《The Legendary White Tiger Witch and her Incompetent Apprentice / Lazy Lady Leion: Tales of the free》 Chapter 1 ‘A meeting… with a God?’ ¡®To think my dream would come true so soon¡­ gosh, I really am blessed¡¯ Floating in a dark, endless abyss, Leion could hardly process the bliss constantly filling his entire being. Gaining the opportunity to forever indulge in his dreams was a pleasure beyond compare. ¡®Man, if I knew death was going to be like this, I would¡¯ve tried it a lot sooner...¡¯ Now, don¡¯t misunderstand Leion. He, like the average individual, desired to live. In fact, Leion would go so far as to state his desire trumped the average individual ten times over. Unlike the average person, who could only experience the pleasures of reality, Leion was capable of escaping it and experiencing far greater joys. Joys found in sleep. This naturally resulted in Leion having a higher desire to live. ¡®Hehehe... what should I dream of next?¡¯ Leion had arrived in this paradise some time ago¡ªnot that it mattered much. A paradise like this rendered such concepts irrelevant. A good thing for the dead, in terms of one of their many perks. It was perhaps only second to the loss of basic needs. No longer did Leion need to waste time eating, drinking, defecating, and all the other problems that came with being alive. The lack of a body was simply stellar. ¡®Ah, that would be just lovely'' Finally picking a particular lucid dream scenario, Leion felt his consciousness slowly start to fade away, ready for his next grand adventure. That¡¯s enough. A light, humorous voice echoed in Leion¡¯s mind, stealing his sleep. Reeling from the shock and confusion, Leion tried to search around with his nonexistent eyes for his attacker. Abruptly, pressure pushed down on him. ¡®My body?¡¯ As the pressure gripped him, Leion¡¯s bliss turned to a dull ache. What had once been a pleasant void now felt suffocating, the darkness twisting around him like iron chains. His lack of a body suddenly wasn¡¯t a comfort¡ªit was a prison. Panic flared for the first time since he died. Still completely baffled, it took Leion a scarily long time to notice he was falling. Never having moved through the black abyss, Leion simply assumed it was nothing¡ªmerely the absence of light. But now, as the tendrils of darkness tickled his body (?), he pondered for the first time in what must have been ages... where exactly was he? His body seemed to accelerate faster and faster until suddenly stopping. The darkness around him was still ever-present, yet for some reason, its presence felt weaker. ¡®Ugh, this feels so wrong¡¯ A sensation long forgotten assaulted Leion¡¯s mind. How was it even possible for the dead to feel sick? Was he really dead? Leion had always just assumed when he opened his eyes and saw nothing but darkness. He hadn¡¯t really felt his body until now, but that didn¡¯t necessarily mean it hadn¡¯t existed. ¡®Agh! Enough thinking!¡¯ Deciding to focus on the important, Leion ignored the distractions to focus on his happiness. Oi, are you seriously trying to sleep again? The darkness under Leion parted. Light, in the shape of a giant, emerged from the separation. It rushed over and grasped him before swiftly descending. Do you know how much trouble you¡¯ve caused me? A humanoid being made of incandescent white light loomed over Leion. Its presence radiated overwhelming power, yet its tone was almost... amused. Leion struggled to comprehend it, suffering a sensory onslaught. Suddenly, he was breathing, gasping for air. A low hum, accompanied by a sweet smell, burnt his nose and ears. The skin on his body writhed in pain at the gentle, warm touch of the humanoid figure. My, aren¡¯t you a dramatic one? The hand holding Leion let go. A whimper¡ªthe product of a failed scream¡ªwas the only sound made as Leion¡¯s body crashed into the glass-like ground. Vision still swimming, body still aching, Leion laid silently. Are you ready to talk? Eyes glazing blankly at the scenery, Leion pondered the words. Sitting across from him right now was a giant humanoid made of light. Beneath it¡ªand him¡ªwas a clear, glass-like ground forming a thin barrier between him and the darkness he had grown to love. Above him was what could only be called an evening sky, dotted with countless purple and blue stars. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. It didn¡¯t take a genius to realise this wasn¡¯t a normal situation. Closing his eyes, Leion did the most logical thing. Sleep. You know, if you keep doing that... I might really be forced to zap you into oblivion. Sitting up, Leion decided to properly address the being in front of him. After all, it was only polite behaviour and common courtesy. ¡°Greetings, I am¡ª¡± (L) Leion Halfheart, an aspiring businessman, entrepreneur, and future billionaire. Pausing, Leion gazed at the giant, who spoke with an amused tone. Did it find such words amusing? Possibly. Claiming to achieve great feats without actually accomplishing or even working toward them would indeed be quite amusing. With a smile, he concluded, ¡°How may I be of help?¡± (L) The giant raised a hand to its face¡ªlacking features¡ªand chuckled. Well, since you¡¯ve offered so earnestly... The giant soundlessly clapped its hands together. A book coloured a shade of orange similar to the sky fell on its lap. The giant flipped through a couple of pages before expressing: Yes, here. Leion Halfheart. Championed as Humanity¡¯s Light, Leion Halfheart is considered to be one of the greatest, if not the greatest, humans to have ever been born. Gifted from a young age, Leion Halfheart¡¯s contributions to grand society drove human development and research, allowing humanity to reach heights once thought impossible. The effects of his work rocketed humanity into a golden, eternal age, from which it was impossible to fall. ''How unfortunate'' The giant stopped reading and looked up at Leion. Wordlessly, it continued: Listed below, one can find a brief summary of his life¡¯s contributions: Academic: Awards in the disciplines of Social Sciences (Archaeology, Area- Studies, Geography, Anthropology, Cultural-Ethnic- Studies, Gender-Sexuality- Studies, Psychology, Sociology, Economics, and Political- Science), Natural Sciences (Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Earth- Sciences, Space Science), Formal Sciences (Applied Mathematics, Pure Mathematics, Logic, Statistics, Systems- Science, Computer Science), and Humanities (Religion, Literature, Arts, Linguistics, and Philosophy). Political/Social: Formation of Gan-Galaxy League, Institutionalisation of the Sumun Committee, Establishment of Archaic Madam¡¯s War Law, Party founder of the Great Summit... ''For crying out loud... how long is this damn list?'' It didn''t even sound like something a person could accomplish if given three lives. The sheer boredom of listening to it all was making Leion doze off. ''I''ll just close my eyes for a little bit'' Surely, the giant couldn''t expect him to 100 percent pay attention. ''Yeah...a few good seconds of shut eye never hurt anyone'' Plus, it wasn''t like he was going to sleep through the damn whole thing. A light shockwave woke Leion up. This is the exact problem you need to help me with. Displeasure was evident in the voice of the giant. Sleeping when someone is in the middle of talking to you is truly on another level. Composing himself, Leion spoke up. He was more than used to such complaints. ¡°My deepest apologies; I suffer from narcolepsy and sometimes struggle to keep attentive.¡± (L) Lie to me later. Leion stared mutely at the giant, deciding not to speak. After a few moments, it made a noise akin to a sigh. I have a great love for creating stories. With every piece I create, I pour my very essence into it. Blessing it. Leion sat up a little straighter. Gone was the formerly amused giant. Present was a sombre being. It... It is why my very being ACHES when those stories are destroyed. A quiet wrath encompassed the giant''s voice. Beings who would destroy something so precious, so dear are a kind of wicked that should cease. The giant took a pause. Do you know why I told you the story of Leion Halfheart? That was supposed to be you, you know? Quiet, Leion continued staring. That sounded a little too grandiose. Ah, yes. I remember creating it so finely. Such a spectacular story it was. Filled with all the important particularities! Suspense! Sorrow! And finally, sweetness! It was supposed to be the journey of a lifetime¡ªa one-in-a-trillion story! Leion gazed at the giant. The one spouting disturbing things. Picking up his professional voice once again, Leion spoke: ¡°Ah, I¡¯m truly sorry for the inconvenience.¡± (L) Bowing, Leion continued: ¡°I precisely understand just how terrible it is to pour your heart into something only for it to be destroyed.¡± (L) Head still lowered; Leion waited for the giant¡¯s reply. Tell me, Leion... Why are you so wicked? The blood in his now brand-new body ran cold. Never have I experienced such indignation, such fury. Humourless laughter rang out. Do you know why you were trapped in the lands of the Common? It was to not only cleanse you but to rid me of my fury. Yet, despite my efforts, not only do you remain unchanged, but I find my fury has returned. ¡®Is that what it¡¯s called?'' Despite the situation, Leion struggled to care about the fury of the giant before him. He couldn''t help but be more interested in getting back to the land of the Common. Unfortunately, he still needed to buy time before requesting to return. Asking now would be an awful idea. That... that precise attitude and mentality is why... ''Ah, crap'' The giant stood. You must atone. "Wait, wait! Can we-!" (L) Leion Halfheart, you have cheated me out of a story. For your wickedness, I sentence you to a life bound with hard labour. You will create me a story. One worthy of two great lives. A story legend. Scrambling back, Leion tried to flee. Things have gotten too far out of hand. Distancing himself from this absurd creature was the right call... until a pain bloomed in his body. It resulted in him crumpling down like a puppet whose strings had been cut. The giant took a singular step yet managed to not only reach him but hoist his body up by the leg. In spite of your failings, my graciousness still extends to my beloved stories. And, as such, an aid will guide you to ensure you follow the correct path. The hand grasping Leion loosened gradually before finally letting go. Don¡¯t fail me. I won''t be so forgiving again. The cold words echoed in Leion''s mind as his body fell. Short-lived panic filled him as his neck made contact with the ground. It was dark again. And, unlike before, no dreams greeted him. Chapter 2 ‘The Tiger and the Fox’ A chilling wind brushed against Leion¡¯s body. It was cold. ¡®Where am I?¡¯ Mind still slow, Leion attempted to grasp his surroundings. Rapidly blinking, his eyes slowly came into focus. He was in a desert? A frozen one seemingly in the midst of nothing. Snow stretched as far as his eye could discern. Only a dead tree greeted him as he turned around and made his final confirmations. ¡®Ugh, that doesn¡¯t feel right¡¯ The movement felt off. Something was wrong; something was seriously wrong with his body. Gazing down, the usual sight that greeted him evaded his vision. In its place, was what only could be defined as superbly strange. Fur. Leion was completely covered in thick, pure white fur. It bore similar stripes to those of a zebra, yet its texture appeared to be more composed of that of a polar bear. ¡®What the hell!¡¯ Leion stood up, or at least attempted to. When pushing up to stand, his legs bent awkwardly before quickly giving out and causing him to fall back. Leion lay in the snow. A man didn¡¯t have to be wise to guess what happened. ¡®What did that thing turn me into!¡¯ It was one thing to punish a person, but to steal their humanity too seemed like an act to rub salt in the wound. ¡®Why me?¡¯ Leion wasn¡¯t a bad person. Sure, maybe he was a little lazier than the average, but that couldn¡¯t mean he deserved this! ¡®Is it so wrong to just want to sleep?¡¯ All his life, people tried to motivate him to do more. To be more. Leion didn¡¯t care for them; he couldn¡¯t. No matter how much they pushed their ideals on him. The only thing he ever desired to do was to sleep, to dream. Dream of the impossible. The words of the entity rang in Leion¡¯s mind. ¡®Hard labour¡¯ For those dreams, he was condemned. Sentenced to create a life, a story someone else found amusing. ¡®Ha¡­ like I¡¯d let that happen!¡¯ Leion was no stranger to avoiding situations like these. If he wasn¡¯t, how could he have enjoyed his old life? This entity was just another person on his long list to avoid. Heck, it wouldn¡¯t be hard, especially considering, by the way it was talking, it wouldn¡¯t be here. ¡®That aid though¡­¡¯ Perhaps the most concerning thing at the moment. That entity apparently sent something to ¡°guide¡± him. ¡®Not much I can do now regardless¡­¡¯ Not that he wanted to, and anyway, in the event the ¡°guide¡± came, Leion could always just leave or hide. ¡®Hehe, this might actually be not so bad?¡¯ Leion was evidently not a human anymore. Nobody but himself should bother him. ¡®Yeah¡­¡¯ Maybe this whole thing might¡¯ve been a blessing in disguise. Sauntering awkwardly on all fours, Leion made way to the dead tree. The newly designated bed. Everyone knew the best sleep you could get was under a beautiful tree, irrespective of whether it was alive. ¡®I guess I miss tasting food¡¯ In the end, there was one thing the Lands of the Commons lacked. Good food. The thing second only to blissful sleep. No matter how creative Leion was, he couldn¡¯t imagine taste. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Finally reaching the dead tree, Leion settled beside it. His body seemed too curly in an instinctive manner, as if sensing his intentions. Relaxed, Leion decided. It was time to sleep. A deep guttural roar woke Leion. Two days had passed since he first opened eyes here. Stretching his body, he prepared to practice walking again. It should¡¯ve been obvious to him given all the clues, but Leion was still surprised when he finally internalised the fact he was in the body of a tiger, a white one. Hopefully, the body was nothing like the ones he knew. Starting to walk circles around the tree, Leion let his mind wonder. The sole thing he could for entertainment once awake. Was he still on Earth? He assumed so when he first awoke but threw that idea immediately out the window once he gazed upon the tree carefully. Upon closer inspection, what he once thought of as simple bark appeared to be silver like the metal. The tree, which didn¡¯t look as dead as before, was secreting a substance that was hardening on its bark. Unless there was such a thing on Earth, Leion doubted he was still there. It was like the tree was creating a barrier against the cold. The cold that was steadily getting harsher as the days passed. Stopping his walk, Leion couldn¡¯t help but let out a satisfied roar. He was getting this stuff down pretty fast. Escaping the aid sent was going to be a piece of cake. Laying backdown next to the tree, Leion decided to head to his happy place once more. Eyes closed, he readied himself. Slowly sleep came over, and¡ªjust when it was about to seize him¡ªa rumble echoed in his gut. ¡®Ugh¡¯ Leion was starting to miss the Land of the Common. For the past two days, hunger combined with the distant agitated roars to ruin his sleep. If he didn¡¯t solve at least one of those problems, he wouldn¡¯t be getting sleep. ¡®Where would I even find-¡¯ Leion¡¯s ears perked up. Something was close; he stood Scanning his surroundings revealed nothing but vast snow. ¡®Agh, I think I might be a little on edge¡¯ Calming himself, Leion gradually laid back down. ¡®Hehe, I just hunger really does bring-¡¯ The snow moved. Leion stood up once more. Several figures were heading his direction. ¡®Are¡­ those foxes?¡¯ It certainly looked like it. Counting, there were about four snow white foxes, with one leading. ¡®Mother and cubs¡¯ Foxes didn¡¯t hunt in packs. ¡®Hehe, wrong opponent¡¯ Leion was a tiger. Have you ever seen a tiger lose to a fox? He should just scare them away and try to go back to sleep. Taking a deep breath, Leion started to muster up a roar. This body did have a use after all. Letting out the roar, Leion watched as it had its intended effect. The foxes ground to a halt and mutely observed him. ¡®Scram already and stop wasting my-¡¯ Suddenly, one of the cubs broke out from the group and began charging towards him. ¡®W-What the?¡¯ Backing up, Leion watched the cub grow closer and seemingly bigger. It was only when it was directly upon him did he comprehend the lack of a sizeable difference between them. This was one big cub.
A deep roar reverberated throughout the mountains. The master was unsettled. Nestled deep within a burrow, a quaint little fox hid from its gaze. Three young cubs snuggled against her, allowing her to provide the warmth they so desperately needed. It was a difficult time for the young family. The worsening temper of the master bore heavy on them. The last two days had been rough. Already they had been forced to move twice due to deteriorating conditions. Heading lower and lower to warmer weather. A real strain after the sudden loss of the male caused the fox the need to hunt. There was not much prey this low. The fox slowly got up, awaking her young cubs. They needed to head lower once more. Crawling out of the den, the fox patiently waited outside for her cubs. One, two, three, and they left. Stalking down the mountains once more. They passed an anomalous amount of creatures as they descended. Every being on this mountain sought to avoid the wrath of the master. No leopard, bear, nor wild beast could resist its might. For, its might, was the only thing previously bringing prosperity to these unforgiving lands. Lower and lower the fox went with her cubs. The terrain before them changing as they descended. Lustrous small silver trees gradually became more numerous, replacing the veiny, sparkly white behemoths. Finally, making it to the clearing that separated the mountains, the fox paused and attempted to hunt. This giving birth to a small succuss in the form of an inattentive bird. The fox quickly had her meal before leaving. It won¡¯t be long before the whole mountains felt the wrath of the master. She needed to find the exit before it was too late. Continuing her march, the fox walked onto the barren land. A whine brought the fox out of its trance. The youngest of her cubs was begging for milk. An action that seemed to prompt the rest to complain as well. Searching for a suitable location to rest, the fox made way to the only thing that stood out. A silver tree. Beckoning her cubs with a yelp, the fox walked to the tree. Slowly arriving, the fox sensed a calming presence nearby the tree. A strikingly familiar one. Cautiously approaching the tree, the fox finally saw it. Stood next to the tree was a cub. The cub of the master. It let out an invitingly cute whine. Before the fox made a move, the youngest of the cubs bolted in the direction of the cub of the master. Unprompted, the remainder of cubs followed suit. The youngest of the cubs arrived first, tackling the cub of the master. Shortly joined by its siblings, the fox cubs proceeded to playful nip and bite at the tail and ears of the cub of the master. Livid, the fox ran and chased away the troublesome cubs. Grabbing the dazed cub of the master, the fox hid her a little way away. If anything were to happen to this cub, no creature alive would be spared. Something needed to protect this cub and, in turn, every creature on this mountain and below. It was the lone way to save their lives. Chapter 3 ‘Eccentric Ensemble of Creatures’
¡®Gods, this is annoying!¡¯ Turning around, Leion growled at the little fox nibbling on his tail. The sharp teeth barely hurt, but it was the sheer persistence that grated on his nerves. ¡®Leave me alone!¡¯ With his attention diverted, another slightly larger fox took the opportunity to tackle him. This resulted in Leion flipping him onto his back paws up. A bad position. He was completely pinned. Swiping at the gathering crowd of foxes, Leion attempted a quick escape. Unfortunately, just as he managed to free himself and stand, the biggest of the three pounced on him. Feeling his new limbs trembling due to the added weight, Leion mustered up all his remaining strength. Sadly, it was simply not meant to be. The now-free remaining foxes took the time to swipe at his hind legs. Leion collapsed in the snow. ¡®I¡¯m so done with this!¡¯ Curling up on himself, Leion decided to wait. The cubs should lose interest¡­ eventually. To fight them right now was only encouraging them with their play. ¡®Where did their mother go!?¡¯ The first time Leion was assaulted by these cubs, their mother stepped in and rescued him. Grabbing him by the scruff of the neck¡ªnot unpleasant as it sounds¡ªshe placed him a safe distance away. She did this a second time too, as well as a third. However, the fourth time, she laid uncaring in the snow, observing their surroundings. ¡®What a terrible mo- OW!¡¯ A light bite on the ear reminded Leion of his current situation. He really was going to just have to wait them out. It was finally over. Sneaking a peak from his position, Leion eyeballed the cubs a few feet from him. He had underestimated them greatly. Or, more accurately, he had overestimated himself. Naturally assuming he was a fully grown tiger was his first mistake. ¡®Well, I can¡¯t be entirely sure they aren¡¯t freakily huge foxes¡¯ Yeah, no, that was the least likely thing going on here. The entity that sent him down here loved story-telling. Clich¨¦ stories tell by the sound of it. Suspense, sorrow, and sadness, it said. What sort of cliche story started with the ¡°hero¡± fully capable? ¡®What are they doing over?¡¯ Freeing himself from his thoughts, Leion fully turned his attention to the fox family. It¡­ it looked like the cubs were feasting on some milk. Leion shivered. With the way they were shoving each other, you would think they were starving. Perhaps, noticing his intense glaring, the fox mother perked up in his direction. She gave a short bark while looking down at her feeding cubs. ¡®Is she inviting me?¡¯ Leion couldn¡¯t help but feel a little disturbed. The behaviour of that mother fox was really odd. From saving him from her cubs to inviting him to feed, nothing about the way it acted felt right. It felt too intelligent, too calculating for a measly fox. It was tempting for Leion to chalk its odd behaviour due to his unique situation. After all, becoming a new creature would naturally change the manner in which he viewed and understood the world. It wasn¡¯t like Leion was truly used to this body. He still randomly felt overwhelmed by the flood of sharper, different senses. The mere scent of the fox cubs caused him to freeze for a moment. But, regardless of those points, there was one thing he knew for certain was odd. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Why didn¡¯t the fox kill him? Wasn¡¯t it only natural for a creature to take out a future threat? Standing up, Leion warily walked over to the mother fox. Such behaviour was simply unnatural. Arriving at the mother fox¡¯s location, Leion debated his next course of action. It¡¯s been two days since he woke up here. In the time, he has consumed scare of anything besides the snow he gorged on daily to keep the hunger at bay. Leion wasn¡¯t longing to visit the entity so soon. As such, it wasn¡¯t even a real choice. Lowering himself, he prepared to feed on the last available spot. The warm liquid flowed down into his gut. It tasted tonnes of foul, but Leion didn¡¯t dare reject it. To would be letting the hunger interfere with his sleep. A few minutes passed with Leion in the position. Sucking it up until he felt his belly full. ¡®Blegh, at least I can go sleep now¡¯ Gazing at the fox cubs asleep on their mother¡¯s breast, Leion shakily walked back to his spot. Content under the tree, he closed his eyes. Sleep was slow to come, but Leion waited patiently. His reward was soon due. An abrupt rumbling in his gut sounded. It appeared his gut had other ideas. Repeatedly trying to sway him to open his eyes. Leion didn¡¯t concede. Not even his stomach burnt nor when the feeling travelled all the way up his throat. Finally reaching his mouth, Leion¡¯s eyes flew open as vomit spewed forth. This couldn¡¯t be good. It was colder today. Laying opposite his spot around the tree, Leion continuedly munched on the snow present before him. It was official his third day here. And, put plainly, the hunger was becoming harder and harder to ignore. At this current rate, Leion may actually die and face that entity a lot sooner than he hoped. ¡®I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m going to out like this¡¯ Leion had repeatedly tried to stomach the milk of the mother fox. Drinking as slowly as possible in order not to upset his stomach. It didn¡¯t work. He threw up every time. Unable to secure any meal by himself, the outcome awaiting him was looking pretty bleak. ¡®A man¡¯s gotta do what a man¡¯s gotta do!¡¯ Standing up, Leion went by the tree and took a bite. If he couldn¡¯t stomach the milk, then he would fill his belly bark. A task considerably easier than wondering around searching for meat. At least with it in his gut, he could trick his body enough to fall back asleep. Seeing his teeth unable to pierce the silver coating on the bark, Leion quickly came back to his senses and collapsed back down. This was unbearable. ¡®I need to clear my head¡­¡¯ Deciding to check on the fox cubs, Leion compelled his body to stand once more. Trudging over to the open hole inside the ground a little way away from the tree, Leion peeked inside the surprisingly spacious burrow. In there, three cubs cosily slept. ¡®No good weasels!¡¯ The mother fox built this burrow the previous night, when the sky dimmed lightly. The night, unlike what Leion was used to, wasn¡¯t that dark nor different from the day. To call it night felt somewhat extreme. Leaving the burrow entrance, Leion stared at the cloudy sky. The day looked darker than before. Dropping his gaze, his eyes landed on the figure of the fox mother. She was still out and about, presumably watching for threats. Leion couldn¡¯t blame the fox for the decision. The once distant roar seemed to grow stronger by the day. The ears of the fox mother perked. Promptly, she stood and turned Something was here. Following her focus, silent dread built in Leion. A leopard had come to visit.
