Silas walked slowly through the house. He still wasn't sure if the house was actually empty, so he wanted to make sure he didn't make any noise and could hear if someone was inside.
The house wasn't unfamiliar to him. Silas was somewhat of a friend to the village chief's son—or at least the former Silas was—so he had been there a few times before.
He knew exactly where the boy's room was. It was on the second floor, the third door on the right.
That was the only house in the entire village with two floors and several rooms. The village chief had built a great fortune as a merchant, and the result of his work was that house.
Silas's steps made the wooden stairs creak. Nothing that worried him, because by then, he was sure there was no one in the house.
He entered the third door on the right. The boy's room looked the same as always. It was messy. It was as if he had to leave in a hurry that morning and didn't have time to do anything.
Silas started to search. The first places he looked were the drawers of the wardrobe and the small desk the boy had in the room.
If he had anything that could give Silas information about his own murder, well, it wouldn't be lying around in plain sight. The boy would've hidden it somewhere people didn't check often.
It had to be a good hiding place if he wanted to keep it secret from his father too. Silas believed the village chief had nothing to do with his murder.
When they met, the chief seemed "normal" and not surprised to see him alive. Either he was faking very well, or he truly had nothing to do with it.
Silas looked through the drawers and found a few letters. One was an acceptance letter for Vince—the village chief's son.
The letter said he had been accepted into a magic school in one of the larger cities in the region. It was the same city where Silas had taken his exam to become a scribe, and also the city where he planned to open his shop.
"Since when does that kid know how to use magic? He never said anything," Silas thought.
Some people discovered their magical talent early, others later, but it was usually discovered well before Vince's current age.
Vince had known he could use magic for a few years but had never told anyone. His father had even hired a mage to teach him a few things. Private lessons, so to speak.
Silas didn't know any of that. Vince had never shared those things with him, even though the two were somewhat close.
Although that letter was interesting—and now Silas knew Vince would be leaving the village in a few days to attend that magic school—it wasn't what he was really looking for.
At least, he hadn't found it. While opening the last drawers, he heard a noise coming from downstairs.
It was quick. It sounded like someone running through the house and quickly coming up the stairs.
Silas didn't have many options in that situation. If he left the room, he would be seen in the hallway by whoever was coming upstairs.
The best idea he could come up with was to find a hiding place inside the room. He went to the wardrobe where Vince kept his clothes, opened it, and hid inside.
The person who had entered the house was Vince. He went straight to his room.
As soon as he entered, he closed the door again and then said out loud, "I know you're there. I installed a magical alarm in my room."
Silas could only think one thing: "Just great..."
He hadn't been expecting that. Silas stepped out from his hiding place and confronted Vince.
"What are you doing here?" Vince asked.
"I should be the one asking that. Did you know someone broke into my house last night?"
Vince had acted strangely the moment he saw Silas, which is what made Silas suspect that the boy knew something. And in fact, he did.
"I'm sorry," Vince said. "I saw a weird shadow heading toward your house last night, and I thought about going there to warn you, but... I didn't."
"When I passed by later, man, I saw you lying on the floor. You looked dead. That's why I was so shocked when I saw you today."
Vince sat on his bed, placing both hands on his head. "Sorry... I've been feeling really guilty about it."
Silas was surprised by the boy's reaction and his words. From the memories of the old Silas, he knew Vince seemed like a decent guy—but you could never trust someone completely without knowing the full story.
"It's fine. I didn't die," Silas said. "But do you have any idea who went to my house?"
"No idea. I couldn't see clearly."
Silas was happy that at least now he knew Vince was someone trustworthy. The kid's reactions had been too real, too raw. No way someone like him could fake all that. He was genuine.
Vince, on the other hand, was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that Silas was alive. It just didn't make sense. He had seen the lifeless body. And yet, here Silas was, talking, moving, alive.
Silas had to come up with something.
"I had a magic potion that Meredith gave me," Silas said, calmly. "It saved my life."
"Of course you did. She always liked you," Vince replied, relief washing over his face. Then, as if suddenly remembering something important, he straightened up. "Hey, there's something I need to tell you."
"You're leaving soon, right? To that magic school? I saw the letter."
For a brief moment, Vince looked annoyed—violated, even—but it passed quickly. Given everything going on, he didn't hold it against Silas.
"Yeah," Vince said, "but… we could go there together. Maybe you could try for another job in the city? I could help. I've got some savings. I can lend you money if you need it."
He had no idea Silas was already rich. No one did. Silas liked it that way. But traveling together sounded safer. Better to have someone by his side if something like that night ever happened again.
"That sounds like a good idea," Silas said with a nod. "Maybe we can get Meredith to come with us too?"
"Yeah," Vince smiled. "That would be nice."