“Open wide Lyon.“ Moving the spoon in the air, Lyon’s eyes sparked as he extended his hands, trying to grab it. Of course, he couldn’t, but he did so regardless, letting out babbling sounds.

“There you go.“ The moment the spoon escaped his mouth, his hands rose to his cheeks, wiggling left and right in satisfaction.

The weeks passed in a blur, and before I knew it, more than half a year had passed ever since Apollyon, Lyon for short, arrived. The first thing I did was ask around the village, but no one knew anything about his origins. He just magically appeared that night I guess. Since me being here was for children such as Lyon, I brushed it off quickly, and now we’re here.

Lyon had grown a lot since then. Quite literally in both size and weight, more than doubling in fact, and his once black strands of hair had filled that little head of his, now even darker, jet-black. More captivating and awe-inspiring than his hair were his azure eyes, resembling the clear skies. If one were to look for too long in them, they would get lost inside them.

Heh, I’m not joking. Lilia yesterday couldn’t last a minute before dozing off into them. She couldn’t even speak properly, replying with no different babbling sounds than the baby! It was hilarious! And scary…

Even scarier once I took Lyon away.

For a few seconds, she didn’t even realize what had happened, blankly staring at the floor, but once she did, she started yelling, grabbing me from the leg, begging for more. I swear, if it weren’t for Lyon crying because of the violent earthquake from the shaking, we’d still be there.

’Damn woman, if you like him so much then adopt him, but of course every time I bring it up you always have something else to do and run off.’

Sigh, Lyon’s eyes always sparkled when he looked outside the window, so it didn’t take long for me to take him with me when going out for groceries. And, similarly, it didn’t take long for the twice-a-week trip to become a daily routine.

’Damn his irresistible eyes! I swear one day I’ll be in trouble because he’ll kill someone! They say looks can kill, but I didn’t know they meant it this literally!’

Aside from his eyes, however, if I were to say something was as impressive as his adorableness, it would be the start of his exploration phase. I knew babies were curious about practically anything around them, but I didn’t know it was to this extent. Therefore, as the doting caretaker and father figure, I took it upon myself to give him answers to his unending questions.

Questions I had to navigate through ‘goo-goos‘, ‘gagas‘, pointing, and grabbing.

“Yes, that’s you right there in the mirror...”

“That? That’s a sword...”

“Yeah, it’s a beautiful sunset...”

“That’s -ouch- my beard...”

In the beginning, it was extremely hard, for obvious reasons, but I believe I got the gist of it. By now, I could understand what he was trying to say, both from experience and from the fact that he had started trying to mimic the words and sounds he heard. And here I was certain that babies weren't capable of talking before the tenth month... Lyon had proved it to me last week when he said Papa for the first time.

While I wasn’t his father and I knew my boundaries, it still struck me to heart. That day we visited every corner of the village, from the smallest blade of grass to the tallest building, and of course, I answered the gagas.

Later on, we made a stop in the plaza. Since it was filled with merchants, we glanced around their products. If I had to say what was the most memorable thing that day, ahem aside from him calling me Papa ahem, was Lyon’s expression when his eyes fell on a man with a hammer larger than himself. He was glued to the man and was cooing with extended arms.

Heh, what a fun day... but don’t misunderstand. It just so happened that we needed some extra groceries, and I wanted to check if the merchants sold anything good. I wouldn’t go all over the village over something as small as Lyon calling me Papa. I am not so childish.

“Pa...pa.”

Looking down, Lyon was standing on his two feet. Awkwardly, but still on his own. Capable of babbling a word here and there was one thing, but standing and trying to walk? He just closed the eighth month! For the past few days, Lyon's been attempting to rise on two feet, managing to stay upright for a couple of seconds before falling back down, his legs unable to hold his body's weight.

“Pa…pa...”

Letting down the bowl, I extended my arms, just as I did every other time, ready to welcome him if he succeeded, and close enough to catch him if he failed before he could get hurt.

