The early noon sky had long passed and the sun's journey nearly came to an end; the sun barely hovered over the horizon. Painting the clouds a mixture of orange and pink, while the sky was a pale blue that slowly turned darker. The sun's light that painted the village streets was replaced by lights shining from the windows.

  Despite the day's end quickly approaching and many chose to rest as night fell. But not all was quiet; the lone source of booming noise echoed from the tavern.

  On the inside, the lights were bright, every patron was celebrating, drinking, and eating to their hearts' content. The tavern's staff was quick to meet their needs.

  "Yahoo! You should have seen it! The only man killed that Gathering Queen with a single strike." Xaio echoed. In one hand was a mug of mead, and in her other was a sling. Her body was covered in bandages, but still, she outdrank and out-eat most of the occupants.

  "Xaio, you need to take it easy and let your body recover. You just got back." The curly brown brown-haired human tried to get Xaio to calm down.

  "Oh, take it easy, Trish. I feel fine, all I need is food and drink to recover!" Despite her barely healed state, Xaio was no less quiet. "I'll take another round, after all the old man's payin'!"

  Her cry was echoed by the rest of the patrons as they joined her in raising a mug.

  "Xaio, this isn't good for your health! Vira, help me out here." Trish turned to her other recovering teammate for help and was met with disappointment. Finding that the draconian was not on the same wavelength as her, but their leader.

  In one hand, she was chowing down on a large bacon-wrapped turkey leg, and at her side were dozens of empty mugs. With a simple shrug, Vira ignored Trish's pleas for help and just went back to her, tearing chunks out of her turkey leg.

  The poor human could only groan when her concerns went ignored.

  The smell of hot food, carried by the tavern waitress, permeated the air and wet the mouths of everyone. And what a sight it was, but it wasn't Heather who had their attention; it was in what she carried.

  On a tray was a simple grilled cheese sandwich and fries, with a lemonade. However, the other tray was the real show stealer. Steam from a freshly cooked bowl of rice and vegetables, and a steaming baked potato. But the real centerpiece was the steak. A large, one-inch thick t-bone, with melted garlic and herb oozing down the sides.

  The smell followed each one of her steps as she arrived at the customer.

  "Alright, Igneel, you had the steak dinner."

  Igneel nodded and the meal was placed in front of him. "Thank you, dear."

  "And Red had the grilled cheese... where is the boy?"

  "Just place it here, Heather. The boy should be back soon."

  She nodded. "Will that be all, or do any of you need refills?"

  "No, that'll be all, thank you."

  Before she left, Igneel took a knife to the steak, and it was so tender the knife cut through like butter. The same could be said when it came time to chew.

  "Now this is good, Jerome sure knows how to cook a steak. It's been a while since I've had one this tender."

  "Happy to hear that, I'll let Jerome know of—

  The loud crash of shattering glass managed to break through the silence.

  "Hey! This isn't a barn, don't go breaking the glass! Next person to break something, I'll throw you out myself!"

  For a moment, everything went quiet in the tavern as the only thing that could be heard was the sizzling from the kitchen.

  The clicking of silverware rejoined the atmosphere, and slowly laughter and cheering filled the tavern once more.

  "Now this is how you end a day of dungeon exploration, good food and drink."

  At his table was Zyreth, enjoying a fruit and vegetable salad. Aurali, with one hand, occupied herself, crunching down on hashbrown patties that were filled with cheese and egg. While her other hand was attached to the Constellation Flowers.

  Periodically, her golden eyes would look up from her hashbrowns patties. Watching between bites of steak, Igneel would shift to his sides. Simply enjoying his meal while it was still hot.

  Zyreth was doing just the same, eating the salad with a calm grace.

  "Mr. Igneel, when will Strange Eye get back? He's been gone for a while."

  "He'll be back, knowing him, he got distracted and went to read his stories."

  "Oh, I see."

  Returning to her food, the trio returned to eating their meal as the ruckus within the tavern continued.

  —

  In the backyard of the tavern, under the cover of nightfall, a blade came slashing down.

  "Dang it...curly nothing happened."

  Crimson eyes gazed on the blade, shifting to his hands as he lifted it up once again.

