Keon exhaled deeply, lowering his gaze as if lost in thought. His fingers idly traced patterns on the dirt, and for a moment, the playful edge in his expression faded.
Stella's sharp eyes softened just a little. She had seen that look before—the kind worn by people who had been through hell and somehow crawled their way out.
Damn… did he lose his family to the monsters? Was he abandoned? No wonder he's out here alone…
Meanwhile, inside Keon's head
Yeah, there's no way she'd believe me if I told her I got reincarnated, ended up in a dying dungeon, made a deal with a skeletal dragon, got a system, and then yeeted a giant wolf twice just to test my abilities. Also, explaining all that sounds exhausting… yeah, nope.
Keon sighed again, shaking his head. "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you."
Stella's fists clenched slightly. She thought she understood now—this wasn't just some reckless kid. Whatever had happened to him, it had forced him to survive in ways no one his age should have to.
"…I get it," she said, her voice quieter than before.
Keon almost snorted. No, you really don't.
Keon sighed again, as if debating whether to say anything. Then, with a resigned shrug, he finally spoke.
"…It's because of my Esperia."
Stella narrowed her eyes. "Your Esperia?"
Keon nodded, keeping his expression serious. "Yeah. It's unstable. I can't control it. It keeps randomly teleporting me from place to place, and I've been stuck with it since I was a kid."
Stella's eyebrows furrowed, processing his words. "Unstable spatial Esperia? That's… rare."
Keon internally smirked. Hook, line, and sinker.
She crossed her arms. "Wait, so you're saying you ended up here because your Esperia just… threw you into the middle of nowhere?"
Keon nodded solemnly. "Yup."
"That's… insane." Stella ran a hand through her silver-white hair, her brain trying to make sense of it. "And you've been like this since you were a kid?"
"More or less." Keon kept his face straight. Wow, I'm good at this.
Stella looked at him with a mix of sympathy and astonishment. A teleportation ability with no control? Constantly being ripped from one place to another? It sounded like a nightmare.
She sighed. "That explains why you're so… different."
Keon almost chuckled. If only you knew how different.
Keon exhaled, stretching his arms lazily before adding, "After a while, I kinda learned how to control it. Started shaping it into something useful—like a defensive barrier." He glanced at Stella, his expression unreadable. "Believe it or not, doesn't really matter much to me."
Stella stared at him, still trying to wrap her head around his story. A teleportation Esperia that evolved into a defensive barrier? That wasn't exactly impossible, but it was definitely unheard of.
She crossed her arms. "So you're telling me you went from being randomly thrown around the world to mastering a completely different application of your ability?"
Keon smirked. "What can I say? Adapt or die."
Stella huffed. "Tch. That's insane."
"Yeah, well, welcome to my life." Keon leaned back, looking up at the sky as if none of this really concerned him. Inside, he was amused. Wow, I really just made all that up on the spot. And she's actually buying it.
Stella's expression shifted slightly. "What about your parents?" she asked, her voice softer but still carrying a firm curiosity.
Keon's smirk faded. He looked away, his gaze trailing off into the distance. "I don't remember them," he said flatly.
It was the truth—he didn't. And the memories of this body's original owner? Not exactly worth holding on to.
But inside, Keon had another thought. Well, if they abandoned this Keon, then maybe they weren't exactly great at parenting anyway.
He exhaled through his nose, his voice steady but detached. "It's better if I don't know. Doesn't matter anymore."
Stella studied him for a moment, mistaking the coldness in his tone for something deeper—resentment.
He blames them, she thought. For not being able to help him. For not even coming to look for him.
She knew that feeling. That quiet anger, buried under the surface, hidden behind indifference. She had seen it before in others… and in herself.
Stella hesitated for a moment before sighing and sitting down next to Keon. The ground was rough, but she didn't seem to care.
"It's not really your parents' fault," she said, her voice quieter now, less sharp. "Sometimes things happen. Sometimes people can't… be there, even if they want to."
Keon hummed in response, but his eyes drifted away from her, landing on the undead serpent in the distance. It was still struggling, its body slowly repairing itself, blue embers flickering as bone reformed. He observed it for a second before speaking.
"Well, they abandoned me. That's what I know." His tone was calm, matter-of-fact, but there was something hollow about it.
Stella watched him, her expression softening. To her, it sounded like he was just stating a fact—like he had already convinced himself there was no point in questioning it.
She felt a pang of pity.
For someone so young to be stuck here, surviving on his own… what had his life even been like?
Stella suddenly stood up, brushing the dust off her uniform. "Stop blaming your parents, kid," she said, her tone firm but not unkind. "Whether they left you behind or not, dwelling on it won't change anything."
Keon blinked, about to retort, but she continued before he could.
"I'm taking you out of here. Back to the city." She crossed her arms. "I don't know which city you belong to, but I'll bring you to Silvent City—my home. Once we're there, I'll help you find your parents."
Keon frowned slightly. Find his parents? What was she even talking about? He barely had time to process her words, but the moment he heard city, the rest of her speech faded into the background.
His mind went quiet.
A city. A real one.
Not the underground hideouts, not the ruined outskirts—an actual city where people lived.
For the first time since their conversation started, Keon didn't have a smart remark or a lazy excuse. He just sat there, staring at her, listening.
Stella crossed her arms, her sharp blue eyes narrowing as she looked down at Keon.
"Don't talk like that," she scolded, her voice firm. "You were just a kid when you got lost or—teleported, whatever. How could your parents have known where you were? Do you really think they just gave up on you?"
Keon opened his mouth to argue, but she cut him off.
"I'm finding your parents, and when we do, they can apologize properly." She huffed, placing her hands on her hips. "No parent just forgets their kid. They must have worked hard to look for you, and you don't even know the full story. You can't just decide it doesn't matter."
Keon stared at her, blinking. He wasn't used to people pushing back like this—not on something so personal. Most of the time, people just accepted whatever he said. But Stella wasn't letting this go.
He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "You're way too invested in this," he muttered.