Simon Ramel

A few days had passed since Bilric collapsed during training. Mom decided to give us a break from the academy—to let Bilric recover and, apparently, to let the family get a better grip on his element. I’m not really sure what that means. It feels weird not to be with the other students, especially since Bilric bounced back the very next day like nothing even happened.

Suddenly, one of the guards called out, “Lady Dahlia, the visitors have arrived, ma’am.”

“Let them in,” Mom replied calmly.

Visitors? Mom didn’t say anything about that.

Curious, I climbed the tallest tree in our backyard to get a better view. As they came into sight, my eyes widened—Lisa was here, with a woman and a couple of guards. The woman… must be her mother. I’ve never seen her before, but she has the same eyes as Lisa. Her hair, though—it was more white than blonde. Kind of strange, but it made her look elegant, almost like the stories they tell in the northern poems.

As my mother stepped forward to greet them, the woman shouted, “Dahlia! It’s been some time.”

No “Lady Dahlia.” None of the usual noble etiquette. It didn’t sound disrespectful—more like they knew each other well.

She suddenly jumped forward and hugged Mom tightly.

“How’ve you been, Serah?” Mom asked warmly.

“A bit bored,” the woman—Serah—replied, grinning.

“Carefree as always. Shall we go inside?” Mom said, her tone shifting just slightly more formal.

Serah nodded, though she seemed a bit more serious now.

So that was Serah Bloodrose—Lisa’s mother. The Bloodrose family is huge, with two major branches: the White-Haired and the Black-Haired. Judging by Lisa’s appearance, her father must be one of the Black-Haired ones, but she clearly inherited her mother’s features—and those hazel eyes. Identical.

As they walked toward the house, Serah suddenly looked up—right at me. She smiled.

Oh no.

Then Mom looked at me too—except she didn’t smile. She gave me the look. The one that says, get down from there this instant, Simon Ramel.

“Shoot…”

Did I just give the Bloodrose family a bad impression? Sorry, Mom! I was just curious.

I noticed Lisa waving at me. I hadn’t even seen her at first. I waved back, quickly climbed down, and tried to act like I hadn’t just been spying from a tree like some bored squirrel.

Dahlia Ramel

As we walked inside, Serah broke the silence with her usual cheer.
“The living room will be enough for us. I’ve always liked the vibe of your place—feels fresh every time I visit. It’s been… what, a couple of years now?”

“Thank you,” I replied with a soft smile. “I’m grateful that the elegant young lady approves of my decoration.”

She burst into laughter. “Come on, Dahlia, you know I don’t do the ‘elegant’ thing. Too serious for me.”

I chuckled. “I forgot how much you hate the formal tone.”

“I’m only here because my little one insisted,” she said, glancing toward Lisa. “She’s been worried ever since your boy stopped showing up at the academy.”

“That’s kind of her,” I said, shifting my gaze to the smaller version of Serah standing beside her. Lisa looked a little shy—embarrassed, maybe—as she nodded silently.

“Don’t be shy, my angel,” Serah said, gently patting her daughter’s head. “Auntie Dahlia is a kind soul.”

Auntie, huh? Is she trying to call out the age gap? I forgot how sneaky Serah could be with her words.

“Yes, sweetheart,” I replied, turning to Lisa. “I’m a good auntie. But now that your mother’s grown more mature with children of her own, I suppose she’s earned the title too.”

Serah pouted in that exaggerated way she always does. “I meant it in a nice way,” she said, clearly annoyed but trying to stay playful.

Even now, I can’t help but see the girl I used to know. I’d known Serah since she was a child—back when I was close to her older sister. After I married, and she did too, our paths didn’t cross as often. Maybe only a handful of times in the last ten years. Still, she’s grown up—smart, spirited, and sharp.

As we continued chatting for a bit, Serah suddenly stood up. “Thank you for the warm welcome, but it’s time for us to go,” she said.

“Oh, is that so? It’s been a pleasure having you both,” I replied.

She paused, then smiled mischievously. “Oh, we almost forgot why we came in the first place.”

Of course. I knew she’d say something like that.

“Bilric, Simon—can you come say hello to Lady Serah?” I raised my voice so they could hear me from outside.

