Even during the day's heat people still found ways to enjoy the day. Children were enjoying ice cream under the shade of trees while others enjoyed cold drinks.

  The surrounding store owners left their doors open for those who wanted to take shelter from the sun's rays, an opportunity many of them used to try and sell a product.

  But all that went ignored by Lucina. She was left mesmerized at the sight before her.

  "This crater it's deeper then the Rainbow Tree is tall."

  But the further her eyes climbed down the crater the more her words and thoughts began to trip over themselves.

  There at the crater's center was a massive skeletal, scales-covered remains of the beast.

  "H... hey Red, Roy. Th... that's the Crimson Blaze Dragon, right?" Her voice was giddy as the words matched her bouncy actions, pointing at the ancient beast.

  Nodding in sync, they both joined her in looking over the ledge and toward the beast below.

  "It's huge... I've heard stories about it but seeing its remains in person is something else."

  Still in awe at the sight, its crimson-red scales glittered while they were bathed in sunlight.

  "They say its flames were hotter than the sun, said to reduce mountains to molten puddles in mere moments."

  Her ears twitched as she turned away to look at a different set of crimson.

  "As it flew, the simple flap of its wings caused heat waves that spread across all of Ielos. Some even believe that this is why Ielos is so warm all year round."

  "Sounds like it was pretty strong, wasn't it?"

  "That's one way to put it." Looking to the elf before turning back to the skeleton. "Even compared to other dragons, when it came to size and power, it was of a league all of its own. Some writings said how it was feared like it was the devil himself and others revered it like it was a god."

  "It's why whenever I read that Roland went to fight it alone I find it unbelievable no matter how many times I read it."

  Listening to him talk about the legend, Lucina couldn't help but smile at him. 'He really is a dork when it comes to stuff like this.'

  "A god, really? Are you sure you're not just overblowing it?" Roy interjected, laughing.

  "Come on Roy, you know that's what the stories said about it."

  "I don't know, maybe your head is too deep in books." Teasing his brother back.

  Laughing at the two, a small group ran past them. Simply curious at the rush they were in, she followed.

  "No way."

  As she followed them, watching as they approached the white marble shine, placing pots filled with vibrant reds, blues, and yellows flowers.

  "Come on! Put your back into it!"

  "No, keep your grip and lift with your legs!"

  The outcry made her turn to the center of the shrine, the sight made her heart race.

  But the sight wasn't the stocky dwarf, it was the massive, faded scarlet blade that had her attention.

  'That black handle, that red blade, its silver edge...

  "BLAST! This blade just won't budge!" Letting go of the handle the dwarf left the shine only to be greeted by the laughter of his human companions.

  "What happened? I thought you said you'd pull it out easily?"

  "Oi shut it ya ninny. Are ya looking for a fight?"

  "Oh come now," the other human interrupted. "How about a few first drinks? The first round is on me."

  Lucina heard that catch his attention as the dwarf marched off.

  "Now that's a plan, let's go, lads!"

  Watching them marched off she couldn't help but chuckle. "I guess alcohol will always cheer a dwarf up." But her attention quickly changed from the sword to the palm of her hand and back to the massive blade.

  'So that's Durandal. I wonder how much power I could get if I had a blade like that. Maybe I could—

  Hey Lucina!"

  Seeing the brothers catch up as Red called out, while Roy began to pout. "And you hit me for walking off?"

  "Hehe, sorry." Turning back to the shire, the sight of the blade was something else.

  Her change in focus was easy to see, although the cause of her disration went unnoticed by the pouting redhead, but to Red, it was an easy thing to see.

  "You want to give it a try?"

  "What? Are you sure Red?" If she was giddy at the sight of the dragon, in the eyes of the brothers it looked like she was going to burst with excitement.

  The only confirmation he needed to give was a simple smile and nod and in flash Lucina's face lit up and dashed up the shrine.

  As she approached the sword only seemed to get bigger, reaching out, and grasping the handle she felt her hand heat up.

  "It's warm." 'But this feels different, it's not like it was heated up by the sun it just feels... different.'

  Once her other hand took hold of the handle, she started, attempting to remove the blade from its place.

  The crowd's cheers started loud, but she could hear the voices of Red and Roy. Responding to their encouragement she pulled harder against the sword. But the harder she pulled the more the voices started to become quieter until there was nothing.

  The only sound Lucina could hear was the sound of her own groans as she pulled Durandal...

  That was until her eyes opened all she could see was white and the sword.

  "What the... Where am I?"

