Chapter 17. Evolving Bonds

“You think they did it last night?”

“No way! Even he wouldn’t do that with so many kids around.”

“What are you two talking about? What’s 'it'?”

“Nothing. Ignore those two idiots or you’ll end up dumber,” I answered the curious children, holding onto Emma tightly under our sleeping bag, not wanting to let her go.

“Time to get up, Ken. I need to help Juila make breakfast,” Emma requested, and I reluctantly released her from my embrace.

“You really didn’t do anything, right?” Candace whispered, eyeing me suspiciously.

“What I do with my lover is none of your business.” Ignoring the pair’s pestering, I joined the children and Ryo in the living room, chatting and getting to know everyone a little better as the children eagerly shared everything I asked.

After breakfast, I decided to take a quick trip around the village to greet and thank all the villagers, with the children happily following behind, along with the pair of nosy girls.

As we visited each house, the children happily introduced the residents to the girls, while I expressed gratitude to everyone for their support of my family.

While most of the villagers were familiar faces, I couldn’t help but notice new occupants in houses that used to belong to people I knew.

“Old man John and sister Kate live here. They look super scary but are super nice!” One of the boys informed the girls, with the others nodding in agreement.

Puzzled by why the kids found the young fox beastman girl frightening, I knocked on the old wooden door, uncertain of what to expect.

“You kids are too loud! What are you doing here anyway? I don’t have free snacks for you.” The door opened, and I came face to face with the intimidating girl the kids had mentioned. The once ordinary fox beastman young girl had transformed into a young lady, but her appearance dramatically altered.

“Kate?”

“KEN! You're finally back!” she exclaimed, hugging me tightly and calling for her grandfather.

Inviting us into their centuries-old wooden mansion, which also functioned as a shop, the kids ran around excitedly when I told them I’d buy whatever they wanted.

“Surprised by my appearance? It took me a while to get used to it too,” Kate said with a faint smile as we caught up.

Similar to Fernard, Kate had been transformed five years ago. However, unlike Fernard, who showed no physical changes and only benefited from the corruption from gaining immense strength, Kate underwent a drastic physical transformation.

Once a small typical fox beastman with fox ears and a fluffy tail, Kate now sported gnarly black horns, razor-sharp teeth like a wild beast, and her physical size had increased dramatically, almost matching her giant grizzly beastman grandfather.

“Sorry, Kate. I feel responsible for what happened to you,” I apologized, feeling guilty about her altered appearance.

“You know, Ken, Genesis was like an older sister to me. Every time you came back from Dragonspire and brought her with during the breaks. While you barely spent any time home with all the traveling you did around the world to spend time with your different girlfriends or to train. She would spend those days when you were gone here, just lazing around complaining about you.” Despite tormenting myself during my isolated years, those who cared for me repeatedly reassured me it wasn't my fault. Slowly, I began to believe their words.

“Alright kids, time for lunch. Thanks, old man John and Kate, for looking after everyone. I’ll visit again.”

“You better visit again and not just disappear for years.” Kate scolded.

Once outside, the young girl I once knew waved goodbye, now towering over me, a reminder of how much things had changed.

“Poor Kate. I wonder how many others underwent physical changes like her,” Candace mused as we walked home with goods we'd picked up.

“Why feel bad for her? She got a major power-up! I’d be thrilled to gain that much strength,” Tina chimed in.

“Not everyone cares about getting stronger Tina. Besides, you don’t even have the potential. Even if you had the blessing like Zeev, I doubt you could ever beat Ryo,” I interjected.

“That vampire boy? Is he even strong?”

“Ryo’s the strongest!” the kids shouted.

“Ken’s definitely stronger!” Candace countered, sparking an argument with the kids, acting like a grown child.

Returning home, we found lunch almost ready, and the kids and Tina demanded sparring matches with Ryo.

“Ready to get your ass kicked?” Tina taunted as she faced off against Ryo after lunch, the kids eagerly watching.

While Tina was undoubtedly strong compared to an average person, I knew she stood no chance against Ryo, a young man who had always been an inspiration to me, even when he was just a little boy barely surviving in the slums.

“Go, Ryo! Teach her a lesson!” Some of the kids cheered, while Tina, baring her fangs, tried to intimidate them, which only made matters worse.

“Stop trying to scare the kids. You’re only making yourself look worse,” I called out, adding fuel to Tina’s growing frustration.

“It’s all your fault! If you hadn’t distracted me, I wouldn’t have lost!” Tina yelled angrily at me after getting thoroughly beaten by Ryo, much to the kids' delight.

“Ken! Show the kids who the strongest in the world is!” Candace shouted, starting to mimic Tina’s behavior a little too much.