The cub was acting strange. Seeing it continuously bite at the tree filled the fox with more worry. The cub hadn¡¯t fed well and it was behaving strangely. Observing the cub, the fox was tempted to try and comfort it. ROOAAAAARRRRRR A mighty, guttural roar announced the roaming presence of the master. It enticed all who heard it to flee. A once uncommon sound frequently echoed throughout land. Gone was the gentleness it formerly held, replaced by an unknown fury. The fox chose to continue remaining still. With the gradual approach of the master, keeping a lookout became more vital. Nothing must happen to their cub. The fox couldn¡¯t allow anything to happen. She bet the lives of not only herself but those of her cubs. By now, it was too late to leave and gain any considerate distance from the worsening cold. The sole hope for the future of her family rested on the master calming down. The fox snapped to attention. A faint scent was carried in the air. A quiet stalker had been eyeing them for some time. Noticing its discovery, the creature exposed itself. A large, grey-spotted form stepped out from under the snow pile, advancing forward. Baring fangs, the fox prepared. Surprisingly, the eyes of the familiar creature weren¡¯t fixed on the fox. No, they were fixed on the tree behind her. Blocking the view of the cub, the fox placed herself directly in front of the creature. The creature, for its part, stopped its advance. Highly alert, the fox anchored its sights on the creature, taking its form in. It was then, in this state, did she notice something unusual. Tucked between the legs of the creature was a cub. Meeting the eyes of the creature, a silent understanding was made. The fox walked back to the tree. Seeing the hesitation of the spotted, the fox barked at it. This wasn¡¯t the first time they were meeting. They had met before and in similar circumstances. At the time, they had both been in desperate spots and attacked each other. It was only when the master suddenly appeared did they cease their battle. It was impossible to fight in front of the master. The calming aura the master carried made it undoable. Reaching the tree, the fox showed the cub off. It appeared that the cub really took after the master.
Chapter 4 ‘Encounter with the Master of the Mountains’ This couldn¡¯t be normal. Cuddled to his right, slept three white fox cubs. Okay, a little bit of a weird situation but still in the acceptable range. It could happen. Cuddled to his left, slept what seemed like a snow leopard. Alright, okay, this was pushing it more than little, but Leion could still accept. Where Leion really started drawing lines and bothering to ask questions was this. Cuddled behind him, slept a small bear. It had fur coloured a grey similar to the leopard but slightly lighter. It had first taken residency within this burrow not long after the leopard showed. ¡®When did my humble abode turn into a nursery?¡¯ Getting up, Leion walked up to the burrow¡¯s entrance. In the last few days, the weather got progressively cold. The roar that once sounded distant felt eerily close. Leion found himself enjoying the turn of events greatly besides the annoying roar. The freezing weather allowed him to sleep in spite of the discomfort his hunger caused. ¡®Finally, they¡¯re gone¡¯ Peeking outside, Leion celebrated internally. The burrow was disturbingly warm. Leion struggled to sleep down here for any length of time. Sadly, whenever he was trying to sleep in his spot besides the tree, the parents outside would drag him back down here. It¡¯s likely those unusual creatures thought it safer down here. ¡®Wow, it¡¯s snowing¡¯ Standing outside, Leion momentarily froze. Living in the tropics, this was his first time seeing light snowfall. In fact, looking down, this was the first time seeing anything like this. Pushing past the momentary surprise, Leion ignored the feeling. So what if this was his first time seeing this? None of it compared to what he could conjure up in his dreams. He was far better asleep. Settling down by the tree, Leion slipped in his dreams once more. The winds were harsher. Waking up half covered in snow, Leion observed his surroundings. The mother combo of bear, leopard, and fox stood around the perimeter of the tree. Attentively, they stared off into the distance. Watching them, Leion couldn¡¯t help but feel uncomfortable once more. This wasn¡¯t normal behaviour. ¡®Whatever¡¯ The creatures were watching him, and, while that didn¡¯t solve his food problem, it at least freed him from the concern of protection. Leion just needs to stop being weird about it. Taking a bite of snow, Leion closed his eyes and laid his head. He really needs to find a solution to his food problem. This wasn¡¯t sustainable. ROOOOARRRR Leion felt his body halt and faintly start trembling. Wasn¡¯t that a little too close? As if answering his question, the already fast wind picked up in speed. The snow, that once fell light, suddenly changed tempo. Beating the ground with an unmatched intensity. Visibility took a nosedive as Leion stood up. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Despite the change happening all around him, it seemed to focus on a particular spot. In front of the tree where Leion stood, past the bear guarding it, a massive silhouette moved. It slowly approached the tree, resulting in the mothers¡¯ reaction. Forming what looked like a protective line. Dread built in Leion as he eyed the movements of the silhouette. To call what he saw massive was simply doing it a disservice. Larger than even the bear, the silhouette showed no signs of stopping its advance in the face of the protective line. Instead, it emitted a low growl as it neared. The clear origin of the abnormal weather neared and neared, until, finally, its full form came into view. Sleek, snow-white fur reflected in the little light that came through the storm. It contrasted, yet complemented, the dark, black strips that ran the course of its body. If one were to look at the piercing eyes of the creature, they would be met with the cold, icy blue eyes of a predator. An angry predator. Paralysed, only one sole thought consumed Leion. He had to run. It was pointless. Still stuck in place, Leion eyed the predator, the white tiger. Hoping to escape it seemed impossible, improbable. ¡®No, no, no!¡¯ Shaking off his fear, Leion studied the situation present. The mothers of the cubs were still here. With some luck, the tiger would focus on them buying him enough time to run. While not completely used to this body, given enough time, he would still manage to get away. ¡®Yes, I just need to-¡¯ Leion stopped. A frightening scene had taken place right before his eyes. The mothers were bowing. Bowing before the white tiger. Seemingly indifferent, the white tiger continued its journey towards the tree, towards Leion. It took slow, methodical steps passing the mothers. ¡®Move, move, move, move!¡¯ One step, it was close. Two steps, it was near. Three steps, and it had arrived. Looming over the frozen Leion, the massive, white tiger lowered its head and bit his neck. ¡®I¡¯m going to die¡­¡¯ A dwindling thought surfaced in Leion¡¯s mind as he felt his body rendered immobile and conscious fade. It appeared this life was already over. ¡°AHH!¡± (L) Leion woke up with quite the start. Sitting up and grasping at his wildly beating heart, Leion steadily let his body relax. It looks like it happened again. Leion has died once more. Gazing down at his once again human body, Leion couldn¡¯t help but feel a tiny buildup of indignation. What the hell was that?! Rebirthing him in a frozen wasteland devoid of food was beyond unfair. Did that entity really expect him to survive with such odds? What just occurred was the only natural outcome of that situation! His death. Gripping on to the soft fabric covering his body, Leion mentally started to prepare for his next confrontation with the entity. It said it wouldn¡¯t give him another chance. Nothing good can be in store. ¡®Wait, soft fabric?¡¯ Feeling the fabric covering his body, Leion blinked. Then blinked again. This wasn¡¯t anywhere he was familiar with. Carefully looking around, Leion started to process his environment. He appeared to be in a wooden cottage of some kind. It was very spartan with only a table of one, a fireplace, and a resting area. Currently, Leion was sitting in the resting area that resided on the floor. ¡®Where is this?¡¯ Trying to stand, Leion felt a wave of nausea hit his body. Falling back, Leion landed on something that sent a sharp pain throughout his body. ¡®Ah, damn it¡¯ Rubbing the affected area, Leion touched something that was supposed to be there. His hand withdrew immediately. ¡®Was that a tail!?¡¯ Panic took over Leion as he properly began exploring his body. He quickly learned the tail wasn¡¯t his only unusual feature. On the sides of his head, where his ears once existed, sat two fluffy, furry appendages. Looking down at his hand, revealed another discovery. Limbs, tinier than what is expected for an adult, greeted him. ¡®Wh-What has happened to me?!¡¯ Finally, thoroughly distraught and confused, Leion checked his most sensitive area. It was gone. Pinned in a state of disbelief, Leion blankly stared at the only door in the room. Was he dreaming? It certainly felt like he was dreaming. Although¡­ Taking a sharp inhale through his nose, Leion felt the stench of wood corrupt it. He wasn¡¯t dreaming. Lowering himself back in the bed fabric, Leion decided to rest and take stock later. Unfortunately, he wouldn¡¯t be given such a luxury. Without warning, the single door in the room flashed open. A cold, refreshing breeze filled the room as the occupant of the door walked in and slammed it shut. A woman stood by the door. A very beautiful woman stood by the door. She wore a long, flowing robe made of dark, rich fabrics¡ªdeep blues, purples, and blacks. Long snow-white hair cascaded down, creating a remarkable contradiction with the hat, which was similar in colour to the rob. Leion stared at her, completely enamoured... until he met her icy blue eyes. The eyes of a predator, the eyes of a tiger. A beast of power was standing in front of him. Chapter 5 ‘The cabin in the mountains (1)’ The chest of a young girl rose and fell at a steady pace. Here, in this too quiet room, the only thing to be heard was her shallow breaths occasionally accompanied by the odd grunt or groan of discomfort. Staring at the scene, Baihu took it in. This was very unexpected. It was only a few days ago that she became aware of something abnormal trespassing in her territory. A presence faint and entirely new. At first, she had assumed it to be a conniving creature seeking her so-called ¡°treasures¡±, but when she issued an open challenge and it didn¡¯t flee nor answer, curiosity beckoned Baihu to explore. Roaming her wintry wonderland, Baihu took her time. Repeating her calls every so often in order to test the resilience of this interloper. The closer she got without there being a visible reaction resulted in her interest rising. Most creatures tended to be very frightful. Easily scared by the most mundane of things. Baihu had long gotten used to such cowardice. And, perhaps due to it, was willing to meet with something equally interested in her. Arriving at the location of the interloper and discovering the peculiar behaviour of the animals initially put Baihu on edge. There were few beings capable of manipulating creatures, and none of them were any sort of good. Seeing the cub was a light relief. The blood of infected animals always had a bitter taste. The cub appeared completely clueless. It seemed it wasn¡¯t even aware of the effect it was having on the creatures around it. Baihu debated with herself as she walked to the cub. Taking it with her could cause serious problems, but seeing it, an old, almost forgotten question came to mind. Where were the others? Getting up, Baihu made way towards the entrance. Since she was young, Baihu remembered wondering when she would meet someone like her. Someone of the same kind. She would endlessly listen to the mountain fairies as they floated around singing. Promising everything and anything. As the months passed and Baihu grew, they still sang. As the years passed and Baihu developed, they still sang. As the decades passed and Baihu matured, they still sang. Eventually, without even realising it, she grew weary of their songs. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. A beating within demanded satisfaction, and so she ventured out into the world. Beginning a bloody search that ultimately resulted in nothing. She was only back to where she began. Grasping the door handle, Baihu left the room. Seeing the state of the cub, if it was anything like she was at the age, she should be starving. ¡°H-Hello!¡± Closing the door, Baihu watched as a blanket-covered little girl struggled to stand. Her cherry chatty voice contrasting her dishevelled state. ¡°Crazy weather we¡¯re having, huh?¡± The eyes of the girl rapidly scammed the room before almost reluctantly settling on the space behind Baihu. After finally managing to get on her feet, the girl walked... limped towards the entrance. ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t mind me, I¡¯ll just be on my-¡± The girl paused. ¡°Uhm, I don¡¯t mean to bother you, but your thing¡ªtail! I mean tail! Is just a tiny bit in the way¡­¡± Staring down at the young cub, Baihu examined her appearance once again. It was distracting how much she resembled Baihu. From her hair to the patterns on her tail, it was simply remarkable how much they looked alike. ¡°I-I might¡¯ve been a slightly rude there. Don¡¯t mind me, I¡¯ll figure it out.¡± Feeling the little cub trying to squeeze past, Baihu grabbed the blanket she was wrapped in and threw her over her shoulders. Walking back to the bed, she felt the aggressive squirming of the cub. Setting the cub down, Baihu unrolled the blanket around her. It wouldn¡¯t do to dirty the bed. ¡°You¡¯re not going to eat me, are you?¡± Lightly copping the head of the girl, Baihu decided to ignore the poor attempt at a joke. Reaching into her cloak, she summoned the meal she had already prepared. A milk soup stuffed with small bits of fresh meat. ¡°Is¡­ is that poison?¡± Cupping the face of the girl, Baihu used her free hand to pour the contents contained within a bowl down her throat. The little girl hesitated to swallow at first, but after one attempt, all previous reservations disappeared. She started drinking avidly to the point Baihu had to pull the bowl away lest she choked. Quickly finishing, the girl gingerly sat wearing a wide smile. The remains of her meal caked onto her face seemly not bothering her. Stretching out her cloak-covered hand, Baihu wiped the girl clean. The girl stared starry-eyed at Baihu after the act before muttering, ¡°Please take care of me.¡± A startled look filled the girl¡¯s face. Baihu gazed at her. ¡°Sure.¡± (B) ¡°Huh, really!?¡± The girl raised a fist into the air. She then began grinning madly; a fact she tried to hide by facing away from Baihu. ¡°Yes, I do need an attendant.¡± (B) ¡°A what?¡± The previous jovial mood surrounding the girl gradually vanished. ¡°An attendant. One capable of taking care of the home, doing menial tasks, and running errands.¡± (B) ¡°Ah, I see... Unfortunately, I¡¯m not good at those sorts of things.¡± ¡°No problem. You will learn or¡­¡± (B) Gesturing towards the door, Baihu didn¡¯t need to elaborate. ¡°So, tell me, what is your name?¡± ¡°Leion¡­¡± (L) ¡°Leion, welcome to your new home. As your new master, I believe you will serve me well.¡± (B) Seeing as all the important points of discussion touched upon, there wasn¡¯t much left to talk about. It was time for Leion to get some rest. Setting down the bowl, Baihu started tucking her in. Pushing her down and pulling up the covers. ¡°Rest for now; tomorrow is going to be long.¡± (B) Spotting no resistance from the little girl, Baihu stood up and sat at the lone table. It looked like a few changes needed around here. Chapter 6 ‘The cabin in the mountains (2)’
¡°Lei-Lei?¡± (L) Clutching at the clothing brought before him, Leion squinted at the name embroidered on its collar. It felt patronising. ¡®This¡­ might¡¯ve been a terrible idea¡¯ It didn¡¯t seem so bad at first. When the tiger woman started pampering Leion, a lot of thoughts spun in his mind. Mainly, and most importantly, how to keep this sort of arrangement ongoing. It had been a long time since he was young enough to enjoy the easy life. Being fed and taken care of was a blessing like no other. Leion got a little giddy at the thought of having a personal maid. The tiger woman appeared able, and the idea sounded much better than toughing it in the wild. So much better; in fact, he found himself unconsciously muttering his intentions. Her agreement was swift, which should¡¯ve been expected given all her motherly energy and vibes. There was no way she¡¯d leave Leion alone. Alas, what wasn¡¯t expected was the unwanted job. ¡°Hurry.¡± Sat a few steps away at the now table of two was the tiger woman. ¡®Someone¡¯s impatient¡¯ Putting on the clothing, Leion couldn¡¯t help but feel it was a little too over the top. Frankly, it looked like something cosplayers would wear. A very stereotypical witch''s robe. The only thing missing was a comically large, pointed hat. Glancing at the round table before the tiger woman, it appeared wouldn¡¯t be the case for long. Done dressed, Leion walked up to the tiger woman. ¡°Uh-Uhm,¡± (L) ¡®Damn it, what was her name again?¡¯ Leion couldn¡¯t remember if she ever introduced herself and wasn¡¯t that willing to ask. Offending another being that held power over him due to his lack of attention wasn¡¯t a good idea. ¡°Do I need to wear that?" (L) ¡°Master.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± (L) ¡°I am your Master.¡± (M) ¡®Right¡­¡¯ ¡°Do I need to wear that¡­ Master?¡± (L) ¡°Yes.¡± (M) The oversized hat on the table was then lifted and placed down on Leion. Feeling his new fluffy ears slightly poke out through two holes, Leion sighed. ¡®At least there¡¯s a strap¡¯ Sadly, it was as loose as the hat itself. If a sharp wind came, it would result in the strap being caught by his neck and the hat landing on his back. The tiger woman, his apparent Master, inspected Leion¡¯s appearance. Straightening out his clothes and parting the hair before his eyes. It felt like she was grooming him. Satisfied with the subtle changes she made, his new Master stood up. ¡°Let¡¯s go over your duties in detail.¡± (M) Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Sweep sweep Leion glanced up. Sweep sweep The repetitive motion of his broom echoed through the otherwise quiet room. Was she seriously going to watch him the entire time? The broom, which was a rough collection of sticks, already felt heavy in his hand. ¡®This is going to take forever¡¯ Looking around the room, Leion felt exhausted just imagining the effort. The countless white hairs that littered the place wouldn¡¯t be going anytime soon. ¡®Does this lady know what ¡°take care¡± means¡¯ Leion continued working with a heavy heart. For crying out loud, he hadn¡¯t even eaten a thing, yet she was putting him to such backbreaking work. ¡®Wait a minute¡­¡¯ How did Leion not notice it? ¡°M-Master, do I get to eat something as well?¡± (L) There, in the hands of his Master, resided tiny morsels of meat. ¡®When did she leave to get that?¡¯ Eyeing the snack-sized meat, Leion endured the unpleasant feelings overtaking his heart. While he suffered and toiled to keep this place clean, the very owner of the place sat comfortably, not helping. Too busy feasting on snacks. He might be better off in the wild. ¡°No.¡± (M) The eyes of the cold tiger woman met Leion¡¯s own. Suddenly, she stood and advanced to the door. ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon. Make sure you finish up.¡± (M) Wrenching the door open, the tiger woman gave one last look at Leion before exiting. A smile crept on Leion¡¯s face. It was time. Warmly cuddled in the bed, Leion took time to reflect. If it wasn¡¯t already obvious, clearly, he didn¡¯t die. He was just abducted by a semi-benevolent tiger woman, spirit, God thing, and subjugated to work. Honestly, it was hard to tell if dying was really the worst case here. The basis in which Leion drew his conclusions of life were simple. One, without knowing why, he was certain that that tiger woman was the same tiger he¡¯d met earlier. Two, he hasn¡¯t come face to face with that entity again. These weren¡¯t the best evidence to draw such conclusions, but beggars couldn¡¯t be choosers. Sigh ¡®What is my situation?¡¯ Nothing felt right, not even his body. Going from a human form to formlessness, then to a tiger''s body, and back to human again was an utterly disorienting experience. Feeling a tail curl up and touch his leg, Leion paused. Almost human again anyway. ¡®Ugh, this body feels uncomfortable¡¯ It had only been a few days, but the body of the tiger had quickly grown on Leion. While it wasn¡¯t better than being formless, it was certainly better than being a weird human hybrid. There must be a way to go back. Leion needs to figure out the way. ¡®Hehe, if I manage that¡­¡¯ He won¡¯t have to be subjected to this unreasonable work. The life of an attendant wasn¡¯t for him. Already, he has been assigned two daily activities. Sweeping and airing out the bed sheets. The former he already managed to accomplish today, while the latter¡­ yeah, just no, Leion had no desire to leave the cabin. And, anyhow, it wasn¡¯t like she would be able to tell if he aired the thing. What was the point of such a pointless activity? ¡°Ow, ow!¡± (L) Rapidly escaping the covers, Leion fought to protect himself against the onslaught of hidden attacks. ¡°What is your problem¡ª! Cough I-I mean, how can I help you?¡± (L) The impassionate face of the tiger woman greeted Leion. Remembering to keep a professional profile with these types, Leion diligently answered in spite of the lacklustre call. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to finish?¡± (M) ¡°Yes.¡± (L) ¡°Have you finished?¡± (M) Was this a trick question or what? ¡°Yes?¡± (L) Looking around the room, not a single snowy hair could be spotted. ¡°Oww!¡± (L) Covering the hand cop that landed directly on his face, Leion held his tongue. ¡°Does this look clean to you?¡± (M) The tiger woman grabbed one corner of the bedsheets. She lifted it up, revealing a small clamp of snow-coloured hair. A hairball if you would. Seeing the tiger woman staring, Leion gauged her reaction. ¡°Yes¡­ No?¡± Another cop landed on Leion¡¯s face. ¡°Don¡¯t play around with work.¡± (M) The tiger woman pulled out a bowl similar to before from her robe. It contained a pinkish concoction Leion had recently fallen in love with. The basic combination of what tasted like milk and meat was so filling after days hungry. Scooting closer, Leion opened and awaited. The tiger woman complied. Pouring the concoction down his waiting mouth. Leion drank, drank, and drank some more even as the hand feeding him slowly started to pull away. He continued to follow the bowl until the hand had pulled back far enough that it left contact with his lips. Reaching up, he tried to pull the bowl closer, only to have his hands swatted away. ¡°You can have the rest once you finish.¡± (M) ¡°Huh?¡± (L) The tiger woman got up without further word and went to sit at the table. Leion silently glared at her. Did she think he was a dog? A dog she could train and that would yield to such provocations? Getting up, Leion snatched the wad of hair and then slinked across the room. Creaking the door the slightest bit open, he threw it out. Walking to where the tiger woman sat, he stood in front of her and waited. The woman, for her part, merely pointed to the bed sheets. This was going to take a while.
