Zoe Helkhar's Perspective
Dad… Mom… I muttered softly before abruptly waking up with my heart pounding rapidly. Ahh… ah… it was another nightmare.
Wiping the sweat from my face, I realized I was sobbing, but quickly shaking my head, I wiped my tears away before getting up and changing.
Lately, I've been thinking a lot about my parents' death; I think it's about time to leave that in the past…. I thought as I prepared to take a bath.
After finishing my bath, I got ready and prepared everything I needed for the day ahead, and unlike other days, I headed straight to Drake's room instead of just going down to the first floor as usual.
Upon entering, I wasn't surprised to see he was still asleep. Ahh…. I sighed. Despite how motivated he seemed yesterday, he fell asleep.
Carefully approaching him with the intention of waking him up, I noticed he started to move, making me stop with the hope that he would wake up on his own. But after a few seconds, he had only changed positions.
This brat! I thought angrily before looking directly at his face. Huh? How strange… when he's asleep, he looks so peaceful, I wish he could be like that all the time.
While I was indecisive about the awful way I'd wake him up, I started thinking about the past again.
It's true… I've been with this family for 13 years, and even though they're not my biological family, I've grown very fond of them. I thought before looking directly at Drake's face. Especially with you— "Angelica, be my girlfriend, please…." He mumbled half-asleep while a bit of drool dripped from his mouth.
At that moment, instead of feeling annoyed, a strange feeling filled my chest, something I'd been feeling for a few days now, something like my heart sinking in bitterness.
Idiot. I thought before creating cold water in the palm of my hand and splashing it directly on his face.
"Huh? EH! What's happening?!" He yelled, very surprised and agitated, before he started moving like crazy and finally fell off the bed.
But… why did I do that…? I thought, a little confused by my feelings.
"Zoe?" He said, pained. "Bu-but why did you wake me up like that?! I almost had a heart attack!" He complained, annoyed.
"I did it because it's already late." I said, approaching the door. "Drake, if I don't see you ready at the front door in 5 minutes, you can forget about going monster hunting today." I finally said before leaving his room and hurriedly closing the door behind me.
As I walked away from his room, I could hear a great commotion starting because of my words.
Luckily, he bought the lie. I thought as I walked down the stairs. But still… why did I react that way when I heard him talk about that demon?
As I reached the first level, I headed to the kitchen, where I found Kadia sitting at the table. I quickly approached him and made a small bow as a greeting; in return, he just raised one of his hands to acknowledge me.
Leaving the dining room, I headed into the kitchen, and once inside, I saw Irisha finishing packing the food for Drake and me.
"How did you sleep, daughter?" She asked with a smile after looking at me. "I slept well, mother, thank you so much for all your care." I replied.
"You're welcome, remember it's normal for me to take care of those I love." She said, stroking my hair before handing me the food. After chatting a bit more with her, I left the kitchen and headed to the front door.
"Remember to take care of him, Zoe, remember he's your responsibility." Kadia said as he saw me pass by. "Understood, Father." I replied as I made a brief bow before leaving the room.
When I reached the front door, I didn't see Drake anywhere, which gave me time to keep reflecting. Both Kadia and Irisha have treated me well since they took me into their family 13 years ago. Additionally, as they assigned me Drake's progress as my main task for several years, my relationship with them has solidified over the past few years.
They now see me as a daughter, but… for some reason, I can't see them as parents. I said to myself before hearing Drake hurrying down the stairs.
"I'm here!" He shouted when he saw me standing at the door. "So-sorry for the delay." "It's fine, you arrived just in time." I replied.
As we stepped out the door, I noticed he was carrying the sword Irisha bought for him a few days ago. That's right, this will be the first time he'll use it.
As the sun began to rise over the mountains, the view was beautiful. Looks like the weather will be perfect for hunting some monsters.
"Goodbye, Mom, goodbye, Dad." Drake said before following me.
"Today's going to be a great day!" He said with excitement. "Haha" I laughed in response, seeing the peculiar energy he had. "That's right, Drake, let's go."
We started walking to Angelica's house before my strange thoughts returned. It's true that Kadian and Irisha treat me well, but compared to Drake, it's nothing. Well, after all, Drake is literally a miracle for them, so it makes sense. I thought as I recalled the incompatibility between races when having children.
"Sis, what are you thinking about? You seem really deep in thought." Drake asked curiously. "I'm thinking about what I'll ask you to do in return for this favor I'm doing for you." I responded casually.
"W-What!?" He said, turning his gaze forward. "I-I just ask that you don't be mean to me, alright?" He said sweetly after letting out a laugh. "I'll think about it, but I'm not promising anything."
