The world was in pitch black darkness, the only source of light around them was a single lit campfire fueled by as many sticks as they could find. There weren't any starts whatsoever, nor any moons.
The atmosphere was icy cold, and made Christopher's body temperature plummet. Around him were only his two familiars. Est sat at his right, Ofira to his left.
He glanced at them both with a pained expression as he hugged himself as tightly as he could.
"It…it's freezing out here…"
"Yeah…you don't look so good. Sorry we couldn't find anywhere else to stay…" Ofira responded, noticing his shivers.
"I-it's alright…it's too dangerous to be travelling at night…"
"Mhm…I still feel bad for you though. Must suck being a mortal, huh?"
"Y-you could say that…" It wasn't normal for the atmosphere, in Christopher's case, to be so freezing. However, it was for his new world, that was something he still had to get used to.
But…can I even get used to this? The ways of the world were immensely different from Earth. First, there wasn't any form of modern day technology, which meant getting around places were much more tedious. Second, the dangers were much broader than on Earth, such as in the Babylonian Empire and the Death Faction. Assassins were commonplace, slavery was around, and wars were much more frequent.
The amount of fighting he had to do since he arrived terrified him…especially since due to a Goddess wanting him dead, he'd inevitably be forced to fight even more.
Thinking about all these, a long sigh escaped his lips as he mentally surrendered himself to the world's ways…
"This world really is something, huh?"
Est and Ofira both looked at him. Ofira already knew that he wasn't from there. Considering the circumstances of his arrival, a part of her pitied him.
"Yes, it is, master." Est replied indifferently, "However, if it's fights you are worried about, leave it to me. I shall eliminate everyone who challenges you." Est hugged her stuffed animal strongly to her chest, confidently reassuring him.
"And if you ever need any elemental magick other than dark magic, just ask me! My specialties are black magick, defensive magic and summoning magick!"
"I-in that case…could…could y-you use fire magic pl-please…o-on me…O-Ofira…?"
"Huh?"
She listened to what he said, and was immediately concerned.
"Fire magick…on you, master?"
"Y-yeah…pl-please?"
"Mmmm…"
Ofira was hesitant, but after seeing the state he was in, she just couldn't refuse.
"Fine, master…but don't blame me if it hurts, okay?"
"I-I know…just do it, please…"
She held out the palms of her hand toward the boy's abdomen, then focused her magick on the fire element. Not long after, small flames started to form. She moved even closer until the flames were just barely touching his clothes.
"I-is that good?" She, filled with uncertainty, questioned, "O-or should I go back a bit…"
"N-no, that's good…" It was just what Christopher needed. The warmth of Ofira's fire element heated Christopher's body, which satisfied him. The icy feeling which previously overwhelmed him slowly, but surely, went away.
"...Finally…whew…" Christopher nervously chuckled while rubbing his hands together, "...Man, this world's nights sure are something else…"
"You are used to air conditionings, cotton made mattresses and cotton blankets, are you not?" Est asked him, genuinely curious about his previous life.
"Mhm. Too bad those don't exist here though, it would've been so cool…but with nights like these, I doubt anybody needs an AC here."
"Well if you wanted one, I could always use ice magick on you, master." Ofira implied.
"Ah-I-I might get frostbite though…"
"Don't worry, I'll use a lower tier spell, so, you wouldn't."
He somewhat understood her words. Considering that there are different ranks of familiars, such as his rank three and rank four, Est and Ofira, there had to be different ranks of spells. He wondered what the highest tier spell was…
"Um…low tier?"
"Oh! Sorry about that, master!! Ahaha, you aren't from this world so of course you wouldn't know…" The fact that he wasn't from the world completely slipped her mind, "...It's my first time being the familiar of someone like you so please don't think much of it."
Est then took it upon herself to explain the topic to him.
"Master." She said, "Tiers are the different ranks of spells that could be used. There are about fifteen tiers, with tier one being the strongest, and tier fifteen being the lowest."
"Ooh, like there are different ranks of familiars."
"Yes master. High ranking familiars like myself and Ofira have access to all of them. The spell Ofira spoke about earlier was a rank eleven, so it wouldn't have given you something as pitiful as frostbite."
"..."
Fifteen tiers of spells… The fact that there were so many gave him a keen interest in magick. Am I able to use them to…? That was what he wished to discover, if he too, had the power to use them.
