In a moment, Draven looked at his father for several seconds.
"How do you know someone from the Valdegrim family?"
Kevar, who was putting away some tools by the entrance of the house, raised his head.
"Why do you ask that?"
"Because they’re the Valdegrim."
"That’s right."
"One of the most important families in Aster."
"Also."
"Descendants of one of the heroes who defeated the god of destruction."
Kevar looked at him.
"You know too many things for your age."
Draven went still.
’I have to be careful.’
"I read it in an old book."
"Sure."
Kevar didn’t seem to give it much importance and continued arranging the tools, at which Draven approached.
"So, how do you know them?"
Kevar thought for a moment before answering.
"The head of the family came to the village a few years ago."
Draven frowned.
"Here?"
"Yes."
"Why did he do that?"
"He wanted to clear his head."
Draven looked at him with disbelief.
"He just came to this village to clear his head?"
Kevar shrugged.
"Nobles get tired too."
"That doesn’t explain how you became friends."
"We ran into each other several times."
"And?"
"And we talked."
Draven waited, but Kevar kept working.
"That’s all?"
"More or less."
Draven narrowed his eyes.
"Dad."
"What?"
"You’re telling me that one of the most important men in Aster came to the village, found you, and you just became friends."
"Yes, sometimes a man doesn’t need much to become friends with another."
"What did you talk about?"
Kevar smiled.
"About things."
Draven sighed.
’Now I understand where my bad luck with answers comes from.’
He crossed his arms.
"What things?"
"Work, family, problems."
"That’s still very general."
Kevar finished putting away a shovel.
"He seemed to need to talk to someone who wouldn’t treat him like a noble."
Draven stopped insisting for a few seconds, since that did make sense.
The Valdegrim family carried an enormous pressure, because their surname was known throughout Aster.
The lineage of the hero who had fought against the god of destruction wasn’t simply a matter of pride.
It also meant expectations, responsibilities, training, politics, and above all, a huge number of people waiting for every descendant to live up to their ancestors.
Draven knew that part of the history well.
"And now he’s going to send his son here?"
He asked, to which Kevar nodded.
"For a while."
"How long?"
"I don’t know."
"And why?"
"He wants him to learn how people live outside noble circles."
Draven felt that also matched what he remembered.
Eliot Valdegrim, the main protagonist of Valkaen and a New Rebirth, who was a young swordsman direct descendant of the hero of Aster.
The person destined to get involved in almost every important event in the game and, depending on the route, the one who would end up facing the god of destruction directly.
Draven had played as Eliot for hundreds of hours.
He knew his skills, his routes, his decisions, his weapons, and he even remembered what his worst dialogue options were.
’So I’m finally going to meet him.’
It was strange.
Until that moment he had met important characters, but Zenash and Yruza belonged to more specific routes, so Eliot was different, since he was the center of the story.
Draven opened his mouth.
"Dad, does he know...?"
The sound of wheels interrupted the question and Kevar raised his head.
"They’re here."
Draven turned quickly toward the road, seeing that a carriage was advancing toward the house, which wasn’t as extravagant as the demon queen’s, but was still clearly expensive.
The wood was polished, the edges had golden details, two white horses pulled the vehicle, and on one of the doors the emblem of the Valdegrim family could be seen.
Draven recognized it immediately.
’It’s real.’
Kali came out of the house.
"Are they here?"
"Yes."
Kevar answered while Draven took a step forward, since he wanted to see.
The carriage stopped and a uniformed man got down first, who then opened the door.
Draven waited.
’Eliot Valdegrim is here.’
The first person to get down was a girl, at which Draven blinked.
The girl had long, carefully kept golden-blond hair, while her eyes were an intense violet and she wore elegant but practical clothes.
It didn’t look like a dress prepared for a party, but more like a travel outfit designed for someone from a noble family.
The girl looked around and then fully stepped down from the carriage.
Draven waited, but no one else got out, so he looked at the open door, then at the girl, and then back at the carriage.
’Where is Eliot!?’
Kevar approached.
"Welcome."
The girl made a small bow.
"Thank you for receiving me."
Kali also approached.
"You must be Taliah, right?"
Draven stopped breathing for a second.
’Taliah?’
The girl nodded.
"That’s right, I’m Taliah Valdegrim."
Draven felt that something didn’t fit.
’Valdegrim, golden hair, violet eyes, correct age, the same posture...’
Even the way of observing the place matched certain portraits of the character he remembered, but it couldn’t be.
’No, this can’t be true.’
Taliah looked toward him, who kept observing her, so she frowned slightly.
"Is something wrong?"
Draven reacted.
"No, nothing."
Taliah kept looking at him and Draven tried to smile.
"Just... I was expecting someone else."
Kevar looked at him.
"Who?"
"I..."
He stopped.
’I can’t say Eliot.’
Because no one had mentioned that name, since only he knew it or believed he knew it.
"I thought someone else would come."
Taliah raised an eyebrow.
"My father said I would come alone."
"I see..."
Draven swallowed.
’Since when was the protagonist a girl?’
It didn’t make sense.
In the videogame, Eliot Valdegrim was a man and that was completely clear.
There were cutscenes, illustrations, models, dialogues, and there were even romantic routes related to him.
Draven couldn’t have confused him, but in front of him was Taliah Valdegrim.
Same lineage, approximate age, main features, and, from the way everyone was acting, no one considered that there was anything strange.
’Another change.’
A huge one.
Draven had already noticed small differences before, but this was different, since the protagonist of the game directly didn’t exist as he remembered, but had changed.
Taliah looked at him again.
"Are you Draven Dunvyr?"
"Yes, that’s right."
"My father mentioned your name."
That caught his attention.
"What did he say?"
"That you’re the son of his friend."
Draven waited, but there was nothing more.
"Ah."
Taliah added.
"And that you’d probably be less annoying than the kids from the capital."
Draven blinked while Kali covered her mouth to hide a laugh and Kevar cleared his throat, so Taliah looked at them.
"Did I say something wrong?"
Draven answered.
"Maybe a little."
"Which part?"
"The part about the kids."
Taliah thought.
"But it’s true, they really are annoying."
Draven smiled slightly.
’Yeah, she definitely has personality.’