While I was gently patting Ferry's head and she looked very happy while moving her Erune ears in different directions, suddenly we heard the sound of a door opening loudly.
"Rei!" Shortly after we heard Djeeta's voice while panting as if she had been running non-stop.
I turned towards the sound and saw Djeeta and the others had arrived, along with Drang and Sturm for some reason.
"Hey, everyone," I stopped patting Ferry's head and waved my hand towards them.
They all started walking towards us, but the two creatures next to me and Ferry looked tense while staring at the them. "It's okay, they are my friends," I told the two creatures.
After hearing me the wolf and the rabbit relaxed and walked back behind Ferry... Wait, where is Ferry? I couldn't find Ferry in front of me anymore.
Soon I felt something holding onto my clothes from behind making me turn around. It turned out Ferry was hiding behind me while staring at Djeeta and the others.
"Ferry, what's wrong?" I asked the hiding Ferry.
"Sorry... I've never been comfortable in crowded places... and now, after not meeting many people for decades, I feel nervous," Ferry replied anxiously.
Ah, I see. I understand now. "It's okay, just let me explain the situation to them," I said to Ferry with a smile.
Ferry just nodded and smiled back at me before hiding behind me again with her wolf and rabbit.
As the others walked towards us, I could see Drang and Sturm staring at us sharply... but unlike Sturm, who was looking at me sharply, I could sense that Drang was paying attention to Ferry behind me.
I remembered that Drang came here because he wanted to meet his grandmother's relatives which his grandmother often told him about. And Sturm came along because Drang forced her to...
"Hey, Drang, Sturm, I didn't expect to meet you on this foggy island," I said to them as they approached.
"Hey Rei, it's been a long time since we last met, was it during the Colossus incident? You know, Sturm was really worried after seeing you get thrown--owch, stop stabbing me Sturm," Drang's words were cut off as Sturm stab him with a red face.
"Hahaha, you two haven't changed at all," I felt happy that at least they were both okay.
"We met them when we were lost... this fog is really annoying, I don't know how long we've been running trying to get out of it," Io said while stomping her foot on the floor.
"Sorry..." I heard Ferry's tiny voice from behind me.
"So, who's the girl behind you, Rei? Did you pick up another girl even though you just went out alone for a while?" Rosetta joked.
Uh oh... I could see Djeeta and Lyria immediately focusing on Ferry behind me with their sharp gazes.
Feeling the sharp gaze from both of them, Ferry quickly tried to hide even closer to my back afraid of them.
"Hey you both calm down, she's just a Ghost," I told them.
"A ghost?" Katalina tried to look at Ferry because her appearance is not like the other villagers, Ferry looked like a living creature and not transparent at all.
"Yes, let me explain in more detail what happened on this island."
I then told them the story that Ferry had told me earlier.
"So the Primal beast really suddenly appeared on this island," Lyria muttered after listening to my story.
"Let me sum up your story, Rei... So, the girl behind you accidentally called the Primal beast, which made the people on this island unable to die? And then, feeling guilty, she asked for your help to drive away the Primal beast?" Katalina asked me.
I just nodded in agreement to Katalina's question.
"Hmm, but isn't it strange? It's impossible for someone who is not an astral being to call a Primal beast just because the Primal beast heard someone's request?" Drang telling us.
What Drang said is true — besides Astrals or those descended from Astrals or Lyria no one can control Primal beasts unless they use something like the Dark Essence created by the empire.
However, using dark essence wouldn't make a Primal beast use all of its power like I can with Luminiera.
"But I'm sure that the Primal beast appeared after I made my request," I heard Ferry's voice from behind me.
"And because of my request, all the inhabitants on this island can't peacefully die... I'm sure they must hate me right now," Ferry felt very sad as she said that.
"What are you saying? The other villagers don't hate you, you know? They're the ones who asked us to come here and check on you," Lyria suddenly said to Ferry.
Lyria walked closer to me and Ferry. "They really want to see you... But every time they come here, they get lost in the fog. They've been trying so hard to find you for decades," Lyria looked at Ferry with a sad expression.
