The backdoor was left slightly ajar, allowing a few streams of sunlight to enter. I rushed over and heaved the door fully open. I then walked headfirst outside, for the first time ever in this life.

And in your previous life. Heh, gottem.

………

……..Are you gonna say anything?

The bright sun was at its peak, emphasizing that it was the apex of the afternoon. The sky stretched vast and open, dotted with a few clouds and the faint traces of a rainbow, likely from last night's rainfall.

Bro, come on. Don’t do me like this. At least acknowledge what I said.

The trees surrounded the area, their broad, sturdy trunks rising high. Dark green, thick leaves crowned them, forming canopies that shaded the ground below. The branches occasionally intertwined with those of neighboring trees, creating a natural link across the small forested region.

Fuck you too.

To the right and just behind the house lay our family's small farm. It was fenced in by Dad's own hands, containing numerous rows of crops and a flock of four chickens along with a rooster. I could see both Arthur and Ella there—Arthur was messing with the chickens, while Ella was watering some crops. Dad was most likely further into the treeline, chopping down trees as usual.

My main purpose for going outside was to scope out the surroundings. I wanted a clear understanding of what I had to work with, what type of creatures thrived here, and the nature of the environment I was in. As I mentioned earlier, we lived in a forested area, with a dirt path that led deeper into the woods. From what I had heard from Mom and Dad, that road led to the Village Centre, the "town hall" of the village, so to speak. The road then diverged into separate paths leading to the homes of other villagers and various buildings like the town well. Besides the village, there wasn't much else in the area, apart from the vast forest. The nearest village was Duskgrove, about 9,000 feet to the left of us. This meant that to enhance my soul magic and physical condition, I would have to rely on the forest. I needed to figure out what creatures I could absorb and what materials I could gather.

I activated soul sense and examined my surroundings. At the top of the tree line, I detected a few small souls, each carrying the distinct scent of nuts, accompanied by the faint chittering of what I assumed were squirrels. Occasionally, amidst the branches, I sensed a couple of a different type of soul—likely birds. Their souls fluttered in the wind, along with their familiar chirping. On the ground, in the trees, and practically everywhere were the same small bugs I'd seen around my home. From my soul sense, there appeared to be no larger creatures nearby; they were probably deeper in the forest, away from the village's sight.

One thing that caught my eye was the vines on a tree not too far away. I had a few ideas for acquiring souls, and if done right, those vines could be crucial. All I needed to do was—

"Beric?" A familiar female voice called out.

Shit.

I looked towards the source and saw Elaine, her curious expression still focused as she continued watering the crops. She beckoned me over, and I reluctantly walked over. I climbed over the fence, hopped down, and stood in front of her. She wore a light green-dyed leather kirtle, her usual attire for outdoor work.

"How did you get out here?" Elaine asked, her expression worried.

"Ma," I blurted.

Her eyes softened. "Did Mom let you out?"

I nodded.

She let out a small sigh. "So she finally thinks you're old enough... Alright then. Come help me water these." She pointed to a small clay watering can.

I knew better than to disobey. Believe me, I did. So, I complied and dragged the watering can over. The two of us finished watering the remaining crops.

"Today’s your first birthday," Elaine murmured with a small smile.

I showed no sign of understanding, as it wouldn't make sense for a one-year-old to know what a birthday was, even if they were a genius.

Before she could continue, we were interrupted by the shadow of Arthur as he jumped over the fence, soaring past us. He rolled to break his fall and hit a fence in the process.

What a flashy entrance.

"Ouch. Yikes, yikes, yikes," Arthur grumbled, massaging his arm.

"What happened now?" Elaine asked, her expression bored.

"I don’t know. I was just playing tag and whatnot when Big C went crazy."

Context: Big C is the name for the oldest hen in the flock. Lil C is a chick Dad found in the wild. C.C. and Chippie are two young hens that Mom bought. Rod the rooster is Arthur’s prized possession. He was a reward for a village-wide event that Arthur won when he was younger.

"Went crazy? Yeah, sure," Elaine said dismissively.

"No, I’m serious. All I did was pluck one of her feathers," Arthur insisted.

"Pluck her fea—Are you stupid?" Elaine exclaimed. "Don’t you know how sensitive her feathers are?"

"I was just trying to train her," Arthur mumbled.

"Train her?"

Arthur's eyes lit up as he explained. "You know, get her used to the feeling of her feathers being plucked." He said it with a proud smile, confident in his reasoning.

"Arthur, you make marbles look sharp. What made you think that—" Elaine began, then continued to berate Arthur.

That’s crazy. Me, personally, I wouldn’t let that slide.

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"We both know you would."

No, I wouldn’t. Do you know why?

"Why?"

...I don’t know. I didn’t think this far ahead.

While Elaine was scolding Arthur, I looked back at the vines I'd noticed earlier. I wanted to create a specific device with those vines, but it wasn't like I could simply take them. I could try to use hand gestures to explain why I needed them, but I doubted Elaine would understand. Moreover, she’d likely find it strange that I wanted vines at all. Time was of the essence, considering we'd all soon need to go back inside and help prepare dinner for my birthday. To make my plan work, I needed to hurry up, finish crafting my device, and move on to the last stage. Arthur, however, was a different case—not only did he have his own version of the device, but he was also capable of making them. Despite his... slower mind compared to Elaine, I was sure he could figure it out.

There was just one problem: Elaine was still berating Arthur. At this rate, I'd fall behind and miss my chance. I needed to find a way to stop Elaine while preferably getting her out of the way.

You could just lie and tell her your mom called for her.

