Chapter 8 — Growing family

Part 1

The embrace lasted for quite some time.

My father held me with restrained strength, as though he feared that the moment he let go, everything would turn out to be a dream from which he might awaken at any second.

When the embrace finally ended, he lifted me from the ground in a single motion and settled me securely in his arms, holding me against his chest as though he wanted to keep me as close as possible—never allowing so much as an inch of distance to come between us again.

Held high enough that our eyes were now level, I found him looking at me with a broad, genuine smile. It was unlike any expression I had imagined during all those months of waiting.

—Tell me, my son. How have you behaved while I was away? —he asked, his voice carrying both sincere curiosity and a fatherly pride he could barely conceal.

My mother, her eyes still glistening with emotion, stepped closer and rested one hand gently against my back.

—Your mother wants to know how you have been too, Ren —she said, her warm voice resonating somewhere deep within my chest—. And you haven’t caused Siena any trouble, have you?

Before I could even open my mouth, Siena answered for me and stepped forward. Sebastian moved beside her, and the two bowed to my parents at the same time, their greeting formal and deeply respectful.

—He has behaved exceptionally well, my lady —Siena replied firmly, though I could hear the faintest tremor of nervousness beneath her voice—. Even better than anyone could have expected from a child his age.

My mother immediately approached them and motioned gently for them to rise. Then, without hesitation, she wrapped Siena in a warm and heartfelt embrace.

—Thank you for taking care of him all this time —she said, holding her a little tighter—. You have no idea how much it means to us to know that he was in such good hands while we couldn’t be here.

—It was no trouble at all, my lady —Siena replied, visibly moved by the gesture—. I was only fulfilling my duty, and I did so gladly.

Still slightly bowed, Sebastian added with a faint smile,

—It has also been a truly valuable experience to care for him and serve as his teacher throughout these past months, my lord. The young master has displayed an extraordinary capacity for learning.

The adults exchanged a few more words and laughed at something I didn’t quite catch. I was still too distracted by the novelty of being so close to my father.

Then he looked at me again, this time with a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

—I heard you’re a very intelligent boy —he said, adjusting me slightly in his arms—. You must have inherited that from me.

For a moment, I thought he was being completely serious, and I nearly took offense at his shameless lack of modesty.

Then, the instant he finished speaking, he burst into deep, contagious laughter. Before I knew it, I was smiling too.

Behind us, the other carriages began unloading their passengers one after another. Fine fabrics, polished armor, and unfamiliar faces poured out in a steady procession.

I watched them closely as curiosity slowly overtook my nerves. For a moment, I wondered whether I was dreaming.

A golden-haired elf stepped down from one of the carriages. She wore an elegant outfit that seemed to belong to an ancient culture, covered in intricate embroidery that shimmered beneath the sunlight and formed patterns resembling intertwined leaves and vines.

The pointed ears peeking through the loose strands of her hair immediately confirmed what I already suspected.

Although she was still several yards away, I could feel her presence with enough clarity to make my skin prickle. It was as though the very air surrounding her vibrated with an energy unlike that of anyone else present.

An elf. A real elf.

The fantasy-obsessed child I had once been in my previous life could hardly contain his excitement.

Noticing that she had been the first to emerge, my father lifted me slightly higher and gestured toward her with all the subtlety of someone saying, Look, son. Look who came.

I felt a little uncomfortable with how obvious the gesture was. It hardly seemed fitting for someone who was supposed to conduct himself like a proper noble.

Still, if I was honest with myself, part of me wanted a closer look too. I needed to confirm with my own eyes that what I was seeing was real.

Before I could fully process the elf’s arrival, an enormous man descended from another carriage—one considerably larger and more heavily reinforced than the rest.

He was almost twice as broad as my father and wore similarly thick armor, though his looked as if it had survived more battles than any suit of armor reasonably should.

His hair was cropped close to his head, and a thick beard streaked with gray made him look as though he had walked straight out of a military encampment in the middle of a campaign.

His eyes locked directly onto mine. Then he started toward us, each heavy step echoing against the ground.

As the man approached, my father greeted him first, wearing a smile that made their familiarity impossible to miss.