  The crowd was gone, looking around all she could see was a white void, and just as she was about to let go of the blade...

  "Hey, it's been a while Lu."

  Snapping towards the feminine voice that called out from the void a cloaked figure started to slowly appear. The visible hair was a reddish brown color, but her face was blurred.

  The sight of her made Lucina freeze like a ghost had passed through her, trapping her in a cold force. She couldn't answer, it was like her words got caught in her throat.

  "So Lu, why do you want it?"

  —

  The crowd cheered at the elf, watching her still trying to pull out the sword. None were more vocal then Roy. Red just watched his crimson gaze and didn't look away from the elf.

  But unlike the crowd, he was the first to notice a change.

  Her arms went slack, her breathing changed, and suddenly...

  ... she let go of the blade, stumbling back, with the Durandal still resting.

  With the event coming to a close and another challenger defeated by the blade, many of them started to disperse.

  "Ah man I thought he could have done it, I mean she's an elf with blue fire."

  Red turned to Roy. "Really?"

  "Yeah really, after all the times you've read 'Golden Light' to me, it's kinda hard to not think that way."

  Simply sighing before smiling, Red turned back to the shire to see Lucina was still standing there. "Hey Lucina, are you alright?"

  Once his words reached her, he saw her shake her head. Her tied-up hair moved like a tail waving from side to side, only to have her run back to them with a visible smile. "Yeah I'm fine, it was something."

  "So come on, Red where to next? We still have some time before your father says we need to be back." Despite the failure of being unable to claim Durandal, Lucina was still ready to see more of the city.

  "Sure there's a shop nearby I like to go by."

  Walking off, Lucina was quick to follow with Roy right behind her, but as they walked, even he recognized the path they were taking.

  "Sure sounds like fun. I wonder what this place is—

  "Ah come on Red, can't we go somewhere else? We visit that place all the time." Roy came to a sudden stop and started to complain. "There are hundreds of other places we can go, why there?"

  "Because 1, I want to go there and 2, I know where we're going, you don't."

  "Hey, I know where we're going!"

  "Find. Then how do we get to Mis. Tatsu's from here?"

  "Well you east onto Goldfur Street and then once you come to the end you turn right onto Maple Lane. After that, it's the brick house on the left." Standing proud he pointed off in the direction they would need to take.

  "Well, you're right" Roy only seemed to beam at those words. "But you're pointing the wrong way. You need to go east, you're pointing west."

  Lucina watched the color left his face and a white arrow seemed to shoot through Roy at being told he was wrong. "It's ok Roy, directions are hard at times." Patting his head trying to cheer him up.

  They didn't stay in place for long, the small group followed Red to the destination he had in mind. What made Lucina laugh slightly was that the direction they were going was the same way Roy pointed out, all it did was embarrass the boy.

  It didn't take long until Red stopped and before them was a small two-level brick building, with a pair of double doors. Four windows on the face of the building shined a light into each floor.

  All in all, it was a nice little building.

  And the inside was simply nice. The inside was lit up by magic stone lights and past the front desk where an old woman simply waved to the arrivals. Walking in was clear to see that bookshelves took up the vast majority of the area as people moved between them, flipping through the book pages. There was even a hole in the center of the room, where a circular staircase led to the next floor.

  "This is 'Tall Tale', one of the best bookstores in Phrea."

  The claim gave the woman a slight chuckle. "You flatter me, young man. I hope you enjoy your stay here."

  "I always do."

  Leading them away from the smiling woman they made their way up to the second floor and in the back corner, there was a sign that connected two bookshelves that read. 'Ancient Tales'.

  "You know, I should've figured this would be the section you'd drift to." Lucina taunted.

  "You're free to join in or you can find a section you like better, but try not to get lost." Throwing her taunt back with a smile, they both started browsing the shelves.

  Looking through the selection, he debated on which one to choose, until crimson eyes landed on a white cover. Compared to the others it was thin. 'Hmm 'When Autumn's Leaves Fall'. That doesn't sound bad.'

  But just as he was about to open the cover groaning voice made his boredom known.

  "Red, I'm gonna go look somewhere else," Roy spoke up, gaining their attention. "If you need me I'll be on the first floor."

  "Ok, but if you find something you like let me know I'll pay for it. Oh and make sure you're in full view of the store's staff!"

  "Yeah, yeah I know." Making his way down until the top of his disappeared below the floor.

  Lucina was confused at the sight. "Red, are you just gonna let him go like that?"

  "He'll be fine, like he said we come here all the time so the staff has gotten used to keeping an eye on Roy when he starts getting bored."

