Morning in Eldenroot arrived slow and golden.
The sky stretched wide and gentle, clouds lazily drifting across the rising sun. The tavern's hearth had long since cooled, replaced by the scent of eggs, herbs, and hearth-baked bread.
Raze stood by the window of his room, shirtless, hair slightly damp from a washbasin rinse.
His body was lean, honed — the physique of someone who moved with precision, not brute force. His golden eyes caught the morning light like polished amber.
But he wasn't watching the sky.
He was watching the girl in the courtyard below.
---
She moved with short, calculated steps. Carrying firewood in both arms. Thin, slight, but clearly accustomed to hard labor.
Her hair was dark auburn, tied back in a rough bun. Freckles dusted her cheeks, and her expression was drawn — not from tiredness, but guarded suspicion.
She was no more than fifteen.
But her presence wasn't childish. It was sharp. Like a dagger hidden behind a polite smile.
[Target Scanned: Lira Dorne — Saria's Daughter]
Age: 15 | Class: Civilian | Emotional Bond: 0%
Status: Cautious Observation
Note: High perception. Immune to shallow charm. Requires honesty and vulnerability to initiate bond.
Quest: Matron's Daughter — Emotional Echo
Objective: Establish trust through shared action.
Raze narrowed his eyes slightly.
She was young — not a romantic interest.
But she mattered.
Because her approval mattered to Saria.
And he had no intention of breaking trust before it ever truly formed.
---
Saria moved through the kitchen with practiced grace, sleeves rolled, apron tied, hair braided and pinned. She hummed faintly — a melody Raze hadn't heard before, warm and nostalgic.
When he stepped into the kitchen, she turned—
—and smiled.
A real one this time. Small. Honest.
"You slept well?" she asked, handing him a slice of buttered bread.
"I did. Your voice is more comforting than most lullabies."
She snorted. "Flatterer."
"I mean it."
She handed him a ceramic mug — herbal tea, steaming faintly.
"Lira's outside gathering firewood," she said after a moment. "You'll meet her soon enough."
"She already saw me."
Saria glanced up. "And?"
"She thinks I'm dangerous."
"…Smart girl."
Raze took a sip of tea, then asked, "How much does she know about your past?"
Saria paused at that. Then turned to stir a pot of stew.
"More than I wish she did. Less than I can say."
Silence again.
Then, quietly: "She was nine when her father died. She didn't cry."
Raze's grip tightened around the mug slightly.
"She blamed you."
"No," Saria said. "She blamed love."
---
Raze stepped outside, rolling up his sleeves as he approached the woodpile.
Lira spotted him immediately, her expression unreadable.
"You're not local," she said bluntly.
"No."
"You're sleeping in my mother's inn."
"I am."
"You're not paying for breakfast."
He smiled faintly. "I offered coin. She refused."
"She never refuses coin."
"Then maybe I'm lucky."
Lira squinted. "You're not lucky. You're something else."
[Tension: 2%]
Emotion: Distrust laced with awareness
Raze didn't press. Instead, he knelt beside the woodpile and picked up a few logs.
"I'll carry these for you."
"I didn't ask."
"You didn't need to."
He carried the logs silently to the back shed. Didn't look at her. Didn't try to talk.
Just helped.
[Bond Update: +3%]
New Trait Logged: Acts of Silent Sincerity
When he returned for another load, Lira finally asked:
"…Are you here to make my mother cry again?"
Raze stopped.
"No," he said, looking her directly in the eyes. "I'm here so she remembers how to smile."
Lira stared at him. A long moment passed.
Then she turned away.
"...Don't fail."
---
Matron's Daughter — Emotional Echo
Objective Complete: Establish trust through shared action.
New Objective: Earn indirect approval by repairing broken stove in kitchen
Reward: +1 LCK
---
The kitchen stove had a cracked base — heat was escaping through a loosened panel near the back.
Raze noticed it earlier, but now…
He fixed it.
Quietly. Without fanfare.
Used a few nails, a bit of reinforced stone from outside. A wedge of iron from the forge.
By the time Saria returned from cleaning the porch, it was done.
She blinked. "You…"
"Just repaid the tea," Raze said.
She stared for a moment longer. Then walked past him to stir the stew.
But her back was straighter.
Her shoulders lighter.
---
[Bond Update: Saria Dorne +6% | Lira Dorne +4%]
Saria Bond: 47%
Lira Bond: 9%
New Passive Progress: Domestic Intimacy Recognition I — Small, sincere acts in living spaces increase bond gain by 15% with caretaking-type heroines.
---
Somewhere Far Away
Atop a wind-ravaged mountain in the Beastkin Territories, a woman knelt in a wide circle of fire runes, eyes closed, tail coiled around her waist like a belt.
Fur marked her cheeks. Her ears twitched once.
"…He's awakened," she murmured.
Around her, matriarchs of wolf, fox, panther, and lion blood watched silently.
The wind shifted.
And a name drifted through the flames—
[Raze]
---
That night, after Lira had gone to bed and the inn was quiet again, Saria approached Raze as he leaned outside the back door, sipping wine.
She stood beside him, their arms brushing.
"Lira… said you helped," she whispered.
"I only did what needed doing."
"She's not easy on strangers."
"She shouldn't be."
Saria hesitated.
Then gently, she slid her hand into his.
No words. Just warmth.
And trust.
[BOND PROGRESS: Saria Dorne — 53%]
New Milestone Approaching: Stage IV
In the distance, wind howled faintly through the trees.
But inside the tavern walls, the storm had passed.
And something new was blooming.