Fatigue

Despite his constant reassurance at the fact he wasn't kidnapping them, it wasn't hard to believe that Lily didn't believe. 

As of now, they were only on the outskirts of the Viridian Forest, uninhabited by the dangerous wildlife. 

"What did you do to my brother?!" Lily screamed. 

Disturbing the night's usual silence, she wailed and cried as she pounded on his chest. In the end, no answer he gave was able to calm down the poor girl. 

"I- no. He finally came back. He was fine just a moment ago." She sobbed. 

"He's still alive. He's just injured. I'll save him, don't worry." Vega promised. 

"You promise?" She asked tearfully. 

Vega looked at the teary-eyed girl who kneeled in front of her injured brother. In the end, he had indeed been at fault for the boy's injury. Though he had no idea what exactly he had done either. 

Though he spoke words promising the girl that he'd save her brother, he had no clue how to do so. In the end, he lied. 

"Yeah, I'll save him." Vega lied. 

Lily observed his face for a moment, before confronting him. 

"You don't know how, do you…" She asked. 

"No, but I'll try. That I can promise." Vega admitted. 

"So you lied. You injured my brother, you kidnapped us, and now you lied to us." Lily stated. 

"Just what reason do you have to do all this? Even if you sold us on the black market, we'd only be worth a few silver coins at most…" She questioned.

"I'm not doing all this for some silver, alright. I got a request from someone to protect you guys till the Regan empire shows up." Vega admitted. 

"You're just making up things now? There's no such thing as a Regan empire." She laughed. 

"There's not??" Vega asked. 

"Well, that certainly complicates things." He sighed. 

"Just who are you? You're not from the South, are you?" Lily asked. 

"I could ask the same of you. Where'd that childlike innocence go? Wait, how old are you anyway?" Vega asked. 

"Why the hell would I tell you anything about me?" she sneered. 

"I thought we were getting to know our real selves. Shouldn't it be a mutual thing?" Vega quipped back. 

"Here I'll go first, the names Vega, and I'm not from around here. Does that satisfy your questions?" He asked. 

Despite him going first in their introductions, it seemed Lily had no intention of doing the same. 

"Alright, I get you don't like me, but I'm just here to do a job. Since you already robbed me of a gold coin, you know I'm decently well off. Till the Regan empire shows up I'll take care of you guys, not a bad deal, no." Vega asked. 

Hearing that he'd actually take care of them, it was clear the girl's attitude had softened for a moment before returning to normal. 

"You don't trust me, I get that. I won't recommend it, but If you want, I'll take you back to Cleargate." Vega offered. 

Lily took a moment to consider his offer before ultimately staying silent. Before her brother fell unconscious, he told her of his plan to leave the town. Although she didn't trust Vega, the last thing she needed to do was go back. 

"Fine, we'll stay. Just until my brother wakes back up." She stated. 

"Sounds like a plan." Vega sighed. 

In the next moment, he took off his jacket and offered it to the two siblings. He'd be cold, sure, but the children needed it more than he did. 

Though wary, Lily leaned against the tree with her unconscious brother. She pulled the two of them together under the warmth of Vega's jacket. 

Seeing that they were huddled for the cold night, Vega turned his attention to the promise he had made to Lily. 

Perhaps it was a simple problem, but Vega was completely unaware of what the issue was. However, he did have a clue on who to ask. 

[Vega: One of the kids was injured. He glowed gold before just falling unconscious. 

Aurelius: Let him rest. He's just fatigued from canceling a technique.

Vega: Just who are you, dude? 

Aurelius: Someone who knows a little more than you do. 

Vega: Well, isn't that right, captain obvious.] 

Aurelius didn't reply after the last message, truly a dick move. While the top player assured him to just let him rest, he felt he should get another person's opinion. 

[Vega: Yo do you know what happens if you cancel a technique in the middle of it? 

LM: You usually just get some backlash. Fatigue and loss of energy are usually it. You'll see some people spit out blood, but that's rare. You didn't get a technique, did you?

Vega: Nah, just asking. What's a technique anyway? 

LM: You're smth else, yk. A technique is a way to manipulate mana to do a certain task. Simple as that. 

Vega: Good to know. Oh, btw, can you triple the food and water rations? I've got the money. 

LM: Alright, any preferences on what kinda food?

…] 

Looking over at the sleeping boy, it did just appear that he had been filled with fatigue. He sighed at the fact Lily had caused him to believe it had been a much bigger deal than he had thought. 

Seeing the two siblings fast asleep, Vega decided to stay up for the night to watch out for any danger. 

With his constitution having reached the second tier, he felt his body could handle the weight of not sleeping for a night. 

Although they were still on the outskirts of the forest, he knew at least some creatures must have been attracted by Lily's cries. 

It would be a hassle, but he couldn't blame the girl, he had in fact kidnapped them after all. 

It was at that moment when he heard the slight ruffle of leaves. Though, on a cool spring night, the rustle of leaves would prove nothing special. 

The wind wasn't particularly blowing at this time. Something other than simple mother nature had caused it. 

Previously, when Hans had informed him about the monster that inhabited the viridian forest, Vega had actually lied when he claimed he outran such a monster. 

In fact, he hadn't even seen a single flicker of life while he was inside. It was only now, when the moon rose over him, that he truly saw the monsters that roamed this planet. 

It was a short gremlin, ugly and grotesque to look at. It reminded Vega of a goblin, except for the look in its eye gleaned with a rare hunger. 

For the people of Cleargate, there was a common rumor that told the tale of a monster that roamed the forests on bright nights. 

It told the tale of a newborn child, abandoned by his mother to the beasts that lay in the forest. 

Despite his mother's intention to let the poor child die, he held on for dear life. Despite being a newborn, he didn't cry for his mother, knowing that it would end in his death. 

For days, he lay there in the open wilderness, thwarting hungry beasts with his sheer will alone. 

Despite his overwhelming will and his overwhelming grit, in the end, he was but a child. He could not survive without the care of another. 

So as the days passed, he eventually succumbed to the blistering sun's heat, the moon's cold nights, and the hunger that ate away at his body. 

It's said that despite his death, his will and grit stood strong, etching themselves into the forest itself. Currently, only the bravest of souls dare to enter the viridian forest at night.