*Saviors*

It seemed like Kyle had combed all of Vale five times over, and he still hadn't found a trace of his son anywhere. The search was made even more difficult by the darkness that had now settled over the town, and it was clearly going to be an unnaturally cold night for this time of year. This only made matters worse. No one, least of all a little boy, should be out in this weather. Inwardly, he was cursing his stupidity and failure as both a parent and a human being, the memory of Isaac's hurt gaze cutting through him every second. To say he felt terrible would be putting it mildly.

He entered his house. Dora was seated at the table, crying audibly, and looked up. "Any sign of him?" she asked desperately.

"None," Kyle answered. "It's getting cold out there." He grabbed his cloak off the wall along with a length of rope and his machete. "I'm not beaten yet, though."

"Let me come with you!"

"No. Wait here, Dora, in case he finds his way back. He shouldn't come home to an empty house."

She reluctantly agreed. "All right." She embraced her husband. "Please, Kyle--you have to find him. You just have to!"

"I will." He headed back out into the night, wondering where else he could look. There was too much ground to cover by himself, but would anyone be willing to aid him? Well, what person in this village could sleep knowing a small child was lost somewhere, no matter who that child was? Anyone with a hint of a conscience would feel badly about that for sure. So he went to the Mayor's house and knocked on the door.

"Kyle?" George questioned in surprise. "What are you doing here at this hour?"

"I'm sorry to bother you. I know it's rather late, but I need your help."

George motioned him inside. "What is it then?"

"Isaac ran off earlier and I can't find him anywhere," Kyle replied. "He's been gone for a few hours now, and it's getting late. Please say you'll help me look for him."

There was a brief, awkward pause. "You want me to help you bring the village demon back when he finally ran away? You can't be serious, Kyle!"

"Of course I am! Why would I joke about something like this?"

"Be reasonable," said the Mayor from where he sat at the table. "Don't waste your time trying to find that boy. This is the perfect opportunity for Vale to be free of his taint."

"And we can all go back to living normal lives," George put in. "I know I'll rest easier knowing that demon's far away."

"He's not a demon!" Kyle exclaimed angrily, barely containing his temper. "He's a child, and he's out there all alone, possibly hurt and certainly frightened! What is wrong with you that you aren't willing to help find him?"

"Look, if it were any other child I'd be glad to help," said George. "But I'm certainly not going to put this village at risk by bringing that devil back here."

"You would be wise to follow our example, Kyle," the Mayor added.

"I can't believe you," Kyle said, glaring at them with a look of anger and complete disgust. "You would abandon a small boy, a citizen of this village, all because of some irrational, superstitious fear?"

"Superstition nothing," George huffed. "He's a devil, and we'll all be better off without him."

Kyle turned to go, since it was apparent they weren't going to assist him. "Why don't you both take a good, long look in the mirror sometime and see for yourselves who the real demons are?" he suggested. And he left, slamming the door behind him.

"It's a pity he won't allow himself to see the truth about that boy," the Mayor sighed.

"Maybe he's touched too," George thought aloud.

Garet, who'd been upstairs in his room, had heard the raised voices and wandered down to investigate. He'd heard the whole conversation, and he stared at his father and grandfather in disbelief from his spot on the bottom step.

"Why won't you go look for Isaac?" he asked.

"Garet?" George questioned. "What are you doing down here?"

"Why won't you go look for Isaac?" Garet repeated more loudly.

"It's what's best for all of Vale," the Mayor replied. "Isaac doesn't belong here with us. He isn't normal."

"But he's my friend," said Garet. "I don't understand why you won't help him."

"He is not your friend, Garet," his father proclaimed.

"If I were lost would you try to find me?" Garet demanded.

"Well of course we would," the Mayor said. "Don't be silly."

"Then why won't you find Isaac? How is he any different from me?"

"He's not important, son," said George. "He's a demon and he doesn't belong in Vale."

It was at that moment that Garet recalled the horrible pain Isaac had shown to him and came to the realization that they, his own family, were the source of that pain. Now he understood what Isaac had meant when he'd indicated that Vale was responsible for hurting him. No one in town even cared enough about him to bring him home! Garet pointed at his father in an accusing way, his expression much the same as Kyle's had been.

"It was you!" he exclaimed. "It was all of you! You're the ones who hurt Isaac! How could you, Dad? How could you be so mean to him?"

"Garet, this is not of your concern," George said, not liking his son's tone. "One day you will understand this matter."

"And then I'll be just like you?"

