Kaelis sat there, cradled in Zekka’s arms, as the minutes ticked by. First one. Then another. Then five. Then ten. They were just staring at him.

He blinked.

Then blinked again.

They weren’t stopping.

Zekka’s soft eyes glistened with warmth, filled with something deep and unreadable. Gunthr, towering beside her, had his arms crossed, nodding to himself as if he had just finished carving a legendary weapon and was admiring the results.

Neither of them spoke.

Neither of them moved.

They just kept smiling.

What the hell is wrong with these people?

Kaelis shifted uncomfortably, his tiny fingers clenching and unclenching instinctively. His body still wasn’t fully cooperating with him, but his mind was screaming at the sheer awkwardness of this situation.

‘Why are they staring at me? It’s been at LEAST twenty minutes! Twenty! Who just sits there and stares at a baby for that long?! Say something! Do something! Are they crazy?! Are they about to sacrifice me to some ancient deity?! Are they gonna EAT me?!’

He gulped.

‘Oh, god. What if they think I’m some kind of divine offering? Or worse—what if they just like staring at me? What if this is normal here? What if I’ve been born into a family of absolute lunatics?!’

He tried to speak, to demand they explain themselves, but all that came out was:

“Bwah! Baah!”

Gunthr gasped dramatically. “Did you hear that? He called my name!”

Zekka let out a soft chuckle. “Haha, no he didn’t.”

Kaelis internally screamed.

‘No! That wasn’t words, that was panic! I was trying to ask why the hell you’re just staring at me like some kind of ritualistic idol!’

Gunthr grinned. “He’s got that fighting spirit, I can tell. He’ll definitely be something in this world.”

‘I HAVE EXISTENTIAL DREAD, FOOLISH MAN.’ Kaelis screamed in his head.

Finally, after what felt like ages, Zekka’s serene voice cut through the silence. “He must be hungry.”

Kaelis froze.

‘Hungry?’

He glanced around, trying to figure out what kind of food even existed in this weird medieval world.

‘Do they eat normal things? Bread? Soup? Do they eat bugs? What if it’s something awful? What if it’s some weird gelatinous fish paste or something cursed like that? What if they expect me to eat it raw?!’

His internal spiral was cut short when Zekka adjusted her hold on him.

Then—

She started untying part of her gown.

Kaelis’ soul left his body.

‘OH NO. OH NO NO NO. STOP! STOP IT! I’M A TEENAGER! Kinda, not right now, but my MIND IS.’

He immediately struggled, tiny limbs flailing uselessly, his little fingers curling into the fabric of the blanket as if he could physically anchor himself against the horror about to unfold.

‘This isn’t happening. This CAN’T be happening. I REFUSE for this to be happening!’

Gunthr stretched with a groan, completely oblivious to Kaelis’ internal breakdown. “I’ll go gather some thyrm roots and vashir blossoms while he eats,” he said casually. “Best time to do it. Helps with your post-labor recovery.”

Zekka nodded appreciatively. “That would be wonderful, dear.”

Gunthr gave a thumbs-up. “Back in a bit!” He turned toward the door, whistling as he left, adding a jolly skip to his step.

Kaelis, however, was not doing wonderful.

His entire being was actively trying to reject reality.

‘I won’t allow it! I mean..it’s not like she knows, it’s not her fault, and I can’t blame her for any of this, but still!’

And yet—

His baby body had other ideas.

The moment Zekka shifted him closer, his baby instincts betrayed him.

His body reached forward automatically, despite his brain screaming in resistance.

‘NO. I CAN RESIST. I HAVE WILLPOWER. I AM STRONG.’

His head tilted away, trembling, face burning with sheer embarrassment.

Zekka smiled warmly, completely unaware of the absolute war raging within his soul. “There, there. No need to fuss.”

Kaelis fussed harder.

His baby body twitched. His nerves fired off their signals. The hunger won.

And then—

It happened. He gave in, his entire world shattered; There was no coming back from this.

Zekka chuckled softly. “See? That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

Gunthr returned just in time to see Kaelis finally settle down. He smirked, holding up the herbs. “Wild little guy, isn’t he? But he eventually loosens up, huh?”

Zekka smiled. “He does.”

Kaelis silently screamed into the abyss.

‘BLEGH!’

…

Kaelis had a goal. A noble goal. A necessary goal.

Escape.

He wasn’t going to spend another day being trapped in this house, coddled and watched like some kind of sacred artifact. No, he was going to see the world. Explore. Find answers.

‘But first, I NEED to get past them.’

Gunthr and Zekka.

His two greatest obstacles. His warden and jailer. His towering, all-knowing, parental nightmares. But Kaelis wasn’t going to let that stop him. He had a plan.

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Attempt 1: The Classic Roll & Crawl

‘This is it!!’

The moment Zekka laid him down for a nap, he activated his plan.

Phase one: Rolling.

Slowly, methodically, he wiggled his body from side to side, shifting inch by inch toward the edge of the bed.

‘Almost there! You got it, Kaelis!’

