After making sure Sylvia was uninjured, we quickly returned to the stadium and got a ride back home. Thankfully, she really was unharmed, as Deguzman said. It seemed that it was all mental.

She explained that her emotions were running wild and that she was more afraid than she ever had been in her life. It was so bad she couldn’t even move a muscle. Her heartbeat was so loud that she barely heard my conversation with the mysterious merchant.

Naturally, there was no point in hiding what transpired. Padraic also seemed worried, and I promised an explanation. When we arrived home, I took my family and friends, minus the children, and explained what happened at the market.

This wasn’t my first time explaining Deguzman to my family. I told them about the mysterious man from start to finish, but no one knew a single thing about him. My mother, who frequented the port near Owlkirk, had never seen or heard of such a man. And even Grandpa did not recall buying Deguzman’s books directly from him.

So, with nothing more to say about it, we dropped the conversation at the time. But now things have changed. Deguzman had returned with information, and he openly showed off his powers to me. The ability to do something to time itself or at least appear that way.

Mom was the first to shake her head with a pensive, worried look. “I don’t know. I’ve never heard anyone possess such power before. And if someone that strong was using magic so close…there is no way we wouldn’t have sensed it.”

Dad nodded along and furrowed his brows. “I agree. Controlling time seems impossible. I would have found them if someone that strong even formed a spell core with that kind of power.”

Padraic scratched his chin and sighed. “A dungeon item is the most likely thing, right? People say they can do anything. And he is a merchant with dubious powers. I suppose it wouldn’t be impossible for someone to come up with an S-ranked dungeon item like that.”

Cerila said with a raised finger.

That seemed to grab everyone’s attention. My family mulled over that idea for some time, and even I had come to that conclusion. Dragons and Dragon Emperors, at that time, were still relatively unknown. Deguzman being a Dragon was possible, but…he seemed to outshine even Avasta and the Earth Dragon Emperor.

“He could be. He could also be something else entirely,” I said.

Sylvia still looked distraught, and although she had been listening, she never once added anything. Our eyes met, and she stood a little straighter.

“He mentioned a Pack, right, Kaladin?” Sylvia asked quietly from beside me.

“That’s right. Something about his Pack being the opposite of yours.”

Sylvia narrowed her eyes in thought. “I—I’ve heard that term before. Just once before,” she said hesitantly.

We all turned our eyes to Sylvia and watched her. She looked reluctant but eventually let out a deep breath, steadying her nerves. “When I was a little girl, I have a vivid memory of my grandfather. It’s always stuck out to me because my grandpa never got angry at anyone—especially family. But there was one time when he shouted at my mother for something. At the time, I didn’t really pay attention to what he was saying, but just that he was mad…But I remember him saying something about a Pack. After that, I never heard it mentioned again.”

A Pack…Deguzman…Talgan…the gods of this world…the fact that Deguzman seems to know just about everything…what are the connections? Is Deguzman really a god-like being? Is he an ancient Dragon that has lived far longer than even the Dragon Emperors? Maybe he was on the losing side of the Dragon civil war?

“I see…then we are left with only speculations in the end,” I said.

My family took turns sighing or trying to think of something, but no one offered anything else up. The truth was we knew nothing of Deguzman, Dragons, and things of that nature. All we could do was guesswork.

But there is something we can do. Something more tangible.

“Then what will you do about this illegal auction coming up soon?” Dad asked before I could bring it up.

“I’ll be going. Whether I find the information Deguzman said would be there or just clear out an illegal ring of criminals, it’s all good for me in the end,” I explained.

Dad frowned immediately, and Mom gave me a worried look. “I’ll be going with you,” Sylvia said confidently.

Cerila signed.

Dad was about to offer himself up as well, but my mom put a hand on his arm. “This is my strong suit. I’ll go this time. You watch the kids, okay, Dear?”

Dad looked ready to argue, but my mom shot him down with a glare as he most likely remembered his past failures. I chuckled internally, already knowing that this would have happened. I had no plans to tell them all this and say they couldn’t come with me. But there was one more person…

Padraic waved his hands up in the air. “Don’t look at me like that! I am not going to some sketchy place at night to kill some criminals! Who do you think I am, huh?!” he yelled. “All of you are insane… just downright crazy,” he mumbled as he held his face in his hands.

