Lifting her gaze, her ebony eyes looked at Kai’s back while the shiny golden coin hiding within her palms trembled as she held it close to her chest. Tightening her grip, she gently stood up and her pearly eyes shone with determination as her lips parted.

“H-hey…” her soft, trembling voice echoed behind the boy, who just arrived near the bear’s corpse. Turning around in surprise, his crimson eyes met the girl’s, whose lips shivered. “Y-your woun-nd…” a cracking voice escaped her body, “l-let me t-treat it…”

Kai stared with bewilderment at the girl, shocked by her offer, however, he knew that taking it would be risky.

“My h-house… is not far from here…” she said just as Kai was about to refuse, and, feeling intrigued, he stared into the girl’s eyes.

“Why do you want to help me? Just a while ago I… I tried to kill you.” His heart skipped a beat as the guilt-ridden words escaped the clutches of his body, and looked away with trembling pupils.

The girl met his sheepishly met his gaze, and fidgeted with the coin within her palm as she pondered over the question, however, the resolution in her eyes didn’t falter. I have a feeling… a strange feeling that this boy beside me… he can give me what I need.

“You don’t seem like… like a bad person, besides, that wound could get infected as well…” Her heart raced while staring at Kai, whose gaze had lowered toward the ground, and countless thoughts raced in her mind while she bit on her lower lip, blood dripping down onto her torn clothes.

What am I even saying… the words she just said echoed in her mind while blood rushed through her face, it’s clear he doesn’t need to be tended to… what a lame excuse…

Kai stepped backward, surprised by her answer, and he couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly. So a guy who wanted to kill her doesn’t seem like a bad person? Wondering whether or not there was something wrong with this girl, they sat in silence as Kai started considering the offer. Besides getting my wound treated, I could also get some information… the map Grandpa gave me seems older than him, and besides I can barely read it… I already miss Woogle Waps…

“Sure thing then.” Agreeing, he pulled out some rope from the bursting backpack, tying it to the bear’s limbs and dragging it along while following the girl’s lead. The trip there was silent, and the girl occasionally glanced at Kai and the Obborik with a wide smile on her face.

The house was just as the girl said, not that far from their location, but it wasn’t that close either as it was in the vicinity of one of the biggest trading cities in the area - Limmin City.

Being the closest one to The Dark Forest, this city is a prime spot for adventurers and herbalists to gather due to the forest’s naturally high concentration of mana. In this city lay one of the biggest trading companies - Padure Treasures, owned by the Padure family for generations.

Farther away from the city’s mighty walls stood a house, the land around it lacking any foliage besides the blades of grass softly swaying with the wind and the occasional weed disguising itself as a flower.

The house itself, if one can even call it that, was shabby. The roof crumbled under its weight, as the putrid pillars could barely hold it in place, and the walls were on the brink of falling down from all the moisture that ate them away daily.

However, in a small garden off to the side were a few crops, barely enough to make a salad, but it was enough to feed two people for a while

The house's interior was relatively large, and they shared a kitchen with the bedroom, which was also the living room. There was a single, creaky bed on the southern wall of the house, next to a furnace that let out feeble amounts of heat due to the lack of firewood. The ‘kitchen’ was a small table, with a few buckets to wash the few dishes they had and the sickly vegetables. The stove was a small fireplace outside the house.

On the bed, under layers upon layers of sheets lay a woman, her body so thin one could see bone. Her face, although still young-looking, was covered in wrinkles. She coughed lightly and raised her head with difficulty after hearing footsteps coming from outside. Putting a small smile on her skinny face, she looked lovingly at her daughter.

Her eyes widened, however, when she saw who followed behind her - A youth with eyes as red as blood, small fangs that stuck out of his mouth as well, and shining silver hair. “Va-va-vampire!” she said in a raspy voice, her eyes covered in fear.

The girl looked slightly confused, her face flushing red as she turned around, finally realizing Kai’s true identity. She took a step back with a racing heart, his shadow looming over her as the expression on the boy’s face turned sorrowful.