“Come on Lyon, you can do it.”

Seeing me, the narrowed browns of struggle vanished to extended hands, giggles, and laughter as he hurriedly took steps in my direction.

One step, two steps, three steps, and hop!

I took him by the arms and raised in the air.

“You did it, Lyon! Great job! This calls for a celebration. What do you want to do: do you want candy, or perhaps a walk to the plaza, or are you more interested in another story of mine?”

“Ca... cany! P... p .... paza! S... sory!“ He said with giggles, his eyes sparking with excitement.

’Ahhh! Those eyes... can’t… resist...’

“You make a tough bargain. Fine, how about we go for a walk, get some candy, and in the evening, I tell you one of my glorious adventures?”

His response was giggles of confirmation. ‘Those eyes... no one can resist... Those eyes are weapons! Lethal weapons, I say!’

While celebrating Lyon’s achievement, from the corner of my eye, I spotted Cain looking secretly from the staircase.

“Cain, I see you up there.”

The moment he heard me, he jolted back, and a thud followed. Taken aback, I reached for the staircase, only to find him rubbing the back of his head.

“Cain, are you alright?”

“I... I’m okay,” he replied, a slight frown forming on his face.

“Are you sure? It sounded pretty bad to me.”

“Yes, I’m okay,” he insisted, but his eyes became watery.

Sigh, this kid… “If you say so. Now, I’m pretty sure you heard me, so what do you say, want to join us?”

His frown vanished, and he placed a finger over his lips, deep in thought. I could hear Lyon giggling and bobbling from atop my head as we waited for his answer. Cain’s gaze shifted slightly upward, and his frown returned.

“No, I don’t want to,” he said, turning back to his room.

Sigh, everyone in the village loved Lyon, everyone except Cain. He tried to hide it, but the acting skills of a five-year-old weren’t the greatest.

It’s understandable. Before Lyon entered our life, Cain had my full attention. Four years was a big number for a child and Cain had grown to learn me as a father. For the past six months, however, I’ve been busy, and our time together had dropped dramatically. In Cain’s eyes, Lyon had practically stolen me from him. I keep repeating to myself that, with time, he will come to understand, but in truth, I wasn’t so sure.

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Taking our way through the village, before we could reach the plaza, Lyon tried to say something but eventually failed, ending up pointing and trying to turn my head instead. It was none other than Roric; the blacksmith hammering down the metal.

“Yes Lyon, it’s Mr. Roric, you met him last week. He is working now so let’s not disturb him. Come on, let’s go get that candy.”

“Ca...Cany!”

He must have been distracted by the sparks, but when he heard candy again, he remembered the reason for our trip. The plaza was filled with merchants once again. The volcano was safer around this time of the year, and so merchants and traders were more common.

“So, what do you want? Would you like some chocolate?“ I said, pointing over to a counter full of different types and shapes of chocolate.

“Uh-uh.“ He shook his head.

“Then what?”

He enthusiastically pushed my head a little to the left and pointed, his entire body weight falling on the back of my neck. “H…h… Hony fut!”

“Honey fruit!?“ I yelled out loud, getting a few stares.

’No, no! Anything but honey! Last time we had honey apples… oh the horror. My hair has yet to recover… Oh, the pain… I will remember it until the day I die. What beasts? Honey is far scarier than any of them!’

Indifferent to me, however, Lyon repeated himself in excitement. “Mh! Mh! Hony fut! Hony fut!”

I laughed dryly, pinching my throat. “Lyon, are you sure you don’t want something else? What about chocolate limes? You haven’t tried those.” Gulping, sweat began outlining my forehead.

“Hony! Hony!”

“So...“ My voice trembled. “The problem is not the fruit, but you want to have honey in it?”

“Mhm!”

’I am raising the devil. Why Lyon, why do you want me to suffer!?’

’Wait!’ The idea hit me like thunder.

“Lyon, if you want honey, I have the perfect treat for you. It might not be a honey fruit, but I promise you, it will be just as tasty.”

