The walk through the forest was difficult, especially for Elisa who carried the unconscious girl on her back. She wasn't heavy she felt quite light, but not having much strength, that lightness didn't mean much when carrying her for so long over such rough terrain.

When they reached the cave, they immediately pulled out bandages and ointments, anything that would help her at the time. They wrapped her arm and what was left of her tail, cleaned her body as best they could, and, drinking both an endurance potion and an MP recovery potion, prepared to run again.

Neminah cast a strength and speed boost on Elisa, hoping it would help her bear the burden of the long journey she would have to make.

"Ready?" Elisa asked, ready to run. Neminah nodded determinedly. At the blonde's signal, they both began their run, speeding through the forest.

The road was long and tiring, without a single moment of rest. They couldn't afford that luxury, not when Miriam's condition was so critical. They had decided that they would only rest for the night, and would leave at dawn.

By that same afternoon, they had reached the place where they camped the first day, which gave them a certain amount of relief. They decided to use that same place to rest that night. Elisa would take the first watch and Neminah the second. That way, they hoped they could recover as much energy as possible.

The next morning, when they were getting ready to get back on the road, Neminah noticed a strange sound in the distance. It was like thousands of flapping wings approaching at high speed. She immediately warned Elisa who shouted for them to start running. By the time they reached the pass where they fought the harpies, they noticed behind them a huge cloud of monsters, the red Wyverns, chasing them. They had no idea why those things seemed to be after them, but they wouldn't stick around to find out. It would be a race against time, and they had to win at all costs.

It was until they reached the edge of the forest that they were overtaken by the swarm of monsters and saved by Reilanis, at which point we returned to the present.

 

 

---

 

 

In just a short time, an incredibly short one, Reilanis annihilated the swarm of pests that had dared to attack her girls. As the last one fell the Oni sighed and turned towards them. As she approached, Elisa felt terrified. What would her Master think now that she saw what happened to them? Just as in the past, Miriam had an injured arm, was covered in blood and... again she was without a scratch and barely dirty from the dust. Was this a punishment for her arrogance? Was karma doing its job, "rewarding" her for the attitude she had had the last few years? She shuddered to imagine what Reilanis would do to her upon seeing that, once again, this had been her fault.

"Are you both okay, aren't you hurt?”

Contrary to what she thought, Reilanis' voice was... calm. While, her expression; especially her eyes, showed the anger that was burning inside her, she was calm and even seemed to be trying to comfort them with her tone.

"Y-yes... we're fine."

At Elisa's words, Reilanis nodded softly, letting out what seemed like a sigh of relief. She patted the blonde gently on the shoulder, then did the same to the head of Neminah who was on the floor applying magic to a still-unconscious Miriam.

"M-mommy, please, you have to do-"

"Easy. I'll take care of this. Orphy, can you take us back?"

"WILL.DO."

With those words, Orpheanus sank into the earth and, emerging from beneath, lifted them over his body and advanced at a steady but fast speed. Meanwhile, Reilanis checked Miriam's body. Her arm was torn off and wrapped in bandages, as was her tail. Scrapes and bruises all over her body. She was sweating and struggling to breathe. She felt her heart squeeze at the sight of her in that state. Her hand went straight to her head, stroking it tenderly.

"Nemi, how long has she been like this?"

"S-since yesterday. I've been applying healing magic, but..."

"It's not working, is it? Is it corruption venom?"

Neminah's eyes widened, impressed that Reilanis guessed instantly and didn't look worried about it. She nodded in response, causing only a sigh from the Oni. Immediately, she pulled a vial of a light purple liquid from her inventory, to which Neminah was again surprised. She hadn't expected Reilanis to have the antidote with her at all.

"Where did you...?"

 "It's not the first time I've dealt with this, so I can recognize it."

"But... I've never seen you affected by something like this, so how?" Elisa questioned, surprised by her words.

"It's because I never told you about it. I've been poisoned, burned, frozen, I've lost my arms more times than I can remember, as well as my legs. - Reilanis reminisced about the many things she has been through in her life, both in her youth and in the missions, she had to complete as an adventurer. Her gaze had softened, along with her expression that became a bit tired and solemn. - I've lived through a lot of things, Eli. Things I've never wished for you to know about."