“I’ll find out more information from my sources, and we can go from there,” I said, standing up.

I looked over my family, waiting to see if they had anything else to say, but no one said a word. It seemed our family…outing was going to need some more planning.

—

We ended up having a late lunch and spent the rest of the day idling by. I spent some time with Mila and did some light training well into the evening as Sylvia decided to sleep the day off. Mila was more than happy to join her after running around so much, although I’m sure I would see her for our late dinner.

I was currently halfway through my routine night run. I had purposely been going on these for a very specific reason. To create a pattern. One that would be easy to follow.

This pattern also needed to have some…flaws in it. I purposely took less-than-safe routes in less-than-savory areas of the city. I meant to leave the surrounding arena of the villas as well, separating myself from powerful guards and people. Of course, I didn’t intend to look entirely out of place.

I wore a hood that covered just enough of my face to not seem suspicious. I also made sure to jog at a casual pace so people didn’t think I was running toward them or away from something.

To anyone watching me, it probably looked as if I was just a fool, absentmindedly running into places I shouldn’t. Or that I believed myself to be so strong that it didn’t matter where I went. Regardless of what conclusion someone drew, it did not matter. All I needed was for them to believe I was alone and isolated during the wee hours of the day.

I passed by people who gave me dirty or confused looks but paid them no mind. It wasn’t long before I arrived back at the royal villa, where the guards quickly opened the side gate for me. I went to my secluded spot and finished the jog off with stretches.

When I was done, I let out a deep breath that produced a small cloud. It was spring now, but being this close to the ocean and with the sun down, the nights were still chilly. A leaf crunched under someone’s foot, and I turned toward them with a smile. I knew she was training around here, and I was half expecting her to show up tonight.

After all, with everything that has happened…I need to handle some things now instead of putting them off. I made a promise. I should make good on it.

Cerila puffed her cheeks up with her ears folded down, seemingly embarrassed that I had caught her when she was trying to be stealthy. If she hadn’t hit that leaf, I might not have heard her coming. Beastmen could be terrifyingly silent when they wanted to be. Even Mila has been trying to test the bounds of her stealth recently.

Cerila asked sheepishly.

I responded.

She shot me an annoyed look, but I just chuckled. I stood up from the ground and, using earth magic, made a somewhat comfortable bench to sit on. I used to make furniture like that all the time while traveling or in the dungeon.

I motioned for Cerila to sit down, and she quietly took a seat next to me. She was close but…not as close as she usually was. I wondered if that was because of how she had been acting or because of what happened today. Either way, I steeled myself for what was to come.

We spent a few quiet moments together, just looking up at the night sky. Guards started walking around the grounds with lit torches, lighting standing lamps around us. It was a routine they did every day, and they would light the entire grounds. After the guards disappeared, I eventually let out a deep sigh.

I looked over to Cerila; she was just watching me with a hint of anticipation and anxiety. After doing this a few times, I thought it would get easier. But it didn’t.

The looming “what if I tell her and she hates me for it” was always present. It didn’t matter how much I convinced myself or how often Cerila told me she cared about me. That gnawing fear that the worst would come to pass would remain.

I signed more to myself than her.

Cerila rested a hand on my thigh and smiled softly.

She’s recognized even that, huh? And I wonder if she will still have that smile afterward…

I asked.

When I finished signing, I looked at her in her swirling amber eyes. Cerila appeared shocked at my words. Perhaps her first reaction was to question what that even meant if it was even possible for someone to live two lives. But she knew I was serious—that I wouldn’t joke around with something at such a moment.

It only took her a few moments to start connecting the dots, to piece together all the things I had done that seemed unnatural, especially since she knew me when we were both so young. Her brows furrowed, and she clenched her hands tight. She looked more confused than angry. But she nodded for me to keep going.

As I did for Sylvia, I started from the beginning. I explained who I was and what I did, how I was not born but created as a Human killing machine in service to my old version of Humanity, only for me to die a dog’s death when they didn’t need me anymore.

And, of course, I told Cerila about everything in between as well. It was hard to explain the life of Commander Kronos and the things I did. Many of those ideas were out of the realm of possibility for someone in this world to grasp, but I made sure to explain things thoroughly.