Phase two: Crawling.

His little arms pushed against the bed, moving as fast as his traitorous, underdeveloped limbs would allow. He could already see it—freedom. The open floor. The doorway. The outside world was calling to him.

‘Ha! Fools! I’ve outsmarted you adults!’

Then—

A shadow loomed, Kaelis had looked up, seeing that Zekka was standing over him, smiling serenely.

“Where are you going, little one?”

Kaelis froze.

‘How?! How did she get there so fast?! I didn’t even hear her move! Tch. She must be taken seriously.’

She effortlessly scooped him up and placed him back in the center of the bed. “You must be tired,” she hummed, tucking him in tighter than before.

Kaelis screamed internally.

Attempt 2: The Stealth Approach

‘Alright. Clearly, rolling around like a dying fish wasn’t working. I need stealth! Like those assassins from those games and movies, I have to mimic them if I aim to linger past these two, even though..this baby body is a greater obstacle than the two of them combined!’

That night, when the house was quiet and Gunthr was snoring loud enough to shake the walls, Kaelis made his move.

He wriggled free from his blanket cocoon, dropped down onto the soft rug below, and began his slowest, most careful crawl toward the door.

Inch by inch, second by second, the door was right there. Victory was near.

‘HA! I knew this would work—!’

Then—A massive foot blocked his path. He craned his tiny neck up.

Gunthr was sleeping.

The man stopped right in front of him, yawned, scratched his belly… then turned around and walked back to bed.

Kaelis sighed in relief—until a huge gust of wind blew in from the window, sending him sliding all the way back to his crib.

Gunthr rolled over and mumbled, “Mmm… wind’s too strong today…” before falling right back asleep. “Haha…my son…my dear son tried to escape..”

Kaelis silently seethed.

‘AGHHHHHH!’

Attempt 3: The Brute Force Method

‘Enough fucking games. If stealth didn’t work, I’ll use power.’

Kaelis threw himself at the wooden bars of his crib, rattling them with all his might.

‘Come on, come on, break already!’

His tiny hands clutched at the wood, straining with all the strength his baby muscles could muster—

Then the entire crib lifted off the ground.

Kaelis blinked.

Zekka stood there, effortlessly floating the entire crib into the air with her Gravity Kenda.

She smiled down at him. “You’re quite the determined one, aren’t you?”

Kaelis let go immediately. The crib settled back onto the floor, and she gently tucked him in again.

“Nice try,” she whispered.

Kaelis glared, sitting down and folding his arms.

Attempt 4: The Ill-Fated Window Escape

‘This is it, my ultimate move.’

If he couldn’t escape through the door, he’d use the window.

He climbed onto a chair (with great difficulty), then stood on wobbly, unsteady baby legs, gripping the window frame for support.

Almost there… just a little more—

Then a hand grabbed his collar.

Gunthr held him up like a misbehaving cat.

“Nice weather outside,” Gunthr mused. “Too bad you’re supposed to be inside.”

Kaelis refused to look at him.

Gunthr chuckled, tossing him gently into the air before catching him again. “You really don’t like staying put, huh?”

Kaelis crossed his tiny arms and pouted.

‘This is impossible!’

Zekka walked in, arms crossed. “I told you he’d try the window next.”

Gunthr grinned. “Didn’t think he’d actually make it up there, though. Haha!”

“He really is reckless like you, dear.”

“Pfft. I’m not THAT reckless.”

Kaelis, still dangling in the air, cursed everything.

“Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! If only they could understand me!”

Final Attempt: The Ultimate Distraction Plan

Kaelis had one last idea.

If he couldn’t escape, he’d make them put him outside themselves.

So, when Zekka placed him in his crib for the night, he took a deep breath and let out the loudest, most dramatic cry of his life.

‘That’s it..imitate the annoying screaming babies from my world. These two will have no choice but to pick me up!’

Wailing. Kicking. Flailing, He thrashed like a tiny demon, screaming at full volume.

Zekka and Gunthr rushed in immediately.

Zekka knelt beside him, rubbing his tiny back. “Shh, shh, little one. What’s wrong?”

Gunthr tilted his head. “You think he wants fresh air?”

Kaelis stopped crying instantly.

‘YES! Give it to me! So I can jump the hell out!’

Zekka blinked. “He… stopped.”

Gunthr nodded. “Yup. He just wants some air.”

Kaelis grinned internally. Finally. He had won.

Then—Gunthr opened the window.

“There. Nice fresh air,” he said proudly.

Kaelis stared in horror. Gunthr and Zekka patted his head, kissed his forehead, and tucked him in.

Zekka smiled. “See? You just needed a breeze.”

Kaelis screamed into his pillow.

‘DAMMIT!’

(Night time)

Kaelis lay in his wooden crib, staring up at the ceiling. The faint flickering glow of a candle in the corner cast long, wavering shadows against the wood, dancing along the rough grain like restless spirits. The house had settled into the deep stillness of the night, the only sounds being the faint rustling of the wind outside and the distant hoot of an owl.

