Unwelcome praise

The rest of day I walk with a pit in my stomach that I cannot shift, Quinara tries to make conversation and brighten my mood but it's little help. The day passes in a blur, my focus on just grappling with what happened and before long we're setting up camp, well by we I mean Quinara she had instructed me to take it easy while she set us up.

"Come on runt you have to eat something" Quinara says her voice full of concern as I prod at my barely touched food, I had really tried but I just didn't have an appetite right now. I look at her, I could see how worried she was about me, "I'm sorry but I just can't" I say placing my bowl down on the grass, Quinara gives me a look "ok.... You're gonna be fine runt" she says soothingly grabbing my bowl, I hoped she was right. "You want to talk runt?" Quinara asks, I shake my head and she gives me a nod of confirmation, "well I'm here for you, if you need anything I'm here". I decide to take an early rest, just wanting for the day to be over and to hopefully move on from this. It isn't long before sleep takes me and I fall into a dreamless slumber.

"You did well today Huck" I hear a familiar soft-spoken voice rouse me from my slumber, I bolt upright "you?" I say to the "concerned stranger" my eyes adjust to the dim light and I finally see this stranger, he is sat opposite my bedroll on the grass. Dressed in well worn traveling gear with a heavy hood pulled up the dim light from the moon and the hood completely obscuring his face. What struck me the most about him was how plain he looked, for someone I could literally be hallucinating right now he was unassuming, the kind of guy you would pass in a city and never think of again. "Are you real?" I ask wanting to know if this man was entirely a figment of my imagination, the man chuckles "yeah I would like to think so"
"Prove it" I snap back
"excuse me?" he asks puzzled
"Prove you're real" I say needing to know I wasn't crazy. The stranger reaches down and picks up a tiny stone and flicks it at me, it pings off my chest providing a light sting, "that proof enough?" He asks, I rub my chest where the stone at struck "yeah I guess so".

Now with that cleared up I ask the next burning question "why are you here?" The stranger tilts his hood covered head, "wanted to congratulate you for your actions today, it was a necessary step in the right direction" he spoke with a chilling certainty, as if he knew the very future itself. "Why do you care?" I ask wondering what his fascination was with me, why was he here? "You're somewhat of a pet project of mine, I saw a lot of potential in you Huck, so I helped you and I'm just seeing if I was right to do so" he elaborates, "help me? all you did was give me some advice about my nightmares" I say defiantly insulted by him feeling entitled to stalk me for that. The stranger waggles his finger, "no my help was more substantial than that", I look at him confused so he follows up "think about it Huck you know what I'm talking about". I sit for a second when had this man helped me? He only gave me advice about my nightmares.... My nightmares that I'm having because I was, according to him, brought back from the dead....

Seeing the realisation dawn on my face the stranger speaks up, "now you're getting it". I shake my head "no, bullshit. That's fucking bullshit, you're lying you can't bring people back from the dead, no one can" I argue back, rejecting the ludicrous notion that anyone is capable of other than the gods themselves. "You need to leave" I demand, I wanted nothing more to do with this stranger, "I'll respect your wishes" he says rising to his feet "you look cold" and with that I watch as the stranger unfurls his gloved fingers and a flame emerges, the stranger then tosses the flame onto our campfire reigniting the smoldering wood. My eyes widen as I witness an impossible feat performed effortlessly, "h-how?" I ask turning back to the stranger only to find empty space, it seemed he had done as I asked and left. How could he do that, he lit a fire in his hand by just opening it, it broke every rule of nature yet it happened. I am left confused and speechless, with little else to do but go back to sleep, unless I fancied running off in the night trying to catch this stranger.