At the end of the day, it didn’t matter if I genocided a group of people with a spear and magic or a bolter in hand. I killed countless people, some that deserved it but many that did not. The numbers may be even harder to grasp. They were too big, enough to where they became a statistic in most people’s minds.

What was it like to order the death of an entire planet? How could anyone who had never done it before even begin to grasp what that meant? Even now…I’m not sure how many death warrants I signed. Millions? Easily. Did I end up being the reason a billion people perished?

In the end, I might have…

I rounded things off by telling her about my early childhood. I didn’t know how I was reborn into this world and what happened in my first five years of life before I met her. The things I thought about doing to my family. The crushing guilt of failing to recognize the people who cared about me the most and only thanks to a miracle that I was able to tell them how much they meant.

But just like I didn’t tell Lin about Sylvia or Sylvia about Lin, I withheld the truth of Lin’s identity and her connection to my previous life. That was not something for me to tell Cerila.

My explanation took nearly an hour. I watched as Cerila’s face morphed into various emotions. Some of shock, fear, and even sadness. Eventually, she settled on something that resembled more sorrow than anything. But to her credit, she did not interrupt me even once. She listened to it all: the good, the bad, and the downright terrible.

Eventually, I ran out of anything significant I wanted to tell her. I had explained my life to the best of my abilities. I told her why I did some of the things I did in hopes that she would be able to understand everything fully. I could only wait for her response as the fear of denial gripped my heart.

That’s the best-case scenario…if Cerila just stood up and walked away…what would I even do? How would I feel?

I looked over at her, with her eyes closed and lips slightly turned pinched into a frown. If Cerila ignored me or, worse, completely shunned me. I’m not sure I would take that very well. I…I would miss her.

I would regret doing this. I would undoubtedly feel crushed.

Cerila finally opened her eyes. She let out a deep breath and scanned the quiet grounds until she eventually landed on me. Her brows tightened, and her eyes narrowed. She looked serious as if she was ready to fight me. And that scared me even more.

she signed.

What?

She leaned forward slightly. I could smell the sweat from her training that had dried on her clothes and body. In another moment, it might have been nice. But Cerila was deathly serious. I genuinely believed she would do something drastic if I responded in a lackluster way.

But I wasn’t confused about her question, just that she asked it so suddenly. Out of all the questions to ask, I hadn’t expected that.

It was a question I had already come to terms with, even if I wasn’t sure if it was true or not. It’s what I wanted to believe.

I signed confidently, looking her in her eyes.

Cerila tilted her head slightly and sat back.

I signed nervously with a nod.

Cerila smiled a genuine ear-to-ear smile; her tail swished side to side, and her ears wiggled slightly. One I hadn’t seen on her in a very long time. It reminded me of the smile she had on her tenth birthday and the one when we were reunited. I won’t lie. It made my heart flutter a little.

She scooted closer to me and rested her head on my shoulder.

Relief washed over me like a tidal wave. I could feel the weight of my lies and secrets being lifted. I hadn’t realized just how nervous I was until I wiped my palms off my shirt. I was even sweating a little.

For her to accept me so willingly…was she more nervous that I was pretending to be someone else this whole time? That it was all a lie?

…

I really am lucky to be surrounded by such caring people.

I leaned my head against hers. “Thank you, Cerila,” I said quietly to myself.

We sat next to each other in comfortable silence once more. But it was different from before. It was more relaxed. The tension that was there had all but disappeared.

I used my free hand that wasn’t stuck between Cerila’s arm and chest and brought out a small wooden box.

Cerila looked up at me slightly with a glare. She raised an eyebrow at me as well.

I told her honestly.

Cerila giggled and took the box from me. She opened it, and the first thing there was a stack of paper. She looked a little confused at first but nodded slowly. She quickly moved onto the shirts and inspected each and every one of them with great care.

She even rubbed her face against them and smiled softly, clearly enjoying how they felt. she signed, hugging the shirts to her chest.

I told her.

She tilted her head slightly and removed the thin sheet of cloth at the bottom, revealing the rest of the gift. With the box resting on her thighs, she slowly took out the last two items. Her face reddened slightly, but she looked at them blankly. Then she let out a long-winded sigh.

Wait, what? Did I mess up? Why does she look annoyed with me?