His body was warm beneath the soft blanket Zekka had wrapped him in, but his mind refused to rest.

‘I give up.’

The thought came with an exhale as his tiny fingers absently curled into the fabric covering him.

‘What’s the point? I’m not escaping this place.’

He had tried. Over and over. He had schemed, planned, fought against his ridiculous baby body—and failed every single time.

‘I should’ve known from the start. Those two are too attentive, too caring, too… mushy. There was no way they’d let me out of their sight, not when they looked at me like I was the most precious thing in the world.’

He groaned internally.

‘Why didn’t I think of this earlier? Of course they weren’t going to let me go anywhere. What was I expecting?’

He rolled onto his side, staring at the wooden bars of his crib. He felt a strange mix of frustration and resignation curling in his chest.

‘I was a fool.’

His body was useless right now. His strength was nonexistent. He was stuck here whether he liked it or not.

But then—

A thought. A slow, creeping realization, followed along with an evil grin.

‘Maybe…maybe I should use them..’

Not in a malicious way—he wasn’t some heartless bastard—but in a practical way. They were his only connection to this world. If he wanted to understand it, if he wanted to grow stronger, then he had to learn from them.

And if this world had magic…

His fingers twitched.

‘Then I’ll learn everything I can.’

With that final thought, his body sank deeper into the blanket’s warmth, exhaustion creeping up on him. His heavy eyelids drooped, and before he knew it, sleep took him.

In another room, a warm glow flickered from a single candle resting on a wooden table. The bedroom was simple but lived-in—handcrafted furniture with rough edges, a fur-lined chair near the stone hearth, and a large bed of thick wool and cotton. A set of swords hung on the far wall, their edges worn from years of use, next to a large wooden chest that bore the scars of countless journeys.

Zekka sat on the edge of the bed, absently running a hand through her long, peach-white hair. Her other hand rested against her lap, fingers gripping the fabric of her nightdress as she stared down at the wooden floor.

Gunthr, standing near the window, glanced at her as he worked a strap on his wrist loose. “You’re thinking too hard again,” he murmured.

Zekka exhaled softly. “I can’t help it.”

Gunthr smirked, rolling his shoulders. “You’re worried about Kaelis.”

Zekka didn’t answer immediately. She just nodded, her fingers tightening slightly.

“I just… I know he’s still a baby, but I can feel it,” she admitted. “I can see it in his eyes, the way he looks at things, the way he moves. He’s going to be reckless when he grows up. He’s gonna be eager…eager to fight..eager to learn Kenda..I—.”

Gunthr chuckled. “That’s not necessarily a bad thing.”

Zekka’s lips pressed into a thin line. “It can be. Candlet..do you remember him? Our first party member we ever lost…”

Gunthr sat beside her, leaning back on his palms, his head tilted slightly as he watched her.

Zekka stared at the floor, her grip tightening on the fabric of her nightdress.

‘I’ve seen it before. Adventurers, young and eager, too blinded by ambition to see when they’re stepping into their own graves. Hunters laughing over a drink one night, dead the next morning because they thought they could handle just one more contract. I don’t want that for him.’

She closed her eyes, a bitter thought creeping in.

‘And yet… will I become the kind of mother who never lets him breathe?’

She had fought for years, risking her life over and over again, all for the chance to have a child. And every time she failed, the weight of it nearly crushed her.

‘I was ready to give up. I told myself it wasn’t meant to be… but I still tried. And now that he’s here, can I really let him go so easily if the time came?’

Gunthr studied her for a moment, then reached over, resting a large, calloused hand over hers.

“We’ll make sure he grows strong,” he said. “But he’s not a prisoner, Zekka. You know that, right?”

Zekka looked away. She wanted to say yes. She wanted to tell him she wasn’t going to smother their son out of fear.

But the words wouldn’t come.

Gunthr glanced toward the window, watching as the candlelight flickered against the glass.

He understood. More than he let on.

He closed his eyes briefly. “Being trapped… it changes you. It makes you feel like the world is moving without you, that you’re suffocating under someone else’s choices.”

For a brief moment, a memory surfaced. Cold, bitter nights. The sound of his father’s heavy boots on the floorboards. That feeling of being powerless, of knowing his life wasn’t his own.

Gunthr clenched his jaw slightly, then quickly relaxed it, rolling his shoulders and fixing his posture before Zekka could notice.

“I won’t let Kaelis feel that. This is a miracle that we’re having him. First time parents, we don’t have much experience with it. We were going into dungeons and labyrinths looking for things that may or may not exist, and now that we’ve finally settled down, we’ve got what we wanted. But we survived so long because we have power. If we don’t want Kaelis being taken away from us, he has to have power too.”

Zekka sighed and leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder.

“But…”

‘I don’t want him to be weak…but I don’t want him getting into danger like we did. After so many failed attempts at having a child, I don’t want my pain..and Gunthr’s pain, to be in vain. Like it was a waste..I can’t let that happen..’

Gunthr let out a slow breath, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand.

For now, Kaelis was safe.

That was enough for them.