—Not even two minutes have passed, and you’re already smothering the boy with affection —the man said, folding his arms with the easy confidence only a close friend could get away with.

—I don’t see the problem. He is my son, after all —my father replied without losing his smile, tightening his hold on me as if to reinforce the point.

—Yes, but if you keep spoiling him like that, he’ll end up just as—

The man never finished his sentence.

Something tugged at both ends of his enormous cloak with a surprising amount of force, considering who was responsible.

—Father, we should remind you that you haven’t even introduced yourself to the young gentleman present —said one of the voices in the sharp tone I had already come to know far too well.

—Indeed, Father. Even if he is only a child, you should remember that you stand before the great hero’s son —the other added with identical seriousness.

They were my cousins—Aurelia and Wren—wearing the same haughty expressions as before, only now their attitude was directed at their own father instead of me.

But the moment I heard the word father leave their mouths and realized they were addressing the enormous armored man in front of us, my jaw dropped.

Was this giant in heavy armor really…?

—You’re right, my girls —the man said, finally freeing his cloak from the twins’ hands before turning a broad smile toward me—. Young Ren Ashborne, allow me to introduce myself. I am Aldric Sorvain, king of the nation of Sorvain.

I stared at him in disbelief as my mind desperately struggled to process what I had just heard.

This carefree, informal man was the king of an entire nation?

What was he doing here, acting so relaxed?

Did a king really have enough free time to personally attend a five-year-old’s birthday celebration instead of sending a representative or some formal gift?

With all of those questions still spinning through my head, I decided it was time to climb down from my father’s arms. The situation felt important enough that I should face the king on my own two feet.

A brief trace of sadness crossed my father’s face when he let me go, as though he would have preferred to hold me a little longer. Even so, he lowered me without protest.

The moment both feet touched the ground, I performed the same royal bow I had used to greet my parents.

—It is a great honor to meet you, Your Majesty —I said, introducing myself by my full name and doing my best to keep my voice firm—. I am deeply grateful that you chose to attend my birthday celebration.

The king released a booming laugh that suited a man of his size perfectly. It was probably loud enough to be heard from the opposite end of the mansion.

—Well, well! What an impeccably mannered little gentleman —he exclaimed, still laughing—. I hope my daughters are taking notes.

Beside him, Aurelia and Wren rolled their eyes at almost the exact same moment, though neither dared contradict him openly.

The elf, who had remained at a distance until then, began walking toward me with a serene expression. Her footsteps were so quiet that they barely disturbed the freshly fallen snow.

—I see you’re a very well-mannered child —she said in a soft, melodic voice that almost sounded like song—. For a moment, I feared you might be just like your father during his rebellious years.

—What? —I asked, genuinely confused as I looked toward my father for an explanation.

—Don’t reveal stories from my past in front of my son —he protested, visibly uncomfortable as he folded his arms, his expression caught somewhere between embarrassment and resignation—. Don’t ruin the image he has of me.

The elf ignored his complaint with a barely concealed smile. She stopped directly in front of me and knelt until we were at eye level.

Her fingers brushed my cheek with a warmth and softness that felt almost hypnotic, as though they were made from something more delicate than ordinary skin.

Then she leaned closer and placed a gentle kiss on my forehead, leaving behind the faint scent of flowers.

—My name is Ilyawen —she said, her serene smile brightening her entire face—. I am the ruler of the nation of Helfain. It is a pleasure to meet you, little Ren.

Heat rushed into my face, and I tried to respond with a proper introduction.

Before I could finish the first word, however, she had already taken both of my cheeks between her hands. She pressed and stretched them gently in a playful motion that felt strangely similar to a massage.

—It seems they both like you quite a bit, son —my father said, pride filling his voice once again as he watched with folded arms while I struggled to form words through my squashed cheeks.

—He’s certainly better than you —King Aldric teased, giving my father a powerful slap on the back.

—And even more handsome than his father —Ilyawen added, still holding my cheeks as her light laughter chimed like tiny bells.

After suffering two consecutive blows to his ego, my father let his shoulders sag in exaggerated, almost theatrical defeat. The display sent the king into another fit of laughter.

My mother finally stepped in and gently took my hand, quite literally rescuing me from Ilyawen’s grasp.