Tears started to pool in her eyes, and her body began to shake as she held her new undergarments close. All of a sudden, Cerila started crying and letting out a noise that was her laugh. I was baffled at the sight. I never imagined I could mess up a gift in such a way.

She wiped the tears from her eyes with her shoulders and, while still laughing hysterically, managed to start signing, she eventually got out, fresh tears dripping down her face.

she signed, then shot up and gave me a hug.

I made sure to hug her back. I had to admit I was a bit shaken up. I felt like I just went on a rollercoaster of emotions despite never actually being on one before.

Well, at least she seems happier now. That’s all that matters.

Cerila eventually let me go, and with a carefree smile, she refolded the clothes and put them back into the box. But she caught me staring again, and I nodded once more. There was something else I wanted to know.

I asked hesitantly.

She sighed again, and her smile turned into a sad one.

She gave me a half smile and looked up at me.

Something she wants from me?

Cerila sighed again and shook her head with an exasperated look.

Another one?

I told her.

Cerila shrugged.

I returned her shrug.

Cerila stopped mid-sentence and sniffed the air.

She smiled and slowly turned her head just in time to catch an orange blur moving behind a tree. “You can come out now. We saw you,” I called out.

Mila peered her head out from the tree with a playful frown. She ran over to us and hopped into my lap in one swift motion. “That’s not fair, I nearly got you…Cerila isn’t allowed to smell me anymore,” she pouted.

I picked her up from underneath her armpits, and she let out a giggle as she tried to squirm out of my grip. “Of course, it’s fair. Cerila has the same abilities you do, so you have to be extra careful, right?”

“Okay! Oka—Daddy, stop! Dinner! Dinner is ready!” she squealed as I tickled her.

I let Mila down, and she stood up quickly. She turned around and faced us and tilted her head to the side as if she were trying to figure something out. Her tail swished back and forth behind her, and then she smiled as she nestled herself into me.

She rubbed her head against my chest and my face, making a slight purring noise that emanated deep from within her small frame. I was confused, to say the least. Mila usually didn’t make that noise, and although she did do these types of things from time to time when she was really excited or happy…it’s just I don’t know why she did it all of a sudden when she was looking so serious before. Even Cerila seemed confused.

I gently rubbed her hair. It had really grown these last few months. It even started to rest on her shoulders slightly.

“Mila? What’s wrong?” I asked her.

“Daddy is happy,” she said before crawling over me and going to Cerila. She also did the same motion, still purring as she rubbed against Cerila.

Cerila, of course, didn’t mind one bit. It was a bit odd to see her do the same thing right back to Mila, but it was adorable in its own way. Perhaps Mila had managed to pick up on the mood or something? Or was I just that obvious?

Well, I suppose I am happy.

—

The next day arrived, and the second day of the main tournament had begun. I had no fights for the day, and instead of sitting in the stands or waiting under the stadium, I opted to sit in the Luminar noble area. The private box sat high up in the stadium and had a bird’s eye view of the coliseum grounds.

Lin’s family, being an Archdukedom, had an entire section themselves. Although since the first match hadn’t begun, it was just Lin and me. After all, we had much to talk about.

“You really are running me ragged here,” she said with a sigh.

“I’m only somewhat sorry. I feel that this is all necessary, and I’m sure you do as well,” I said with a grin.

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Lin mumbled as she handed me a small notebook. “Everything is in there, so you check it out later. Just make sure you burn it when you are done.”

The notebook disappeared into thin air. “Understood. Where shall we start first?”

“First things first, that auction is already a known thing. Lord Marnos already has plans to dismantle it. It’s filled with a bunch of crime rings, smugglers, and people from other countries using the tournament as a distraction to gather for it. We have snakes in the walls already, and everything is going according to plan. I’m surprised your secret little merchant even knew about it,” Lin explained.

“And speaking about that merchant, I did my best, but there were no permits for a ‘Deguzman.’”

“Interesting, I figured as much. But for the auction, does this mean we already have an in?” I asked.

“We are so deep that we will be the one setting the location. I didn’t plan on getting involved, but now that you are, I’ll make the adjustments. It’s been a long time since you and I have been on a mission,” she said with a grin.

“True, but we won’t be alone. My family intends on coming.”

Lin flicked her hair and took a sip of her drink. “I figured as much. I already started planning around them.”

