As I silently trailed behind Dragan on his way to school, I couldn’t stop remembering the scene from earlier. The intensity of Ivan's concern for my safety still left me astounded. Why was he so concerned about my safety, when we only knew each other for a day? No idea or scenario in my head provided me with a reasonable explanation on what I was missing from the great picture. What was it about me that made him so interested in me? 

The gears in my mind spun tirelessly, but I came to no conclusion, which made me decide to drop the topic.This time away from Ivan had given me the opportunity to cool my temper and evaluate my own (over) reactions. In hindsight, I felt very embarrassed at the way I had screamed at Ivan. I had to do better than just blowing up at every suggestion if I wanted to protect Ivan and Dragan properly.

A soft breeze flew over Dragan and me and my body suddenly stopped on its own, as if warning me about something. I quickly turned around and scanned our surroundings, from corners in the streets, windows to even rooftops, but I saw no one. I felt goosebumps on my whole body. 

Someone was watching us. 

No, that wasn’t right. It wasn’t watching ‘us’. 

I felt it keenly; a burning gaze directed at me. Something that shouldn’t be possible. 

Dragan continued walking like normal, clearly not noticing anything that I was experiencing right now. For a split second, I considered whether this could be Ivan, but I knew that was not the case. This sensation was different from being watched by Ivan all day and that knowledge scared me. Was there someone else who was able to see me? 

For a second time, I looked around as thoroughly as I could, until my eyes eventually settled on the horizon in defeat. My heart was beating out of my chest, but there was no one there. Was this another side effect of my current condition? It didn’t matter. I had to calm down!

I took a few shaky breaths and soon enough the feeling of being watched subsided, as if nothing strange had happened. Dragan was a good distance away from me now. Without wasting any more time, I quickly ran behind him in silence for the next few minutes.

Not long after, Dragan finally entered the school grounds and was promptly greeted by a group of other students; two athletic looking guys, a blonde and a rose haired one, and a good-looking blue haired girl. 

Were those his friends? 

Seeing a teenaged Dragan interact with others was still so unusual for me, so I walked faster to close the gap between us. In the blink of an eye, my curiosity had taken over and I wanted to listen in on their conversation to see both what kind of person Dragan had become and who his friends were.

“Did something happen, Dragan? You look quite displeased!” The girl suddenly pointed out and I raised an eyebrow in confusion. Since I had been following behind him, I hadn’t really paid much attention to his facial expression until now. Uneasiness started to bubble in my stomach and I hoped it would subside soon. 

To my surprise Dragan put up a bit of a frown and answered rather honestly. “Just some familial stuff.”

One of the guys casually draped his arm around Dragan’s shoulders in such a natural fashion, that I finally let go of the breath that I had been holding in. His friends seemed genuine, which blew away my initial reservations. 

“What’s wrong? Do you want to talk about it?” The rose haired guy asked, concern evident in his voice. 

Dragan looked at the other students for a few moments, before he dropped his head in a manner similar to a dejected puppy.

“I think my brother is keeping some kind of secret from me.”

The blonde guy, who seemed quite unfazed by everything up until now, spoke up. “Are you sure it’s something bad? Maybe he just found a girlfriend or something and he wants to keep it to himself?”

Before anyone else could speak up,a sudden shift in atmosphere caught us all off guard. A chilling coldness crawled down my spine, and I could tell from the expressions of the girl and the friendly rose haired boy that they, too, felt the unsettling change. Dragan's aura grew increasingly menacing, a sight that visibly unnerved the others.

“Do you really think so?” Dragan's voice lowered to a dangerous tone. Once again, I noticed striking similarities between him and Ivan, ones I hadn't anticipated. But what shocked me more was his reaction. His child self had always been well-behaved and level-headed, I never expected him to blow up like this over nothing. 

“I don’t think your brother would do something like this.” The rose haired guy interjected, lightly patting Dragan's arm in an attempt to calm him down. I wondered whether something like this happened often. 

“Yeah, don’t listen to this idiot.” One disgusted look from the girl was enough to make the blonde guy apologize seriously.

Laughter erupted suddenly, drawing everyone’s attention to Dragan, who covered his mouth in sudden embarrassment, the earlier sinister aura dissipating. “Sorry.” 

As I watched the unfamiliar scene unfold before me, a dull ache spread through my heart.

Dragan smiled at the blonde guy first, and then at his other two friends.“I overreacted, guys. Sorry for worrying you, but I think I’m feeling better now.”

With those words, a wave of positivity washed over the group, and they finally made their way into the school building. I followed in silence once more with a weird mix of emotions swirling within, as I tried really hard not to think about my own school days. The confirmation that at least Dragan’s school life seemed to have been a happy one, provided me a bit of solace in this moment.

***

Eventually, the class bell rang and classes were over. I was pleasantly surprised how fast time had flown by while absorbing new fantastical information. Throughout Dragan’s school day, I had made an effort to stay close to him, immersing myself in the lectures and learning more about this world.

“You’re going to train with your master again, right?” The friendly guy asked Dragan, just as they exited the school building and my ears almost twitched at the mention of the word ‘master’. 

