Evie had cried herself to sleep, cheeks blotchy, lashes clumped from tears, nose adorably red. The whole manor had seen her wail like a baby—granted, she was technically a child. But in her mind? She was older. Or at least she thought she was older.
That was the strange part. When the ball of light had hurtled toward her, when the blast had knocked her back, something inside her had snapped. A fear too familiar, like she had already died once before. Only, she couldn't remember how. The moment she brushed against death, the faint outlines of her past—modern lights, voices of friends, her parents' laughter—blurred into smoke. College…? What was that again? A school? A building? A dream? The harder she tried to recall, the further it slipped, leaving only the girl named Evie.
Evie huffed and sat up straight, hugging her knees. "When I get my hands on my older brother, I swear—!" Of course this was his fault. Eleur and Elsan never could sit still, and now one of them had gone and pulled Father's secret sword from the vault behind father's study. She'd only found out about that vault because she'd gone exploring manor when she was supposed to be resting. So technically… wasn't it her fault too? Oh no. Surely she'd get scolded later.
And then there was Lemeric. Poor, Lemeric—her "walking ATM," as she secretly dubbed him. She puffed her cheeks, torn between wanting to strangle him for stepping into the fight and… well, not wanting to let him go. He always spoke so matter-of-factly about kidnappers and assassins, as though they were neighbors popping by for tea. It sent a shiver down her spine. If he ever left Caerwyn, if he ever vanished from her sight, Evie feared he'd be swallowed up by those shadows he so casually mentioned.
She curled her fingers around the hem of her dress, whispering into the quiet, almost like a vow "He's just a boy, alone in this world. I can't let him be alone."
So she summoned her courage to go and protect that boy from the most overprotective man she's met in this world. Her Father Baron Edrien.
Baron Edrien had the boys locked in a squat position, arms straight out. He was pacing back forth in his study like a general restraining himself from boiling rage. His boots clicked in rhythm, each step heavy with barely checked temper. Lemeric kept perfectly still—he had no intention of drawing the first volley of the Baron's wrath. He glanced at the twins, already trembling, sweat dripping down their brows.
"First off," Baron Edrien began, voice low but dangerous, "this sword. Where did you get it?"
"Father, I… I found it—" Eleur tried, his voice cracking.
"Found it?!" The Baron's fist slammed against his desk with a thunderous crack. "How does one find a weapon locked inside the Armory Vault?!"
Eleur flinched but then snapped back, "It was in the Vault, yes! I took it out—I thought it was too fine to be gathering dust! I only wanted to practice—"
"Practice?!" The Baron's voice boomed, the lights seem to rattle. "You call throwing your brother across the yard until he's coughing up dirt practice?!"
Lemeric stiffened. He was no stranger to harsh rebukes; his grandfather's voice had long been steel, and he would receive lashing from his step-mother whenever he got out line. But he was shocked by the Baron's tone Eleur was after all his first son the heir yet here he was scolding him more.
"Father, please don't be angry at older brother. I'm fine—" Elsan tried to interject, but that only drew the storm his way.
"Elsan!" the Baron barked. "Do not think yourself blameless. Are you, as Aaron says the smart one? Yet instead of stopping the fight, you added more fuel to the fire! I should title you the Foolish son right now!"
The twins fell to their knees in unison, muttering, "Forgive us, Father," as if they've rehearsed this story countless times.
"And worse…" Baron Edrien's tone dropped and became more menacing. "You three made Evie cry."
That struck harder than any thunder.
"I—I'm sorry, sir," Lemeric said quickly, dropping to his knees as well. Better to accept punishment than cling to dignity. Surely this was the moment he'd be cast out of Caerwyn. He remembered too well his stepmother's punishments—banishments to the shed, days without food for stubbing his older brother's toe. Duke's grandson or not he could not escape punishment for nearly killing the Baron's daughter.
"I ought to string the three of you up by your ankles and hang you in the forest the entire night!"
The twins paled, trembling, and by their faces Lemeric guessed this was not an empty threat but a punishment they had once witnessed firsthand.
