Previously, Fable had a training session with Atlas and the group...

[Atlas Pov]

Where am I... What's with me and being in weird dimensions, what is this place? I found myself in a flat grass plain similar to the one that the group and I were, there were obvious differences from the flatter terrain and lack of forests.

"Hello... I guess we meet again..." It was Aerilyn!... or who I thought was Aerilyn, it was the person that took the form of my banshee.

"Yeah..." I got up with the help of my banshee and looked around, I spotted a lone tree that stood among the flat grass plains.

"Do you know where we are?" It was a good five kilometers from here to that tree, I could see a small structure there as well.

"I'm not sure..." As we walked together towards that tree, I could see it more clearly and it was a cherry blossom tree... I loved these kind of trees back on earth.

Wait... How is a cherry blossom tree from earth here? Could it have been transported to this dimension like me?

"We've arrived..." As I looked there was a simple hut, it had a small stone foundation and a straw roof.

"I've been wondering but what's your name? You knew my name... Where did you hear that from?" I remembered she said my name before I left with Atelie, I want to know how she did that.

"I never knew your name?" The woman standing in front of me had a puzzled look on her face, is she pretending not to know?

"Eh but- Nevermind... What's your name? I never got to know before I left so abruptly." It should give me a clue to who she was or if she's related to Atelie or Savien.

"I... I don't have a name... I'm sorry I've never met anyone else besides you and that baby, Atelie." Hmm... So she has no name? Maybe a very old ancestor from the Savien lineage, she probably forgot her name over time.

"Oh... uh... Would you like one?" It makes me uncomfortable to just call her Banshee, I'd prefer to call her by a proper name.

"Yeah! That sounds great!" She seems quite happy over the idea, I should come up with a good name.

How about... Eri? No maybe Eula? Ha- Hanako! It means flower child in Japanese... my familiar reminds me of the Lily of the Valley flowers, they're sort of small and cute.

"Does Hanako seem good to you? It means like flower..." I wonder if she likes it, she seems to be thinking.

"Yeah! I love that name!" Whew~ Alright... I'll address her as Hanako starting from now.

"Hanako... Do you have any idea what's been happening outside this place? Do you see a baby or weird skeleton people sometimes?" I want to be as direct as possible to avoid any misunderstandings, hopefully I get a favorable response.

"Uhh... When you left... I went to a deep sleep, I vividly remember a skeleton talking to me... I forgot its name but it started with an 'A', after that I found myself laid down beside you!" Hm... So that confirms she is my Banshee and that she does remember what happens outside but only fractions of it.

"I see..." Should I explain what's happening to her? It might freak her out... Ahh! I guess I'll just tell her.

"Hanako, I might know what's happening here. Please don't freak out, ask me all your questions once I've finished my explanation." Hanako and I took a seat underneath the cherry blossom tree as I explained our situation, it was surprising that Hanako took it in and didn't look freaked out.

"Hm... I understand... then shall I address you as Master Atlas?" Hanako kneeled and bowed to me, it felt very embarrassing so I immediately stopped her from doing so.

"Hehe~ I was joking! This situation is most peculiar but I guess... I have nothing or memory of what I was doing before all this, I don't feel curious of my past but I don't think I want to find out anytime soon. I shall stay as your familiar and assist you, Atlas."

Hanako seemed quite calmed to what I expected, I was expecting a more 'I want to find out my past! Will you help me Sir Atlas?!' type of reaction. This is good too, having her stay as my familiar will aid us in our escape plan.

"But to think that you came from another world is quite exciting!" I told her everything from how I ended up in this other world to all that happened until now, besides her... only Ms Vera knows.

"My world isn't really exciting... though we have a lot of stuff that makes living convenient, this world is much more vast with and abundance of things to see." Hanako looked at me with curiosity, I wonder what's she thinking.

"What do you plan to do in this world Atlas? After taking care of Atelie, what will you do?" That's a very good question but I've already decided what to do.

"Once we escape... We'll find a nice place to raise and live with Atelie, we'll take care of her as long as we need to. After that, I'll find a way back to earth." Maybe my plan will change over the years, it might and its possible I just stay here if there's no way back.

"What happens if you aren't able to go back to earth?

