Soft wind touched my cheeks.
I could hear the rustling of tree leaves swaying with the breeze.
Something bright warmed my face.
I opened my eyes—it was the sun.
'What time is it, Sebas?' I asked, yawning.
[ Good morning, Master. ]
[ It is 9 AM. ]
I looked around. All the wolves were still asleep, while the Voidfang stood on guard, positioned at the four cardinal points around us.
Liora lay sleeping peacefully on my chest.
I placed a hand on my chest and felt my heartbeat.
'...…..'
I felt empty.
My eyes were light, yet they felt heavy. I felt normal… but I didn't like it.
'It's gone.'
A familiar feeling.
Movement stirred on my chest.
Tiny hands twitched, and the kitten's head slowly rose, her gaze darting around as if checking for danger or simply taking in her surroundings.
She rubbed her eyes—either to get a clearer view or to chase away sleep.
Deep black irises with white pupils—eyes that held hope.
The hope began pushing away the darkness, brightening the world around me beacuse of that light.
'MY light.'
She looked at me, smiled, then suddenly leapt toward my neck and hugged me tightly.
"PAPA!"
"Good morning, Liora." I said, holding her close.
After a short while, all the Shadewolves woke and trotted off, following two of the Voidfangs. The remaining two stayed nearby, likely to guard us.
'Where are they going? Morning exercise?'
Liora was happily petting one of the Voidfangs curled beside me.
Suddenly, I sensed a disturbance in the air and looked up.
'Is it a dragon? Wait—Liora's here. If dragons in this world can use dragon tongue. I can't do anything about it. I can't risk it.'
My mind began racing with conflicting thoughts as I tried to assess the approaching entity.
'It's just a bird… Should I start hoarding gold to meet and befriend a dragon?'
The thought spiraled as I kept staring up.
'Maybe food works on them too? That's usually what they like in anime and manga. But it could still attack… Liora might be in danger.'
Still, the excitement… the desire to see a dragon—it lingered.
Sigh.
'No use overthinking it. Let's deal with this one first.'
I focused on the bird again. It looked familiar.
[ That is a Scravix, Master. The same species you had for dinner. ]
'I knew it looked familiar.'
[ I've already muted its sounds from reaching Little Miss. ]
'I can use it for Breakfast, maybe? The wolves can eat it, I guess.'
The bird suddenly changed course, diving straight toward the ground. I couldn't tell if it was crashing or landing.
'Let's try earth element this time—'
Before I could even act, a massive hand erupted from the ground, snatching the bird mid-air.
It dragged the creature down, vanishing into my shadow.
'…Well, that ruined the fun.'
Moments later, the hand reemerged, tossing out bird remains—the neck severed, wings and feet discarded, the stomach split open.
'I've got a lot of questions about this, but first… Sebas, clean that up and store anything usable in the inventory.'
[ Understood, Master. ]
Liora continued playing with the Voidfang, unaware of the carnage behind her.
"How was your arm that big? And others can enter shadows too?" I asked, glancing toward the one hidden in my shadow.
"While I reside in the shadow realm, Master, I can manifest puppets in the outside world. They can take any shape I desire. However, if they are damaged, I receive a portion of that damage myself. Also, their power is significantly less than my true form." Rex explained calmly.
'That's interesting. Great for recon… and potential decoys.'
"As for others entering the shadows, I can drag anyone into the shadow realm for a limited time. After that, they will be expelled." Rex added.
"How does the shadow realm look?" I asked.
"…It is pure darkness, Master. There is nothing to see."
'So enemies would be blind. And I remember Rex can heal in there too… That's the perfect setup for assassination—or an trump card.'
[ Everything has been cleaned and stored in the inventory, Master. ]
I glanced briefly at the inventory window.
"Ah, that reminds me. Where did the wolves go so early?"
"They went to stretch and train the younger ones in hunting, Master."
'So they really did go for morning exercise…'
'What should we do until they return? I want everyone to eat together.'
I scanned the inventory again.
'I don't have much, but thanks to Rex hunting the bird, I can buy more later. At least all the prep is done.'
As I turned my eyes toward Liora, an idea popped into my head.
'Sebas, can you build a playground for kids?'
[ I shall do my best, Master. ]
"Liora, do you want to play with Papa?" I asked, grinning.
Liora looked up, eyes sparkling, and raised her hand in the air.
"Yesh!"
I lifted her high into the sky as the ground beneath us began to rumble.
Soil churned and rose, twisting into form.
Moments later, a towering structure stood before us:
A ladder leading to a small entrance that connected to a wooden bridge and miniature playhouse… and from there, several slides branched out.
A spiral slide that curled downward like a snail shell.
A straight slide for a quick drop.
A wavy slide for a fun bounce.
