Lena's father leaned slightly toward her, looking at her with a mix of interest and affection.
"So... what do you think, daughter? You've listened to me talk about my story, now it's your turn to tell me yours," he said, his voice softening as he noticed the slight resistance in Lena's gaze.
Lena crossed her arms and frowned, but a playful smile appeared at the corner of her lips. "You want to know everything? My past lives are... well, they're not as heroic as yours. There were more toasters and absurd things involved than battles and dragons."
Her father laughed and leaned back in his chair, clearly enjoying every word, "Toasters, huh? That's an interesting detail."
Lena smiled and looked up at the ceiling, recalling one of her more absurd lives. "Yeah... in another life I was... well, just a regular person. Until I had the misfortune of encountering a defective toaster. You should see how dangerous an appliance can be when you're not careful."
"I guess I've missed a lot in the other worlds," her father murmured with genuine surprise, "So, you're telling me you've lived many lives before this one?"
Lena nodded, and for the first time, her gaze revealed something more than humor; there was a touch of nostalgia and, perhaps, exhaustion. "I've lived and died more times than I can remember. I always come back, though I don't know why. Some lives were better than others, but all of them taught me something.
Many times, I didn't value life enough, the feelings, the emotions felt unreal after moving to another world, the pain of nostalgia is constant."
Her father observed her in silence, understanding the weight of her words, "It must be exhausting, carrying so many lives. But maybe... maybe all those lives were meant to bring you here, to this moment."
Lena snorted, but a spark of appreciation reflected in her eyes, "Is that what you're trying to make me believe? That fate has brought me here to be… the daughter of the most eccentric librarian in the demon realm?"
"Well, when you put it that way, it even sounds poetic, doesn't it?" her father said, smiling widely. "And, besides that, a warrior-in-training with a future full of adventures."
Lena sighed, resigned, but the sparkle in her eyes betrayed her excitement. "Alright, alright, old man, I won't say I don't like being here, it's just that... this time, I want this life to last longer. I want to see the world, discover, and understand what purpose all these reincarnations have."
Her father nodded, turning serious, "Then let's make a deal, Lena, while you're here, I'll teach you everything I know. It may not come with many physical rewards, but I'll offer you my knowledge and, if necessary, even that old warrior's manual I mentioned before."
Lena blinked, surprised, and for a moment, was speechless, "Really? Do you really think I can become someone strong... someone who can live?"
The man placed a firm hand on her shoulder. "You're my daughter, Lena, and though fate brought you here through a different path, I know you have the potential, besides, you've already gone through more than I've seen in two lives, so, what do you say? You and I... then I'll kick you out of the nest like a mother bird."
Lena nodded slowly. "Alright, father, but promise me one thing."
"What is it, daughter?"
"That, when the time comes, you'll teach me the power of a reincarnated librarian."
Her father simply smiled.
...
The next morning, Lena was in the backyard, rubbing her sleepy eyes as her father waited with a smile on his face and his arms crossed.
"Come on, sleepyhead," he joked, "Today is the first day of your training. We'll start with the basics, running and push ups, If you can't handle that, forget about wielding a sword or setting out to explore."
Lena yawned, not hiding her lack of enthusiasm, "Is that really all? running and push ups? Sounds easy."
"Oh, really?" her father replied, raising an eyebrow, "Why don't you try running to that hill and back... about twenty times? And then we'll see how you do with the push ups."
Lena swallowed, noticing the distance to the hill he pointed to it wasn't a short stretch, but she didn't want to appear weak, "fine, I can do that," she said determinedly, and set off running toward the hill.
By the tenth lap, her legs felt like lead, and sweat trickled down her forehead. By the twentieth, her legs were like sticks, and when she reached the starting point, she looked at her father, who waited calmly.
"Tired?" he asked with a calm smile.
Lena shook her head, out of breath. "Tired? Of course not... What's next?"
"Push ups, I need you to do at least thirty. I don't want to hear complaints," he said, walking toward her with his hands behind his back, like he was supervising a soldier.
Lena dropped to the ground and began doing the push-ups, though her arms were already shaking after the first ten. By the twentieth, she felt she couldn't go on, but her father's firm voice kept her focused.
"Come on, Lena. If you want to face the world, start by conquering yourself, ten more."
She took a deep breath, and with an effort she didn't know she had, managed to complete the thirty she fell on her back, gasping as the sky spun above her.
"I didn't think push ups would be this hard," she murmured, closing her eyes for a moment.