Dragan was being trained by someone? Obviously, this was new information for me, but I had no clue who this master could be or even what Dragan was being trained in. Given his athletic build and the fact that he had surpassed his own brother in size, it had to be some form of combat training.

Unaware of any of my inner turmoil or even my existence, Dragan nodded enthusiastically. It was visible in his bright mood that he was really looking forward to this training. Again, I felt reminded of a puppy, this time a happy one at least. 

He bid his friends farewell and headed in the opposite direction, indicating that his training location was in a completely different area from his usual school route. I wasn't too good with remembering places and directions, but I could clearly tell that the streets we currently walked on were different from our morning path.

This walk reminded me of earlier and a hundred questions came to mind. Was I getting too paranoid or was there someone else who was able to see me? Should I mention this to Ivan later? Was this person dangerous? For the third time today, I was unable to find an answer to any of my questions and it was frustrating.  

Dragan stopped at an old worn out house and I knew that we had reached his destination, his master’s home. I looked around a bit. The house was worn out and seemed old, if the damaged front and faded color was anything to go by. In the back, I noticed a fenced garden area. It was a bit hard to see from our current perspective, but I assumed these were the training grounds. 

In an oddly routine manner, Dragan knocked on the door first before pulling out a key to unlock it. 

? Who in their right mind would entrust a student they were training with their house key!? 

While I understood that some masters could be eccentric, this was plain bizarre. An anxious feeling set in my stomach, as I started to fear that Dragan was being trained by someone who was taking advantage of their position. What if his master was a pervert? 

Ignorant to this weirdness, Dragan stepped into the house and gently closed the door behind him. 

“I’m here, master!” He called into the rather empty hallway. In this moment, I wished I was corporeal so I could drag Dragan out of this weird suspicious house and leave. Nothing good could come out of this!

A creak from one of the rooms alarmed us that this master was moving to the hallway. In a last attempt, I reached out to Dragan and tried to grab his arm, but predictably, my hand went through and my most hated feeling washed over me. Numbing needles spread through my hand at the missed touch and I winced at the intensity.

For a second, I thought my actions had made a difference, when Dragan turned slightly around in my direction. However, my hopes were quickly crushed when he just brushed a sticky cobweb off his arm. 

“How was your school day, kiddo?” A rough, resolute voice rang through the hallway and both Dragan and I focused our attention on the woman standing before us.

Oh my god, I’m the biggest clown in the circus…!

A realization dawned upon me, and I couldn’t help but facepalm in disbelief.

So, she was Dragan’s master! 

A wave of relief washed over me at the sight of the woman in front of us. Dark brown hair, with a few fiery red hair streaks adorned her seasoned, but still young face. Her height and stature was the most eye-catching thing about her, as she reached roughly 6’2.9’’ and had a trained body. Though she appeared slightly different from the few fanarts that existed of her, there was no mistaking the aura she exuded. 

This was Branka, a formidable martial artist and skilled potion maker. Not only was she Ivan's (former) master, but apparently she had also taken on the role of Dragan's mentor.

Branka had played a significant role in Ivan's teenage years. When Dragan fell ill with deathknell-spider fever, Branka was one of the party members who assisted Ivan in gathering the necessary materials for the antidote potion. Her expertise with a staff and extensive knowledge of potions proved invaluable during their quest. Despite her rough demeanor, she often assumed a motherly role, providing guidance and support to Ivan during that challenging time.

Now that I knew who the owner of this house was, my prior assessment of the atmosphere in this house shifted, and it no longer seemed suspicious.

“It was ok, nothing special. More importantly,...” Dragan answered nonchalantly, showing little interest in the topic at hand. It was obvious that he seemed more eager for his training to start, judging by him cracking his knuckles.

Branka cast one short glance at Dragan and broke into a snort at his gesture. “Pfff, someone’s eager to blow off some steam.” 

I couldn't help but acknowledge that she clearly knew Dragan's habits better than I did at this point. It was to be expected since she was his master.

The two of them left the hallway, going their separate ways. Dragan headed to a nearby bathroom to change into his training clothes, while Branka made her way to a different room. Intrigued, I followed Branka, curious about her next move. To my surprise, she retrieved two wooden bo staffs and proceeded to carry them towards the garden area.

Excitement coursed through me, causing my pulse to quicken. Having the chance to witness someone wield a staff with such skill was a rare opportunity for me. Growing up in a conservative neighborhood, martial arts were not commonly practiced or encountered.

A few minutes later, Dragan emerged from the house dressed in a sleeveless kung fu top, reminiscent of the attire often seen in movies and anime. The black fabric appeared silky and lightweight, accentuating the muscles on his torso. His loose golden-brown pants allowed for unrestricted movement.

“Now that you’re here, how about we start with a little warm-up?” Branka grasped one of the staffs and waited for Dragan to do the same. 

Sparks were already flying through the air, before they even started. I could easily tell that both Dragan but also Branka relished this chance for a little warm up and the excitement jumped over to me. I couldn’t wait for them to start.