"Yes. You'll see that boy the same way the rest of us do."

Garet fumed. "Then I don't ever want to be like you!" He ran back up the stairs to his room, angry with everyone in his family beyond belief. How could they be so cruel to his friend? It made no sense. Well he certainly wasn't going to be like them! He wanted to help Isaac somehow, but he knew he'd never be allowed to leave the house this late. So instead, he opened his bedroom window and carefully climbed down the trellis.

"Mr. Kyle! Please wait!"

Kyle turned at the sound of the small voice, and was more than a little surprised to see its source. "Garet? What are you doing out here?"

"Please, sir. Let me help you look for Isaac. I want to help."

Kyle couldn't help but smile a little. So there were others in this village who genuinely cared about Isaac after all. "I'm glad that you want to help him, Garet, but your parents wouldn't want you out this late."

"They won't find out," Garet said proudly. "They think I'm in bed. Please, I want to help Isaac. He's my best friend."

"Well…" This went against Kyle's better judgment, but he could use whatever assistance he could get. And no one else seemed up to the task. "All right."

"Thanks!" Garet exclaimed happily. "Now wait here and I'll go get Jenna and Felix!" He ran off down the hill before Kyle could protest.

Jenna was lying awake in bed when she heard the familiar sound of rocks being thrown against her house by her window. This was Garet's usual signal to her. She got up and stuck her head out the window. "Garet?" she called down softly. "What's going on?"

"Isaac's missing," he called back up. "Come on—his dad needs help looking for him!"

She nodded, instantly concerned. "I'll get Felix and we'll be right down."

"Just don't tell your mom or dad!"

"No way!"

A few minutes later, Jenna and Felix climbed down from the window. The trio went back up the hill to join Kyle, who was still a little dumbfounded by these remarkable children.

"See?" said Garet. "I'll bet we can find Isaac easily with all of us looking for him!"

Kyle smiled down at his pint-sized search party. "This will mean a lot to him. Now let's start looking. I'm sure he's not very far."

They poured through every nook and cranny in Vale. They searched the village proper, the fields, the cave in Mt. Aleph, and even part of the mountain itself. The night wore on and still there was no sign of Isaac anywhere. As the stars began to fade from the sky, it seemed like all hope was lost. They stopped to rest for a bit in the spot where the kids had played together, all of them feeling tired and defeated.

"Where could he be?" Jenna asked. "We've looked everywhere!"

"You kids should go home," Kyle said. "It's so late that it's early. The sun will be up before much longer."

"No, we want to keep looking," said Felix. "We can't leave Isaac out there all alone."

Garet nodded in agreement. "But where else can we look?"

The four of them heard something distinctive just then. It was a plaintive, almost mournful meow. And standing nearby was a gray tabby cat with glowing yellow eyes. It stared at the group and kept emitting that same sad sound.

"Hey, isn't that Isaac's kitty?" Jenna questioned.

"We don't own a cat," Kyle replied. "It must be a stray from town."

"But that's the cat that likes him," said Felix. "It was always hanging around him and meowing at him."

"It's also the one that was with him the day we met him," Garet added.

Kyle looked at the feline and it suddenly turned back towards the woods. It twitched its tail and meowed again, as if beckoning them to follow. Jenna leapt to her feet. "Maybe it knows where Isaac is!" she exclaimed.

"I'm willing to try just about anything at this point," Kyle sighed, rising. "Let's follow it and see where it goes."

The cat expertly guided them through the trees and shrubs, pausing only to make sure they were following closely. It led them deeper and deeper into the woods, so far that all signs of the village were left behind. The canopy above was so thickly packed that the incoming light only barely shone through. They'd walked quite a distance before the cat dashed through some bushes. Garet was the first to go after it, and he felt the ground start to give. He jumped back just as a rotted board fell down a dark hole.

"Woah!" he exclaimed. "That was close!"

The others entered more cautiously. "Where'd that hole come from?" Felix asked. "And what's it doing here?"

Kyle knelt beside the gaping hole and glanced at the cat, which had seated itself in the grass and was mewing. He had a sudden sinking feeling. "I believe it's an old well." He tore the rest of the boards away and stuck his torch into the darkness. At first he could only make out the glint of the water below, but then he saw something huddled off to one side. "Isaac!" he called down, half in shock and half in horror.

Isaac was completely numb from the cold dampness and wasn't quite sure if he'd heard voices or not. When he saw the glimmering light of the torch piercing the darkness, however, he looked upwards. He could faintly make out the four familiar figures looking back down at him, and felt a swell of relief. They'd come to his rescue!

