Reincarnated as the favorite of an obsessive goddess: gave me a system-Chapter 22: Heart of wood.

Athelgard’s southern gate grew smaller behind them until it became a distant speck against the morning sky. The road stretched out like a green ribbon between rolling meadows. Seven horses walked in a quiet line, including four sturdy males, two mares, and the young grey one that nudged Kai’s shoulder every few steps as if reminding him she had already chosen him.

Thorne rode at the front on one of the larger males with his axe resting across his lap. Kai walked beside the grey mare, one hand on the reins and the other absentmindedly turning a small block of seasoned oak he had bought at the market for three copper coins.

"You’re quiet, boss," Thorne said after an hour of comfortable silence. "Thinking about the village... or about someone waiting for you there?"

Kai smiled slightly. "Both things. But mostly the second."

Thorne’s ears flicked with amusement. "I figured. You’ve been staring at that piece of wood like it owes you money. Do you plan on making something?"

"Yes." Kai held up the piece, turning it under the sun. "Something small. For Lyla. She is special, so I want to carve her something special, something that reminds her of me."

Thorne nodded, slow and respectful. "You’re doing the right thing, boss. A gift made with your own hands is worth more than all the gold in the world. My old pack taught me that. They once made me a small axe carved from wood, and I’ve carried it with me ever since."

Thorne showed him the small, handmade detail.

"Wow, it’s really beautiful."

"It is, which is why I’m telling you that what you’re planning is a good choice, boss. I’m sure you’ll do an amazing job."

Kai let out a short laugh, pulled out one of his daggers, and began to work. The blade moved in careful, precise strokes. He wasn’t an artist, not yet, but his hands were trying. Small curls of wood fell by the side of the road as the shape slowly emerged, a simple heart, no bigger than a child’s palm, with a small swirl inside along with two initials, L and K.

Every few minutes they stopped so the horses could rest and drink from the streams.

Each time, Kai would sit on a fallen log and take the opportunity to concentrate better, continuing his carving while thinking of Lyla’s laughter, of how her forehead rested against his in the mornings, and the silent pride in her eyes when he solved a problem for the village.

The heart became smoother and the edges more rounded until it took on a fine shape.

On the second day, the forest thickened around them. The grey mare, who still didn’t have a name, walked closer and closer to Kai, her muzzle brushing his arm every time he stopped to carve. Once, being distracted, Kai stumbled and dropped his carving dagger. She picked it up carefully with her lips and offered it back to him as if she were helping.

Kai laughed softly and stroked her neck. "You’re special, girl," he murmured.

The mare neighed with her ears forward and her eyes calm and bright. Something warm settled in Kai’s chest. He already felt the beginning of a bond, the kind that didn’t need words yet. He decided that starting the next day, he would work with her every morning. Perhaps he would teach her to respond to his voice just as he was learning to respond to the world again.

On the afternoon of the third day, the trees finally opened up. Smoke rose from the village chimneys. The laughter of children floated on the breeze, mixed with the sound of hammers. Thorne raised his axe high in greeting.

"We’re home!"

The village erupted in happiness. Mira was the first to run down the path with her bow on her back and her tail wagging with excitement. Roshia followed her along with Elara. Allice appeared from the training grounds, her daggers still in hand. And finally, Lyla. She ran directly toward them with that smile that always made Kai’s heart skip a beat.

"You’re back!" she exclaimed, her voice bright like morning bells. "And you’ve brought an army of horses!"

Kai passed the grey mare’s reins to Thorne and stepped forward. Lyla threw her arms around his neck without hesitation. He caught her, lifting her just enough so her feet left the ground for a second, breathing in the scent of wildflowers and fresh bread that usually accompanied her.

"We missed you," she whispered against his ear. "The village felt too quiet without its chief."

"I missed you all too," he replied, sincere and soft. "More than I expected, especially you."

A playful but soft smile appeared on Lyla’s face. The others crowded around, admiring the horses, patting Thorne on the back, and asking questions about how it went and how they got the horses and mares. Kai let the noise wash over him for a minute, then gently took Lyla’s hand.

"Will you come with me? I want to show you something before we put them in the stable."

She tilted her head, curious and playful. "A secret already? You’ve only been back for two minutes."

He led her to the edge of the village, a quiet place away from the hamlet’s excitement. The sun was setting, painting everything in gold and pink. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the small wooden heart, now polished with the edge of his sleeve until it shone.

"I carved it on the way back," he said in a low voice, placing it in her palm. "It’s not much. Just oak and time. But every cut reminded me of you. The way your hair catches the light. The way you make the wind feel soft even when the world is hard. I wanted you to have something that says I see you, Lyla. That I’m starting to remember what it feels like to be by your side."

Lyla looked at the small heart. Her fingers traced the inner swirl along with the initials and her eyes filled with sudden tears that didn’t fall.

"Kai..." Her voice broke slightly. She closed her hand around the gift and pressed it against her chest, right over her heart. "No one has ever made anything like this for me."

She stepped closer, forehead to forehead exactly as she liked to do. The wooden heart remained between them, warm from both their hands.

"I adore it," she whispered. "More than any temple or anything else I’ve ever had. Because it’s yours. From the man who is becoming a hero again, from the man who is trying to remember."

Kai’s arms went around her. The embrace was slow and unhurried, the kind that said they had time now. No god was hunting them that night, no urgent mission. Just the two of them and the soft evening wind. Kai buried his face in her neck. Lyla felt his soft breath against her skin.

"I’m glad," he murmured against her neck. "I want to keep making things for you. Small things. Big things. Whatever it takes to show you that I’m here. Forever."

Lyla raised her face. Their noses brushed. The wooden heart was still between them.

"You already do. Every day that you wake up and choose this village, you choose us. That is the greatest gift of all. But this?" She lifted the heart to her lips and kissed the wood softly. "I’m never letting this go."

They stayed like that until the stars came out, talking quietly about everything and nothing, about the new irrigation channels, Elara’s latest flower crown, and how the grey mare had already decided that Kai was hers. Lyla’s fingers never left the wooden heart.

When they finally returned, the village had settled around a large, brightly glowing bonfire. Everyone was talking happily and children were chasing fireflies. Thorne, on the other hand, was telling the story of the fight with dramatic gestures while Mira laughed at the certain exaggeration of the tale.

Kai smiled to himself and walked slowly toward the stable where they had left the horses. There he saw the grey mare. She was by the fence, and her ears heard him approaching.

"Hey, girl," he said softly.

She approached, her muzzle seeking his hand. He stroked her forehead, then her neck, slow and firm.

"You carried me all the way home without complaining. You even helped me get my dagger back when I dropped it while carving. I think... I think you and I are going to be good friends."

The mare huffed, her breath warm against his palm. Kai smiled and rested his forehead against hers, just as Lyla did with him.

"I don’t have a name for you yet. But tomorrow we will ride together. Just you and I. We’ll find one that fits."

She neighed softly as if in agreement. The bond felt simple and true. Kai stayed for a few more minutes, stroking her with his fingers and promising quiet mornings and long rides through the forest they were both still learning to trust.

Then he went down and headed toward the central building where Lyla was waiting for him. The small wooden heart was already hanging from a thin cord around her neck, resting right over her real one. That night the village slept in peace. But in the silence between heartbeats, Kai felt the pieces of his old and new life fitting together a little more strongly. A carved heart, a loyal mare, a brother by his side, and the woman who had sacrificed her divinity to bring him home.