Kai was eager to learn more about the world he had been summoned to. He hoped Lila could help him understand, and it seemed she was willing to do so. As they sat on the patch of soft grass, Kai felt the warmth of the sun on his skin and heard the gentle rustling of leaves in the breeze. The forest around them was alive with the sounds of birds chirping and small animals scurrying about.
Standing up from their grassy seat, Lila gestured for Kai to follow her. Just then, a gust of wind blew through the clearing, sending her long pink hair flying in the breeze. In that moment, she looked like an ethereal beauty straight out of a painting, her hair flowing like silk and her purple eyes shimmering in the dappled sunlight. However, Kai's attention was quickly drawn to two small, cute horns on the top of her head. They were barely visible among her pink locks, but now that he had noticed them, he couldn't look away.
"What is that on your head?" Kai couldn't help but ask, his curiosity getting the better of him. Before Lila could stop him, he reached out and gently touched one of the tiny horns.
"Ha..." A muffled gasp escaped Lila's lips as Kai's fingers made contact with the horn. Her legs suddenly became weak, and her cheeks flushed a rosy pink. "Do not do that again," she warned sternly, her voice a mix of embarrassment and annoyance as Kai quickly removed his hand.
Kai noticed her odd breathing when he touched the horn, and he could tell it was a sensitive spot for her. He felt a twinge of guilt for touching without permission but couldn't help being fascinated.
"What are you?" he couldn't help but ask, his voice filled with wonder rather than judgment.
Seeing Kai's genuine curiosity, and not wanting him to repeat his actions, Lila decided to explain. "We are all like this in our part of the world," she began, her voice taking on a teacher-like tone. "Each of us is half-human, half-beast, though there are a few full humans among us, in two kingdoms, I think." She paused, looking thoughtful. "I'm not entirely sure how many human kingdoms there are. It might even be just one. What I do know is that we demi-humans have a much larger population than the humans."
As they talked, they began walking along a narrow path through the forest. The ground was soft beneath their feet, covered in a carpet of fallen leaves and moss. Tall trees towered above them, their branches forming a green canopy that filtered the sunlight into beautiful patterns on the forest floor.
Lila's eyes sparkled with a mix of awe and reverence as she continued, "And above us, many miles away, is the empire. There lives a true dragon." Her voice took on an almost worshipful tone as she mentioned the dragon.
"Have you been there before? The empire?" Kai asked, intrigued by the way Lila spoke of it.
As they walked, Kai noticed that Klaus, the little boy, was struggling to keep up with their pace. Without a word, Kai bent down and lifted the child onto his shoulders.
"Yay!" Klaus squealed happily, spreading his arms out wide as if he was flying. His infectious laughter echoed through the forest, causing a few nearby birds to take flight in surprise. Kai couldn't help but smile at the child's joy, feeling a warmth spread through his chest.
Lila watched the interaction with a soft smile before answering Kai's question. "Once, when I still lived in the city, I was among those sent as servants to go along with the envoys," she explained, a hint of nostalgia in her voice.
Kai couldn't help but shudder at the thought of a dragon. He knew how powerful they were from stories in his own world. Even a newborn dragon was as strong as a demigod, and an adult dragon... well, even the likes of Zeus and Odin, god-kings in their own right, would think twice before getting on their bad side.
"Then, if such powerful beings exist, why are there outcasts like you in the first place? From your story, I could tell you were a servant in the city," Kai asked, trying to understand the social structure of this world.
Lila's face darkened as she was asked, her cheerful demeanor suddenly replaced by a look of deep sadness. It was as if Kai had reopened an old wound that had almost healed. Kai felt a pang of regret for bringing up such a sensitive topic, but he knew he had to understand what he was getting into. Since he couldn't go against his summoner, which was apparently Lila, he needed to be sure that he wasn't breaking any codes by helping her.
Lila stopped walking, her shoulders slumping slightly as she looked at the ground. For a moment, it seemed like she might cry, but then she turned back to Kai with a beaming smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. Kai felt guilt building up as he watched her force herself to smile.
"Let's leave it for another time, shall we?" she said, her voice cheerful but with an underlying strain. Her pace quickened as she led them towards the outcast settlement. Kai could tell that she didn't fully trust him yet, and he couldn't blame her. After all, he wasn't there of his own will either.
As they walked, Lila began to explain more about the outcast community. "The outcasts have a large settlement," she said, gesturing ahead. "There's a chief in charge, and some guards to protect us from the wild beasts. Thankfully, the part we live in doesn't see many attacks from mythical beasts, so we're relatively safe."
They continued deeper into the forest, the path becoming less defined as they went. Soon, they came upon a beautiful waterfall that seemed to mark the end of the road. The water cascaded down moss-covered rocks, creating a misty spray that reflected rainbows in the sunlight. Lila approached a large rock behind the waterfall and tapped it in a special rhythm. To Kai's amazement, a hidden cave entrance appeared.
"We hide our presence so the people in the city won't notice us," Lila explained as she led them into the cave. "Our lives are at risk, you know." Her voice echoed slightly in the damp cavern.
Kai followed quietly, marveling at the ingenuity of the outcasts. In all his life of living in his world and visiting kingdoms for missions, this was the first he'd heard of such a hidden community of outcasts.
As they made their way through the winding cave passages, Lila continued her explanation. "We've survived for a long time, and we've grown stronger and learned to rely on ourselves. Even though there's a chief in charge of us, the settlement operates on a 'survival of the fittest' mentality."
Kai couldn't quite wrap his head around it. "But aren't there guards and chiefs to keep the place in order?" he asked, adjusting Klaus on his shoulders as they navigated a particularly narrow part of the cave.