But before Christopher was given the chance to ask, he suddenly felt an extreme hotness on his skin…
"Eh?" Looking downward, it appeared as though Ofira miscalculated the distance of the fire to his cloak…
"Th-that may be a little too close, Ofira…"
"O-oh!! I-I apologise, master!!" She swiftly moved the flame away before any real damage was done, "Phew…that could've ended pretty badly…"
"Yes. If your clothes were burned, you would've had to strip naked, master."
"N-naked?" He blushed at the thought.
"I wouldn't mind seeing you naked, master…a-after all…you wouldn't do anything to us…" Ofira, to his surprise, wasn't completely against that, "...But if you can avoid it, that would be the safest option."
"Y-yes…otherwise, I'd really freeze my butt off."
"That wouldn't be good, would it?" It seemed like Ofira didn't completely understand the term he used.
"No, Ofira. It wouldn't."
***
Nearly half an hour later…
The fire magick warmed Christopher to a sustainable temperature. After being told to cease, Ofira happily stopped the transfer, and sat beside him. Seeing that her presence was no longer necessary, Est took this opportunity to make a request toward him.
"If my presence is no longer needed, master, may I keep watch for the night?"
"Sure, Est. Return whenever you feel like it."
"Thank you, master. I shall take my leave then." The familiar stood up, and slightly bowed before leaving.
Her leave left Ofira and Christopher in a comfortable silence. They both didn't have much to speak about, but Ofira managed to break the ice with him.
"You…you don't hate me, do you, Christopher?"
"Hate you?" He laughed a little, thinking it was a joke. But it wasn't. Ofira was serious, she refused to look him in the eye.
"Yes…for just leaving you to my former master, Royland…I…know I could've fought him back, and Est reminded me of that after she killed him and the king…but I didn't…I…I was just…too frightened to fight him, after all these years of being forced to work for him…"
Ofira… Ofira had the power to fight against him, and yet she didn't. The agony Christopher went through as a result stuck with him. The feeling of his neck slowly being cut open, the strings snapping inside him one by one as the king's sword brutally plunged through him. He won't ever forget that.
However, he didn't harbour any hate toward her. How could he after what she did for him back at the castle?
"I don't hate you, Ofira. You helped me take down Babylonia's royalties, did you not? It'd be stupid for me to hate you."
"I know, but I left you to die, Christopher, and I refused to fight back as Royland attacked us both!"
"You did use reflect on him though, and you stopped him from using his magick, that's something."
"But that's all…" She hugged her knees to her chest, and hung her head low as she stared at the campfire, "...That's all I did…even though I could've done so, so much more…" Her voice trailed off at the end.
"..." Neither of them spoke afterwards. Her sudden change in behaviour caught him off guard, it was a direct contrast to how she acted just moments before Est departed.
"You must hate me, you must do. It's my fault you had to suffer so much at the castle, and it's also my fault Eloise didn't make it back home sooner. I was too frightened to do anything…I'm so useless. I'm a useless familiar…useless, useless, useless, useless, useless!" Her forehead slammed into her knees. She took a sharp, snotty inhale before finally starting to weep.
"Th-there's no way you don't hate me, Christopher…I've made so, so many mistakes, this all happened because I refused to rebel against Royland…I was too frightened, I'm always too frightened to do ANYTHING! *Sniffle* You can tell me you hate me, Christopher, just do it! It wouldn't bother me at all! Just tell me already!!"
"..."
"Go on, what're you waiting for?!" She lightly punched Christopher's side, from which came a small pain.
"..."
Christopher didn't hate her though. Even though he was mad at her for neglecting to help him during the attack, he more or less understood some of her feelings. For a familiar to go against his/her master was allowed, but looked down upon, by what he gathered. But that couldn't have been the only thing she felt…she was practically beaten half to death on a regular basis. If it were Est, she would've killed the person who attacked her that badly in a blink of an eye.
Ofira was a Creation Familiar, which meant her power was immense, even more so than others, yet she refused to go against Royland. For Christopher to make quick judgement without understanding all of her circumstances would've been foolish.
Before he said anything, he scooted over to her side, and put an arm around her shoulders, gently pushing her toward himself in sequence.
"Ofira…" He murmured, "...Of course I don't hate you, stupid."
