The door to the large hotel room clicked shut, leaving a sudden, heavy silence in its wake. I stood by the window, watching the faint reflection of the room in the dark glass. Sogha and Elphyete had just left, their faces a mix of determination and lingering worry as they headed back out into the labyrinthine streets of the underground city. They still hadn't found the Building of Entertainment, and the pressure of their mission was clearly weighing on them. They had asked me to stay behind today, to look after the little one while they navigated the more dangerous districts. I didn't mind. In fact, after everything I had seen in my long life, a quiet day of babysitting felt like a welcome change of pace.
I turned around to see Salphy sitting on the edge of the giant bed. She was wearing the violet dress we had bought for her yesterday, her small grey-skinned hands folded neatly in her lap. Her silver eyes were fixed on the door, and for a moment, she looked incredibly small against the backdrop of the massive, dark-stone room. Her long black hair was brushed smooth, and she looked like a little doll waiting for someone to tell her what to do.
"They'll be back soon, Salphy," I said, my voice soft and calm. I made sure to keep my expression gentle. I knew that for a child who had spent so much time in a cage, sudden changes or loud voices could be frightening. "They just have some important things to find. Until then, you and I are going to have a little adventure of our own."
Salphy looked up at me, her silver eyes shimmering with a bit of uncertainty. She had spent most of her time clinging to Elphyete or Sogha, and being alone with me was clearly something new for her. She tilted her head, watching me with a curious intensity.
"Eufrien?" she whispered.
"Yes, Salphy?"
"Are you a warrior too? Like Daddy Sogha?"
I walked over to a chair near the bed and sat down so I wasn't towering over her. "In a way, I suppose I am. But my role is a little different."
"Mommy Elphyete says you're very strong," she said, her voice gaining a bit of confidence. She hopped off the bed and walked toward me, her new boots making a soft clicking sound on the floor. "She said you're a hero."
I smiled, a small, genuine smile that reached my eyes. "She told you that, did she? Well, she's not wrong. I was actually the very first hero."
Salphy stopped in her tracks, her silver eyes going wide. She stared at me as if she were seeing me for the first time. The silence in the room seemed to stretch as she processed what I had just said. In her world, the word "hero" probably meant something legendary, something out of the stories her parents might have told her before they were gone.
"The... the first one?" she stammered, her voice full of awe. "Like, before everyone else? Even before the old stories?"
"Even then," I replied. I reached out and gently patted her head. Her hair was as soft as silk. "I've been around for a very long time, Salphy. I've seen many things and helped many people. But today, my most important job is making sure you have a good day."
Salphy continued to stare at me, her mouth slightly open. Suddenly, her entire expression changed. The fear and uncertainty vanished, replaced by a look of absolute wonder. She took a step closer, her eyes sparkling. "That's extremely cool! You're the coolest person ever! Does that mean you can fight monsters with just one hand? Can you fly? Do you have a magic sword that glows like the sun?"
I laughed quietly, the sound echoing in the large room. "Maybe not all of that at once, but I can certainly keep you safe. Now, how about we go get some breakfast? I saw a place downstairs that has some very sweet fruit."
Salphy nodded vigorously, her black hair bouncing. She reached out and grabbed my hand, her small fingers wrapping tightly around mine. The grip was firm and trusting. As we walked out of the room and down the stairs, I could feel her looking at me every few seconds, as if she were checking to make sure the "First Hero" was still there.
The lobby was relatively quiet, with only a few travelers sitting near the glowing fireplace. We found a small table in the corner, and I ordered a plate of the freshest fruit the hotel had, along with some warm bread. Salphy ate with an enthusiasm that was heartening to see. She was talking non-stop now, her shyness completely gone.
"So, if you're the first hero, does that mean you know everything?" she asked, her mouth full of a piece of glowing blue fruit.
"Not everything," I said, leaning back in my chair. "But I know enough to know that this fruit is very good. And I know that you look very nice in that new dress."
Salphy giggled and smoothed down the violet fabric. "Mommy picked it. She has very pretty ears. Yours are different. They don't turn pink like hers."