Along with those words, Reilanis removed the cork from the bottle and, forcing it a little into Miriam's mouth, made her drink its contents. Normally it would be difficult to do such a thing to an unconscious person, but fortunately, Miriam's survival instinct was so good, that her body reacted smoothly.

By the time she drank all of its contents, they had reached the entrance to the dungeon. Orpheanus melted back into the ground, setting them gently on the floor, then spoke harshly towards Reilanis.

"SISTER.LIVE.NOT.FORGIVE."

"Don't worry, she's out of danger now. She just needs to rest."

"NOT.FORGIVING."

"I know. I wouldn't do it either."

There was a brief silence before Reilanis rose from the ground and looked at the rock giant in front of her.

"Orpheanus, once she recovers, I'm going to exterminate every damn lizard in those mountains. So, I'm going to charge you to take care of things around here."

Orpheanus nodded, along with the sound of rocks clattering and grinding against each other. Then he sank into the earth, disappearing. Not before leaving a few words behind.

"WATCH.MOUNTAINS.NOTHING.WILL.LIVE."

"That guy seriously."

With that, Reilanis returned to Miriam's side, taking her in her arms and teleporting them all into the dungeon, going immediately to the cub's room and laying her carefully on the bed. Then she tasked Neminah to apply magic for a while, until she was sure she was stable enough and then went to rest.

"Count on me, Mommy."

"Good. Eli, come with me."

"Y-yes, Master."

Reilanis walked out the door, giving her cub one last look, before moving down the hallway in the direction of her office. There, she sat down on one of the couches, indicating to Elisa to sit on the other.

"So, what happened?"

Nervous, and intimidated by the situation, Elisa began to recount the events of the past 4 days. She did her best to explain everything that happened, omitting only her thoughts and... the conclusion Miriam had come to about her words.

Once everything was said, Elisa looked up from the floor; something she had done without realizing it since she started talking. Looking at Reilanis' expression, she saw her with her eyes closed, silently pondering.

Time passed slowly for her as she waited for her master's response. "What should I do, what will I do if she blames me for this again? I... I didn't want this to happen, I didn't want it all to happen again. I didn't want Miriam to be left in this state." Her eyes began to water and those memories invaded her mind, torturing her.

The sound of Reilanis rising from her spot made her flinch. "What's she going to do? I-is she going to slap me again?" Elisa closed her eyes in terror, still bracing herself to receive whatever Reilanis was going to do to her. But contrary to what she expected, her face was caught in sparse but soft breasts, and her head enveloped in a warm embrace. The girl let out a small squeal in confusion, but soon, Reilanis' voice answered her doubts.

"You did good, Eli. You don't have to blame yourself for this. There was nothing you could do. You guys made the best decision in a situation in which you had no way to escape. - Reilanis spoke in a soft, almost motherly voice. With every word, Elisa felt... forgiven, and liberated. - Sometimes there are situations in life that, unfortunately, are unavoidable and this was one of those. You don't have to blame yourself for something you had no control over. You did what you had to do to survive and you didn't rush."

Elisa couldn't believe it. Her master, Reilanis was comforting her, and it was working. Elisa felt her heart clench, her feelings overflowed and the pain... seemed to fade away. Slowly she brought her hands, which were shaking intensely, around Reilanis' back and hugged her tightly. She clung to her with all the pain and guilt that had struck her deeply.

" Master... *sob* I... I... I'm sorry. For being so weak, for not being able to do better. If only... *sniff* if only I was stronger, if only I had done things differently *sob* if only I was a better sister to her, none of this would ever happen."

Elisa couldn't take it anymore. All the weight she has been carrying for all these years. The regret for the words she'd said that day and the things she'd done. It all broke her. Clinging to her master's chest she cried inconsolably, ashamed for not being better, for being so weak, and not being able to protect her little sister, making her risk her life.

Reilanis was shocked. She never realized how fragile Elisa was. Of the weight, she had been carrying for so long. Reilanis reflected, feeling that she still had a lot to change, a lot to understand and improve. She had to try harder to be able to guide this child well and give her the parent figure she so desperately needed.

"Don't blame yourself anymore, child. This is my fault. I should have realized what you were going through and how much you were suffering. I'm sorry, for not being a better mentor to you."

