"Come along, little Katya," Elder Ma said, scooping up the two children in his arms.
Grace ended up perched on his shoulder, clutching his short, graying hair like reins. She squeezed her small legs around his neck and shouted gleefully, "Giddy-up, old man, to the village!"
Meanwhile, Gray dangled helplessly at his side like a sack of potatoes, pinned under the old man's free arm. He burned with embarrassment, wishing he could sink into the ground, but Elder Ma's grip was unbreakable.
Watching the absurd scene, Katarina and Cassia stifled their laughter, their melodious voices tinkling in the air as they followed behind at a relaxed pace.
Though small, the village was a peaceful haven untouched by the gloom of the surrounding forest. Each simple, triangular-roofed house was surrounded by a humble garden, fenced off with worn wooden barriers. Empty benches dotted the paths, awaiting the rare appearance of the villagers.
Their little procession quickly reached the large stone house at the village's heart. It stood apart with its solid construction and imposing size. Wild vines clung to its gray walls, giving the building a look that was both stern and strangely cozy.
Inside, they entered a spacious living room with high ceilings and massive wooden beams. Antique dark-wood furniture, soft rugs, and woven tapestries adorned the walls, creating a warm, lived-in atmosphere. A broad staircase led to the second floor, where bedrooms and Elder Ma's study were located. At the center of the room stood a large table already set for tea.
"Sit down, sit down. Now tell me, what brings you to this forsaken hole? Surely it's not just to visit an old coot like me, right, young miss?" said Elder Ma, lighting his pipe and peering at the children and their mother with sharp interest.
His gaze lingered on Gray. His pupils narrowed, and the pipe's embers flared brightly—a reaction not lost on the two women.
Katarina sighed deeply, gathering her thoughts. Sending the children off to the next room under Cassia's watchful eye, she prepared to recount recent events.
While Gray and Grace played "the floor is lava," laughter echoing around the room, Elder Ma was turning into a storm. Hopping mad on his one good leg, he stomped about the house like a wounded beast, smashing furniture left and right.
"And THEN?! What did that bastard Adam say?!" he growled softly, hurling a chair across the room so fast it slammed into the stone wall with a deafening crash.
"I'll go castrate that evolutionary mistake and make him eat his own balls! Damn him every which way! How dare that little shit treat my granddaughter like that?"
"Don't try to stop me, Katya! I'll be back in five minutes—I just need to 'feed my goose,' yes, that's it, feed my goose!"
Ignoring his outbursts, Katarina calmly continued sipping her tea and narrating her tale. She included every scrap of information she had gathered on the road, as well as her own suspicions. When she finished, she placed her teacup carefully atop the shattered remains of the table and locked eyes with Elder Ma.
"Is that everything?" the old man asked, stroking what remained of his beard in a grand display of wisdom—but secretly itching to sprint out and exact bloody revenge.
"That's everything," Katarina said. "I need you—and the villagers—to teach my children everything you taught me. Hold your horses. First, I want to ensure they grow up safe, comfortable, and well-prepared to survive."
Those last words hit the old man like a hammer. He deflated, slumping onto the battered remnants of the sofa, and finally began thinking more calmly.
"Alright, alright. You're right. Let that scumbag live a little longer in his miserable little province. I'll arrange a proper house for you and let the others know what's what. Don't you worry, just rest. You all must be exhausted after such a long journey."
He pounded his chest proudly and called for the children to come back.
"I want to live here," Katarina said. "The kids need more space, and they'll need rooms for study and play."
"Of course, you can stay here with me, little Katya. I thought you'd ask for your own cottage again like last time..."
"And who said you'd be living with us, old man?!" she snapped. "With that filthy mouth of yours, you'd have my precious children swearing like sailors by tomorrow!"
"Ahem, ahem... Of course, of course," Elder Ma coughed, wilting under her fierce glare.(Damn... maybe that little bastard will stumble in here after all... and then I'll break his... ahem.)
"What was that?"
"Nothing, nothing, little Katya. Go rest with the kids!"
When Gray and Grace returned to the living room with Cassia, they hesitated on the threshold. Was this the right room? Everything was smashed to bits—shattered china, broken chairs, destroyed tables. And in the middle of it all stood their breathtakingly beautiful mother, smiling serenely.
"Come along, darlings. Grandpa Mark has arranged a place for us to stay," Katarina said sweetly, gathering them by the hands and leading them gracefully upstairs.
"Don't forget to clean up, you old coot," she called over her shoulder.
Elder Ma, beloved elder of the Village of the Abandoned, surveyed the wreckage of his home and sighed heavily. He shot Cassia a pleading look, but the cat-eared maid simply rolled her eyes and walked away without a word.
News of Katarina's return—and the circumstances surrounding it—spread through the village like wildfire. In every home, something crashed or shattered as the villagers vented their rage at the injustice she had suffered.
Elder Ma spent the day receiving a steady barrage of slaps and scoldings from the villagers, each one blaming him for allowing harm to come to their cherished Katya.
That night, only half the villagers slept peacefully in their beds. The wails of unlucky demons and vampires echoed across Nightingale as furious villagers unleashed their wrath, commemorating the event as the Second Walpurgis Night in the annals of history.
Meanwhile, twelve churches of Light burned across the continent of Alaz under mysterious circumstances.
None of these events disturbed the cozy upstairs room where Katarina and her children had finally found peace.
Nine months of relentless travel had worn them down. Though Katarina could endure sleepless nights through sheer willpower, even she had reached her limits. The children were exhausted beyond words.
Now, at last, they lay snuggled together, fast asleep.
Katarina slept completely naked, allowing her children to cling to her warmth and softness like living, breathing pillows.
Had any uninvited viewer witnessed the scene, their nose would have surely started bleeding from the sheer beauty of it—and survival afterward would have been doubtful.
Outside the door, curled up on the cold floor, Cassia—dressed in her maid's uniform—kept silent watch, determined to guard her mistress through the night.
Beyond the village walls, the eternal darkness seethed with the howls of vengeful spirits.Farther still, vampires, werewolves, and demons prowled through the endless night.
And on the distant continent of Alaz, several churches of Light blazed brightly against the dark sky.
Thus passed the first night of the family in the Village of the Abandoned.