After the initial shock and with the explanation my tattoo passed away, the question as to what happened and how I ended up like this, returned. I gave the same explanation I gave to Theodore, getting two questioning eyebrows in response.

"Right." Papa dragged the 'i'.

'Why does no one believe me!?'

"And how did you end up like that?" He said, taking a sip of water.

"It was weird. When I opened my eyes again, I was inside a hole and the grass wasn't there anymore and some trees had fallen over." Hearing that, Papa choked on his water and coughed.

"Wait, you are saying that your awakening burst destroyed the entire area around you!? How big was the radius-” Papa cut himself, took a big breath, and restarted the question with an easier word than radius- 'what is a radius anyway?'

“Lyon, how big was that weird area around you?”

"Um, a little bigger than Mr. Orion's house?" I said, unsure.

"A little what!?" Papa eyes grew wider than ever. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah?" I scratched the back of my head.

Papa shrank in his chair and covered his face, mumbling something. "What happened next?" He asked in a low voice, his hand still hiding his eyes.

"Then a Silverfang came. It was small, like the Emberfang in the volcano, but I beat it!

"What about all the blood on your face, then?" Mr. Orion was the one to ask.

"I... I bit it one or two times..." I said, looking down, embarrassed.

Knock! Knock!

With the knocks, a voice behind the door, reaching closer, saving me at the perfect time. 'Thank you!'

"Orion, what's with all the yelling? Is everything alright?" It was Miss Lilia, entering the house. When she saw us, she made a knowing smile and rolled her eyes. Her expression changed, however, when she saw me. Her eyes grew big, and her mouth went up and down many times, like she was a fish!

"I-I- I have to go. S-sorry for interrupting." She said in a hurry before vanishing.

"Ah, fu- ahem ." Papa sighed and shook his head. "This is gonna be troublesome..." He grumbled to himself in a low voice.

From then on, it was mostly Mr. Orion who asked the questions, and Papa sometimes explained a thing or two. Before we knew it, the sun was going down. It was a tiring day, so I wanted to go to sleep early. Papa and Mr. Orion wanted me to sleep there so that we could check on the scar, but I didn't want to. I wanted to sleep at home with Theodore, it had been so long since the last time we slept together! Thankfully, they let me sleep at home but I would have to visit Mr. Orion first thing tomorrow morning.

Home, Cain was reading. He didn't react when the door opened, but when he saw me and the bandage, he paused. He was about to say something, but then he saw my tummy. His eyes opened wide and his brows turned pointy before turning to the book.

"We're back," Theodore said loudly.

"Welcome back," Cain said taking another quick glance at us. “Go take a bath, the water is warm." And he ignored us after that.

'What's wrong with him?'

Usually, he would make a snappy remark or point out how we should have been more careful or that we constantly bring trouble to Papa, but surprisingly, he didn’t.

Well, whatever it was, taking a bath was more important. I stank! After two baths, one me, the other Theodore, we choose to sleep on my bed tonight, it didn’t mean we would sleep right away though.

It had been an entire month since we had the time to be together, and we had so much stuff to talk about, there was no way would would just go to sleep! Papa would be very angry if he saw us eating snacks in the bed, but he wasn’t here, hehe. Theodore had learned so many new thins I didn’t even know, like the number after one thousand! Who knew it went up to this number called a million!? That and so much more, I had to question if this was actually Theodore or not. In comparison, his news were so much bigger than mine. I only could talk about the flowers, the quint, and the first day with the moonlight. We wanted to go to bed early, but we ended up sleeping after the candle was fully spent.

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Similarly, I woke up later.

Yawn

Rubbing my eyes, I woke up next to Theodore hugging his pillow, murmuring in his sleep. "That's what I..."

I hid my chuckle behind my hands. Other than Theodore, there wasn't anyone else in the house. I knew Cain was missing because there were only two sandwiches on the table rather than the usual three.

Miss Lilia had been preparing lunch for us for the past month. Typically, I would wake up and go for the forest before she visited, but every evening when I returned, my lunch awaited for me. It was always cold, but I enjoyed it all the same—it was still delicious.

But something was off with Cain. Since yesterday, he had been acting strangely. Not rude, just... different. And now he was missing.

'What is going on with him?'

Ouch!

