Part 2
The first rays of morning filtered through the tall treetops, gently lighting the clearing where Haruto and Rina had camped.
She blinked slowly as she awoke, feeling a peace she couldn't remember ever having known.
"Rina… sleep well. So well, can't remember last time," she murmured as she stretched. It was the first time she'd truly slept deeply without fearing for her life.
By the extinguished fire, Haruto was already awake, arranging dry branches to get the flames going again.
"Good morning, Rina," he said with a warm smile. "I'll make breakfast in a minute. Can't start the day without a good breakfast."
Rina tilted her head, watching him with curiosity.
"Haruto make fire? Rina… Rina want try too," she said excitedly, grabbing two stones and clumsily knocking them together.
Haruto chuckled softly at her determination.
"You want me to teach you how to start a fire?" he asked, watching her desperately try to make something happen.
"Yes! Rina want learn!" she replied with contagious energy.
Haruto reached into his magic pouch and pulled out a flint and a small shard of ignisite, handing them to her.
"Since I don't have any fire-type abilities, I need these tools to get it going. Here, I'll show you how."
Rina accepted the tools with solemn reverence, as if he'd handed her a treasure. She began striking them together, carefully following Haruto's instructions. Each spark she managed to create made her golden eyes shine brighter.
Haruto watched in silence, a gentle smile on his face as he remembered his own first day in Mythara. Yuna had taught him to light a fire the same way—Rina's excitement now was a mirror of what he'd once felt.
"Come on… please light…" Rina muttered, striking the ignisite again and again.
Finally, a small flame burst from the sparks, igniting the dry branches.
"I did it! I did it! Rina made fire!" she cried with a massive grin, jumping with excitement.
Haruto couldn't help but laugh at her joy—it was so pure, it moved him.
"You did great, Rina. You're a natural," he said with a warm smile, watching her celebrate as if she'd just accomplished something monumental.
Suddenly, a faint, slow flash of light appeared in front of Haruto.
Tiny Kizuna, fluttering her wings lazily, floated into view while yawning.
"What's all the ruckus, Haruto-kyun? It's sooo early, kizu," she mumbled, rubbing her eyes and glancing toward the freshly lit fire.
Rina, far from frightened, tilted her head with curiosity at the tiny figure.
"What is this thing? Forest fairy?" she asked, eyes sparkling with wonder as she leaned in closer to get a better look at Kizuna.
"Eek!" squeaked Kizuna, startled by Rina's sudden proximity. She darted behind Haruto, peeking out from over his shoulder.
"So sneaky, kizu… who's this girl? A new friend?" she asked, peeking at Haruto while still using him as a shield.
"That's right. Her name's Rina. Apparently, she's a human adventurer who got lost in the forest. But she took a pretty bad hit to the head, so… she might have a bit of amnesia," Haruto explained casually, gesturing toward Rina.
"And this is Kizuna," he added, not going into details.
"Kituna," Rina repeated with a big smile, clearly pleased with her pronunciation.
"No, no, no! It's Kizuna! My name is Kizuna!" the little fairy pouted, cheeks puffed out as she flapped her wings in frustration.
In her mind, she already imagined herself transformed into a flying olive.
"Kituna, flying creature… understood now," Rina nodded solemnly, as if she had just solved a great mystery.
"Ki-Zu-Na!" Kizuna cried, waving her hands as if trying to correct her physically.
Haruto let out a hearty laugh as he watched the interaction between the two.
Rina's innocence and Kizuna's temperamental personality made such a hilarious contrast, he couldn't help but enjoy it.
"Relax, Kizuna. Looks like you'll have to get used to your new name," Haruto joked, while the tiny fairy shot him a glare, puffing out her cheeks in irritation.
"I won't accept it, Kizu!" she protested, crossing her arms as she hovered near Haruto.
"So… what's the plan now, Kizu?" he teased, shifting the topic quickly, as if trying to dodge the naming incident.
"For now, breakfast. Then we'll see," Haruto replied as he prepared a few things near the fire.
"I still need to look for clues, so we'll probably head south—toward the earth elf village."
Rina watched the two interact with curiosity, though part of her attention was still fixed on the crackling fire.
Haruto raised an eyebrow at Kizuna.
"By the way, where were you yesterday? I had no one to talk to until I found Rina."