"Oh, right! I had a question for you, Zoe." Drake said after we stayed silent for a moment. "Zoe, why didn't you teach me that spells become more powerful if you recite their incantations?" He asked, a bit annoyed. "If I had known, I would have definitely beaten you in the match we had yesterday."
"Hmm… Drake, where did you learn that?" I asked seriously before suddenly stopping, making him jump. "Huh? F-from… from a book I read recently." He answered nervously, glancing around. "Huh? And what book was tha—" I started to ask before the answer came to mind. Angelica…
"Look, Drake, why—" I began raising my voice before stopping when I saw his worried face. "Never mind, we'll do something to see what would have happened." "How?" He responded, confused by my words.
"Cast a spell at me, reciting the incantation." I said after stepping a bit away from him. "What? But he—" "Stop asking questions and just do it." I said, making Drake stiffen for a moment before agreeing.
"Alright, if you say so… Nature that calm—" He tried to cast before falling silent, his eyes wide as he saw three of my spells just inches away from him. "W-when did…."
Sometimes his innocence surprises me. I thought as I dissolved my magic in the spells so they'd lose their form.
After that, he didn't say anything for several seconds, making me worry. "Look, Drake, incantations are only good in certain situations, because in a real fight, you wouldn't tell your enemy what spell you're going to cast and when you're going to do it, right?" I asked, making Drake ponder. "You're right, I hadn't thought of it that way."
He kept thinking for a few more seconds until his expression turned serious. "I get it, Zoe, thanks for your help, but this whole thing about the power and experience our family has created a doubt I want you to help me answer…." He said firmly while looking me in the eyes.
"Our family, what did our family do before I was born? Because I know they didn't live on this continent, nor did they do what they do now, so why are we different from other people?" What? I-I didn't expect a question like that. I said to myself.
What should I do? I knew one day he'd want to know about our family's past, but… I didn't expect him to ask me directly. Do I tell him the truth or just lie to him? Indecisive, I decided to tell him the truth, but first, I'd omit some things that I couldn't tell him myself because that was Kadian's decision.
"You're right, we're not from here; we used to live in the Kingdom of Clifland, where our parents met, and… and actually, Dad is from the royal family of that kingdom." "W-What!? Really? But why aren't we there anymore? What happened?"
Not surprisingly, Drake started flooding me with questions. "I can't tell you much, Drake, not now, but I'll just say that Kadian's brother betrayed us there, and that's why we're currently deserters from that Kingdom." I said before continuing our walk to Angelica's house.
"I'll answer some things when we get back home, so for now, just relax." I said after he followed me.
Drake just nodded his head before staying silent, reflecting on what I had just told him. I guess I'll inform Kadian about this so he can talk to him, after all, I don't want to risk telling him something I shouldn't.
The rest of the way, Drake was silent, until we arrived at Angelica's house. As we approached, her door opened, letting us know she had been waiting for us. Many say she's talented; today we'll see if that's true.
Without letting us enter her house, she said goodbye to her parents before closing the door.
"Hi, Zoe, hi, Drake." She said cheerfully. "I'm ready! Shall we go?" Her parents didn't even come out to see her off, I guess it's because they trust her a lot. I reflected.
"Yes! Let's go hunt some monsters!" Drake shouted with the same enthusiasm as Angelica.
These kids…. As we left her garden, we headed to a specific part of the forest that was an hour and a half from our neighborhood.
After walking for a while, we stopped to eat the food Irisha had prepared for us in the morning. While we ate, I noticed how Drake and Angelica got along, as they started joking around with each other, causing that strange feeling to return.
I know they'll never be together in the future, but still… this feeling in my chest bothers me a lot. I thought while eating in silence.
After eating, we warmed up with some exercises and started walking again. We kept going until I finally sensed a weak monster walking several meters away from us.
"Stay alert, there's a monster about 100 meters to the right." I said seriously while drawing my sword, just in case I needed it. The technique Kadian taught me to sense the mana of living beings is really useful. I thought as I followed the mana trail of that small monster.
Upon hearing my words, both Drake and Angelica quickly got ready. After walking for another two minutes or so, we finally saw the monster, which, by the way, looked like a charred wolf.
"There it is!" Angelica shouted excitedly when she saw it. "Y-yeah…" Drake said as he drew his sword.
The monster didn't attack us immediately upon seeing us. Instead, it just stayed in the rear, waiting for us to make a hostile move.
"Go ahead, Drake, you go first." I said, noticing how neither of them had moved yet. "Y-yeah, you're right."
As soon as he said that, he started moving quickly, covering himself with a thin layer of mana.
What's wrong with him? He seems clumsier than usual. I commented to myself. He kept advancing towards his target until the monster quickly lunged at him with its fangs as weapons.
Surprised, Drake barely managed to dodge it, but after regaining his composure, he moved quickly to land a kick to the wolf's head.