I should have known people would recognize me, and my race, surprising how this girl didn’t know but I guess she’s too young to know, or too uneducated. Sighing, he turned around under the women’s fearful gazes, dragging his feet whilst preparing to leave.

They watched him pass the shabby door, however, a question lingered in the back of the woman’s mind as she watched his lonely back before her gaze switched toward her daughter, who seemed worried about the young beast.

“Why are you here?” a hoarse voice escaped her body as she posed the question that ate away at the back of her mind. Kai halted his footsteps, slowly turning around while showing the wounded arm.

“She wanted to treat this, but I’ll tend to it myself. I’m sorry for bothering you.” Politely excusing himself, he shook his head while looking at the mother, a shadow covering half of his face, accentuating his gorgeous, glowing eyes.

The girl’s mother was taken aback by his words, and, shifting toward her gaze innocently smiling daughter, she could see a spark of hope within her ebony eyes. What will I do with this daughter of mine? She sighed inwardly before shaking her head.

Turning to Kai with a weak smile and taking a closer look at him, she could feel that something wasn’t quite right, however, it was hard to pinpoint what exactly. He’s younger than my daughter, What is even even doing outside the kingdom? Well… at least he doesn’t seem to have any malicious intentions…

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Laying back down and closing her eyes, she covered herself in the thin sheets and pelts before saying in a low voice, “You’re welcome to stay, although… we don’t have much.”

Nodding, Kai stepped back into the house, standing next to the sole table, waiting for the girl, who glanced at her mother before searching for something under the bed.

She pulled out a small, red and round wooden container covered in dust, and cleaned it slightly, revealing the small icon of a pine tree along with a beautiful engraving that read “Padure.”

“Take a seat,” she pointed toward one of the two chairs around the table, and Kai quickly complied with the request, Placing the backpack next to him, he offered to extend his hand to the girl.

With reddened cheeks, she gathered some ointment on her fingers before placing the case on the ground, and, pulling Kai’s sleeve upwards she took a closer look at the superficial wounds.

The bite marks that slowly started to heal reminded her of the Obborik waiting outside, as its size couldn’t quite allow for easy access in such a small house.

“Thankfully the wound isn’t that deep, but this may sting a bit.” She said with a whispering voice before applying the ointment, causing Kai’s warm skin to shiver slightly upon feeling its cold touch.

“This should stop the wound from getting infected, and after that, your body will do the rest.” She chatted while applying the medicine, her soft fingers gliding over his skin. Her lips parted with a smacking sound as a light voice escaped her body. “My name is Julie, by the way, I’m fifteen. What about you?”

Her question took Kai by surprise, and, standing in silence, thought whether or not to answer truthfully. There’s no harm in telling her… besides, nothing worth keeping hidden. “My name is Kai, I’m ten years old.” Answering sheepishly, he felt the girl’s finger stop suddenly.

She blinked a few times with a shocked expression etched on her face. Ten… years? He killed a Horned bear so young? What the… Staring in disbelief at the wound, then at Kai, she lowered her head, deciding not to think about it anymore.

“And… what about the wolf outside?” Switching topics, she focused on his arm while re-applying the ointment.

Kai rubbed his temples, taken aback by the question, trying to remember any details regarding his companion. “I’m guessing… one and a half… close to two I guess? Still a cub anyhow. No name yet, haven’t thought of one.”

Julie’s face lit up briefly, and giggled slightly before she stood up, putting the ointment box back under the bed. Her gaze shifted over to her sickly mother, whose closed eyes twitched every so often while her chest heaved heavily. Kneeling next to her, Julie sighed, completely forgetting for a second that Kai stood behind her.

Tears streamed down her face while sliding her fingers down the woman’s old wrinkly face, each ridge she felt sent shivers throughout her body. Watching in silence, Kai’s heart clenched as a sharp pain spread from it, gradually becoming more and more unbearable. With ragged breathing, a tear fell down his cheek, quietly breaking apart once it hit the ground.

Calming down after a few grueling seconds, he looked at the duo, and he couldn’t help but ask with trembling lips. “What happened?”

