The next morning, when Emelia arrived, Xiver was already waiting near the table.
For a moment neither of them spoke.
Then Xiver lowered his head slightly.
"…Sorry about yesterday," he muttered.
Emelia blinked, surprised. Then a gentle smile appeared on her face.
"No, Xiver," she said softly. "I share the fault too."
She adjusted her glasses and looked down.
"When you needed someone the most… I didn't listen to you. I didn't stand on your side like I should have."
Her voice lowered.
"I'm sorry I couldn't do what I was supposed to do."
Xiver's hands slowly clenched into fists.
"What were you supposed to do?" he asked quietly.
His voice trembled slightly.
"Be a babysitter who just stays on my side because she's getting paid?"
His fists tightened harder.
"Someone who listens to a kid whining and crying so she doesn't make a mess?"
He looked directly at her.
"Who are you supposed to be… if you were never genuine with me?"
Emelia's eyes widened.
"Xiver… I have been genuine with you," she replied.
"I shared my laughs with you. I shared my hard times andd sadnesses with you as well."
"Then why?" Xiver shouted.
His voice cracked.
"Why did you treat me like that?!"
"Like you knew me… when you never even gave me a chance to talk about myself!"
His breathing became heavier.
"You might think I'm blind. Or stupid."
He looked straight at her.
"But I heard you and Alexander talking yesterday."
Emelia froze.
Her eyes widened and she instinctively adjusted her glasses.
"…So that's what this is," she whispered.
"You think I'm on Alexander's side."
Xiver looked away.
"Why," he murmured, "when I needed someone the most… was nobody on my side?"
Emelia stepped closer.
"I am on your side, Xiver."
"Too late," he replied coldly.
Silence filled the room.
Then Emelia spoke again.
"I'm your friend."
Xiver looked confused.
Emelia shook her head slowly.
"No… that's not right either."
She placed her hand on her chest.
"My name is Emelia. But I don't want to be called just 'Emelia.'"
She looked straight into his eyes.
"I don't want to be called babysitter either."
Xiver frowned slightly.
"Then what do you want to be called?"
Emelia smiled softly.
"I want to be called what I am."
Xiver tilted his head.
"And what are you?"
Emelia gently took his hand.
"I'm whatever you see me as."
"The name you give me… that's the name I want."
Her voice softened.
"You're the only person whose opinion about me matters."
"I care about how you feel."
"I care about how you act around me."
"I care more than anyone else, Xiver."
She squeezed his hand slightly.
"I want to be more then Emelia , more then your friend , i share the same feelings as you and i never want to be alone , if i were in your shoe , just then i would want to be your sister."
"Maybe we don't share the same parents."
"But I want to be that sister."
She adjusted her glasses again, a little embarrassed.
"I want to be the Emelia that you call your sister."
Xiver looked down.
He felt both confused he didn't understand where that came from he didn't understand whats wrong with hrr in that exact moment but strangely shy he was .
Emelia gently grabbed his head and leaned forward.
Their foreheads touched.
She smiled warmly.
"See, Xiver?"
"People don't have to share blood to be connected."
"Memories connect us."
"Experiences connect us."
"Struggles connect us."
"Even hate and love can connect people."
"We're all connected somehow."
Xiver stayed silent.
Then a tear slipped from his left eye , he didn't understand where that came from as he wipes it .
"…Sorry," he whispered again.
Emelia immediately raised a hand.
"Hey."
She lightly tapped his forehead.
"Were you even listening to me?"
She giggled
"If I'm your sister, you don't have to apologize like that."
Xiver wiped the tear away again.
"…Yeah," he said quietly.
"But I've been left alone before."
His voice hardened slightly.
"And I won't let that happen again."
Emelia raised her thumb proudly and winked.
"Good answer."
Xiver looked toward the mirror across the room.
Inside his mind, he made a silent promise.
In his previous life, he had once been surrounded by people who loved him.
When he lost them, he lost his path as well.
But now—
With Emelia beside him—
He wouldn't lose himself again.
This time…
He wouldn't be alone.
Ever again.
Not long after Emelia and Xiver began spending more time together outside, Elizabeth was informed about their growing bond.
She was furious when she heard about it.
However, she didn't do anything.
In the end, she simply didn't care enough to interfere.
A few days later, a stranger arrived at the house.
