The next morning, Naeem was stirred awake by a gentle knock on the door.
He opened it to find the old servant from the day before standing patiently. "Sir, the village master has summoned you. Would you please come with me?"
Naeem nodded. "Give me two minutes."
He quickly washed his face, brushed his teeth, and splashed some cold water to shake off the sleep. Then, adjusting his shirt and battle-axe, he stepped outside and followed the servant to the main hall.
Inside, the village leader sat waiting. Today, he seemed more formal, more focused. As Naeem entered, the leader stood and introduced himself properly.
"I'm Samik, leader of this settlement. You've asked to stay here, but I need to know: what is your purpose? What can you offer us?"
Naeem stepped forward and lifted his battle-axe, the dark weapon pulsing faintly with shadow energy. "I've been a traveler for a long time, but I'm ready to stop running. I can teach your children how to understand and control their energy properties—especially those who might share my shadow affinity."
Then Naeem glanced toward the corner of the room and said calmly, "Also… sir, would you mind calling out the man who had his crossbow aimed at me when I arrived yesterday?"
Samik blinked, then let out a low chuckle, the kind only old, clever men make. "You noticed that?"
He clapped twice. "Shahid, come here."
From the corner stepped a tall man in simple leather armor. His eyes widened slightly at the sight of Naeem's battle-axe.
"You… have shadow powers too?" Shahid asked, astonished. "But how is your weapon physical?
"That's my own trick," Naeem replied coolly. "It's not just energy. It's bonded. Alive, almost. And it's taken me nights to create."
Samik turned to Shahid, who leaned in to whisper something. The leader nodded slowly.
"We could use someone like you. If you're serious about teaching, you'll be more than welcome."
With a decisive tone, he added, "You'll be given a home in the center of the village. Consider it your new start."
The house was simple but warm. A small bedroom, a small kitchen, a bathroom, and a quiet little courtyard with a fountain on the side—the village's main water source.
Naeem and Anisha stepped inside and looked around.
"It's not much," Naeem said, "but it's ours now."
A little later, the servant returned with a bundle of clothes—some for Anisha, some for Naeem. Simple, but clean and new.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, they sat together, eating dinner quietly.
Anisha looked up at him with a soft smile. "Now we can finally rest. No more walking miles every day. No more running."
She hugged her bowl and leaned back against the wall. "This house… it feels like home."
Naeem gave a slow nod, watching her with something close to relief in his eyes. "Yeah," he whispered. "It really does."
Later, they both went to bed—Anisha curling up peacefully, and Naeem lying awake for a while, listening to the quiet hum of the village around him.
For the first time in a long time, there were no screams in the distance. No smoke. No blood.
Only silence.
And peace.