Julie raised her head, wiping the tears from her eyes as she gulped softly. “She fell ill a month ago,” her shivering voice escaped her body. “At first it was just a few dry coughs, it wasn’t bad, however, as time passed, the coughing intensified and she even started throwing up blood… She can’t even eat anymore now, as everything she does eat doesn’t stay long in her stomach. My mother… she lost a lot of weight the past few weeks.”

Taking a break, she rubbed her nose while holding back tears.

“The medicine I gave her did nothing, but I heard there was a healer that would come into the city every so often and offer help to those that could not afford it, but… she seems to have disappeared as well. People said she lived in the forest, so I went looking for her, that’s how I found that patch of Glowing Bells, and slowly gathered them while selling them in the city, hoping to buy a healing potion… just in case that could cure my mother.”

Kai’s pupils widened in surprise upon hearing the story, and his brain quickly got to work as a realization dawned upon him. Could that healer be… my mother? The disappearance date seems to match… and if she came from within the woods… mom! A gut-wrenching feeling spread throughout his body while his chest tightened, a feeling of helplessness washing over him.

Placing those thoughts in the back of his mind, he didn’t dare think about it anymore as the pain was too much to bear. However, the flames of hatred inside him only grew brighter as his eyes shone with a violent light before slowly dimming. Looking around the house, he asked curiously as his eyes scanned the surroundings “Did you always live here?”

Julie’s eyes widened for a second at the sudden question, however, her lips parted while fidgeting with her finger, staring in shame at the dirty floor. “No… we only started half a month ago. The guards kicked us out as they thought some sort of plague-infected my mother… I don’t know who owned this house before us but at least they left us with a nice garden…

Kai nodded slightly, and after taking a closer look at the mother, he felt a faint connection form between him and the girl, something he couldn’t explain with words alone. Rummaging through the bursting backpack, he pulled out a small vial containing a red liquid. “Is this what you wanted to buy?”

The girl looked at the vial with an agape mouth, and she subconsciously nodded while reaching for it. Kai remained silent, giving them a faint smile before picking up his backpack and going outside, leaving the two alone for a brief moment.

Julie unsealed the vial without hesitation, and a strong medicinal scent filled the house as she rushed to her mother’s side, feeding her the potion with a hopeful gaze. The woman’s expression turned slightly redder as the medicine coursed through her veins, prompting her daughter to let out a sigh of relief. All I can do now is wait…

After watching over her mother for a few minutes, and making sure that her condition was stable, she left the house to look for Kai, whom she hoped had lingered for a few more minutes.

Sure enough, her eyes lit up upon seeing his and the Obborik’s figure standing next to the bear’s corpse. Walking silently up to them, she stopped a few meters away, prompting both of them to turn toward her. Kai didn’t look directly at her, instead somewhere behind whilst the Obborik stared at her with large puppy eyes, licking its bloody snout in delight.

Letting out a chuckle, she turned toward Kai while doing her best to remain calm, and, bowing slightly, her lips parted as a soft voice escaped her mouth. “Thank you for the potion… All the herbs I’ve gathered so far would barely suffice to buy me a transparent one yet you…

Kai shook his head, sighing softly he locked eyes with the girl, his piercing gaze making her heart skip a beat. “Don’t mention it, you helped me as well, it’s only natural.”

A faint smile appeared on the girl’s face, and her pearly eyes turned toward the Obborik who resumed eating the bear. Carefully approaching the distracted animal, her trembling hand slowly glided across the soft fur on its back.

Its body shivered slightly, however, it didn’t deny her touch, instead continuing to eat away at the carcass without giving it much thought. So soft and fluffy… Julie giggled as her ears reddened slightly. “Did you think of a name yet?”

“Not really,” he answered after thinking for a while, “Why don’t you give him one?”

Taken aback by the offer, Julie hesitated slightly, however, her face beamed up in the next second. Looking at the Obborik, she stood deep in thought for a minute while playing with his fur. “How about… Onyx?”

The Obborik’s long ears twitched lightly after hearing that, and its fluffy tail kicked up a storm as he wagged it back and forth rapidly. “Hehe,” she chuckled lightly. “I think he likes it.”

“Aoouuu…” Onyx, the Obborik, howled happily in response, before continuing his meal.