He was an old man with a massive black beard and a body that looked like it had been carved from stone , dwarf race , thats bigger then both Emelia and xiver . Emelia brought him into the garden, where Xiver was waiting.
The man cleared his throat.
"My name is Axe," he said proudly. "I am ranked number five best sword wielder in the kingdom, holding the Bear Rank."
Xiver stared at him for a moment before turning toward Emelia.
"…Hey. What's this dude doing here?"
Emelia's face immediately turned red.
SMACK.
She slapped the back of his head.
"MANNERS!"
She adjusted her glasses and spoke with forced politeness.
"Xiver… this is Axe."
"He's going to be your trainer."
Xiver blinked.
"My trainer?"
Emelia nodded.
"Since you haven't made any progress with magic… we decided it would be better if you trained in swordsmanship instead."
Xiver immediately shook his head.
"I don't want to do that. It's boring."
Emelia sighed.
"Well, it's been six years with no magical progress."
Axe chuckled.
"Don't worry, kiddo. I'll go easy on you. That's what Alexander told me to do."
Xiver looked at the huge man more carefully.
Axe looked like something straight out of a Viking tale. He wore a formal tuxedo that somehow looked ridiculous on his massive body. His beard was thick and wild, while the top of his head was completely bald. One of his eyes was blind, covered by a cloudy white film.
Despite his terrifying appearance, his expression was strangely gentle.
Xiver grabbed Emelia's sleeve.
"Emelia… please."
"I don't want to do this."
"It's boring."
Emelia scratched the back of her head awkwardly.
"Sorry, Xiver, but you need to learn."
"…Since, uh… you're Alexander's son."
She hesitated.
"People might try to attack you someday."
Xiver immediately realized she was lying.
No one would ever attack him.
Every time he walked through the village with Emelia, the streets fell silent.
Not because people feared her.
But because they feared Alexander.
Axe crossed his arms.
"So, kiddo… what'll it be?"
"I don't want to learn swordsmanship!" Xiver shouted, tears forming in his eyes.
After nearly an hour of arguing and persuading, Emelia finally convinced him.
Training began that very day.
Xiver's body was small and fragile.
Axe's arm alone was nearly the same size as Xiver's entire torso.
Yet Axe never used a sword.
He simply used his arm as if it were a blade, easily defeating Xiver in every match.
Xiver used a wooden sword.
Axe didn't even bother picking one up.
They trained the entire day.
After the brutal start, Emelia tried to cheer Xiver up with sweets—candies and cakes from the village.
Xiver didn't particularly enjoy the food in this world.
But sweets were different.
The taste reminded him slightly of his past life.
And every time he tasted that sweetness, it reminded him of his goal.
Returning home.
So he trained.
Again.
And again.
And again.
The garden became his battlefield.
It was small, surrounded by high stone walls. Elizabeth used part of it to grow vegetables, while a single old tree stood quietly in the center.
There were no windows.
No roof.
Only open sky above.
That garden became Xiver's entire world.
During winter, he studied magic with Emelia.
During warmer days, he trained swordsmanship with Axe.
Both of them treated him gently.
They never pushed him too far.
Sometimes Axe even joined them when they went into the village center. Although Axe lived in the city, he had known Alexander for many years.
Over the next year, Xiver slowly improved.
Axe noticed something strange about him.
Whenever Xiver focused completely, his body entered a strange flow state. He could dodge attacks with unnatural reflexes, sliding past strikes that should have hit him.
But the moment he got bored, the ability disappeared.
Xiver rushed through training just so he could leave and go out with Emelia and Axe.
Magic training was different.
Instead of practicing spells, Emelia mostly made him read books.
Surprisingly, Xiver enjoyed that.
In his past life, he mostly read novels or crime stories. He rarely studied seriously because he usually understood lessons the moment he heard them.
But now he was reading magic theory books for fun.
There was only one embarrassing problem.
He often misspelled words while writing.
Emelia noticed this quickly.
She giggled every time it happened.
Which completely infuriated Xiver.
Day after day, Emelia tried to push his magical limits.
But nothing happened.
Finally, she suggested something.
"Maybe it's because you haven't chosen a magic path."
Xiver blinked.
"What do you mean?"
Emelia explained.
"There are three major categories of magic: Divine, Manipulation, and Sorcery."
She placed her hand on her chest.
"My magic is Divine."
"But even within Divine magic, I had to choose a specialty. For example, healing."