Chapter 7 ‘The cabin in the mountains (3)’
Pushing the door open, Leion stared at the snow-white outside. It was a lot calmer than he imagined. Dragging the bedsheets out the door and onto the porch, Leion threw them down the short flight of stairs before him. Taking a short pause to rest his already exhausted body, Leion observed his surroundings. It really was beautiful. The wooden cabin stood alone on the barren, snow-covered peak, like an isolated beacon at the edge of the world. Built from rugged, dark wood, it rose high above the ground, leaving a small hollow of snow beneath it. Icicles clung to the roof, glistening against the intensely blue, sunless sky. Below, on the ground, the snow lay undisturbed, blanketing every surface in a smooth, pristine layer, free from footprints or paths. Fog pooled around the mountains, cutting their forms in half and hiding them in soft obscurity. Here, atop the peak with nothing else in sight, the cabin felt oddly detached. Surrounded by a stillness so deep that it seemed frozen in the silence of an endless winter. Breathing into his hand, Leion continued his observation. It was also cold¡ªvery cold. Colder than anything he has experienced before. Intuitively, he knew it, but despite that, his body didn¡¯t seem to react too negatively. ¡®I guess this body does come with some perks¡¯ Trudging down the steps, Leion moved beside and passed the sheets. All he had to do now was find where to hang them. With his bare feet not leaving any prints or breaking through the snowy layer, the task seemed simple enough. He wouldn¡¯t be sinking fighting the snow. Scoping around, Leion was quick to realise the obvious. There was nothing around. ¡®Seriously, where does she expect me to... You got to be joking¡¯ While there was still nothing around, Leion¡¯s new sharper eyes were quick to spot something. A string. Tied to the two wooden pillars supporting the back of the house, a thin string-like line was hanging. It was raised a not so insignificant amount off the ground. There was no way he would reach it. Dragging the sheets, Leion set them under the string before collapsing in the snow. ¡®Why am I doing this again?¡¯ Was that stew worth this? Eating was clearly second to sleeping and dreaming. The net benefit of figuring out a solution to this would merely result in a food reward. If Leion was to compare the effort to attain the act of eating as opposed to sleeping, then sleeping would win. It was easy to sleep. In fact, it was something that could be achieved where he very laid. Closing his eyes, Leion let his mind roam. ¡®I wonder, where does she get that milk?¡¯ The stew tasted like a mixture of milk and meat. A surprisingly good combination considering that the meat was raw. Having such a good combination felt great, although it did raise some important questions. A few of which, like changing tastes, could be answered swiftly, but regarding something like the actual sourcing of the meal¡­. To put it simply, Leion is still yet to see a proper milk-producing creature. ¡®What am I saying? It¡¯s not like she can¡¯t¡­¡¯ If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. As soon as the gross thought passed in mind, Leion shut his eyes tighter. There was nothing to see here. Just darkness. Ah, yes, completely nothing. Thinking about it, it was perhaps one of the main features this world shared with his last. There was nothing worth seeing here. Sure, it was a bit prettier, but that was about it. Leion¡¯s dreams still reign supreme. A place where he was king would always be better than reality. ¡°What are you doing?¡± (M) Eyes flying open, Leion sat up and turned to face the voice. He hadn¡¯t even heard her coming. ¡°I-I was thinking!¡± (L) ¡°Thinking?¡± (M) Standing up, Leion quickly collected himself. ¡°Yes, the string is a little too high for me to reach.¡± (L) ¡°Hm.¡± (M) ¡°So, what solution have you thought of?¡± (M) ¡°Well¡­ I was still in the process when you¡­¡± (L) Making a gesture with his hands, Leion internally let out a sigh. It was a bit of an old trick, but it still did work often. By subtly blaming the other party, he could shift any perceived blame or grip with his work onto the interrupter''s insistence to annoy him. It was a particular strategy effective on nosy bosses who didn¡¯t want to be too involved. The tiger woman held Leion¡¯s gaze for a moment. Without speaking a word, she lazily pointed a finger towards the sheets. The sheets, as if possessed, floated up and merrily hanged themselves. Leion stared. It was more than a little unexpected. ¡°Do that next time.¡± (M) The tiger woman began walking back to the porch. ¡°W-Wait! How¡­ how did you do that?¡± (L) Running up after her, a genius idea bloomed in Leion¡¯s mind. Imagine how quickly he could finish his daily chores if he could do that? The tiger woman paused. She looked down at Leion. ¡°How?¡± (M) She seemed to taste the word as it left her mouth. ¡°Yes, please show me the way, Master!¡± (L) The tiger woman gave Leion a strange look. ¡°Very well, I¡¯ll teach you.¡± (M) ¡°Thank you, Master! You won¡¯t regret this!¡± (L) A routine had started to take shape. As he swept the floor once again, Leion reflected on the past three days. Each day was nearly identical to the first. His mornings began with sweeping, clearing away every visible speck of dirt. More than once, though, he was forced to start over when the tiger woman appeared, insisting it wasn¡¯t done right. Once she left¡ªoff to do who knows what¡ªLeion would use the time between her departure and the completion of his chore to sneak in a nap. When she returned, she would feed him half of his meal and then order him outside with the blankets. Though he still couldn¡¯t master whatever skill she used, he had at least found his own method: climbing up and hanging the blankets, one by one. The process was tedious and slow, but his new claws made it barely manageable. After completing that last chore, Leion would walk back into the cabin, finish his meal, and knock out in the laps of the tiger woman, only to then wake up the next day and repeat. It wasn¡¯t that bad¡ªexcept all the time Leion worked. On a normal day, Leion got to spend the majority of it asleep. Now, the only thing left to do was find ways to decrease his working time. ¡®If only she would actually teach me¡¯ Despite his ¡°Master¡± agreeing to teach Leion her way, she was still quite far from actually fulfilling her words. Whenever Leion brought up the topic, she would either pretend she didn¡¯t hear him or just say later. Usually, Leion wouldn¡¯t be too excited to learn something new¡ªdoing such things required great effort¡ªbut this was magic. A skill that could potentially allow him to live the easy life. The most desirable life. Stopping briefly, Leion stared as the front slowly creaked open. ¡®No! Not again! It¡¯s too early for her to already be back!¡¯ Throwing himself to the ground, Leion sought to protect his little pile of dirt. Alas, it was in vain. A cool, fresh breeze blew all his efforts in mere moments. ¡®Oh, come on!¡¯ The sound of footsteps landed in front of Leion. He could feel her looking around. ¡°Were you sleeping again?¡± (M) ¡°I-I wasn¡¯t! The wind¡­ It was the wind!¡± (L) ¡°The wind again?¡± (M) Wincing slightly, Leion reframed from letting out a curse. You get caught lying once! Just once! And people hold it over you like you¡¯ve committed the greatest sin in existence. The tiger woman, ever cool and calm, spoke, ¡°You will finish later. Get up. We are leaving.¡± (M) Her curt words didn¡¯t leave room for negotiation. Leion frowned. The more he interacted with her, the less he understood her. She was a weird mix of quiet, cold, and stoic. In these past few days they¡¯ve been essentially living together; they hardly spoke to one another. It was not through a lack of trying on Leion¡¯s end. Time and time again, he tried to engage her in conversation. Build some rapport for future benefit. But, time and time again, she¡¯d shut down any conversation. Giving one-word answers or none at all. In short, she couldn¡¯t hold a conversation. It was like she¡¯d never talked to a person. ¡°Ah, oh, okay... alright... I get it.¡± (L) With his most charming smile, Leion continued, ¡°Is it okay if... I don¡¯t come?¡± (L) The tiger woman lowered herself and, before Leion could mount a defence, sent a devastating chop to his head. ¡°No.¡± (M)
Chapter 8 ‘The quaint village (1)’ ¡°Are we close¡­?¡± (L) ¡°¡­.¡± Gazing at the endless expanse before them, Leion struggled to see an end to his suffering. Since leaving the cabin, they¡¯ve continuously marched down the serene mountain in a seemingly random direction. Taking no breaks nor stopping no matter how much he protested. ¡°My feet hurt¡­¡± (L) ¡°¡­.¡± Silence. Once again it met Leion¡¯s words. Unperturbed by it, he continued voicing his grievances. If she was going to force him to suffer, then she had to be prepared to face the karmic retribution of her choices. She deserved to suffer for what she¡¯s doing to him. ¡°I¡¯m feeling cold¡­¡± (L) Was that true? No, not really. Leion hadn¡¯t experienced such a sensation in this life. The closest thing he felt was the exact opposite, funnily enough. The stark difference in warmth whenever he left his bed to clean gave quite the illusion of cold. But, did that matter? No! Of course not! Not when it comes to justice!! ¡°Master¡­ I¡¯m feeling sooo hungry¡­¡± (L) ¡®Hehe¡¯ Slightly trailing behind his ¡°Master¡±, Leion reached out and tugged at her cloak. To be honest, it felt a little good annoying her like this. Despite not being a proponent for revenge¡ªtoo time- and energy-consuming¡ªfinally getting some payback for all his free labour felt stupid good. Leion was slowly starting to empathise with revenge story sympathisers. ¡®Do you think you can ignore me forever?¡¯ Still tugging at her cloak, Leion suppressed a smile while continuing to rant in his head. ¡®Everyone has their limits! It¡¯s merely a matter of¡ª¡¯ The tiger woman stopped. Leion froze in turn. Slowly, she turned around and faced him, causing him to lose his grip on her cloak. Cold, icy blue eyes glared down at Leion as regret gradually filled him. What did he think would happen? It was easy to forget due to her donning this human-like appearance, but his ¡°Master¡± was a fear-inducing beast. A force to be reckoned with. The only possible outcome of messing with such a fearsome thing was death or, at the very least, immense pain. A fact Leion knew firsthand. ¡°No talking until we arrive.¡± (M) After giving a shaky, affirming nod, Leion watched as his ¡°Master¡± quietly reached into her cloak. Unease eating at him. ¡®She didn¡¯t sound too mad, right?¡¯ Patiently awaiting his fate, Leion hung his head low. Fixing his gaze firmly to the ground. His ¡°Master¡± was a hard enough person to get a read on. Looking at her now and trying to guess her mood would merely result in pointless worrying. ¡®She wouldn¡¯t do anything too extreme, right? She¡¯s not unreasonable like that twisted giant, right?¡¯Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Leion tried and failed to console himself. He simply didn¡¯t know enough about his ¡°Master¡± to make any such judgements or claims. She might be equally bad, if not worse, than the giant who condemned him to this place. So far, despite her aiding him here and there, her actions tended to line up with the giant''s thinking¡ªthat being, forcing him to do things he¡¯d rather not. ¡°Come.¡± (M) Lifting his head, Leion noticed himself a distance away from his ¡°Master¡±. It looked like his body was sharper than him. Swallowing down his nerves, Leion moved in closer before stopping short. ¡°Closer.¡± (M) He moved in closer. Close enough that an outstretched hand from his ¡°Master¡± could grab and lift him up. And that is precisely what happened. Caught off guard, Leion found himself lifted up and into the air by both of his ¡°Master¡¯s¡± hands. She brought him close to her chest after pulling back her cloak. There, tied in an ¡°X¡± pattern, was a white, silky cloth. Before Leion had time to properly understand the sudden developments, he found himself entangled in the cloth. ¡®Ah?¡¯ ¡°Warm?¡± (M) It took Leion a moment to comprehend what happened. His ¡°Master¡± had swaddled him against her. Right now, he could feel the warmth her body gave off. It was a warmth not too dissimilar to what he experiences when he awakes from the covers of his bed. Dazed, Leion nodded. ¡°Good.¡± (M) With that, the curtains of the cloak closed, encapsulating Leion. Trapping him in darkness where little light filtered from the bottom. Light footsteps sounded as the world around Leion slowly rocked back and forth. Bewildered, Leion rocked back and forth. Pulled by the strings of momentum until a single thought popped into his mind. Isn¡¯t this the perfect place to sleep? That single thought shocked Leion out of his stupor. Right now, right here, he had been given a glorious opportunity. Ignoring the weirdness of the situation, Leion rested his head against the chest of his ¡°Master¡±. It appears all his nagging finally worked. This was his reward. ¡®Hehehe¡¯ Closing his eyes, Leion prepared to sleep. It was time to visit his most desired place. A light rustling stirred Leion from his sleep. Waking up, Leion let out a hearty yawn and rubbed his eyes. Seeing darkness greet him, Leion was momentarily confused before his memories arranged themselves. ¡®A damn it¡­ Woke up again¡¯ Feeling slightly frustrated, Leion closed his eyes and snuggled closer to his source of warmth. This place was the perfect sleeping spot¡­ in theory. Pleasant warmth to chase away the biting cold, vast darkness to set the mood, and gentle rocking motions to ease the body. However, despite all these advantages, Leion found himself repeatedly waking up at random times. He would be just at the cusp of deep sleep, about to enjoy his usual musings, when suddenly, out of nowhere, his entire body would just jolt awake. So, instead of enjoying a long, deep sleep, Leion found himself taking what were essentially power naps. It was beyond annoying. ¡®Whatever¡­ ninth... tenth? Times the charm¡¯ With his body already ready, Leion prepared to sleep¡­ When an abrupt light came and ruined his perfect atmosphere. It was shortly followed by a disturbing loss of warmth as if to mock him. ¡®Come on, seriously?¡¯ Wincing, Leion covered his eyes and cuddled ever so closer to his source of warmth. It was then that a pair of hands grabbed him and lifted him out of his resting spot. ¡°Noooo, I was almost there!¡± (M) Placed on the ground, Leion was forced to stand. ¡°Masssssster, put me back, please!¡± (M) Leion, abandoning what meagre pride he had, walked up and tried to jump back on his ¡°Master¡±. She, for her part, observed him without uttering a word. Merely raising a hand in an act of subtle threat. Through squinted eyes, Leion sensed her intentions and swiftly gave up. ¡°We have arrived.¡± (M) Slumping his shoulders, Leion heard an unexcited announcement. ¡®Oh, yeah¡­ we were travelling somewhere?¡¯ Rubbing his eye again, Leion forced himself to wake up. Staying in a half-sleep state was plain uncomfortable knowing he would be denied sleep. Finally opening his eyes, Leion stared at the ground and noticed something strange. It was green. Glancing around revealed a large forest filled with pine-like trees, their rich green needles swaying gently in a breeze he hadn''t felt since waking in this frozen wasteland. The crisp scent of resin and damp earth replaced the icy sterility he¡¯d grown used to, and the faint chirp of birds echoed in the distance. They weren¡¯t loud, but compared to the utter silence of the mountain, they might as well have been a symphony. ¡®Huh?! How far did we travel?!¡¯ Looking up and at the sky, Leion spotted the sun still stuck in place. The same place as when they started. That... something was terribly wrong. There was no way Leion slept for a whole day. Baffled and still glancing around, Leion spotted another unusual thing. At the base of the hill, thin tendrils of smoke curled into the sky, too orderly to be from a wildfire¡­ There was a settlement down there. Chapter 9 ‘The quaint village (2)’ Gazing down at the sulky young cub jumping at her, Baihu wordlessly raised her hand. It was an act that caused the cub to cease her pleadings. The young cub talks much, too much. Recalling their time together, Baihu felt a mix of mild annoyance at all her behaviors. The young cub, while not as unruly as her dear friend once mentioned they tended to be, was still a great source of a headache. Endless pestering about trivial things, constant complaining about minor inconveniences, and a seeming inability to complete the most basic of tasks. Seeing all these features in the cub, only one word¡ªone thought¡ªdominated Baihu¡¯s mind. ¡®Helpless¡¯ ¡°We have arrived.¡± (B) The cub was completely helpless. Watching her stare in awe at the world around her, the thought reinforced itself. A lot of questions surrounded the sudden appearance of this cub. Where did she come from? Why was she alone? What was she doing in Baihu¡¯s territory? But, out of all of them, one stood forefront currently. How did she survive this long? Growing up, Baihu learnt how to not only survive but also thrive through the lessons instilled by the fae. Through their harmonies, counsel flowed in the breeze, providing guidance to Baihu. Enabling her to live a life befitting her stature. It took but a glance to notice the cub never received the same grace from the fae. She was lacking, sorely lacking. Her movements when walking were loud, awkward, and possessed very little consideration of her environment. She spoke unnecessarily and in a very coarse manner. She also didn¡¯t boast any fundamental knowledge of mana. It was evident a cub like this could not survive unless there was a presence of¡­ ¡®Others¡¯ Yet despite this, Baihu had never once heard the cub mentioning others between her ramblings. On numerous occasions, Baihu felt a temptation to ask. To satisfy her longstanding curiosity and intrigue. But, time and time again, she held herself back. She was fully capable, at long last, of finally sating her hunger, yet she chose not to. ¡°Master¡­ why are we here?¡± (L) Eying the small girl looking up at her, Baihu bent down. She fixed the crooked hat the girl wore, straightened out her clothes, and cleaned dirt still around her eyes. It was a good thing Baihu ensured she didn¡¯t sleep too deeply. Waking her up from a proper nap would be a different kind of troublesome. ¡°This is a forest.¡± (B)This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Standing up straight, Baihu pointed at the ground and spoke, ¡°Grass.¡± (B) Gesturing to the trees around, Baihu continued, ¡°LiverTrees.¡± (B) If the young cub didn¡¯t receive the fae¡¯s blessings, it would be better in the long run for Baihu to teach her. ¡°Huh?¡± (L) Grabbing the hand of the little girl, Baihu dragged her along toward the settlement while taking the time to teach her. ¡°Master, I know what a deer is! Please, just tell me what we¡¯re doing here?!¡± (L) A low groan sounded beside Baihu as they neared the settlement. The young girl, whose hand was currently entangled with hers, let out her frustrations. Seeing this, Baihu couldn¡¯t help but be reminded of her younger self. When she first ventured out into the world, she too had been resistant to admit her lack of knowledge. Often feigning it to avoid embarrassment. It looked like Lei-Lei was not much different. Stepping onto the beaten path, Baihu paused. ¡°The next creatures we are meeting are humans.¡± (B) ¡°Humans!?¡± (L) ¡°Yes, humans.¡± (B) Searching for an appropriate description, Baihu took a short break before speaking again, ¡°They bear your current appearance without the tail and ears.¡± (B) ¡°Like the deer, they are harmless¡­ So long as I¡¯m with you.¡± (B) Finished with her short description, Baihu continued toward the settlement. ¡°Ah, um, can we slow down? I don¡¯t think¡­¡± (L) Seeing the cub dragging her feet more than usual, Baihu stopped. Was the description she gave too much? Compared to the other instances where Baihu did something similar, there hadn¡¯t been this much resistance. Bending down, Baihu lifted the small girl and carried her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± (B) Feeling the young girl clutch onto her, Baihu continued down the road. ¡°Yeah, Alright¡­ Okay.¡± (L) ¡°Master¡­ they¡¯re really staring.¡± (L) A whisper, a sound Baihu thought incapable of the young girl, filled her ear. Walking down the middle of the street, Baihu ignored the gazes and murmurs that came their way. ¡°Yes, they are.¡± (B) Having grown used to most creatures freezing at the sight of her, such gazes no longer held any significance. ¡°Is that normal for you?¡± (L) Perhaps noticing her nonchalance, an incredulous voice answered back. Baihu thought for a moment before answering, ¡°It¡¯s normal for our kind.¡± (B) Reaching one of the only stone buildings in the settlement, Baihu pushed the door open. At the sharp sound of the bell ringing, a loud, deep, boisterous voice boomed. ¡°Ah! Young lady! It¡¯s always a pleasure to have you visit our humble restaurant!¡± The place Baihu has entered is called a restaurant. It was a place where one could exchange worthless heaps of metal for a meal. A good thing for Baihu as a person in no short supply of such. Nodding at the loud man hidden by a large counter, Baihu went to one of the many empty seats. Most restaurants were like this, excluding the zealous owner and lack of people. A large room filled with a couple of tables and chairs to sit on. ¡°I¡¯ll be out in a minute!¡± Waiting on the man, Baihu sat down. Letting the young cub still clutching onto sit on her lap. ¡°Master, why are we here?¡± (L) ¡°To eat.¡± (B) ¡°Is¡­ Is that the only reason we came here?¡± (L) ¡°No.¡± (B) ¡°Then, why did we come here?¡± (L) ¡°To gather a few items.¡± (B) ¡°Items? What items? (L) Determining enough was said, Baihu decided to save her energy to speak to the man. ¡°Master? Master?! Oh, come on!¡± (L) Not enjoying the attitude, Baihu contemplated discipline when, suddenly, the young cub opened her cloak and dived in. ¡°Ugh, whatever¡­ I don¡¯t care anyway. (L) Feeling the body clinging onto her relax too quickly, Baihu ejected the invader and then pulled the chair close by her. Placing the young cub on it, Baihu sent two light taps. ¡°Ack!¡±¡¯ (L) ¡°I¡¯ve prepared the usual! Here you go, a nice helping of¡ªOh, oh.¡± The man paused as he came upon the table. ¡°Hahaha, I didn¡¯t know I had a new customer today! Well, welcome!¡± As the man placed down a bowel on the table, he turned and face the young cub who was still clutching at her head. ¡°Ah¡­ little lady, are you alright?¡± Meeting the eyes of the young cub, Baihu patiently waited for her to answer. ¡°Y-Yes!¡± (L) ¡°Well¡­ good to hear!¡± Turning to face Baihu, the man asked a silent question. Shaking her head, Baihu answered. This unruly attendant didn¡¯t need to eat now. ¡°I shall be back shortly then!¡± With the man leaving, Baihu reached into her cloak and pulled out a short list of supplies. It was time for the young cub to properly earn a keep. Chapter 10 ‘The quaint village (3)’ ¡°Ved! Ved! Have you heard? The witch is here! And¡ª!¡± Hiding behind the counter of his parent¡¯s inn, Ved rushed to shut the mouth of his sister, who had charged in from the kitchen. Dragging her down to the ground, he used both hands to cover her mouth. ¡°Suie!¡± (V) Fearing they¡¯d been heard, Ved cautiously peeped around the counter quickly. The figure of his father and the witch engaging in conversation remained undisturbed. Ved let out a sigh of relief seeing this. In a low tone, he spoke, ¡°You idiot¡­ You really have the worst¡ªOw!¡± (V) Pulling his hand away, Ved returned the glare sent his way. ¡°¡­She¡¯s here?¡± (S) Ignoring his pain, Ved watched as his sister peeked around the corner. Her eyes sparkling as she attempted to suppress her widening smile. Out of everyone in the village, she stood among those most excited to see the witch. A fact not hard to understand why. Between the legendary figures that once made up the hero¡¯s party, the witch stood out as particularly extraordinary among them. The witch, often said to possess otherworldly abilities, bore some of the most outrageous feats known. From facing an army of tens of thousands alone to engaging an Evil God in single combat. Though time has passed since that dark past, the feats themselves still remained as awe inspiring as ever. Even now, having just gazed at the witch, Ved felt his heart race. A divine, wild yet refined aura surrounded her. One that made a being never want to look away. ¡°We should leave¡­¡± (V) By word of the village chief, unless specifically sorted out, one was to not speak to the witch. It was one of the only two rules put in place as to not offend the witch. The second being never to speak of the witch. Majority of the world believed the witch remained forever secluded on the impossible to reach Grand Peak. The village chief stated, if the witch desired for her travels to be known, she would have made it known. Out of respect, they shall not speak of them. Due to all those reasons, hiding here felt almost criminal. ¡­It also didn¡¯t help that he was expected to leave after helping prepare the meal. ¡°Wow!¡± (S) A quiet voice brought Ved out of his thoughts. ¡°What?¡± (V) Noticing the smile his sister wore grow slightly wider than normal, Ved voiced a question in a hushed tone. While the witch coming down to their village was rare, it did happen frequently enough that any thought of interaction had been crushed. Looking at the face of his sister¡­ It was clear an old fire had been sparked. ¡°It¡¯s true¡­¡± (S) ¡°Huh? What¡¯s true?¡± (V) Instead of having his question answered, a hand pulled Ved to the corner of the counter. ¡°Look!¡± (S)If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Silently grumbling at the rough pull, Ved surveyed the room. Nothing unusual was going on if one wasn¡¯t to count the presence of the witch. ¡®Why is she so¡­¡¯ Pausing, Ved saw something he couldn¡¯t believe. It was only visible for a few short seconds due to their poor angle, but already he felt his heart racing once again. A sly grin greeted him as he turned to face his sister. ¡°No!¡± (V) ¡°Yes!¡± (S) Desperate to turn the situation, Ved spoke, ¡°We, no¡ªYou can¡¯t¡ª!¡± (V) ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve got a plan!¡± (S) Struggling to come up with words to retort, the sound of footsteps approaching alerted them both to the coming threat. ¡°Let¡¯s go, quickly!¡± (S) Following behind his sister as she ran back in the kitchen, Ved felt a weight settle on his heart. This wasn¡¯t going to be good.
