I was pacing around like an idiot, fidgeting with every random thought that popped into my head. Why? Because it had been months since I’d physically talked to another human, and let me tell you, I wasn’t exactly a social butterfly in my past life either. The prospect of introducing myself felt like a battle I wasn’t ready for.

"Do I just say, ‘Hello, human’? No, no, no, that sounds fucking weird. What about, ‘Hey, what’s up?’ Ugh, no. That’s even worse!"

While I was stuck in my spiral of social ineptitude, the woman suddenly opened her eyes.

Her scream nearly shattered my eardrums.

“PLEASE DON’T EAT ME! I BEG YOU!” she yelled, scrambling backward like a cornered mouse. Her wide eyes darted around, then locked on Nyxis, who was, uh… looming over her. Real close. Like, way-too-close-for-comfort close.

Nyxis just tilted her head, completely clueless about what the fuss was all about. To her, this was probably normal. She was just curious, staring at the woman like she was some kind of new toy. Unfortunately, that “new toy” was about to have a heart attack.

“Nyxis!” I shouted, waving my arms like a maniac. “Back off a bit, you’re scaring her!”

Nyxis huffed, her feathers ruffling slightly, but she backed up and sat down with a pouty chirp. The woman, still trembling, looked from Nyxis to me like she couldn’t decide which of us was more terrifying.

“Relax,” I said, awkwardly raising my hands in what I hoped was a calming gesture. “She’s not going to eat you. Neither am I. You’re safe.”

Her breathing slowed, but her wide eyes stayed locked on Nyxis. “T-then why was she looking at me like that?!”

“She’s just curious. You’re the first human she’s seen other than me.” I sighed, scratching the back of my head. “Honestly, she’s kind of like an overgrown puppy. A terrifying, massive, dragon-bird puppy.”

Nyxis let out an indignant squawk at that. I could swear she was offended by the comparison.

The woman’s tense shoulders relaxed slightly, though she still looked ready to bolt at the slightest provocation. Great. Just great. My first proper human interaction in months, and I’d already managed to scare the crap out of her.

Before I could even figure out how to approach this bizarre situation, Nyxis took matters into her own claws.

She puffed up her chest proudly and said, “Human, I am Nyxis. I will not eat you. My papa told me not to harm you.” Her voice carried this weird mix of childlike innocence and regal authority, which would’ve been funny if the poor woman wasn’t already on the verge of passing out.

“P-Papa?” the woman stammered, her eyes darting toward me again. Her fear spiked like a damn alarm bell.

Nyxis didn’t waste a second. She ran over to me, gripping my cloak with her talons, and dragged me forward like a trophy. I nearly tripped over myself as she presented me to the woman with a proud chirp. “This is my Papa! Papa Alex!”

“Nyxis, let go!” I grumbled, trying to shake her off. She ignored me, of course.

By then, I had pulled up my cloak to hide most of my face. The last thing I needed was for her to see my… “royal” features and connect the dots. If she found out who I was—*the exiled prince of Solarius*—I’d have bigger problems than just being a forest recluse.

I cleared my throat and tried to sound as calm and reassuring as possible. “Don’t worry. I’m Alexa… wait, shit. I mean, uh, just Alex. Yeah, just Alex.” I internally facepalmed. Nice save, idiot. Totally convincing.

Nyxis, not picking up on my awkwardness at all, proudly added, “He’s my papa! Alex, the father of Nyxis, and ruler of this cursed forest!”

I froze. “Nyxis, *please?!* Could you not throw that out there like it’s a title?!”

The woman’s face went pale again, her mouth opening and closing like a fish gasping for air. Yeah, I’d say she was officially terrified again.

Trying to salvage the situation, I held up my hands. “Okay, look. Yes, I live here. Yes, Nyxis is my… kid. And yes, I guess I rule the cursed forest or whatever. But I’m not going to hurt you. I just need to know—why are you here?”

She stood there, completely frozen, staring at me like I’d just told her I was the Demon King himself. Which, to be fair, might’ve been less intimidating than “Father of a Skyrend Aegiron.”

“...Speak, human,” I added, my patience wearing thin. “I didn’t save you just for you to stand there like a statue.”

