Apollyon’s POV

"… and so, we barely managed to survive the dungeon. After that encounter, I left the world of Rangers, and returned here to build our home with the help of Seth."

"Wow! That's so cool!" Theodore said.

"Yeah, Papa, you are so strong! You and Seth defeated the UniQue on your own and the phoenix helped you leave the scary dungeon! Wow! I wanna see a phoenix too!" I said, jumping up and down together with Theodore.

Papa laughed. "Yes, it was truly a once-in-a-lifetime sight, but don't be too eager to run into one. I’ve had countless adventures and expeditions, and I am considered very lucky to have seen a Mythical beast, let alone a Phoenix. I have to say, the real-life phoenixes are quite different from the ones in stories. If one gazes at them for too long, they might lose their sight."

Papa's words entered from one ear and exited the other. Outside the window in the distance, both me and Theodore could already imagine the phoenix as the sun was starting to change from yellow to orange.

From the side of my eye, I caught Papa moving closer. His left eye was twitching and his smile looked scary as he bent down. I took a step back, but Theodore didn't see him.

"Just like you, little Theodore, if you don't pay attention…" Papa's hand moved quickly in front of Theodore's face and closed while making a noise with his mouth. "Pouf!" Papa said, and Theodore jumped back, finally seeing Papa. "… you will lose your nose."

"Ah! M-my nose! Where is my nose!? Papa!" Theodore screamed, his hands patting his face, while the rest of us laughed out loud. Even Cain was smiling, something he rarely did.

Papa playfully moved his hand and gently 'put back' Theodore's nose. "There you go, next time remember to pay more attention." With a chuckle, he tapped his nose and very quickly looked at me.

That look, while Cain and Mr. Orion didn't see it, I understood what Papa meant. If I hadn't seen him, he would have taken my nose as well!

'Yikes!'

Theodore, touching his nose, let out a sigh of relief, but then pouted. "Hmph! I was listening, it's just… em…" He mumbled to himself, his voice getting quieter as he couldn't find the words.

"What happened to the others, Papa?" I asked, wanting to change the topic before Papa could do something to my nose, or perhaps my ear.

Papa scratched the back of his neck. "W-well, I haven't kept in touch with them. It's not like we knew each other prior to the dungeon."

"Oh…" Theodore looked down, sad. "I wanted to see Daniel's big shield."

Papa laughed and smiled like he was sorry. "Maybe one day, Theodore."

"What about Seth?"

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Papa was startled and his eyes got big, and even Mr. Orion almost lost his balance despite standing still over at the sink.

'Weird. What happened to Mr. Orion?'

"W-" Papa's voice caught in his throat. He coughed lightly, "What about him?"

"Haha, Papa is acting funny," Theodore said.

"Where is he now? What happened to him?" I asked, a little worried and a bit more confused.

"Ha ha, oh that's what you meant." Papa laughed again, but it was even weirder than the last one, and the way the sun shined, his forehead looked sweaty. He… he is still a Ranger. We… we have kept in touch, and he often sends money. He is just too busy these days, so he hasn't visited for a while.

"When wa—"

"Who is stronger? You or him, Papa!?" Theodore butted in again, cutting me mid-sentence.

"It's Father, of course." Cain, who was silent the entire time, spoke for Papa.

"No, Cain." Papa said, pausing and turning for the window. "Seth is much stronger than me."

"What about Lyon and Cain? Who is stronger?" Theodore asked again.

Papa turned back, and we all turned to look at each other.

"Where did this question come from, Theodore?" Papa asked, turning his head a little to the side.

Theodore turned his head a little to the other side, mirroring Papa. "You said you and Seth were like bothers. Cain and Lyon are like bothers. You and Seth were elemaners. Cain and Lyon are elemaners. Who is stronger?"

There was another silent moment. "It's me, obviously!" Cain said loudly, pointing to himself with his big finger. "I'm older, and I'm an Elemancer a lot more than Lyon. I am stronger."

"What? No! I beat a Silverfang, and I won the game! I am stronger." I said back.

"No, you didn't win!"

"Yes, I did! Theodore said it!"

Papa laughed. "That's an interesting question, Theodore. It's hard to say for sure. The core is unstable in its early stages, and quint is difficult to control. While Cain awakened a bit earlier, Lyon defeated a Silverfang on his own. Even though it's not a ranked beast, a Silverfang is a serious threat for someone at the purple stage, much less the initial black. Lyon was fortunate it was only a cub, but beating it right after awakening—during the most unstable and critical moment for an Elemancer—is more than impressive. So, I have to give Lyon the edge."

Everyone, even Mr. Orion, turned to look at me.

"W-what…? H-how…? How did you do that?" Cain asked, his shoulders sagging in defeat. He wasn’t just shocked; he seemed genuinely hurt, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"I just followed the light dots," I replied, feeling weird.

I didn't like Cain, sure, but seeing him like that... I thought he'd be shocked but this just fet wrong.

"Ahh, the lights again! There were no lights!" Theodore snapped, the weirld feeling escaping me immediately.

"Yes, there was!"

" Nuh-uh!"

"Yuh-uh!"

"Okay, okay, that's enough. We don't want to gather a crowd now," Papa said, stepping between us before turning to Theodore. "Theodore, if Lyon doesn’t want to explain, don’t push him."

'Papa too? Why doesn’t anyone believe me?'

I clenched my fists, my head bowed as my hair fell over my eyes, hiding the tears that were forming. "B-but I saw them… I saw the lights…" I whispered, so softly no one could hear.

My gaze dropped to my pendant, and I remembered the first time I saw the lights.

'The volcano!' The thought gave me an instant sense of relief.

"I-I think it has something to do with the volcano," I said, louder this time, drawing everyone’s attention. "Papa, can we go back there?"

Papa looked at me, then sighed deeply. "I’m sorry, Lyon, but the answer is no."

"Why not?"

"Because it’s too dangerous," Papa replied, his voice somehow distant even though he stood right beside me. "Even in the safe zone, we were attacked. We were lucky it was just Emberfangs, but what if…" He trailed off, looking away.

"But I beat the Silverfang, Papa!" I insisted, my fists tightening as I desperately hoped he’d change his mind.

Papa’s eyes darkened, and his voice grew stern. "Lyon, just because you defeated a cub doesn’t mean you can defeat everything."

"B-but I beat the Emberfang too! Papa, please!"

"Apollyon!" Papa suddenly shouted, slamming his hand on the table.

He… yelled.

Tears welled up in my eyes, but before they could fall, I bolted for the door.

"Lyon!" a voice called behind me, but I didn’t stop.