Elisa shook her head in her chest, denying her words. Crying wouldn't let her articulate a word, despite how much she wanted to tell her that she wasn't to blame. Reilanis kept repeating to her many times that she had done well and that it was okay to cry. She needed to get out all that pain she'd been hiding for so long. She hugged her tighter and would not let go until she felt she let all that pain out.

It took a long time before Elisa was able to calm down. Her face was completely stained with tears, but she felt much better than when she arrived. Even as a child she never cried as much as she did at that moment.

Reilanis, once again in an act far more motherly than any of them would think she could do, pulled a handkerchief from her inventory and began to gently wipe Elisa's dirty and, slightly embarrassed, face.

"It's... strange to see you acting this way, Master. It's as if you were..."

"A real mother?"

Elisa just nodded slowly. Reilanis let out a small laugh, feeling amused by that comment.

"Lia told me the same thing. Maybe... that's how I was supposed to be with you all these years."

"N-no, I... I mean, with everything you'd been through it was-"

"No. That's no excuse. - Replied the Oni, finishing her work and sitting down on the couch next to Elisa. - At least not for everything. I went through some pretty rough years, yeah. *sigh* I think this is the first time I'll say this, but you guys are the only reason I've been able to stay sane all this time."

Elisa didn't believe her words, and it showed in her expression, something that made Reilanis laugh and continue saying.

"Strange, isn't it? For me to say such things. But it's true. When Miriam was born, I felt as if I saw myself as a little girl. She was born alone, not knowing whatever happened to her parents, into a world that might not accept her and would try to get rid of her."

Elisa watched as Reilanis' expression turned sad and her eyes looked at something far away. She turned to her and gave her a somewhat forced smile as if wishing to hide any feelings trying to escape.

"I couldn't just leave her. Those were hard years, but... I was happy. It was hard to admit it at the time, but I really was. Then we found you, and I felt the same way. I saw myself, running away from a place where I was rejected, where I was treated as if I didn't exist. I wanted so badly to escape from there, and when I did, I found only pain and despair. - Reilanis looked Elisa in the eyes, with the sincerest look she'd given her so far. - When I saw you, I could see all the pain you had endured, and... I simply had to help you."

Elisa felt her heart clench. She'd never wondered why Reilanis helped her that time. She never thought that, at that moment, Reilanis had done it because she felt true empathy for her. Because they had gone through similar circumstances.

"You two became special, someone I had to take care of at any cost. Maybe that's why I was harsher than I should be, but I couldn't lose the two little girls who made me feel like I was somebody, that I meant something."

Elisa had no words. She was only thinking about what Reilanis was telling her, feeling that at last, it all made sense. Her master was just a woman who found two girls and, even if she didn't understand how to raise them at all, she did everything she could for them. For the sole reason that she didn't want them to go through the same life she had.

For the first time, she felt a real connection with Reilanis. She realized that she, even if it didn't seem like it, had done what parents should do, give their children a better life than they had. A new feeling began to blossom in her heart, something warm and pleasant. "Maybe...to me, she's not just my master. Maybe she really is my moth-"

Her thoughts were cut short by Reilanis' hand that began to stroke her head, ruffling her hair. Something she had practically never done.

"But enough of all that. Eli, you did well and you deserve praise for that. There's quite a bit to work on, especially since you need to learn to cooperate with others, but that can be done calmly. - Reilanis expressed in a calm voice. She gave the blonde another smile and then stood up from her place. - For now, you should go and rest. It's been hard and it's best if you take a nice rest."

With those words, Reilanis walked to the door, leaving the office.

"M-Master!"

"Yes?"

"I...!"

Reilanis stopped just inside the door and patiently waited for Elisa to find what she wanted to say to her.

"Thank you."

The Oni was a little surprised. She didn't expect those words, but she felt happy and a little embarrassed. That’s the reason why she turned around to hide the blush on her cheeks.

"*Cough* uh... you don't have to. I'll, uh... go make something to eat. If you're hungry, come over in a little while, okay?"

"Yes, Master."

Reilanis said no more and left the room, leaving Elisa pondering about everything. About her life, her decisions, and her attitude.

"Maybe, it's time to change."