After months, Ghalwin did not return, but this hope sparked Dmitri and Anna to action. They dug up Ilya's decomposed body and brought it to the Abbey. Though The Abbot initially denied trying to raise the boy, as he needed an intact body, Dmitri's pleas moved him, and he promised to raise him. Working through the night, The Abbot succeeded in his task, and Ilya stumbled down the mountain switchback to Krezk the next morning. The toll that the raising had taken on Ilya did not become apparent for a few days after, as the boy was initially exhausted and refused to eat, but he eventually developed a ravenous appetite.
Wine shipments to Krezk grew infrequent, so at Costel Barbu's request, Dmitri allowed the sheperd to travel to the Wizrd of Wines to inquire. He assigned Eugenija Fidatovna to check in on Oleg Barbu at the Barbu Farmhouse, as the simpleton had to take on sole shepherding duties. She reported that some sheep had gone missing, which was a worrying indicator with winter fast approaching, but Ilya's life kept Dmitri in good spirits. He was not aware that Anna had secretly been stealing Oleg's sheep to feed Ilya, who had developed a nearly insatiable hunger.
Ghalwin returned with a group that would later be called the Heralds of Dawn. He arrived with more wine, as well as the body of Costel Barbu they had found in the woods. Dmitri had the man buried and gave the adventurers access to his home; he considered Ghalwin to be a hero after giving him the courage to approach the Abbey. However, the group quickly uncovered the mystery of the sheep, and things spiraled out of control. All two dozen remaining sheep had gone missing, devastating Krezk's food stocks and ensuring that the village would not have enough food to survive the winter. Anna tried to incite a mob to protect Ilya, commanding them to go after Oleg; Ajuni Elajoral tried to magically command Dmitri to stop the crowd, but he resisted her, shocked at what was happening.
Eventually, Ilya was revealed to be a monster, and the boy was found eating Krezkites and maimed Eugenija. Wracked with pain and hunger, he attacked the adventurers and crowd, and was killed by Mormeros Fayan. The tiefling made Anna tell the truth of her crimes, and the angered mob beat her to death. Robbed of both his last son and the love of his life, Dmitri was overwhelmed by grief and the bleakness of a hopeless future. Later that evening, he hanged himself in his cottage.
