The forest did not sleep.
Even beneath the warming morning sun, the shadows between trees were thick, watching, waiting. Kael trudged forward with a stick in hand, each step louder than he liked on the mossy path. His stomach growled. The crust of bread Ray had given him had vanished long ago, and now only hunger and stubbornness pushed him forward.
The moment he left the path, the beasts began to notice.
The first was a horned rabbit, nearly as tall as Kael's waist. It screeched and lunged from the bushes, all muscle and teeth. Kael fell back, jamming his stick forward on instinct. It snapped in half. The rabbit swiped at his face—he rolled, blood blooming across his shoulder from a shallow cut.
He ran.
He ducked beneath branches, scaled a broken ridge, and leapt down into a dry creek bed. When he turned, the rabbit was gone.
But so was his sense of direction.
Panting, Kael leaned against a boulder and laughed breathlessly. "..Ha..HaHa. I'm Still alive… somehow…"
A shadow fell over him.
Kael looked up—and his jaw dropped.
High above, like a god descending from the heavens, Ray hovered with a small pouch slung across his back, white hair brushing lightly in the breeze. He held a bundle of herbs in one hand and a roasted boar leg in the other, lazily taking a bite.
"…You again?" Ray said, mouth half full. "Didn't I leave you with food?"
Kael stepped out from behind the rock, torn clothes fluttering, dirt on his face, blood on his shoulder.
"Please save me!.I want to follow you!" he shouted, voice cracking. "I don't care what it takes. Let me follow you!"
Ray blinked.
"…Another one," he muttered, shaking his head. "What is it with me? a exiled kid want to follow me?"
Kael looked confused.
Ray descended slowly, landing just a few feet away. He sized the boy up—starving, injured, stubborn beyond reason.
"Let me guess," Ray said. "You'll do anything? Even clean the backyard?"
Kael nodded eagerly. "Anything!"
"Even Toilet?"
"…Yes."
"Scrub my house make it clean?"
Kael hesitated. "Yes!"
Ray turned away, sighing like a man accepting an unwanted parcel.
"Fine. You're hired. Job title: walking mop. Try not to die before your first day's over."
Kael blinked. "Wait… really?"
Ray tossed him the half-eaten boar leg. "Don't choke."
---
They returned by air. Ray didn't offer to hold Kael—he simply created a floating disc of wind mana and told him to stay balanced. Kael clung to it like a squirrel on a flying leaf.
When they reached the mountain-side cottage, the illusion spell shimmered slightly, and Kael's breath caught.
The house was massive on the inside—unreal, spacious, untouched by time or weather. Trees outside swayed gently. Inside, everything gleamed. Shelves lined with tomes and artifacts, a fireplace humming with warmth, and in the corner, a humanoid robot casually sweeping the floor.
"Welcome back, Master Ray," the robot said in a polite voice. "You've acquired the Drake's Vine."
"Yep. And a freeloading intern."
Kael stepped inside like someone walking into a dream.
He followed Ray into a side room—part library, part workshop. Ancient alchemy tools bubbled quietly on the counter. Ray set the herbs down, hands moving with practiced ease as he began preparing vials and runes.
"What's that for?" Kael asked, watching.
"Fertilizer. Magical kind. For plants that like sunlight, moonlight, and blood." He glanced at Kael. "Don't worry, I'm using chicken blood this time."
Kael stepped closer. "You… made all this?"
Ray didn't answer. He poured mana into the rune circle and the room filled with a soft glow. A faint humming filled the air as the potion turned silver-blue.
"You'll be cleaning the bathroom after this," Ray said casually. "And the library floor. Avoid touching the blue books—one of them bites."
Kael nodded quickly, but didn't stop staring.
Something in the air here—it felt different. His aches were fading faster. His body didn't feel as heavy. Even his cut had stopped bleeding.
Ray glanced at him.
"Side effect. This place has… passive enhancement. You'll grow faster just by being here. Don't let it go to your head."
Kael's eyes widened. "Why are you helping me?"
Ray shrugged.
"Maybe I wanted someone to beat at poker. Or maybe I was bored. Or maybe I'm hoping you'll learn how to cook."
Kael didn't know what to say.
Ray handed him a mop.
"Now get to work. And don't touch the attic door. Ever."
Kael smiled.
It wasn't exactly a home.
But it was more than he'd ever had.