She tried to find the right words.
"It's like… handwriting."
Xiver immediately understood the comparison.
Magic needed a personal style.
He thought for a moment.
Then he remembered the easiest spell he could imagine.
A Divine spell that accelerated plant growth.
Without saying anything, he ran toward the garden.
Emelia followed him.
Axe was already there, watering Elizabeth's vegetables.
Xiver ran toward the tree and placed both hands against the trunk.
He closed his eyes and focused.
Mana surged through his body.
Sweat ran down his face.
He pushed harder.
Harder.
Harder.
Nothing happened.
Emelia sighed quietly.
But Axe suddenly raised his hand.
"Xiver."
"I've noticed something about your magic."
"You have a ridiculous amount of mana."
Xiver and Emelia both looked confused.
"It might come from your father's blood," Axe continued. "But maybe your mother's blood makes it difficult for that mana to leave your body."
Xiver frowned.
"Where are you going with that?"
Axe quickly waved his hands.
"Sorry, kiddo. That came out wrong."
"But what I mean is… maybe your body refuses to release your mana because there's too much of it. It could damage you."
Emelia shook her head.
"I disagree."
"Mana is connected more to the soul than the body. Personality influences mana more than anything."
"But he's almost seven," Axe replied.
"And he still can't release it."
Xiver stared at the ground in silence.
Shame filled his chest.
Emelia noticed.
But she didn't know what to say.
Days turned into months.
Xiver kept training with Axe.
Eventually he cut his hair shorter, giving himself a rougher look.
Every day he improved slightly.
Then summer ended.
One day, during training, Axe did something unusual.
Instead of using his arm like a sword…
He picked up a wooden sword.
Xiver blinked in confusion.
At the same time, Xiver himself was holding something new.
A real sword.
A sharp blade with a black handle.
Today's match would decide everything.
Axe attacked first.
But Xiver reacted instantly.
He tilted his blade so sunlight reflected directly into Axe's eye.
Axe was blinded for a split second.
Xiver swung.
CRACK.
Axe struck his hand with the wooden sword.
The pain exploded through Xiver's arm.
The sword fell from his grip.
Xiver grabbed his injured hand, wincing.
Axe sighed.
"Sorry about that."
He scratched his beard.
"How about we go out today? Just the two of us."
They walked through the village.
Axe bought him a sandwich.
They talked.
Mostly about Axe's past.
About a girl he once liked.
Eventually they reached a shop.
The shopkeeper simply smiled.
"Emelia left this here for you, didn't she?"
Axe took the box.
Later they sat beside the village fountain.
Xiver looked at him.
"Why are we here?"
Axe smiled.
"Today's your birthday, isn't it?"
"Sorry Emelia couldn't come."
He handed him the box.
Inside was a strange device that wrapped around the forearm.
A brown magical brace.
"It helps control mana," Axe explained.
Xiver quickly equipped it and tried using magic on the fountain.
They waited.
Nothing happened.
Xiver looked down.
Disappointed again.
Axe scratched his beard awkwardly.
"Well… maybe Emelia can help you with it later."
Then he suddenly grinned.
"Hey."
"You didn't thank me for my gift."
Xiver blinked.
"What gift?"
Axe pointed at the sword he had been carrying all day.
"The one you've been training with."
"Happy birthday, kiddo."
Xiver froze.
The sword.
His sword.
The only thing he had actually improved at.
But instead of feeling proud…
He felt angry.
"What's the point," Xiver muttered, "if I can't even improve properly?"
"It's okay to be weak."
"But not improving… that's worse."
Axe placed a large hand on his shoulder.
"You didn't improve?"
He laughed loudly.
"Don't give me that bullshit."
"Today you made me use a sword."
Xiver looked up.
"For me to use a sword against someone…"
"They need to be Wolf Rank."
"Fourth rank."
He grinned.
"You made it, kid."
"You're already stronger than many grown men."
Xiver's eyes widened.
They shined with excitement.
"Really?"
"Yeah."
Xiver smiled widely.
"Thank you, Axe."
"And thank Emelia too."
"I've grown because of you both."
Axe scoffed.
"Hey, hey."
"I trained you more than she did."
"You should praise me more."
Xiver laughed.
"Yeah… you're right."
"I really am thankful for you."
Axe smiled warmly.
"Happy birthday, Xiver."
And the two of them walked home together.