"That's true," I said. "Elphyete is special. She feels things very deeply, and her ears show it. It's one of the things that makes her a great princess."
After we finished eating, we decided to take a walk through a quieter part of the city. I didn't want to take her near the Building of Entertainment or the busier trade districts where things could get rough. Instead, we found a path that led toward an area where the underground city met the natural stone of the dungeon walls. It was a place where small, glowing mosses grew in thick carpets, lighting up the dark stone with a soft green glow. It was like walking inside a lamp in a blacked-out room, but the light here felt natural and peaceful.
Salphy was fascinated by the moss. She would run ahead a few steps, then stop to poke at a glowing patch, only to run back and grab my hand again. She seemed to think that since I was the First Hero, I was the ultimate authority on everything we saw.
"Eufrien, look! This one is moving!" she shouted, pointing at a small insect that was crawling through the moss. "Is it a monster? Should we fight it?"
"It's just a beetle, Salphy," I said, kneeling down beside her. "Not every creature is a monster. Most of them are just living their lives, just like us. A hero doesn't just fight; a hero knows when to be gentle."
She looked at the beetle for a long time, her silver eyes reflecting its faint glow. "Gentle," she repeated softly. She looked back at me and smiled. "You're very gentle, Eufrien. For a hero, I mean. I thought you'd be all loud and scary."
"Being scary doesn't help anyone," I told her. "True strength is being able to protect others without making them afraid."
We spent several hours exploring that quiet corner of the city. We found a small stream of water that trickled down the stone wall, and I showed her how to skip flat pebbles across the surface of the dark pools. Every time she managed to get a pebble to hop once or twice, she would jump up and down, shouting about how she was "training to be a hero" too. I watched her with a sense of quiet satisfaction. This child had seen so much darkness, but here she was, laughing in the middle of a dungeon.
As the hours passed, we eventually made our way back toward the more settled parts of the city. We stopped at a small stall that sold honey-coated nuts, and I bought a bag for us to share. Salphy was starting to look a little tired, her steps getting slower and her yawns getting more frequent.
"Are you ready to go back to the hotel?" I asked.
"Can we stay out a little longer?" she asked, though her eyes were half-closed. "I want to see more cool hero stuff."
"The coolest thing a hero can do right now is make sure his friend gets a good nap," I said, picking her up. She was surprisingly light, and she immediately tucked her head into the crook of my neck.
As I carried her back to "The Deep Rest," she stayed quiet, her small hands holding onto my shirt. The walk through the dark streets felt different with her in my arms. The jagged stone buildings and the flickering lamps didn't seem so cold or forbidding. I made sure to keep my pace steady and my grip secure, wanting her to feel as safe as possible.
When we finally reached the hotel and walked up to the room, the hallway was silent. I unlocked the door and carried her inside. The room was still bathed in that soft golden light from the lamps we had left on. I laid her down in the middle of the giant bed, and she barely stirred as I pulled the blankets over her. She looked so peaceful, her grey skin smooth and her black hair fanned out across the pillow.
I sat in the chair by the window again, watching her sleep. I knew that Sogha and Elphyete would be back soon, hopefully with some news about the King or the building they were searching for. But for now, the room was a sanctuary.
A few minutes later, Salphy's eyes flickered open for just a second. She saw me sitting there and gave a tiny, sleepy smile.
"Eufrien?" she whispered.
"I'm here, Salphy."
"You really are the coolest," she mumbled before her eyes slid shut again.
I stayed there in the silence, a strange sense of pride warming my chest. I had fought in wars, defeated powerful foes, and stood at the beginning of an entire era of heroes. But being called "cool" by a five-year-old dark elf girl felt like one of the greatest honors I had ever received. I watched the shadows dance on the stone walls, waiting for the others to return home. The city outside was still dark, and the mission was still far from over, but in this room, everything was right. The First Hero had done his job for the day, and his charge was safe and sound. After a while, I leaned my head back and closed my eyes, letting the quiet of the hotel wrap around me as I waited for Sogha and Elphyete to bring word of what came next. The day of babysitting had ended, and it had been, in its own way, a legendary success.