Heron finally woke up in the smell of something delicious.
When his eyes opened, he saw the familiar ceiling.
"What?"
"You're finally awake!" Lyssa's voice was like a song in Heron's ears.
"I'm... I'm back?"
Slowly, he sat up. Lyssa sat beside him, giving him a warm hug. Tears come out of Heron's eyes as he hugs back.
"Seriously, don't push yourself, dear." Lyssa whispered.
Heron nodded.
Lyssa then smiled at him and joyfully said.
"And thanks to you, we have a meal for a whole week now!"
"Mommy, can we really eat a crocodile?"
Ellie asked from behind the door of her room.
"Of course, Ellie. Now, come down. We'll eat." Lyssa invited but her daughter just stayed still. As if afraid to get out of the room.
Lyssa then dropped her hands and looked at Heron.
Heron sadly sighed and stood up.
"Come here, my little baby!" Heron rushed up the floor, taking Ellie by surprise.
"Ah-!" the little girl shrieked.
"I'm going to tell you amazing news!"
"Amazing news?" Lyssa asked.
Gently dropping Ellie on one of the chairs beside the table, Heron then took Lyssa too.
"What!? You shouldn't move too much!"
"It's fine! It's fine!" Heron laughed before putting Lyssa on another chair.
'She's a lot lighter now.' he slightly frowned but soon brought back his happy face as he sat in the middle beside Ellie. With one seat empty, the Enova Family gathered on one table.
"So what's the amazing news? The fact that you killed that large crocodile and drag it here by yourself?" Lyssa cut to the chase.
"No, in fact, the one who did that was not me. How can I do that?"
Ellie then took a look at the skin of the crocodile hanging in the kitchen while its meat was tied and preserved underneath.
"You don't mean?" Lyssa's eyes shone.
"Yes! I don't know if I can be sure but..." Heron then told the whole story of what happened yesterday.
Only at the part where the reptile showed up that the story became tense.
"But when I looked back. Something pierced it from below. After that, it died and I fell unconscious. So who could've done that and brought me back here?"
"Elihi!" Ellie stood up on the chair and slammed the table.
"No way!" Lyssa let out tears of joy.
"I didn't know that boy could act on his own like that. But now, we don't need to worry. If that crocodile can be killed without him even showing up, there is no way he would be in danger!" Heron happily announced.
While the three celebrated in joy, a pigeon flew off from the window sill.
Behind the mountain that blocked Heron's path yesterday, a young boy sat at a cliff. In front of him was a fire pit.
With an eyepatch on his left eye, he had his left arm and right ear missing.
Taking a bite of a snake on a stick.
"It's good that they're not sad all the time." he whispered.
When the sun rose and the heat rose, the young boy entered an artificial cave. After he entered, a flat circular stone rolled on its own and fit itself on the entrance like a puzzle.
Back to the house, a ride stopped by in front of the house.
A young adult in scholarly robes dropped from the horse, leashed it on the fence, and knocked on the door.
Tak*
With the first knock, he noticed that the lock is broken.
"What-"
"Elihim!?" Lyssa opened the door to see Merim, the Imagi who comes there every week to look after Elihim's condition.
"Oh..." the disappointment in Lyssa's eyes couldn't be hidden that it somehow hurt Merim's feelings.
"Sir Merim..." Lyssa felt awkward. So much had happened that she didn't know how to explain that Elihim isn't home right now.
'Is this woman always like this? I remember correctly that she's quiet and a bit cold...' Merim frowned.
"What is it?"
"Who is there, dear?" Heron's voice sounded before showing up behind Lyssa, hugging her waist.
"Oh, Sir Merim."
'Are they always this close? I believe they are always distant to each other and the husband always comes home at night.' Merim's frowned deepened, 'Also, this husband can't look at me in the eyes before, and now, he's doing it so casually.'
He had been visiting there for almost a couple of years. With just a gap of one week, many things have changed vastly.
'But it's not like I care. I'm just here to check up on the kid for formality again.'
Lyssa then whispered to Heron.
"What do we say to him?"
"Invite him in first, we can't just tell him to leave right after he came all the way here. He's an elite Imagi now. We should be respectful."
Lyssa nodded and opened the door wide.
"Welcome, Sir Merim, come in."
Merim strutted in as he asked.
"I want to keep this fast as usual. Where is your son?"
"Ah... about that..." Lyssa muttered.
"Please, sit first."
Heron immediately saved and offered a seat on the table.
"We have something to explain, Sir Merim."
Merim didn't decline and comfortably sat before nodding, curious why they are acting this way.
"Explain, my time is precious."
"Well, the thing is..." when both Lyssa and Heron sat opposite Merim.
But before they could, Ellie pulled both Lyssa and Heron's clothes from behind.
"Shhh... Elihi wants to keep his superpowers a secret." she whispered.
Heron nodded and patted Ellie on her head.
They then faced Merim whose curiosity deepened from all the whispers the three were having.
'Even their six-year-old child is a part of it too...'
Lyssa then brought Ellie back to her room since Heron alone can tell everything.
Remembering what he was about to tell Merim, Heron trembled in rage.
"Actually, the other night..."
...
...
"What!? They brought the kid out to kill him!?" Merim's eyes almost popped out.
Heron sadly nodded. He didn't say about the part that the intruders' plan didn't work and only backfired.
"My goodness..." even as an Imagi, no... it is because Merim is an Imagi, protected by the community, he didn't know that people could be so evil.
Remembering the kid that he had been seeing for the past two years, Merim frowned. He stood up and said.
"This shall not pass! These townspeople need to know the consequences of their action!"