The whole place stank. Dragging his feet, Leion attempted to stop his ¡°Master¡±. When she first stated they were going to meet people, specifically humans, Leion felt his heart skip a beat. It appeared they weren¡¯t meeting an ambush of tigers. As they stepped onto the path and neared the settlement, his heart started pounding in his chest as the foul odour grew stronger. Were they really going to meet people? Like normal people? ¡­It had been quite some time since Leion last spoke with normal individuals. Counting his time spent in the lands of the Common plus that with his ¡°Master¡±, it had really been a long time. Was that maybe why he felt like this? Surprising himself, Leion felt an odd bit of nervousness come down upon him. Or, more specifically, his body. Perhaps due to the odd smell wafting from the settlement, Leion felt his body hesitate to move. Frankly, it was fairly disturbing how it reacted. Instinctively, like a human¡¯s yearning and drive to be social. Leion wouldn¡¯t have even picked up on it if he hadn¡¯t been so certain about his mental state. He has never had trouble interacting with others. ¡°Ah, um, can we slow down? I don¡¯t think¡­¡± (L) It would be wise to stop and examine himself. There was clearly something wrong with him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± (B) Meeting the gaze of his ¡°Master¡±, it was clear she had no plans to stop. As she picked him and muttered out words of affirmation, Leion could only begrudgingly accept. Was this the work of that overbearing giant? Trying to make him act through experiencing things uncharacteristic to him? Clutching on his ¡°Master¡± Leion let his thoughts roam. He wouldn¡¯t let such a thing work on him. They had all been staring. Sitting in the lap of his ¡°Master¡±, Leion shook off those prickling stares. The way those people looked at him oddly reminded him of the cubs he had entertained not so long ago. They all possessed an odd eagerness within their gazes. ¡®Haaaa¡­ Today is just¡­.¡¯ Deciding he was about ready to leave, Leion questioned his ¡°Master¡±. ¡®¡­Honestly, what was I expecting?¡¯ After receiving a response very typical of her, Leion buried himself in her warmth. If she wasn¡¯t going to take him seriously, the least she could do was provide a nice sleeping spot. It was a bold action. One that was rewarded with two attacks. As Leion watched the man who dropped off their food make a swift getaway, he clutched his throbbing head. She really hadn¡¯t held back with those strikes. ¡°Gather the following.¡± (M) While Leion was still clutching his head, his ¡°Master¡± reached into her cloak and brought out a small piece of paper. Written on the paper were things resembling words. Squinting at the piece of paper revealed a rather harsh truth. Leion couldn¡¯t read a thing. ¡°Problem?¡± (M) ¡°No¡­?¡± (L) A frown drew on his ¡°Master¡¯s¡± face. Without saying a word, she folded the paper in half once and then folded it out twice. ¡®Huh?¡¯ Leion watched as the paper doubled in size along with the content he had to gather. Baffled at the scene and staring up at his ¡°Master¡±, he was slow to notice that very same paper being slipped into his hands. ¡°Don¡¯t be long.¡± (M) Standing outside the restaurant, Leion clasped the list with both trembling hands. Autopilot had brought this far in his confused state. Repeatedly folding and unfolding the list, he tried to undo the sorcery that increased its length. ¡®I¡­I need to find someone who can read this¡­¡¯ Going back and admitting he couldn¡¯t carry out this task wasn¡¯t an option. He had already tried that and was met with a glare so fierce he found himself standing back outside. ¡®But that''s not even an option right now, is it?¡¯ The once bustling settlement was devoid of even a single person walking about. ¡®This is such a crappy day¡­¡¯ Staring blankly at the empty streets, Leion considered giving up. He had been given an impossible task. ¡°Pssst! Hey! Over here!¡± Absentmindedly, Leion turned his head toward the noise. Peeking around the corner of the restaurant, two dark-haired kids could be found. The girl, who called to Leion, had slightly longer hair than her brother and boasted a huge smile. Fixing his gaze on them, Leion let his thoughts wander until a smile bloomed on his face. Maybe this wasn¡¯t so impossible after all. Chapter 11 ‘The quaint village (4)’ ¡°This is a really bad idea¡­¡± (V) Suie frowned as she heard her brother voice his complaints. ¡®Tch, what a coward¡¯ The guy likes to act all tough. Going as far as pinning her down and silencing her with his dirty hands at times. But, when faced with a situation that actually requires courage, he immediately folds. It was so annoying. This behaviour had ruined far too many good things for Suie. She wasn¡¯t going to let it happen again. Why couldn¡¯t he see this was their one shot at greatness? ¡°Calm down, you baby. I already told you I have a plan.¡± (S) Standing outside behind the restaurant, Suie quickly spied around the corner. She let out a wide smile seeing nobody present walking in the village. Despite it not being an official rule, most people chose to stay inside anytime the witch came to visit. It was a fact Suie thought dumb and crazy. Whenever the witch came to visit, she would only ever enter their restaurant. It was a great source of pride for their family, but it also meant the witch hardly interacted with the other villagers. She would eat, then instantly leave, meaning one thing: people stopping their work and hiding was pointless and might merely result in them being unable to see when the witch left. And, who in their right mind would want to miss that? They can blab about respecting the witch and whatnot, but it wouldn¡¯t change the fact that their actions don¡¯t make sense. ¡°Ugh, was that supposed to make me feel better? All your plans suck.¡± (V) Turning around, Suie kicked her brother in the shin. ¡°Oh, shut up!¡± (S) What he said wasn¡¯t true, and even if it were, the plans would only suck cause he sucks! ¡°My plans are amazing!¡± (S) A harsh glare was sent Suie¡¯s way as her brother rubbed his shin. ¡°Haa¡­Oh yeah? Then tell me, what¡¯s the amazing plan this time?¡± (V) Unlike usual, Suie decided on a less complicated plan. She did this mainly because the more complex the plan got, the more likely her brother was going to mess it up. Yes, that was it, the reason. It was definitely not because she couldn¡¯t think of any other way to gain the favour of the witch¡¯s daughter. Dodging the kick to her leg, Suie stepped back and round the corner. ¡°Just follow me for now.¡± (S) ¡°Grr¡­.¡± (V) A small girl stood clutching a piece of paper. She had an adorably small and cute frame that instilled one word onto onlookers. Delicate. Draped in an oversized black hat with wide brims, the girl spotted troubled golden blue eyes. The two fluffy white ears poking out her hat constantly twitched as she examined the paper in hand. She repeatedly folded and unfolded the paper as a sulky look made way onto her face. Finally, the stripped tail that was partly hidden underneath her long dark robe lowered as the girl let out a silent defeated sigh. Suie stared quietly. ¡®She really is¡­¡¯ The witch¡¯s daughter. There was no mistaking it. Seeing such a truth still filled Suie with a sense of disbelief. When she first overheard the villagers¡¯ murmurs, she thought she might¡¯ve been mistaken. But, regardless of that, she still rushed over to the restaurant with hope in her heart.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Hope that one day she could convince the witch to teach her magic. Suie has desired, ever since she could remember, to learn magic. To weave wonders and create miracles worthy enough to be called a hero. Suie held this desire, this dream, closer than anything in her heart. Wishing every day for its fulfilment. Sadly, though, such a thing, as she was told, was not to be. Being born into a family without a mage or something of the sort meant the only way for her to learn magic was to attend one of many schools. Schools that cost a sum her family could never afford. ¡°Pssst! Hey! Over here!¡± (S) The only way Suie could attain her dreams was if she convinced the witch to teach her. After many failed attempts to get close to the witch due to those around her, Suie had nearly given up, but when she heard the news of the witch¡¯s daughter, a new plan came into mind. By befriending the witch¡¯s daughter, couldn¡¯t she convince her to teach her magic? It was a sound plan; after all, nobody said the witch¡¯s daughter was off limits. ¡°Was that your plan?!¡± (V) A quiet shout came from behind Suie. She paid it no mind. Her initial plan was just finding a way to lure the witch¡¯s daughter away from the witch. Seeing that she was already alone, the plan could already be called complete. Now, the only thing she would have to do is befriend the witch¡¯s daughter. The small girl turned and faced the sibling duo. A smile so brief that Suie doubted eyes flashed on the troubled girl¡¯s face before she ran to them. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m sorry to ask this so suddenly, but please, could you help me!¡± An angelic voice tickled Suie¡¯s ears. With her fists balled, she struggled to meet the small girl¡¯s charming gaze. Quickly, she realised this wasn¡¯t going to be easy.
¡®I¡¯m so lucky I found me some suckers!¡¯ Kids were the biggest suckers in the world. If Leion leveraged his position as a fellow ¡°kid¡± right, he could likely convince them to do his work for him! As a lazy person, Leion had developed stunning social abilities in order to aid his desire to sleep. Leion¡¯s abilities allowed him to evade work by means of convincing others to do it or not assign work to him at all. ¡®Hehe¡¯ Kindly, do not misunderstand; Leion was not a bad person. He was a hard¡­ He was a worker. He would do his work, if necessary, but, if he could find ways to dodge it, he always would. Today was merely one of those instances where he didn¡¯t have to. Walking up to the kids who looked no older than six, Leion put on a sad expression. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m sorry to ask this so suddenly, but please, could you help me!¡± (L) Leion stood before the kids in complete silence. Awkward silence. They had frozen. Despite being the ones to call out, they froze in place when Leion responded to their call. ¡®Ha? Did I say something weird?¡¯ Leion ran through various possibilities in his head. Did they not understand him? No, that couldn¡¯t be it; the restaurant owner could clearly understand him; it was likely the kids could too. Did he just commit some social taboo? No, unlikely; the kids didn¡¯t seem offended. ¡®Ahhh¡­ What could it be?¡¯ Racking his brains in the awkward silence for a bit, Leion came to a swift realization. He had seen this reaction before, specifically from himself. When he first met his ¡°Master¡¯s¡± human form, he had been so enchanted by her he froze. The kids might be facing the same shock he did. While he had quickly gotten used to his ¡°Master¡¯s¡± face, it would be a complete lie to say he doesn¡¯t struggle to look at her sometimes. ¡®Oh, oh wow¡­¡¯ He must be a pretty cute kid right now if his ¡°Master¡± was anything to go by. ¡®Unexpected bonus, huh?¡¯ It seems a bit obvious now why the villagers were staring. Letting out an internal sigh, Leion pondered what to do to free them from this trance. In his last life, he hardly took care of his looks. This was a new thing for him. Heck, here he was repeatedly groomed by his ¡°Master¡±. She appeared to have a strong dislike for wild and unkempt things. ¡®A wild thing for¡­ a wild tiger¡¯ ¡°Ah, um¡ªcough, Hello! I¡¯m Suie¡­ And this is my brother, Ved.¡± (S) ¡°¡­Hello.¡± (V) ¡®Ah, guess I didn¡¯t have to do anything¡¯ It was good. Leion didn¡¯t feel like thinking right now. ¡°And¡­ yeah, we would love to help you!¡± (S) Seeing he had the advantage, Leion decided to push the pair of siblings. With his widest, most mesmerising smile he could muster, he spoke, ¡°Thank you, thank you so much!¡± (L) Moving closer to the siblings, he grabbed the girl called Suie¡¯s hands in a shake and subtly slipped in the piece of paper. ¡°I¡¯m Leion, by the way. Nice to meet you!¡± (L) ¡°Uh-huh¡­¡± (S) Hearing the dumb response from the flustered kid, Leion suppressed a smile. ¡°Could you get the things on the list? I¡¯ll just be waiting over here¡­¡± (L) ¡°S-Sure¡­ no problem.¡± (S) Getting her verbal agreement, Leion was just about to walk away and sit at the restaurant door when a quiet voice chimed in. ¡°Um, excuse me¡­ Miss Leion, b-but, do you have any mon¡ª?" (V) A hand went and quickly silenced the boy. ¡®Oh, yeah¡­ I don¡¯t have money¡¯ And, his thoughtless ¡°Master¡± hadn¡¯t given him any. While trying to think of an appropriate response, the girl suddenly spoke up, ¡°D-Don¡¯t worry about it! We got this!¡± (S) The girl started pulling her brother away from the restaurant. ¡°S-See you soon!¡± (S) As they walked deeper into the village and out of view, Leion simply shrugged his shoulders. With that problem solved, he could rest. Sitting down at the door of the restaurant, Leion closed his eyes. ¡®Haaaa, I wish she¡¯d show me how to transform back¡­¡¯ Missing his comfortable tiger body, Leion tried to find some comfort. It¡¯s nice when things go smoothly. It means things were done right. Seeing the situation, there wasn¡¯t much that could possibly go wrong. Right? Chapter 12 ‘The quaint village (5)’ ¡°This¡­ This is going too far!¡± Carefully shifting a loose wooden board, a quiet yell sounded behind Suie. ¡®Now is really not the time!¡¯ Bringing up a finger to her mouth, she glared at her brother. If he didn¡¯t like what they were going to do, he should have left a long time ago. Instead, here he was right behind her. Suie almost clicked her tongue at his behaviour. Deep down she knew her brother was just like her. He too wanted to learn from the witch. Otherwise, why would he be here? Entering a house so small it could be mistaken for an animal shack, Suie tensed up. She clutched the paper in her hand as she came to terms with what she must do. Two books. The list stated two books were needed. A completely blank one and one containing a short story. Unfortunately for them, books were not the easiest thing to come across this far out in the wilderness. Merchants who would sell such wares wouldn¡¯t journey this far. And, even if they did, the average book cost a ridiculous sum. So, as a result, they had to find alternative ways to gain these two items. Silently moving around the dilapidated, messy shack, Suie couldn¡¯t help but grin seeing their prize. She made way to piles of books seated next to a desk dodging the loose paper and quills scattered across the floor. Cautious not to wake the person slumped over the desk, she gestured her brother towards one pile of books. For the first time in her life, Suie felt grateful to this failed wizard. Bending down, she started looking for the items. Out of everything listed on the piece of paper, these were the hardest items to get. The rest were half food items or materials that could be gotten from their restaurant or the stores around without much resistance. ¡®Aha!¡¯ Picking up one book, Suie dusted its cover. She knew this book well, very well. It was filled with countless tales of the heroes¡¯ greatest exploits. When she was younger, she used to be obsessed with the book. Repeatedly bothering the failed wizard about it. Yes, it was this very book that was used to teach her the basics of reading and writing. A light tap startled Suie. It was brother. He had found a blank book. Sending a nod his way, she turned back and followed him out.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. A pair of siblings walked side by side to a stone building. Both were carrying large brown sacks. Suie breathed out a sigh of relief. It was finally over. Getting the things required on the list had gotten increasingly troublesome. Suie found herself doing more and more unsavoury things. Hiking the sack up on her back, Suie adjusted it to sit in a more comfortable position. Considering the potential reward at hand¡­. if this pays off, then all this effort would be but a small price to pay. Stealing a quick glance at the witch¡¯s daughter, Suie turned away and frowned. It was really hard to look at her. The captivating figure of the witch¡¯s daughter was sitting defenceless on the restaurant steps. Sleeping peacefully away. Inviting all the chance to just steal her aside. In fact, the more Suie thought about it, the more feasible the thought seemed. The small girl didn¡¯t look like she could put up much of a fight. With those tiny hands, it would be very easy to¡ª Slapping herself, Suie chased away her evil thoughts. What was she thinking?! Now was not the time! Marching up towards the sleeping girl, she paused right in front of her. Should she wake her up? Given how soundly she slept, it felt almost wrong. Luckily for Suie, though, her question was immediately answered the moment the small girl opened her eyes. A weak, soft voice called, ¡°I¡ªI wasn¡¯t sleeping, Master¡­¡± (L) The small girl let out a tiny, tired yawn as she slowly began rubbing at her eyes. ¡°I really wasn¡¯t¡­.¡± (L) Every movement of hers was sluggish and lethargic. A deep reluctance seemed embedded in each and every action she took, as though the mere act of waking was too bothersome. Suie stared at the girl with wide eyes. Her previous demeanour was nowhere to be found! Gone was the energetic small girl who had so eagerly returned their greeting. In her place, rested something more akin to a lazy dragon after a big meal. The scene was just too unbelievable, too jarring, too¡ª ¡®Adorable!¡¯ Suie briefly turned and met the gaze of her brother. He was lost in a trance. Would it really be such a bad thing to steal¡ªto adopt this girl? They were perfectly capable of taking care of her! ¡°SUIE! YOU THIEVING LITTLE BRAT!!¡± Suie felt her whole body freeze. She knew that shout well, too well. ¡®No¡­ No way she already woke up!¡¯ Broken out of her stupor, Suie felt a wave of panic crash into her. She had been betting that the failed mage would sleep through the entire visit! And she had been so certain that would be the case, especially since the mage had come drinking last night! If that failed mage made way over here, their entire plan would be exposed. It would ruin everything! Seeing her brother shrinking at the sound of the voice, Suie swiftly thought of a solution. ¡°E-Excuse me, Miss Leion¡­ Would you mind accompanying us for a moment?¡± (S) The small girl still looked quite out of it. With any luck, they could convince her to follow them and retreat for now so they can come back once the failed mage has cooled down. ¡°I don¡¯t wanna¡­ tired¡­¡± (L) Sadly, the small girl didn¡¯t seem to want to cooperate. ¡°We¡ªwe are taking you to a nice place to sleep!¡± (V) Suie looked at her brother. ¡°S-since you¡¯re so tired, right?¡± He was pleading for help. ¡°Y-yeah! We are taking you to a super nice place!¡± (S) ¡°Is¡­ is it far?¡± (L) ¡°No!¡± (S) ¡°No, not at all!¡± (V) The girl squinted at them with half-asleep eyes before finally stating, ¡°Okay¡­¡± (L) She got up, eyes still half closed. ¡°Great! J-Just follow us!¡± (V) And so, with the girl still half asleep, the three of them left. Entering the forest behind their parent¡¯s restaurant. So long as they didn¡¯t stray too far in, things should be alright. They only had to wait for the failed mage to cool down. Chapter 13 ‘The quaint village (6)’ They had tricked him. ¡°I¡­ I think this is far enough?¡± (S) The worst part of it? He couldn¡¯t say anything about it! ¡°It¡¯s over, isn¡¯t it? We¡¯re going to get caught and¡ª¡± (V) ¡°Will you shut up?! That is not helping!!¡± (S) Something had happened when Leion dozed off. Something truly terrible. Walking through the forest that suddenly felt oddly huge, Leion cursed within his heart. These blasted kids couldn¡¯t complete such a simple task! Not only did they not have the requested items, but they had somehow gotten in trouble procuring them!! ¡°Uhm¡­ What¡¯s happening now? Where is all the stuff?¡± (L) Given his act as a friendly, naive kid, Leion couldn¡¯t just yell at the pair to vent his frustrations. Doing so might make the kids second-guess actually helping him and result in being abandoned in this mess alone. Instead, he was forced to ask in an overtly sweet tone, suppressing his heart. It was so frustrating. ¡°M-Miss Leion? You¡¯re awake¡­?¡± (S) The girl stopped bickering with her brother. Abruptly, she turned to Leion, spotting the fakest smile a person could imagine. ¡®This kid¡­¡¯ It was one thing to exploit Leion in his sleepy state, but to then act in such a manner was downright shameless. Who raised these kids? ¡°O-Oh, we¡­ We just wanted to show you around! Don¡¯t worry about the things!¡± (V) ¡°Y-Yep! They are all collected right outside the restaurant!¡± (S) The trembling and stumbling their words contained weren¡¯t reassuring at all. ¡®Ha¡­¡¯ While lightly annoyed at the situation, Leion felt the anger rapidly dissipate. Hearing that the items had been all sourced was a great joy. It meant two things. First, he could eat. Second, he could sleep. What¡¯s there not to like about such an arrangement? Whatever these pesky kids did to get in trouble while getting the items hardly mattered to Leion. If you think about it, he had no involvement in their shady dealings. He told them he had no money. If the kids used unsavoury methods to procure, that was all on them. Assuming those shady dealings came back to bite them, Leion would get off a free man. He was just an unfortunate victim. A helpless, hapless soul. ¡®Hehe¡¯ ¡°Thank you so much for the help! Unfortunately, I can¡¯t stay¡­ My M¡ª¡± (L) ¡°Don¡¯t worry about your mom! We¡­ We got her permission!¡± (S) ¡®Mom?¡¯ No, never mind that. More importantly, what permission? Leion was almost certain that was a lie. His ¡°Master¡± wasn¡¯t the type to¡ª ¡°SUIE!! COME OUT, NOW!!