Chapter Twenty-Three

Alvin stood up to see what was happening. He carefully opened the door and stepped outside, gripping his sword tightly. Elena quickly followed him.

Unlike all the monsters they had encountered so far… this creature was truly beautiful!

It was a flying creature with two large, transparent wings that shimmered with a light green hue. Its slender body was covered in a soft, scaly layer of white, pink, and pale green colors. It had a relatively small head with large, glowing eyes of a faint violet shade, and short appendages protruding from the center of its head.

Its front limbs were long and ended in sharp claws hidden within plant-like protrusions, and its tail was long and appeared flexible as it moved.

"Its name... Floraciel," Meril said from behind, her voice full of admiration for what she saw. "It says here they only attack under certain conditions — when they feel threatened or when they're hungry."

Blood from one of them had spilled onto the transparent barrier surrounding the house, which served as protection against outside attacks. Tulip ran barefoot across the stone pavement to get a closer look at the creatures.

"Should we fight them?" Elena asked, marveling at the Floraciel's wings. "Since they're here, it means... they're hungry!"

Tulip noticed something and rushed over to Alvin, tugging at his hand. When Alvin looked at him, the child pointed to the left side of the house.

Alvin picked him up and quietly headed toward the indicated direction.

There was something shining. Alvin tried to see more clearly by moving closer until he reached the wooden fence of the garden. His eyes widened in astonishment when he realized what it was...

It was an open gate, from which the creatures were emerging!

"Meril," Alvin called out without taking his eyes off the gleaming-edged gate.

"You said no one could break through the transparent barrier around the house, right?"

"That's right. Master said he placed it himself. No monster can break through it, no matter their level," Meril answered anxiously, the number of creatures around them growing alarmingly fast.

"Then... let's go back inside and finish our dinner."

"What?" Meril gestured toward the swarm of monsters and continued, "Are we just going to leave them around the house?"

"It's a losing battle. We can't fight flying creatures when we don't have wings. Besides, there are far too many of them, and it's nighttime — their eyes surely have night vision, unlike ours."

Alvin entered the house, still carrying Tulip, leaving the door open behind him for the girls to follow.

Elena sat down on the cold grass, her eyes quietly admiring the peaceful creatures surrounding the house. "Their colors are beautifully harmonious," she said.

Meril sat down beside her, their shoulders gently brushing.

"You know," Meril said, "I never thought I'd encounter creatures like these in my entire life!"

"Neither did I," Elena replied with a soft chuckle. "In my old age, I meet beautiful monsters who want to eat me."

"Old age?" Meril said with a light laugh. "Oh my, you're still far too young to be saying that! I once heard that you were 128 years old."

"That's not true. I'm only 107."

"That means they lied to me!" Meril cried out in outrage. "Anyway, doctors say that adolescence ends when a person reaches 100 years of age. So that means you've just entered your youth."

"I don't know if I can really call it 'youth,'" Elena said with a sarcastic smile. "I feel like an old woman."

The two spent more time gazing at the sky and admiring the beauty of the creatures, until Elena stood up and suggested they head back inside.

As soon as the door opened, both of them were stunned.

Inside, there were tons of toys — a child's car, lots of stuffed bears, robots, and many other toys.

"What is all this?" Meril asked in astonishment at the sheer number.

"Nothing, I just bought a few toys for Tulip."

"Do you call this 'a few' toys?" Meril said with a hint of sarcasm, as there were so many toys it was hard to count them all.

Elena left them and walked toward the electric car. It was black with an open roof, and Tulip stood nearby, not knowing how it worked. She observed it for a brief moment before getting in and driving it around with a neutral expression.

Tulip ran after her with a happy smile, hugging a stuffed bear in his arms, enjoying the sight of the moving car.

In the background, Meril and Alvin watched silently, a hint of astonishment showing on Meril's face.

Elena truly looked childish as she drove the tiny car, which barely fit her size, while Tulip kept running after her.

And... well, Meril wanted to try it too! So she left Alvin behind and walked over to Elena, saying, "Elena, let me try!"

Elena shook her head and continued driving the car toward the kitchen, then steered back toward the living room, and from there headed off in another direction.

Alvin sighed in disbelief at the situation. Meril and Elena were both young adults, yet they were competing with Tulip in childish behavior. He huffed and went to order more cars.

