Rain clouds gathered above Ashvale long before evening arrived.
The sky had remained grey throughout most of the day, leaving the village wrapped beneath cold winds and dim sunlight. Farmers hurried to finish work before the storm arrived while merchants covered their stalls with cloth and rope.
Inside the forest beyond the village, Zero was still moving.
"You know normal people rest occasionally."
Zero didn't stop moving.
"Klaus."
The red-haired boy stepped into the clearing carrying a small paper bag in one hand.
His crimson hair was damp from the light rain beginning to fall while his amber eyes gleamed with amusement.
"I brought food."
"I'm training."
"Exactly why I brought food."
Zero finally stopped long enough to glance toward the bag.
"...What is it?"
Klaus grinned proudly.
"Meat skewers."
Zero stared at him silently.
Klaus sighed dramatically.
"You could at least pretend to be excited."
"I am."
"No you aren't."
"I said I am."
"You have the emotional range of a brick."
Zero took the skewer anyway.
Klaus immediately looked victorious.
"There. Progress."
The two sat beneath the trees while light rain slowly began falling around the clearing.
For a while neither spoke.
The silence between them never felt uncomfortable.
Klaus eventually leaned back against the tree behind him while staring toward the darkening sky overhead.
"You ever think about leaving Ashvale?"
Zero glanced toward him briefly.
"Why?"
"I don't know."
Klaus shrugged.
"The world feels bigger lately."
That sentence lingered in the air between them.
Because Zero understood exactly what he meant.
Ashvale felt smaller these days.
Not physically.
Just...
Temporary.
Like standing at the edge of something much larger than yourself.
Klaus suddenly grinned again.
"When we get into the Citadel everything changes."
"If we get in."
"We will."
"You sound very confident."
"I am very confident."
Zero looked away.
Klaus noticed immediately.
"...You're worried about the awakening again."
Silence.
Rain tapped softly against leaves overhead.
"...Maybe."
Klaus frowned slightly.
"You know I don't care whether you awaken or not right?"
Zero didn't answer.
Because that wasn't the issue.
Strength mattered.
Without strength, people died.
Without strength, you lost things.
Somewhere deep inside himself, Zero knew that with terrifying certainty.
Even if he couldn't remember why.
Klaus studied him for a moment before speaking again.
"You know what's annoying?"
"What?"
"You act like the world is already ending before anything even happens."
Zero stared ahead quietly.
Then after several seconds—
"...Maybe I'm just preparing for when it does."
Klaus blinked.
The answer sounded strangely serious coming from him.
Before he could respond, thunder rumbled softly overhead.
The rain suddenly grew heavier.
Klaus immediately stood.
"Okay we're leaving before mother murders us for getting sick."
Zero rose silently beside him.
The two walked back toward Ashvale beneath the rain while distant thunder rolled across the sky above Nyxara.
The smell of burnt food filled the house.
"...Mother."
"It's not burnt."
"It is literally smoking."
"It has character."
Zero stared quietly at the pan in Mira's hands while thin trails of smoke drifted toward the ceiling.
Across the table, Klaus looked genuinely concerned.
"Elias," he said seriously, "I think we're under attack."
His father snorted into his drink.
Mira turned immediately.
"Oh? Then you can cook tomorrow."
Klaus looked horrified.
"Mother please. Let's not say things we can't take back."
Zero quietly walked toward the window before opening it slightly.
Cold rain-scented air drifted inside immediately.
Outside, Ashvale glowed softly beneath the evening storm. Lanterns flickered warmly through rain-covered windows while villagers hurried through muddy streets carrying supplies back home before the weather worsened.
For a moment—
Everything felt peaceful.
Normal.
Mira noticed Zero standing near the window and sighed.
"Sorry, darling. I got distracted."
"You say that every week."
"And every week you're still alive."
"Debatable," Klaus muttered.
Mira threw a cloth at him instantly.
Klaus barely dodged it while laughing loudly.
Zero watched quietly from beside the window.
Listened to them.
The warmth.
The noise.
The stupid conversations that somehow always happened around this table.
A strange feeling settled inside his chest.
Not uncomfortable.
Just unfamiliar.
Because somewhere along the way, this place had stopped feeling temporary.
It had become home.
The realization unsettled him slightly.
Elias finally stood from his chair with a tired sigh before taking the ruined pan from Mira's hands.
"Move."
"I can cook."
"The pan disagrees."
"It betrayed me."
Klaus burst into laughter again.
Even Zero felt the corner of his mouth twitch faintly upward.
Elias noticed.
His expression softened briefly before he turned toward the stove and began preparing dinner himself with calm practiced movements.
Mira leaned lazily beside him afterward.
Watching.
Not speaking.
Just there.
Comfortable.
At one point Elias reached behind himself without looking.
Mira immediately placed the correct seasoning into his hand.
No words exchanged.
No explanation needed.
They had clearly done this countless times before.
Zero found himself staring quietly.
Not because the moment was dramatic.
But because it wasn't.
It was small.
Simple.
The kind of thing most people probably never noticed while living through it.
Yet somehow—
It felt important.
Klaus eventually noticed him watching.
"You good?"
Zero looked away calmly.
"Yes."
Klaus narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"...That was definitely a lie."
"It wasn't."
"You were having emotions again."
"I don't know what that means."
"Sure you don't."
Dinner continued quietly afterward.
Rain tapped softly against the roof while warm lantern light filled the house with gold.
Mira spoke about village gossip.
Klaus rambled excitedly about beasts again.
Elias occasionally added dry comments that somehow made everything funnier.
And through all of it—
Zero listened.
Carefully.
As though some part of him feared forgetting moments like this.
At some point Mira suddenly reached over and brushed her fingers gently through his dark hair.
The movement caught him completely off guard.
"You've been training too much again," she said softly.
"I'm fine."
"You always say that."
Zero didn't answer.
Her hand lingered briefly before pulling away.
Warm.
Gentle.
Safe.
A strange tightness settled inside his chest afterward.
One he couldn't explain.
Later that night, after dinner ended and Klaus disappeared upstairs, Zero stepped outside alone.
Rain still fell softly across Ashvale.
The village had gone quiet.
Most lanterns were dark now.
He stood beneath the roof overhang silently watching water drip from the edges above him.
Behind him, the house remained warm and bright.
He could still hear Mira laughing faintly inside.
Hear Elias speaking.
Small sounds.
Ordinary sounds.
The kind people never think about losing until they're gone.
Zero closed his eyes briefly.
For just a second—
He wished this moment could stay like this forever.
Then—
Far beyond Ashvale...
Somewhere deep within the southern forest...
A beast roared.
The sound echoed across the night like distant thunder.
Low.
Ancient.
Hungry.
Zero's eyes opened immediately.
The peaceful atmosphere vanished instantly.
And for the first time in years—
Ashvale no longer felt safe.