Chapter 7: New Family Members

The sun had just begun to rise when Leonhardt left the mansion. Wearing his training robe and with a wooden sword at his waist, he headed toward the forest clearing where he usually practiced magic in secret. Every day, he became more skilled, mastering the flow of mana and expanding his repertoire of spells.

But that morning, his training would take an unexpected turn.

An Unexpected Announcement

The night before, the Eisenhart family had received news that would change their lives. During dinner, Elizabeth, his mother, smiled gently and caressed her belly before speaking:

"I'm going to have a baby."

Leonhardt stopped his spoon midway to his mouth, and Freya, sitting beside him, widened her eyes.

"Really?" he asked in disbelief.

Elizabeth nodded, and Garet, his father, laughed proudly.

"Yes, son. You're going to have a little brother or sister."

Freya grinned excitedly.

"That means you'll be a big brother, Leonhardt!"

Leonhardt felt a slight shiver. Being a big brother… what did that even mean? He had never thought about taking care of someone else. However, when he looked at his mother and saw the happiness on her face, a warmth filled his chest.

"I'll do my best," he said with a smile.

The Encounter in the Forest

As he practiced a wind spell in the clearing, a noise among the trees caught his attention. A rustling of branches, followed by labored breathing.

Turning around, he saw a figure stumbling out of the foliage.

It was a girl, slightly older than him, with short black hair and a pair of small horns protruding from her head. Her clothes were torn, and her skin bore several minor wounds.

But what caught his attention the most were her eyes—red like fire, filled with distrust and fear.

She barely managed to take a step before collapsing to the ground.

Leonhardt rushed to her side and examined her. She was breathing heavily, exhausted. Without thinking twice, he used a water spell to clean her wounds and a basic healing spell to stabilize her.

When he finished, the girl slowly opened her eyes.

"Who… are you?" she asked weakly.

"Leonhardt," he answered. "And you… who are you?"

She hesitated but finally whispered:

"…Saya."

Leonhardt noticed that her body was extremely tense, as if she was ready to run at any moment.

"Relax, I won't hurt you," he said in a calm voice. "Why were you so badly injured?"

Saya averted her gaze.

"They were hunting me… because of what I am."

Leonhardt understood immediately. He had read about it in books. Demons and half-demons were considered enemies of humanity. It didn't matter if they were peaceful or not—people feared them and killed them without hesitation.

But he saw no evil in her. All he saw was a tired and frightened girl.

"I don't care what you are," he finally said. "You're hurt and need help."

Saya stared at him, as if trying to figure out if he was lying. Finally, she let out a sigh and relaxed her shoulders slightly.

"You're strange."

Leonhardt smiled.

"I get that a lot."

The Book of Hidden Vision

After bringing Saya to an improvised shelter and giving her some food, Leonhardt remembered the gift his father had given him earlier that morning.

"Before you go train," Garet had said, "I want to give you something special."

He handed him an old book with a dark leather cover and golden letters on the title:

"The Eyes of the Soul: The True Vision of Magic."

"A friend gave me this book long ago," Sigmund explained. "It might be useful for you."

Leonhardt flipped through the pages and discovered that it spoke of a hidden power in certain individuals—the ability to see the stats of living beings and magical objects. Intrigued, he tried the technique described in the book… and to his surprise, it worked.

When he looked at Saya with his newly activated ability, a translucent window appeared before his eyes.

Status Window – Saya

Name: Saya

Race: Half-Demon

Age: 13 years

Class: Shadow Warrior

Level: 7

Stats:

Strength: 15

Dexterity: 18

Endurance: 12

Intelligence: 14

Mana: 30

Special Ability: Living Shadow – Allows movement in darkness without being detected and increases speed in shadows.

Leonhardt was impressed. Saya was much stronger than she appeared to be, and her ability was unique.

"Interesting…" he murmured.

Saya noticed his expression.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just think you're more impressive than you look."

Saya blushed slightly and turned her gaze away.

"Don't say weird things."

Leonhardt chuckled. Maybe getting along with her wouldn't be so difficult after all.

Decisions and New Beginnings

That night, Leonhardt sat beside Saya in the makeshift shelter. She was still wary, but at least she seemed more relaxed.

"What will you do now?" he asked.

Saya lowered her gaze.

"I have nowhere to go."

Leonhardt thought about his family—his mother, his father, Freya… How would they react if he brought a half-demon home?

But deep inside, he had already made his decision.

"If you want… you can come with me."

Saya looked at him in shock.

"You'd let me stay with you?"

"Yes. I don't care what others say. You're a person, not a monster."

Saya's eyes trembled slightly, as if she had never heard those words before.

"You're really strange, Leonhardt."

He smiled.

"I already know that."

Saya stared at him for a few seconds before letting out a small laugh.

"Alright. I'll go with you."

Leonhardt felt that he had made the right choice.