"You're late again, big brother."
Someone nearly knocked Dean over from behind as little hands wrapped around his waist like a koala.
"Sorry, I was busy saving the world," Dean spoke, seemingly out of habit.
"That's what you said the last time," Nessa quickly snapped with a soft giggle.
Dean turned to face her. The girl was ten years younger than Dean. She had their family's traditional black hair, but unlike Dean, her eyes were like orange crystals.
Her eyes gleamed as she stared at him with both hands stretched forward.
Dean quickly picked her up and placed her on his shoulders, causing her to giggle even louder.
They soon exited the school compound as she bounced on his shoulders.
Dean didn't know how to feel about the situation, after all this was the first time he'd done this, but this body handled it all like it was second nature.
"So how was school," he tried to start a conversation awkwardly.
"School was fine. How many people did you save before coming," Nessa asked, genuinely curious.
"Ummm," Dean tried to find his words.
"I saved three manta rays," he answered while he wiggled his shoulders, making her smile.
"I'll tell big sis all about it," she joked mischievously.
"No. No. No. Big sis must never know i'm a superhero," he quickly retorted.
If Yuki ever found out he didn't pick Nessa up early, then he was certainly carving his own headstone today.
"How about we go see one of the manta rays I saved," Dean tried to change Nessa's mind, knowing from memory she always loved to see those manta rays.
"Let's go," she said, clapping in excitement.
"But you've to promise me something first," Dean followed up with a small smile on his face as he picked up the pace toward the transit zone.
"I'll give you my lollipop," Nessa answered like she had done this dance before.
"No... not that," Dean rolled his eyes.
"Promise me you won't tell Yuki I came late, alright?"
"Okay," she blurted.
"Pinky promise," Dean lifted his little finger.
She took it with a soft grin. Wrapping her tiny finger around his.
"Pinky promise."
Dean smiled as he held her properly.
"All aboard," he yelled before he sprinted forward while he balanced her on his shoulder.
Even as people passing by looked at them with smiles on their faces, Nessa's voice filled the air with a "Weeehhh."
<><><>
It barely took them ten minutes before they arrived at the same transit zone where Dean had came from earlier.
"Woah," Nessa exclaimed with amazement as if she had never seen the flying manta rays before.
Dean brought her even closer to the docking platform while she still hopped on his shoulders, clapping.
Some eyes turned towards them a bit irritated, but Dean glared back as if his very gaze were venomous.
Dean walked close to the ticket office before bending down slightly, bringing her down from his shoulders.
Nessa's face turned sour almost immediately her feet touched the ground.
Dean smiled even as she puffed her jaw, ready to complain.
"Do you want to ride it?" Dean asked, while he gestured his chin towards the now grounded Manta ray.
Nessa's eyes nearly popped from their sockets.
"Yes… yes," she answered while hopping in place.
Dean nodded and held her hand to the ticket booth. He purchased two tickets which cost about fifty quid.
'The price for silence,' he thought.
It was only a few minutes later when they boarded the beautiful familiar.
They were about ten persons on the back of the Manta ray including the rider who held steadily on a rein while he stood on the head of the ray.
The crew arranged the passengers in a small compartment where they sat like they were around a roundtable.
The familiar's body jerked slightly before it began glowing and took to the sky.
Its body swam in the air, totally defying gravity, as its tail slapped the air with a soft hum.
Nessa was totally silent at this point. Her mouth seemed to have lost the ability to close as she kept tugging on Dean's jacket.
"De-Dean," she tried speaking while pointing downwards, surprised by how the district looked from above.
"I see it," Dean chuckled while the wind brushed mildly against his hair.
'If only you were here to see this too Ash,' he thought about his dog before staring at Nessa, who was just tilting her head from left to right.
'It isn't all bad though,' he thought.
It only took a few minutes to arrive at the transit zone that was merely a five minutes walk from the Gray family's main compound.
When they landed, Nessa was just smiling as she hugged Dean's waist tightly and said nothing else.
Shortly after leaving the transit zone, they arrived at the family compound. The security opened the gate after greeting them.
The interior of the compound differed totally from everything outside it.
It was large, with cherry blossoms planted at sweet points in the compound. The trees looked like they had survived the apocalypse alongside the Grays.
The main house sat at the center. With other smaller houses around the compound.
The roofs of the houses were low with dark tiles that had seen better days and a wooden veranda that ran along its front where pairs of footwear sat neatly lined outside the entrance.
The forge was off to the right, separate from the main house. The sound of hammering could still be heard, but the smell of scorched metal was undeniable.
Nessa had already begun running ahead before Dean knew it but the smell hit them both at the same time.
Something was cooking inside. Something good.
Nessa turned back to Dean with wide eyes.
"Yuki made curry," she whispered like it was classified information. Dean's stomach answered before he could with a low groan.
Nessa giggled and made her way to the entrance, needless to say, her shoes had vanished, and she was already making her way into the house before Dean could blink.
Dean chuckled and followed slower. Sliding off his boots at the veranda and lining them up with the others.
He straightened up, took a deep breath.
He had begun sliding the flower patterned door open when a screen flashed into his view.
[ANALYSIS COMPLETE]
[Host full profile now available.]
[Familiars attunement: Confirmed.]
[Objective completed]
[Proceed when ready.]
Dean stared at the blue screen in his vision for a long moment. Then the smell of curry pulled him back before he attempted to go further.
He gulped and stepped inside.
Attached to this Text is the depiction of the Manta ray
A/N: if you're enjoying the story, please add to library. Support with a powerstone or two, Thank you.