Vylt: The New Dawn

Chapter 11: Side Quest

Waking up in Dad's arms as he carried me downstairs, I rubbed my eyes and looked up. "How long was I asleep?"

"About an hour." He replied softly.

He put me down when we reached the dining room. Everything was already set on the table, and both Mom and Allen were waiting for us at their seats. Mom looked at me and smiled, pretending nothing happened. Her bloodshot eyes revealed the truth.

I slowly walked over to her as dad took his seat next to Allen. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to act like that."

Hearing this, she pulled me to her and hugged me. "No, sweetie, it's my fault. I got carried away and treated you like a kid when you're not. I'm so sorry."

I shook my head in response. "That's not it. I mean, look at me. Whether I like it or not, I am a child. At least my body is. I know very well that I won't be able to do everything I used to because of it, but I still have my eighteen years of experience. You said it yourself; That no matter how different I may look, I'm still me. All I ask is to be taken seriously."

Her face relaxed. The smile she showed this time was genuine. "You're right, sweetie. I understand, and it might take me a bit to get used to all these changes, but I prom- Allen!" She snapped at him.

I looked over to my brother, who had already started eating without us.

"What? You're taking too long and it's getting cold. Dad's eating too, see?"

As he said that, I heard a faint knock on the table. I turned to see my father, who was sitting still, with an overly serious expression. His fork, however, was already dirty. When we noticed and stared at him, his poker face broke into a huge grin, followed by laughter.

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Having finished our meal, I helped Mom by cleaning up and washing the dishes. This time there were no accidents. Once we were done, I excused myself and went to my room. I looked out the window through the curtain to see that the day was still beautiful and sunny.

Too bad I can't go out.

The kid in me was trying to take the reins again. She wanted to run outside and play to my heart's content. I couldn't believe I missed the playground back in the forest.

I only got to use it once.

Shaking my head, I walked away from the window and I booted up my computer. What I needed was a distraction, and there was nothing better than video games. Danath Online was my first choice until I remembered I didn't have my equipment and, from what Mary told me before she left, she wouldn't be on for at least a few hours. I tried playing other games, and they did work for a while but I quickly lost interest in them.

When did everything become so dull?

It didn't take me long to realise nothing actually did. The games themselves were just as enjoyable as before. The true problem was my current situation. I always considered video games to be my one escape from reality, but now, in a sense, they were my reality.

I had a hard time dealing with some of the enemies, as vampires would remind me of that girl, and I saw myself in the demons I was meant to slay. Even the spells themselves made me think about my own magic training. I knew it was silly, yet I couldn't help relating everything I did to something in my new life. They did give me an idea, though.

After saving my progress, I closed the application. Then, I set up some relaxing background music and turned the volume up a bit before sitting down on the floor of my room to continue my training. It was important that I didn't lose the little progress I'd already made in controlling the flow of mana within me.