"If not then... I'll just explore this world and eventually just die." There's more that I'd want to do but that's too far in the future to think about, I want to focus on the present and not regret anything.

"Hm... That sounds like a very peaceful life." Well, I guess that's what I want... its much more exciting compared to my life on earth though.

"Well, there's bound to be stuff down the road to be exciting." I wonder how long it'll take for me to get out of this dimension, I don't want to be stuck for another six months.

"Is there anything you want to do, Hanako?" Well let's do something to pass the time.

"Hm... Nothing in particular but what you want to do seems quite enthralling! I want to join, I want to experience all what you experience!" Well I guess Hanako is part of the group permanently now, I wonder if there's a way for her to be more conscious when she goes to sleep and interacts in the real world.

"Alright then... What should we do now... We maybe here for a while." I've told her all about my experiences, she doesn't have any memory of her past so we don't really have much to talk about now...

Now that I think about it... Can't Hanako just sleep and see if I'm alright? It'll serve as a good experiment whether she can remember to control her actions in the real world.

"Hanako do you think you could sleep and check if I'm alright? I'll wake you up after a few minutes." Hanako agreed and tried to sleep as she rested her head on my lap, having a woman sitting on my lap made me quite... nervous.

"Tell anyone of them, maybe Faith that I'm alright..." I want to reassure them that I'm fine, I don't want them to worry.

"Just take your time..." Hanako took my hand and placed it on her head, is she asking me to pat her head?

I gently stroked her head, her pure white hair felt like silky and soft.

"Hehe~ This feels quite nice..." I hope she goes to sleep soon...

Before I knew it, Hanako was fast asleep on my lap. I made sure to put some leaves over my bones so that it doesn't feel hard or spikey.

"Ah shit... I feel kind of... sleepy too."

[Fable Pov]

"Come on, hurry up!" I've made Archer and Diana carry Atlas, Faith followed behind me as she watched Lord Atlas being carried.

We're headed to Mother's room, she'll know how to fix him up. Atlas exerted too much mana into forming his blade with Bone Arts, this is much more than just mana exhaustion.

"Mister Fable what's wrong with Brother Atlas?" Faith seemed quite worried over him, does she have a thing for him? I don't know, I shouldn't judge.

"No time to explain just bring him over quickly!" Finally we've reached Mother's room!

"Fable! What have I told you of bargin-" Mother was at her usual seat, she was drinking her tea while reading a demon medicine book.

"Mother! We need help, Atlas is in critical condition. He used too much of his mana while using Bone Arts, he shouldn't have such mastery over the arts yet." Mother looked at me with annoyed face, I'm doing my best to be as clear as possible so why with the frowning face?

"All of you out except you..." Mother pointed to the small skeleton who was Faith, what does Mother want from her?

"Mother I don-"

"Out!" Mother threw all of us out, Faith was pulled in and stayed in the room.

"Oi Fable! What's going to happen to Brother Atlas!" These brats... You should address me properly like how Faith does it, add a 'mister' to my name!

"I don't know, Mother's going to fix him up... Now go do something else! Mother will tell us once she's done." I'll just go back to the private archives and review some books, I don't want to stick around with these brats.

"Bleh! You should go away!" These brats making offensive gestures! I-

"Fable what happened to Atlas..." Hie!~ Lady Vera-

"Lady Vera! You scared me... Atlas is in the room with Mother, he used bone arts... he went overboard during training." Its not my fault... I didn't think he would go that far during training.

"You idiot! Why'd you push them so much just for a simple training session!" I got smacked in the head by Lady Vera, why does she have to hit me so hard!

"Master Savien called for you... go to the throne room." Just for this incident? No it could because I hid those Vel Cores from him... but why summon me now?

"Fable..." Lady Vera whispered something to my ear, once I heard I went straight to the throne room... I never expected 'that' was the reason for my sudden summon.

"I'll leave these two to you then Lady Vera..." I must quickly go to Master Savien right now.

I rushed through the castle hallways, I've been expecting to go soon but I didn't expect 'it' to come already.

"Master Savien I've arrived..." I entered the throne room and kneeled before Master Savien, he seems to be in a bad mood.

"Fable... I think you know why you've been summoned here." Of course I know, if I didn't I'd be an idiot.

