The sweet aroma from the rattan basket carried by the pale green-haired girl wafted through the tent. On the round wooden table, ripe red apples, fresh grapes, and clean vegetables for a salad contrasted sharply with the status parchment sheets that had just determined Orario's fate.
Hedin, Hogni, Dina, and Vena had just begun to digest the fact that their new family had a very unique dynamic. The figure they worshipped as a grand protector who withstood the enemy's deadly onslaught was now nothing more than a woman enthusiastically preparing fresh ingredients for dinner.
"Alright, I'll start cutting the apples and preparing the salad on this table. Dina, Vena, would you mind helping me set the plates and glasses?" asked Sylphie with a gentle smile, setting down her basket.
"O-Of course, Miss Sylphie!" answered Dina and Vena in unison, immediately springing up from their chairs with alacrity.
However, before their steps approached the table, the sound of fabric rustling was heard.
Swish...
The tent's fabric door at the front parted slightly. Very slowly, almost soundlessly.
Hedin and Hogni's combat instincts reacted automatically. Hedin's coral eyes narrowed, while Hogni's hand reflexively felt for the hilt of the sword at his waist. They were veteran fighters who had been through bloody battlefields; at the slightest movement outside their line of sight, their bodies would always prepare.
However, the tension evaporated instantly when the figure entering the tent was not a threat, but a little girl.
The girl was only about seven years old. Her straight, incredibly fine golden hair fell to her shoulders, framing her round face which wore a flat expression yet harbored a look of immense curiosity. Her clear golden eyes blinked slowly, staring innocently at the entire room. Her tiny hand still tightly gripped the edge of the tent fabric.
Hedin was stunned. Hogni blinked. Dina and Vena exchanged glances.
How could the footsteps of a small child slip past our trained hearing? thought Hedin. His eyes scrutinized the girl's appearance. The clothes she wore were simple yet neat, and somehow, the golden color of her hair and eyes felt very familiar to Hedin.
The little girl paid no mind to the stares of the four elves in the room. Her eyes shifted to Venti, then to the table where the Falna parchments lay, and finally, her gaze locked onto the figure of the pale green-haired girl in the corner of the room.
Without hesitation, her small footsteps ran across the tent carpet.
"Mother!" called the little girl.
Her tiny voice made the elves gasp. Hedin Selland widened his eyes. He stared at the little girl who was now hugging "Sylphie's" leg tightly. Of course Hedin and the others already knew that Sylphie was the alias of Lady Aria, their savior.
However, this fact...
This little girl calls Lady Aria mother? So, our savior already has a daughter? Hedin thought, trying to digest this new surprise. No wonder the color of that child's hair and eyes look exactly the same as Lady Aria's true form that we once saw.
Hearing her daughter's call, Aria sighed softly. A faint, affectionate smile bloomed on her lips. Slowly, she closed her eyes and released the disguise magic that had been covering her gaze. As soon as her eyelids opened again, the brownish-hazel color instantly vanished, restoring a pair of beautiful golden eyes radiating the majesty typical of the Spirit of Wind.
Even though her hair was still dyed pale green by the disguise dye, her authority and maternal aura could no longer be hidden.
"Ais, Darling," said Aria softly, crouching down to match her daughter's height. Aria's slender hand stroked the crown of Ais's head. "Didn't Mother tell you to wait in the room with Aunt Alfia? We have business here."
Hedin, Hogni, Dina, and Vena quickly bowed their heads slightly, showing a gesture of respect. The fact that Aria had a daughter was indeed surprising, but it made them further understand the strong bonds within this Familia.
Ais Wallenstein did not answer her mother's question. Instead, her golden eyes stared intently at Venti, then pointed toward the four bowing elves.
"Ais saw from outside," Ais said with her calm voice. "Their backs glowed. Uncle Venti gave them power. Ais... Ais wants some too."
The room suddenly went silent.
Aria widened her eyes, surprised to hear the sudden request from her daughter. "Ais? What are you talking about? You don't need a Falna right now. You are still too small."
"No," Ais shook her head firmly. Her tiny hands clenched tightly in front of her chest. "Ais wants to be strong."
"Ais, listen to Mother—"
"Ais wants to be strong!" The little girl's tone of voice went up an octave, cutting off her mother's words. There was a tremor of emotion rarely seen behind her flat face. Ais's golden eyes looked directly into her mother's eyes. "Ais remembers the dark sky. Ais remembers that big black monster. Ais remembers Mother being taken away..."
