Ray woke to the sound of hushed voices drifting through his bedroom wall. His mother and father were talking in the hallway—their tones serious, careful. The kind of conversation that happened when children were supposed to be asleep.
He sat up slowly, rubbing sleep from his eyes. Pale morning light filtered through his window, casting long shadows across the wooden floor. The voices continued, just quiet enough that he couldn't make out individual words.
Ray slipped from his bed and padded to the door, pressing his ear against the cool wood.
"—haven't seen any foxkin in this region for decades," his father was saying. "Not since the border wars."
"That's what worries me," his mother replied. "If she ends up being from a noble beastkin clan , then someone will come looking for her. And when they do—"
"We'll handle it when it happens. For now, she's a child who needed help. That's all."
A pause.
Then his mother's voice, softer: "Do you think Ray did what the girls said Calden. What he did yesterday... that wasn't normal aura manipulation. It was something else entirely."
"I know. I've been thinking about it all night."
Ray's chest tightened. They were talking about him. About what happened with the fox girl.
"Maybe we should contact your father," his mother continued. "He might know more about—"
"No." His father's voice was firm. "Not yet. My father has enough to worry about without us bringing strange foxkin children and mysterious healing abilities to his attention."
Ray frowned. His grandfather was someone important, but his father rarely talked about him. All Ray knew was that Grandfather lived in the capital and held some kind of position in the royal court.
The conversation died down, followed by the sound of footsteps moving away. Ray waited a few moments before quietly opening his door and peering out. The hallway was empty.
He dressed quickly and made his way downstairs, the familiar creaks of the old manor accompanying his steps. The kitchen smelled of porridge and honey, and his mother stood at the stove, stirring a pot with mechanical precision.
"Morning," Ray said, settling into his usual chair.
"Good morning, dear." She didn't turn around, but her shoulders seemed tense. "Sleep well?"
"Yeah." He paused, then decided to be direct. "Is everything okay? You and Dad seemed... worried about something."
His mother's stirring slowed. "Just manor business. Nothing for you to concern yourself with."
Ray wasn't buying it, but he knew pushing wouldn't help. His mother had perfected the art of deflecting questions she didn't want to answer.
Lila and Mira tumbled into the kitchen moments later, already dressed and chattering about their plans for the day. They wanted to show the fox girl their collection of pressed flowers, convinced she'd find them fascinating.
"Has she said anything yet?" Ray asked.
"A few words," his mother replied, finally turning from the stove. "She's scared, confused. Can't remember much about how she ended up in our garden."
"Can't remember, or won't say?"
His mother gave him a sharp look. "Ray."
"I'm just asking."
"She's a frightened child. Whatever happened before she arrived here, she's safe now. That's what matters."
The system chose that moment to chime in Ray's head:
💠 [Daily Quest Available: Check on the Young Princess]
💠 [Secondary Objective: Gain her trust]
💠 [Reward: +15 VP, Relationship Progress] 💠 [Time Limit: Before noon]
Ray suppressed a sigh. The system seemed determined to make him personally invested in the fox girl's recovery. Not that he minded helping—he'd do it anyway—but the constant quest notifications made everything feel like a game mission rather than genuine concern.
After breakfast, Ray climbed the stairs to the guest room. He knocked softly on the door.
"My names Ray I was one of the people who found you in the garden," he said. "Can I come in?"
A quiet voice answered: "...okay."
He opened the door slowly. The fox girl sat on the edge of the bed, her amber hair catching the morning light. She'd changed into one of his sister's spare dresses—a simple blue thing that was slightly too large for her small frame. Her fox ears twitched nervously as he entered, and her tail curled around her waist like a protective barrier.
"How are you feeling?" Ray asked, remaining near the door to avoid crowding her.
"Better," she said quietly. Her voice was soft, with a slight accent he couldn't place. "Thank you. For helping me."
Ray nodded and moved to the chair by the window, sitting down slowly. "Do you remember what happened? Before you ended up in our garden?"
Her ears flattened against her head. "Not... not much. I was running. Then I was hurt. Then I was here."
"Running from what?"
She shook her head quickly. "I don't want to talk about it."
Ray could see the fear in her golden eyes—the kind of fear that came from real danger, not just confusion. Whatever had happened to her, it had been serious.
"That's okay," he said gently. "You don't have to talk about anything you don't want to."
She looked surprised by his response, as if she'd expected to be pressed for information.
"What's your name?" Ray asked instead.
"Kira," she said after a moment's hesitation.
"Nice to meet you, Kira. I'm Ray. The two girls you met yesterday are my younger sisters, Lila and Mira. They're excited to show you their flower collection, if you're interested."
A tiny smile touched Kira's lips. "They seem nice."