He moved his head to the side, confused by what I said. Smiling, I pointed to two counters to the right.

“Here Lyon, look, this looks like bread, but it’s a lot fluffier and tastes very sweet because it is made with honey!”

Lyon looked with wondrous eyes without really understanding what I was explaining, but once he heard the word honey, he jolted back, almost making me lose balance from the sudden weight in my neck, and yelled. “Hony!”

The answer... Honey cake. I know, I know, yes. Sometimes my genius scares me too.

Having a slice of cake each, Lyon began analyzing the discovery before his hands. First, he pressed hard, amazed as the cake sprang back to its original shape. Then he leaned in to smell it, his mouth watering like the fountain a few meters away. Finally, he took a bite. His eyes sparkled with delight, and he cooed in satisfaction, immediately reaching for another bite. Once we finished our treat, Lyon was sleepy, so we set course for home.

By the time we were back, he was already sound asleep, but I was in for a surprise. Standing by the door with his arms crossed was Cain.

“Papa, why didn’t you tell me there was another?” He asked with furrowed brows.

Placing a finger over my lips, I motioned him to keep it down. “Shh, Cain. Lyon is sleeping. What do you mean by ‘another’?” I asked quietly, genuinely puzzled.

Lowering his voice, Cain replied, “When you went out earlier, I wanted to play outside, but there was a basket by the door with a baby inside.”

My eyes shut open, and I screamed in a whispery voice. “What!? Where is the baby?”

Cain pointed to the table in which a basket I had never seen before was placed. Inside the basket was a baby with blond curly hair, and on top of it was a note that wrote a single word: Theodore.

’Seth, you bastard... no.’ Massaging my temples, I couldn’t help but sigh heavily. ‘Fine, adding another one shouldn’t be that much harder... right? Well, regardless, a man must do what he said he’s got to do.’

At that moment, Theodore woke up, revealing his blue eyes, similar to Lyon’s, but darker — a little less breathtaking. To his awakening, I gave him a warm smile. “Hey there, little one. Welcome to our family...”

Theodore immediately began crying, causing a chain reaction by waking up Lyon. By the time they calmed down and went back to sleep, I was more than exhausted. Gazing outside the window, the night had already fallen.

’I’m getting too old for this...’

As I closed the book I read to them, a small thud echoed louder than wanted, but thankfully it didn’t disturb their sleep. Despite my tiredness, I couldn’t take my eyes off them. It was probably because of Theodore’s arrival, but I couldn’t help but think of the future. Lyon was always eager for an adventure through the village. I wondered, would Theodore be the same? Cain wasn’t like that. He was timid and always cried when he was left alone for too long.

Suddenly, a strange sensation, as if a gust of wind was blowing through the room, made my hair stand on end. Looking around, however, everything seemed still and quiet. Just then, I noticed a faint glow coming from Lyon’s chest. At first, I thought it was my imagination, but as I looked closer, I could see a small, glowing emblem etched onto his skin.

“What the...?“ Jumping from the chair, I couldn’t believe my eyes. “He isn’t even one-year-old, how could he...”

A quint tattoo was formed on his chest, one I had never seen before. It was so complex I couldn’t even describe it.

Instinctively, my hand reached to touch it, but the closer I got, the further Lyon’s chest seemed to move away. Every candle extinguished and a veil of darkness enveloped, the quint tattoo on Lyon’s chest being the only light present in the room. As the darkness took root, a sudden piercing light came from my right. Turning, I was blinded by the illumination and—

I jolted awake, the book falling to the floor, the sunlight from the window blinding my eyes. Picking it up, it was left open on the last page I read to the children last night. With a raised hand to block the sun, my attention shifted to Lyon and Theodore.

They were sound asleep, both completely fine, making me sulk in the chair, sighing in relief.

“It was just a dream. For a moment I thought Lyon... I thought...“ My eyebrows narrowed.

The dream, no the nightmare, had already slipped away.