  "How did Grandpa do that? I wanna set my sword on fire."

  'What did Mom say about using magic again?' It took a moment for him to think. 'I need to think of a flame.'

  "Maybe if I think of something warm and then swing, maybe that could work. But what do I think of?"

  It took him a moment to think, racking through his memory of anything warm.

  "That Flame Lizard was warm, so maybe if I think about it, I can do it!"

  He didn't waste a moment, readying Breaker. Closing his eyes, he thought of something warm, whether it be the warmth of a fire or the heat the Flame Lizard gave off. Trying to remember that feeling his mother gave him.

  Crimson eyes shot open, and he swung down.

  Only to watch as nothing but a regular sword slash happened.

  No flames on his hands.

  No flames on the blade.

  And no slashing beam of fire.

  Only disappointment.

  "Why can't I do what Grandpa did?"

  "Maybe I can get Mom to show me when I get home?" He took a moment to think. Only for his stomach to growl. "I guess it is supper time. I wonder if—

  "Hey, Strange Eye."

  A frown took hold as he heard that. Turning to see Aurali, walking towards him with her hands behind her back. "Why do you keep calling me that? You should know my name by now."

  "The foods at the table, why are you out here?"

  Reaching back, he tried to put Breaker Make into it's sheath. Only for him to miss it and have the blade fall to the ground. "Dang it... Why can't I get this right?"

  With a sigh, he unclipped the sheath and put Breaker back. Falling back, sitting on the ground, his crimson gaze looked up as the stars started to come out.

  "So... Why are you still out here? Your food is at the table." Aurali took a seat next to him, joining him on the ground, her eyes took in the night sky.

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  Watching in silence as three streaks of light crossed the sky. The only thing to interrupt the silence was a low growl.

  The pair looked to his stomach, a light look of embarrassment marked his cheeks.

  Looking away, Red felt a jab at his side. Finding a hashbrown patty was being offered to him, a slight bit of confusion came over him.

  "Here, since I ate one of yours."

  Taking the offering, he took a bite. It had a crunch like the ones he bought earlier in the day, but there was something else...

  'It's kinda gooey.'

  "That's the egg, good, isn't it?"

  "Yeah, it's pretty good." It only took a few bites from him to finish before looking back to the sky.

  "So why are you out here?"

  "I... I wanted to try and copy what my grandpa did to the Gathering Queen." His voice slowly went quiet. Before it shot up with agitation, like a child being denied their favorite snack. "But no matter what I do, I can't seem to make any kind of fire!"

  Flinging himself onto the ground, his groan joined the muffled tavern noise.

  "You shoudn't learn fire magic. You should learn something cool, like ice magic."

  Sending a slight glare at the girl he spoke. "No way. Im gonna learn fire magic and be just like my mom and grandpa."

  "Is that really the reason why you're out here? After everything that happened today, aren't you tired?"

  "A little, but I wanna work hard so one day I can go on an adventure of my own. Maybe even help people while I do it, kinda like my parents."

  'And maybe try and see if I'll be the one to pull out Durendal one day.'

  A slight moment passed as he reaffirmed that small idea. A slight crunch echoed from his side. Aurali started eating another hashbrown patty.

  "I told you already, heroes aren't real." Before she could finish, a small glare was sent her way. "But... maybe you could show me one day?"

  This time, a smile took hold of her as his stomach growled again.

  "Guess I'd better get inside before the food gets cold."

  Without missing a beat, he leaped off the ground and ran through the back door as Aruali followed him inside.

  They were welcomed back to the smell of food and booze invading his nose. The noise was still contained within the tavern walls, but it was now on full blast, and it echoed in his ears. Walking through the halls, those scenes were overestimated, and it only became more intense once they returned to the dining hall.

  At first, their return almost went unnoticed as Red took his seat.

  "So you finally came back. And here I was worrying you got full of yourself and wandered back into the first again!"

  Rather than respond to his grandfather's taunt, he just ate his grilled cheese. It was both firm yet soft and still warm.

  Looking across the table, he watched Zyreth give him a smile that hid her attempt at laughter. Aurali just returned to eating more hashbrown patties.