This time, he bought five cars of different models.

"Being rich is exhausting," Alvin muttered as he watched the three of them driving and bumping into each other because of the limited space.

"Hey, get out of my way!" Elena shouted in frustration when Meril's car suddenly appeared in front of her.

Meril backed up slightly, then deliberately rammed her car into Elena's. "You're the one blocking the way, not me!"

Unlike the others, Tulip was calm as he drove his little Mercedes, a wide, happy smile on his face. Alvin could easily guess the reason—he was certain that if Tulip could speak, he would be the loudest of them all.

Alvin went back to the store and bought plenty of blankets, mattresses, and pillows for sleeping.

He spread one out on the carpet for himself, rested his head on a pillow, then wrote a message and sent it to the group chat that included himself, Elena, Meril, and Tulip.

After making sure the message was read, he pulled the blanket over his head and drifted off to sleep.

Even though he had slept for several hours during the day, he still felt tired and drained.

— "Make sure to close the door before going to sleep, so Tulip doesn't wander outside and get hurt."

— "And don't let him stay up too late. He needs his rest."

__________

The sun rose once again over the Noxara Desert, and the group of four woke up, each busy with something.

Elena stood near the kitchen, watching breakfast prepare itself. Eggs moved on their own into the pan, and dirty dishes floated into the sink.

Meril had explained earlier that the house was enchanted, which was why all of this was happening.

Speaking of Meril, she was trying to braid her thick hair in front of the mirror, while Alvin and Tulip were out in the garden, talking about something.

Elena stopped watching the kitchen and moved toward the window overlooking the front yard.

It had turned into an amusement park thanks to Alvin, who had set up some large toys there, including a train that stretched from the left side of the house, circled around it, and reached the lemon tree.

"Being rich is wonderful," she whispered to herself, then turned her head toward Meril and asked,

"Do you know what they're talking about?"

Mirel muttered for a moment, then answered while securing her hair with some black pins. "Alvin is explaining what's happening in the world to Tulip, telling him about the situation we're in." After finishing with her hair, Mirel moved toward the window to look at them and continued, "He said he'd tell him about the fighting matter. Alvin said that Tulip needs to learn to fight and make use of the poison in his body."

"He's... calm," Elena said quietly. When they met Tulip yesterday, he was aggressive, and now he's acting as though they've been together for years.

"That's because of Alvin. He kept giving Tulip potions that calm the nerves and help him relax."

"Is that bad? I mean... giving him those potions all the time."

"Yes. Although they help with mental and physical healing, they are addictive. The result will be the opposite in the future." Mirel looked toward the table behind her, noticing the plates were already placed there. She continued speaking before opening the door to call Alvin and Tulip for breakfast. "I told Alvin to stop giving him any potion, no matter what type, and I'll take care of Tulip's treatment."

While they were eating, the three adults realized that Tulip was strangely quiet. Even after finishing his breakfast, he didn't go off to play as they had expected. Instead, he sat on the couch silently, clutching the stuffed bear in his lap.

The plates moved on their own to the kitchen, leaving the table empty again. While both Alvin and Mirel were contemplating what to do, Elena moved toward the TV and turned it on. She flipped through the channels until she found a children's program, then gently patted Tulip's head and said, "Enjoy your time, my dear."

Tulip hesitated, his frown directed at Elena, who was standing near him. Elena realized that this wasn't enough; the child seemed tense, or perhaps scared. She sat beside him, running her fingers through his curly hair, and said gently, "I know you're scared. A lot of things are happening these days. But, let me tell you something, my dear: you are not alone. Me, Alvin, and Mirel are here with you, and we will never leave you."

She lowered her head to give him a tender kiss on his forehead, then added softly, "Don't worry about anything. Just enjoy watching TV."

Elena remained sitting beside him, her fingertips running through his hair until Tulip relaxed, and a small smile appeared on his lips. She turned up the TV volume just enough for the child to focus on it, then went back to sit at the table where Alvin and Mirel were sitting.

"That was very sweet," Mirel whispered with a small, happy smile.

Elena took the map out of her inventory and placed it on the table, then said, "Let's focus on this!"... She hated being the center of attention and blushed quickly at praise. Mirel understood this when she saw Elena's rosy cheeks. "Time is flying; we need to figure out this map!"