"Eh?" Hearing this, she immediately looked up at him in complete shock, "B-but I practically let you die! You're the one who is stupid, Christopher! How could you not hate me?!"
"Because." Christopher smirked at her in an affectionate way, "While I am angry at you for not doing anything, I'm not aware of all your circumstances. You're a Creation Familiar, one of the most powerful types there could be as well. And yet you allowed yourself to be beaten nearly to death by your former master, so it's clear to me that you have some unsolved issues deep inside yourself. For me to hate you without knowing all those would be foolish and inconsiderate…" He moved even closer to her, then placed a hand upon her left cheek, stroking the little, fragile girl with great care.
"...Don't even think for a second that I hate you, Ofira. Cause I don't, and never will."
"..." She was left staggered after hearing those words.
Him not hating her was something she least expected. To her, she was the most detestable person alive, the one she thought he wouldn't give even a second thought about.
She never thought she'd be so far from the truth…the affectionate look in his eyes told her that he cared about her, that he even loved her. But what could he love in a girl like her?
To her, she was nothing more than a tool to be thrown away. A cockroach to be squashed under his shoe. She was worthless in her own eyes.
"B-but…don…don't you see me as just someone to be thrown away? I-I'm nothing more to you than a cockroach, aren't I?"
"N-no! Of course not! What even made you think I'd see you that way?!" He yelled back at her. His loud voice sent fear throughout her body, causing her to fall silent.
"Ch-christopher…" Tears began to form within her eyes, and her face crumbled a little, "...Everyone I've ever known only saw me as some sort of tool they could mess around with and throw away as they pleased…every single master I've served before you treated me like dirt. Whenever I was too slow or too late for something they beat me and belittled me…i-if you really are trying to lie to me, just say it now. I…I've been heartbroken so many times already…I…I don't think I can handle it again…" A single tear flowed down her face and onto Christopher's lap, "If you hate me, you…you don't have to hide it, Christopher…" He listened to what she had to say, and his heart sank.
"Ofira…" Heartbroken, huh? But what kind of person could ever be that mean to someone like her though? The kind of person someone needs to be to hurt her that much, Christopher didn't even want to think about it. He swiftly hugged her, wrapping his arms tightly around her neck. She was startled by the hug, and kept her arms by her side.
"Ofira…" He murmured, "...I'm not lying to you, I genuinely care about you, and I promise you, I won't ever break your heart, nor would I treat you badly like your other masters did." His grip around her strengthened as he brought her closer to his chest, "Please, believe me, Ofira."
"..."
Ofira teared up, her shoulders slumped, and she quickly wiped a tear from her eyes. With a tear-stricken tone, she pleaded from her master,
"Master you…do…do you really…mean that…?"
"Mhm." His response was a resounding, swift nod along with, "You saw how quickly I acted after you were beaten half to death back at the castle, right? Why would I lie about this?"
"*Sniffle*" At that moment, she finally believed him.
Her face crumbled, the cheerful look in her eyes she possessed just moments ago was then filled with both relief and sadness-Relief that she wasn't being lied to the entire time, unlike many times before, and sadness because of how long it took her to finally hear those words from somebody.
Ofira wrapped her arms around Christopher's neck, then neared him as much as she could before returning the embrace.
"M-master…you…you really are…the person I've…been searching for…" Her voice trailed off at the end in a sea of whimpers, so he didn't hear the last part. But he didn't pay attention to it, he was more focused on comforting her.
"There, there…yes I'm here…Ofira…" His grip around her tightened as he stroked her back with great care. Ofira…what could've made her that sceptical about me though…
Most of him wanted to ask her more about her past, but his common sense told him not to-it wasn't the right time. It would've been good to first build trust with her, then question about her trauma.
Both of them stayed like that for a good few minutes before Ofira slowly moved away, though she kept her arms around his head.
She gave him an affectionate twinkle, and loving gaze before speaking to him in a quiet tone,
"Master…Heeheehee…"
"Ofira."
"Master…"
"Ofira?" Her right hand went onto his chest, and stayed there. He looked at it, but didn't say anything.
Before long, her face neared his. It went so close to him that he felt her warm, damp breath on his lips.
"Master I…I love you…"
"Mm? Mm-!" Without even a second thought, Ofira pressed her lips onto his, and locked herself into a kiss with her master.