"They are. Sometimes a little too enthusiastic, but they mean well."
Kira nodded, then looked down at her hands.
"Your family... they're not afraid of me?"
"Why would they be afraid of you?"
"Because I'm..." She gestured vaguely at her ears and tail. "Different."
Ray leaned back in his chair. "My family's not really the type to judge people based on what they look like. We care more about whether someone's decent or not."
"Most humans don't feel that way about beastkin."
"Most humans haven't met many beastkin around here. We're pretty isolated." Ray paused. "Though I get the feeling you're not just any beastkin."
Kira's eyes widened slightly, and her tail twitched. "What do you mean?"
"Nothing bad," Ray said quickly. "Just... well, the way you carry yourself. The way you speak. You seem like you're used to being treated with respect."
She was quiet for a long moment. When she spoke again, her voice was barely above a whisper: "I can't go home."
"Why not?"
"Because..." She looked up at him, and Ray saw tears gathering in her golden eyes.
"Because home doesn't exist anymore."
Ray felt something cold settle in his stomach.
"What happened?"
Kira wrapped her arms around herself, her small frame trembling. "There was an attack. On our settlement. Bad people came in the night with weapons and fire. My mother told me to run, to keep running until I found somewhere safe."
Ray's chest tightened. "I'm sorry."
"I don't know if anyone else made it out," she continued, tears now flowing freely down her cheeks. "I don't know if my family is alive or dead. I just kept running like she told me to, but I got lost, and then I was hurt, and I thought I was going to die alone in the woods."
Without thinking, Ray stood and moved to sit on the edge of the bed, close enough to offer comfort but not so close as to make her uncomfortable.
"You're not alone now," he said firmly. "And you're safe here. My family won't let anything happen to you."
Kira looked at him through her tears. "Why? You don't even know me."
"Because it's the right thing to do," Ray said simply. "And because..." He hesitated, then decided to be honest. "Because I know what it's like to lose everything. To feel completely alone in the world."
She tilted her head slightly. "You do?"
Ray nodded. "In a different way, but yeah. I do."
The system chimed softly in his head:
💠 [Quest Progress: Trust Building - 40% Complete]
💠 [Hidden Objective Unlocked: Provide Emotional Support]
Ray ignored it, focusing on the frightened girl in front of him.
"What will happen to me now?" Kira asked.
"For now, you'll stay with us. Get better. Figure out what you want to do next when you're ready."
"Your parents really won't mind?"
"They've already decided. Trust me, once my mother makes up her mind about taking care of someone, that's it. You're stuck with us."
That earned him another small smile.
A knock at the door interrupted them. "Ray? Kira?" It was Lila's voice. "Can we come in? We brought flowers!"
Ray looked at Kira questioningly. She wiped her eyes and nodded.
"Come in," he called.
Lila and Mira burst through the door, their arms full of pressed flowers and leaves. They chattered excitedly as they showed Kira their collection, explaining where each flower had been found and what they'd learned about it from the village herbalist.
Watching his sisters' genuine enthusiasm and Kira's gradual relaxation, Ray felt a familiar warmth in his chest. This was what he wanted to protect. This simple happiness, this feeling of belonging and safety.
But as Kira laughed at one of Mira's stories, Ray couldn't shake his father's earlier words. Someone would come looking for her eventually. And when they did, his peaceful life might become significantly more complicated.
The system seemed to read his thoughts:
💠 [Warning: Future Quest Complexity Increasing]
💠 [Recommendation: Prepare for Political Complications]
💠 [New Skill Available: Diplomatic Relations - Cost: 500VP]
Ray closed his eyes briefly. He'd hoped to avoid political complications for at least a few more years. But if protecting Kira meant dealing with whatever forces had destroyed her home, then he'd find a way to manage it.
Even if it meant being significantly less lazy than he'd planned.
After all, family came first. And somehow, without him quite realizing when it had happened, Kira was starting to feel like family too. He felt strangely connected was it the aura that left his body he thought. The quest may have done that to sway my emotions.
💠 [Quest Complete: Check on the Young Princess]
💠 [Bonus Objective Complete: Provide Emotional Support]
💠 [Rewards: +5 VP]
💠 [Relationship Status: Kira - Cautious Trust]
Ray opened his status window briefly, noting his VP total had risen to 88. Enough to unlock some useful abilities, though he wanted to think carefully about which ones would be most practical for the challenges ahead. Seeing the relationship status change was nice as well, Ray couldn't see this if he checked other peoples status himself only when the system told him could he see this.
For now, though, he was content to sit and listen to his sisters explain the finer points of flower pressing to their new houseguest, pretending not to notice the way Kira's eyes lit up with genuine joy for the first time since he'd met her.