¡± Leion staggered. A booming voice tore through the hilly forest. Its high pitch swept the land, kicking up dust and rustling leaves. Small critters, formerly hidden, skirted past the group of children. Terror evident in the bodies. Clutching his ears, Leion nearly dropped to the ground. ¡®W-What on Earth?!¡¯ A sharp ringing assaulted his ears. ¡°We have to get out of here now!¡± (S) A hand grabbed one of Leion¡¯s hands still attached to his head. It pulled him along as it sped up. Disoriented, Leion failed to mount a sufficient defence. He was dragged along. It finally stopped. The ringing had disappeared. Looking around, Leion slowly became aware of their surroundings. They were in a cave. It reeked. ¡°Where... where are we?¡± (L) Countless bones filled the otherwise empty cave, and they varied greatly from one another. Some spotted massive canine teeth of a predator, others flat molars of herbivores, and a few beaks of omnivores. Yet, despite all those differences, one thing was common among all the bones.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Enormous. They were all stupidly enormous. ¡°This is our hideout!¡± (S) Why did she sound so proud? Leion frowned. ¡°We are just resting here for a moment, Miss! Please bear with us¡­¡± (V) ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ve been here hundreds of times!¡± (S) Leion¡¯s frown deepened. Do they not see the bones? This couldn¡¯t possibly be safe. ¡°Sorry! Please don¡¯t leave!¡± (V) ¡°Wait!¡± (S) Deciding enough was enough, Leion made way to the exit. He ignored the calls to return. Now that he already had the stuff, there was no reason to keep pleasing them. ¡®Isn¡¯t this place a little too bright for a cave¡­¡¯ A fleeting thought entered Leion¡¯s mind as he came to a pause. There was a figure standing at the cave entrance. One that hadn¡¯t been moments ago. With a large, muscle-packed body, a brown furry bear bearing several scars stood at the entrance. Its sharp gaze was fixed on Leion. Slowly studying him and, seeing this, Leion in turn studied it. He studied the way its eyes were ablaze, the way its body quivered and trembled, and the way it growled in a low, threatening tone. ¡®Ah, really?¡¯ Oddly though, Leion didn¡¯t feel the least bit threatened or afraid. Perhaps maybe due to experiencing worse from his ¡°Master¡± when they first met, the current threat posed seemed small. Comparing with past situations, including the Giant, this could be considered mild. While lost in thought, Leion watched as the bear approached. ¡®Is that really the reason?¡¯ The reason given for his lack of fear made logical sense. After all, experiencing terrible situations only produced one of two results. A gain or a loss of immunity to the given situation. In Leion¡¯s case, since he¡¯s experienced enough and not crumbled, he has gained substantial immunity to the situation. Yet, despite thinking like this, Leion couldn¡¯t believe it true. Something else was a play here. The bear had finally reached Leion. It pulled in its head close to him and gave a light sniff. After a few seconds of silence, it then licked him. A strange reaction for a once mad beast, but, staring at the outcome, Leion was not surprised. This wasn¡¯t exactly the first time this was happening to him. A pattern was emerging. ¡®Why am I thinking so much?¡¯ There was no reason to put effort into such thinking. It was a waste of time. ¡°Hey! Bear!¡± (S) The clang of a rock reverberated throughout the empty cave. ¡®Crap¡­¡¯ The bear turned to the direction where the rock that had hit it came from. Standing at the entrance were two kids. One held a pile of rocks in their arms while the other was posed in a throwing motion. A couple more rocks were thrown, and Leion, without even looking at the bear, could feel its fury rising. ¡®Darn kids¡­!¡¯ When had they even left the cave!? And, crucially, why had they bothered to return?! Leion felt that he should probably do something, but realistically, what could he do? He was no monster like his ¡°Master¡±. If he were to interfere, he would just add to the bear¡¯s meal. Testing the bear¡¯s goodwill didn¡¯t seem like the smartest idea. But¡­. Letting the kids who aided him meet such an end felt a little wrong. Leion had to at least try something despite the hopelessness present. Who knows? If they somehow all survive, the kids would forever be indebted to him. He would finally get the personal maids he always wanted. Various ideas popped into Leion¡¯s mind as he ran in front of the bear. In this given scenario, the best thing he could do was distract the bear long enough that the kids could leave. Following that thought, the sole thing present that had distracted the bear before needed to be brought back to its attention. Himself. Yelling at the kids to leave, Leion hugged the bear¡¯s neck. The bear completely ignored Leion. Brushing him off with a gentleness that didn¡¯t match its aura. Leion hugged the bear again. This time making sure he blocked the view of the kids. The bear didn¡¯t stop moving despite it, though. Leion felt his legs lift as the bear raised its gaze. ¡®Oh crap! Oh crap! Oh crap!!¡¯ The bear kept moving, albeit slower than before, towards the entrance. ¡®Tch!¡¯ This wasn¡¯t working well. If only Leion could just properly halt its movements, make it freeze in place, then the situation could actually improve. Clutching on the bear, Leion started unconsciously chanting in his mind. The chanting wasn¡¯t anything sophisticated but a mindless shout. A shout to slow the movements of the bear. A shout to lock its wanderings. A shout to block its steps. It was then something answered the shouts. Like a burst dam, Leion suddenly felt a wave of power explode within him. It flowed out from his chest and quickly to his arms. Strength unknown rampaged in Leion¡¯s hands, searching for an exit. It banged on the invisible doors contained within his arms. Pain swiftly blew up from the area, drowning all other senses. A release was needed. Needed so terribly. A foreign instinct screeched madly at Leion to open up. He did. It was frozen. The bear was encased in a glacier of ice. Leion had frozen it solid. Staring at the frozen mass, Leion examined the new sculpture as it glistened in the sun provided by the entrance. The damn thing was nothing short of horrifying yet impressive at the same time. The vicious frozen eyes of the bear, the snarl that was stopped mid-way, and the suspended but raised paw of attack all combined to create the image of something truly mortifying. It was a work of art. ¡°I see you have led these kids astray.¡± (M) ¡®W-Wha? Huh?!¡¯ A familiar cold voice broke Leion out of his trance. It somehow sounded a little angry. Turning around to quickly address the voice, Leion felt the words die in his mouth as he came across an unexpected scene. The indifferent gaze of his ¡°Master¡± wasn¡¯t the only one to greet him. By the looks of it, more than half the village was here. They stood behind his ¡°Master¡± at great distance. How¡­ How did they all manage to get here without him noticing? ¡°Did you collect the items?¡± (M) The nonsensical question abruptly asked caused Leion to freeze. Did she choose to not see the giant sculpture behind him? Seriously, what is wrong with her!? Couldn¡¯t she tell there were more important things to discuss?!?! Despite thinking that though, Leion didn¡¯t voice any of his concerns. A gut feeling warned him strongly against such a course of action. For some reason, he could just tell she was in a foul mood. So, instead, he decided to answer the question. ¡°T-The items are at the restaurant door¡­¡± (L) Leion decided to give a simple answer to a simple question, yet, despite being sure he gave a satisfactory answer. He found the same question reflected back to him, only now the words used were infinitely icier and colder. ¡°Did. You. Collect. The. Items?¡± (M) She had seen right through him. ¡°N-No¡­¡± (L) Leion immediately conceded. It didn¡¯t seem wise to play with her now. As his ¡°Master¡± walked up to him, Leion felt his heart start rapidly beating. ¡®Wait¡­ What the hell is happening?!¡¯ Replaying today¡¯s event in his head, Leion couldn¡¯t help but protest the injustice. Why does it feel like he is about to be punished¡ªnot to mention in front of people¡ªdespite doing nothing deserving of such? Not only did he complete his assigned task, but he also just saved the lives of two kids. ¡®Where are those kids?!¡¯ Searching frantically for an escape route, Leion spotted the two kids tucked away in the embrace of a woman, presumably their mother. ¡®Cowards!¡¯ Leion wanted to flee away from his impending doom, yet his legs refused to listen to him. It was too late. ¡°We¡¯ll discuss this at home.¡± (M) At the cryptic words, a harsh cop landed on Leion¡¯s head. Trying and failing to hide the squeal that came out, he tried to shrink away from his ¡°Master¡±. A hand grabbed his own. Without much fanfare, Leion found himself being pulled back into the village. The people in front of them parting like a sea. Chapter 14 ‘The Young Apprentice (1)’
A chilly breeze swept across a winter wonderland. It carried a fresh, crisp spirit that filled the white expanse with an aura of fragility. Here, in this frozen paradise, two striking figures could be seen walking side by side in complete silence. An invisible bubble seemingly separating them from the rest of the world. No sights, sounds, or scents lingered as they treaded lightly on the snow-covered ground. It was almost like they didn¡¯t exist. The peculiar scene was what many would describe as peaceful, though... if not for that one thing. The strange atmosphere. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± (L) A small, sombre voice broke the silence. Baihu didn¡¯t respond. It was hard to state what exactly was making her feel this displeased. After all, the actions of the cub weren¡¯t all that surprising. Baihu couldn¡¯t have expected much given her past behaviours. She was well aware the cub would try to rush things. Casting a small spell to observe the cub, Baihu hadn¡¯t been the least bit shocked to observe her asleep at the door. At the time, Baihu watched on indifferent. She watched as the kids her cub tricked gathered the items, she watched as they delivered them to the restaurant, and, she even watched as they ran into the forest. None of it had bothered her greatly. The young ones would be caught soon, and she would deal with her cub. That was the only thought to cross. Yet, when she watched as her cub grabbed on to the bear, she got annoyed. Did that cub think she was invincible? Just because it wasn¡¯t going to knowingly attack didn¡¯t mean she was safe. The bear could¡¯ve easily crushed her by mistake, or she could¡¯ve fallen off and hurt herself. Baihu watched her cub¡¯s reckless behaviour with increasing annoyance. Ultimately, she decided to intervene, which led to her coming across an interesting scene. The cub used mana. ¡°I swear¡­ I¡¯ll never do it again.¡± (L) An exhausted mumble brought Baihu out of her thoughts. Looking down at the tiny owner of the voice, Baihu noted her condition. She was barely awake. A result achieved through their short walk. ¡®Good¡¯ All actions have consequences. It was important that her cub learnt that lesson.Stolen story; please report. Stopping their walk, Baihu scooped up the young cub and placed her in the swaddle. ¡°Thank you¡­¡± (L) A soft voice called out as Baihu closed her cloak. The day has been long. It wouldn¡¯t hurt to give the cub some time to rest. They were in no rush. ¡°Master, why should I waste... spend my time learning this? Can¡¯t you just teach me the floating thing already?¡± (L) Looking at the disgruntled expression worn by her cub, Baihu lowered and nuzzled the girl gently. ¡°You must learn this to do that.¡± (B) Generating a spell, a construct of the phenomenon known as mana, was always a difficult and dangerous task for beginners. Even the most basic tier-one spell could reap disaster. It was not uncommon for the young to permanently and severely injure themselves due to carelessness. The mastery of Manmanic, often called the language of mana, could negate some of the more dangerous elements of mana. Devolved by the Great Serpent, it was a language that simplified the workings of mana enough for mortals to comprehend. While Baihu was able to comprehend the workings of mana beyond the language due to her upbringing, it was an unnecessary danger to have her young cub do the same. Not yet at least. ¡°Well¡­ I already know how to read and write.¡± (L) Despite explaining the advantages of learning Manmanic, namely ease of comprehension, Baihu¡¯s cub seemed to interpret it as nothing more than a bothersome chore. She was very stubborn about it, enough so to concoct lies. ¡°Show me.¡± (B) Baihu knew well and good that the cub couldn¡¯t read or likely write. A fact supported by her inability to understand the simple list Baihu had given her. The items Baihu added to the list were writing as well as reading materials. Things imperative to help curb those shortcomings. ¡°O-Okay¡­¡± (L) Seeing her cub gaze down at the writing station set up with hesitation, one word surfaced up in Baihu¡¯s mind. ¡®Troublesome¡¯ A worrying pattern was emerging from this young one. Whenever she encountered a problem she couldn¡¯t immediately solve, she would do one of three things. Give up, try and push the problem onto someone else, or a poor combination of both. It was as though she was incapable of asking for genuine support. Recalling how her cub handled the situation in the village almost made Baihu frown. Instead of asking someone to read the list, she tricked two other kids to do her work. And that resulted in those kids stealing from some of the villagers. If her cub had gone around the village with that list, none of that would¡¯ve been necessary. The arrangement she had with the village would¡¯ve resulted in all those items being billed to her tab at the restaurant. ¡°Here I go¡­.¡± (L) Three items currently sat on the table. A feather, a small tube of ink in a glass container, and a piece of paper resting on an angled wooden board. The arrangement was simple and efficient. The young girl sat in Baihu¡¯s lap, stretched out, and grabbed the feather. ¡°Wrong hand.¡± (B) ¡°Huh?¡± (L) The feather laid before them originated from the right wing of a bird. Due to the natural curve of the feather, the only appropriate way to hold the feather was with your left hand. Baihu had placed the feather along with the ink left on the wooden board for this reason. ¡°Right¡­¡± (L) The girl quickly switched hands before leaning out and dabbing the tip of the feather in the ink. She pulled back her hand but not before the feather cleared the curved edges of the glass tub. Consequently, the glass fell over, spilling ink. ¡°Ah¡­ sorry.¡± (L) The girl glanced back. ¡°Carry on.¡± (B) With a light wave of her hand, Baihu willed the ink back into the glass tub. ¡°¡­Alright.¡± (L) Baihu watched slowly as the young girl placed the feather harshly on the paper. She seemed to debate with herself for a second before stroking up. The paper tore. She set the feather down. ¡°I have a lot to learn, Master.¡± (L) ¡°Yes, you do.¡± (B)
Chapter 15 ‘The Young Apprentice (2)’
This was too much. Staring at the paper before him, Leion was tempted to rip his hair out. The English alphabet was a great and powerful alphabet. Tracing its origins from Latin used by the Romans, its simple make allowed quick and convenient learning. The alphabet was relatively small, boasting a mere 26 letters, of which, 5 were vowels while the rest were consonants. If one were tasked to write out the letters of the alphabet, they would weep with joy knowing the average word required 3 strokes to complete. Leion immensely missed the English alphabet. Manmanic was nothing like it! The alphabet of the Manmanic language contained over 200 letters alone. Most of which required 10 or more strokes to complete in writing. Frankly speaking, the letters that made up the Manmanic alphabet resembled Chinese characters more than English letters. Each containing certain small, minute details that barely differentiated them from each other. A person could easily mistake one ¡°letter¡±, a term Leion used loosely, for another. In summary, Leion was really struggling. The worst part about it? All of this was before the added difficulty of using primitive writing tools. Leion was forced to write with his left hand due to the quill¡¯s peculiar bend. He was also forced to write in only downward strokes lest he smudge the ink or worse, tear the paper. Many a time was he close to breaking the quill, ripping the paper in half, and shattering the ink bowl. It felt damn unfair to have to learn writing a second time. ¡®Goddamn Giant!¡¯ The sole thing keeping Leion sane was, oddly enough, the sword the Giant used to strike at him. Whenever Leion reached his breaking point, his ¡°Master¡± would act. She would feed him tasty stew, massage his small body and then allow him to sleep. Despite it though, there were tons of times Leion felt tempted to blame her. After all, she was still the one directly forcing him to do this. Though she may be under the influence of the Giant, it was still no excuse. But... It was really hard to hate someone who so earnestly wanted to help you. At the end of the day, Leion was very much a freeloader in his ¡°Master¡¯s¡± home. Watching her put a lot of effort into taking care of him was starting to eat at a conscience he didn¡¯t know he had. His ¡°Master¡± no longer left the cabin for extended periods of time. She would only leave for a moment in the morning, come back while Leion was doing his chores, and then proceed to teach him once he finished. In his previous life, Leion hadn¡¯t had someone take care of him like this. Sure, there were his parents, but they kind of brought that onto themselves. It didn¡¯t count. He couldn¡¯t feel an ounce of guilt mooching off them, and when he finally came of age, he managed to support himself. He was a guy who did the bare minimum to survive by himself.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. To suddenly have someone aiding him was¡­ different. And not in a good way. ¡°One more.¡± (M) Leion¡¯s brows twitched as his body stirred in her lap. His hand was already finished. He couldn¡¯t do one more. ¡°Master¡­ I¡¯ve been meaning to ask. How do I shift back to my other form?¡± (L) Perhaps due to his excessive complaining at the start or the quietness that enveloped the cabin when he¡¯d work, his ¡°Master¡± was at least willing to humour a question or two of his every now and then. ¡°Hm¡­¡± (M) While patiently waiting for a reply, Leion passed the time by gingerly recalling his first steps into this world. The first few days spent in this world were absolutely the best. At the time, stuck within the body of a tiger, he spent the entire days¡¯ worth of time lazing away. Sleeping, chewing snow, and dreaming. There was no life greater than that! ¡®Sigh¡­. how long had it been since that time?¡¯ Two months, three months? It was honestly hard to tell considering he had never bothered to keep track. The days spent within these four walls had all blurred together. Creating something Leion couldn¡¯t be bothered to sort within his memory. Leion sighed once more. Despite not a lot of time passing, he felt an odd nostalgia looking back. ¡°We will stop here.¡± (M) The sudden declaration stunned Leion. Did¡­ did she seriously just ignore his question again? Just when he thought there was some progress in their communication, she goes ahead and¡ª Leion instantly froze. ¡°S-Stop?¡± (L) Disbelief caused his mouth to gape. Ever since starting to learn Manmanic, his ¡°Master¡± had become even more unrelenting. She would demand he fill three sets of practice papers before finally allowing him to rest for the day. Hovering over him like an eagle staking its prey in order to ensure completion. Any trick or scheme to hasten up the progress would be mercilessly torn down and corrected. In this sense, she had become a literal tiger mom. A strict mother who ensured success for her child no matter what. Leion seriously doubted his hearing until he felt the quill in his hand be taken from him. He was lifted off the lap of his ¡°Master¡± and placed on the ground. She organised the table before getting up and staring down at Leion. ¡°I will teach you how to shift.¡± (M) ¡®Ah, she is short¡¯ As piercing blue eyes bore down on Leion, a random thought entered his mind. He had first noted this¡­ shortcoming when they were first arriving at the village. In the arms of his ¡°Master¡±, he had subconsciously realised something amiss when the majority of eyes fixed on them were looking down. The dots hadn¡¯t really connected at the time until he saw her standing beside the village humans. ¡®Ha!¡¯ The thought was absolutely hilarious. ¡°Ekp!¡± (L) Nursing the site of the hand cop, Leion glared at the perpetrator. ¡°Focus.¡± (M) With a light nod, Leion turned and observed his ¡°Master¡± properly. ¡°Secure the seal in your mind.¡± (M) At her words, the world seemed too slightly darkened. ¡°The reason you shifted before was because you were scared.¡± (M) A low, chilly wind picked up in the cabin. It moved about in an unnatural calm manner. ¡°You lost control of a fundamental part of you. Letting it roam freely.¡± (M) The low wind gradually increased in speed. It twisted and turned within the cabin in a chaotic manner. Repeatedly trying to break through the pitiful walls that stood in its way. ¡°All you have to do is grasp it, rein it in.¡± (M) The once shallow winds burst with freakish intensity. They generated a deafening sound and obscured Leion¡¯s view of his ¡°Master¡±. Leion¡¯s sense in space swiftly faded away as the assault on his senses rendered him a new unique blind. Trapped in the perilous situation, he stood silently. Unable to even muster an iota of resist. But, fortunately for Leion, the wind died down as rapidly as it came to life. Unfortunately, though, it left him face-to-face with a terrifying being. Confined in a too-small room.