Aria's breath caught. Her daughter's words seemed to forcibly pull back the dark memories of the past, when the shadow of the One-Eyed Black Dragon snatched their happiness before Venti intervened.
"Ais doesn't want to hide anymore," continued the little girl, her voice beginning to tremble slightly but her eyes refusing to cry. "Ais wants to have power. Ais wants to hold a sword. So that... if that evil monster comes again, Ais will be the one to protect Mother. Ais will protect everything!"
A heart-touching silence enveloped the tent. Hedin and Hogni closed their eyes, able to feel the weight of the steely resolve locked inside the little girl's fragile body. She wasn't just a child wanting a new toy; she was a child who refused to be helpless when the people she loved were threatened.
Aria covered her mouth, holding back tears of emotion. She pulled her daughter into an embrace, letting Ais's face rest on her shoulder.
From behind the table, Venti smiled gently. The God of Wind stepped forward. His teal eyes looked at Ais with boundless warmth.
"I see," said Venti calmly. "A very strong resolve, Ais. You want to be a protector?"
Ais released her mother's embrace slowly and nodded firmly at Venti.
"Lord Venti, but she is still too young..." Aria looked at her god with a worried expression. Receiving a Falna meant opening the door to a destiny of battles and monsters.
"Age is not a barrier if her soul is ready, Aria," answered Venti wisely, stroking Ais's golden hair. "If we hold back her resolve now, it will only make her doubt herself. Let her receive a falna. Besides, isn't it better if she learns to control her power as early as possible while we can supervise her directly?"
Seeing Venti's reassuring smile and the unshakeable resolve in her daughter's eyes, Aria finally took a deep breath and nodded in resignation. "Alright. Ais, promise Mother, you will only use this power to protect, not to seek danger."
"Ais promises," she answered quickly, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
Seeing the sacred ritual was about to be performed again, Hedin immediately adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat softly. "Lady Aria, Lord Venti, if this Little Miss is to receive a Falna, should the four of us wait outside so she has privacy?"
To Hedin, who highly upheld etiquette, manners were everything, especially concerning the daughter of their savior.
Aria smiled faintly hearing that. "No need to go outside the tent, Sir Hedin. This tent is quite spacious. We only need to use the area behind the partition curtain in the corner over there," said Aria while pointing to a thick canvas cloth that was indeed hung as a dividing partition at the back of the tent.
"Very well, Lady Aria. We will turn our backs to that direction," Hedin nodded respectfully, then signaled Hogni, Dina, and Vena to sit facing toward the exit.
Aria then led Ais behind the canvas partition. There, she helped her daughter take off her upper clothing. The little girl sat hugging her knees, her tiny back facing the prepared God of Wind.
"Take a breath, Ais. This will feel a little ticklish," said Venti.
Venti pricked his finger, letting a drop of divine blood fall onto Ais's back.
Sshhh...
Unlike the explosion of energy that occurred with the elves earlier, Ais's body's reaction to the Falna felt far calmer and deeper. The room behind the partition was suddenly filled with the scent of a fresh meadow. Black hieroglyphs began to spread across Ais's back, piercing the layers of her soul, awakening the potential lying dormant in the blood of a spirit and a hero's descendant.
A string of sacred texts began to form. Venti updated the base status, reading the innate talents carved from the girl's soul. As soon as the god's green eyes saw the rows of sentences in the Skill section, he fell silent for a moment. A smile of awe slowly bloomed on his face.
Venti quickly took a blank parchment, pressed it against Ais's back to trace the hieroglyphs, then locked the Falna.
"All done. Put her clothes on, Aria," said Venti.
Ais put her clothes back on, jogging ahead of her mother out from behind the partition. Her eyes sparkled hopefully looking at the parchment sheet in Venti's hand. Hearing their footsteps, Hedin and the others turned their sitting positions back around, also curious about the little girl's potential.
Venti unrolled the parchment on the table. "Read it, Ais. This is the manifestation of your resolve."
Aria stepped closer, her eyes scanning line by line of her daughter's status along with a brief verbal explanation from Venti. Hedin, who was close enough, also read the written parts.
