"Wow, it's so beautiful!" Mina exclaimed, her cat tail swishing excitedly as she leaned over the edge of the balloon's basket. Her eyes sparkled with wonder, darting across the sprawling landscape below. It was her first time soaring so high above the world, and the sheer vastness of the sky filled her with awe. The wind tugged at her hair, carrying the faint scent of charcoal and the crisp freshness of the spring air.
Lucas worked the bellows, the rhythmic creak of the mechanism blending with the soft crackle of the fire above. He watched Mina with a fond smile as she prowled around the basket, her cat ears twitching with curiosity. She peered at every detail—the woven wicker, the ropes, the glowing coals—her gaze eventually drifting upward to the massive balloon overhead. Her posture suggested she was half-tempted to climb up and explore it, her feline instincts urging her to conquer the unknown.
"Mina, do you ever want to go back to the Valtoria Beastkin Kingdom? To see it again?" Lucas called out, his voice cutting through her reverie. He was partly teasing, but also genuinely concerned she might actually try scaling the balloon's fabric.
"Huh?" Mina froze, her hands gripping the basket's edge. Her cat ears drooped, and her gaze shifted toward the distant Youjin Mountains, their peaks shrouded in a faint haze. Her voice softened, heavy with a quiet sorrow. "Young Master, the Valtoria Beastkin Kingdom… it's not my home anymore. I don't have a home there."
Lucas fell silent, his dark eyes flickering with empathy. He stepped closer, his voice gentle but steady. "That's okay, Mina. Sedona City is your home now. It's where you belong."
Mina's lips pressed into a thin line, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears as she stared out at the horizon. "I'm an orphan," She began, her voice barely above a whisper. "I grew up with a group of other orphans, kids like me, with no one else. We survived by begging, scavenging, sometimes stealing food just to get by. When the extreme cold storms hit, I was out in the wild, searching for something to eat. I never got the chance to go back, to see if the others made it. I hope… I hope they escaped, that they're safe somewhere."
Her voice wavered, the weight of her words heavy with grief. She knew, deep down, that survival in those brutal conditions was unlikely. Even though she had barely made it out alive, her body pushed to the brink.
"They'll be okay," Lucas said softly, stepping closer to rest a comforting hand on her back. He patted gently, his touch warm and grounding. This was the first time he'd heard about Mina's past, her life as an orphan. It explained so much—her resilience, her wariness, the quiet strength that defined her. He'd always seen her as tough, but now he understood the roots of that toughness, forged in a childhood of hardship.
"My best friend… her name was Mila," Mina continued, her eyes lowering as a bittersweet smile touched her lips. "She's the one who gave me my name, you know. Mila was incredible—stronger than me, braver. She always found food, no matter how scarce things were, and she'd share it with everyone. She was the real leader of our little group, our big sister."
"She sounds like an extraordinary person," Lucas said, his voice warm with genuine admiration. He could only imagine how grueling life was for orphans in this era, especially in a place like the Beastkin Kingdom. He hadn't visited Valtoria himself, but he knew enough to guess at the harsh realities. For someone like Mila to share what little she had, to care for others in such dire circumstances, was a mark of true character.
"She had this big dream," Mina said, her smile softening as she recalled her friend. "She wanted to leave, to explore the world, to see every nation's customs and landscapes. She wanted to be a great adventurer, fearless and free."
"An adventurer?" Lucas raised an eyebrow, intrigued. Mila sounded like a restless spirit, someone who refused to be confined by circumstance. "What kind of beastkin was she?" He asked, curiosity piqued.
"Cat beastkin, like me," Mina replied, brushing a strand of wind-tangled hair from her face. Her smile grew, tinged with nostalgia. "But she was special. Mila had special eyes—her eyes were different colors, one white, one black."
"Really? That's incredible," Lucas said, genuinely surprised. He'd never seen someone with two different-colored eyes, and the image fascinated him.
"Yeah," Mina said, her voice dropping to a near-whisper. "She used to wear an eye patch to cover one eye. It wasn't just for style—it was to keep her safe. People would notice her eyes, and… well, human traffickers are everywhere, even in the beastkin Kingdom. They'd target someone like her, or elves, or bird beastkins, anyone rare or valuable."
The reality of her words hung heavy in the air. Lucas's jaw tightened slightly. He knew no nation was free of cruelty, and the beastkin Kingdom was no exception. If anything, its unique inhabitants—beastkins, elves, and others—made it a prime hunting ground for those who profited from suffering.
