No need to fret readers the awakening day shall come, just wait.
Chapter Twenty — A Day Without Parents
The morning felt different without their parents.
Nagisa noticed it the moment she woke up.
Usually, she would hear Celeste moving around the estate or catch the sound of Asano speaking with one of the servants.
Sometimes her father would already be outside training before sunrise, while her mother prepared breakfast for the family.
Now there was only silence.
Nagisa sat on her bed for a moment, staring at the door.
She knew her parents were alive.
They had sent messages.
They were simply far away.
Still, knowing that didn’t make the house feel the same.
Nagisa climbed out of bed and walked into the hallway.
She found Sato sitting outside his room.
He looked unusually quiet.
“You’re awake early,” Nagisa said.
Sato looked up.
“So are you.”
Nagisa sat beside him.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Not really.”
“Why?”
He shrugged.
“I don’t know.”
Nagisa understood.
She rested her head against the wall.
“I miss them too.”
Sato nodded.
Neither of them said anything for a while.
Then a loud voice came from downstairs.
“BREAKFAST!”
Both cubs jumped.
Nagisa stared toward the staircase.
“That sounds like Aunt Seraphine.”
Sato immediately stood.
“Let’s go.”
They hurried downstairs.
Seraphine was standing in the dining room with an apron tied around her waist.
She looked extremely proud of herself.
“Good morning!”
Nagisa stared at the table.
There was food everywhere.
“Did you make all of this?”
Seraphine nodded.
“Of course.”
Hirata appeared behind Nagisa.
“Did you cook it?”
“Yes.”
He looked suspicious.
“Are you sure?”
Seraphine put a paw on her chest.
“How dare you doubt me.”
Ren walked into the room.
“Last time you cooked, you burned the bread.”
“That was one time.”
Airi quietly climbed onto her seat.
“It happened three times.”
Seraphine stared at her.
“Whose side are you on?”
Airi smiled.
“The truth’s.”
Nagisa burst out laughing.
Seraphine sighed dramatically.
“I see how it is.”
She pointed toward the food.
“Eat before I become offended.”
The children didn’t need to be told twice.
Breakfast quickly became noisy.
Sato was the loudest.
He talked while eating, which earned him several complaints from Nagisa.
Hirata kept trying to steal pieces of food from Ren.
Ren eventually moved his plate.
Airi ate quietly.
Nagisa watched Seraphine.
Her aunt seemed determined to make everything feel normal.
Nagisa appreciated that.
After breakfast, Seraphine clapped her hands.
“All right.”
The children looked at her.
“Today we’re going to have fun.”
Sato immediately raised his paw.
“What are we doing?”
Seraphine smiled.
“Whatever you want.”
There was silence.
Then all five children started speaking at once.
“I want to climb!”
“I want to train!”
“I want to play hide-and-seek!”
“I want to go to the garden!”
“I want to read!”
Seraphine stared at them.
“You could have made this easier.”
Nagisa laughed.
“What do you want to do?”
Seraphine thought for a moment.
“How about all of it?”
The children stared.
“Can we?”
“Yes.”
Sato cheered.
— Find the original chapter at g.com.
They started in the training yard.
Seraphine decided to teach them a game rather than conduct serious training.
“First one to touch that tree wins.”
She pointed toward a large tree at the other end of the yard.
The children lined up.
Nagisa looked at her siblings.
“Ready?”
Sato grinned.
“I’m beating everyone.”
Hirata smirked.
“Keep dreaming.”
Seraphine raised her hand.
“Three.”
Nagisa lowered her body.
“Two.”
Everyone prepared to run.
“One.”
They shot forward.
Nagisa sprinted.
The wind rushed through her fur.
Sato and Hirata were right beside her.
Ren wasn’t far behind.
Airi surprised everyone by taking a shortcut around a stone bench.
Nagisa noticed.
“Hey!”
Airi laughed.
“You didn’t say we couldn’t!”
Nagisa increased her speed.
She reached the tree first.
Sato arrived moments later.
“No!”
Nagisa laughed.
“You lost.”
“I was distracted.”
“By what?”
“You!”
“That’s not an excuse.”
Seraphine walked over.
“I think we have a winner.”
Nagisa looked proud.
Then Seraphine picked her up.
“Congratulations.”
Nagisa’s paws dangled.
“Put me down.”
“No.”
“Auntie.”
Seraphine laughed.
“You’re too cute.”
Nagisa sighed.
She had discovered that Seraphine enjoyed embarrassing her.
After several rounds of games, they moved to the garden.
