It Hatched

“WHAT ARE YOU GUYS TALKING ABOUT!?”

Kaito yelled from within the Giora Guild. They had just returned from their joint mission with Xavian, and things escalated.

“We did all of the work in herding those Ūs, so we get most of the reward!” Kaito proclaimed.

The time had come for the prize money to be split. Even though Kaito said otherwise, he argued for the group’s share of the money.

Elsie stood at the front counter and smiled nervously, while Sid stood in the back with his arms crossed, chuckling at the scene.

“Huh? You want some of the reward? I thought you guys were just there to help,” Xavian said, missing the main issue. “I mean, I technically finished the job anyway, hahaha.”

Kaito grumbled at Xavian’s obliviousness, while Iori tried to calm Kaito down.

“It's alright; Xavian can have the reward,” Khrom announced. “We already got some value in going anyway.”

“WHAT!?!?” Kaito complained, not accepting that decision.

Before Kaito could continue the argument, Xavian grabbed the reward on the front counter and headed for the door.

“Thanks for all the help you guys!” Xavian announced before he left.

And just like that, Xavian was gone. Without Kaito getting any further say, Xavian disappeared to continue his adventure.

____________________________________________________________________________

An exciting event occurred on another day when this mishap was long forgotten.

Kaito talked with his fellow adventurers in the guild alongside Iori, who accompanied him. Khrom and Evona were at the mission board trying to decide what mission to take.

Rachael suddenly barged through the door, drawing a lot of attention.

“Kaito, the egg is about to hatch,” Rachael notified Kaito, looking disheveled.

That was all Kaito needed to hear before he got up from his seat to join Rachael. Iori, Khrom, and Evona weren’t sure what it meant, but followed anyway.

The group followed Rachael, running through town until they reached the all-girls inn. Khrom stopped in his tracks.

“Wait, is this where you live?” Khrom said. “Maybe I’ll sit this one out…”

Khrom was worried about a confrontation with Trinity. Just thinking about it gave him the shivers.

“Don’t worry, Khrom,” Kaito reassured. “I got a simple solution to this. Iori, would you do us the honors?”

Iori nodded and started to activate a spell around the group. Before they knew it, they were teleported into Rachael’s room, where the egg resided.

“What the? Have you done this before?” Khrom asked, noticing how efficient the plan had worked.

Kaito stood there smug while Iori explained. “This isn’t exactly how I planned using this, but I’ve been steadily improving the teleportation spell I learned at the school. I can teleport more people, but only a short distance.”

“And I don’t appreciate you using my room as teleportation practice,” Rachael complained.

“How else was I going to visit my baby?” Kaito responded arrogantly. “But forget that, it’s time for her to be born!”

Rachael questioned how Kaito assumed it to be a girl, but she kept it to herself as the egg was hatching.

The group stared at the egg as it slightly wiggled from side to side. A small crack formed, and then another bigger one, until the egg fully cracked open. A small dragonkin child crawled out of the egg to face the group.

It was a girl who looked more like a human toddler than a baby. She had short, sky-blue hair, darker, vibrant blue eyes, and white horns with the same-colored scales along her body. She stared at the group adorably.

“SHE’S SO CUTE!!!” Rachael shouted.

Rachael, Iori, and Evona ran up to the dragonkin child to admire her, pushing Kaito aside. Evona poking at her horns, Iori staring in awe, while Rachael touched her all over. Kaito wanted to greet ‘his child’, but couldn’t even get close.

The dragonkin child sat there, letting the situation play out before she briefly stared at Iori. Iori stared back in anticipation before the dragonkin child stood up.

“EVERYONE MOVE!!!” Rachael yelled excitedly. “She’s about to take her first steps!”

Everyone backed up as Rachael crouched in front of them with her arms out, ready to let the child walk to her.

The dragonkin child started walking towards Rachael, only to walk right past her and directly to Kaito. Rachael was in shock. She was pretty much petrified as she didn’t even react to what had happened.

Kaito happily grabbed the dragonkin child and held her in his arms.

“This is why you're my baby!” Kaito announced as he nuzzled the child. The dragonkin child giggled at Kaito’s nuzzles.

“What are you going to name her, Kaito!” Iori asked excitedly.

Kaito held the dragonkin child out and responded, “Fiona.” Fiona giggled at the sound of that name.

“I’d say she likes it,” Khrom deduced.

Rachael finally snapped out of her shock and tried to befriend Fiona again. She ran up to Kaito, who held Fiona, and retaliated.

“Wait, I’m the one who cared for it the most here! I should get to name it!” Rachael rebutted. “Isn’t that right, Sugar?” That was Rachael’s name for the child…

Fiona looked at Rachael blankly, then turned her head away swiftly.

Rejected.

“Even Evona can do better…” Evona said, also disliking the name.

“Wait, wait, wait, I can do better!” Rachael panicked. “Just let me get a good look at her.”

Rachael tried to grab Fiona, but she started crying, prompting Kaito to pull her away from Rachael. They bickered and scrambled until Fiona slipped out of Kaito’s hands, where she started falling to the floor.

The group panicked, trying to react fast enough to catch Fiona before he collided with the ground, but nobody could reach her.

Suddenly, Fiona started floating eerily.

Everyone left in their scrambled position stared in awe as Fiona floated in the air with glowing eyes.

“Hello? Is anyone there?” Fiona spoke, in a voice that was her’s and someone else’s at the same time.

Kaito shortly recognized the voice as the same one he and Rina had heard in the underground study at the Nakamura Grand Library.

“H-Hello?” Khrom hesitantly responded.

“Oh, good, someone is there,” Fiona continued in the eerie voice. “I could tell a reincarnated was there from the child’s reactions, but you can never be too sure.”

“What is going on and who are you!?” Kaito demanded an explanation.

“Ah, yes, it’s about time I clarify things. I am your benefactor…”