Chapter 37: Zacklina

The next day,

As the morning sun coloured the sky a warm red, birds chirped to announce to nature that the sun had finally risen. Coco and Liriel went to fill the empty bottles alongside Valkira, while I sat on a wooden log, sipping the tea Alira had found early in the morning.

Dark circles shadowed my eyes. Half-asleep, my eyelids kept dropping, and I couldn't stop yawning.

“Are you alright?” Alira asked directly.

“Do I look alright? I’m so sleepy that if I lay down right now, I might not wake up until tomorrow morning.”

“If you didn't get enough sleep, why didn't you wake someone else up? Didn't I say we should take turns resting?” she raised her voice, genuine concern cutting through her tone.

“I went to wake you up… but you were all sleeping so soundly that I felt bad ruining it.”

“I see…. Well, thanks for that. But from now on, I’d prefer it if you woke me up. We don’t want to drag a dead body around on our entire journey to Ignis Veil.”

“You really are a tsundere, aren't you? Never honest with yourself,” I muttered, taking my last sip just as footsteps approached from behind.

“We’re back! Look what we found!” Coco announced, her voice energetic and cheerful.

I turned to see Liriel holding a frog, which she immediately shoved toward my face, poking it against my cheek while Valkira followed close behind.

“Liriel, I know you want to show me, but could you please stop rubbing it on my face first thing in the morning?” I grumbled, clearly annoyed.

“No… Coco told me a story about a princess who kissed a frog and turned it into a prince…” She paused, pulling it back slightly before thrusting it right back into my face. “Zacken-sama, kiss him.”

Ribbit!

The frog flicked its tongue out, hitting my forehead once, twice, and then again.

Reaching my absolute limit, I snatched the frog from Liriel’s hands and threw it as far as I could.

“Ahh… My Zacklina…”

“Zacklina… huh?” Alira repeated. When I glared in her direction, she quickly averted her eyes.

“Anyway, if we’re ready, we need to—” Valkira cut in, her eyes landing on the dark circles under my eyes. “Zacken, perhaps you should…”

I stopped her before she could finish, standing up from the log. “Nah, don’t worry about me. It’s best if we reach the Frozen Forest before noon. Once we’re there, we’ll have plenty of time to rest. But before that…”

I turned to Alira and Liriel. “Could you two gather some fruit? It’d be nice to bring some for your aunt… She’ll be happy to get something from you two and Valkira.”

“Yes? What are your instructions for me?” Valkira asked, tilting her head.

“I want you to take a quick thirty-minute nap. Except for you, the rest of us got at least some sleep.”

“But you don’t have to—”

“Don’t argue… Consider it a request. We need you in top shape. Until then, Coco and I will scout ahead a bit so we don’t run into any danger.”

“Fine then…” Valkira agreed.

We split up. Alira and Liriel went off to look for fruit, while Coco and I headed deeper into the forest. Exhausted, I lagged behind while Coco, full of energy, marched ahead. She kept stopping, waiting for me to catch up, then taking off again.

“Onii-chan, you’re really slow…” she said flatly.

“Don’t tease me. I’m exhausted, and I barely slept. You should at least be grateful I’m tagging along.”

“Yeah, yeah… Thank you, I’m so grateful…” She bowed dramatically, opening one eye to peek up at me. “Satisfied?”

“I don’t even have the energy to argue. Anyway, what about your magic? Have you learned any other elements besides Fire and Light?”

“Hmm, not yet. Tez was mainly teaching me control so I don’t pass out from using too much mana. But… I can try!”

“Try…? What do you mean—”

Coco pointed her hand straight at me, a mischievous smile spreading across her face.

“Aquaerisyas!”

The moisture in the air instantly gathered around her hands, forming a orb of water. Before I could process what she was doing, she launched it straight at me.

SPLASH!

It hit me square in the chest, soaking me entirely and knocking me to the ground.

“Coco… You’ve really done it now…” My voice cracked with anger as I pushed myself back up and took a heavy step forward.

Seeing the fury in my eyes, Coco immediately took a step back, panic settling in.

“Onii-chan… You know we’re in a forest, right? We shouldn’t do anything that might cause a scene or—”

“You…!” I lunged at her, and she let out a shriek, spinning around to run.

“Stop right there! I’m going to teach you some respect for your elders!”

“I’m sorry! I just wanted to wake you up!”

“Wake me up, my ass! I’m going to put you to sleep for the rest of your life!”

Despite my exhaustion, the shock of the cold water didn't just wake me up—it ignited pure rage. I picked up my pace, rapidly closing the distance. Before she could escape into the brush, I lunged, wrapping my arm around her neck and pulling her into a tight headlock, grinding my knuckles into her hair.

“Now do you see what happens when you disrespect your elders, huh?”

“Stop it… Stop it! Onii-chan, it hurts… Ow, ow!”

SNAP.

The sharp crack of a heavy wooden trigger mechanism echoed beneath our feet.

“Wait—”

Before either of us could react, a massive rope net hidden under a layer of fallen leaves whipped violently upward.

“Whoa!”

The net scooped us off the ground and hoisted us high into the air. We slammed into each other, tangled together inside the mesh as the net swung wildly from a thick branch.

“Onii-chan… Your foot! It’s on my face…” Coco squirmed, trying to shift away, which only made the net spin faster.

“Stop moving! You’re making us spin!” I groaned, struggling to adjust my weight.

“See? I told you we shouldn’t cause a scene in the forest!” Coco whimpered.

“You’re the one who blasted me with water and made me chase you!” I snapped back, dragging a hand across my forehead in sheer frustration. “Dammit… Why is today going so badly?”

Before I could figure out a way to cut us free, the rustle of heavy boots against dry leaves echoed from the bushes below, slowly heading straight toward us.