  Watching his brother left, Red returned to the bookshelf. Only to quickly find a red and orange book, with a flame on the cover. 'Thank you, Miss. Fulton. I'll make sure to pay extra when I check out.'

  "Oh, I see... Did you find something good?"

  Rather than give a verbal answer he just flashed her the book's cover. "I think I have but there are a few here I'd like to read."

  "I love that book. Ah, the story of two star-crossed lovers who have a chance meeting only to tragically meet their end together." The moment those words escaped her, Red's brow rose before he started laughing. "... Sorry about that."

  "Don't worry about it. So what about you, did you find anything interesting?"

  "The selection here is great, there are dozens of books I've never seen in the stores back in Eden. But this one caught my eye, I haven't seen it before."

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  Quickly showing off the book she held, it made Red's smile slowly fade the moment his eyes locked onto the cover. Three heroes, all charging towards a massive black shadow with glowing red eyes.

  "Death of the Barrens' Demon."

  "Yeah! It's the first time I've seen it. Do you know what it's about?"

  His tone fell. "Yeah... The tale of how four young heroes from different villages came together to defeat the Bloodeyed Demon that ruled over the Barrens." The moment the word blood-eye was uttered Lucina lost her excitement over the story, even her ears dropped slightly while she heard him continue. "A man so ruthless that some truly thought he was from hell. A man whose eyes, at least according to the account of those who survived his wrath, were redder than the pools of blood he left in his wake."

  "Sorry... I wasn't thinking... I didn't mean to."

  Lucina's stuttering apology only made him chuckle at her.

  "I liked that one so don't worry about it. I remember when Morgan would read that to me at one of the summits when I was a kid."

  But even trying to reassure her, Red saw his words did little to improve her state. Her gaze locked onto the book. He could see that even if she didn't verbalize it, she was chastising herself.

  'Oh man, now what do I do?'

  A clash of steel echoed and Red was sent flying back. Landing in the dirt ,Breaker landed next to him. While his grandfather's laughter filled the yard.

  "Hey Red, you want some advice?" Igneel called out, gaining his attention. "If you ever make a girl upset, try complementing them."

  "... What does that have to do with swordsmanship?"

  "Who said my advice was going to be about the sword?" His laughter echoed through the yard. Only for a metallic clash to join that laughter while he blocked Red's retaliatory strike and a grin formed on the old man's face.

  "You know Lucina, it's hard to not be amazed by you." The sudden praise brought her attention back to him. "The way you seem to easily pick up on magic and how you're a match even for me with a blade."

  As he continued a smile did return to her face.

  "I wish I was stronger than I currently am. I want to be someone people will look at when they're afraid and feel safe. Kinda like how you did. Honestly, you're probably better than me."

  Only for that smile to slowly fade. "Hey, you don't need to go that far."

  "I mean you killed that Pearl Manis all on your own, meanwhile I still have trouble fighting off goblins."

  But as he continued her smile went from a neutral expression to a frown.

  "If I'm being honest by the time I manage to close this gap, you'll probably be far beyond—

  A low thunk was created the moment a book smacked the top of his head.

  "Ow! What was tha—

  Another thunk was created.

  "Knock. It. Off." Even when keeping her voice down due to the setting, it drew on the curiosity of others who were on the second floor. "Why is it every time I see you, you're always doubting yourself? Now stop it or will I have to beat the pessimism out of you."

  "If it was that easy I'd—

  The book landed on his head once more. "No, I'm talking now." But slowly as she spoke a smile started to return.

  "If you think everything comes easy for me, it might come as a shock to you that even I, Lucina Starfall, the Azure Blaze..." They both snicker slightly at how she was playing herself up. "... have struggled when it comes to learning something challenging."

  "Well maybe I'm just–

  Once again the book made contact with his head once more, but this time it was softer than the prior hits. "Someone once told me a fire can't grow if the embers don't get a chance to spark. I know that it's hard to see the progress one can make when everyone around is just as incredible."

  "So please, do me a favor and try to stop belittling yourself. After all, where is the fun or even the challenge in a rival who is always doubting himself?

  "Heh, thanks I'll try."

  Happy with the results, Red watched as Lucina continued to browse the shelves again.

  —-

  Royal blue eyes passed over each book, nothing caught his attention so far so he kept looking. Having looked through different sections, Roy found him wandering into the animal section. More specifically the monster section.

  Then one book caught his attention. 'Huh, An Adventurer's Guide to all things Monsters' that sounds neat.'

