CHAPTER 24
They found the cabin on the third day.
It was small, tucked into a clearing near the base of a cliff. Smoke rose from a stone chimney, curling lazily into the sky. The structure was simple—wooden walls, a slanted roof, a single window glowing faintly with firelight.
Kael stopped at the edge of the clearing, his hand on his sword. "Someone lives here."
Alkeos moved beside him, his eyes scanning the cabin. "On this island?"
"Apparently."
Rynn stepped forward cautiously. "Could be dangerous."
"Or it could be shelter," Liora said quietly. "We need both."
Kael hesitated, then nodded. "Stay alert."
They approached slowly.
Before they reached the door, it swung open.
A man stepped out—middle-aged, maybe older, with graying hair and a weathered face. He wore simple clothes, patched in places, and carried a wooden bowl in one hand. He looked at them, blinked, then smiled.
"Well, this is a surprise," he said cheerfully. "Visitors. I don't get many of those."
Kael tensed. "Who are you?"
The man set the bowl down on a small table outside the door. "Name's Garran. And you are?"
"Passing through," Alkeos said carefully.
Garran chuckled. "Passing through Dream Land? That's a new one." He gestured toward the cabin. "Come on. You look half-dead. I've got stew and tea. Both are better than whatever you've been eating."
Rynn frowned. "You're just... inviting us in?"
"Why not?" Garran shrugged. "It's been a while since I've had company. Besides, you don't look like you're here to rob me. You look like you're here to collapse."
He wasn't wrong.
---
Inside, the cabin was warm.
A fire crackled in the hearth, casting flickering light across the walls. There were shelves lined with books, jars of dried herbs, and tools Kael didn't recognize. A small table sat in the center of the room, surrounded by mismatched chairs.
Garran ladled stew into bowls and set them on the table. "Eat. Don't be shy."
The crew hesitated, then sat.
Kael took a bite. The stew was simple—vegetables, some kind of meat, seasoned with herbs—but it was warm, and it tasted better than anything they'd had in days.
Garran sat across from them, sipping tea from a chipped cup. "So. What brings you to Dream Land?"
"Training," Alkeos said after a moment.
Garran raised an eyebrow. "Training? Here?"
"We need to get stronger," Liora said quietly.
"And you figured a deadly island full of monsters was the place to do it?" Garran laughed. "Bold. Stupid, maybe. But bold."
Kael looked at him. "You live here. Why?"
Garran's smile didn't fade, but something shifted in his eyes. "Because it's quiet. Because no one bothers me. Because... well, I don't have anywhere else to go."
"You're alone," Rynn said.
"I am."
"By choice?"
Garran took another sip of tea. "More or less."
Silence settled over the table.
Kael studied the man—his smile, his ease, the way he seemed completely unbothered by the danger outside. It didn't make sense.
"How long have you been here?" Kael asked.
"Five years. Maybe six. I stopped counting."
"And you're still alive."
Garran grinned. "Surprised?"
"Yes."
"Fair enough." Garran set his cup down. "The monsters don't bother me much anymore. I know where they hunt. I know when to stay inside. And I'm not worth the effort, honestly. Just an old man cooking stew."
Alkeos leaned back in his chair. "You're not afraid?"
"Of the monsters? No. Not anymore." Garran's smile softened. "I was, at first. Terrified, actually. But fear gets exhausting after a while. You either let it kill you, or you learn to live with it."
---
They stayed the night.
Garran gave them blankets and let them sleep by the fire. He didn't ask questions. Didn't pry. Just hummed to himself as he cleaned up, tending the fire, occasionally glancing at them with that same easy smile.
Kael couldn't sleep.
He sat up, staring at the flames, his mind restless.
Garran noticed. He walked over quietly and sat beside him, holding two cups of tea. He handed one to Kael.
"Can't sleep?"
Kael shook his head.
Garran sipped his tea. "You've got that look."
"What look?"
"The one people get when they've lost something they can't get back." Garran's voice was gentle. "I had it too, once."
Kael looked at him. "What did you lose?"
Garran was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "Everything. My wife. My son. My home."
Kael's chest tightened. "How?"
"Bandits. Burned the village. Killed everyone." Garran's smile faded, just slightly. "I tried to fight. Tried to protect them. But I wasn't strong enough. I wasn't fast enough. I wasn't... anything enough."
Kael stared at him. "Then how are you still..."
"Still smiling?" Garran looked at the fire. "Because what else am I supposed to do? Spend the rest of my life drowning in it? Let it eat me alive?"
"They died because of you."
"No." Garran's voice was firm. "They died because of the people who killed them. Not me."
Kael's jaw tightened. "But you couldn't stop it."
"No. I couldn't." Garran looked at him. "And that's something I had to learn to live with. Because blaming myself didn't bring them back. It didn't change anything. It just made the pain worse."
Kael looked away. "So you just... let it go?"
"No. I didn't let it go. I carry it with me. Every day." Garran's voice softened. "But I don't let it define me. I don't let it stop me from living."
Kael's hands clenched around the cup. "I can't do that."
"You can't? Or you won't?"
Kael didn't answer.
Garran leaned back, his gaze distant. "Strength isn't just about power, kid. It's not about how hard you hit or how many people you can save. It's about choosing to keep going, even when everything tells you to stop."
He looked at Kael. "You've lost people. I can see it. And you think it's your fault. Maybe some of it is. Maybe some of it isn't. But either way, you have a choice. You can let it destroy you. Or you can honor them by becoming something better."
Kael stared at him. "How do I do that?"
Garran smiled faintly. "You keep fighting. Not because you think you can save everyone. But because you refuse to let their deaths mean nothing."
---
Kael sat there for a long time after Garran went to bed.
He thought about Father Aldric. About Theron. About everyone he'd lost.
*I couldn't save them.*
*But I can still fight for something.*
For the first time in days, something shifted in his chest.
Not hope. Not yet.
But something close.
---
**END OF CHAPTER 24**