  "Grandpa..."

  Igneel continued eating, almost finishing his meal. "Let's not tell your parents or Hellia about this."

  "What? Why not? I wanna tell them about all the stuff I've seen." Disappointment swept over his slight embarrassment, but another idea came to mind. "Can I tell Maryan?"

  "No. You tell her and she'll tell everyone else, then I'm a dead man."

  "But I wanna talk about—

  Before he could finish, someone lifted him out of his seat and into the air. Whether he wanted to or not, he became the center of the tavern's attention.

  "Ya know, when you said the next time we'd meet you'd help me, I didn't think it was gonna be the same day." Even with one arm in a cast, Xaio held him with ease; her face had a flushed, drunken glow to it. Just behind her, Red saw a panicked Trish and Vira fail as they tried to get her to set him down, almost ignoring their pain, but he ignored that as he looked at he zoophian. "Ya know, the last thing I was expecting when I got snatched by those spiders was that the same cute kid who got jumped by a goblin would be the one coming to my rescue."

  Red could only smile at her. "So what do ya say, how about we share a drink and break some bread?"

  It took him a moment. "Sure, I'm still kinda hungry."

  "Alright! Ya heard the boy, bring us some of the best bread and booze ya got!"

  Everyone but Igneel and Zyreth was ready to burst into cheer. Aurali could be seen and heard, tugging at Zyreth's sleeve, asking if she could join in. But the sound of crushing wood sent a single echo down onto the counter.

  Everyone slowly turned to sound, finding a fist-shaped hole in the counter. Heather's fist.

  "Look, I don't mind the cheering and the hollering." A strict, firm voice kept everyone quiet. "Heck, even a little roughhousing is fine, but there is one rule that not even Igneel here can break. No alcohol for minors, no exceptions."

  Slowly, everyone tried to look away.

  "Why would I want anything else? I still have my lemonade?" Red's nativity caused some levity to return as everyone went back to eating and drinking.

  "I guess that works ."

  With two glasses raised and clanging, they drank.

  The party lasted long into the night. During that time, Red ate and ran around the tavern with Aurali and Xaio. Igneel laughed while he drank, watching Red run around the tavern while Caio chased him. But from the combination of the late night and the thrills he experienced, Red didn't last long until he fell to the floor asleep and was taken up to the room Igneel rented and drifted off to sleep.

  —-

  A pair of obsidian black eyes lazily stared through the window and into the yard as a light flicker caught her attention. A set of silver runes was taken outside. The ruins formed the outline of the circle, the moment she saw it, she shot out of her chair and ran to the backyard.

  The portal took shape as a small brown shoe stepped through.

  "It feels good to be home." Red stretched, turning back to his grandfather as he, too came through. "When do you think we can do this again?"

  "Maybe sometime in the future, but I don't think it will be any time soon."

  "You think we could bring—

  He wasn't even allowed to finish. The moment the portal closed, an opening slam echoed when the portal closed. A rapid set of almost silent footsteps ran past Igneel, sweeping Red off his feet.

  The sudden force spun around, swinging Red in a circle with no effort despite all the gear he had on him.

  All Red could see was the blurry world spinning around him. The clouds, the sky, and plant life were nothing but a green blur that made him want to puke.

  However, the moment he caught a hint of scarlet, the world stopped spinning. He was pulled into something soft and a tight hug wrapped around him.

  "Welcome home, Red. How was your trip? Did you have fun?" Lyn's face was warm like a newly made fire as she returned his gaze. A toothy smile and an adventurous look took over him and he returned the hug. The one he was in grew tighter. "I'll take that as a yes?"

  Looking over Lyn's shoulder, he watched as more of his family, Achilles, Hellia, and Maryan, made their way through the back door. At the sight of them, he started waving, a simple gesture they returned.

  "Mom, where's Roy?"

  "I put him down for his morning nap, but enough about that. Tell me, what did you do with your grandpa?"

  Her words were sweet, but unknown to her, Igneel was trying not to shake in his boots as everyone came closer.

  "Well, on the first day, we mostly just walked around looking for a spot to make camp. After that, we went looking for food... I got to fight my first monster!"

  There were a few mixed reactions.