Fortunately, the kick was strong enough to push the monster away from Drake. Noticing this, Angelica began conjuring a medium-sized air blade in front of her wand. Once it was ready, she launched it at a good speed, slicing off one of the monster's legs.
Angelica is good with magic… I commented. But leaving that aside, Drake's movements were strange, something is happening to him….
Without one of its legs, the monster lost its balance, falling to the ground shortly after. While the wolf tried to recover, Drake took the opportunity to leap at it, similar to the move he used on me yesterday. When he was a meter away, he gripped his sword tightly and managed to land a powerful thrust directly into its belly.
As his sword struck the monster's skin, it began to split open, revealing various muscles, organs, and bones. Despite the purple blood gushing everywhere, Drake continued until he finally split it in two.
"Well done, Drake!" Angelica shouted joyfully as she approached to inspect the remains of the monster that lay to the side.
Huh? What's going on with him? I wondered after noticing something strange about Drake. Confused, I started analyzing him to see if he was injured or something. He was a bit dirty from the blood, but other than that, he didn't have anything. So, why does he look so lost?
As I got closer, I realized he was in shock because he had dropped his sword and was starting to stare at his blood-covered hands.
"Hey! Drake, are you okay?" I asked, worried, but when I didn't get a response, I moved closer to shake him with both hands.
"Are you okay?" I asked again. "Y-yeah! Yeah, I'm fine, I'm fine…." He responded when he saw my concerned and confused face. "S-sorry for worrying you, Zoe. I'm fine, it's just that I was surprised because I realized this is the first time I've seen so much blood." He said in a timid, low voice.
So that's it…. I reflected. In his training, I had only focused on teaching him to fight, but I had never mentally prepared him for something like this. I thought, worried. I forgot he's just a kid who grew up in peace.
"Look, Drake, I know this is new to you, but you need to understand that many times that body you see will either be your enemy, or it will be you." I said, looking at the remains of the monster that Angelica was still examining from the other side.
"I get that, but even so…" He responded, still doubtful. "Or simply, that will be the body of someone you love." I said finally, making him clench his fists tightly and shake his head from side to side.
"I'm better now, Zoe, thanks." He said in a low voice again before picking up his sword from the ground. Angelica, noticing our strange conversation, hadn't said anything, but once we were done, she approached us.
"Hey, what do you say we keep going? I'm sure there will be more chances to hunt." Angelica said with a smile.
What is this girl talking about? Can't she see how upset Drake is? It's better if we head ba— "Yeah, you're right, let's go, let's hunt more of them." Drake said before starting to move again.
Wh-what? Do you care that much about what Angelica thinks? I asked myself as I saw him force a smile while walking beside the demon.
Annoyed, I kept walking with them until after a few minutes, we found two more monsters identical to the previous one.
Upset with Drake, I didn't say anything to guide them, so I just let them handle the monsters on their own.
After a few minutes, they managed to take down the pair of wolves, but right after that fight, about five more started approaching our location.
"Five monsters are approaching quickly from the south, right behind those bushes." I said, pointing to a bush in the distance.
"Angelica, do you think you can handle all five?" I asked quietly, seeing how both of them were getting ready to attack. "Huh? Y-yeah, I suppose." She finally said.
When Drake heard our conversation, he complained a bit, but after I explained that I wanted to see Angelica's abilities, he stayed quiet and started watching her with me.
She took a deep breath before pulling out her wand, and nervously began gathering her mana before casting her spell. She kept it up for a few seconds until the wolves finally appeared, jumping straight at her. "Expert level magic, Rain Drops!" She finally said after reciting the spell.
In an instant, 5 small drops of water formed around her wand, so small they were imperceptible to the monsters. With a quick movement, she spun them so fast that they shot out at an incredible speed, easily piercing through the heads of the 5 wolves that were just a few meters away from us.
What speed and power. I thought, a little surprised. If she were my enemy, she'd be a real headache, but I'm sure I'd defeat her, even if she trained for 20 more years. I thought, imagining scenarios where I would easily beat her in my head.
"Wow! That was amazing, Angelica!" Drake said after the wolves fell to the ground, starting to bleed from their heads. "Well done, Angelica." I said too, just to not stay silent.
After Angelica's display of power, we started walking around the forest, where we encountered other types of weak monsters. Thanks to that, I didn't have to intervene at any point.
When the sun was just a few hours from setting, I decided we'd head back, and despite Drake and Angelica's protests, we returned to avoid being in the forest at night.
Today was a different day from the others. I reflected. Even though I didn't do anything, I'm glad I spent a bit more time with Drake, although I admit I would have liked it more if Angelica hadn't been with us.
After walking for over two hours, we finally arrived at Angelica's house, where Drake and I said goodbye to her, not before agreeing to meet again another day.