Name: Ais Waldstein
Level: 1
Ability:
Strength: 0 (I)
Endurance: 0 (I)
Dexterity: 0 (I)
Agility: 0 (I)
Magic: 0 (I)
Magic:
Ariel: Protective and offensive type wind magic (Enchantment). Summons pure wind to coat the user's body or weapon.
Skill:
Albert's Legacy: Massively increases base attributes when fighting an enemy with a higher level or status.
Grandis Tempest: Drastically increases the destructive power of wind magic when the user is in a critical condition or life-or-death battle.
Silence ruled the space around the table. Hogni stared at the parchment with unblinking eyes, while Hedin steadied his breathing.
"This..." Hedin murmured softly. "Innate magic and two rare Skills? Skills that activate precisely when facing a stronger enemy? This system seems to have created her to challenge the impossible."
Venti laughed freely, ruffling Ais's golden hair affectionately.
"An extraordinary talent," exclaimed Venti with sparkling eyes. "It seems we have just welcomed another family member who will be very strong one day."
Aria smiled, moved, touching her daughter's shoulder. However, amidst the praise and admiration, the little girl instead showed an opposite reaction.
Ais pouted.
Her chubby cheeks puffed out. Her eyebrows knitted together, and her eyes glared sharply at a single number at the very top of her parchment. She then glanced at the parchments belonging to Hedin, Hogni, Dina, and Vena which were still on the table earlier.
Ais tugged the hem of Venti's shirt. "Uncle Venti..." she called out, sulking.
"Yes, Ais? Why the pout? Don't you like your power?" asked Venti in confusion.
Ais shook her head, pointing at the number on her paper. "Ais is level one. Brother Hedin, Brother Hogni, Sister Dina, and Sister Vena are level three."
The little girl lowered her head, hiding her disappointed face. "Ais is the weakest. How can Ais protect Mother if Ais is level one and they are level three?"
The little girl's innocence and competitive nature made Dina and Vena hold back their smiles. Ais's innocence truly softened the atmosphere. Hogni even tried to smile awkwardly, though he didn't know what to say to comfort a small child.
Venti knelt in front of Ais, leveling his gaze with the girl.
"Hey, listen to Uncle," said Venti gently. "Do you know why Sir Hedin and the others could instantly become level three?"
Ais shook her head slowly.
"It's because they have extra power from a special gemstone that Uncle gave them. That gem pushed their limits today," explained Venti in simple terms.
Venti then pointed at Ais's chest. "But your power? This number 'one'? This is purely the result of what's inside yourself, Ais. This is your first step. Their levels are indeed higher right now, but Uncle is willing to bet, with the resolve you have, you will catch up to them later."
Hedin sighed softly, silently agreeing. With a giant-killing Skill like that, Hedin knew this child would not stay at level one for long if she started training.
Hearing Venti's explanation, Ais's eyes sparkled again. "Really? Ais can be as strong as Brother Hedin and Sister Dina?"
"Of course! Your mother will train you, and Aunt Alfia will surely be very happy to train you and teach you how to use your wind magic later," added Venti.
Ais smiled broadly. Her small fists clenched tight again, this time due to burning enthusiasm. "Ais will train hard!"
Aria couldn't hold back her smile. She hugged Ais with full affection. "Mother knows you definitely can, Ais."
Hedin, Hogni, Dina, and Vena watched the family interaction with a peaceful feeling. Amidst the intrigues and shadows of Orario, the warmth of this Familia felt very precious.
"Well then!" Venti clapped his hands casually, breaking the atmosphere. "The Falna business is truly finished! Now, Aria, what about those fruits and grapes? My stomach can't compromise anymore!"
Aria laughed softly, releasing her hug on Ais. "Right away, Lord Venti. Dina, Vena, let's set the plates and glasses on this table."
"Right away, Lady Aria!"
That night, under the dim light of the magic stone lamp, the Barbatos Familia celebrated their new members with a simple feast filled with laughter and warm chat. Without needing to bother going to the kitchen, they enjoyed the sweetness of apples, the freshness of salad, and pours of the best wine right at the table.
Hedin sipped his wine slowly at the corner of the table, his eyes staring at the light reflection in his wooden cup. Tomorrow, they would go to the Guild. Tomorrow, his first step would be officially carved. And somehow, for the first time in his decades of life filled with war and arrogance, Hedin Selland was very much looking forward to tomorrow.
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