I did fall asleep at some point. It was where I woke up in the morning that confused me for a second; I forgot we weren't home.
The fire was well fed, and the hall was filled with our family, who were having breakfast and quietly chatting some distance away. I looked at Zephyr, still sleeping soundly. I smiled... he was still here. I gently kissed his forehead and quietly crawled until it was safe to get up.
I took a seat and picked up Ilianna. "Is Father sleeping?" she asked, munching on some butter and bread. "Should we wake him?"
"Soon, sweetheart. He had a hard day yesterday."
She looked disappointed, but I wanted him to sleep in. Only Ehlite knows what life had planned for him next.
"I was thinking..." I turned to all of them, but mainly to Alexander and Lucian. "I want your help to build a nice house for us before the first winter snow."
I had all night to think. I wanted him closer to me in every way possible. This entire ability thing and the fallout that will surely come once news spreads to other villages freaked me out.
Emet village has a Blessed among them... and he killed a divine beast!
Others will flock to see him. Maybe even that fool of a feudal Lord or even the King would come. Other Blessed... nations seeking him out... it was too much. My beautiful picture of a wedding in winter would be changed completely. His upcoming fame... I feared it would take him away one day. From us. From me.
"Of course, we'll help, Lylly. Anything you two need." Alexander was quick to jump on my idea. "I'll gather people. We can do it by the end of the month." It was the first time I was grateful for that oaf. With his students' help, it might actually happen quickly.
"Why the sudden hurry, sweetheart?" I felt a hand on my wrist, squeezing it. "Are you three moving far away?"
"Mother, the entire village lives a twenty-minute walk from one another. How far could we possibly move?" She pouted a little but at least remembered the fact that Emet village was small. Although that might change in the future.
Granny looked at me, scanning my face. What is she thinking?
Zephyr stirred, turning and rolling to his other side, jamming a pillow under his head. Ilianna couldn't take it any longer and jumped on him.
"UGHH!... What in..." He got the air knocked out of him. "O-oh, morning, Princess. Missed me?"
"Uhum... Dad, we're moving to a new house. Uncle Alex will build it for us..." She pointed back at our table. "It will be twenty or more minutes from our old house."
"...Huh?"
We laughed lightly at his confusion. I walked over and cupped his face with both hands.
"It's time, my love. We are starting our lives right now. We need our own house, ahem..." I looked at Anna next to me. "...for several reasons."
"I can't wait, my loves."
Just like that... the anxiety in my heart lessened quite a bit.
We ate breakfast discussing today's to-do list.
"Brother, don't worry about anything. Me and a bunch of others are heading back up. I doubt it..." He lifted his hand as if surrendering. "But I don't want the other animals to eat his body... we might create more monsters."
Zephyr looked at his wife and nodded along with her. "That... is very smart, big brother. Good thinking. Make sure to take enough men... the bastard must weigh, like, a lot."
He agreed and finished his apple juice, kissed Demelza, and left to gather men. I was a little excited to see the monster I had been hearing about since childhood. Lucian wanted to go, but Eli had other ideas.
"Stop! You will not go there two days in a row." She grabbed his shirt and pushed him right down. "Sit down."
Oh, sweet Lucian had no chance against my usually quiet little sister. He obeyed and went back to his half-finished egg. He didn't seem all that disappointed. His mother nodded approvingly at Eleanor.
Zephyr shared some buttered bread with our daughter. These moments were so tranquil and precious. I wanted to remember their butter-covered faces forever. It filled me with great hope, being able to at least take care of their breakfast in the mornings—not much cooking involved there.
Once we finished, Granny gathered us in the training ground, where almost all the village was already there to meet Zephyr and shake his hand.
I got annoyed real quick by the looks other girls made at him. Once fed up, I simply pulled him away and kissed him. He was surprised, so were all those surrounding us. I pulled away and smiled at those ugly little ducks. After that, I left with confidence: Look at him all you want... he is already mine.
I sat near Demelza and Liz and watched Granny disperse the crowd. This little exhibition turned quite large in a few minutes. Granny, you are putting a lot of pressure on him.
To be honest, he didn't seem to mind one bit. He was just as friendly and approachable as he always was. His charisma, his looks, his confidence was like a magnet.
"I can't wait... I mean, a Blessed in our village. It's like living in a fairy tale those traveling fellows performed for us." Liz was super excited, but then she whipped her head, looking at me. "...Lylly, what can he do?"
I wanted to answer Liz, but I wasn't sure myself. He can disappear and reappear? Covering the sky, maybe?
"Umm... I don't need to tell. He'll soon show you."
Demelza looked at me with knowing eyes. I mean, how could I possibly describe something like that? Some of these people must think we knew everything about his ability since we lived with him. It had been less than a day.
Granny was giving him some pep talk. "Zephyr, don't overthink it. If you don't feel like it, just say so. We can always do it another time or place."
"That's considerate of you, Vistellia, but I..." He looked off in the distance and smiled. "...I feel like I can do it."
Granny left with only Lucian standing still. Zephyr whispered something to him, and he made a run for it. He smiled at me and Ilianna, who had taken a seat in my lap. He looked confident as always.
Looks like not a lot could shake him. Although I knew he had a resilient mind, I wouldn't take my eyes off him. I needed to see his suffering before anyone else and be there for him.
Lucian returned with seemingly nothing. He showed Zephyr the contents of his pocket: an apple. I was just one of many, I believe, who sincerely thought they were just going to munch on that apple.
Zephyr whispered something to him again and walked away from a very eager Lucian. What is he planning?
He stood a few feet from him and seemed to be in deep concentration. He had his back to us, so I couldn't see his expression.
"NOW!"
Lucian stepped back and threw the apple as hard as he was able. I saw its trajectory, and I returned my eyes just in time to see Zephyr taking a step forward, and before his feet hit the ground, he disappeared.
I blinked as others started a large commotion, and by the time I opened my eyes, he was back where he stood, with the green apple in hand, and had caused large winds swirling near him.
The crowd cheered loud enough to hurt my ears. Lucian and two others lifted him up in the air and carried him to the crowd like nobility. He laughed happily and accepted the love and admiration others showered him.
I couldn't believe what I just witnessed. He must have covered a 100-foot round trip in a second. I blinked and missed some of it. He indeed had power... and now everyone saw it. There was no going back. His words from yesterday calmed my mind.
Blessed or not... he will never leave me.