"Where am I?"
Elric suddenly opened his eyes and looked around, realizing he was no longer at the battle site but had returned to the inn where he had been staying.
He found himself lying on the bed, his limbs intact.
Though his muscles were sore and his head was slightly dizzy, he was surprised to realize that he was alive. This left him puzzled.
Elric tried to recall what had happened, but all he could remember were the events right before he passed out.
He turned his head to look outside the window, noticing that it was already daylight.
Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a serene glow on the floor.
"Mommy, are you there?"
Elric asked softly, feeling a vague sense of unease in his heart.
"I'm here,"
Calista's voice echoed in his mind, as calm as always.
Hearing her response, Elric finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank you for saving me, Mommy,"
he whispered, already guessing that his survival was once again due to Calista's intervention.
"You're still too weak. It looks like we'll need to intensify your training,"
her blunt criticism left him feeling a bit dejected.
Elric didn't argue against Calista's assessment. Deep down, he knew she was right.
His strength was still insufficient, especially when facing powerful enemies. He felt powerless.
If he wanted to avenge those who had been harmed by the Wild Dog Gang, he would need to become much stronger.
Just as he was lost in thought, his stomach suddenly growled, prompting him to smile wryly.
He hurried to get dressed, noticing that his clothes were new, as were his shoes.
Though he was a bit surprised by this, he didn't dwell on it too much.
Right now, filling his stomach was his priority.
Elric quickly got ready and headed downstairs for breakfast.
...
"Did you hear? A powerful psychic showed up in Blackstone City yesterday and killed a bunch of Wild Dog Gang members."
Downstairs, many people were having breakfast, and nearly everyone was talking about the events of the previous day.
Elric couldn't help but overhear as he ate and listened to the ongoing conversations.
"Yeah, and the Wild Dog Gang even sent a Four-Realm psychic, but he died on the spot.
They said there were nothing but pieces of flesh and bone left—no complete bodies."
Hearing this, Elric felt a mix of emotions.
He knew that the powerful psychic they were referring to was none other than Calista.
Only she possessed such immense power.
"And do you know what? Even the Blackstone Duke is searching for that powerful psychic.
There are notices all over the city offering fifty gold coins for accurate information about them."
"That's insane! Do you think the Blackstone Duke wants to recruit that psychic?"
"Definitely. The Four Great Families have been weakening, and the Blackstone family is in the worst shape.
The Royal White Swan Court wants to take back the power the families hold.
If the Blackstone family can recruit that psychic, they might have enough strength to challenge the royal court."
As Elric listened to these discussions, unease settled deep in his heart.
Calista's power had already drawn the attention of Blackstone City's ruling elite.
"You haven't noticed that Blackstone City is locked down today? No one can leave. Every faction is out there looking for that psychic."
"Why doesn't the psychic show up? Don't they want treasure and power?"
"Who knows? All psychics are weird like that."
The lockdown on the city, along with the fact that every faction was searching for Calista, made Elric's heart race. He almost dropped his spoon.
He swallowed hard, forcing himself to stay calm.
Just then, the sound of footsteps outside caught his attention.
The Blackstone City Guard had arrived at the inn's entrance, and the atmosphere instantly grew tense.
A captain of the Blackstone City Guard entered the inn, scanning the room.
His gaze slowly fell on Elric, and he frowned slightly.
One of the guards noticed where the captain was looking and asked.
"Captain, is there something wrong with that kid?"
The captain was about to respond when Elric quickly jumped off his chair and ran outside, heading toward a middle-aged couple.
Elric squeezed between them and grabbed their hands.
"You finally came? I've already finished my meal. Take me home."
He spoke so naturally, his voice carrying the innocence of a child.
The middle-aged couple was clearly caught off guard.
They glanced at the boy in front of them, then at the Blackstone guards.
It was evident that they recognized Elric.
The middle-aged man quickly reacted, offering a self-deprecating smile and gently patting Elric's head.
"We got held up a bit. Sorry about that. How about we get you a toy on the way home?"
"Okay!"
Elric responded cheerfully, a wide smile spreading across his face.
The middle-aged couple wasted no time and quickly led Elric away.
As they walked off, one of the guards turned to the captain and asked,
"Should we follow them?"
"No, it's fine. I was just curious why the kid was eating alone,"
the captain shook his head, then turned to the innkeeper to question him about the previous day's events.
...
The trio soon arrived at a tavern called George's Tavern.
George opened the door, and after Elric and Melissa entered, he locked it and lit a candle, casting a warm glow throughout the dark room.
"Elric, you've grown taller.
We haven't seen you in half a year, have we? I almost didn't recognize you."
Melissa looked at the boy in front of her.
In her memory, Elric had been a small and skinny child, not very tall and with a frail body.
Now, seven months later, she barely recognized him.
He had become much more robust, his face filled out, and he had grown significantly taller.
George also spoke up.
"When I saw a kid suddenly grabbing my hand, I had no idea what was happening. I didn't expect it to be you.
Were you afraid of being taken to an orphanage?"
Elric nodded.
"Yes, I don't want to go to an orphanage."
George and Melissa had long desired to have a child, but no matter how hard they tried, they could never make it happen.
Eventually, they had to give up on the idea.
With Blackstone City's situation becoming more chaotic, a new thought began to form in Melissa's mind.
"Why don't we just let him stay here?"
Melissa softly suggested.
George remained silent for a moment, considering her words. After a while, he nodded in agreement.
"Alright."
They decided to let Elric stay at the tavern to keep him safe from the turmoil in the city.
Elric had been preparing a whole speech, ready to plead with George and Melissa to take him in.
He didn't expect things to turn out better than he had imagined.
They offered to let him stay without him even needing to ask, which made him feel a sense of relief and warmth.
Swallowing back the words he had prepared, Elric bowed deeply to George and Melissa, expressing his gratitude.
"Thank you for taking me in."
George and Melissa exchanged a smile, their eyes full of care as they looked at Elric.