"It is Isaac!" Garet cried. "How'd he get down there?"

"He fell, stupid," said Jenna. "Do you think he'd climb down a well for fun?"

"Hang on, Isaac," Kyle called, forcing himself to stay calm. "I'll get you out of there. Are you hurt at all?"

Isaac nodded slowly and motioned to his left arm. His father noted this and started fumbling with the length of rope he'd brought from home. Felix, Jenna, and Garet couldn't stop staring down the well. None of them could believe what they were seeing.

"Can you really get him out of there?" Felix asked.

"If this rope holds," Kyle muttered. He tied a loop in one end and lowered in down the well. "Isaac, slip that loop around your waist and hang on. I'm going to pull you up."

Isaac obliged and gripped the rope as tightly as he could with his good right hand. His hand didn't want to do it though—the cold had drained nearly every drop of energy he'd had. He felt the rope tighten and then he was gradually moving upwards. The ring of sky grew closer and closer. The ride was a little jerky, but he instinctively used his feet to keep himself from bumping against the side of the well too much. It was lucky he wasn't much bigger or else the rope may not have held his weight.

The next thing he knew, he was outside and wrapped in his father's cloak, shivering but safe. He couldn't even stand, as he was so weak from the cold, and his left arm throbbed painfully. With barely a word, Kyle lifted him up and started heading back for Vale, unsure if he was holding his son or a trembling ice cube.

"Will he be OK?" Jenna questioned.

"Let's go home," Kyle replied, deliberately dodging the question. "Thank you for all of your help, kids. I'm very grateful."

Isaac was too, more so than any of them could imagine. He mentally thanked all of them for coming to his rescue, but then even that thought escaped him. Everything seemed coated in a haze, distant and fuzzy. The only things that cut through the haze were the cold and the pain in his arm. The rest was so blurry…

Kyle went as fast as he could without leaving the other kids behind. When they got back into the village, he parted ways with his exhausted search party, thanking them again, and made a dead run for home. Dora had left candles burning inside, illuminating the windows with a warm glow. She'd been up all night too of course, waiting and worrying. The door flew open and she was there the instant she saw the bundle in her husband's arms.

"Isaac!" she exclaimed frantically. "Oh thank goodness!"

"He's hypothermic," Kyle said hurriedly. He headed for their bedroom, his wife following. "And his arm's broken. Probably landed on it when he fell."

"Fell?" Dora asked. "Where on earth did you find him?"

"At the bottom of an old well in the woods. He must've been down there all night." He set Isaac on their big bed.

She gasped. "By Cybele's ghost…" She sat on the bed and concentrated on getting Isaac out of his wet clothes. His skin was devoid of any color except for a slight tinge of blue, and his eyes were faded and glassy. Kyle left to go search for more blankets. Isaac reflexively drew his knees up to his chest. His mother pulled the covers off the bed and wrapped them around him, except for the left arm that he was noticeably favoring. She inspected it gently.

"Isaac, honey—this is going to hurt but then it'll feel better, OK?" He didn't react until she gave his arm a sharp pull, at which point tears of pain started streaming out of his eyes. For once, Dora was glad he was mute since it meant he couldn't scream. "It's all right, it's all right," she soothed. Her hands glowed with a warm golden light, healing his arm and quelling most of the pain.

Isaac wasn't aware of much else after that, only that he was so cold and weak that it was getting hard to breathe. He wanted to sleep but the chills wouldn't let him. His father returned to the room and his mother wrapped him in more blankets and gathered him into her arms.

"I think he'll be all right once we get him warmed up," Dora said softly.

"This is all my fault," said Kyle as he sat on the bed next to her. "If I hadn't said those things, he never would've taken off and fallen down that well. And then he would be OK…"

"Don't blame yourself for this, Kyle. It won't do any good."

"But I…"

"Don't," she repeated with a quiet firmness. "You're a good man and a good father to him—it's just that sometimes bad things happen. Isaac loves you, and I'm sure he knows you didn't mean what you said." She shifted her position a little. "Come here. Your body heat will help."

Kyle nodded and embraced his wife, keeping their son between the two of them. It was then that Isaac finally felt warmth begin to seep back into his body, which staved off the chills enough to allow sleep to envelop him.

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Poor little Isaac…

As always, the next chapter is on the way. And yes, I know that in the game Kyle and Dora had separate beds, but I don't think any of us are that naïve, are we?