Chapter 16 ‘The holly jolly guest (1)’ Now this felt right. Letting out a sigh that sounded closer to a purr, Leion contently cuddled closer to his ¡°Master¡±. The whole thing regarding his shifting had been a surprisingly simple affair. It only took three attempts for him to figure out, as his ¡°Master¡± puts it, how to ¡°Secure the seal¡± within his mind. The moment Leion tried to do as instructed, it felt as though an invisible hand was guiding him towards a path. A predetermined path of success. It was laid in front of him, and all he had to do was walk. The guiding hand Leion felt wasn¡¯t anything new. In fact, he had felt it many times before including: when he first stumbled through the awkward steps of relearning to walk, when the odd, unplaceable scent of the village filled his senses, and even when he first used his untameable magic. The guiding hand was none other than instinct. Plain instinct. Thud-thud A heavy noise reverberated throughout the room. Peeking his eyes slightly open, Leion stared up at the massive feline soundly sleeping beside him. There was no way the noise that woke him hadn''t woken her as well. Why was she ignoring it? Pretending it wasn¡¯t there wasn¡¯t going to make it just disappear. Leion knew that well, very well, as that was exactly what he was trying to do. ¡®Does she want me to answer it?¡¯ Turning his attention towards the door, Leion couldn¡¯t help but wonder. Was this some sort of test? His ¡°Master¡± was distinctly weird enough to try something like that. But, still in a half-sleep state, he didn¡¯t feel in the mood to leave this warm embrace. Thud-thud-thud!! You would think a person would take the not-so-subtle hint to leave after receiving no response. Or, at the very least, come to the conclusion no one is home. Common courtesy dictated that a person should leave and try again later. Whoever was knocking at the door was clearly an ill-mannered person. Instead of doing the obvious, they doubled down and started knocking at the door even harder. Leion got up. He couldn¡¯t take it anymore. Shifting back into his human-like form, Leion absentmindedly put on the clothes neatly folded next to the beddings. If there was one complaint Leion had to air out with shifting, it would be this. Unlike his ¡°Master¡± who was able to instantly conjure new clothes whenever she shifted, Leion was left butt naked every time. Frankly, upon learning this fact, he was left mostly indifferent to it. The sole other person here in this cabin was his ¡°Master¡± and he didn¡¯t feel anything around her. Plus, it felt freeing to stop wearing that clich¨¦ witch costume. Sadly, that freedom was short-lived because the moment his ¡°Master¡± came back and found him doing chores naked, she got annoyed. She threatened to ban his shifting altogether unless he followed some made-up rules.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. They read as follows:
  1. No shifting in front of others
  2. No shifting before asking for permission
  3. No shifting during the day
  4. No shifting before neatly and properly folding clothes
  5. No shifting unless clothes are nearby and ready to be worn
While the rules were not completely unreasonable, it still felt wrong for such a thing to be so heavily regulated. It was like someone telling you when and when not you can stand. With the sole exception to the rules being early in the morning when he was allowed to shift without permission, Leion couldn¡¯t tolerate such treatment. The moment his ¡°Master¡± left, he made sure to break every rule before she came back out of spite. Thud-thud-thud-thud!!! ¡°Coming, coming¡­¡± (L) Mumbling to himself, Leion made way to the door he almost forgot about. Putting both hands on the door, he readied to push before suddenly pausing. An odd thought had unexpectedly struck him. Was this a good idea? Opening the door to a complete stranger seemed like a bad idea. What¡­ what if his ¡°Master¡± really was asleep and he was just overthinking things? Looking back at feline form taking half the room, he shook his head. No, no way she slept through that noise. She was awake and merely pretending to be asleep. Additionally, if, say, the person outside was bad and really wanted to get in without them knowing, they wouldn¡¯t have knocked. They would¡¯ve just pulled the door open. This door didn¡¯t have a lock. Finally coming to a decision, Leion pushed the door open wide. Worst-case scenario, if the person outside was bad, he would just run back. As the door opened, Leion braced himself. The lightly bright blue morning sky greeted him as a chilly breeze blew past. A woman stood before him, radiating an overwhelmingly positive aura. She was dressed in a traditional nun robe curved intricately with golden patterns. Dark, curly, red hair that matched her vibrant, bright red eyes poked out of her headscarf. A silvery cross with pointed ends and a ruby heart hung loosely around her collar. A look of confusion flashed on her face. It was replaced by shock, which was then replaced by unbridled excitement. ¡°Oh! My! Gosh!!!¡± Without warning, Leion found himself trapped in her burning embrace. He was being crushed. ¡°H-Help!¡± (L) The intended yell died into a whisper as the air in Leion¡¯s chest was forcibly expelled. ¡®No¡­ way¡­!¡¯ Black and white dots started flashing. He was about to, no, he was going to pass out any second. Struggling against the grip, Leion began flailing about in an almost mad manner. His body much desperate to survive, to breathe. ¡°Ah! I¡¯m so sorry!¡± The grip choking out Leion lessened greatly but didn¡¯t entirely let go. Instead, Leion was treated to the sight of his feet leaving the ground as they walked back in the cabin. ¡°Baiiiihu! How could you keep her a secret!!!¡± As Leion¡¯s vision recovered, he slowly came to a realisation. He was sat. Trapped in the laps of the stranger who had nearly just killed him. ¡°Did I?¡± (M) A familiar voice answered over the table they sat around. When had she moved? ¡°Don¡¯t play dumb!¡± Leion stared at the scene in great confusion. What on Earth was happening?! The sharp gaze of his ¡°Master¡± turned to him. And, as if reading his thoughts, she spoke, ¡°Lei-Lei, Aurelia.¡± (M) She held out her hand, then continued. ¡°Aurelia, Lei-Lei.¡± (M) Forget the fact that she had basically called him ¡°Lily¡± again; were those really supposed to be introductions? ¡°Baihu¡­ Aren¡¯t you forgetting something?¡± (A) It appeared he wasn¡¯t the only one dissatisfied. ¡°No?¡± (M) ¡°Really!?¡± (A) A few seconds passed in silence. ¡°She is my friend¡ª¡± (M) ¡°Best!¡± (A) ¡°Best friend¡­¡± (M) Leion stared dumbfounded. Wasn¡¯t this situation a little too odd? Something was clearly wrong. How could his ¡°Master¡± have friends? Chapter 17 ‘The holly jolly guest (2)’ The cold was biting. Walking through the forest filled with small, silvery trees, Aurelia dreaded the journey ahead. These mountains were a very unforgiving place. Made of four distinct layers, any being not native to them would surely perish merely traversing the land¡ªnot saying that native creatures were completely free of its crueller nature. The first and lowest of the layers was the Sylvestris Forest. It was made of countless green pine trees resting on sloped ground. Out of all the layers, this one was the most bearable. Spotting the warmest climate, it allowed for a lot of different plants and even people to survive. It was the layer that kindly harboured most living on this mountain. The second lowest layer was not so tender. As if to spite the first, it was the layer made up of a complete wasteland. Not a single creature dared to make it their home. Devoid of even a shrub, the wasteland served as a barrier to the colder and more treacherous parts of the mountain. If one managed to bypass the second layer, they would set upon the third lowest layer. Countless lustrous small silver trees dotted the layer. It was twice as cold as the second layer and four times as cold as the first. In this layer, numerous medium- to small-sized beasts hid well within the silvery forest. They all carried a certain magical nature that made them incredibly dangerous. Finally, past the third layer was the fourth. It was similar to the first and third layers¡ªbeing another forest, but that was where all the similarities ended. Unlike the previous two forests, the last forest one would meet before making it to the top was gargantuan. Behemoth, sparking, white trees would reveal themselves the closer one got to the fourth layer. Contained within them were monsters of a similar terrifying stature, deep in sleep. The cold at this level was even more burdensome. Being twice as cold as the third layer, four times as cold as the second, and eight times as cold as the first layer. After a person passed all these, they would be nearing the top of the mountain. The last obstacle that would stand in their way would be the Fog of Madness. A direct phenomenon generated by the fairies of the mountain. As the name suggested, a being would be driven mad if they were so arrogant as to step on the land of the fairies. Aurelia stopped and clutched the silver cross laying on her chest. The journey ahead was a difficult one that bordered on the line of impossibility. Even equipped with the best gear available, Aurelia was struggling on layer three. No number of charms or blessings could take the cold eating at her. There was a good reason no one in their right mind would make this journey. But. Aurelia had to. Not only to visit her dear who refused to answer her calls, but to deliver an important message.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡®Oh Gods, please watch over me so that I may deliver your message¡¯ Grimacing, Aurelia gave a short prayer before reaching into her pockets and pulling out a small blue ball. She threw the ball in her mouth and swallowed shortly after. Instantly, the cold that was eating away at her disappeared. A small, sad smile crept on her face. Using the one gift she received from her dear friend was not to her liking. Unfortunately, though, it seemed the regular methods to combat such cold were just not enough. It was too harsh, too domineering. The cold was only going to get worse from here, and she was already struggling to cope with this much. ¡®This is so¡­ ridiculous.¡¯ It was utterly cold already. Aurelia couldn¡¯t imagine how much colder the top was. ¡®Is it possible for living things to exist up there?¡¯ It must be. It was a well-known fact that the impish fairies lived high above in conjunction with the ominous white tiger. ¡®What am I thinking?¡¯ Casting her useless thoughts aside, Aurelia continued walking.
It was so awkward. Mindlessly sweeping the ground, Leion couldn¡¯t help but sneak glances at the new guest. She was sitting at the table with a gleeful smile. ¡®Ugh¡­ Why did she have to leave me here with her?¡¯ After the brief introduction, his ¡°Master¡±¡ªlacking any social tact¡ªjust left like it was a normal day. Leion had been abandoned on a stranger¡¯s lap with the vague instructions to ¡°do the necessary¡±. Usually, when dumped with such a situation by his ¡°Master¡±, he had some clues on what to do. But. Today was different. He didn¡¯t have the faintest idea what to do. Did the instruction to ¡°do the necessary¡± include taking of the guest as well as the cabin? Or, did it mean he was meant to focus on either while ignoring the other? He couldn¡¯t possibly do both by the time she got back. Left with such a conundrum, Leion politely excused himself off the guest with great difficulty in order to do the cleaning. If given two options, Leion would rather focus on the cleaning than talking to the guest. It was easier to do, plus it was something he could show off to his ¡°Master¡± once she got back. ¡°Leeei-Leeeei¡­.¡± (A) A sing-song voice called out to Leion. ¡®Ha¡­¡¯ He paused and looked up. ¡°Yes?¡± (L) The butchering of his name was annoying but tolerable. She was just a guest that would leave soon. Wasting breath correcting an airhead like her wasn¡¯t worth it. ¡°I want to play! I want to play with you!!¡± (A) ¡®Are you a child?¡¯ Suppressing his mild irritation, Leion thought sharply before answering with the same mesmerising smile he used on the village, ¡°I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t play; I have to do the necessary!¡± (L) With any luck, she would be too dumbstruck to continue bothering him. It really shouldn¡¯t be hard given how taken by him she seems. Adults shouldn¡¯t be behaving like that. A nun definitely shouldn¡¯t be behaving like that. It was plain unsightly. ¡°But¡­ Lei-Lei. Are you really doing the necessary?¡± (A) Leion, who had resumed sweeping, abruptly stopped. A low hum escaped from the guest. ¡°Doesn¡¯t doing the necessary mean taking care of me?¡± (A) ¡®W-What the hell?¡¯ Leion nearly bit his tongue. Wasn¡¯t such a thought process too much for an airhead?! ¡°Sorry, no. My Master meant¡ª¡± (L) ¡°Wait!¡± (A) The guest rose from her chair, moved towards Leion, and bent down to his level. ¡°You call your mom, Master?! That¡¯s so adorable!!¡± (A) She started furiously petting his head. ¡°Now, don¡¯t worry about this small mess! I¡¯ll talk to your mommy and have her let you off the hook today!!¡± ¡°Uh, but¡ª!¡± (L) ¡°Let¡¯s go! We have very important things to do!!¡± (A) A pair of hands grabbed Leion, and before he knew it, they were heading towards the door. The door was ripped open. They were outside. Chapter 18 ‘The holly jolly guest (3)’ ¡°Are you feeling cold?¡± (A) Walking down the steps of the cabin, Leion was suddenly hit with a difficult to answer question. One that momentarily made him pause before answering. ¡°No?¡± (L) He was aware of it but couldn¡¯t feel it. It had been a long, long time since Leion felt the sensation known as cold. Even now, wearing his rather thin robes, he did not feel cold. The once familial feeling had grown so distant Leion struggled to remember what it was like. In the lands of the Common, he hadn¡¯t had a body to feel cold with while in this body, the feeling of cold just didn¡¯t register. Leion knew what cold was like from his time as a human, he knew what it should feel like, but it was increasingly hard to grasp the longer he went without feeling it. The situation was akin to this. Setting your hand on fire while wearing fire retardant gel. You can see the flames eating at your hand. You know you should be feeling some pain, some heat, but you feel nothing. You are aware of the fire but cannot feel its effects. ¡°Miss¡­ are you cold?¡± (L) The guest had posed an odd question, but it was likely due to this. They were at the peak of a mountain for crying out loud. It should be very cold. Leion and his ¡°Master¡± were made for this environment while the guest was likely not. She just looked like a regular human who wandered up the mountain. The clothes she wore covered her well but did not look like they provided any sort of warmth. ¡°We can head back inside if you are!¡± (L) It was the perfect opportunity to ditch this. ¡°Hehe, I am one of the last people a kiddo like you should worry about!¡± (A) The guest then proceeded to lightly bend her knees¡­ and jump an absurd distance away. Leion watched in silence. Regular people couldn¡¯t do that. ¡°Soooo, what games do you normally play?¡± (A) Catching up to the guest, Leion hid the grimace that was making way on his face. While he didn¡¯t care much for being seen as a child¡ªthe positive of being taken care of outweighed any negative effects, the constant belittling was starting to grate on his nerves. There was a certain annoying tone adults spoke to children with. And, it seemed the guest was a big fan of using it. ¡°Well¡­ just the usual I guess?¡± (L) Leion didn¡¯t really want to play. It was a choice some may interpret as a dislike of fun, but please don¡¯t misunderstand. Leion liked to have fun. In fact, he was a master in the art of having fun. It just so happened that the fun he enjoyed the most could only be found in dreams. Where the impossible became possible, where the unattainable became attainable, and where the inconceivable became conceivable. Reality was boring. Bound and constrained by many rules. How could a person possibly enjoy themselves? Lost in thought, Leion failed to notice the guest lightly chuckling to her. She tapped her foot on the ground to grab his attention. ¡°Do you perhaps¡­ want to sleep?¡± (A) Momentary surprise flashed on Leion¡¯s face. ¡®How could she¡­¡¯ A quick reassessment occurred in Leion¡¯s mind. This was the second time she managed to catch him off. She wasn¡¯t a complete airhead like he¡¯d originally thought. ¡°Ha¡­. You¡¯re just like your mom.¡± (A) Leion¡¯s ear perked at her dejected sounding words. He moved closer to the guest. ¡°Really?¡± (L)The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. A subtle curiosity had been building up in Leion for a while now. It concerned one singular question he couldn¡¯t really satisfy. Mainly, due to the fact the person capable of satisfying such not being the most forth coming with information. Who was his ¡°Master¡±? As it stood, he didn¡¯t even know her name. ¡°Yes, yes. You¡¯re the spitting image of her back in the day.¡± (A) Gazing intently at the guest whose demeanour fell at the confirmation; Leion asked a silent question. ¡°Would you like to know how she was back in the day?¡± (A) Her voice sounded tired. Leion nodded enthusiastically. An evil smile promptly bloomed on the guest¡¯s face before disappearing as fast. ¡®Ah, crap¡¯ He might¡¯ve been played. With a fake cough, the guest turned away from Leion and crouched. She stretched out her hands and cupped the snow lying on the ground. ¡°I can tell you¡­ if you manage to hit me with one of these!¡± (A) A small ball object filled Leion¡¯s vision and, before he knew it, he found himself lying on the ground facing the sky. This was going to be a pain. Huff Huff Tiny, tired breaths rang out on a desolate peak. Leion collapsed in the snow. ¡®Agh! This is so pointless! I can¡¯t touch her!¡¯ It was very frustrating for many reasons. For every missed throw, Leion would receive a snowball to the back of his head. Anytime he would come close to hitting her, she would pull off an impossible manoeuvre and somehow escape. Leion only had one advantage going for him, and that was his feet wouldn¡¯t sink in the snow. In theory, he should¡¯ve been faster but he still always found himself two steps behind. Leion started to make himself comfortable on the snow. He wasn¡¯t winning today so he might as well sleep. ¡°Hehe, given up already?¡± (A) Laughter rang as a body crashed down beside Leion. ¡°Wasn¡¯t that a treat?¡± (A) Leion looked at the body lying next to him. He could feel his fingers tingling with the desire to pick snow. ¡°No.¡± (L) Nothing about this had been fun. ¡°No? Then I guess that grin I saw earlier was just in my imagination¡­¡± (A) ¡®Grin?¡¯ Leion stared at the guest. There was no way he had been grinning. She was trying to play him for a fool again. ¡°Anyway¡­ considering you didn¡¯t manage to hit me, I guess I don¡¯t have to tell you anything?¡± (A) Leion buried his face in the snow. He had completely wasted his time. ¡°But! Seeing how hard your adorable self tried, I have been convinced to share a thing or two.¡± (A) Leion lifted his head and shortly mumbled out a thank you. It was really nice to be a cute kid. ¡°Now, where should I begin? Hmm, I guess there would be best¡­¡± (A) The beginnings of a story were narrated to Leion. It told of the whimsical meeting between a majestic hunter and an inexperienced, but equally majestic¡ªaccording to the guest¡ªgirl. A fated meeting of destiny and adventure where two worlds collided. On a chilly night, where death sought everything in its path, an awakening would occur that would forever change the world. Leion listened with rampant attention. Adsorbing every detail with unusual interest. What felt like a once in life retelling was occurring and he didn¡¯t want to miss it. He listened and listened. He listened about the troubles they faced, he listened about the antics they got up to, and he listened about how they conquered them all. He listened and listened until¡­ a sudden sound broke his concentration. It was a voice. A voice had been calling to him, urging him to go back home. ¡°Huh? Where are you going?¡± (A) Without meaning to, Leion found himself on his feet. ¡°Can¡­ can you not hear that?¡± (L) It was almost like a low growl. The growl of some kind of animal. It was then a realization struck Leion. The growl was not happy. Sadly, it arrived a little too late for him to do anything. The outline of the massive creature was already in view. He blinked once, then jumped back as his ¡°Master¡± appeared in front of him. ¡°Why aren''t you home?¡± (M) The words wouldn¡¯t come out. Gazing down at the ground, Leion tried his best to answer back. An invisible pressure had caused his entire body to freeze. ¡®D-Damn it¡¯ This was his third time it was happening to him. ¡°Never leave home without me, okay?¡± (M) The words sounded very causal, but there was a certain coldness to them. Leion weakly nodded. ¡°Bai-Bai, I¡ª¡± (A) ¡°Yes?¡± (M) Her voice was sharp. ¡°N-Nothing¡­¡± (A) Leion¡¯s ¡°Master¡± lowered herself to his height. Slowly, but delicately, she started grooming him. Straightening out his clothes and brushing off the snow on him. When done, she wordlessly picked him up and started walking. ¡®Geez, what is her problem¡­¡¯ Looking around to distract himself, Leion noticed something. He couldn¡¯t see the cabin. They might¡¯ve wandered a little far.
