Romeo stood for a little while in the tents entrance, watching the peculiar picture in front of him.
Now two beds filled the large room. Both on the left. First the bed on which Romeo had put the sleeping girl, whom he would rather not look at too long. It still triggered strange feelings in him that were beyond his control. The white-haired didn't like to take risks.
Then, foot end to head end, followed the one used by the boy whose name he still didn't know. Romeo regretted a little that he hadn't asked during the bath, but to his surprise he had enjoyed it so much, that he had plainly forgotten to ask. Of course, it was strange that he could laugh with that little boy despite his trial going on and all, but whatever took place was now a part of the past. Romeo decided to stealthily focus on the present. Ignoring the strange influence, the child seemed to have on him.
The little boy was sitting on the thin mattress of the bed and behind him Korey happily hummed a strange tune. Her fingers slid through the thick strands and a brush in her other hand combed through them. She seemed to have fun while trying to entangle the unruly waves of hair.
Thanks to Romeo, the child was now clean and fresh, even wearing pants and an undershirt that covered his slightly tanned skin. On the other hand, a bandage was hidden under the fabric of the pants, replacing the macro tree leaf. The little boy had very much resisted taking it off and only kept on saying "No wound." In the end, the word "ugly" had escaped his trembling lips and Cheng immediately backed off. Instead of wanting to treat him, he advised the child to tie a bandage around it. The child approved, but first sent everyone out of the tent. That, in turn, occurred shortly before Zosan had asked for Romeo to come and discuss what had happened. So Romeo missed the chance to snatch a secret gaze at the mysterious old injury. It was probably a simple scar that the boy found ugly. Still… Romeo would like to be someone the little one could rely on.
Just like a big brother. The white-haired missed that feeling very much.
Before he showed up at the Beavers doorstep, he had a family. A brother he always had to take care of. Unfortunately, they were not allowed to go their way together and so he had to part with Belial. The 10 years they had spent together since birth were Romeo's entire life. The fact that they had to pass this test alone weighed heavily on him, but it was their duty imposed by fate. Romeo would like to fill the emptiness in his heart – which had festered like an old bloody wound –, so that his mental state would not suffer too much from all the coldness that he radiated constantly.
"Oh, Romeo!"
Korey seemed to have noticed him, raised her hand holding the brush in greeting, and smiled broadly at the newcomer. Then she went back to the strands, her face showing a little worry.
"What did Zosan say?" She asked carefully.
"You know about it?" Romeo replied, his eyes lingering on the one being brushed carefully. The quite boy had looked up briefly and tried to form a smile, but the muscles of his entire body were still too strained. It elicited an internally laugh from Romeo because one corner of the little guys mouth twitched up while the other slumped down.
'Is that even possible?'
Romeo mentally asked himself this question, then – with a short shake of his head – he made it clear to the little one that he didn't have to exert himself.
"Sure, I saw Horan calling you and since I… well, since I called you to come help, I thought it was going to be about this you know…? If… So, if you have to do something strenuous or hard to complete, I'll definitely help you."
Romeo would actually like to smile at the girl. She was very sincere and one of the persons he didn't want to see die. He could easily picture her as a little sister. Even if Korey was older than him. It was unfortunate that so far, they had only greeted each other politely. Today was the first time they really talked.
"Nothing bad."
"Hmm?"
"Zosan has given me nothing worse as punishment."
Romeo sat on the fur rug in front of the bed and continued to watch the two of them. Meanwhile, Korey was weaving the wavy hair on the right and left side. She skilfully queued up and brought both strands together at the back of the boy's head. The vermilion ribbon, which previously held the leaf on the child's leg, was now used as a hair band. Romeo's eyes glittered and he tried to memorize Korey's movements so that he could take over if necessary. Since he was now responsible for the new additional member, he should quickly acquire everything necessary.
"What do you have to do?"
Romeo's corner of the mouth twitched briefly, but he calmed down before speaking.
"I have to take care of him."
Interestingly, the girl responded with a relieved laugh and a "wonderful", while the boy's face immediately lost colour. Romeo could feel a sting and he wondered if he really looked so unreliable. Hadn't he bathed the little one? Hadn't he been particularly careful? He had even laughed, something he couldn't do in front of others because of the vow. Unintentionally, his pupils narrowed, causing the ice blue of the iris to emerge even more. His hands clenched into fists, but remained rather loose as Romeo again controlled himself at the last second. Instead, he asked a question to which he expected no answer.
"Am I that scary?"
The question sounded so dry in his ears that he winced. No wonder the little one didn't want anything to do with him. He should really pull himself together.
"I don't think that's it."
