Chapter 97: Why...he’s back?
Ash stood at his usual spot in the bustling village market, arranging the fresh strawberries neatly in baskets. The vibrant red fruit gleamed under the morning sun, attracting the attention of passersby. He glanced around, a twinge of nostalgia hitting him as he remembered the first time he came here as a kid.
He came with his father when he was a kid once, and this village had always held a special place in his heart.
Today, Grandpa wasn’t with him. The old man’s back pain had flared up, making it impossible for him to join Ash at the market. Ash felt a pang of concern but knew Grandpa would be fine, especially with all the care he was putting in.
Ash’s mind wandered as he worked. When he first left everything behind and came to this village. He needed a place far away from Elijah, somewhere that wouldn’t remind him of the past. This village, with its strawberry fields and small markets, had felt like a safe haven.
He remembered the joy he’d felt as a child, running through the fields with his father, eating the sweet fruit straight off the vine. And so, when it was time to run, this was the place he’d chosen. Familiar, yet distant enough to start over.
As Ash packed up the baskets for the day, Kian appeared at his side. He was a hulking figure of a man, all muscle and strength, his broad shoulders a stark contrast to Ash’s lean frame. Kian had always been a quiet soul, the kind of person who let his actions speak for him. He didn’t need many words to get his point across—his fists usually did the talking.
"Everything set?" Kian’s voice was low and gruff as he lifted a crate of strawberries onto his shoulder with ease.
"Yeah, all good," Ash replied with a smile. "Let’s head home."
They began to walk. Ash was always the one doing the talking. Kian wasn’t much of a conversationalist; he preferred to listen and observe rather than engage. But that didn’t bother Ash.
In fact, it was what made their friendship work so well. Kian had been the one to step in when Ash was first targeted by local thugs, who saw him as an outsider—a stranger with no place in their close-knit community. Kian had scared them off with nothing more than his imposing presence, and since that day, they’d been inseparable.
"I still can’t believe you were able to scare those guys away just by looking at them," Ash chuckled, adjusting the basket in his arms. "They didn’t even try to argue after you showed up."