She really adored her. Gazing at the mother tenderly feeding her child, Aurelia couldn¡¯t help but smile. Her dear friend had really changed. The once fearsome witch had disappeared. In her place resided an affectionate mother. A mother who gently fixed her child¡¯s clothes, prepared them food, and nuzzled them closely. It was a welcomed change. At long last her friend had finally found her peace. A pang of guilt assaulted Aurelia. She was here to destroy her peace. ¡°Thank you for the meal!¡± (L) The small voice of a girl called out. It belonged to none other than Lei-Lei¡ªher friend¡¯s cute little daughter. Another, albeit lesser, pang of guilt struck Aurelia. It was very obvious what that young girl was still trying to make up for earlier. ¡®Ha¡­¡¯ Look, Aurelia hadn¡¯t anticipated her friend would get so mad so quickly. Initially, she had tried to step in to calm her down, but the glare she received cooled her bold actions. The agitated mother then proceeded to take out the majority of her frustrations on the little girl while Aurelia watched silently. It was hard to not feel bad for girl especially since it had been entirely her idea to leave. Aurelia, at the very least, was able to rush back to the cabin and finish up the reminder of the work. ¡°Master¡­. I¡¯m sorry. I won¡¯t that again a-and, I¡¯ll answer whenever you call!¡± (L) The longer her friend said nothing, the more panicked Lei-Lei became. ¡°You are forgiven.¡± (B) The tension in Lei-Lei shoulders visibly drained. Arriving at the end of the meal, Baihu lifted Lei-Lei off her lap and carried her to bed. ¡°Time to sleep.¡± (B) ¡°Already?¡± (L) ¡°Yes.¡± (B) A curt reply was given as the young girl was tucked in bed. ¡°Sleep well¡­ you¡¯re going to need it.¡± (B) At those ominous words, the little girl covered up. Chapter 19 ‘The holly jolly guest (4)’ She never left home. Yet, the tracks left outside could not have been by anyone else. Staring at the vacant room, Baihu slowly closed her eyes. She knew her cub well. Well enough to know that behaviour was due to an outside influence¡ªnamely, her friend. The little thing would take a nap before anything given a chance. Deducing the obvious cause of the missing cub, Baihu should be fine. No danger would find her cub. She knew Aurelia was capable of protecting her cub. The peak of the mountain was also safeguarded by the fairies, who already knew not to let the cub out. Again, no danger would find her cub. But. She found herself irritated. Stepping outside, she called for her cub. No response answered back. Her irritation grew. The call she gave was a special one. One specifically for attracting the attention of her cub. It was low and long. A soft melody capable of travelling an unthinkable distance. Previously, right before heading down to the village, Baihu had her memorise the tune. It was clear now she wasn¡¯t listening. ¡°Mmmble¡­¡± (L) An unintelligible mumble filled the quiet room. Baihu was pulled out of her recollection. Her cub had finally fallen asleep; now wasn¡¯t the time to focus on the unimportant. A soft exhale sounded in front of her. Meeting the eyes of the person sitting before her, she studied their posture. A hint of nervousness was present in their form. Eyes glancing down occasionally, lips pressed tightly, and shoulders slightly hunched. ¡°Long time?¡± (A) ¡°Yes.¡± (B) The arrival of her friend had been unexpected. Yet, given her usual disposition, it wasn¡¯t all that surprising. Baihu had to set out earlier to procure food for her. The journey up this mountain was trying even for the most experienced. ¡°I see good company is the reason for your silence?¡± (A) Her friend let out a light giggle. Baihu didn¡¯t respond. It was best she believed that. Telling her friend the true reason she ignored her calls wasn¡¯t necessary. After all, that adventurous spirit of hers was special; it shouldn¡¯t ever waver. The world was always in need of a kind adventurer. ¡°If¡­ If I may ask, there¡¯s something I¡¯ve been wondering about¡­¡± (A) The giggling of her friend died down as her expression turned stern. An odd heaviness descended upon the room. Once again, it was silent, but, unlike before, it wasn¡¯t a silence meant to last. ¡°She¡­ she wouldn¡¯t happen to be his child?¡± (A) Pain. The old and familiar feeling throbbed within Baihu. It had been quite some time since she felt it this bad. Baihu steadied her heart. She expected such a question, or better yet, an assumption, to be made. The average being of this world came from two parents. Given such an assumption, it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to extrapolate such a conclusion. Baihu herself had done this. Assuming she must have parentage, yet, when searched, she had nothing to show. Just like Lei-Lei, it was as though she appeared from thin air. ¡°Ah, well, never mind that! It¡¯s not the reason I¡¯m here¡­.¡± (A) Baihu stared at her.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Had she taken too long to answer? ¡°A few traces of them have been found on the Western mountains.¡± (A) A sudden announcement was made in a sombre, low voice. It appeared the creatures they had sought to cull were still well and good. ¡°I need your help¡­¡± (A) It was only natural that help was needed. No one being could completely eradicate those creatures. First born from the haunting corpse of a once-great being, the Forsaken had quickly evolved into the terrors of the world. Enemies of all intelligent life, the Forsaken contained within them an almost mad drive to hunt and butcher. It is widely believed that they mainly target intelligent life out of envy for peace of mind they do not possess. To battle such creatures, one had to be equally dreadful or more in order to win. When Baihu first left the safety of the mountains for the world, she encountered such a creature beseeching her friend. Closing her eyes, Baihu relived that moment. She still remembered the taste of the lifeless creature as it hung from her mouth. It did not bleed blood. Instead, it only released a faint essence similar to dust filled with an intense longing. A longing Baihu knew greatly. It took a lot to battle such creatures. At the time, Baihu had been filled with a fierce determination. A determination fuelled by the desire to find others like her. It had been easy to fight, kill, and slay those monsters with that in mind. Almost too easy. Now? It was impossible. Such determination had died long ago. Killed by many things but most of all a lack of progress. The flame of determination that had once burnt reduced to nothing. Baihu didn¡¯t want to fight; she couldn¡¯t. Especially now when what she was searching for had so easily wandered to her arms. She had nothing to gain from this. The loss of her peaceful life was her reward. Travelling to the westernmost mountains would likely force her to leave Lei-Lei here. In the mountains with the fairies to grow up alone. How could she go? ¡°I¡­ I know this is asking much, but I¡ª¡± (A) Baihu stretched her hand and grasped her friend¡¯s own rested on the table. It wasn¡¯t even a question. ¡°I will help you.¡± (B) Despite it all, there was no way she would leave her to face those monsters by herself. Never ever. Her desire was a complicated and fickle thing, but what was laid in front of her was not. Her friend was in trouble and needed help. That was simple enough to understand. Baihu wouldn¡¯t abandon her friend in need. Not if she could help it. ¡°No sleeping, Lei-Lei!¡± (A) ¡°No, stop! What are you doing?! Let go of me!!¡± (A) Sitting at the table, Baihu silently observed the pair. She had already woken her cub earlier, only for her to fall back asleep. When she went to attempt again, her friend had offered herself to do it. Stating she would make sure that her cub won¡¯t dare try again. Baihu watched as her cub was lightly thrown in the air and spun around. ¡°Weeeee!¡± (A) ¡°WAAAAHHH!!¡± (L) After a few seconds of this, her cub was placed down. She proceeded to turn away from her friend and run directly to Baihu. Scrambling to get up on her lap. She tightly hugged Baihu. ¡°Masssssster, kick her out! Please!¡± (L) Baihu slowly started rubbing her cub¡¯s back. A few days had passed since her friend had arrived. Seeing as she needed a break before they set out once more, Baihu postponed their journey with the expectation she would for a little bit. What she didn¡¯t expect was how often her cub would argue with her. ¡°Why are you still here?! Get out of my house!!¡± (L) Her cub was always grumping in the morning. Rocking her back and forth, Baihu tried to calm her down. There was a reason she didn¡¯t use this method to wake her. It often left her cub grumpy for the rest of the day. ¡°Wasn¡¯t that fun!¡± (A) ¡°No!!¡± (L) Baihu needed to step in. ¡°Aurelia, be more careful.¡± (B) ¡°Ahhh, oh. I¡¯m sorry, Lei-Lei¡­¡± (A) They had made up again. Glancing back, Baihu watched as they walked hand in hand. It was a good thing she told them to get along. A thud sounded as soon as Baihu turned back. She turned once more. Lei-Lei was lying face flat on the snow. ¡°~Lei-Lei, if you don¡¯t get up, I¡¯ll be forced to leave you here~¡± (A) ¡°Good, go! My Master will pick me up anyways¡­.¡± (L) ¡°~Eh? Really? I don¡¯t think so¡­. Lei-Lei might be trying to trick me again~¡± (A) ¡°I¡¯m not! And, stop talking to me like that!!¡± (L) Lei-Lei got up from the snow. ¡°My Master will pick me up even if I pretend to fall!!¡± (A) Baihu frowned. ¡°~Is that so?~¡± (A) Aurelia turned and smiled at Baihu. ¡°N-No¡­. I didn¡¯t mean it like that¡­.¡± (L) Walking back, Baihu held the hand of her cub. ¡°Let¡¯s walk a little more.¡± (B) ¡°Y-Yes! Master¡­.¡± (L) In the end, Baihu still had to carry Lei-Lei most of the way. She simply did not have the stamina to do the entire journey by herself. And, as expected, she wasn¡¯t the only one. Slowing down her stride, Baihu raised a hand and rested it on her. Quickly, she began to infuse part of her mana into her. ¡°You didn¡¯t need to do that¡­.¡± (A) Baihu shook her head. She could tell her friend was still struggling with the cold. Most creatures would¡¯ve swiftly died the moment they stepped on the top of this mountain. Even with the enchantment she gifted her friend and the mana she infused in her, most would still die here. Aurelia was a remarkable person. ¡°Hehe, thanks.¡± (A) Stopping at the fog that separated the peak of the mountain from its body, Baihu took a deep breath. Hidden here were those who would have so kindly raised her. She grew up in this fog. Concealed and unseen. And so would Lei-Lei. Opening her coat, Baihu gently nudged the cub awake and placed her down. ¡°W-Where are we?¡± (L) ¡°The home of the fairies.¡± (B) ¡°Fairies?¡± (L) A small light abruptly flew out of the fog and blew past Lei-Lei. ¡°Ah!? What was that?¡± (L) Another followed shortly after, and another, and another more. Before long, the small area they occupied was lit up by light blue lights. The faint smell of fresh-fallen snow accompanied them. ¡°She¡¯s here!¡± ¡°It¡¯s true!!¡± ¡°Another one!¡± The lights danced around them. Here, on the impenetrable border, the fairies had come to greet them. Chapter 20 ‘Journey to the West (1)’ ¡°Get along with her.¡± (M) Leion bit his lip. Wasn¡¯t that order a little too much? Sitting in the lap of his ¡°Master¡±, Leion shuddered at the mere thought of the last couple of days. The endless pestering brought on by the guest was too tiresome, more so than even the daily chores. She was an overly enthusiastic, outgoing person, which, while not inherently wrong, meant that sitting around doing nothing was a massive no. The word sleep didn¡¯t exist in her vocabulary. Every day after Leion was done with his lessons, she would insist that they go outside and play. Ball Brawl¡ªSnowball fights¡ªwas her favourite game, and that resulted in him eating snowballs to the face before bedtime. He couldn¡¯t even touch her, so whatever little revenge he could gain remained forever unrealised. The sole solace he had afterwards was his ¡°Master¡¯s¡± comforting hugs. She had been treating him noticeably nicer the last couple of days. Letting him sleep a little longer than normal. The perks of a cute kid. Unfortunately, as great as those perks were, they didn¡¯t stop the terror that was the guest. In fact, they may have encouraged her behaviour. Since there was only one bed in the cabin, Leion had been forced to sleep next to a stranger he literally met the other day. Comments on how cute he was were muttered in his ear as he drifted to sleep. The guest was a sleep talker. And a loud one at that. The list of all the terrible things the guest had done didn¡¯t stop there. From randomly touching his¡ªnow learnt¡ªsensitive ears to poking fun at him and relaxing when he was doing chores, Leion was quick to realise one thing¡­. ¡®She really is asking for too much!¡¯ He couldn¡¯t just get along with her, but alas, a direct order from his ¡°Master¡± was hard to defy. In the end, Leion decided to hold her hand as they left to showcase them ¡°getting along.¡±. ¡°Miss Aurelia, do you know where we are going?¡± (L) Like usual, Leion was kept in the dark. His ¡°Master¡± had avoided his questions again, but luck was on his side this time, thankfully. The walking chatterbox by his side would spill the beans soon enough. ¡°Your mom didn¡¯t tell you?¡± (A) The desire to correct the guest¡¯s misunderstanding of his relationship with his ¡°Master¡± quickly rose but fell just as sharply. The reason was simple. Why waste words on someone he was unlikely to meet often? The guest was bound to leave sooner or later. Similar to the kids at the village, saying anymore would be a waste. ¡°No, did she tell you?¡± (L) Ha, Leion wouldn¡¯t put it past his ¡°Master¡± to also ignore her supposed friend. She completely lived in her own world. ¡°Lei-Lei¡­ Did you enjoy playing with me?¡± (A) ¡®Oh, great¡­.¡¯ Leion was tempted to sigh. Of all the bad habits she decided to pick from his ¡°Master¡±, not answering questions directly asked was probably the worst. Why couldn¡¯t she learn to keep silent and leave people be? Still, Leion decided to bite; he wasn¡¯t going to get any information out of her like this. ¡°It was a little fun, I guess?¡± (L) Pleasing people who held influence over your superiors was not a new tactic. In order to advance in life, it doesn¡¯t hurt to bow your head every once in a while. ¡°Hehehe, is that so?¡± (A) The guest flashed Leion a smile. It oddly felt sad. ¡®Argh¡­¡¯ Leion decided to collapse in the snow. Cryptic things like that were so annoying. ¡®God, I hate nuns¡­¡¯ Tightly wrapped in the embrace of his ¡°Master¡±, Leion struggled to fall asleep. Any time he came close, the memory of what just transpired would haunt him awake. How could he be so freaking stupid to fall for such a taunt? How much idiocy was required of him to say those words?! Nobody had forced him to!! Cold swept in as Leion felt the cloak being pulled back. It looked like they had finally arrived. At least he had something else to focus on now¡­. Set down by his master, he quickly took in his surroundings. It looked like they hadn¡¯t gone too far this time. They were still at the peak of the mountain, though an ominous fog wall blocked the way down. Heavy, thick, and grey, the fog held an aura of something alive. It didn¡¯t feel quite right.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°W-Where are we?¡± (L) ¡°The home of the fairies.¡± (M) ¡°Fairies?¡± (L) Leion couldn¡¯t help but repeat her words in a low tone. Nothing good came from interacting with fantastical creatures. With his past experiences with the Giant, his ¡°Master¡± and the bear from the village, he couldn¡¯t help but feel tense. Hopefully, they were the good sort of fairies. The ones who gave out gifts of great fortune and led strangers. ¡®But, I guess that might be too much¡­¡¯ He hadn¡¯t even seen what these ¡°fairies¡± looked like. For all he knows, they could not be the same fairies he was imagining. ¡°Ah!? What was that?¡± (L) A tiny light flashed past. He took a step back. ¡°She¡¯s here!¡± ¡°It¡¯s true!!¡± ¡°Another one!¡± Childish voices full of excitement called out as dozens of lights suddenly appeared from the fog. The gathered lights danced around them, each carrying a faint smell Leion recognised. They smelt like his ¡°Master¡±. They smelt like winter. ¡°Now, now, settle down, everyone. Is that any way to greet your sister after such a long time?¡± A vaguely sounding male voice spoke with gentle authority from the fog. ¡°Booo her!¡± ¡°Yea! Boooo!¡± ¡°She never comes to visit anyway!¡± The lights gathered around his ¡°Master¡± briefly before falling back into their dance. ¡®Sister, huh?¡¯ Leion stared up at his ¡°Master¡± whose gaze was firmly fixed on the fog. Her fists were clenched. ¡°Ahem! I did not expect you to come so soon, my precious snowflake?¡± Ignoring the building tension, a light that shone slightly brighter than the rest appeared from the fog. Its pale blue form hovered before them. Somehow, Leion could tell its entire focus was on his ¡°Master¡±. ¡°I need to leave now.¡± (M) Were they supposed to be going somewhere new? ¡®Ugh, what are we even doing here?¡¯ Frankly, Leion didn¡¯t really know what was ever going on, and it wasn¡¯t his fault. He was just never in the loop, never told of what they were doing ever. He was constantly playing the worst game of catch-up. And, while it wasn¡¯t the worst thing in the world considering he didn¡¯t care much, it did often leave him confused about what was going on. One day meeting crazy bears, another meeting crazy fairies. The pale blue light suddenly turned its attention on Leion. That¡­ that thing couldn¡¯t read minds, right? ¡°Very well.¡± The pale blue light hovered at Leion¡¯s level. ¡°So, who might you be, young one?¡± ¡°Lei-Lei.¡± (M) The pale blue light changed its gaze and then held eye contact with his ¡°Master¡± for a few moments before switching focus back. ¡°Well, Lei-Lei. You can call me Candle.¡± (C) The pale light paused and seemed to ponder. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you. I¡¯ll be looking forward to the future.¡± (C) ¡®Isn¡¯t that a little too businesslike?¡¯ It was slightly off-putting for a mystical race to be behaving like that, but nevertheless, Leion returned the greeting. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Mr Candle.¡± (L) ¡°Mr? Huh?¡± (C) The pale light hovered away with a light chuckle. ¡°I know someone who could learn from your politeness, hehe¡­¡± (C) Leion watched the little light hover away until a voice called for him. ¡°Lei-Lei.¡± (M) He turned automatically and walked closer to his ¡°Master¡±. She lowered herself as he approached. Like usual, his ¡°Master¡± stretched out her hands and began grooming him. Soft, tender strokes besieged his form as she set about on her work. Leion¡¯s cloak, hat, and hair were all set in place as she studied his body. Her movements were slow, slower than normal, but Leion didn¡¯t complain. It was nice to have someone fawn over him, no? ¡°I am leaving.¡± (M) ¡®Huh?¡¯ The grooming gradually came to a halt. ¡°You will stay here until I come back.¡± (M) Leion blinked. ¡°Lei-Lei is staying here!!¡± ¡°A new sister!?¡± ¡°Hooray!!¡± The yelling of the fairies sounded awfully faint. ¡°I will be back soon. Take care.¡± (M) A gentle warmth lingered on his forehead as his ¡°Master¡± pulled away. She stood, faced away from Leion, and walked in the direction of the guest who now stood several paces away while waving slowly to Leion. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Lei-Lei. It¡¯s going to be okay.¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to have fun!!¡± ¡°Lots and lots of fun!!¡± Leion stared at her retreating figure. What was that? Was she really going to leave him here? ¡®Well, whatever¡­¡¯ He quickly got over it. Leion didn¡¯t mind being alone. In truth, he greatly enjoyed the act. With his ¡°Master¡± out of the way, he no longer had to continue doing his studying or chores. Sure, there was that small caveat of him having to live with literal strangers, but that was a small price for freedom. As long as he had free meals and a nice place to sleep, he would be okay. No, in fact, he would be better than okay; he would be great! He didn¡¯t need some flaky, no-good¡ª Tap-tap Tap-tap-tap Tap-tap-tap-tap ¡°W-Where are you going?¡± (L) The sound of hurried steps accompanied by heavy breathing rang out as Leion reached his ¡°Master¡± and hugged her legs. There was no way she was really leaving him, right? What kind of nonsense is that? Wasn¡¯t she the one that forced him to live with her? She was the one that imposed this relationship. How could she just leave?! She wasn¡¯t leaving him!! ¡°Lei-Lei, go back¡­ now.¡± (M) ¡°I¡­I¡¯ll do double, no, triple! The work without complaining!!¡± (L) Wasn¡¯t she the guidance the Giant spoke of? She shouldn¡¯t be allowed to do this! ¡°Lei-Lei.... I won¡¯t repeat myself again. Go back now.¡± (M) The icy words crashed down on Leion. His whole body froze, but he still didn¡¯t let go. ¡°No, no, no, nooo!! D-Don¡¯t leave me here!¡± (L) ¡®Damn it! This isn¡¯t fair! Why!? Why every single time?!¡¯ Weren¡¯t they close enough? Why was she abandoning him like everyone else?! In his defiance, Leion watched as his Master calmly turned and met his eyes. A shiver instantly travelled up his spine. She was going to put him to sleep. He didn¡¯t know how he knew, but he was certain about it. She was going to leave him here. ¡°Baihu, let her come with us.¡± (A) A soft voice suddenly chimed in from beside them, breaking his Master¡¯s concentration. ¡°No, it¡¯s far too dangerous.¡± (M) Leion felt his body flinch. The response was harsh. ¡°She doesn¡¯t have to go all the way.¡± (A) The two friends shared a glance. ¡°She will slow us down.¡± (M) ¡°That¡¯s okay.¡± (A) A small smile was given. ¡°Alright.¡± (M) Leion felt the gaze of his Master focus back on him. He dropped his hands. ¡°We¡¯ll leave tomorrow.¡± (M) With those words, she departed in the direction they came from. Her footsteps unheard. ¡°Lei-Lei¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I-I didn¡¯t mean to make her¡­.¡± (A) Trapped in a hug, Leion couldn¡¯t help but berate himself. It was one thing to be physically a child, but to behave like one to such an extent felt¡­ well, it just felt wrong. ¡°I¡¯m okay, Miss Aurelia! I promise!¡± (L) ¡°Really?! Are you sure!? Have you stopped crying now!?¡± (A) ¡°Yes!¡± (L) ¡°Lei-Lei, don¡¯t worry! Will give her good talking too!!¡± ¡°She won¡¯t get away with this!!¡± ¡°Yea! Nobody makes our Lei-Lei cry and gets away with it!¡± Leion felt his body cringe. Since when did he become their anything? Pushing Aurelia slightly off him, he was finally free from her hug. She wasn¡¯t such a bad person after all. ¡°Let¡¯s head back, okay?¡± (L) ¡°Sure! Whatever you say!¡± (A) ¡°Are you leaving?¡± ¡°You want to back?¡± ¡°She¡¯ll make you sad!¡± Honestly, Leion didn¡¯t want to. He had been too presumptuous and caused such unnecessary trouble. It''s funny really; he made fun of the tiger woman for being socially inept when he was no better. Clenching his fists, Leion made a vow to himself just like he had done it before. He only needed to do the bare minimum to survive and meet his sweet, magical dreams¡ªhis paradise. Everything else was secondary. He was better at surviving off in the wild. After securing a meal, the only thing that would be left to do is sleep. It couldn¡¯t be that hard, really. ¡°Goodbye, Lei-Lei.¡± (C) ¡°Goodbye, Mr Candle.¡± (L) Ah, yes. The moment he found the perfect opportunity¡­. He would ditch those two. Chapter 21 ‘Journey to the west (2)’ Another anomaly. Standing on glass-like ground where darkness shimmered underneath, a being made of incandescent white light stared up into a sky. An evening sky dotted with countless purple and blue stars. Incomplete, the word perfect to describe the story of Leion Halfheart. When first writing the original draft of the story, the incandescent being had been quite ecstatic. It was not often it took such time with a single story, for such was rather tiresome, but the more it wrote the story of Leion Halfheart, the more it grew to like the extra effort. Slowly but steadily, that like turned into love. The being fell in love with the character of Halfheart and the endless adventures he went on. The more it wrote, the more it desired to see this story come to fruition. When finally completed, the desire reached a peak, and excitement bloomed as it set the pieces of the start of the story in place. So. Could you imagine its disappointment when none of the pieces connected together? It felt loss. Could you possibly understand? It felt sadness. Could comprehend the meaning of such a thing? It felt fury. The being had been cheated of what was rightfully theirs. In the face of such disrespect, how could it let the perpetrator roam free? Wickedness to that degree needed to be punished, and so it was. The lands of the Common were a fitting place. In a place where madness and pain thrived, pleasure, joy, and even happiness were mere figments of one¡¯s imagination. Casting Halfheart there, the being expected some reprieve from the terrible feelings burdening it, yet none whatsoever was found. In fact, a new anger grew as it discovered the perpetrator busily enjoying themselves while it was left empty and deprived. It was then, upon this discovery, that a new punishment was constructed. A payment of equal or greater value. Of course, it naturally knew that the perpetrator would try and hide to avoid paying for its crimes, but it came prepared. At least, it thought it was prepared¡­ Yet. Another unforeseeable event occurred. An anomaly appeared. One that disrupted every plan the incandescent being fashioned day in and day out. Lacking a story, the creature simply existed by its own will. Interacting with the world, the incandescent being meticulously crafted. It charted a path forward shamelessly and boldly, disrupting the natural flow of events. Observing such a creature, the incandescent being was left shocked and disturbed. How can something exist without its allowance? Initially, it tried to rid its world of the anomaly but quickly came to a rather even more disturbing realisation. It couldn¡¯t touch it. The creature lacked a story in which to interact with it. It was invisible to its power. In light of this unsettling development, the incandescent being was forced to get more creative. The creature, the new anomaly, had interacted with its world. While concerning the incandescent being hadn¡¯t noticed until now; it still meant one thing. The creature did appear in the story of others. With that knowledge, the incandescent being was able to get a grasp on the creature. It then manufactured a cause to get her away from Halfheart. The plan worked but resulted in Halfheart following along. A failure ultimately. It would need to try again.