"So when do I need to leave? If the letter arrived just recently-" I'd like to give some instructions to Atlas, maybe some tips too.

"Leave as soon as you can, we need to provide reinforcements quickly... I'll dispatch some extra soldiers" So not much time left... I should at least leave a set of instructions

"As you wish Master Savien, its been an honor serving you." This small peaceful time in the castle's been great, time to prepare for war.

"Master Savien... may I ask of one last request to you?" I know I need to go but... I just need to do this.

"Speak your mind Fable..."

[Faith Pov]

"Um... Could I ask why I'm allowed to stay?" Mister Fable, Diana and Archer were all thrown out the room except me... I wonder what she needs from me.

"I need to do a mana transfusion from you to young Atlas... He's unable to absorb a Vel Core to immediately sooth his severe mana exhaustion, I need a skeleton with the best similarity in terms of Vel Cores... you are the most similar to him." Best similarity? Shouldn't Diana and Archer also be here since all of us are soul-bounded?

"I just need one of you, even if you refuse... we need to do it now." I see... then I'll gladly do the mana transfusion for Brother Atlas.

"Just lay down on that bed over there, I need to set up the equipment." As I laid down on the bed beside Brother Atlas, 'Mother' was grabbing medical instruments... I wasn't familiar with the names of them.

"Are you worried if young Atlas's life might be in danger?" Of course, I'm worried... Atlas is an older brother figure to me, I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to him.

"Yes... He's my brother." I wonder how mana transfusion works? Does it just transfer my mana from my Vel Core into his? Maybe its more complicated than that...

"Don't worry! This'll be done quick and young Atlas here will be as good as new!" That reassures me... 'Mother' probably knows what to do... I heard from Ms Vera that Fable was a doctor and the one who taught him all his medical skills was 'Mother'.

I can sense Diana and Archer still waiting outside the door... Ah- Mister Fable left and Ms Vera came over... I bet Ms Vera heard what happened and came rushing over.

Wait... I feel something else coming- Its not Master Savien... Its!

Brother Atlas's Banshee emerged from the floor and faced me, how could it move... It shouldn't be able to be summoned since Brother Atlas is uncon- Wait no... Brother Atlas could summon it, maybe subconsciously.

"Atlas... safe... confirmed..." What? Did it just speak? Atlas-safe-confirmed... A Banshee is supposed to warn family members of incoming disasters... Is there a disaster coming? No... It would scream to alert us.

"Atlas... says... not to... worry." Thought the Banshee was speaking in a dragging tone, I could properly understand what she was saying... Thank goodness that Brother Atlas is alright... He sent his familiar to inform me that he's alright.

"Hoh~ That's pretty amazing... Atlas sure is a special skeleton." 'Mother' was quite interested in Brother Atlas's Banshee... She tried to touch it but her hand only phased through.

"I can't believe he was able to enter the Vel Core realm this early..." Vel Core realm? What's that... I've never heard about that before.

"The equipment is set... We'll proceed with the mana transfusion. Hmm... What's your name, Banshee?" 'Mother' looked at the Banshee who was looking around the room, she seemed curious about the different things.

"I... am... Hanako..." Hanako? That sounds quite a foreigner name, Brother Atlas must've given her that name.

"Oh well Hanako, tell young Atlas we're going to be transferring some mana from Faith to himself. He should wake up within a few minutes, you can tell him to prepare." As soon as 'Mother' said that, Hanako went into Brother Atlas's Vel Core.

"I might have to personally talk to Master Savien later..." I wonder if its because of the Vel Core realm thing... I'm starting to feel slightly drowsy...

"You'll feel a bit sleepy since your mana is being transferred, just relax... you'll wake up in a few hours." Oh yeah that make sense, I guess i'll just... sleep...

[Atlas Pov]

Its been about 10 minutes since Hanako fell asleep, I wonder if she was able to remember to check if I'm alright and convey my message to Faith or at least any of them.

"Hwah! I'm back!" Uwah! That surprised me- You shouldn't shock me like that...

"How was it? Do you remember what happened here and conveyed my message to Faith?" I hope she remembered... She was gone for a while, maybe she got some advice on how to get me out of here.