He got an answer, but not from the child. Instead Korey spoke up. She had turned to Romeo by now. He had to blink twice, surprised by her direct nature. Normally she didn't behave that way.
"Did you take a look at his...?"
She shook her head.
"No, I don't read minds if I don't have permission. I just think Blitz is more worried about his sister. His sister is very important to him and since you only mentioned him…"
"Aaah."
Romeo slowly understood.
"Blitz."
He finally had a name for his new brother and he adjusted his pitch. His voice now was a little gentler than before.
"I'll take care of both of you. We won't let you and your sister down. You will accompany us and I will try to be a good big brother."
The colour already returned and the bright eyes of the little one shone. Romeo understood the gratefulness without needing to hear any words.
* * *
The next few days passed by without any disturbances. While he, Cheng and Korey were busy taking care of Blitz, Jasper had to run to the lake again and again and deal with the meat. A blood wolfs every fibre was profitable, which is why the work was particularly exhausting.
Other groups in the camp processed the fur and inspected the area around their camp to find a suitable route to follow later. It was also important to document changes in vegetation and animals in the forest. Especially, the changes in the ghost's territory. With these beings, change didn't occur often, but when it happened, it was all the more important to have the information. After all, they were here to protect the residents of the Yang Empire from impending danger.
Meanwhile Blitz was making brilliant progress every waking hour. The boy regained strength through the magical energy that began to pulsate slowly in his golden core and was able to move his body just two days after the golden core had formed. It was much easier for him to speak too, and Romeo quickly noticed that Blitz was actually a happy-go-lucky person. Even when he was worried about his sleeping sister, he smiled. A little harder, but still full of hope. Romeo felt a tiny bit guilty because it was mostly his fault that Brie – the boy had told him her name – was still asleep.
The uneasy feeling of not being prepared for her had been a constant companion to Romeo since he first glanced at the girl. He still couldn't face her, especially her awake self. The fog that rose in his head as soon as he looked into her face was too uncomfortable and uncontrollable. He needed more time. That was why he had spilled bronba sleeping powder over her face. The medicine was harmless and only ensured that the person fell into a deep sleep as long as they did not come into contact with water. Romeo took his chance after Korey and Thea had bathed and dressed the girl.
The good thing about this kind of sleeping powder was the increase in energy flow in the body of the sleeper. Many magicians used the herbal remedy to expand the capacities of their golden core. This allowed them to reach a higher level of their magic usage faster without endangering themselves. The external supply of nutrients through eating and drinking was also not necessary. Bronba fern had the capabilities of regulating bodily functions of its taker for a maximum of 7 days, so that the affected magician could solely concentrate on the expanding of his golden core. Basically, the white-haired boy did something good for the little one's big sister, but still preferred to remain silent.
After 4 days, Blitz agreed to a further examination and – despite the previous occurrences – let Thea touch himself. When it turned out that he really was human, Thea finally apologized. Jasper too, but his hand was instantly refused. The fear and distrust were clearly visible in Blitz's eyes who had been hiding behind Cheng's legs.
The same day Blitz explored the camp with Romeo. In addition, the older boy explained some things and introduced Blitz to the others. Because of the openness of the child, he was quickly well received and especially Horan made the children's eyes shine.
Horan was one of the few magicians and dracologists in the entire Beaver guild. Firstly, he didn't use magic to reinforce his body or weapons. He used it directly and was also able to communicate with other species through it. As long as the other person had magic, Horan didn't need words. Korey was also able to use her magic to communicate, but she was still far from Horan's level. His second peculiarity was why Blitz seemed to admire him so much. The word dracologist was a title and profession that you only had when you signed a contract with a dragon. Since dragons were loners by nature and, in addition, very arrogant creatures, it was almost impossible to become the contract partner of such a Yinnian. But Horan seemed to have made it, even though he never called the dragon. At least Romeo had never seen it before.
Then on the 5th day of rest Brie woke up unexpectedly. Romeo couldn't believe it at first, because actually nobody was able to free themselves from the clutches of sleeping powder alone. The roots of the bronba fern it consisted of prevented the awakening from the high concentration of magic. Nevertheless, the black-haired girl was sitting on the bed with her little brother, crying and tightly hugging him. Romeo took a quick look at the siblings and then quietly retreated.
On the same day, she confirmed the story that Blitz had told and was then also instructed in everything. Brie understood quickly, was always attached to Blitz and gave Romeo hostile looks. Nothing ever changed about that.
Even now that he was so tall that he could look down at the two, Brie was stuck to Blitz like a slime.
Her golden eyes turned to Romeo and a teasing shine appeared in them. She challenged him and Romeo was happy to respond.