  His father and grandmother both held a mix of concern and worry. However, between the two, Hellia had a barely hidden anger that wasn't present on Achilles.

  Maryan stepped to Lyn's side and placed a hand on Red's head. Her smile was more curious to hear what he had to say.

  Lyn gave him another smile before turning her head to Igneel as if giving him a chance to speak up before Red spoke.

  But Red didn't give anyone the chance. "I got to fight a lot of slimes! It was fun... but I broke a lot of the stones I got from them."

  "You did now, anything else?"

  "I got to see Grandpa fight a Berserk Bear!" All eyes fell on Igneel. "It was so cool, we were out getting berries and firewood. I was having fun fighting slimes when it came out of nowhere, and Grandpa fought it! He even set his sword on fire. Can you show me how to do that?"

  There was light laughter and a hidden sigh of relief snuck by.

  "Dad, I even found Flame Lizard... It bit me, tho."

  Achilles couldn't help but laugh. "Well, at least you learned not to pick up random lizards."

  "Why would I do that? I'm gonna try and catch another one and show Roy." Familial laughter filled the yard again. "Mom, will you show me how to set my sword on fire? I wanna learn magic!"

  "Maybe one day, but how about you run off to your room, put your stuff away, and I'll start making you a welcome home lunch. How about that?"

  With a smile, he took off inside, running past the door before anyone could register he was gone.

  "Lyn," Achilles called out to her. "I think you may have opened a box we wouldn't be able to close."

  "Maybe you're right, but how much trouble could he really get into?"

  Maryan was the first to answer in a calm tone. "Considering how much he takes after you, probably more than you think."

  —

  Running down the hall and up the stairs, footsteps echoed as Red ran past his room, carelessly throwing his bag at his bed. Making his way to his parents' room, paying past their door, he reached his goal.

  Lying down, asleep in his crib, was a mess of scruffy, scarlet hair. The light rise and fall of his chest almost went unnoticed due to the thin blanket over him

  "Hey, Roy. Hey, are you awake? Red's voice was quiet, barely above a whisper as he called out. "Hey, Roy, I'm back."

  There was a little movement, mostly just Roy turning his head, trying to ignore the noise. It only made him put more force behind his efforts.

  "Hey, Roy, I'm home. You could greet me, ya know." This time, his voice was normal, and he poked his finger into Roy's squishy cheek.

  With repeated pokes, Royal blue eyes opened to the world once again, and an upset whim started, but he quickly changed from tired annoyance to excited cooing and trashing. Reaching out, he grabbed Red's finger; his cries grew louder.

  "Guess what I did when I went camping with Grandpa?" His excitement only fueled Roy's as he started kicking wildly. "Well, it didn't start off fun; we spent almost the whole first day walking... But I did get to fight slimes in the forest, and Grandpa, you should have seen it! He fought off this huge bear on his own. It was so cool."

  The more he talked, Roy slowly calmed down as his grip on Red's finger got tighter. While he recounted the week he had. Footsteps from just beyond the bedroom door went unnoticed by the pair as Lyn stood just out of view and just within earshot of what her son was saying.

  "Then one night, I woke up in the middle of the night and saw the same Flame Lizard that bit me. I ended up chasing it into the forest while Grandpa was asleep, and when I finally caught it... I got ambushed by goblins."

  Lyn felt her blood run cold the moment Red said. Her body was about to storm off to find her father.

  "I tried to fight them, but then I got to meet this zoophian named Xaio, and she beat them all in just seconds. It was cool, even if I got yelled at by Grandpa after that."

  Stopping in her tracks, an almost comedic smile took over. 'He really is like me. Guess I wasn't the only one to almost give Father a heart attack at that age.'

  Listening to Red recount his time in Decon Village. From meeting Aurali and visiting a flower shop, but then her mood soured the moment he started talking about the rescue mission and how he ventured into a dungeon.

  Slowly, as he was still entertaining his brother with his tale, he never noticed Lyn was there or that she had left. Things were quiet for some time.

  "Father, what the hell did you do with my son!!???!!"

  While her cry tracked throughout their home, it went ignored by Red, still telling his brother what happened on his trip.