Kizuna struck a dramatic pose mid-air, crossing her legs.
"I was on a super important mission with Olivia, kizu," she answered with an air of grandeur, as if she'd accomplished something critical.
Haruto squinted at her, unconvinced.
"You two stayed up all night playing bumper car video games, didn't you?" he asked, already knowing the truth.
"That's right. But my mission was to uncover why Olivia's so good at that game, kizu…" she replied with deadly seriousness, as if it were a matter of national security.
Haruto sighed but chuckled softly at her answer.
"I see… very high priorities indeed," he said with sarcasm, while Kizuna puffed out her chest with pride, clearly believing she had achieved something great.
Rina tilted her head, looking at the little fairy.
"What is… bumper car game? Rina want learn…" she murmured, intrigued.
Kizuna turned sharply toward Rina, eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Oh, I'll teach you, kizu! But first, we have to find a TV in this medieval world," Kizuna declared with absolute confidence, as if it were no harder than lighting a fire.
Haruto burst out laughing as he grabbed his skillet and started preparing breakfast.
"Ta-da! Scrambled eggs, toasted bread, and some good tea to start the day," he announced with enthusiasm, handing a plate to each of them.
Rina picked up her toast with scrambled eggs on top and took a bite. Her golden eyes lit up instantly, and a huge smile spread across her face.
"Delicious! Crunchy food… Rina found heaven!" she said with such pure delight, it was almost tangible.
Haruto couldn't help but smile as he watched her enjoy the food. It was like reliving childhood through her—full of wonder and joy at life's simplest pleasures.
"Tell me, Rina, is there anywhere you'd like to go?" Haruto asked as he finished eating. "I'm heading south, to the earth elf village."
Rina tilted her head, pondering the question, but her answer came without hesitation.
"Rina go with. Haruto is friend… Rina go to brown elves land with you," she said, her tone innocent but sure.
Haruto nodded, satisfied with her answer, while Kizuna flitted around them, humming something about how fun the journey would be.
Breakfast passed peacefully, filled with light conversation and calm moments.
After packing up their makeshift camp, the group set out, heading toward earth elf territory.
The morning sun followed them, casting a warm glow across the forest path as new stories waited to unfold.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the woods, Yuna and Thalindra were walking along a different trail, enjoying the peaceful morning… Until a small group of five stone golems appeared, blocking their path.
"What a nuisance. Let me handle this," Thalindra said with a confident smile, adjusting the grip on her massive hammer.
"I'll leave it to you," Yuna said, stepping back while keeping her gaze sharp.
Without waiting another second, Thalindra charged toward the golems with a burst of enthusiasm tailor-made for this kind of situation.
"Gaia Stun!" she shouted, slamming the ground with force.
A seismic wave spread out from the impact, locking the golems in place instantly—like poorly crafted statues.
Wasting no time, Thalindra raised her hammer, its surface glowing as if infused with magma.
With each swing, the weapon shattered the golems into pieces with ease, as if they were made of sand.
"Nothing like a morning workout," said the dwarf, wiping sweat from her brow with the back of her hand as she looked over the scattered remains.
"Don't lose focus. This area's crawling with monsters," Yuna warned, her eyes locked onto another slow-approaching wave of golems.
Thalindra snorted as she turned toward the new group.
"What bugs me isn't that there are so many," she said, tapping the hammer's base against the ground like it was a walking stick, "it's that they don't give us any decent experience."
But a mischievous grin spread across her face as she readied for the next round.
"Ah well. Come on then—I've got plenty of love to share," she said, planting her foot on the hammer and striking a confident war pose.
Yuna sighed—but couldn't help a faint smile at her companion's attitude.
"Just make it quick, would you? We've got a long way ahead," Yuna replied, eyes fixed on the incoming golems, her stance alert for any surprise.
Thalindra gripped her massive hammer with both hands, glancing at it briefly before shifting her attention back to the enemies. Her gaze was filled with resolve, a spark of challenge gleaming in her eyes.
"If I want to surpass Grandpa… I'd better learn to control this hammer. He still doesn't think I'm worthy," she thought, her inner words echoing like a vow.
With a deep war cry, Thalindra launched herself into the golems, her hammer radiating heat—
alive with power, almost breathing.
And as she charged, her thoughts drifted to the achievements of her ancestors… and the weight she had placed upon her own shoulders.