—It’s time for us to go inside —she announced, smiling at the three adults—. We should give them some time to talk in private. I’m sure they have plenty to catch up on.

I followed her without hesitation, leaving my father, King Aldric, and Ilyawen behind. They were already absorbed in an animated conversation filled with exaggerated gestures from the king and quiet laughter from the elf.

Now that I looked more closely, my father seemed surprisingly relaxed and playful around them.

According to everything Sebastian had taught me, nobles were supposed to maintain perfect composure and solemnity in front of foreign rulers. Yet my father behaved as though titles and protocol meant nothing among the three of them.

But that was fine.

It felt good to see him laugh so sincerely.

At least, that was what I thought until the wind carried a fragment of their conversation to me just before I crossed the mansion’s main entrance.

—And to think there’s another one on the way! Hahaha!

The king had said it in an unmistakably teasing tone, directed at my father. He was still recovering from the earlier damage to his pride, and his cheeks had now turned slightly red for reasons I didn’t understand.

I stopped so abruptly that I nearly released my mother’s hand.

—What did he mean by ‘another one on the way’? —I asked, turning toward her with curiosity I couldn’t hide.

She stopped as well, clearly surprised that I had overheard that particular remark.

Then she turned to face me. There was a determination in her expression that I had never seen before.

She took a deep breath and, in front of all the maids who had begun gathering around us in curiosity, answered,

—Well… the thing is… you’re going to have a… little brother?

For one long moment, the entire world seemed to stop, as though time itself had decided to grant me an extra second to process her words.

What? What have they been doing in the capital all this time?!

While my mind struggled to absorb the news—caught somewhere between shock and a happiness only beginning to emerge—the maids around us burst into genuine applause.

Some even released small cries of delight, celebrating as though they had just received the best news in months.

Part 2

Seated in the grand dining hall, I watched four of the greatest powers in this world share a table.

They spoke cheerfully between bursts of laughter and comments I could barely make out from my end of the table, all while enjoying the food our maids had spent the entire morning preparing.

Fiora and Lucía moved constantly in and out of the kitchen, carrying what seemed like an endless procession of trays and serving each dish before the gathered royalty with almost military precision.

At the opposite end of the table, I barely touched my own meal—a meat stew I would normally have devoured without a second thought.

My mind remained trapped on a single thought that refused to leave me alone.

A little brother?

What was I supposed to do now?

In my previous life, I had never had a sibling. I had been an only child, accustomed to receiving all of my parents’ attention—little as that had been, if I was being honest.

What if I turned out to be a terrible brother?

What if I became a bad influence without even realizing it?

What if I infected him with the thoughts of an adult trapped inside a child’s body—with my sarcasm, my strange habits, and all the other things I had carried over from another life?

I couldn’t drive those questions from my mind, even as the noise of the main table continued around me.

Then someone beside me whispered and abruptly pulled me from my thoughts.

It was one of the twins. I couldn’t tell which one; from that angle, they looked practically identical, with the same hairstyle and the same rigid posture.

She tugged lightly at the sleeve of my jacket to catch my attention.

After the attitude they had shown since arriving, I still didn’t trust either of them completely. Even so, I decided to listen, more out of curiosity than courtesy.

—Do you know what the real relationship between those three is? —she asked quietly, discreetly pointing her chin toward the opposite end of the table, where my father, King Aldric, and Ilyawen were laughing at something one of them had said—. Why would two rulers be dining at the hero’s table with his wife as though it were nothing unusual? Meetings like this normally require protocol, ceremony, and months of diplomatic planning. Yet there they are, eating together like lifelong friends.

Several possibilities raced through my mind—military alliances, trade agreements, perhaps some kind of debt from the war.

In the end, only one answer left my mouth, almost before I could think about it.

—Aren’t they… friends? Isn’t that all?

She leaned back slightly at my answer and narrowed her eyes. Then she took another bite with all the refinement expected of a princess, chewing in silence for several seconds before speaking again.

—You hesitated before answering such a simple question —she remarked without looking at me, using the tone I was beginning to recognize as her usual way of speaking: half criticism, half constant evaluation.

I wasn’t entirely sure what she meant.

Had she expected some elaborate answer filled with treaty names and historical dates?

