Roland followed them until they reached a small settlement. There, a group of more than fifty people had gathered. Some looked glad, others confused—but the one most unsettled by it all was Roland himself.
He had been brought to this place without knowing a thing, and yet everyone looked at him as if he were something more.
Still, he didn't shrink back. He followed the two who had guided him until they brought him to a tent and stepped inside.
Three others stood within. One of them took the girl—Stella—away, while the remaining two turned their full attention to the boy, examining him closely at times even touching his face.
"You are the hero. Yes, I can see it clearly," came the voice of an older woman. Like many here, she was cloaked, but she removed her hood to inspect him more closely. Her features, once beautiful, now bore the signs of age and hardship.
"The spirits have blessed you. Now, you must train. Do that, and you will become as powerful as I have prophesied."