"Yeah! I was able to convey the message and you'll be able to get out of here soon!" Ohh! That's great news! Wait, how'll I get out of here?

"There was some old lady talking about how you accessed the Vel Core realm something something... Ah! They were doing something I think its called mana...transfunction? to replenish your mana!"

Vel Core Realm? What's that? Transfuction of my mana too... Oh! It must be mana transfusion, I did use a lot of my mana to form my arm into a blade after all.

"Um Atlas..." Hanako suddenly tugged me by my arm.

"Will you not come back after you leave here? Can we only see each other in the outside world?" Ehh~ Hanako you can't do that to me- Now I feel bad to leave her... she looks cute when she's a bit sad- No! No! I must think properly.

"Hanako... I'll come back here to meet you, I promise." I gave Hanako a hug and gently patted her head, she seemed less sad after that which was good.

"Hey Hanako..." I just wanted to suggest an idea to her, I bet she'll like it.

"Yes?" She was playing with some leaves that had fallen from the cherry blossom tree.

"You know how I summon you and you go into a deep sleep here right? I was wondering... maybe if you'd liked me to summon you at almost a 24/7 basis so you can get used to the real world and get to experience and explore the world with us..."

If I was Hanako, I'd want freedom as much as possible but since she wants to stay with us... I just want to give her the option.

"Ohh! Good idea! Yeah I'd love that! I'll be able to see you and play with Atelie more!" Hm... Then that's settled...

"I guess we'll have to wait until the mana transfusion's done..." Now it was an awkward wait to when I go back into the real world... now that I think about it... I don't have any worldly urges like wanting to eat or drink, I don't actively seek to get food because I'm hungry.

I had no sexual drive or otherworldly desires either... All those sort of temptations were non-existent, as if I've went through enlightenment.

Maybe it was because the essential compartments down there was also non-existent, or it had to do with me transferring into this world.

"Atlas your body!" As I was spacing out, Hanako pointed out that my body was fading ever so slightly.

"Oh... The mana transfusion must've been successful, I'll summon you right away when I wake up Hanako! I'll also make sure to visit you here again!" My body was fading rapidly but I was able to reassure Hanako that she won't be here alone for long.

"Byeb-" I could see Hanako wave goodbye but I woke up in a room next to Faith, she must be tired from her mana being transferred to mine.

"Ah you're awake... Surprisingly early..." There was a women sat on her desk... she had a more human-like appearance, I see... Its 'Mother' that Fable mentioned.

"When is Faith going to wake up?" Normally mana exhaustion would render us unable to move and even think for a few hours, I'm not completely sure about mana transfusion... It'd be good to know how to do it for emergencies, maybe I'll ask 'Mother' to teach me.

"She'll be up in a few days, you needed a lot of mana... she has the most amount of similar mana to you then the rest so I had her do it." Oh good... A few days huh... I should find a way to thank Faith, what does 'Mother' mean by similar mana mean? Is it the same with like blood types... The most similar won't resist the transfusion.

"Um... Thank you for doing the mana transfusion... I'm sorry for causing a lot of trouble." It felt kind of weird... The only kind of 'human' type of people I've interacted with was Savien and Atelie, I guess only Atelie counts as I've never seen Savien's face.

"No problem young Atlas... Its actually delightful having younglings liven up this castle. It relieves me too that Lady Atelie will be having great caretakers..." I don't think I had the right but I know I was slightly blushing after she said that, it feels nice that people can depend on me.

"I- Its-" I was stuttering, I didn't think of what I was going to say.

"BROTHER ATLAS!" Diana and Archer came barging in after sensing my mana going back to normal, behind them was Ms Vera who looked as composed as usual.

"Hey guys... Sorry to have worried you." They all embraced me and all sat down on the floor, Ms Vera went to talk with 'Mother' while Archer and Diana filled me in about what happened before I passed out.

"You were all like Grawr and Fwoom Fwoom! You made some super sharp blade with your arm using something called Bone Arts? That's what Fable told us!"

"No you idiot! He was all like Durah! And Boom! Don't you know how to describe scenarios from Ms Vera's Daradian language lessons!"