Still, something told me that I had reached the correct conclusion, even if it was the simplest one possible.

Sometimes complicated things have simple explanations.

I wisely kept that thought to myself.

The other twin, seated on the far side of her sister, turned toward me with an expression of pure boredom and rested her chin on one hand.

—What time is your ritual? I’m already getting terribly bored. All this waiting is tedious. I was thinking of taking a bath to pass the time, or perhaps walking through those gardens I saw when we arrived.

—Obviously, it begins at five in the afternoon —I replied, my irritation showing as my fingers tightened slightly around my fork—. You should be patient and wait like everyone else.

At that moment, I wanted to answer far more harshly.

Why did I have to put up with these two spoiled brats? They hadn’t even spent a full day in my home, yet they already behaved as though the entire place belonged to them.

Then I remembered what Siena had told me that very morning while we sat on the front steps.

Stay calm. Handle everything calmly.

With that in mind, I took a deep breath and finished my meal without saying anything else.

I decided to let the rulers continue their peaceful conversation with my parents instead of allowing my cousins to interrupt the gathering with any more awkward questions.

When I checked the pendulum clock hanging on one wall of the dining room, I realized that only one hour and fifty minutes remained before the ritual.

That morning, when I had first awakened, there had been ten full hours left. Somehow, time had managed to pass both quickly and painfully slowly, depending on what occupied my thoughts.

I decided it would be wise to take a nap before the ritual began.

I needed to be rested and alert, without exhaustion clouding my thoughts in front of so many important nobles.

After excusing myself politely from the table, I returned to my room. The moment I entered, I collapsed onto the bed and surrendered to sleep almost immediately, without even removing my shoes properly.

Or at least, I thought I had.

My mind continued circling the same unanswered question—whether I would be a good brother—until I heard the voice again.

It’s almost here. Don’t worry…

The whisper came from directly beside my ear.

It was so close that a shiver ran through my entire body and raised the hairs along my arms.

In a burst of seriousness that I had no idea I possessed in that moment of sudden panic, I shot upright in bed and demanded to know who was there.

With courage I probably didn’t truly possess, I threatened to tell Siena so she could find the intruder and teach it a proper lesson—whatever that invisible presence might be.

For a moment, I thought it might be some cruel prank. Perhaps one of the maids was responsible, or even the twins trying to frighten me before the ritual.

Then I returned to that place.

A completely white space appeared around me, swallowing everything.

The boundaries of my bedroom, the bed, and the walls vanished as though the entire world had dissolved into a blank page waiting to be written anew.

Fear coursed through me when I saw someone sitting in the same chair I remembered from the moment of my birth, surrounded by a white nothingness that seemed to have neither beginning nor end.

The first time I had seen him, several years ago—just before being reborn into this body—I hadn’t been able to make out his appearance.

He had been little more than a blurred silhouette: a boy with unruly hair dressed in fantasy-like clothing.

But now, after spending so long in this body, after years of growing, learning, and becoming the person I was, I recognized him immediately.

The realization froze the blood in my veins.

Was that… me?

The figure rose from the chair in a slow, almost theatrical motion.

He stared directly at me for what felt like an eternity before releasing a laugh that sounded disturbingly familiar—like a distorted echo of my own voice.

I jolted awake with sweat covering my face, my heart hammering against my chest and my breathing ragged as though I had just run a great distance.

I couldn’t understand what I had seen or why that figure had looked so much like me.

Then Siena opened my bedroom door without knocking, with the familiarity of someone who no longer needed permission.

She found me drenched in sweat, still breathing heavily, my gaze unfocused.

—Ren, what are you still doing in here? It’s time to leave for the ritual —she said, urgency in her voice as she hurried toward the bed.

She took a nearby towel from the back of a chair and began drying my face with quick, precise movements.

All the while, she watched me with concern, as though she could tell that something wasn’t quite right.

—Did you have another nightmare? —she asked, her movements slowing as her voice softened.

I didn’t know how to answer. I was still trying to process what I had just seen.

—Something like that —was all I managed to say.

She didn’t press me any further, perhaps understanding that this wasn’t the right moment to discuss it, instead, he asked me to get changed, since it was time for us to leave.