“Now then, what about Aconte? The half-Elf from Tel’an’duth I fought.”

Lin licked her lips and set her cup down. “It’s as you expected. He’s a half-Elf, his father is unknown, and his mother is in the city guard for one of the fort cities on our border. He’s middle-of-the-road in talent and education at Saber Academy. He works hard but receives no recognition. No one really knows much about him, not because he is mysterious but because he isn’t important enough. It was on short notice, but we found little to be concerned about.”

That’s good, very good.

“What about our masked female?” I asked next.

Lin cracked her knuckles with a frustrated look. “Next to nothing. She goes by the name of Zero and popped up a few years ago at the Knight Academy in Sandervile. Top of her class in everything. She doesn’t go home for vacations and has no apparent family members. Trains all day long when not in class. She never takes off that mask, even to eat. She takes her food to her room. She never socializes with other students or teachers. Along with her cold and blunt personality, she has garnered herself a reputation as a sketchy masked person that people tend to avoid. The only person she is even remotely seen around is Adria Sandervile.”

“So nothing? That’s not good,” I said.

“Yeah, sounds like someone I used to know,” she said with a grin.

“But if anyone knows anything about her, it’s Adria Sandervile. But naturally, she hasn’t even so much as let out a peep about who Zero really is to anyone. And we questioned a lot of students and staff in Sandervile,” Lin said with a hint of annoyance. “Is she really a reincarnated person…like us?”

The crowd erupted into a roar as Cerila took the stage, followed by a student from Tel’an’duth using a halberd. The match began as I mulled over what to think about this Zero person.

“I believe so. Her soul is closer to ours than Sylvia’s. But the timing…did you get an exact time frame of arrival?” I asked.

The crowd exploded as Cerila continued to trade blows with the High Elf. Her opponent was on the back foot, barely able to keep up with Cerila’s overwhelming speed and strength.

“Three years ago.”

“Three years ago…that’s a little after I left Sandervile,” I mumbled. “I’ll just have to wait for—”

“Is that the royal guard?”

“Why are they here?”

“Is that their new leader?”

Well, speak of the devil.

Captain Fairchild strode gallantly up to us as the Paine family guards let him through without even a word. His red cape followed behind him, as did four other Praetorian Guards. He gave us both a short bow and handed me an enclosed envelope. “From Her Majesty, Sir Dragonslayer.”

“The queen sure does work fast,” I said as I opened the envelope and scanned the information. “Thank you, Captain Fairchild. And give my thanks to Her Majesty as well.”

Captain Fairchild nodded at my words and bowed again. “Lady Paine,” he said simply.

Lin smiled. “Captain Fairchild.”

“I’ll be taking my leave then,” Captain Fairchild said and left as quickly as he came with the other guards in tow.

“Well, that was surprising,” Lin said with raised eyebrows. “What’s on the note?”

“Information on Tristan Relud, or what is still known about him,” I explained.

The stadium shook as Cerila finished her opponent, her sword pointed directly under his chin, poised to end him. The High Elf from Tel’an’duth surrendered, and Cerila took her first match of the tournament with ease.

“Relud…that’s the vice mayor’s last name. I remember seeing them many years ago, but…what did it say?” Lin asked as she rubbed her chin.

“Tristian Relud has apparently become a recluse to the point people wonder if he is actually still alive. No one has seen him in public since…well, a particular incident with a runaway slave a little over three years ago,” I said.

Lin slowly turned her head toward me. “It’s too obvious.”

“It is. It’s the convenient answer that I’m coming to as well. But yet, because it’s such a simple answer, I find it hard to believe. I spent a long time with Tristian Relud and even shared a room with him. I never once imagined he was a woman,” I said as I scratched the back of my head.

“If this Zero is Tristian Relud, that answers why she hates me so much. Regardless, in the grand scheme of things, it matters little. It just puts a face to a masked enemy,” I said seriously.

Lin looked worried for a moment but nodded. “Do you want me to handle it? You two were friends. I wouldn’t—”

“It’s fine. This is all just speculation. It doesn’t matter if it’s Zero, Tristian Relud, or anyone else. I will deal with it personally if they come for me or my family. As I always have.”

I haven’t grown so weak of mind to ignore a threat to my loved ones. I will always put them first.

Always.