"An eye patch? That's quite the look," Lucas said, trying to lighten the mood. His mind conjured an image of a fierce, one-eyed pirate captain, though he knew Mila's reality was far different.
"Mila was beautiful," Mina said, her voice soft but proud. Then her expression faltered, her eyes clouding with sorrow. "But… something happened."
Lucas's hand paused on her back, his gaze softening with concern. "What happened?" He asked gently, noticing the mist forming in her eyes. This was the first time he'd seen Mina so close to tears, her usual composure crumbling as she spoke of her past. Had something happened to Mila?
"Mila… she got hurt because of me," Mina said, her voice hoarse with emotion. She wiped at her eyes with her thumb, trying to stem the tears. "Someone… they slashed her face, left a scar. A permanent one." Her words carried a weight of guilt, a wound that had never healed. For a young girl, a scar on the face wasn't just a mark—it was a loss, a theft of confidence, a reminder of pain. Mina knew that all too well, and it tore at her heart. "If I'd been more careful, it wouldn't have happened. She wouldn't have had to save me."
"It's not your fault," Lucas said, his voice steady and kind. He crouched down beside her, pulling her into a gentle embrace. "Things happen, Mina. You didn't mean for it to happen, and I bet Mila doesn't hold it against you."
Mina curled into herself, hugging her knees as she crouched in the basket. "I was greedy," She whispered, her voice trembling. "I just wanted to find more food for her, to help her. I thought I could do it, but I messed up, and she paid for it."
Lucas's heart ached for her. He hadn't realized how deeply Mina carried this pain, how much she blamed herself. The bond she shared with Mila was profound, likely akin to that of sisters. For an orphan like Mina, Mila had been more than a friend—she'd been family, a protector, a guiding light. The guilt of causing her harm, even unintentionally, was a shadow that lingered, surfacing now in this rare moment of vulnerability.
"It was an accident," Lucas said softly, his arms tightening around her. "You didn't mean for it to happen. Don't carry that weight forever." He was struck by this glimpse of Mina's fragility, so different from her usual strength. Her self-blame revealed how much Mila meant to her, perhaps even as a surrogate older sister. This outpouring of emotion, he realized, had been bottled up for too long. Holding it in could have led to deeper scars—nightmares, anxiety, or worse.
He thought briefly of solutions from his own world. On Earth, a scar could be addressed with cosmetic surgery or perhaps a tattoo to mask it, turning pain into art. But in this era, such options were unimaginable. Even tattooing, while feasible if he brought the right tools, was a distant possibility—Mila's whereabouts were unknown, perhaps lost to the chaos of their past.
"I'm okay, Young Master," Mina said after a moment, wiping her eyes and taking a deep breath. Her composure returned, her face brightening with a newfound lightness. Speaking the truth, sharing Mila's story for the first time, had lifted a burden from her heart. "It feels… better to say it out loud."
"Mila wouldn't want to see you sad," Lucas said, his voice warm with encouragement. Of all the beast-eared girls, Mina had endured the hardest life, her resilience a testament to her spirit.
"Mhm!" Mina nodded, her cat ears perking up as she gave her cheeks a quick pat. Aside from the faint redness around her eyes, she looked herself again, her strength shining through.
"If we ever get the chance to see Mila again, we'll thank her properly," Lucas said, his hand gently brushing her cheek. Leaning in, he pressed a soft, fleeting kiss to her lips, a gesture of comfort and connection.
Mina's cheeks flushed a vivid pink, her eyes widening before she ducked her head, shyly toying with her tail. The sudden affection caught her off guard, her heart fluttering in her chest.
"Alright, let's head down," Lucas said, standing and giving her head a playful pat. "We'll let Elisa have a turn up here, then it's back to work. There's a lot to do."
"Yes, my lord!" Mina replied, standing with renewed energy. She took a deep breath, gazing at the sky as if releasing the last of her burdens. Mila's story, her pain and her guilt, had been a secret she'd never shared, not even with Annie. Speaking it aloud felt like a cleansing, a step toward healing.
Lucas guided the balloon downward, the basket swaying gently as they descended. His mind turned to the next task—there were matters to discuss with Elisa, particularly about forming a sniper team. He wasn't sure if the elf would agree, but it was a conversation worth having.
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