Her father knelt beside her and patted her on the back, "that's how it starts, my dear. Don't worry, in a few days this will feel like a piece of cake. Tomorrow, it's weights."
Lena opened one eye and looked at him skeptically, "weights? Why do I need so much physical training? Aren't I supposed to have magical abilities?"
"You do, but magic won't be much help if you don't have the physical endurance to stay on your feet," he explained patiently, besides, strengthening the body and mind go hand in hand, and believe me, lifting weights is just the beginning."
Lena nodded, though not entirely convinced. Still, something in her father's gaze a mix of pride and expectation gave her strength.
"It's a weak start, Kids your age would have finished those laps around the hill in less than ten minutes."
"Pfft."
"For being a little late, go find me these plants."
"Huh?!"
"Bone Crusher," "Venom of a Thousand Salamanders."
.
Lena looked at him incredulously, noting he wasn't joking, "Bone Crusher? Venom of a Thousand Salamanders? That sounds more like a list of ingredients for a curse!"
...
Lena took a deep breath, still feeling the fatigue in her muscles, but she wasn't about to back down, "fine, but where do I find them? Will you give me a clue?"
Her father leaned toward her and, with an almost conspiratorial look, pointed toward the forest. "Start by the edge of the dark forest. You'll find the Bone Crusher there, it's a plant with purple leaves and thorny edges, growing near large stones, but be careful..."
Its sap is very toxic, the Bone Crusher was not only toxic, but when squeezed, it released golden dust that could paralyze anyone who inhaled it.
The effect was almost immediate, her father explained "hen, if you go a bit further, between the roots of fallen trees, you'll find the Thousand Venoms Salamander."
It has a dark reddish color and coils in a spiral. Here's a small knife you'll need it."
...
In a dense forest, with only a few rays of light filtering through the leaves, Lena began her search cautiously, the sound of her shoes touching and getting dirty with each step. Remembering her father's descriptions, her eyes scanned every corner, After a while, she spotted a group of plants with purple leaves and thorny edges, just as her father had described the Bone Crusher, ahe approached slowly, making sure not to touch it directly.
"Perfect... now for the other one," she murmured, satisfied to have passed the first part of the test.
In a moment, she heard a sound from the forest, and went on alert.
"Kyuw."
Lena sighed, a rabbit. "Kyuw." But suddenly, the rabbit burst into violet flames, a small horn emerging from its head.
And it charged toward her.
With a clumsy twist, she tried to dodge the attack, but her foot slipped on the damp forest floor, she fell to the side, the impact jolting her body, and a sharp pain shot through her hip.
"Damn it!" she cursed herself, quickly getting up, no time to lament, the rabbit was already about to reach her, and Lena, struggling to keep her balance, stepped back... but her legs faltered again. "No..."
"I can't let it catch me," she thought, fighting to stand as fear took hold of her.
She couldn't afford to fall again, the rabbit aimed its horn, trying to stab.
The Bone Crusher he had picked fell from his hand as he tried to dodge the rabbit, upon hitting the ground, it exploded into specks of golden dust
Lena remembered her father's warnings the Bone Crusher wasn't just toxic. When pressed, it released golden dust that could paralyze anyone who inhaled it. "He said the effect was almost immediate."
She stepped back, dodging the rabbit's attack and rolling toward the plant, once close, she grabbed one of its thorny leaves and tucked it behind her back, waiting for the perfect moment. The rabbit, with its gleaming horn and violet fire eyes, pursued her without hesitation, preparing its final leap.p
Lena retreated until her back hit a tree, this was the point of no return,the rabbit lunged at her in a final attack.
The moment it was close enough, Lena pulled out the thorny leaf and clenched it tightly, the thorns dug into her hand, causing a sharp, warm pain, but she didn't let go. The leaf exploded in golden dust just as the rabbit reached the air in front of her.
Lena felt a numbness in her arm but ignored the discomfort and held her breath. In midair, the rabbit froze, its muscles rigid and its gaze locked in an expression of restrained fury.
Without losing a second, and despite the fact that her other hand was already paralyzed from the effect of Bone Crusher, Lena drew the small knife her father had given her with her remaining hand. With cold precision, she stabbed it into the rabbit's neck, ending the fight in a single motion, the creature fell to the ground, and the violet flames covering its body faded, leaving behind only a faint trace of smoke and a silence interrupted only by the rustling leaves and the wind.
Breathing deeply to calm her racing heart, Lena looked at her bloodied hand and sighed.