Bob continued sharing with his children about the inherited skills.
"When your inherited skills awake, you may connect with some of our ancestors. You may see their memories, learn a new language or even talk to them. It is different for every person. When it happens, just stay calm and there is no need to be afraid, ok?"
"Ok." answered Adrian and Winnie.
"Even though they are our ancestors, many of them do not believe in Goddess Liliana. So, they are demons from Goddess Liliana's perspective." said Bob. "That is another reason why they are targeting Mom and us."
"So, remember, don’t tell anyone about the other religions and our inherited skills, ok?"
"Ok!" said Adrian and Winnie.
"Now, let me go back to your question, Winnie. Why is N calling himself a demon? To be honest with you, I am not entirely sure, but I have a strong suspicion. There are certain individuals who believe in the freedom of communicating with their ancestors; and unlike many other religions, they refer to themselves as demons in the Kingdom. I have not seen any news articles about them. However, during my military days, I heard rumors that they were attempting to overthrow the Kingdom and the Church." Bob explained. "I believe N is one of them."
"Talking to our ancestors is like talking to grandpa and grandma, right?" Winnie tried to understand better.
"You’re right, Winnie." said Bob. "Adrian, when I am not around, you will need to take care of Mom and Winnie, Ok?"
"Got it dad. I promise." Adrian answered with determination.
After the talk, Bob put the children to sleep. Then, he went to his bedroom to join Tiffany. Adrian’s bedroom was adjacent to his parents' and he could hear them talking.
"Why did you tell the children about the family's secrets?" Tiffany asked.
"Nothing, I just felt that it was the right time. They are old enough to keep secrets." Bob tried to explain.
"The last time you did something like this was just before the final battle, don't you remember?" Tiffany was worried. "It is as if you knew that something bad would happen; and you would try to prepare for it."
"Yes, I do remember."
"Perhaps you have a danger sensing inherited skill awakening. We must exercise caution in this journey. Let’s not use the Levitation spell to conserve Mana." Tiffany suggested.
"Sounds good." Bob replied.
Then, they talked about what routes to take and etc., and Adrian quickly fell asleep.
On the next day, the family continued their journey north after a quick breakfast. They decided to take a more secluded path to avoid any potential enemies. The path was inside a valley of forest and there was a river on their right. The family traveled without using the Levitation spell, thus moving at a slower pace. Moreover, they had to occasionally halt their journey to clear overgrown plants on the path.
After lunch, the day was getting hotter and increasingly humid.
"Mom, it’s hot. Can you use the Cold Wind spell?" Adrian was flapping his shirt. Tiffany was driving the front wagon and Adrian could see her through the opening of the caravan cloth.
"No, I can’t, use the folded paper fan. Winnie! They're in the box you’re sitting on. Hand me one too." Tiffany said. She was trying to conserve Divine Power, just in case.
"I need one too Winnie!" Bob shouted from the wagon behind on the driver seat.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
"Alright!" Winnie replied.
The family continued to travel. At around 3pm, which was the hottest time of the day, Tiffany suddenly announced, "Today is Sunday. Let’s take a break and go for a swim." She noticed that everyone, including herself, had been very stressed in the last few days. So, she made up an excuse to relax with her family.
"Yay!" The children shouted in excitment and Bob smiled.
They found a flat piece of land on the side of the river and parked their wagons there. After setting up camp, the family changed into bathing suits. Tiffany and Winnie changed into one piece swimsuits with skirts. Bob and Adrian changed into swim trunks.
It was October, nearing the end of the rain season. The river was full of clear water. The river bank was relatively shallow with a sandy bottom. The middle of the river had a U-shaped bottom and was much deeper. Since the family was on the west side of the river and it was in the afternoon, the sun was nicely covered up by the trees on the west river bank, and the family enjoyed their time under the shade of the trees.
The first game Adrian and Winnie played was digging a hole on the side of the river, which became deep and wide enough for Winnie to sit in. Then, Adrian dig a water channel that directed the river water into the hole. "Kekeke." Winnie laughed inside the hole as cold water filled it up. Tiffany was sitting submerged in the water, watching the children from about 10 feet away. Bob was floating on the water facing up, relaxing and slowly swimming against the water current. After playing with sand for an hour, Tiffany and Bob had swimming races with the children. They taught the children how to swim when they were around 6-7 years old. So, they were pretty good at it.
Around 5pm, Bob took out a fishing net and caught some fishes. He cleaned them on the river side while the rest of the family washed up. While Bob washed himself, Tiffany prepared dinner as the children washed and hanged their swim gears. They enjoyed fish soup, steamed fish and pan-fried vegetable for dinner. The fish tasted exceptionally delectable due to their freshness. After dinner, Adrian and Winnie practiced Divine Spells before retiring for the night.
On the forth day of the journey, the family continued to move North beside the river in the valley. The path led them to cross the river through a wooden bridge before lunch and they traveled with the river on the left. It was a nice change because the sun would now be covered up by the trees on their east, or right, side. After lunch, the weather became cloudy and the wind was getting cooler, which was welcoming to the family after a hot day. Around 2pm, as the family continued moving north, the river divided into north-flowing and east-flowing branches The east-flowing branch of the river obstructed their path northward. They followed the river and discovered a wooden bridge for crossing around 3pm.
As they traveled, the wind grew increasingly stronger, causing the trees in the forest to sway noticeably. Many dried leaves were blown off the trees and swirled around inside the valley.
"It looks like a storm is coming. With the river water level so high even before the rain, the road is going to flood. We need to find higher ground." Bob told Tiffany from the back wagon.
Tiffany, driving the front wagon, said "Got it!" She had been searching for a path to move uphill. Unfortunately, this mountain trail was not a major road and lacked documentation on the map. So, they could only hope for the best.
Bob and Tiffany decided to keep moving past 5pm in search of a path leading to higher ground. Unfortunately, they couldn’t find a route that moved uphill. Because of the horses and the wagons, they were confined to the road and could not venture into the forest. At around 7pm, the sky was getting dark. They made camp after using the Stone Platform spell to raise their camp up by about 3-4 meters on the side of the road. Bob and Tiffany also made a more sturdy stone house than usual to shelter the family from the wind. It started raining after midnight.
In case of emergencies, the couple decided that getting enough sleep is crucial in this journey. The couple made a military-like sleeping schedule since the previous night. Tiffany's sleeping hours were from 2100-0300, while Bob's were from 0300-0900. Tonight, they setup camp late. So, in order to keep the schedule, they had a quick dinner and skipped shower.
Even though they did not notice it, the couple switched into their military mode. Their actions became sharper, quicker, and they were less tolerant to inefficiency. More importantly, they stopped smiling. Both Adrian and Winnie noticed it.
In the middle of the night, Tiffany was sleeping and Bob was outside in a watchtower, watching the night. Adrian and Winnie were preparing to sleep after playing with toys. Winnie talked to Adrian. "Adrian, Mom and Dad seem to be very nervous. I am scared. Is something going to happen?"
Suddenly, there was a thunder. Winnie jumped and held on to Adrian's arm. Adrian was scared and nervous too. There was a heavy feeling in his chest that he couldn't explain. He did his best to comfort his sister.
"Dad and Mom will protect us. There is nothing to worry about." Adrian tried to comfort Winnie. "Your big brother is here too and I will protect you. There is no need to be scared."
By saying that, Adrian was trying to comfort himself as well. "Why don't we play some more games before we go to sleep?" He wanted to distract Winnie from the anxiety with another game.
"Ok!" Winnie answered as another thunderclap shook the children.