As the sweet sleepy feeling was leaving, the rest of my senses began to wake, and the stingy pain a little lower my neck was one of the first to come.

'Right, Papa said to visit when I wake up.'

Cain and his behavior aside, I had to take care of my scar. Carefully changing my pajamas, I went to the toilet first before leaving.

Because it was late morning, there were much more people than I was used to outside. They did their usual thing, but when they noticed me, they stopped what they were doing, smiled, and waved at me with happy faces. I smiled and waved back, but when I turned away, they whispered to one another.

"... do you think..."

"... is he really..."

" ...Lilia said ..."

Weird. Very, very weird. First, it was Cain, and now this... Why was everyone acting like that? Was it because of the weather? It was really good for this season but it was the same yesterday, so it couldn’t be that. Was it perhaps what I wore? But I wore my usual clothes.

Making a turn, the weird feeling reached its top. It felt like everyone looking at me.

"Lyon! Lyon!" Ben yelled my name, all excited, forgetting his ball that was running straight to the fountain.

"Hi, Ben. Your ball—"

"Is it true? Is it true?" He said over me, his arms flying up and down.

Ben as well? Ben was two years older than me and liked to spend his time with Cain. He was only a little taller than me, with brown hair and a little browner eyes. Unlike Cain, he didn’t seem to dislike me, but it was weird for him to look for me.

'What is happening today?'

"True what?" I asked.

"Are you an Elemancer?

So that’s why he was all excited. "Yes, since yesterday."

He took a big, loud breath. "Really!? My dad said you get a tattoo when you become an Elemancer. Do you have one?"

"Yes, it's right here," I pointed at my tummy.

"Can you show me?"

"Erm… sure," I said, feeling weird again.

The air felt very cold, not because I lifted my shirt but because it wasn't one gasp but many, followed by whispers and chatter from everyone in the plaza.

"How is this possible..."

"Lilia was right...."

"Lyon is an Elamancer..."

Suddenly, a crowd formed around me, all eager to get a better look at my tattoo.

'W-w-what is going on? W-w-why is everyone coming closer? P-papa!'

They all came closer, speaking one over the other in a noise that became louder and louder. I looked left and right, but it was too late and there was no room for me to run.

"So that's what you've been doing?" Through the chaotic noises, a single, familiar voice came. Everyone stopped and opened up a path, revealing Cain frowning deeper than ever.

'Cain!'

However, he didn't look as happy as I was. "To think I even felt sorry for you yesterday. That’s what you do now, go around showing yourself like a trophy?”

The people around started leaving, going back to their usual activities.

What was he talking about? Trophy? I wasn’t trying anything! Ben asked, and the others came on their own, how was that my fault?

"What?" I said back, getting angry.

I was thankful for his help, but to say I was going around and making it sound like I did something wrong when I didn't, wasn't something I was going to let happen. He wouldn’t make me feel bad for something I didn't do. I might had before, but I was also an Elemancer now. I had nothing to be afraid of.

"Don't pretend. I saw how happy you were with everyone praising you." He continued telling whatever he wanted as he moved closer, now looking at me from above. He had a little more than a head taller than me, and that made him look scarier, but sadly for him, not as scary as the Silverfang.

"So what?" I challenged back.

At this point, it didn’t matter if I explained myself or not. He wouldn’t listen to me, so the only thing I could do, was face him head on.

He was silent for a moment. Just when I was about to speak however, he pushed me.

‘First Theodore, and now this… Why does everyone push me?’

Cain was much stronger than Theodore and the push alone would hurt, but he did it close to where the scar was. Feeling a watery sensation over the bandage, I pushed him back.

He pushed again, with more power this time.

Anger slowly getting the better of me, I pushed back even stronger than him.

Recovering he paused and looked at me so intensely, his brows couldn’t get any closer. He raised a hand and just when I waited for a push, he slapped me.

My cheek grew hot as my head turned to the side. By now, there wasn't anyone around us, and those who were close were looking everywhere but us.

I was ready to slap him back, but as I raised my hand—

"What the hell do you two think you are doing!?" An angry deep voice came from behind stopping me right then and there.

Turning, Theodore was hiding behind a big leg. It was Papa's and next to him was Mr. Orion. Papa had his arms crossed and a face so angry, the Silverfang from yesterday look like a small little puppy in comparison.