Several weeks had passed since the last intrusion, and during that peaceful stretch of time, no one had come to bother us. It reminded me of the first few days I arrived—quiet and isolated.

With each passing day, my desperation to feed Raquel something more than fruits grew so strong, I taught myself how to fish using a makeshift rod. And from that point on, Raquel’s meals became more varied: fresh fish, forest fruits, and wild vegetables. And with that, he had gained a bit of weight, unlike when I first met him—still slim, but his cheeks were no longer sunken, and his skin had a healthier glow. It wasn’t much, but it was a start. And maybe, just maybe… in a few more days, we’d be ready to leave this place for good.

As Raquel sat by the fire, happily munching on a roasted fish, I set my fishing rod aside and walked over to him.

“Raquel, is there something you want to do?” I asked, easing into the topic I’d been turning over in my head for days now.

He blinked, then looked down at the fish in his hands.

“Eat more fish?” he answered, confused but honest.

I chuckled and patted his head. “Hehe, I can always catch more if you want. But is there anything else you’d like to do?”

He tilted his head in thought. “Hmm… then, play with Sister!” he beamed, more certain this time.

I smiled warmly at him. “Don’t you want to see the world?”

“The world?” he repeated, tilting his head.

“That’s right! There are so many different kinds of fish out there. Some big, some small. Some taste sweet, others salty or buttery!” I explained, trying to pique his curiosity.

Honestly, I’m neither a foodie or a gourmet so I could barely tell the difference in flavor between fishes, I only spoke about the way others described them in books. But since he loved it so much, I figured I’d use that to convince him.

“In fact, why stop at different fishes, there’s so many delicious foods all over the world!” I told him and his eyes started sparkling.

His eyes sparkled with wonder. “Like cookies? And candy?” and I nodded at him.

Now that I think about it, he lived in that big mansion 2 years ago, he must have eaten sweets before then. 2 years ago… how old is Raquel? He looks 6 years old, so he was dumped here when he was 4? But wait, his only been eating fruits for 2 years, so he might be lacking in nutrients that why his small…

“By the way, Raquel how old are you?”

He counted on his fingers and proudly showed me six. “This was how old I was when Mama last told me!”

I smiled, hiding my sorrow. “I see.”

Since that was what his mom told him, then that means he was still 6 years old when his mom died. Then he should be at least 8 years old, if we’re sure that woman came every year since his mother’s passing.

So, his height stunted at 6, huh…

I sighed at the miserable life this child had to go through. I hugged him tightly, now with an even stronger resolve to leave this place and have this child get a fresh new start.

“Alright. Once you finish eating, let’s go play,” I said, ruffling his hair.

He grinned and hugged me back, then carefully set down his half-eaten fish.

“And so,” I asked playfully, “you like cookies and candies?”

“Yeah!” he responded with a toothy grin.

“Then let’s eat some after we leave the forest.”

His excitement faltered.

“Leave… the forest?”

I nodded. “There are so many places to explore, and so many snacks to try!”

He looked down, his voice suddenly small. “But… what if Father… gets mad? I’m not… supposed to… leave…”

“Has your father ever come to see you?”

He shook his head. “No…”

“Then how would he even know you’re gone?” I teased with a smile.

His head shot up in surprise.

“But… but Auntie—”

“She rarely comes. And if we’re gone, what could she do?”

“A- and the maids…”

“They haven’t come in days, right?”

He went quiet, processing everything.

I leaned closer. “Besides… don’t you want to go on an adventure?”

His eyes lit up like a sunrise. “I wanna go on an adventure with Sister! Mama told me so many stories about knights and adventurers! I wanna be a big strong knight and protect Sister from the big bad dragons!”

I gasped dramatically. “Dragons? There are dragons?!”

He nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah! And they’re bad!”

I smiled and gently stroked his hair. “Is that so? Then we should avoid them. I don’t want my brave little knight getting hurt.”

I pulled him into another hug and whispered, “Raquel, your happiness is what makes me happy. You’re like a little brother to me, and more than anything, I’m the adult here. I should be the one protecting you.”

He looked up at me, eyes wide, but said nothing. Just listening.

“I’m your Guardian Spirit, remember?” I added.

His lips curled into a bright, wide smile.

“Now go on and finish your food, so we can rest before we play.”

With a big nod, he happily resumed eating, even if the fish was already half-ruined from deboning earlier.

.

.

.

That night, Raquel lay in bed, eyes still wide open.

“Something wrong?” I asked from the chair beside him. It was rare for him to stay awake this long.

He flipped to face me. “Sister… I’m excited to go on an adventure with you!”

I chuckled and climbed into bed beside him.

“Me too,” I whispered, then I saw the teddy bear next to him. “Is there anything you want to bring with us?”

Right, I almost forgot, we have to carry a few things. The teddy bear aside, we can’t leave the only memento of his mom here. Of course, we need to carry some of his clothes too since we don’t have any money on us. Is there anything valuable here that we can use to sell?

A table? Too big.

A chair? Useless.

Bed? Seriously?

There’s really nothing of value here that’s easy to carry.

I sighed, thinking of the bleak future we’re going to face. I hesitated for a moment, but it was not enough to make me stop. ‘Even if it’s reckless, we’re leaving. This place is too dangerous for Raquel. And if worse comes to worst… I’ll just have to become a thief. I’m invisible anyway.’ I thought with a mischievous grin, then suddenly Raquel broke the silence.

“Then… I want to bring the teddy bear and Mama’s book!” and I nodded along. It was within expectation after all.

“Sure! Is there anything else you want to bring?” I asked him, thinking if there were some other precious things, he had that I didn’t know about that he wanted to bring.

“Then… I want to bring the shiny rock too!” he said happily.

“The… shiny rock?” I got confused for a moment and then realized.

My smile froze.

The shiny rock… his referring to the same rock that zapped me like a taser, isn’t he?

“Ahhh, that one…” I laughed awkwardly.

Honestly, I don’t want to bring that because it really hurts. But as long as I don’t hold it personally, I guess it should be fine, since Raquel doesn’t feel it.

I thought about it longer and gave him a big nod.

“Sure but since that shiny rock is your treasure, you better hold on to it tightly, alright?” I told him, making sure he won’t ask me to hold it for him.

And just as I expected, he gave me a big nod.

I brushed his bangs aside. “Good. Now go to sleep. We’ll start preparing tomorrow.”

As if waiting for permission, his eyes slowly closed—and within minutes, he was sound asleep.