“Emma, who are you cheering for?” the kids asked eagerly as Emma decided to observe the spar between Ryo and me. “I’m not rooting for either one. They're both strong and on the same side. Just try to learn something from their match,” Emma replied, sounding more like an adult than the rest of us.

Four years my junior, Ryo had only completed one year of schooling at Dragonspire before it closed due to unforeseen events. Instead of learning from the best, this poor boy from the slums had to grow up quickly while I sank into this sorry state.

“Did you know vampires are born twice as physically capable as regular people?” one of the kids boasted to the girls.

“That’s unfair! No wonder he won!” Tina grumbled, attributing her complete defeat to that factor.

Though vampires looked just like regular humans, they were naturally much stronger and survived solely on blood. Having had a vampire lover before, I was completely familiar with their physiology.

Aware of Ryo’s incredible talent since childhood, I decided to test his current abilities, knowing I should still have the upper hand, unlike my spars with Fernard. Recognizing my intent, Ryo matched my intensity, and we vanished from everyone’s sight, engaging in a fierce exchange.

“What happened? I couldn’t see anything! Who won?” Tina complained after we reappeared minutes later. Though I was undeniably stronger, Ryo expertly dodged any fatal strikes, and while my stamina drained, his seemed boundless.

“I don’t know what you've been through these past 5 years, but I never imagined you'd become this strong, Ryo.”

“He had to defend us against people who were blessed. He knew he couldn’t win in a straight-up fight, so he trained his stamina to outlast anyone!” Julia happily explained as she rushed over to check on Ryo's well-being.

“It’s thanks to Juila. My desire to protect her, no matter what, made me adapt and figure out what I needed to do to keep her safe. Like how you were Alice’s soulmate; when I first saw Juila, I knew something was different about her.”

“Sorry, Ryo. With your talent, if you had the proper teachers and training at Dragonspire, I wouldn’t even be surprised if you could reach holy level at a younger age than I did,” I said to the young man, feeling guilt once again for the situation.

“I’m strong enough to keep Juila safe, and that’s all that mattered! Besides, if it wasn’t for you, I might have starved to death in the slums years ago,” Ryo replied, with others nodding in agreement.

After I explained to the kids that their amazing older brother Ryo had clearly won due to my lack of stamina to continue the fight, the kids cheered loudly, proudly taunting the two upset girls.

“What’s the plan for tomorrow and beyond?” Candace asked, changing the subject.

“I’m going to the capital tomorrow to see the rest of my family.”

“I’m coming too!” Tina shouted, still in a heated argument with the kids. And of course, Candace also demanded to tag along.

The rest of the afternoon passed quickly as I spent time teaching the kids simple concepts to help them understand the basics of magic while showing them some cool tricks.

“Dinner’s ready, everyone!” Julia exclaimed joyfully, though the kids groaned in protest, not satisfied with what I had taught them so far.

With the extra rations we bought from old man John, dinner was a feast compared to the day before. The kids rejoiced at the different dishes Emma, Tina, and Julia managed to cook, and their opinion of the wolf-girl Tina changed due to her cooking skills.

After the fulfilling dinner, the entire family gathered in the living room. To entertain the kids, I shared stories about the past, some listening in awe while others listened skeptically.

“Did you really train with Osmar the hero? The greatest beastman to ever live?”

“Sure did, worst 5 months of my life,” I told the skeptical boy as we called it a night and headed upstairs to bed together.

With everyone settled in their sleeping bags, I was once again nestled with Emma, but this night not overwhelmed with fatigue from my travels.

“Ken. You know we can’t do anything with this many kids here!” Emma scolded me quietly as my desires surged.

“Sorry. Maybe once we start traveling to Darrumburgh, we can get away from those two and have some alone time,” I whispered, hoping my desires would fade for the night.

“Ken. I can’t come with you. The kids need me, mom needs me, everyone here has a role to play, and I can’t just abandon my role to go on a journey with you.”

“But it might take years before I will be back!” I countered, unable to imagine that Emma, who’s always there for me, would refuse to travel.

“And it doesn’t matter how long it takes you. I will be here waiting,” Emma replied, giving me a tender kiss.

It was at this moment that I realized things are no longer the same. Just like how I had to grow up and be the man for this family when I was only 10 years old, with my absence, even Emma had changed, and I am no longer the center of her universe.

Feeling disappointed that Emma won’t be coming with us, I had to come to terms with the new reality as I hugged her tightly, feeling her warmth for as long as I could. The lust I felt minutes ago, now replaced by sadness—sorrow that my selfishness and absence had forced those I loved to change and adapt.

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