt something stir inside her, not mana, but resolve.

“You hunt regularly?” she asked.

The Wolf-Kin smiled proudly, “Whenever we have to. He’s heading out again for the next few days,”

Jax’s gaze flicked to Ashanti.

Then back to the boy.

“Mind if we tag along?” Jax asked casually.

The Wolf-Kin blinked. “You… want to hunt?”

Jax smiled. “I like seeing how people live.”

The boy laughed. “Sure. Dad won’t mind extra hands. Especially if monsters are involved.”

He stood and sheathed his knife. “I’m Rhel. By the way.”

“Ashanti,” she said softly.

“Jax,” he added.

Rhel nodded. “Good to meet you.”

He trotted off, tail swaying behind him.

Ashanti stared into the fire for a long moment after.

“Did you plan that?” she asked quietly.

Jax shrugged. “No. But it’s convenient.”

She hesitated. “You want me to come?”

“Yes,” he said simply.

Her breath caught. “What if I—”

“You won’t,” Jax interrupted calmly. “Not here. Not like that.”

She turned toward him. “How can you be sure?”

“Because you won’t be fighting. You’ll just watch how normal people fight, it’ll help a bit,” Jax said.

He met her gaze evenly, “You don’t need to prove anything. Just watch and learn how people survive.”

“…I think,” she said slowly, “I’d like that.”

Jax smiled faintly.

“Good,” he said. “Then we’ll go hunting.”

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