¡°¡ªNo leaving my sight.¡± (M) Standing in front of the tiger woman, Leion struggled not to let his frustrations show. His ¡°Master¡± seemed to have such a low opinion of him that it wasn¡¯t even funny. Instead of spending the morning getting ready to leave, Leion spent the vast majority of it receiving quite possibly the longest lecture in history. ¡°I get it already¡­¡± (L) The murmur was a little bitter, but Leion couldn¡¯t help it. Everything listed in the lecture were ways he would find himself back up here. Another new set of rules that, should he break, would result in his immediate abandonment. ¡°Lei-Lei¡­.¡± (M) Her voice was ever stern. Leion avoided her biting gaze by looking down. ¡®Agh, why did I say that?¡¯ He wanted to leave, no? Being rude and uncooperative was the exact kind of behaviour that would get him left here. Trapped alone on a high-up mountain with those blasted fairies. Right now, he should be his most well-behaved, and yet¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± (A) A sudden shout from outside broke the tension that had started to build. Leion felt the gaze of his ¡°Master¡± shift before she let out a soft sound. She sighed. He shifted in place. Since when did she sigh? In all the time together, she had never sighed. She would at most make a frown whenever Leion did something she disliked. Hold a gaze here and there but never sigh. Was taking him along with her that exasperating? It really couldn¡¯t be¡­ but then again, Leion had been the only one to overestimate how close they were in their relationship. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. A small pit formed in his gut. ¡®¡­Whatever, I am going to leave anyway. It doesn¡¯t matter much¡¯ She could make noises she wanted. Leion didn¡¯t care. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s leave.¡± (M) The front door of the cabin was already open. Aurelia had already been waiting outside for some time now. A hand extended out to Leion. He grasped it weakly. Walking outside, he surveyed the distant mountains. Though most of their bodies were obscured by the ever-present fog, their snow-covered peaks still stretched out endlessly before him. Placing his free hand on his heart, a vow was made. This body liked the cold. Before they left these ranges, he would find a new place to stay. A new home. Leion stared up at the mountains behind in a mixture of disbelief and bitterness. They had left the mountain range. ¡®So much for my vow¡­¡¯ He hadn¡¯t just underestimated the speed they were travelling at; he had greatly underestimated it. ¡®Where¡­ where did it go wrong?¡¯ The start of the descent had been typical. Leion walked side-by-side with his ¡°Master¡± and Aurelia. They made it about quarter ways down the peak before his legs gave out and he was forced to hitch a ride. It was then, in the swaddle of his ¡°Master¡±, he fell asleep. When he awoke next, he found them at some unknown point but still on the mountains. Again, he walked side by side with his ¡°Master¡± until his legs gave out, and he hitched a ride. This cycle repeated itself once more until Leion found himself here in the clearing. It was now that he realised what they were doing. They were intentionally tiring him out in order for them to move faster when he fell asleep. Grrrr A low, guttural growl sounded. Leion felt his ears instantly perk up. Without much delay, he turned around and walked back to his ¡°Master¡±. ¡®Ha¡­ that couldn¡¯t have been more than five minutes¡¯ Reaching the out-of-place snow pile that stood alone in the green plains, Leion climbed to its top and waded through it. Unfortunately, this was one of the many agreements he was forced to make. In exchange for coming, he was required to always be in eye¡¯s view of his ¡°Master¡±. Any moments he had stolen for himself were only because Aurelia had argued in his favour. She really was a good person. Leion grimaced at the thought. Without her occasional interruptions, he wouldn¡¯t have been even able to explore the surroundings of the areas they had travelled. Was it possible for him to escape at this pace? So far, his most basic plan had already failed. If things were to continue the way they are, he wouldn¡¯t be able to escape. ¡°Ah, already back? That was quick!¡± (A) Leion smiled awkwardly while sneaking a quick glance at his ¡°Master¡± who was tending to the fire at the centre of the snow pile. It felt really hard to go against her words. ¡°Come, come!¡± (A) Walking over to where Aurelia was patting down, he sat beside her. ¡°Soooo, how was it?¡± (A) ¡°It was¡­. okay? I guess.¡± (L) There honestly wasn¡¯t much to see. Just an endless grass plain that stretched on to the horizon. Leion had seen grass enough times to have grown bored of it in his last life. Even in this fantasy-like world, grass was grass. Boring. ¡°Really? Is that all you have to say?¡± (A) Leion paused for a moment. What was the best response to hearing that unhappy tone? Lie? Change the topic? Ignore the question? It is really hard to pick in these types of situations. There were no right answers after all, but then again, it wasn¡¯t like Leion needed a right answer. He just needed one that led to the most positive outcome. ¡°Uhm, I was going to ask¡­. Where are we going?¡± (L) He decided to change the topic. ¡°T-That¡­.¡± (A) To the only thing that would make this chatterbox clam up. ¡°Ah! Looks like your meal is ready. Let¡¯s go eat, okay?¡± (A) Leion wasn¡¯t curious about where they were headed. Ultimately, he planned to be gone before they ever arrived. It didn¡¯t matter, but say he had been curious as to where they were going; he knew asking Aurelia was a lost cause. She seemed to be under the impression saying anything to him would make him cry again. Although, from the meagre information he could gather, it appeared they were still going to abandon him in the care of some other randoms. This trip was nothing more than a way to soften the blow. They weren¡¯t taking him all the way with them. They were still leaving him. ¡°Right, let¡¯s go eat.¡± (L) Getting up, Leion strode to where his ¡°Master¡± was and sat beside her. In her hands was his ration for the day. Without much ceremony, she placed it down, picked him up, and then proceeded to stare at the burning flame in front of them. The flame danced erratically before them as if showcasing its might. It was very hot. It was also very uncomfortable. The body wrapped around Leion subtly shifted in place. Slowly, then all at once, it cooldown. The warmth that stroked the front of Leion¡¯s body gradually disappeared. Replaced by a familiar, inviting cold that soothed his body. The aches, born from his usual exercise, faded away with abnormal ease. Sat in front of a fire, Leion felt cold. An icy breeze tickled his face. ¡°You went far.¡± (M) The remark hung in the air. Leion didn¡¯t respond. Instead, he turned and looked for Aurelia. She said, ¡°Let¡¯s go eat¡± as in, ¡°Let us go eat¡±. So why is she then eating back there by herself? The person who needs the fire the most? ¡°Lei-Lei¡­¡± (M) Leion¡¯s name was called in a tone he didn¡¯t recognise. He couldn¡¯t respond. She sighed again. In complete silence, she fed him, and then they went to bed. Day 1 over. Leion couldn¡¯t sleep. Turns out sleeping for the majority of the day might do that to you. Shifting in place, he tried to get more comfortable. Right now, he was in full tiger mode, which was a pleasant gift considering the first rule. Apparently, Aurelia didn¡¯t count as ¡°others¡± in his ¡°Master¡¯s¡± eyes. Frankly, if Leion knew this, he would¡¯ve used this method to escape her crashing hugs. After swishing his tail for a bit lost in thought, Leion got up. He needs to fall back asleep. Luckily for him, this was not his first encounter with this specific problem. Leion had countless techniques to help with this specific problem. It was his expertise at this point, for crying out loud. A quick debate with himself resulted in him picking one of those said techniques. Given his current limitations, the best option right now would be taking a walk around the snow while meditating. Leion carefully manoeuvred himself out of the cold embrace of the giant tiger. He then climbed out of the small depression at the centre of the snow pile and began walking its edges. The snow pile was only a couple of layers deep with a small depression at its core. The whole area the pile occupied wasn¡¯t large, but it was still considerable. Especially since it was more than unnatural given the green around. Leion stopped walking. He gazed at the grass. It was so close. If he stretched a paw out, he could easily touch the grass. It would be so easy to just jump and run¡ª ¡®Ah, who am I kidding? I wouldn¡¯t get far¡¯ The thought had crossed Leion¡¯s mind many times as soon as they stopped. It looked too good to be true, and¡­ well, it was. The snow pile here wasn¡¯t just for show. It acted like some sort of domain, an extension of his ¡°Master¡¯s¡± powers. She was acutely aware of everything that occurred upon it. Earlier, when Leion stepped off the snow, she immediately knew. ¡®Is escape possible at this point?¡¯ From the rate at which they were moving to his inability to slip past them, it all seemed but impossible to escape. Leion collapsed and started rolling in the snow. He was going nowhere at this rate. He rolled, rolled, and rolled, taking his frustrations out on snow. When his body finally tired, he stared up into the sky with a blank expression. ¡®Why can¡¯t things just go my¡ª!¡¯ A golden flash of light suddenly caught his eyes. Leion quickly sat up from a back-lying position. He scanned his surroundings. It was coming from somewhere in the grass, a little beyond the border of snow. The light dimmed and then flashed repeatedly as if trying to attract his attention. Leion stared at it for a moment before quickly growing bored. ¡®Guess those bugs exist here too, huh?¡¯ As soon as he thought this, the aforementioned ¡°bug¡± moved in a strange, unbug-like manner. It darted back and forth within the air with freakish precision and coordination. Pausing to hover occasionally as if to assert dominance. There was something very wrong with this ¡°bug¡±. Leion pulled back. It pulled forward. ¡®What the¡ª?!¡± The ¡°bug¡± rushed at him with unmatched speed as he panicked to turn around. Leion closed his eyes. ¡­ Nothing happened. He peeked them open. The light bug thing had shrunk. Part of its mass had been dedicated to constructing a single, floating character within the air. It was Manmanic. Leion stared at it for a long while before he was able to grasp its meaning. With eyes now as sharp as in the day as in the night, he understood. Help? Chapter 22 ‘Journey to the west (3)’
The sun bathed the vast, open green plains in golden light. Its brilliant radiance was impossible to ignore when stuck up high in the clear blue sky. The warmth it emitted had seeped deep into the lands until the very air hummed with it. Blades of grass danced back and forth in the warm current as though trying to rid themselves of the heat. The very heat that gave them all life. Many creatures, big and small, roamed and stalked these hot grasslands. The larger and more confident of them walked upright, boldly sticking out their heads, while the smaller and lesser of them scurried between their legs. The scene was a mixture of alluring nature, quiet violence, and harsh survival, yet a strange harmony could be found among those living beings present. A harmony that was promptly shattered by a single presence. Baihu gazed up into the sky. It was starting to get too hot again. Lightly gripping the small hand within her grasp, a little tighter, Baihu spread her domain once more. Cold winds gradually began to blow in as the path they treaded upon steadily started being laced with faint traces of snow. Since leaving the safety of the mountains, Baihu thought it important to undertake such a task. ¡°Tired¡­.¡± (L) A soft voice called out. Baihu stared at the owner of the precious voice. She had been quiet, very quiet, since they left the mountains. Today even more so than yesterday. Despite how tiring the journey must¡¯ve been for her, not a single complaint, protest, or grievance was aired. Behaviour unusually for the young cub, who would grumble at the smallest request. Not even the scenery, which must¡¯ve been new to her, was enough to voice out a comment. Letting go of the small hand, Baihu lifted up Lei-Lei and swaddled her to her chest. The actions of her cub were nothing new to witness. In fact, Baihu had regularly experienced such behaviours when she first started travelling with Aurelia. The general reduction in the interest in things, talking, and physical contact were all symptoms of sadness. A memory of what occurred with the fairies briefly flashed. Baihu lightly shook her head. Now wasn¡¯t the time to dwell on such things. Taking a step forward, a thought flashed in my mind. If her cub was sad, she would just have to cheer her up later after all of this is done. Baihu gazed around. Teaching about all this while slowly journeying back and pampering her wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea. ¡°This much is good.¡± (A) Icy winds set down Baihu in a lush green forest teeming with life. They had made decent progress so far in their journey. In two days, they had left the treacherous eastern mountains and crossed the great plain. All that was left to do was cut through the Zhu Forest and arrive at their destination, their first destination at least. ¡°Ha, was it always this easy?¡± (A) Aurelia collapsed on the ground and stared up into the stars. Her declaration was tinged with nostalgia. It was understandable. Their first journey through these lands had been anything but easy. Back in those days, the Forsaken were a common sight and posed a significant threat when travelling. Battles against them occurred on a daily basis, leaving little room to rest. It also didn¡¯t help that they had been an inexperienced bunch. The journey through the great plain had taken them two weeks alone to complete. A pace many considered impossible at the time. Baihu walked over to Aurelia. She slowly lowered herself and sat beside her friend. A comfortable silence settled between them. ¡°This world has become so beautiful¡­.¡± (A) A small smile crept on Aurelia¡¯s face as she stared up into the stars. The next words that came out of her mouth were almost a whisper. ¡°I wish you came along to see it with me.¡± (A) Baihu gazed at the stars. There was a time when she too had desired to see the world. Find her people and experience familial closeness. On that desire, she founded a promise. A long-broken promise. ¡°But¡­ I¡¯m glad you didn¡¯t.¡± (A) Aurelia turned to Baihu, wearing an infectious smile. She stretched out her hand and gently patted the bugle on Baihu. ¡°There wasn¡¯t much to see anyway.¡± (A) She was still the same as ever. That smile, that warmth that radiated out from her, was still as strong as ever. Never faltering nor wavering, just like when they first met. In the face of their greatest threats and deepest depressions, and against all odds, she held up her head high. Burning incessantly like an out-of-control flame. To be called not just her friend, but best friend, felt like an undeserved honour. Baihu was well aware of her lacking nature. It was in part why she desired to treasure such a person. ¡°How are things at the Church?¡± (B) ¡°Eh, what¡¯s this? I remember someone telling not too long ago they didn¡¯t care!¡± (A) If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. A mischievous smile grew on Aurelia. ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± (B) Baihu smiled in turn. Aurelia clutched her heart as she collapsed completely to the ground. ¡°You¡¯re not supposed to say such, you know?!¡± (A) As the night grew darker, two figures sat closer together. Surrounded by soft piles of snow, they appeared out of place with the bordering greenery. Comfortable silence started to descend once more until one suddenly spoke. ¡°Bai-Bai?¡± (A) Baihu''s and Aurelia''s eyes met. ¡°Please¡­ speak to Lei-Lei before we arrive. I¡ªI don¡¯t know how long we¡¯ll take¡­.¡± (A) There were many reasons Baihu wanted to leave her cub in the care of the fairies. Ignoring the most obvious¡ªthe dangers present¡ªtime was the second greatest reason. Simply put, Baihu couldn¡¯t estimate how long it would take to settle the matter with the Forsaken. Travelling nonstop while potentially battling the Forsaken would be too tiring for her cub. The journey to the westward would likely bloom into something more. It always had. Putting such strain on her cub was unacceptable. She was barely managing as it was now. Any more would be unreasonable to expect. Baihu nodded at her friend¡¯s words. She had been having similar thoughts. The slow trip back would serve as a proper treat for her cub, but that didn¡¯t mean she couldn¡¯t do a little something. ¡°We¡¯ll take a break tomorrow.¡± (B) A short respite before they dropped her cub. Aurelia smiled. Although this would cause the urgent journey to take longer, she was still as supportive. She was a good person. The bundle wrapped around Baihu stirred ever so slightly. Hopefully, with tomorrow, they wouldn¡¯t have a repeat of what happened at the mountains. ¡°We aren¡¯t travelling today?¡± (L) ¡°Yep!¡± (A) A face shone on her cub that she quickly sought to hide. It was relief. ¡°Uhm, why not?¡± (L) Baihu walked over to where the two were conversing. ¡°~Is that something you should be asking me?~¡± (A) Baihu scooped her cub off the ground. The ears of her cub immediately started twitching randomly as she pulled away. Baihu didn¡¯t let her go. Brushing away the hairs that covered part of her face, she instead tried to meet the running gaze of her cub. ¡®Strange¡¯ Baihu couldn¡¯t understand why she was suddenly pulling away. Even when they left the mountain and her cub was sad, she hadn¡¯t pulled away when Baihu tried to lift her. It was behaviour she only ever did when she had done something wrong. She hadn¡¯t done anything wrong. ¡°Come on, Mommy! Tell her what¡¯s what!¡± (A) Baihu gazed at her friend. ¡°Right, right. Sorry¡­¡± (A) As much as she appreciated the support, it wasn¡¯t needed now. ¡°Master¡­ What are we doing?¡± (L) Without answering, Baihu started walking. Leaving the comfort of the snowy area, she journeyed on into the green forest. Her senses were sharp, and with her focus high, she quickly found what she was looking for. The sound of running water, the smell of damp earth, and the taste of fresh sweetness in the air. A river was nearby. Baihu took a short leap in the air. ¡°AGGGGH!!¡± (L) Icy winds softened the landing. Carefully prying off the hands of her cub, she gazed at the torrential flow of the river. It was time for a lesson. Sitting on the surface of a frozen river, Baihu stared at the fidgeting cub sitting across from her. Baihu closed her eyes. The wonder many termed as mana populated everywhere and anywhere. It served as proof of the existence and certainty of an object in reality. If something existed, it produced mana. However, just because something was capable of producing mana, didn¡¯t mean it was competent enough to utilise it. In the case of most mortal creatures, they weren¡¯t born with the intrinsic ability to use mana. Without the interference of the Great Serpent and the creation of Manmanic, they would¡¯ve remained forever incapable. Beings like Baihu, the fairies, and the Great Serpent were the exception, not the rule, when it came to comprehending mana. They all possessed the intrinsic ability to utilise mana. In Baihu¡¯s case, she studied under the fairies but still had the inherent ability to manipulate her own mana without them. Generating spells without the use of Manmanic. Lei-Lei appeared to be the same. Casting spells without the use of Manmanic. It was special. But. Baihu didn¡¯t like that. She lacked any control of her mana. It was hard to accurately guess what would occur whenever her cub decided to use her mana. A very dangerous fact considering the potency of her mana. Not all mana was produced the same. In order to bypass this danger, Baihu resorted to teaching her Manmanic. Due to its structured nature, Manmanic was rigid with its effects. The words of power were fixed on what they could produce. ¡°NIX¡± (B) A powder of snow materialised in Baihu¡¯s hand. It was small. She frowned. Manmanic was truly an inefficient way to use mana to generate spells, but a demonstration was necessary. Baihu opened her eyes and looked forward. ¡°I wanted to learn the floating thing¡­.¡± (L) A grumble, her cub likely thought Baihu unable to hear, was whispered out after that display. Baihu chose to ignore it. The excitement radiating from her cub was palpable. Her ears and tail were standing at attention. She couldn¡¯t even face Baihu. ¡°Try.¡± (B) Her cub¡¯s body promptly froze. ¡°M-Me¡­?¡± (L) Despite her eagerness to learn, the hesitation within her movements was heavy. Baihu knew the likely cause. ¡°Yes.¡± (B) Baihu had seen her cub practicing Manmanic when she thought no one was watching. Trying to generate spells with no success. ¡°A-Alright¡­¡± (L) Her cub took a deep breath and outstretched her hand. ¡°Nix!¡± (L) Nothing happened. Lei-Lei stared at her hands for briefly. Abruptly she declared, ¡°W-Whatever! Who wants to use magic anyway?!¡± (L) She quickly got up from the ground. Her fists balled. ¡°It¡¯s probably broken or something.¡± (L) Her cub started walking away. Baihu watched. Until. ¡°Lei-Lei.¡± (B) Her voice gentle, she called. ¡°Don¡¯t give up.¡± (B) Without a word, her cub stopped. She stood in place for a moment. Her foot tapped the frozen ground. Her hands gripped her clothes tightly. Finally, but slowly, she turned. Gradually, she walked to Baihu with her head held down. Stood in front of her, Baihu took her cub¡¯s hands that were stuck to her side and cupped them. ¡°Imagine what I did. Focus on this feeling.¡± (B) Baihu pumped her mana inside Lei-Lei. The reason she kept failing was because she had forgotten this feeling. And, instead of taking the time to try and recall it, she kept on letting her frustrations interfere. This was something she could easily do without Baihu. She needed a little push. ¡°Nix.¡± (L) A fresh powder of snow materialised in her hands. ¡°I¡­ I did it! Yes, I¡¯m a wizard!¡± (L) ¡®Wizard?¡¯ Deciding to not interject, Baihu stood up. ¡°Master, you can teach me the floating thing now!¡± (L) Her little cub started jumping around. Baihu ignored that and turned around. ¡°Master?¡± (L) Baihu lightly tapped the frozen surface. The icy surface in front swiftly and quietly sank into the river flow. She only froze the surface; underneath, a powerful river still flowed. ¡°Why?!¡± (L) Looking down at the open stream, numerous fish could be spotted trying to swim against the violent current. It was that time. Baihu summoned a pile of snow in her hand, balled it, and then threw it at one of the many fish swimming. Direct hit. This was a game she played long ago. Turning to her dazed cub, she beckoned her to do the same. ¡°I-Isn¡¯t that kind of wrong though!?¡± (L) ¡°No.¡± (B) How could this be wrong? Her cub hesitated for a moment before finally making up her mind. She balled the snow already in her hand and then threw it at the fish. Her throw needed improvement. ¡°Wait¡­ I wasn¡¯t trying for real yet.¡± (L) Her cub closed her eyes for a moment in intense concentration. ¡°Nix!¡± (L) A pile of snow appeared in her hands. ¡°It worked!¡± (L) While Lei-Lei took aim, Baihu found her gaze drifting to their surroundings. A presence was watching them. ¡°I-I hit one! Master, did you see!!¡± (L) An excited little cub pulled at her cloak, stealing her attention. ¡°Yes¡­¡± (B) Lei-Lei¡¯s eyes squinted. ¡°Really? But you weren¡¯t even looking¡­.¡± (L) Baihu petted her head. ¡°Good work.¡± (B) Lei-Lei shoved the hand off. ¡°I¡¯ll do it again, watch me!¡± (L) In the afternoon of the Zhu Forest, a figure could be seen resting on the top of an icy river. An unnatural, quiet, cold atmosphere occupied the space she rested in. A nun approached the figure. Baihu raised an eyebrow. The question was obvious. Where have you been? ¡°Went on a nice stroll.¡± (A) Aurelia laid down beside Baihu. ¡°She¡¯s completely out, huh?¡± (A) Her hand petted the small girl wrapped in Baihu¡¯s embrace. After playing and eating, Lei-Lei had fallen asleep at a pace even abnormal for her. ¡°Thank you.¡± (B) ¡°She loved it that much?¡± (A) Her friend let out a light chuckle. She was the one who suggested getting closer to her cub by playing games. One that would hopefully make tomorrow easier. Her cub needs this. ¡°JinBing will be a great, safe place for her.¡± (A) Baihu nodded as Aurelia rested her head onto her shoulder while still petting Lei-Lei. The city was run by a relatively strong ally of theirs. It served as a haven for many. Baihu hugged the young cub tightly snuggled in her embrace. Hopefully this doesn¡¯t take too long.