These two... They share the exact same braincell... Its like they were siblings in their past lives or something, Archer and Diana were arguing on what happened but I already had a gist of it.

"Do you feel weird or any headaches so far?" Ms Vera approached me and began to check my body for any cracks or slight signs of cracking in my Vel Core, if I remember correctly Vel Cores that have cracks mean that unnecessary mana is being wasted as it leaks.

"Yeah I'm all fine... I just feel a bit groggy." I remembered that I needed to summon Hanako, I promised her.

"Hanako... come out please." Its good that I gave her a name, I didn't want to simply refer to her as Banshee. Hanako came out as I commanded, she looked around for a while then stayed by my side for the rest of the time.

"It seems that you were able to bond with your familiar in the Vel Realm... Savien will be very excited to hear about this." I've been thinking about this 'Vel Realm' ever since Hanako told me after she came back from her short summoning while I was unconscious... Ms Vera seemed quite surprised upon hearing that from 'Mother'.

"Could I ask... What is the Vel Realm exactly..." I was quite curious, I wanted to know how I could access it easily.

"The Vel Realm is basically your soul materialized into a spiritual and mental state, time passes there the same as the real world. You'll be able to talk to familiars or spirits in their real form if they connect to your Vel Core, in your case is the Banshee that you have beside you."

I see... I don't get it! Is it another dimension within my Vel Core or is it just some place in this world... I should do some research and ask Savien or Fable. Speaking of which, where is Fable... That bastard, he pushed me so far but he didn't come to check whether I was alright.

"Do you guys know where Fable is?" I kind of sensed his presence behind the wall.

"Oh Fable! He was right behind the door just now- Eh! Where did he go?" Diana went outside and checked to see that Fable was not there, he must've went to his room...

[Fable Pov]

"Master Savien... may I ask of one last request to you?"

"Speak your mind Fable..."

"I'd like a bit more time before I depart, I'd like to prepare materials for each and one of Lady Atelie's official Caretakers. Especially for Atl... Lord Atlas."

"Hoh~ Your addressing Atlas as Lord Atlas now... he must've done something worthy of your respect. Was it from that ruckus I heard from the training hall just now?"

"As you thought Master Savien... Lord Atlas has much potential to rival the ancients, maybe even stronger... I've also realized that I might've been too rude to him." Though it was for a short moment... Lord Atlas reminded of 'him' it makes me feel relaxed seeing 'him' in Lord Atlas.

"I see..." Master Savien tapped his fingers rhythmically on his throne, thank the lords that he's even considering my request.

"Your request will be granted, time is of the essence so make sure to do it within 20 minutes. I'll send some skeleton servants to help you with the organization of your things as you want." Alright... As Master Savien has kindly granted me permission, I shall not take this for granted.

"My deepest gratitude's, Master Savien..." I should rush out of here as fast as I can, I need to write and ready material.

"Both of you come here!" Great... These skeleton servants will do, I just need a few helping hands.

"You take these things and put those there to the sign that says Diana... Then this one goes to Faith." 20 minutes... its a short time but I'll be able to manage.

"You guys arrange all of that! I need to write something so quickly!" I guess I'll need more than two servants, I'll call at least three more.

"Alright that should do it!" It's been five minutes and I have five skeleton servants helping me, I can focus on writing a letter and instructions for all four of them.

"Lord Fable... All the stuff has been arranged as you have instructed us..." Hm... Great! This is good, everything is in order. All the items that I wanted them to have is perfectly distributed and suited each one of them.

"You may go now, just make sure to prepare to open the gate before I leave."

"As you wish... We will miss you Lord Fable." Hmph, I don't need the sentiments. I'll be coming back within a few months, I'll dispatch of those Behtman Angel bastards.

"I guess all the letters are done... I didn't spend much time with them but I've been observing their actions, they should be able to improve in a few weeks. I'll have to finish my special instructions for Atlas, I have 10 minutes..." Argh... My handwriting should be legible, I should make it specific so that Atlas doesn't misunderstand anything.

"Hm... I guess I'll be departing soon." I finally closed the door to my room, I'll be seeing it in a month or longer so its fine. I must go to support my comrades on the battlefield. Maybe I'll stop by to see how Lord Atlas is...