“Coming!” they both shouted in reply.

They walked into the living room, and Serah’s eyes lit up.

“Oh my, look at these handsome boys! Which one is Bilric? My little angel wants to say hi,” she said playfully.

“That’s me,” Bilric stepped forward.

“So you’re the boy Lisa insisted we come see,” she teased, before Lisa's soft voice chimed in.

“Bilric, are you alright?” she asked shyly.

“Yes. Are you feeling better?” he replied.

Lisa gave a small nod and smiled brightly, though she stayed close to her mother’s side, clinging to her leg like a lifeline.

“See? Everything is fine,” Serah cut in with a satisfied tone. Then she turned to Bilric. “Did you have a good training session with my little one?”

“Yeah. She was strong—and really focused,” Bilric said earnestly.

Lisa’s face turned pink, clearly flustered but happy.

“Yes, of course. My daughter is perfect,” Serah beamed. “I like you, little one.”

Bilric looked a little confused by the comment but nodded politely, doing his best to follow her energy.

With that, Serah turned to leave, gathering her daughter and their guards. Her visit had seemed spontaneous, but maybe she just didn’t want Lisa to keep worrying. Whatever her reason, it was clear she cared deeply.

Once they were gone, I exhaled. Even after all these years, these family visits always made me a little nervous. So many unspoken things, so much history.

I turned to Simon. “And don’t climb that tree again,” I said, starting stern. “You’ve been awfully quiet today. You usually love to talk in these situations. What’s going on?”

He shrugged lightly, eyes still thoughtful. “It didn’t feel like this visit was about me, so I figured I’d stay quiet.”

I opened my arms to him. “You’re one smart boy,” I said softly.

He walked into my embrace without hesitation. Then I turned to Bilric and waved him over too.

He smiled wide and jumped in, wrapping his arms around both of us.

Bilric Ramel
A few months had passed. We kept up our training at the academy and at home. Surprisingly, Father even joined us for a few sessions. Nothing out of the ordinary happened, but we made steady progress with our elements.

Of course, Simon had it easier—his element is sand, inherited straight from the Ramel bloodline. Most of his questions were already answered before he even had to ask. But I improved too. I don’t struggle as much to channel energy through my veins anymore. Honestly, it’s been surprisingly fun working through the problems of my water element on my own.

Simon seemed more interested in politics than training. Whenever Father joined us, instead of using the opportunity to ask about energy flow or elemental theory, he’d start questioning him about Charta—what the major families were up to, political shifts, that kind of thing. I guess everyone has their own interests. It’s not like he’s weak or anything—he just stimulates his mind more than his body.

As for me, I don’t want anything to do with those creepy noble families. I’d rather focus on my training and energy gathering. It’s easier that way. No attention, no whispers, no one calling me the anomaly. Is it really that bad to be just a little different?

Father mentioned that I might be able to gather energy more effectively if I trained near natural water sources—lakes, rivers, that sort of thing. I tried with ocean water before, but that turned out to be a dead end. Maybe I need fresh water.

Luckily, the family’s outer lands are a full-blown jungle. Giant trees, wild overgrowth... if I’m lucky, maybe I’ll find a waterfall or something similar. Either way, I need to get out of sight for a while—away from the stares, the whispers. Into the jungle I go.

As I marched slowly through the jungle, it started to get a little darker. The canopy above blocked most of the sky, but the treetops still glowed with the fading sunlight. It really shows just how thick this jungle is—packed with trees, buzzing with the sounds of all kinds of animals. It’s eerie, but oddly peaceful too.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve started getting this strange feeling—like I can sense when there’s water nearby. I haven’t really tested it until now, but it seems to be real. Ahead, I spotted what looked like a small waterfall. The area around it was clear of trees, except for one massive giant standing tall in the center. Here, sunlight poured through freely, bathing the space in golden light.

At the base of that tree, I saw a shadow.

I slowed my steps. The shape started to become clearer—it was a person. My instincts screamed at me to leave. I didn’t know this area. What if it was some criminal? No one from the academy or the estate usually came this deep into the jungle. Why did I even come here without thinking it through? Was it just that strange pull from the water?

Then a voice broke through my thoughts.