Then, at last, the Baron sank heavily into his chair, exhaling like a warrior sheathing his sword. "Em. Stand up."
Lemeric blinked. Em. The Baron had used Evie's nickname. Slowly, he rose.
"The way you fought today—you saved my stupid son's life. For that, I owe you gratitude. But you also lost control, nearly smashing my daughter to smeatherens. For that, you deserve punishment." His tone was steady, weighed like scales. "You will neither be rewarded nor punished. You may go. Find Aaron, get your wound seen to, and check on Sol. Smead has him now."
Lemeric hesitated. "Sir?"
"That arm must sting like fire. Don't dawdle. And tomorrow, by daylight—you will join the twins to train with Master Aaron. Power without control is more curse than gift. Harness it so you can do more good."
"…Yes, sir." Lemeric bowed, stunned not just by the reprieve but by the Baron's words—stern, yet oddly fatherly, spoken not as a lord of lands but as a seasoned warrior who had seen boys become men the hard way.
He turned to leave. As he closed the doors behind him, the Baron's voice rang out once more; "As for you two!"
That tone—half thunder, half exasperated father—echoed down the hall. Lemeric turned to make his way to Master Aaron's room only to find the Baroness.
"My lady—" he began, voice low, wanting to apologize.
But she raised a finger to her lips, the tiniest smile tugging at them. "Shhh." She pressed her ear against the door of the Baron's study. "No need to apologize. The Baron is a fair and just man. I agree with his judgement."
Lemeric hesitated, his brows furrowed. "But the twins—"
"A father, especially a loving one, does not spare the rod lightly when discipline is due." She spoke gently "But don't worry—I am here I will intervene if it ever gets out of hand. Now go get your wounds healed—" she whispered, then turned back to the door eyes bright with endearment as she listened in.
It dawned on Lemeric then: the Baroness might rule the estate with unflinching authority, but in matters of her sons' upbringing, she stood calmly beside her husband.
"Em" the baroness called out "One more thing - you must never speak about the sword you saw today" she said casting a faint spell of secrecy to him.
But the Baroness did not know the spell did not work, because Lemeric had power beyond the Baroness that even he didn't know.
Later, after Master Aaron tended to his arm, Smead—by leave of the Baroness—escorted Sol to Lemeric's chamber. The cub curled at the foot of his bed, half-asleep, belly full, fur fresh from his bath. The night was quiet, yet Lemeric's heart refused rest, thrumming with thoughts of only one person.
"Em, are you awake?"
The voice startled him. He nearly leapt from the bed when Evie appeared—quite literally—through a shimmer of her system map.
"Evie?!" he jolted up right.
"Are you okay?" She sat on her usual spot.
"I should be the one asking that question." He inched closer to her, seeing her puffy eyes and red nose. Before Lemeric could say more, Sol had already bounded into her arms, nuzzling eagerly against her.
"Are you alright, Sol?" she asked, cradling him, recalling how he'd been sent flying earlier by Eleur's kick.
"He's fine," Lemeric assured her, a smile tugging at his lips. "When I found him with smead, he was already sleeping like a baby."
"Why is he here?" she asked, peering up at him.
"The Baroness let me keep him here for the night," he admitted, sheepish.
Evie's gaze softened further as she stroked Sol's fur. "A warm bed is exactly what he deserves after being tossed into the air like that. Silly cub… running headlong into danger." She pressed her forehead briefly against Sol's. "You had me worried."
Lemeric found himself watching her more than the cub—her gentle smile, the way moonlight danced on her hair, the ease with which she stole his breath.
"Evie, I'm sorry for earlier," Lemeric murmured, his voice low and careful.
"No… I should be the one apologizing. My brother hurt you to this extent." Her hand hovered near his bandaged arm, eyes brimming. "Did Papa punish you severely too?"
"You did nothing wrong," he reassured, offering a faint smile. "And no—the Baron gave me a good scolding and told me to train harder tomorrow… with Master Aaron and the twins."
