The first rays of dawn painted the sky with hues of pink and gold.

Trela sat on the docks, watching the morning sunrise. Behind her were the cobbled streets of the bustling port of Raquille, with all the sailors getting busy and the innkeepers wiping the floor with their brooms.

She inhaled the air scented with saltwater, and the sounds of the gulls hovered above her.

The 12-year-old Trela Jundrae closed her eyes and remembered the embrace of her father, Captain Danka Jundrae, who had recently passed away. With the warmth of her own arms wrapped over her chest, she suddenly felt a familiar soft and light touch over her shoulder.

"I'm here," the young boy's voice whispered.

Dante's heart pounded with shame and guilt.

"I've heard about your father. Though not bound by blood, Captain Danka was always there for me, and my heart weeps with you, Trel."

She stood up at the edge of the dock, her eyes fixed on the horizon. And not having the courage to see Dante's face yet, her flowing dark hair caught the gentle morning breeze, and her radiant lips marked an anger she had already overcome.

"I've heard what my father told you, Danny. Why did you leave me?"

"I love you, Trel. But I can no longer put you in danger. We barely escaped death, and when I found out you were my half-sister, I—"

"You—what—what? Tell me!" Trela angrily demanded the answer.

"It's in the past. Right now, I'm your brother. And I made a promise to never put you in harm's way ever again. Even if it means we can't see each other again."

Trela turned around and slapped Dante in the face.

"Dumb dumb!" she cried. "What's the point of being alive if you can't see the people you love?"

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

Dante couldn't hold himself back anymore. He reached out to hug her tightly, but Trela dodged him, and he almost fell off the dock.

"Aaaah!" Dante screamed.

But Trela grabbed his clothes and pulled him towards her. They toppled on the cobblestones. She did not have the courage to look him in the face, but messing with him was her only way to tell him.

She pinched the young Dante's nose. "Ooow!"

"There are other ways you can fulfill your promise to protect me," she said while pinching Dante's nose even harder.

"Oow! Oooow! How?"

"Work with me, like always, you moocher."

"Huh?" Dante exclaimed. She let go of his nose, and they sat up watching the sunrise.

"Our Merchant Trade is getting more and more dangerous," she said. "Pirates, Thieves, the Alchemist Merchant Guild, Corrupt Officials, Gangs trying to tax us, and competition trying to imitate our products."

Dante's face turned serious. "The closed-off nations, the Interrealm Trade Council, and the—"

"Demons—" Trela bit her lips. "The demons are taking interest in the new types of products from the famous Danivio the Dwarf-Merchant. We've been using that alias for some time; maybe we need to change it."

"It's fine. They say Danivio is a shapeshifter. That he wasn't really a dwarf. But an elf, or a beastman, or just a plain human. No one really knows," Dante joked.

They walked along the port, side by side, the Divine Mindlink between them glowing faintly as their connection deepened.

Dante closed his lips and talked to Trela using the Divine Mindlink while they passed passersby in the streets.

"If this is what it takes to fulfill my promise, then I'll do it, Trel. I'll handle all the dangerous tasks, while you manage everything else while in safety. Maybe I should even send Lil Rig to you? Maybe he is interested in traveling the world."

"Lil Rig?" she asked curiously. "So? Do we have a deal, little shit?"

Dante reached for her hand and gave her a firm handshake.

"We have ourselves a deal, little miss bitchy."

They both laughed loudly as they headed for the ship where Ravka Grimshaw was waiting and Lil Rig eating up a large portion of the crew's meals.

Dante introduced Lil Rig to Trela, and she listened intently as Dante shared his adventures and the lessons he had learned during their time apart. She was furious about Sir Lysander the Holy Chaplain Knight's betrayal and laughed at the thought that the rusty sword they found in the cave belonged to the Gibbering Archivist, Zylthar Grimshaw, who was Ravka's ancestor. And even couldn't believe that Toad, Ravka's companion, was actually Marvia watching over them.

The idea of Lil Rig being a Jagged Alpha named Rigathon was something she could believe, though. And she gracefully rubbed the young beastman's horse head. Dante did notice that Trela acted oddly when he talked about his time with Ravka Grimshaw or Thalya the Liberator.

"I've grown stronger, not just in skills, but in spirit," Dante admitted to them. "Let me give a toast to all of us here!"

They all cheered and held their pitchers of water.

Dante raised his pitcher.

"To Trela, the greatest merchant in the world who will always be nagging me even thousands of miles away!"

They cheered, and Trela threw a piece of bread at Dante.

"To Ravka Grimshaw, the greatest archaeologist and most boring nerd who will also be nagging me with hundreds of thousands of miles away!"

Ravka smiled and removed the knot on her beautiful long blue hair, mesmerizing Dante.

"To Lil Rig, the first Jagged Beastman to become a Holy Knight, and the stinkiest of us all!"

Lil Rig jumped up on the table and roared loudly!

"And to me, 'The luckiest son of a bitch to have ever lived and will do everything in his power to—'"

Dante became confused suddenly. Memories of his past life reentered his mind.

"To—"

In his frustration, he sat down and chugged the pitcher of water.

They all continued to talk and have fun with Lil Rig, but Dante was there, recalling the sins of his past. His greatest secret that he thought he would have forgotten, but has chased him even here in his second life.