"You were all like... You made some super sharp blade with your arm using something... That's what Fable told us!"

"No you idiot! He was all like Durah! And Boom!... Vera's Daradian language lessons!" Hm... I guess Atlas is fine... That reassures me.

"So you've finished with what you need to do?" Ah Master Savien... he was waiting for me at the front gate of the castle, how kind of him to see me off.

"Yes... I'll be going now, I'll be back soon." Master Savien placed his hand on me, I guess its those send-off pats.

"You don't need to say anything like that, I know you'll come back." Hm... Master Savien expects nothing less than great work for me, I'll not betray his expectations.

"May you and Lady Atelie take care! Glory to the Demon King!"

[Atlas Pov]

Hah~ I wonder how long i'll stay in bed... 'Mother' told me to rest for at least another hour before walking. She also told me that I shouldn't train for at least two days, I guess I could spend some time with Atelie and bond with her.

"See you later Brother Atlas~" Ms Vera and everyone else went to continue training while I stayed in our room to take care of Atelie., Atelie was playing with some of her stuff toys while she laid next to me. Faith was being monitored by 'Mother' since she probably needs more care than I do, I hope she'll be fine.

"Look... Atelie... A... Bunny has come..." Hanako stayed with me too after she went about the castle exploring and trying to talk to the other skeletons, she was playing with Atelie now. Her speech was improving though she still dragged a lot of her words, at least she didn't stutter anymore.

"At- Atl- Atlash!" Heh~ How cute... Atelie's showing me the stuffed bunny toy that Hanako gave her, I guess her understanding of words is getting better.

"Lady Atelie... Who do you like more? Bunny or Atlas?" I pointed to the bunny then pointed to myself, Its been a while since I've taught her about Daradian or English so hopefully she'll be able to start talking with basic sentences.

"Atlas!" Ohh! I'm not really sure if Atelie fully understood what I meant but she chose me! She gave a cute point to me and I put down the stuffed bunny toy, I'll give her a gentle hug!

"Hehe~" As I hugged Atelie, she let out a small laugh. How can a baby be so cute... Ah this is bad... Now I'm starting to feel how Master Savien does about Atelie, but I guess... Showing some love to this baby isn't bad... I'm her caretaker after all.

"Not... Fair... I want to... also... hug..." Hanako was pouting in the furthest corner of the room, I Don't know how a ghost-like being would hug us but I'll just invite her.

"Hanako! Come join in!" Normally a familiar must obey its master no matter the order which was what I read from the books that Fable to study before, I've changed that and made sure to give Hanako free-will. I want to build trust and a bond with her, I don't want her to feel like a slave or something like that.

"Eh! Really?" Hanako came right away and enveloped both of us, there were some cases that she could physicalize and touch us but it didn't happened often.

"Hehe~ I... am... so happy..." When she enveloped us, I could feel the warmth as if it was to indicate her emotions. I felt like the soreness that ailed my bones was disappearing, maybe this is one of her powers.

Its been so peaceful... I want this to continue for a while more, I wish the escape plan could wait... speaking of the escape plan... Ciara said that her master would arrive near the demon continent docks to pick us up, we agreed that her master would try to be there in a months time after we escaped that weird dimension.

Its only been a few days since we got out so Ciara should have finished explaining the plan to her master, hopefully it goes smoothly.

"Dah! Hehe~" Hanako had disappeared to somewhere but it seems like she was getting some yarn, what's she going to do?

"Atlas... you... should... knit... I saw it... in a book..." Knit?? Me? So she must've went to the library and read a few books...

"Here... is the book..." Eh! She brought the book with her too?

"Hehe~" Both Atelie and Hanako looked at me with eyes of anticipation.

"Nghh~ Fine! I'll learn it in a few days and make something for Atelie." To be honest It'll be a useful skill to have if we need to make clothes or anything of the sort to make some quick money in a market.

"Yay~... Lady... Atelie happy?" Hanako enveloped Atelie and kept her warm, it was starting to snow in the region... you wouldn't think that this place was a place called the demon continent.

Speaking of markets... I've never got a chance to see of the locals or how people act in this world besides inside the castle, it'd be good to get a broader experience so I know how to safely avoid any trouble... I guess being street-smart is the word that I was looking for.