  Each new pair of pages came with an illustration and the corresponding information but the first page that made him stop to read was the one about the monster he just saw today.

  "The Pearl Mantis is an insect-type monster known for patient and precise strikes. There are up to fifteen known types of Pearl Mantis. While they can range in size, the females are often seen on average being two to three times larger than the males. Females have been seen cannibalizing their male counterparts ."

  'So that means the one Lucina fought was female... but if it wasn't then that could mean.'

  His mind was infiltrated with the thought of a Pearl Mantis twice the size of the one he saw filling his mind. The thought only drove him to look through the book faster.

  Quickly looking past the Spider-Ape, Jackalope, Kolbold, and Death Swarm sections. The pages that covered the many different types of dragons and serpents did catch his eye, mostly due to each monster having appeared in some way in the stories he read.

  That was until the turn of the next page.

  In those pages was a massive feline beast, covered in dark brown fur with black stripes and a large reptilian-like tail. Several images painted it with a mane of reddish brown, golden brown, or black fur. On the top of its head was a long gold-colored saber-like horn.

  "The LigerHorn is a deathly monster often found hunting deep within the lower floors of the higher-ranked dungeons, rarely leaving them. They have been known to hunt Goblins, Minotaurs, and several other larger monsters. While they are solitary creatures, they have on rare occasions been seen in pairs. Thanks to their golden horn, they have often been referred to as the 'Jungle's Prince"."

  'Huh, these sound kinda cool. I wonder if Mom or Dad have ever seen one?'

  Trailing down the page, unlike the others before, Roy slowly read through. Wonder filled his eyes with each word, but once he turned to the next page that wonder turned to disappointment. "Aw man, it's just Goblins. Is that really all it had on LigerHorns?" Flipping back and forth between the prior page and even leaping further ahead there was nothing.

  "So intrigued by LigerHorns aren't we?"

  Turing to meet the soft voice that belonged to the store's owner, with a simple "Yes" to answer her question. She motioned for him to follow, and Roy soon found himself in a new section. Watching the owner ran her finger over several book spines before stopping a pulling out a book.

  "I believe this will have the information you're looking for."

  Taking the book from her, Roy looked at the cover and the picture it had looked identical to the one he just looked at.

  "Thanks, ma'am."

  "You're welcome and I'll tell you what." Getting down to his level, she continued. "If you get both of them I'll give you a discount on the second book."

  With both books in hand, Roy made his way back to the second floor, leaving the woman with a smile on her face as she made her way back to the front desk.

  —-

  Stretching his arms up Achilles he took a seat on the couch, a pleased groan escaped him. "It feels good to get out of the sun and back on the couch."

  "Oh, never would I believe that the Achilles would face fatigue from simply spending the day fishing." Maryan teased, Indigo didn't even try to hide his light laughter.

  "Well I did bring home fresh dinner, maybe you could help prepare dinner, rather than leave it to our guests?" Throwing a taunt back at her, the group share an amused laugh.

  "My dear Achilles, you should know that over the years while I have sharpened my fangs, when it comes to my culinary experience you're choosing to dine on poison."

  "Come now Maryan, there's no need to say that. Some toxins taste better than your cooking."

  "Oh come on, your cooking can't be that bad. Can it?" Indigo spoke up, only to have both Achilles and Maryan look at him before laughing leaving him both confused and curious. "Wait how bad is it?"

  As the laughter slowly came to a halt, looking at each other Maryan spoke up. "No, it is. I want to say it was a few years ago, I was requested by the guild to take down a group of bandits that were causing trouble in the central area of Ielos and when I managed to infiltrate the group, they had me prepare a stew for them and let's just say most of them didn't wake up for a few days after they took a single bite."

  Maryan could hardly keep her laughter to herself. Achilles joined in not a second later, only leaving Indigo further confused. "Wait, did you put in some kind of sleeping agent or something?"

  "Hehe no. They were monitoring my every movement, besides my plan was to lead them into an ambush. So I figured I'd gain their trust by cooking and well..." Her laughter took over again as she recalled that memory.

  But soon the smell of butter and cooking vegetables slowly spread from the kitchen and into the living room, infiltrating their senses. Taking a deep smell of the aroma, caused them to relax.

  "Lumara is definitely the cause of this."

  Achilles with an agreeing nod spoke up. "Yep, so that means Lyn is filleting the fish while Hellia is prepping the rub."

  Maryan was simply intrigued by their statements. "And you know how?"

