The roosters crowed just as the sky began to lighten from black to deep blue. I'd woken up before them as usual, sitting on the edge of my straw mattress with my eyes closed—trying to focus on the faint emerald glow I could feel pulsing in my chest. The Meteor Dragon lacrima had been quiet since that day it fully awakened in my mind, but even small attempts to call on its power left me breathless.
I held out my hand, concentrating hard. A tiny gust of wind twisted around my fingers for just a second before fading away completely. I let out a sigh—my reserves were still far too weak for anything more than these little tricks. Even with the power sleeping inside me, I was still just a seven-year-old boy.
"Ram! You're up already!"
I turned to see Erza poking her head through the cottage doorway, her red hair a wild mess from sleep. She was six now—still a year younger than me—and she clutched a woven basket to her chest with both hands, a wide smile on her face.
"I brought breakfast!" she said, stepping inside and setting the basket on our small wooden table. "Aunt Carla gave it to me because I helped her bake bread yesterday afternoon—we made so many loaves, even Old Henrik bought three!"
I chuckled, ruffling her hair gently like I always did. "Haha, you really are a hard worker, aren't you, little one?"
"Of course I am!" she pouted playfully, swatting my hand away. "If we work hard, we'll never go hungry—even if I'm a year younger than you!"
"Alright, alright, you win." I pulled out her favorite wooden stool so she could reach the table, then lifted the cloth covering the basket. Steam rose from two bowls of thick vegetable stew and slices of warm, crusty bread. I took a bite and felt my eyes widen. "Ehm… this is delicious!"
"Right? Aunt Carla said it's her special recipe for helping hands!"
As we ate, I couldn't help glancing at her—watching how she handled the heavy ceramic bowl like it weighed nothing, how she tore through the crusty bread with ease despite her small hands. Even now, there was something different about her strength. As expected of one of the protagonists, I thought to myself. Even at six, she's already physically stronger than most kids her age—while I'm just average, powers or no powers.
After breakfast, we headed down to the stream just outside the village. Erza had brought two water skins and a small basket—she'd heard from the village healer that the blackberry bushes by the water were starting to ripen, and we'd promised to pick some for the younger kids back at the cottage.
"I'll race you!" I called out, darting ahead of her.
"No fair—you're older!" she laughed, chasing after me. But even as I ran with all my might, she caught up to me within minutes, her legs strong and steady while I was already gasping for breath. When we reached the stream, I had to lean over with my hands on my knees to catch my breath, but she was already looking for the berry bushes.
Each water skin was heavy when full—so heavy that I could barely lift one without straining my arms. Erza slung both over her shoulder without so much as a wince, adjusting them like they were made of feathers. I can barely carry half of what she can, I thought with a small grin. My dragon powers don't help much when it comes to plain old strength.
"Look!" she said, pointing to a cluster of dark purple berries hidden under green leaves. "They're perfect!"
She picked them with gentle precision, placing each one carefully in the basket. I tried to help, but kept dropping berries or picking ones that weren't ripe yet. When I reached for a high branch, I had to jump three times just to brush it with my fingertips—while Erza simply stretched up and plucked the berries easily.
"Ram!" she scolded lightly, swatting my hand away as I tried to sneak a berry. "We need enough to share with everyone! Save some for later!"
"Alright, alright!" I held up my hands in surrender. Then I remembered the little trick I'd been practicing. "Hey, want to see something? I've been working on this for weeks."
I held out my hand and focused with everything I had, channeling just a sliver of the Meteor Dragon's power. A weak gust of wind swirled around my palm—just strong enough to lift three small berries from the bush before I had to stop, my head spinning slightly from the effort. Erza's eyes went wide with wonder.
"Wow! How did you do that?"
"Just… practice," I said with a grin, trying not to show how tired it made me. "Want to try jumping from rock to rock? I bet I can make it all the way across without getting wet!"
Erza's face lit up—she loved any chance to test her balance and strength. We spent the next ten minutes taking turns leaping between the flat stones that dotted the stream. I made it halfway before slipping and landing with my feet in the cold water, while Erza took her time and crossed the whole stream without a single misstep. When she landed on the largest rock in the middle, it didn't even shift under her weight—something I'd tried and failed to do just last week.
"See?" she said proudly, stepping onto the far bank with dry feet. "Tobias says patience is just as important as speed when you're training."
When we returned to the village, we stopped by Aunt Carla's bakery to drop off some berries for her. The warm smell of cinnamon and fresh bread wrapped around us as we stepped inside, and the older woman smiled when she saw us.
"There you two are! Erza, would you help me knead the morning dough? Ram, you can start washing the mixing bowls—they've been waiting since yesterday."
Erza nodded eagerly and climbed onto the small stool she used to reach the counter. The dough was heavy and stiff—even after mixing for five minutes, I could barely make it move when I'd tried last time. But Erza worked it with surprising ease, her small hands pressing and folding like she'd been doing it for years. Aunt Carla watched her with a look of amazement.
"Goodness, child—you have the strength of a girl twice your age!" Aunt Carla said, shaking her head in wonder.
I leaned against the counter, scrubbing bowls as hard as I could—but my arms started to ache after just a few minutes. Even with dragon slayer magic inside me, I thought, I still get tired just like everyone else. I'm not special in the ways that matter day to day—not like Erza.
"Erza dear," Aunt Carla said after a while, wiping flour from her apron, "you've been helping me here for months now. What do you want to be when you're all grown up?"
Erza paused, her hands still moving as she thought. She looked up with that serious expression I knew so well.
"I want to be strong enough to protect everyone in the village," she said firmly. "You, Tobias, the kids at the cottage, Simon and Kagura's family… you're all my family. I won't let anything happen to any of you."
Aunt Carla's face softened as she ruffled Erza's hair. "What a wonderful heart you have, little one."
I leaned forward, grinning despite my tired arms. "So that means I'm part of your family too?"
"Of course," Erza said without looking up, though a small smile curved her lips. "Ever since I became conscious and aware—ever since I could think clearly—we've looked after each other. Always."