"...Huh?! W–what? What's that voice…?"
Ren's eyes widened as he whispered to himself.
Seria noticed his sudden change and asked softly, "What happened, sweetheart?"
Ren didn't want to worry his mother more, so he forced a little smile.
"I'm fine, Mother. Don't worry, hehe."
Seria's expression softened with relief.
"Okay, sweetheart. If you ever feel uneasy, just call Mama, alright? Mama's always with you."
She kissed his forehead gently. "Umaaah~" Then she stood up and went to the kitchen.
The room fell quiet.
Then suddenly—
"Ohhh, are you ignoring me?" a strange voice echoed faintly in his mind.
Ren froze. His eyes darted around — left, right, up, down — but no one was there.
"W–where are you? Who's speaking?" he whispered.
"Where are you looking, idiot? I'm right here… within you."
Ren's heart skipped a beat.
"Haruki…" the voice whispered again, this time clearer.
"W–what? Haruki? How do you know that name?" Ren demanded in his mind, his tone tense.
The voice chuckled softly.
"I know everything about you, Haruki…"
Ren's eyes widened — a chill ran down his spine.
"Then… who are you?"
"Mhmm, as your mama said — about Soul Connecting — I'm that thing. I was born from your magic and soul."
Ren blinked, shocked but amazed.
"Wait, really!? So I actually connected my soul and magic? When? How? And what's your name!?"
"Hey, hey, slow down, idiot!" the voice laughed. "Yes, your soul and magic connected long ago when you were born. But I only manifested recently… I don't have a name yet."
"Ohh, I see! You don't have a name, huh?" Ren said with a curious smile.
"That's right, now give me one."
Ren thought for a moment, rubbing his chin.
"Hmm… but before that — what's your gender? Do you even have one?"
The voice hesitated.
"Wha—!? G–good point. I don't really have a gender. What do you think I sound like?"
Ren chuckled. "Judging by your tone, you sound more like… a girl. So, okay then — your name will be Rinu."
He paused and added with a grin, "Rinu Sylvain."
"Wha— a girl?! Sigh… fine." Rinu muttered, slightly embarrassed.
"But why that name?"
Ren smiled warmly. "Because you belong to me, right? And your name starts with the same letter as mine."
Rinu's voice faltered for a moment — it almost sounded like she was blushing.
"Hmph… idiot…"
"Eh?" Ren blinked, confused by her tone.
Meanwhile, Seria, watching her son from the side, wondered softly, "What kind of dream is he having…? He's murmuring in his sleep again…"
She smiled gently and patted his head.
Eventually, both of them drifted off to sleep.
---
Evening
Kael returned home and found Seria and Ren sleeping peacefully.
He smiled softly and quietly sat at his desk, opening a small pouch of coins.
"Hm… Sold five Low Mana Stones for 5,000 copper coins — that's five silver coins. Not too bad," he muttered with satisfaction.
"But to think the village elder also gave me five gold coins… I'm grateful."
His expression softened as he glanced at Ren.
"Ren's just one year old now… In four years, he'll turn five. I'll save everything to give him the best life possible."
A faint smile appeared on his face. "I wonder what type of magic he'll awaken that day…"
Seria stirred awake, her sleepy eyes finding Kael at the table.
"Oh my, when did you come home, honey?" she asked in surprise.
Kael turned with a gentle smile. "Haha, a little while ago. You two were sleeping so peacefully, I didn't want to disturb you."
"Oh dear… how sweet of you," Seria said softly. "So, how much did you earn from the Mana Stones?"
"Hmm… five thousand copper coins — five silver coins," Kael replied proudly. Then he grinned. "And one more good news!"
"Oh? What could that be, honey?"
"The village elder gave me another five gold coins!" Kael said with a bright, proud smile.
Seria's eyes widened in surprise, then joy. "Oh my goodness, really!?"
After that, Ren woke up, and Seria went to the kitchen.
"Sweety! Honey! Come, dinner's ready!" she called warmly.
The three of them sat together, ate happily, and soon went to sleep.
---
Meanwhile — Village Head Center
Inside the dimly lit council room, three elders sat in discussion.
"As Kael Sylvain reported, five Goblins attacked his area last night," said the first elder gravely.
"How did Low Goblins even break through the Barrier of Protection?" the second elder said, concerned.
"The strange part," the third elder added, "is that Kael mentioned he didn't feel the barrier breaking. How could that be?"
They all fell silent — the room filled with unease.
Then, a calm voice spoke.
"It's possible that either the Barrier of Protection weakened… or the Goblins had something that bypassed it."
The elders turned toward the man who spoke — Asfort, a senior adventurer.
"Are you sure, Asfort?" the third elder asked seriously.
"It's just a theory, sir," Asfort replied. "But we should investigate immediately."
The elders nodded grimly. "Agreed."
---
One Month Later
Kael was chosen to join the investigation with Asfort and his team.
He left early one morning, armed and ready.
Back home, Seria and Ren worked quietly on the farm.
Seria's expression was pale — filled with worry.
Ren noticed and walked up to her, hugging her arm.
"Mama, don't be sad. Papa's strong. Everything will be fine," he said softly.
Seria looked down at him — her heart softened. "Yes, my sweet boy… you're right."
They gathered the vegetables together and went back inside.
Inside Ren's mind, Rinu's voice echoed.
"What happened to Mama, Haru?"
Ren replied, a little sadly, "Mama's worried about Father… and what happened that night."
"Mhmm… and Father went to investigate, right?"
"Yes," Ren said quietly.
Then Rinu's tone changed suddenly.
"Hey… Ren… there's something I need to tell you…"
Ren's eyes widened.
"Wha—what!?" he shouted in his mind.