"Hm... This knitting seems kind of fun!" I was able to quickly get the hang of the knitting techniques, I made a long stretch of rectangular white cloth... I guess it could serve as a blanket for Atelie.

"Gyah!" I passed the blanket to Atelie, she seemed to quite like it.

"How... Cute..." Hanako seemed quite pleased seeing Atelie so happy, Nghh~ Why's Atelie so cute.

"Atlas... Your dinner is here..." Oh! From the sound of that voice, it must be one of the chefs.

"Ah! Please come in!" I quickly told Hanako to use her telekinesis to put Atelie back onto her crib.

"Hello, Atlas... Are you recovering just fine?" They cooked some Beytik stew with some bread, I guess they tried experimenting with the notes I gave them from before.

"I'm alright... How's the rest of the other skeletons?" There were at least 6 other skeletons besides the two chefs that had roles of being a maid, cleaner or a gardener.

"Oh they're all fine... I'll be going now, please just ring this bell if you need anything." The skeleton chef left a small silver bell beside me, he left quietly afterwards.

"Hoh~ Not bad... Here Lady Atelie, have some!" I gave her some bread covered with stew, I didn't know how to use wind magic so I used my hand and fanned the hot stew first.

"Say Ahh!" Atelie opened her mouth wide and I gave her a spoonful of food, Its so cute to watch her eat.

"Does... it... taste... good?" Hanako was curiously looking at the bowl of beytik stew, are banshees able to eat or absorb food like how Vel Cores work?

"Here you can have some, be careful it might be a little hot." I did the same thing and fanned the spoonful of stew before putting it next to Hanako's mouth.

As expected her whole head just phased through the spoon, I don't think ghost-like entities need any food or water to keep functioning.

"Mhm! It tastes good!" Eh! When Hanako took the spoon out of her mouth, the food had disappeared. It may have been absorbed into her form, probably serving as extra energy perhaps.

"You want some more?" Hanako nodded and I kept giving her and Atelie more food, its like I'm raising two kids.

"Brother Atlas..." Oh a telepathic message from Archer, I wonder what she wants to tell me.

"Fable... he went to... the battlefield." Eh- Battlefield... so he must've been asked by Master Savien to go, they probably needed urgent reinforcements... He didn't even say goodbye.

"We're coming with some stuff soon, please get Lady Atelie back into her crib..." I told Hanako to gently place Atelie to her crib, while calling for a skeleton maid to help with the used cutlery, bowls and plates.

"Brother Atlas, we're here..." We had a habit of knocking on the door if someone was inside, probably because Ms Vera did it when I first woke up in this world... She said it was rude without getting permission to enter, especially nobles or near-noble status.

"So what did you mean by stuff? What did you guys bring." Archer and Diana came in with an assortment of notebooks, stacks of papers, boxes and last of all four letters with all four of our names written on one.

"Master Savien wasn't there... Ms Vera told us after training that we should eat and go to Fable's room, she told us he wanted to give us this. I guess he wants us to read it by ourselves first!" We all took our time in sorting all the stuff that Fable gave us, Archer and Diana often asked for what some books said since they haven't fully mastered Daradian.

I was in charge of handling faith and my stuff, we wanted to leave the letters for later when Faith woke up so we could read it together. When I said 'I' handled it... it was more of Hanako under my guidance lifted the things I pointed out in the box and organized it the way I wanted it to be, telekinesis sure is convenient.

"Hey Archer... You and Diana should check if Sister Faith is alright, I'll just organize our boxes so that their all tidy." I wanted to read some of the notebooks that Fable left me, there was also a thick journal that said 'Instructions' I was curious what was inside it.

"Mhm! Sure we'll do that!" Archer and Diana left as soon as I asked them, they're like a little brother and sister I never had on earth. I am the oldest in the group of four after all, I guess I should start reading some part of the instructions already.

"This is one thick journal, I didn't see this in his room last time... Don't tell me he wrote all of this before he left." I opened the book and it had clear hand writing... It was written in a small paragraph.