"There are," Lila replied, her voice tinged with bitterness, "but each of them is only concerned with lining their own pockets." She sighed heavily before continuing, "When I went to gather herbs to sell for food for me and my siblings, I found a scroll. I could read a few words since it was written in the draconic language. But since I'm not a pureblood dragon-born, just a demi-human, I'm considered the least among them. My bloodline is that corrupt."
Kai expected her to grieve at that admission, but she seemed to have come to terms with it. Having never suffered such a cruel fate himself, he didn't know how to console her.
As they continued their journey through the cave, Kai couldn't help but marvel at how Lila walked so confidently without getting injured, despite being barefoot. The cave floor was rough and uneven, with sharp rocks and slippery patches, yet she navigated it with ease.
"How long until we get there?" Kai couldn't help but ask. They had made so many turns that he had lost all sense of direction.
"Almost," Lila answered as she gracefully avoided a low-hanging stalactite.
"You mentioned finding a scroll?" Kai prompted, curious about the item that had apparently led to his summoning. "And are there other races besides dragons?"
Lila nodded, her pink hair bobbing with the motion. "Yes, only dragons. All the outcasts, and those who live in the stone houses in the city, are descendants of dragons. There are only a few humans here, which is why there are only two human kingdoms."
"Are there humans among the settlement?" Kai asked, noticing how Lila seemed to avoid talking about the scroll directly. "And why do you keep avoiding the topic of the scroll?"
Lila sighed, realizing she couldn't dodge the question anymore. "The scroll... yes, I drew runes according to the scroll's instructions, and boom, you appeared," she admitted. "As for humans, they're actually on a higher level than demi-humans like us with poor bloodlines. They rule the outcast settlement."
Just as Kai was about to press for more information, Lila announced, "We're here." They emerged from the cave onto a ledge overlooking a hidden valley. Nestled in the valley was the outcast settlement, a sight that took Kai's breath away.
The settlement was built on and around a small mountain, with houses of various sizes and shapes scattered across the landscape. Some homes were built directly into the mountainside, their doors and windows peeking out from the rock face. Others were perched on stilts, rising above the ground on wooden legs. Many houses were constructed from trees, their walls made of rough-hewn logs and their roofs thatched with leaves and grass.
What struck Kai most was the ingenuity of the settlers. Despite their limited resources, they had created a thriving community. Rope bridges connected houses built in the treetops, creating an intricate network above the ground. Small gardens were planted wherever space allowed, with vines climbing up the sides of houses and fruit trees dotting the landscape.
However, compared to the grand cities and comfortable homes Kai was used to, the settlement did indeed look poor. The houses were small and cramped, the materials rough and unrefined. It was clear that survival here was a daily struggle.
"Wait, wait, wait," Kai said, his voice filled with disbelief. He wasn't interested in going into the settlement right now. His mind was reeling from the realization that this wasn't the grand adventure he had been promised. "You mean I was summoned here for nothing?"
In his frustration, Kai made a gesture as if he was flipping a table, causing Klaus to giggle at the silly motion. Kai's mind raced with questions. Where was the grand adventure he had been promised? The heroic deeds and world-saving quests? How could Leo, the transcendent who had tricked him into responding to this summon, have lied to him so blatantly?
Before answering the summon (which, he now realized, he had been tricked into by Leo, a transcendent more powerful than him), Kai had been told he would be stopping a wizard in a non-magic world. He now knew the latter was a lie – this was clearly a world filled with magic. He had already seen a bear with magical abilities, and he could spot people in the settlement using runes for various tasks.
"Uhmm," Lila seemed to be in thought, her brow furrowed in concentration. "Yes? The scroll said you could protect us?" She said hesitantly as she began to lead Kai into the settlement.
Kai was about to lose his composure upon hearing her say that, but then a thought struck him. He knew a summon couldn't happen unless both sides were honest with each other. This could only mean that someone else had manipulated Lila into performing the summon without her knowledge. And that person must be hiding, not showing themselves now for some unknown reason.
As they entered the settlement, Kai's senses were overwhelmed. The air was filled with the scents of cooking fires, animals, and people living in close quarters. Children ran between the houses, playing games and laughing. Adults went about their daily tasks, some casting curious glances at the newcomer in their midst.
Despite the poverty evident in the rough buildings and worn clothes of the inhabitants, there was a sense of community and resilience that Kai couldn't help but admire. People greeted each other warmly, shared what little they had, and worked together to maintain their hidden home.
Lila led them to a small house built against the trunk of a massive tree. "This is where my siblings and I live," she explained, pushing open the rough wooden door.
Inside, the house was small but tidy. A fire burned in a central hearth, filling the single room with warmth and the smell of something cooking. Two young children, a boy and a girl, looked up from where they were playing on the floor with carved wooden toys.
"Lila!" they cried in unison, rushing to hug their older sister. Then they noticed Kai and Klaus, their eyes widening with curiosity.
"Who's that?" the little girl asked, pointing at Kai.
Lila smiled, ruffling her sister's hair. "This is Kai. He's... here to help us," she said, though Kai could hear the uncertainty in her voice.
As the children bombarded Kai with questions, he couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions. He was frustrated at being tricked, confused about his purpose here, and worried about the implications of someone manipulating Lila's summoning. But looking at the hopeful faces of Lila and her siblings, he also felt a growing sense of responsibility.
Whatever the reason for his being here, these people needed help. And despite his initial reluctance, Kai found himself wanting to understand more about this world and the challenges these outcasts faced.
As night fell over the settlement, bringing with it a chorus of nocturnal creatures and the twinkling of stars through the canopy above, Kai settled in for what he realized would be a very different adventure than he had expected. But as he watched Klaus and Lila's siblings fall asleep, curled up together like a litter of puppies, he couldn't help but smile. Maybe, just maybe, this was exactly where he needed to be.