"That would work, but it could lower Elaine’s opinion of me. She might get annoyed, or even worse, she could start thinking I'm a liar. If that happened, the image of me as an intelligent, responsible baby brother would shatter, erasing future benefits. And even if she didn’t mind too much, there’d be no way to accurately convey that I’d simply misheard Mom. It would just plant a seed of doubt in her mind."

You’re overthinking it, dude.

Let’s see... What could I do? How do I divert her attention while also moving her away? What could I use? Nothing really stood out, except for a large red tomato to my right. Ironically, I actually needed a tomato for the final stage of my plan. It almost felt as if it were mocking me for lagging behind. I then noticed a slight glow on its surface. At first, I thought I was seeing things out of desperation, but no, I wasn’t. The water from Elaine's watering can reflected sunlight, creating a bright glow. Wait... water... That's it.

I made sure to specifically grab Elaine's watering can and held it close to my chest. I could have carried it normally, given my enhanced physical abilities, but I chose this on purpose. I then hobbled over to Elaine and dramatically tripped over a small pebble.

Fucking drama queen.

The water from the watering can erupted, drenching her kirtle. Elaine tensed as she felt the cold water touch her legs, and quickly turned around. She glared in annoyance and confusion at what had soaked her, but her glare softened when she saw me lying on the ground, still holding the watering can in my right hand. She immediately stooped down to help me up, dusting off my arms and legs.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" Elaine asked urgently, her worried expression examining me.

I shook my head slowly as tears began to well up.

Elaine noticed this. "Don't lie to me now." She helped me stand straight, still trying to figure out what was wrong. She closely inspected the small cut on my finger that I had gotten yesterday—a bite from a rat that had made its way into my parents room through a small hole. She checked for any dirt or other impurities that could cause an infection. Thankfully, she saw nothing concerning and decided that I wasn't too hurt, apart from some dirt stains on my clothes.

I pointed to Arthur and then back at her, sniffling. "Arthur… You… Yell," I squeaked, sniffling profusely. I then pointed back to the crops. "Me help."

Arthur squatted beside Elaine. "What's wrong, little bro?" He nudged me on the shoulder. "No pain, no gain, right?"

Elaine elbowed Arthur in the stomach, causing him to double over in pain.

She leaned her head slightly while gently grabbing my right hand. "Are you crying because… I was yelling at Arthur?"

I wiped my tears with my arms before nodding.

She looked at the crops, her eyes seemingly piecing things together. She then glanced at her watering can, the one I had clearly chosen instead of the smaller one. "Did you try to water the crops on your own with my watering can… to make me happy and stop me from yelling at Arthur?"

"…Yes," I said quietly, avoiding her gaze.

She let out a small laugh. "That's very mature of you, Beric." She then snapped her fingers at Arthur, who was still writhing in pain. "Get up."

Arthur grumbled as he slowly stood up. "It's on you if I end up vomiting."

"Beric, I was yelling at Arthur, but it wasn't out of anger."

"Eh…" Arthur disagreed.

"Arthur," Elaine said with a chilling tone.

"My apologies," Arthur said, quickly bowing.

Ignoring Arthur, Elaine held both of my hands. "I was yelling at him because I knew he could do better. Despite being irresponsible, careless, and thoughtless, he is, above all, still my brother. My anger stems from concern and worry about the situations that could harm him and others if he continues to behave this way. There are times when he pushes me to my limits, but my love for him always outweighs it. It is not only my duty as his sister, but also as a fellow human being, to guide him into becoming a better version of himself."

"Sure didn't sound like it. You were saying some pretty hurtful words," Arthur said cheekily.

"It wasn't that bad," Elaine said with an exasperated look.

Arthur gave her a doubtful expression.

Elaine let out a small sigh. "I may have said some harsh things, but words don't always carry the true intent of a person's mind. People don't always mean what they say. Some may yell out threats when blinded by rage, but once their vision clears, they realize the weight of their words and seek forgiveness. Some may smile brightly in public and seem cheerful, but inside, they might be hiding a deep sadness. People may even cry and insist on how hurt they are, only to be faking it for attention and pity. In short, I didn't mean everything I said… at least, not most of it."

"Hey."

"Even so, you shouldn't worry too much about things like this, Beric." Elaine pulled me into a tight hug. "You're still just a baby. Don't worry about scary things like yelling or about fixing conflicts. A baby should only play and laugh joyfully, without a care in the world. Don't let your maturity make you act like an adult and miss out on your childhood."

She's only nine and she talks like this?

"You sort of ruined the mood, Sys."

My fault, g.

Honestly, though, Sys was right. It was surprising how mature she was and how high her emotional intelligence seemed. I hadn't expected this from her, but it was nice to hear… even if I was guilty of what she had just said.

"Okay," I responded.

Wow, so you're just going to respond to her heartfelt speech with a simple "okay"?

"Shut up. What do you want me to say? I'm just a baby, jackass."

I appreciate your kind words, oh wonderful sister of mine.

"Mute yourself."

Elaine got up, brushing off her skirt. "I guess I'll have to change."

"Sorry," I murmured shyly.

Elaine smiled softly. "It's okay, Beric. Don't worry about it. I was feeling stuffy in it anyway."

I awkwardly shuffled my feet, lowering my head in embarrassment. I then bent down to pick up her now-empty watering can.

Elaine paused, thinking quickly. If this worked, then she should say…

"Alright, Beric. If you really want to make it up to me, then go ahead and refill the watering cans and water the rest of the crops while I go change. Does that sound good?"

"Okay," I responded once again. I grabbed the smaller watering can and placed it on top of hers, allowing me to carry them easily together. I then stumbled over to the nearby creek.

"Don't let him out of your sight," Elaine said over her shoulder to Arthur.

"I know," Arthur sighed, following closely behind me.

With Elaine out of the picture for this specific part, the plan was halfway done.