Lord Atlas, I apologize for my sudden leave... I have went off to the battlefield to backup my comrades in the desperate condition of our war, I have arranged for the others. Please read all of the books as it will help with correcting many of your mistakes in techniques and also improve them to a higher rank, this books also has a specific set of instructions for the remainder of Vel Cores you have to assume so please read it carefully... You may have noticed that I am now speaking in a respectful tone so I will tell you why... It is because you have earned my respect and praise, previously Lady Vera and Master Savien had been praising you... showing a considerable amount of interest and investment in helping you become stronger. I wanted to ensure that you were able to keep up to the things I've heard from them so I tested you multiple times, today's training had made me realize you are special... In terms of talent and thought processing, in the future you may rival the ancient liches. I will come back in a few months but the escape plan might occur before I do come back so please keep Lady Atelie and yourselves safe. Please help the others to readily improve their skills and techniques... you have qualities of a leader so I doubt you'll fail in leading them and Lady Atelie to safety... I wish you luck in your endeavors.

"I see... Heh~ I won his respect and praise..." It makes me happy that Fable does acknowledge and respect me now... but I see he won't be coming back for a while, he is confident in his abilities so he'll probably survive... I don't need to worry, I must focus on the escape plan and get stronger.

"Brother Atlas! Sister Faith woke up!" Diana sent me a telepathic call while I was reading the other books, I don't want to move since Mother told me too... Oh! Hoho~ I guess I have a great idea to get there without moving... I slyly looked at Hanako who was playing with Atelie.

"Alright... easy there Hanako... Let's slowly move forward!" I got on a chair beside my bed, which then a brilliant idea came into my head. If Hanako used her telekinesis to move the chair, I could sit on it and use it like a floating chair... I would also be able to safely bring Atelie along.

I finally reached "Mother's" room and Hanako slowly opened the door, Faith was sitting up on her bed while Archer and Diana was sitting on stools.

"Brother Atlas! You're here- WOAH! A floating chair!" Hmph! Behold the impressive and convenient power of Hanako!

"Mother told me not to move around too much so... I was able to get here with the help of Hanako."

"How are you Sister Faith?" Normally Faith would be very composed yet cheerful... She seems very exhausted and down.

"I'm... alright..." Eh~ I could see the worried faces of Archer and Diana who was hopeful that my arrival would cheer Faith up.

"Hanako... Hug Faith for me please..." I felt my mana replenish when Hanako embraced Atelie and I, I hope that can work for Faith too.

"As... you... wish..." Hanako gave Faith a big hug, though she phased through the blankets and actually fully enveloped Faith.

"Please... feel... better..." I could tell that Hanako also truly wanted Faith to get well, she does see her as family.

"Hoh~ Interesting... the ability to increase the recovery of mana replenishment, as expected of young Atlas... He is definitely most suited to be the Head Caretaker of Lady Atelie." Head Caretaker? This is mostly due to Hanako... I'm just her 'master'.

"So warm~ Thank you Hanako." Faith instantly got better after Hanako's hug, I'm glad that worked or else I wouldn't know what to do to help Faith cheer up.

"Sister Faith we're glad you're alright! Uwah!~~" Archer and Diana gave Faith a big hug, I joined in too of course along with Atelie as I gently placed her between all of us.

"Alright let's give Sister Faith some more rest then you guys can discuss about the important things after..." I guess 'Mother' was already informed of Fable's leave to the battlefield.

After our group hug, we all left the room to let 'Mother' take care of Faith. I thought we were reading the letters so I brought it with me, I guess we'll do it later.

"I'm glad that Sister Faith is alright now! You noticed quick Brother Atlas!" Well... It was quite obvious that she wasn't being herself. We were headed back to our room so that we could put Atelie back, we were planning to read all the notes that Fable left us.

"Oh are you all heading to your room?" We coincidentally bumped into Ms Vera in the castle hallways, she always had such a calming aura... I wonder if she ever gets cranky.

"Yes we-"

"KRAHHHH!!!" The almost deafening scream of Hanako came before I could finish my sentence, it only meant one thing.

"Hm... Savien must've been slacking on his protective barriers- Hoh~ What's this... the beautiful Vera and some lowly skeletons stand before me, Its been too long my dear Vera." A man with black feathered wings came crashing down from the ceiling, his murderous intent was basically showing from his hollow greeting.

"Run-"

[To be continued...]