"..."
Raye woke up, his eyes wide open, but he didn't get up off his bed just yet. The ceiling above him looked the sa as always—simple, wooden, and a bit cracked in so parts— but for so reason, it felt heavier today.
'Today's the day.'
He thought to himself quietly. His mind was calm, but his heartbeat wasn't.
It was the day the [Heroes Parties] were finally set to journey out of their academies.
Raye, Leon, and everyone else had been preparing for this exact mont for weeks. It's been more than a month since the ceremony and the official announcent of the revival of the [Heroes Parties]— yet ti felt like it flew in an instant.
Every day had been the sa grind of training, ditation, and preparation. And now, all that effort had co down to this single day.
"Ugh, my body hurts..."
Raye groaned as he finally sat up, his back popping as he stretched. He'd been pushing himself to the limit again yesterday— this ti using dual daggers, testing his coordination and balance. His muscles scread in protest, but it was a familiar pain. The kind that ca with progress.
-It's rare for you to wake up later than us.
-That's right, ep!
Zephyrus and Pyro greeted him almost in unison. Their voices echoed inside his mind like usual, but it was oddly comforting.
-Are you okay, papa? ep...
Pyro followed, sounding more concerned, his tone soft.
"I'm fine, I'm feeling my best right now."
Raye reassured him and reached out, gently patting Pyro's fiery form. The warmth radiating from him wasn't just heat— it was life.
Then—
"You guys are probably hungry now. I'll go and make us breakfast."
He stood up slowly, stretching once more before leaving his room.
His movents were sluggish, but his mind was already running through what ingredients were left.
Though, suddenly—
-Oh, you don't need to worry about that.
Zephyrus, who was in his smaller form, fluttered down and landed lightly on Raye's head, his wings brushing against his hair.
"Hm? What do you an?"
Raye asked with a raised brow, his hand on the main door of the cabin.
But before Zephyrus could even answer, Raye opened the door already—
Creak-
—and there she was.
"Good morning, you slept longer than usual, huh."
Jerusha stood outside with a gentle smile on her face.
The table near the cabin was already set, steam rising from plates of rabbit stew, roasted boar at, and smoked deer at. The sll alone was enough to make Raye blink twice.
"..."
He didn't say anything for a few seconds. His brain just stopped processing for a bit. Then finally—
"Good morning. You look so pretty as usual."
He greeted her with a calm smile. The words ca out naturally now; after all, he'd said them countless tis. It wasn't flattery—he ant every word.
He was simply used to her being there every morning, smiling at him like that. They'd beco part of each other's routine.
"Anyway, thanks for making breakfast."
Raye shifted the topic before his thoughts could go elsewhere.
"It's no biggie! You always cook for us. So doing it for you once in a while is good too, hehe."
Jerusha replied cheerfully, placing a bowl in front of an empty seat.
"Let's all eat."
She said afterward, clapping her hands once.
-I thought you two would just flirt, I was getting hungry.
Zephyrus joked, landing on the table with perfect timing. In front of him was a plate of smoked deer at, which he imdiately started cutting into tiny pieces with wind magic.
-ep! I'm hungry!
Pyro exclaid, hopping onto the table as well and sitting right beside Zephyrus. His flas flickered excitedly like he couldn't wait another second.
Raye and Jerusha exchanged amused looks before sitting down side by side.
And with that, the four of them started eating together.
...
The sound of clinking plates, soft chewing, and quiet conversation filled the air. The al wasn't just food—it was peace. Sothing they all knew they wouldn't have much of once they left Zion.
...
...
...
"I'll get ready now, what about you?"
Raye asked after a while, glancing at Jerusha as he wiped his mouth with a napkin.
"I'm all good. I already got my belongings packed and they're all inside my spatial ring."
Jerusha responded, smiling faintly.
"Did you already say goodbye to the kids at the orphanage? To the sisters as well?"
Raye asked again, his tone softer this ti, his gaze never leaving her.
"..."
Jerusha's smile faltered for a mont. She lowered her eyes, hesitating. But after a brief pause, she nodded.
"I did... Last night. The sisters were understanding, but the children started crying when I told them I wouldn't be able to visit them for a long ti."
Her voice wavered slightly, though she tried to hide it by forcing her smile to stay.
Raye's expression softened.
"I'm sorry."
That was all he could say. Simple words, but heavy with aning.
"...!"
Jerusha looked at him, caught off guard. She was about to speak when—
"I'm sorry I dragged you into this hero party thing. And thank you for joining ."
Raye interrupted gently, an apologetic smile tugging at his lips.
"..."
Jerusha blinked, her chest tightening. Then she smiled faintly and shook her head.
"What are you thanking for? I decided to co with you because I want to be with you."
She said it without hesitation.
"And besides, you need in your journey, right? Hehe..."
She added, teasing lightly to break the mood.
"That's true... I actually don't think I can be away from you for a long ti."
Raye replied, smiling faintly.
"..."
Jerusha's eyes widened slightly. She didn't know what to say. The sincerity in his tone made her heart skip.
"..."
Silence settled between them. Jerusha's ears turned red as she looked away, pretending to fix her plate even though it was already clean.
"Anyway, I'll be taking a bath in the nearby river. I'll be back in a while."
Raye said, standing up and stretching.
"S-Sure! I'll be waiting here!"
Jerusha panicked slightly, her voice cracking a bit.
'Cute.'
Raye thought, watching her flustered reaction before heading off.
...
anwhile—
-Ugh... They always flirt now... Kids these days.
Zephyrus muttered under his breath. He was sitting a bit away from the cabin.
-Ehhh, I think they're just the sa as usual, ep!
Pyro said innocently beside him.
-Yeah yeah, whatever... Go back to ditating with your mana, kid. We need to get much stronger so we can be of help to Raye in the Demon Territory.
Zephyrus casually told him.
-'Kay! I'll be of help to papa and mama! ep!
Pyro energetically shouted, his flas flaring brighter.
Zephyrus smiled faintly. Pyro had grown a lot since they first t— both in strength and in spirit. From a tiny red sli to a blazing core of warmth.
Now, Pyro was about the size of a basketball, maybe even bigger, and his entire body burned with a vivid crimson glow.
-'I need to recover my original strength fast. It's been around or more than three years since I t Raye and got contracted with him, including the ti we spent inside a rift-dungeon... I've been getting my strength back faster than I expected— but it's still not enough.'
Zephyrus thought to himself as he watched Pyro ditate beside him.
Zephyrus had been training relentlessly to recover what he lost as a great spirit after being sealed for a long ti. He could now shift his size and form freely again, and his current strength could easily rival an [A ] ranked being.
But—
-'Our destination is the Demon Territory... I need to get much more powerful than I already am.'
Zephyrus still wasn't satisfied with that.
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