"What afterall you're injured like this " She sniffled, quickly brushing away a tear before it fell.
The sight tugged at him in ways he couldn't explain. He felt a wave of endearment, something deep and unexpected, seeing Evie cry not for herself but for his sake. "I didn't know you were such a crybaby," he teased gently, reaching out to pinch her nose before wiping the corner of her eye with his thumb.
Evie pouted at the jab but her voice softened. "I'm sorry for what Eleur did… he's usually hot-headed, but I never thought he'd go that far. He even hurt you." She flicked her wrist, summoning the glowing panel of the System Store, scrolling for a remedy.
"It wasn't him," Lemeric said, shaking his head. "The sword he wielded was tainted with Miasma. It overpowered him."
Evie's brows furrowed. "Here—take this." She pressed a vial into his hand.
Lemeric downed the potion without hesitation. "Hmm! That's… oddly sweet."
[System Notification]Reward: 1,000x Gold CoinsDetails: For Aiding the Hero
Evie bit her lip, cheeks warming at the floating message only she could see. I shouldn't be rewarded for this, she thought, guilt pricking at her chest. "It's the best potion I could find. But… Miasma? There's really such a thing?"
"Of course. You've never heard of it seeing your so close to it I would think you'd be knowledgeable at least."
"I've never really stepped beyond the town square and reading books my head dizzy…" she admitted, still scrolling, still buying more potions in case he needed them.
He chuckled softly, ruffling her hair. "Sheltered little lady. You really don't know anything past these walls, do you?"
She puffed her cheeks in protest. "Okay, mister know-it-all—if you're done teasing, why don't you tell me?"
"Miasma is corrupted mana. Mana gives us power, but in its raw form it's poisonous. Only a few can sense it—see its colors. Blue, red, purple… black. Black Miasma is the deadliest. And that sword your brother held was steeped in it."
Evie froze, her mind racing. All the times she'd said she could "see blue screens"—that's why everyone in the manor was worried she was touched by Miasma. "Then why would such a sword be here if it's so dangerous?"
"Legend has it," Lemeric began, his voice dropping into a storyteller's cadence, "a Hero once defeated a monstrous dungeon beast in the West. Its Miasma was sealed inside that blade, entrusted to a noble family to guard until the true wielder arrived."
Evie's gaze flickered instinctively to the glowing stats above Lemeric's head, visible only to her. Hero of the World. Her heart skipped. Does that mean that thing could be his sword?
"Does that mean anyone who touched it could run wild like my brother?" Evie asked worried about Lemeric's future.
"Most likely - unless they have great mana affinity to refine miasma in its raw form."
Evie looked at his stats again. It read:
Title: Hero of the World
Race: Human
Age: 11
Affiliation: House Montclair
Core Stats
Strength (STR) 52/100
Dexterity (DEX) 65/100
Constitution (CON) 58/100
Intelligence (INT) 81/100
Wisdom (WIS) 85/100
Charisma 68/100
Special and Titles:
Hero of the World
Blessed by the Mother Lupinara
Sol's Master
Descendant of Argyridae
"What are you looking at?" Lemeric asked, trying to follow her eyes.
"Nothing you should train more so you don't get hurt so easily." she said quickly, burying her face into Sol's fur. The cub yawned, perfectly content in her embrace.
Lemeric stared, a pang of jealousy rising as Sol soaked up all the affection. Lucky beast, he thought. He wanted—just once—to be the one in her arms, too.
[System Notification]New Quest: Pat the Hero's HeadDetails: Give the Hero a comforting pat on the headReward: 50 Gold Coins
"Pfft—!" Evie stifled a laugh at the ridiculous quest. "I think you should get some rest so your wound gets better" she said, reaching out and patting his head.
[System Notification]
Quest: [Completed] Pat the Hero's Head
Details: Give the Hero a comforting pat on the head
Reward: 50 Gold Coins
Lemeric flushed crimson, his heart hammering. He could get used to this, he realized, warmth spreading through him. In fact… he could get injured every day if it meant Evie would care for him like this.