With his father's return home, Aron's routine changed a little.
Before, when he woke up, his mother would clean him and feed him.
Then she would take care of her breakfast and the house chores.
After that, she would come play with him until lunchtime.
In the afternoon, she would read some books, and by the end of the day, they would go out for a walk around the village.
Now, with his father back and with the end of spring and the beginning of summer approaching, he started helping in the fields every day.
His mother would bring him food, and Aron had to go along.
They didn't own any kind of animal to help with the work.
'I don't know if it's because they're poor, but I don't think they need one.'
Aron watched the field.
The men pulled out weeds at a speed far beyond what anyone on Earth could manage.
And they didn't even seem to be exerting themselves.
In a short time, they cleared large areas.
He was already used to seeing that, but it never stopped surprising him.
Another month passed, and Aron was already crawling around the house.
Speaking was still a challenge, since it was hard to control his tongue and mouth precisely.
Even so, besides babbling nonsense, he managed to say "papa" and "mama," to his parents' delight.
At first, he didn't want to say those words, but they repeated them all the time.
So, in order for them to start teaching him others, he had to give in.
And it was a celebration for them.
Over time, they began introducing other foods, like mashed fish and poultry.
There were moments when Aron almost threw up. Not because it tasted bad, but because it was… disgusting.
Then came purees and bread soaked in meat broth. That, at least, was good.
But he still couldn't eat only that, and they gave him very little.
During one of his explorations around the house, Aron went to the bedroom trying to find a book left unattended.
But every time his mother finished reading, she returned it to the shelf—and never took her eyes off him for long.
So, learning to read on his own wasn't going to happen anytime soon.
Another month passed, and Aron had already been in that world for seven months. The routine hadn't changed much.
He could already stand up by holding onto some furniture.
So he began doing small squats to strengthen his legs and walk sooner. Of course, out of his mother's sight.
Whenever she left him alone for a few moments, he took the chance to train.
Matilda came almost every day to talk with his mother and play with him.
Aron had already started saying a few words, like "mine," "day," "good," "bad," and others like that. Whenever he said something wrong, his mother or Matilda would correct him until he got the pronunciation right.
In the eighth month, he began trying to walk on his own.
It was still hard to keep his balance, but when he took his first steps, it was a great joy for everyone.
They even held a small celebration.
This time, they gave him more food, and Aron was already starting to eat by himself.
They set up a chair with supports so he could sit at table height and gave him his own plate.
Some of his teeth had already come in, and others were still growing.
But it was torture. It itched a lot.
He already understood most of what was being said and had gotten more used to speaking more complex words.
After eating, they started talking and telling stories.
"I'll tell you a story my mother told me when I was little," Sabrina said, looking at him.
"A long, long time ago, our world had no magic."
She raised her hand, and a white and golden light began to shine. It had no defined shape—it was like luminous smoke moving slowly.
Aron stared at her hand in shock.
'So she can use magic too…'
'I've lived in this house for months and never saw this before.'
'Was she hiding it from me… or just never had a reason to use it?'
"Until one day, the world darkened while the sun was still in the sky, and several races entered through portals. The strongest were the Celestials, the Dragons, the Demons, the Elves, the Beastkin, and the strongest of all, the Abyssals."
The light in her hand faded.
"All the other races sought to conquer land or dominate the world. But the Abyssals did not. They were created only to destroy."
Sabrina looked at Aron as she spoke.
"Before the other races realized the threat of the Abyssals, they were busy fighting among themselves. Humans suffered the most, as they had no magic."
"After some years of war—if it could even be called that—the world heard the cries, the anger, and the sorrow of humanity… and then it created the dungeons."
"With the war and the portals open, it was like breaking a dam. The world filled with mana, and that's how the dungeons were born."
"Dungeons form when large amounts of mana accumulate within the earth. Under high pressure and temperature, along with rare minerals, the dungeon core is formed."
"The core rises toward the surface and creates a cave, which only manifests when it reaches level one."
"The more mana the core absorbs, the stronger the dungeon becomes, the deeper it goes, and the more floors it creates to protect itself."
Sabrina finished explaining and looked at him.
"Now it's late, and it's time for a boy to go to sleep," she said, smiling.
"Mama, tell more," Aron pleaded, with a sweet voice and begging eyes.
She hesitated for a moment but quickly composed herself.
"No. Listen to your mother and go clean up for bed."
Aron lowered his head and went to the basin to wash his hands and the teeth that were still coming in.
"I almost couldn't resist grabbing him and giving him a really tight hug, that cute little thing," Matilda said fondly.
"If you want one, go find yourself a husband and make one of your own," Sabrina replied with a smile.
"No thanks. I'm still too young for that," Matilda said.
"You're only one year older than me, and I already have a child. And you don't even have a boyfriend," Sabrina teased.
"I'm not like you, who fell for the sweet talk of any handsome scoundrel," Matilda shot back, looking at Arthur.
"Hey! I'm not a scoundrel. I'm Arthur the Great," he said proudly.
"The only thing great about you is your lack of intelligence," Matilda replied with disdain.
"My dear, are you going to let this fox talk to your husband like that?" Arthur said, making a dramatic face.
Sabrina looked at her husband, then at her friend, and winked.
"Matilda, don't say something like that. You know he's very capable… when he wants to be. And he might be a bit of a scoundrel, but he has a good heart," she said, holding back a laugh.
Matilda didn't show the same restraint and burst out laughing.
Arthur looked at her, then at his wife, with a betrayed expression.
At that moment, Aron appeared.
Matilda stopped laughing, picked him up, and kissed his cheek.
"Good night, little angel. See you tomorrow."
"Good night. See you tomorrow, Sister Mada," Aron said.
She handed him to his mother and left after saying goodbye.
His mother placed him in the hammock, covered him, and then went to the bedroom with his father, who was silent, with the expression of someone about to collect a debt.
'What kind of expression is that?'
'I don't need to be a genius to know what kind of debt is about to be paid.'
'Suddenly, I'm curious about what my father really does when he leaves the village.'
Aron fell asleep thinking about the possibilities.