"See you soon, Drake." Angelica said before going into her house. "See you…" Drake responded in a low, awkward voice.
"Can we go home now?" I asked, a bit annoyed, seeing how he kept staring at her house like an idiot even after Angelica was already gone. "Huh? Oh! Right! Let's go home." He responded quickly.
…
"We're here!" Drake said cheerfully. "That's right, though it was a short day." I replied as I watched the sun finish setting.
"Mmm? Looks like our parents still aren't home." I said, noticing that the second floor was also empty. "They probably went to Birton for a romantic night or something like that." Drake commented as he went into his room. "Remember yesterday they were talking about going out."
A little surprised by his comment, I started thinking for a while. In that case, they won't be back until very late, or maybe tomorrow… That means… that I have the house alone with Drake. I thought with a smile on my face.
"I'll take a bath first!" Drake said as he entered the bathroom with a change of clothes he grabbed from his room.
"Wait a second." I said, making him stop and turn to look at me. "It's not fair that you get to bathe first, I also want to bathe now." I refuted.
"Huh? You can do it afterward." He responded, a little confused. "No, I want to bathe now, besides, haven't you heard the saying that ladies go first?" I said, crossing my arms.
"Bu-but Zoe, I called it first, plus I don't believe in that 'ladies go first' stuff, I think both genders should be treated equally."
"Ah…" I said, sighing. "You really are a hopeless kid." "What?" He responded, a bit annoyed.
"I'll let you bathe first, but if you don't come out quickly, I'll go in anyway, got it?" "Haha, like you'd actually do it." He said, walking into the bathroom.
Did he just provoke me? I thought, a little annoyed, before going to my room to grab some clean clothes and my towel. Once ready, I nervously entered the bathroom.
Upon entering, I noticed Drake was already in the large wooden bathtub we had at the back of the bathroom. "Did you think I wouldn't come in? Well, you were wrong." I said, making Drake freeze in shock.
"Bu-but Zoe, what are you doing here!!" He exclaimed, sinking his whole body into the water except for his head, trying to prevent me from seeing him.
"I was going to wait, but since you provoked me, I couldn't resist the urge to come in." I said with a sarcastic smile as I started taking off my clothes.
When Drake realized what I was doing, he quickly turned around, hiding his embarrassment. "Zoe! Stop! We can't do this!" He said, already blushing deeply.
"Do what? Bathe with my little brother?" I replied before finishing undressing and jumping into the bathtub.
"Ahh…" Drake said quietly as he looked at me, mouth half-open. "If you keep staring at me like that, I'll think you're a pervert." I said to tease him.
Realizing it, Drake quickly shut his eyes and jumped out of the bathtub, shouting. "I'm sorry! This is too much for me!"
Where do you think you're going. I thought as I followed him, grabbing his left arm and stopping him suddenly. "Let me go! I'm not ready for this!"
"I won't let you leave." I said as I dragged him back into the bathtub despite his protests.
"Remember that the baths have magic stones that raise the temperature; if you leave this room just like that, you'll get sick, and I don't want that." I said worriedly, making him calm down a bit.
"Besides," I continued, "I just want to spend more time with you, because we're almost never alone together." I said, pretending to be sad.
After a few seconds of silence, Drake stopped resisting and quietly walked back into the bathtub, getting in completely.
"Alright, Zoe, but just this once, okay?" He said as he invited me to come in.
Happy, I approached and got in. I never thought he'd play along. I thought with a mischievous smile.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say. By the way, I wanted to take this time to answer some of your questions from this morning, remember?" I asked, making Drake look at me again.
"That's right! In that case, this won't be weird." He said as I settled into the water.
Yes, with that, I'll make sure he doesn't feel too uncomfortable. I thought before spending several minutes talking. After talking about the past, Drake stayed deep in thought, enjoying the hot bath.
As for me, I decided to relax too, casually watching him. I think if it weren't for him, I would have run away from home a long time ago. I said to myself. I still can't understand why this kid makes my heart experience different emotions, but I think I'll know in the future. I thought with a smile.
Yes, just want to stay by his side as his sister, or... maybe something more in the future. I thought, before many other thoughts flooded my mind.
After being silent, I started talking with Drake for a while about other topics, until we finally both got out of the bath together, our faces a little red from the heat.
Before he entered his room, I stopped him, making a small gesture with the index finger of my right hand.
"Drake, about what just happened, we'll keep it a secret, okay?" I asked with a playful smile and a wink.
"Ahhh... okay, Zoe, it'll be our secret." He finally responded before entering his room with a red face.
J口ちHひ丹: I'll be away next week, so I'll upload the next chapter in 2 weeks. Remember to share it, that encourages me to continue writing this great story.