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she took a shaky breath. But she still didn’t say a damn word. Just my luck.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

I blinked. A few times, actually. The hell was I supposed to do with this story? One second I’m minding my peaceful, house-dad business, and the next I’ve got some random human woman bowing at my feet, begging me for help.

“Uh… what?” was all I could manage at first.

The woman—Lucy, as she introduced herself—didn’t even flinch. “Please! Help me!” she repeated, her voice cracking with desperation.

“Wait, wait, wait,” I said, holding up a hand. “Slow the fuck down. Help you? With what exactly? And why *me* of all people?”

She straightened up, looking more resolved but still shaky. “I… I apologize for my rudeness earlier. My name is Lucy Margrave. I’m a resident of Duskenfern, a village not far from the edge of this cursed forest.”

Okay, progress. A name and a place. I nodded for her to continue.

“Our village…” Her voice faltered for a second before she pushed through. “We were already struggling after a Skyrend attacked the human kingdoms. It left us weak, vulnerable. And then…” She took a shaky breath. “They attacked.”

“They?” I asked, already dreading the answer.

“Demons and Monsters,” she said, her voice filled with bitterness. “Goblins, orcs, wolves, Demon troops. They saw their chance and took it. They overran us. We tried to get help from the capital, but they refused. The kingdom’s forces are too focused on the Demon Lord’s general who attacked another region. So, we were left to fend for ourselves.”

I rubbed my temples. This sounded like a whole pile of bullshit politics and bad luck, and I wanted no part of it. “Alright, but that still doesn’t explain how the hell you ended up in my forest.”

Lucy flushed with embarrassment. “On my way back from the capital, after losing all hope, I was ambushed. Goblins first, but I managed to escape… only to run straight into orcs. I kept running, trying to survive, until I fell into a river. When I woke up, I was here.”

Nyxis tilted her head, clearly curious but not entirely understanding the gravity of the situation. “Papa, what’s a ‘capital’? And why does she want you to help her?”

I sighed. “It’s a place full of humans who like to play pretend war games, sweetie. And as for helping her…” I looked at Lucy, deadpan. “Why exactly should I help you?”

Lucy clenched her fists, her desperation clear. “Because you’re strong! If you can survive here, in this cursed forest, you must have power! I have no one else to turn to. Please! Our people will die without help!”

That hit me harder than I expected. I couldn’t help but remember Nyx’s words about the world changing, about humans becoming stronger threats. And now, here was a human at my doorstep, begging for help against monsters.

“Please…” Lucy’s voice broke, and she dropped to her knees. “We’ve lost so much already. I’m begging you.”

I ran a hand through my hair, cursing under my breath. “Why the fuck do these things always happen to me?” I muttered.

Nyxis looked up at me, her big, curious eyes sparkling. “Papa, are we going to help her?”

I sighed. Hard. “We’ll see, Nyxis. We’ll see.”

I crossed my arms, leaning back against a tree as I watched Lucy try to plead her case. Her hands were shaking, and her eyes carried that telltale glimmer of desperation. She looked like someone who’d been through hell and back.

But honestly? Not my problem.

“Poor you,” I said with a shrug. “But tell me, why the hell do you think I’ll help you?”

She straightened up a little, her voice trembling but insistent. “Because… you’re a fellow human, aren’t you? And it’s clear you’ve tamed the Skyrend—a creature so powerful it could turn the tide of any battle. With your help, we could—”

“Stop right there,” I interrupted, holding up a hand. “First off, I don’t give a damn what happens to you humans, demons, or any other ‘kins.’ I’m not some self-righteous hero here to save the day. I walk my own path, and that path is with Nyxis. That’s it. That’s all.”

Her jaw dropped slightly, but I wasn’t done. I pointed at Nyxis, who was watching the exchange with a curious tilt of her head. “See her? That’s my priority. Not you, not your people, not your shitty little kingdom politics. I walk my own damn path, and that path is with Nyxis. That’s it. End of story.”

“But—”

I raised a hand, cutting her off. “No buts, woman. You’re leaving tomorrow morning. You’re lucky you stumbled into my territory instead of getting eaten by some beast out there. I patched you up, and I’ll even escort you to the edge of the forest. After that, you’re on your own.”

Lucy clenched her fists, her face a mixture of frustration and resignation. “I… I see. Thank you for helping me. I’ll leave as soon as possible tomorrow.”

