* * * Runa's POV

Elara and the others left, while Kaelan was still asleep. I felt bored and didn't know what to do. I approached uncle who was busy behind his desk.

"Uncle, Uncle!" I called out.

Uncle lifted his face from the scattered papers on his desk and looked at me with a smile. "What's up, little miss?" he asked.

I had a plan to fill my time. "Let's play, I want to play hide and seek!" The words just came out of my mouth because it was one of my favorite games.

Uncle gently shook his head with a smile. "Haha, I'm sorry. I'm working right now, maybe later," he replied gently.

My initial enthusiasm turned into disappointment. Uncle was mean.

I wandered around Kaelan's room, my eyes fixed on the window that was almost dark. I was always curious about where the sun went when it set. I wanted to know what happened to the sun after it disappeared.

Driven by curiosity, I was about to go out and chase the setting sun, but Uncle stood in front of the door.

"Little miss, where are you going? It's getting dark outside," he said, standing in front of the door, blocking my way.

I smiled at him, trying to explain, "I want to chase the sun."

Uncle smiled. "The sun can't be chased, little miss."

"Then where does the sun go?" I asked.

Uncle shook his head. "I don't really know. Many people say the sun revolves around the world. Some say the Earth revolves around the sun. Well, whichever it is, I don't care as long as I get paid."

Sometimes, Uncle's words were hard to understand for me, but I just wanted to play. "In that case, let's play?" I invited, trying to divert his attention.

"Let's have dinner first, okay?" he suggested.

We went to the kitchen, and Uncle started making porridge. Once everything was ready, we brought it to Kaelan's room. Uncle brought a chair and sat next to the bed.

I sat on Kaelan's bed, waiting and observing Uncle as he fed Kaelan.

I looked at Kaelan, who was still asleep on his bed. "When will Kaelan wake up?" I asked Uncle.

I saw Uncle furrowing his brow. "I don't know, what happened to him?"

I tried to describe what I had seen, even though it was a bit gruesome. "Hmm... he was trampled by the meanie people, I saw blood smeared on his face, and his body looked bent."

Uncle seemed disturbed by my description. "I feel horrified hearing that. Let me guess, was it the red-haired woman who healed him?"

"You mean Elara? Yes!" I nodded enthusiastically. "She also healed the wound on my leg, Uncle! She's really amazing, isn't she?"

Uncle chuckled. "Haha, she's indeed amazing. The first time I saw her, she was just a beautiful woman. When I found out she was a sorceress, I was very surprised."

"But Kaelan is amazing too, he saved me, carried me, and fought off those meanie! Just like the stories my mother used to tell me, Kaelan is a hero!"

Uncle nodded. "Yes, he is a hero, but I feel sorry for what happened to him." He stood up and said, "You should eat too, little miss, and get some rest."

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

But I still wanted to play. "But when will we play?"

Uncle explained, "I'm sorry, little miss. I can't right now, I have to go back to man the reception desk."

"Okay then!" I felt angry. Uncle was so annoying!

Then Uncle left, and I sat alone, eating the bread he had given me. It tasted better than the food at the orphanage. After I was full, I fell asleep next to Kaelan, hoping that he would wake up someday.

* * * Gunnar's POV

We returned to the city of Artelo after successfully completing our mission. The entire army received a well-deserved reward, including our hardworking party.

Upon arriving in Artelo, I immediately went back to the inn. When I arrived there, the friendly receptionist greeted me.

"Mr. receptionist, how are they both doing?" I asked.

The receptionist smiled. "I've taken good care of both of them. Miss Runa has been well-fed, and the young man who was asleep has also been taken care of, with regular meals and drinks."

My gaze immediately shifted to Runa, who was running around the inn. Her smile shone brightly when she saw us return. She ran towards Elara and hugged her tightly. "Big sister Elara!"

Elara smiled and hugged Runa back. "Runa, how have you been?"

Runa looked up at Elara. "I'm bored, sis. But uncle here doesn't want to play with me," she said, pointing at the receptionist behind the desk.

I couldn't help myself. "Hey, you said earlier that you were taking care of them!"

The receptionist tried to explain, "Wait a moment, sir. I did take care of them to the best of my ability, but my job as a receptionist also needs to be maintained. Please understand."

His words made sense, and I tried to calm down. "Your explanation makes sense. As long as they're in good condition, that's what matters."

After a long and exhausting mission, I felt the need to rejuvenate myself to be in the best condition.

Finally, I decided to rest. "Elara, Draven, I'm going to rest. See you later."

I left them, cleaned up, and headed to my room, where I rested throughout the day.

After I woke up, I felt a bit dizzy from sleeping for so long. My body felt heavy as I tried to sit up on the bed, and I slowly moved my head.

"Uh... How long was I asleep?" I muttered softly, holding my head gently as it still felt a bit blurry.

As I got out of bed, I felt the need to get rid of this dizziness. "We should have a drink," I spoke to myself, hoping that a warm drink would help alleviate the dizziness.

I immediately went in search of Elara in the inn.

"Mr. receptionist, have you seen my party member, Elara?" I asked.

The receptionist answered, "I saw her leave with Runa earlier this morning. Unfortunately, I don't know where they went."

While we continued our conversation, not long after, Elara and Runa returned. Elara looked surprised to see us gathered.

"What happened?" she asked, puzzled as she approached us.

I enthusiastically suggested, "Hey, let's celebrate our success with a meal!"

"Great idea," said Elara, smiling. "But before that, can you fetch my book from Kaelan's room? I forgot to take it after feeding Kaelan this morning," she requested, handing me the key to her room.

"Sure, I'll get it. And you wake up Draven."

* * * Kaelan's POV

My eyes slowly opened, and the dim light from behind the curtains greeted my vision.

My consciousness began to return, and I took in the unfamiliar surroundings of the room where I lay.

I tried to gather the fragments of memories that were scattered in my mind. The pieces of recollection began to assemble into a clearer picture. What had actually happened to me?

Hadn't I already died? The scene and feelings I experienced now were so vivid, as if I were still alive.

Where am I? The question floated in my mind, adding to my confusion. Was this heaven? Was this what heaven really looked like?

I heard the sound of a door suddenly opening. I looked up, and my eyes caught a large man entering the room.

The man's voice echoed loudly in the room as he yelled through the wide-open door, "Hey, he's finally awake! Come over!"

Not long after, a beautiful and enchanting woman entered the room, leaving me almost mesmerized by her beauty. Behind her, I saw Runa following closely.

"Runa!" I felt a sense of relief seeing her.

The man who had shouted earlier cautioned, "Hey, calm down, don't shout in here." Ironically, he had just shouted himself.

The woman approached and began to examine me while Runa joined in.

"Kaelan!" she exclaimed.

I gently stroked Runa's hair and then turned to the woman. "Where is this?"

The woman introduced herself, "We're in an inn in the city of Artelo."

Artelo? So, I was still alive?

"What actually happened?" I asked.

The woman introduced herself as Elara, and the man behind her as Gunnar. Then, Elara began recounting all the events that had occurred.

Based on the story told by Elara, I had been asleep for a week due to the injury I had suffered. Then, the side effects of the healing process caused me to age by decades. Although shocked by this, what was even more surprising was when I found out that Elara was a sorceress. So, sorceresses aren't just a fairy tale, huh?

Gunnar invited me, "You must be hungry, right? Let's eat together, my friend!"

Elara added, "Before that, you should freshen up."

However, before I could say thank you, they had already left. I felt extremely grateful to have been saved by them. They gave me an address to where they go, and told me to join them later.