At first Christopher tried to instinctively pull back, but the grip she possessed around both his head and body prevented him from doing so. Each time he made an attempt at breaking free, she viciously grabbed hold of his face, and kept it in place, due to the massive gap in physical strength between a familiar and a mortal, he wasn't able to do anything to stop her. The only thing he could do was surrender to her wanting.
On top of slightly opening her mouth, she boldly licked his lips. After a bit of pondering, Christopher did the same. Their tongues interlocked as they explored the depths of each other's mouths. The feeling of her spongy little tongue allured him, he found himself to be enjoying the kiss.
About fifteen seconds later, they retracted. A line of spit which went from his mouth to hers connected them both before snapping.
"O-Ofira…you…"
"Heeheehee…I love you, master!" Ofira eerily, yet cheerfully blurted out.
"You love me?"
"Yes. I love you, master!! Do you love me?" She wore her usual, gleeful expression, but her eyes were fully focused on nothing but him.
After hearing those words, and after kissing him, she felt drawn to him. Every inch of her being was screaming his name, she felt as though she needed the boy, like he was her lifeblood.
He didn't understand her behaviour at all, though he sensed that she was desperate.
"U-um…" If he said that he loved her, that would've been a partial lie. They only just met, it was impossible for him to love her that quickly. However, he was afraid of what she'd do if he spoke honestly about that, seeing how assertive she was during the kiss…
"Master…you…are you saying…you…you don't…love me…?" Due to his long silence, Ofira once again started to tear up, "But you said you cared about me…you even kissed me…how can you-"
"I love you, Ofira!" He ultimately chose to use a small lie, he did care about her, and he wanted to avoid hurting her feelings. Since she was his newest familiar, as well as party member, he wished to have as positive a relationship as possible with her…but that wasn't the only reason he accepted her confession.
Ofira heard his words, and gleamed. Her body was filled with joy upon receiving his words.
"You love me?"
"Yes, I love you, Ofira." He bobbed his head in response.
"Master…Christopher…" Those words meant a lot to her, as her eyes started watering. She swiftly leaned over, and kissed him for a second time, then a third, Christopher didn't try to resist.
"Mmm…" He melted into her passionate embrace, filled with anxiety for what may happen next. Does this mean…she's my relationship partner? If this is what we're doing? He thought to himself.
Seconds later, she stopped to look at him.
"U-um…Ofira…I…I know-"
"Master, you're my one and only fiancee from now on, okay?"
"Eh? O-okay…" F-fiancee?
"I'm fine if you get more, but you mustn't forget that I'm with you as well."
"Eh? Eh? B-but why would I-"
"I love you, master, and after what you said to me, I always will. So please don't ever break this vow with me. I-if you do, you're going to regret it."
"..." She wasn't listening to him at all. Was that a threat? He wasn't sure whether or not to be intimidated, or glad for his peculiar situation.
"B-But even if you do I-I wouldn't do anything bad I-I'll just be…you know…heartbroken again…and I'm sure you don't want to see me like that…"
"Oh…"
She was right about that, for that was the last thing he wanted. He lightly placed a hand upon her head, then lightly stroked her silvery-white hair.
"I won't break it, Ofira." He said, "I won't. Even though I'm a bit confused, I actually find this to be quite adorable of you. Ahaha." That, he meant. He didn't fully love her as yet, but was starting to, "If you want to be my fiancee, I'm fine with it. Don't worry about anything else."
Christopher knew nothing of Ofira at that moment, and he knew he had to tread carefully with her, for if she changed from her usual cheery self to…that so quickly…
"Believe me, Ofira. I promise I won't hurt you." Thinking about what Ofira would be like when broken or furious, those were the last things he wanted to see.
"..."
It took Ofira about a minute to reach a conclusion. In the end, she put her trust in him and his words. Once again, she fondly smiled at him.
"Heeheehee, I know, Christopher…after all…you did accept my confession…heeheehee…" Her eyes concentrated on his own as unnervingly chuckled, "...Don't you ever retract what you said to me, master…"
"I won't, Ofira. I won't."
***
Est returned about an hour later to both her master and Ofira sleeping. She was already aware of the events that transpired while she was away.
"You've made a bad choice, master." She uttered, "However, no matter what happens, I shall protect you with my life."