“Good,” I said, turning away to tend to the fire. “Get some rest. You’ll need it.”

Nyxis padded over to my side, nudging me gently. “Papa, why so harsh?”

I sighed, rubbing her head. “Nyxis, I’ve seen what happens when you get tangled up in human problems. It’s never worth it. We’ve got a good thing going here, just the two of us. I’m not risking that for anyone.”

Nyxis nodded slowly, but I could tell she didn’t fully understand. Meanwhile, Lucy sat silently by the fire, staring at the flames, lost in thought.

It wasn’t my problem. It never was. At least, that’s what I kept telling myself.

Lucy opened her mouth, then closed it again, looking utterly defeated. She lowered her head, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Good,” I said, turning away. “Now get some rest. You’ll need it.”

Behind me, Nyxis tilted her head, looking from me to Lucy with curious eyes. “Papa,” she whispered softly, “are you sure?”

“Sure about what, Nyxis?”

“About not helping her.”

I sighed and patted her head. “It’s not our fight, kiddo. We’ve got enough on our plate without jumping into someone else’s mess.”

Nyxis seemed to think about it for a moment before nodding, her feathers ruffling as she snuggled against me. Lucy stayed silent, her gaze fixed on the ground, and I didn’t bother trying to ease the tension.

This wasn’t some grand, noble quest. It was my life, my rules. And I wasn’t about to change that for a stranger.

The night blanketed the cursed forest, the air cool and still. At dinner, I set down a bowl of stew in front of Lucy. It wasn’t fancy, but it was packed with everything she’d need to get back on her feet—meat, herbs, and a little something extra courtesy of my fire and earth magic.

“Eat this,” I said flatly, sliding the bowl closer to her. “It’ll help you regain your energy. You’ll need it tomorrow for your travels.”

Lucy nodded meekly, taking the bowl without a word. She ate in silence, drinking the broth like it was the first real meal she’d had in weeks. Her eyes met mine for just a moment, and I could see something there—relief, maybe gratitude.

When she was done, she muttered a soft thank you and shuffled off to the little corner I’d set up for her to rest. She passed out almost immediately. She must’ve been running on fumes all this time.

I leaned back against a wall, staring up at the stars peeking through the canopy. Nyxis perched beside me, her glowing feathers casting a faint light in the darkness. She was unusually quiet, which was my first hint that something was on her mind.

“Papa…” Nyxis’s voice broke the silence, soft but insistent. “Don’t you Really wanna help her?”

I sighed, rubbing my temple. “No, Nyxis. I don’t want to get involved in someone else’s mess. We’re not strong enough for that kind of trouble, and I don’t want to risk anything happening to you. You’re my priority. Once I max out my strength, maybe then we can think about venturing out.”

“But, Papa…” She shifted closer, her big, earnest eyes locking onto mine. “I want to help her. Please, Papa… please!”

Her plea hit harder than any monster ever had. I looked at her, my stubborn daughter who somehow managed to get her way more often than not. “Nyxis, why? Why do you want to help her? If you can give me a real answer, a proper reason, I’ll consider it.”

Nyxis tilted her head, thinking hard before speaking again. “Papa, I can sense she’s a good person. She’s just… someone who needs help. And… wasn’t it the same with you? Mama trusted me to you because she sensed you were a good person too.”

That struck a chord. She wasn’t wrong. Nyx, in her own way, had seen something in me, something worth entrusting her daughter to.

Nyxis leaned closer, her voice soft but firm. “Papa, you said you want to get stronger, right? Then why not fight the demons? You can get stronger that way. And… I want to help her.”

I let out a long breath, scratching the back of my neck. “Nyxis, you’re really sure about this? This is what you want?”

She nodded with such conviction it was almost painful to watch. “Yes, Papa. I want to help her.”

“Fine,” I said, standing up and stretching. “If it’s my daughter’s wish, what kind of father would I be if I didn’t fulfill it?”

“Thank you, Papa!” Nyxis chirped, practically glowing with excitement as she snuggled against me, nearly knocking me over in the process.

“Yeah, yeah, don’t make me regret this,” I muttered, ruffling her feathers with a grin. “Looks like we’ve got some packing to do.”

Tomorrow, we’d be leaving the cursed forest. And for the first time in a long time, I felt like I wasn’t just existing—I was moving forward.