  "Simple when you're married and having been blessed by those smells for years, it just becomes second nature."

  Achilles nodded in agreement. "Plus Hellia is always the one making the seasoning rub."

  While their conversation continued the aroma from the kitchen only grew.

  Lumara stood over a cast iron pan filled with rice, onions, broccoli, and peppers. Watching over stirring and flipping them to make sure everything was cooking thoroughly and not burning. The flames rose and fell with each flip of the pan. The sizzle it made went in tandem with Lyn's slicing as she fileted and descaled the catfish.

  Hellia simply measured out several dry spices, ground-up herbs, and lemon zest before tossing them into a bowl and mixing them together. Once the powder turned to dark orange color she slowly started adding water, stirring until it became a pasty mixture.

  "Lyndis, are those filets ready?"

  "Yes, just finished." Sliding the tray over to her mother, Lyn made her way to the fridge and stopped by the cupboards only to return with three cans of spinach, a bag of cheese, and carrots. But rather than working in the area she was in, she took a bowl and started to prepare a salad next to Lumara.

  But while Hellia was seasoning the filets, she heard childing-like giggling emitting from the stove.

  "I hope you two aren't distracting each other."

  The giggling stopped and the pair stood straight trying to remain calm as they heard the tapping from Hellia's steps approach.

  Setting another pan on the oven and throwing in a few slices of butter, followed by four of the dozen filets they had ready. "Lyndis, Lumara, I'll let the rest up to you both. I'm going to go set the table and let your father know dinner should be ready soon."

  Leaving the pair to themselves, she went to retrieve Igneel from his work. Lyn removed the first round of filets before adding the next set, while Lumara kept flipping the rice and vegetable-filled pan.

  Lumara couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, I wish we reconnected sooner. I missed this."

  "Oh, he was." Taking out the catfish filets and putting in the next set to fry, Lyn continued. "You should have seen him, there were days where he would somehow wake up at the crack of dawn, trying to make me breakfast. The fits he threw, demanding I go back to bed until he would bring me food when I would just want to get a glass of water."

  "That is sweet, reminds me of when Lucina would try that from time to time."

  "Really how did that go?"

  Lumara's head fell slightly to the side as she recalled the many, many attempts. "Let's just say Indigo and I woke up to the smell of smoke more often than we should have."

  Lyn couldn't help but chuckle at the information, despite Lumara's annoyance at the response, she only smiled. "Alright, care to explain what's so funny? ... Wait, was Red the same?"

  Another chuckle escaped from her. "Hardly, around the third or fourth time he tried to cook something, Mom went ahead and started to teach him."

  "That sounds nice, but I wonder why she did that? I always figured it would be Igneel." She didn't need to wait for a verbal answer. "He did, didn't he."

  "Aahh yep, and the first lesson he tried to teach him was how cooking is a good way to please your future wife." Waving the rings around as if they were a want, Lumara chucked at the display.

  "Well, it's not like that's a bad lesson."

  "But not when he's five!"

  They fell quiet once again, returning to their focus on the food, as the sizzling of oil and crackling of the fire was the only noise that was created. Periodically they would both look out the window to see the looming sun as one thought was shared between them.

  When will they get home?

  —-

  With the sun starting to hover over the horizon, bathing the sky in the colors of the setting sun.

  Many took the setting sun signing the day's end, but for one the slowly dimming light went unnoticed by Igneel, thanks to the lights inside, he just kept working. Looking over the documents before him.

  But his gaze changed, glancing at the ale next to him.

  "Aaahhh... I forgot how much of a pain it was to do this with only one hand, I can't believe I let them talk me into this." Rotating his wrist and stretching his fingers, he took a drink. "But it was worth it to have a nice drink. I hope they get dinner done soon, those catfish Achilles brought back looked pretty meaty."

  Taking another drink, he returned to the documents, looking over the dates for each, one of them stood out due to how recent it was. "Well, I haven't seen one of these in a while."

  His eyes scanned the paper but the further down he went, he tried to reach for his ale but, it was his stumped arm that moved as if his lost arm was trying to reach out. The action only caused him to laugh at himself. Setting the document down, he threw back the rest of his ale before returning back to the request form.

  But before he could continue, a knock followed by the door opening to reveal Hellia's smiling face. Neither needed to say anything and the two made their way to the dining hall hand in hand.

  —-

  As the table was set and food was placed, everyone took their seats at the table.

  The only issue was there were three empty seats standing side by side.

  There was a moment of quiet while they waited, the only sound that was heard was the tapping of a finger against the wooden table as Lyn rested her chin in her palm.