Ferry looked shocked after hearing Lyria's words. "But that's impossible... it's hard to believe that the villagers don't hate me," Ferry tightened her grip on my clothes which she was pulling.
"Then why don't you come with us and visit the village? There's no reason not to, right?" This time Djeeta said to Ferry while smiling.
"Well..." Ferry looked hesitant to go back to the village because she was still afraid of whether the other villagers would hate her or not.
"Ferry, they won't hate you. They're actually very worried about you because you never showed up again after this island was shrouded in fog," I said to Ferry.
"And didn't you hear what Lyria said that they always wanted to visit you for decades, but because of the fog shrouding this hill, they never succeeded in finding you," I used my right hand to stroke Ferry's Erune ears.
"Hmm..." Ferry just murmured, looking like she was thinking about her decision.
"Ferry? Is her name Ferry?" I heard Drang ask me.
"Yes, because she didn't have a name, so I gave her one, and since she liked the name Ferry, I decided to call her that," I answered Drang.
Sturm just watched me stroking Ferry with a look as if she wanted me to do the same to her... It had been a long time since she last felt it.
But because she and I were enemies, she couldn't ask me for something like that and could only keep her distance, afraid her feelings would hinder her work...
I knew what Sturm was feeling... I could only wait for her to strengthen her feelings and decide what she wanted to do. Maybe after this issue with the Empire is resolved, she will be more honest about what she wants.
"Hmm, that name is cute, so I agree to give her the name Ferry," Drang nodded,l while stroking his chin.
Of course you agree... Ferry is actually her real name, which you heard from your grandmother.
<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>
After thinking for a while, Ferry finally agreed to return to the village and meet the other residents.
We began to walk away from the mansion to go back to the village, Lyria and the others were trying to engage in conversation with Ferry along the way.
But because Ferry was still uncomfortable with them, she only gave simple answers to their questions and tried to escape from them, retreating back behind my back.
But I walked behind them, ensuring that no monsters were attacking from behind, while Ferry and the others were walking in front, so Ferry had no choice but to respond to the others' questions.
"Hehehe, I'm really amazed at your ability, Rei. You've already made Ferry dependent on you even though you just met her. She's been looking around in various directions to find you and go back behind you," I heard a joking remark from Drang who was beside me.
"I didn't mean it that way... I just feel sorry for her being alone in her house for decades and only accompanied by the blue creature she calls," I replied to Drang while sighing.
Drang just smiled after hearing my response and then we just chatted about random things... Not long we finally arrived back at the village.
Ferry looked anxious upon seeing that they had arrived at the village it seemed like she was still afraid that the other villagers would hate her, even though we had told her they wouldn't be angry with her.
"Come on, Ferry, we're almost there to meet the other villagers. You don't need to be anxious like that," Lyria said while pulling Ferry's arm.
"But..." Ferry still seemed hesitant to meet the other villagers.
Seeing Ferry's hesitation, I began to think of a way to make her less hesitant... Ah, I got an idea.
I approached Ferry and said, "Ferry, if you're still afraid that they will hate you, you can close your eyes when you enter the village."
"Ah, that's a good idea. If you close your eyes, you don't have to be afraid to see if they look at you with hatred or not," Lyria said to Ferry.
But instead of responding to my suggestion, after seeing me approaching Ferry immediately released Lyria's grip and ran behind me.
She moves really fast... In an instant Ferry is back behind me trying to hide like before.
"She ran away again..." Io said as she saw Ferry back behind me.
"It's okay, we just need to get Ferry used to being comfortable around a lot of people," Katalina said.
"So, how about it, Ferry? Are you willing to give it a try?" I asked Ferry.
"Um, I'll give it a try," Ferry replied softly to me.
I then informed the others that Ferry agreed to try that method; they all nodded and began to walk back into the village.
I turned around to look at Ferry, and I saw that she had tightly closed her eyes.
"Come on, Ferry," I then held her right hand and walked while guiding Ferry that closing her eyes.