Seraphine helped the children build a small shelter from branches and cloth.
It wasn’t particularly impressive.
In fact, it leaned dangerously to one side.
Nagisa stared at it.
“Is that supposed to stay up?”
Seraphine nodded confidently.
“Absolutely.”
The shelter immediately collapsed.
Everyone stared.
Seraphine cleared her throat.
“That was a test.”
Hirata laughed.
“You failed.”
“I was testing the shelter.”
“You built it.”
“Exactly.”
Nagisa couldn’t stop laughing.
They rebuilt it together.
This time, they made something sturdier.
Sato crawled inside.
“This is our base.”
Hirata joined him.
“No, it’s mine.”
“You can’t have it.”
Ren entered.
“There’s room for everyone.”
Airi sat outside.
“I don’t want to go inside.”
Nagisa sat beside her.
“Why?”
“It’s hot.”
Nagisa nodded.
“Fair.”
Seraphine lay down in the grass nearby.
For a while, nobody spoke.
The five children simply enjoyed being together.
Nagisa looked at them.
Even without their parents, the family still felt whole.
Different.
But whole.
Later in the afternoon, Seraphine took them to the library.
Nagisa immediately became excited.
She loved the library.
The shelves were filled with books covering history, cultivation, geography, races, beasts, Elyra, and countless other subjects.
Seraphine allowed each child to choose one book.
Nagisa picked a book about the different regions of the continent.
She settled into a corner and began reading.
The map inside showed territories she had never heard of.
The northern mountains.
The eastern frontier.
The demon territories.
Several island nations.
And enormous regions marked simply as unexplored.
Nagisa stared at the map.
There was so much.
She hadn’t even begun to see the world.
Seraphine sat beside her.
“You like it?”
Nagisa nodded.
“There’s so much I don’t know.”
“That’s normal.”
“I want to see all of it.”
“You might.”
Nagisa looked at her.
“Do you think Mother and Father have seen most of it?”
Seraphine smiled.
“Probably more than you think.”
Nagisa returned to the map.
“Then I’ll catch up.”
Seraphine laughed.
“That’s ambitious.”
“I have time.”
“Three years until your Awakening.”
Nagisa looked at her.
“Exactly.”
Seraphine smiled.
“You’re already planning your future.”
Nagisa closed the book.
“Shouldn’t I?”
“You should enjoy your childhood too.”
Nagisa thought about that.
Then she smiled.
“I am.”
As evening approached, the children returned to the courtyard.
Seraphine sat beneath the tree while the five cubs played around her.
Sato challenged Hirata to another race.
Ren chased them.
Airi watched from the side.
Nagisa eventually joined them.
The sun slowly disappeared beyond the horizon.
The sky turned orange, then pink, then dark blue.
For a moment, Nagisa looked toward the road leading away from the estate.
She wondered where her parents were.
Were they eating dinner?
Were they still fighting?
Were they thinking about their children?
She hoped so.
Seraphine noticed her expression.
She walked over and sat beside her.
“You miss them.”
Nagisa nodded.
“Yes.”
“I do too.”
Nagisa looked at her aunt.
“Are you scared?”
Seraphine was quiet for a moment.
“A little.”
Nagisa hadn’t expected that answer.
“You’re scared?”
“Of course.”
Seraphine smiled gently.
“Being strong doesn’t mean you never feel afraid.”
Nagisa looked toward the sky.
“Then why do adults always pretend they’re not scared?”
“Because sometimes children need to know someone is going to protect them.”
Nagisa thought about that.
She understood.
Seraphine put an arm around her.
“But you don’t have to pretend with me.”
Nagisa leaned against her.
“Okay.”
They remained there for a while.
Behind them, Sato shouted that Hirata had cheated.
Hirata shouted back that he hadn’t.
Ren tried to settle the argument.
Airi laughed.
Nagisa smiled.
The estate was still missing two important people.
But the day had been good.
Maybe that was what her parents wanted.
For their children to keep living.
To laugh.
To play.
To grow.
Until they came home.
Nagisa looked at Seraphine.
“Auntie?”
“Yes?”
“When Mother and Father return, can we tell them everything we did?”
Seraphine smiled.
“Everything?”
“Everything.”
“Then you’d better remember it.”
Nagisa looked toward her siblings.
“I will.”
The evening breeze passed through the trees.
For one peaceful day, there was no war.
No demons.
No battlefield.
No fear.
Just five cubs, an aunt who loved them, and a family waiting for two people to come home.
And for Nagisa, that was enough.