  'Where are they, did something happen? No Red can handle himself and he's smart enough to know they should be home before dinner but this is cutting it close.'

  Despite her worried thoughts, Lyn wasn't the first to speak. "Well might as well pass this along while we have the moment." It was Igneel, along with the flap of paper that was soon passed off to Maryan.

  Scanning the paper, her calm, collected face remained constant as her heterochromatic eyes continued to trail down the page.

  "Ah... It was only a matter of time before I was called upon again."

  The news had little effect on the Riser family, but for the Starfalls it was different. While Indigo was unsure of what was going on, Lumara wasn't pleased with what the news entailed.

  "Is the guild still forcing you to go on these missions? Can't they just send someone else?"

  The response did little.

  "Lumara, you know just as well as I do this isn't our choice to make." Slowly a smile grew on Lyn while she spoke. "Besides, heaven knows the guild doesn't have the gall to try and force her."

  But she wasn't the only one to join in as Achilles followed suit. "Even if they tried to force her, they'd never find her or wake up a week later with a lump on their head."

  "If memory serves, that only happened to you Achilles when you walked in on me changing."

  With a reveal of the past laughter from everyone save Achilles, who was a flushed mess, filled the room.

  As her laughter came to an end, she continued. "I don't mind answering these requests, if it's helping improve the standing for the Riser family with both the people and guild, then I'll gladly do it."

  "Still you shouldn't feel obligated to partake in such dangerous work."

  While the concern Lumara showed endearing it did little to sway her. "It's not like this request is all that challenging for someone expired in my line of work. The son of a small-town mayor has been abducted and they lack the coin for his ransom, it should be a rather simple task. Besides, if I turned down a request that called for me and someone died from it, I don't think I could accept the praise those two have for me."

  "Speaking of them I should go look for them, I'll be ba—

  "I'M SORRY WE'RE LATE!" The door opened up and they recognized Red's voice.

  "Speak of the devil and they arrive."

  Watching the late trio entered the dining room, Red was the first to enter followed by Roy with Lucina right behind him, quickly taking their places at the table.

  The young trio could still feel both Lyn and Lumara's gaze on them, the pressure from them alone was to make them shrink.

  So trying to ease the situation Red spoke up. "It looks great Mom, I bet it tastes just as good."

  With fork in hand, he was about to take a bite, only to have an ember shoot past him.

  Following the trail back to its source all eyes fell on Lyn's burning finger, but that wasn't the small flame that sent shivers down their spines, but the simple smile that made her agitation clear.

  "Would either one of you like to explain why you were late getting home? Because if memory serves, Roy Lucina, after the two of you ran off I was informed that you both would be home before dinner, and Red, didn't your father tell you to make sure you were all home before dinner was ready? So pray tell what were you doing that caused you to arrive back so late."

  Simply rubbing the back of his head, the three let loose light laughter while Red answered. "Sorry Mom, everyone. We went by 'Tall Tale' and well... We kinda lost track of time."

  With a smile and a groan, she just looked at them. "I should have figured as much. So let's just eat, shall we?"

  Nothing else needed to be said as the sound of cutlery hitting plates and chewing filled the air. The catfish had a nice mild heat to it, thanks to Hellia's dry rub, and rice-filled vegetables were pleasing to their palates.

  The heat from the dry rub made it so that their glasses were never filled for long as they ate their fill.

  "Hey, Mom, Dad. Have you ever seen a LigerHorn?"

  "Yeah, you were talking about those on the way back." Lucina joined in. "I wonder what they're like? Are they stronger than a Spider-Ape? I wonder what it would be like to face one?"

  ""Absolutely not!!"" A pounding ring echoed as two pairs of handles slammed onto the table.

  Only to see that, as if they were a connected shadow, Lyn and Indigo were the cause of the disruption, seeing that the two had stolen the attention, they both returned to their sets. But rather than halt any courtesy, their reaction only made intrigue grow, especially in Roy.

  "Wait, are they that strong? I know these books said they were known to be fierce monsters, but are they really that dangerous?"

  That question was met with hardy laughter that brought levity to the atmosphere. "When it comes to monsters, they are some of the toughest beasts out there. When I was a few years old then you both had your fair share of run-ins with them during my travels. I'd show off the souvenirs, but I lost them along with my arm."

  It didn't take long for the dining hall to suddenly echo with tales from the past. Fierce battles against beasts, exploration of deep caverns hidden within the dungeons. It continued late into the night, long after their food went cold.