And a long water slide that ended in a shallow kiddie pool—perfect for her size.
I looked at Liora. She was surprised and curious too, wondering what this was.
"Let's go play." I told her.
I gently set her down near the stairs.
"Liora, go up and go to that." I said, pointing to the straight slide.
"Okawy." she said softly as she began slowly climbing the stairs.
I crouched slightly, ready to catch her in case she slipped.
'I could catch her with wind, but it's just instinct… maybe I can't help but get ready physically too.' I thought, my body tensing on its own.
Liora climbed the ladder and peeked at me through the entrance.
"Yay!" she shouted, standing on top with joy.
"Papa, come!" she said, asking me to climb up.
'HUH?' That thought echoed in my head—and probably showed on my face too.
'I didn't think I'd have to go up. I made the entrance for a kid… I can get through, but it'll be a bit awkward.' I was flustered.
"PAPA! Come!" Liora called again.
I smiled, thinking,
'Sebas, help me with this one.'
I asked like I would a friend.
[ I shall take care of it, Master. ]
The moment I started climbing, I blinked—and I was already at the top. No joke.
I leaned into the entrance. It widened slightly, allowing me to slip in easily.
"Let's go." I said, turning to Liora as we approached the straight slide.
I sat down and motioned for her to sit on my lap.
Liora plopped onto my lap, and the two of us slid down in one go.
"Do you want to do it again?" I asked.
She turned toward me with sparkling eyes and said, "YESH!"
'Thankfully she liked it.' I thought, exhaling in relief.
We went back and did the straight slide once more.
"Let's try another one." I suggested.
Liora nodded, and I took her to the wavy slide.
This time, we went down more slowly. The experience was different, more bouncy and floaty.
I glanced at Liora, curious about her reaction.
"What do you think?" I asked.
"Liora had fun! It was wooo shuuuu, then wooo, and then shuuu again! It was sooo much fun, Papa!" she said, grinning with a radiant smile.
"Should we go to that one next?" I pointed to the tall spiral slide that curled down from high above.
"Nooo… it's scary." Liora replied, stepping closer to me.
'It was a good try to get her used to heights, but I'm pushing too fast, I guess.' I sighed inwardly, a bit disappointed the plan failed.
"Let's go to the water slide then." I suggested.
"Boter slwide?" she asked, tilting her head in confusion.
'That's my daily dose of cuteness. She's just too adorable.' I thought, warmth filling my chest.
I picked her up and carried her to the water slide.
I sat down and placed her beside me.
"Come follow me, Liora." I said as I went down into the water.
"PAPA, wait!" she called, still sitting at the top.
I stood up in the water, fully soaked.
"Come. Papa will catch you if you fall." I assured her.
Liora squeezed her eyes shut and slowly slid down into the water.
She sat there quietly, the water level below her stomach thanks to me lowering it earlier.
"How was it?" I asked gently.
Liora looked at me with teary eyes, clung to my leg, and said nothing.
"Was it scary?" I asked softly.
She just nodded, still holding onto me.
'I did too much there.' I thought, regret settling in.
"I'm sorry, Liora… Papa won't leave you alone again. I promise." I said quietly.
She reached up with her little arms, and I scooped her up into a hug.
"Do you want to play in the water now?" I asked.
She nodded silently.
But just as we were about to play, I noticed two of the wolves watching us from afar. That gave me an idea.
'It's time to upgrade our playground, Sebas.'
[ Understood, Master. ]
Sebas began adjusting the surroundings, transforming it into a shared playground for both kids and dogs.
Soon, everyone was playing together.
The wolves raced and leapt through hoops, splashing into the water through custom tunnels.
We played in the pool with them for a while.
Eventually, the rest of the pack arrived.
"It's time for breakfast, Liora." I said as I picked her up and stepped out of the pool.
As we walked, the water from our clothes drained away and evaporated. In moments, we were dry.
[ All done, Master. ]
'Thank you, Sebas.'
"All of you can keep playing while I cook." I told the wolves.
I made the same food we had the previous night. For Liora, she wanted jam, so Sebas prepared fresh bread and jam for her.
Rex didn't eat, but the rest of the wolves did.
Now it was time to start moving again.
"Rex, where did you find Liora the first time? Can you take us there?" I asked.
'I want to know what happened. How did she end up there? Maybe… maybe I can find someone she knows.'
"I can, Master. It's not far from here." Rex replied.
Suddenly, Rex's alpha form emerged from the shadows.
"Please get on, Master." he said, kneeling down.
Liora and I climbed on, with her sitting in front of me, clutching his thick, soft fur.
"Go a bit slow at first, then gradually increase your speed, Rex." I said, thinking about Liora's comfort.
"Understood." Rex responded.
'Let's go.'
to be continued…