Once returned from the Grand Manor, Shirei opened the door and headed straight for his bed. Throwing himself onto the mattress, he remained silent, staring at the ceiling of the room.

The house of Cragar’s children was much smaller than the other buildings in Lilies Park, probably because the god to whom it was dedicated was not one of the most renowned and was not supposed to have children. Essentially, it was nothing more than a large room. Two beds were positioned on opposite sides, separated by two desks and two wardrobes. A single window, facing the entrance door, illuminated the space, which lacked chandeliers. In the center, a modest rug concealed a hatch. That was the secret of their home—apparently small and insignificant.

Before Shirei could even process his thoughts, a girl with the same black hair as his emerged from the hatch. The Blendbreed hesitated for a few seconds, then shrugged and walked over to her bed.

“Nothing new…” she commented while rummaging through the nightstand next to her bed.

The boy heard a faint noise beside him and quickly sat up, but as soon as he recognized the girl, he relaxed.

“Hey, Dahlia. I thought you’d stay down there a little longer.”

“My dear blood relative, have I ever skipped a meal in my life?” She smiled slightly without stopping her search.

Shirei let his head fall back onto the pillow. “Right.”

“There’s no reason to worry… I just had a brief conversation with a few spirits. They were troubled by a rather curious event that happened last night.”

Cragar’s son sat up again. “Is it important?”

“They say something happened at the cabin on the beach. A certain son of Tefine.”

Shirei remained silent, so Dahlia quickly added, “It’s probably nothing major, you’ll see. If he’s a son of the goddess of dreams, he probably just put someone to sleep. Relax!”

The boy fixed his deep purple eyes on his half-sister with a serious expression. Despite looking like a fourteen-year-old, Dahlia was much older than him, so the Blendbreed could never understand how she could be so carefree and childish.

“I’ll go check it out later anyway,” he concluded.

“Always the knight of justice!”

Shirei sighed. “I’m going to rinse off. That short run with your friend made me sweat.”

Dahlia quickly circled around him, scrutinizing him with her bright blue eyes. “You met Marina?”

“Yeah,” he admitted. “She was the one giving the lesson this morning.”

“Goodness, you’re right! She even warned me about it,” Dahlia nodded twice. “So?”

“So?”

“I’m interested in your opinion. You find her nice, don’t you?”

Shirei thought for a moment, trying to understand what the daughter of Cragar was getting at. “I think so.”

“Excellent! Then I can finally invite her to rest here without worries!”

Shirei was about to reply but decided to let it go. He walked past the Blendbreed and quickly entered the bathroom.

“Thank goodness you two finally met! Hiding your existence for all this time has been an enormous burden!” the girl exclaimed loudly, making sure her brother could hear her even through the wall.

“Literally for a couple of days,” his response came faintly, but Dahlia knew perfectly well that Shirei was a man of few words. “Anyway, blame Aena. If it weren’t for Lyceum, I would’ve been confined underground for who knows how long.”

Dahlia grimaced. Both of Cragar’s children seemed to have a strained relationship with the goddess of love.

Shirei stepped out of the bathroom with a towel around his neck. Dahlia blushed and immediately averted her gaze. Even though they were half-siblings, seeing a boy shirtless still had a certain effect on her.

Shirei was tall and lean, his muscular build undeniably a strong point. Yet, the only thing that truly caught his sister’s attention was the series of horizontal scars running all the way down his spine. Even he wasn’t entirely sure how he had gotten them.

Noticing the somber look on her face, Shirei gave a small smile. “Are we ready for lunch?”

The girl quickly shook her head to clear her thoughts. “Absolutely!”

“Perfect. Then let’s eat.”

The two children of Cragar exchanged smiles, and after Shirei slipped on a clean shirt, they made their way to the dining hall.