Draven had a problem, and it was that he didn’t know how to act like a normal child.
That didn’t mean he didn’t know how kids talked, since he had been one himself and had interacted with other children enough to have a general idea.
The problem was that now he had to fake it the entire time.
He couldn’t speak like an adult, nor could he show that he knew too much about the world.
He also couldn’t look at Zenash and think of her as just any ordinary girl, because she wasn’t.
Walking in front of him was the future Demon Queen of Fernus, and a few steps behind came Yruza Talgruzeth, the future personal guardian of Zenash.
Draven walked alongside both of them along a path near the village.
Kali and the Demon Queen had practically kicked them out of the house with the excuse that they needed to "get to know each other better."
’Sure.’
Draven glanced discreetly behind him, seeing that Yruza was still walking after them.
She didn’t speak and didn’t seem distracted; she was only watching.
’Even as a kid she doesn’t know how to relax.’
Draven turned his gaze forward again.
Zenash walked at his side with her back straight and her hands behind her body.
She didn’t seem particularly interested in talking, since from the moment they had left the house she had only answered what was necessary.
"Do you like Aster?"
"It’s acceptable."
"Have you been here before?"
"Yes."
"Do you like the village?"
"Not particularly."
After that, Draven had stopped asking questions.
’This is going well.’
At least he hadn’t done anything strange, and that was already enough.
Zenash, the future Demon Queen, was known for her serious demeanor around other demons.
She was polite, controlled, and proud.
Additionally, she had a rather annoying ability to remember any slight.
Draven had discovered that the hard way inside the videogame, when he had chosen the wrong dialogue option during a side quest.
Zenash had refused to help him for the next three missions, and at that point he had been forced to load an earlier save.
’I’m not repeating that.’
Draven knew many things about her.
Her likes, dislikes, habits, the things that made her angry, and he also knew several secret conversations that only appeared if the player had enough affinity with Fernus.
All of that could be useful, but the problem was using it without seeming strange.
Zenash turned her head slightly.
"You’re looking at me."
Draven looked away.
"No... I was just..."
He answered quickly.
"I was just thinking."
"About something that has to do with me?"
Draven was about to answer yes, but he stopped himself.
’No.’
"About the path."
Zenash looked ahead.
"It’s just a simple broken-down path."
"Exactly."
She frowned slightly, and Draven heard a small cough behind them, so he looked back, but Yruza continued with the same serious expression.
’I’m almost certain she’s laughing.’
Draven kept walking, but he needed to find a topic that was normal.
Something a girl Zenash’s age could talk about with another child without it seeming like he had read her entire future story.
Then he remembered something.
"Do you like animals?"
Zenash looked at him, since the question had caught her attention.
"It depends."
"On which ones?"
"The steeds of Nhal."
Draven already knew the answer, since it was one of the small details hidden in an optional conversation.
Zenash loved those creatures, and even her adult version had several of them in the royal stables.
Draven pretended to be surprised.
"The ones from the carriage?"
Zenash nodded.
"Yes."
Her tone changed slightly and no longer sounded so distant.
"They’re much stronger than the horses of the other kingdoms."
Draven smiled.
"They’re also more terrifying."
Zenash looked at him immediately.
"Terrifying?"
’Shit.’
Draven remembered too late that Zenash hated it when people described the steeds of Nhal as terrifying creatures, since in her opinion they were elegant.
"I didn’t mean it in a bad way."
Zenash narrowed her eyes and almost managed a look of disgust.
"Then?"
Draven thought quickly.
"I meant they look strong..."
Zenash kept watching him, and Draven added.
"And elegant."
Zenash’s expression relaxed.
"Exactly."
’Saved.’
Yruza coughed again behind them, and Draven was more and more convinced she was doing it on purpose.
Zenash began speaking of her own initiative.
"My mother’s steed is named Vargan."
Draven knew that, since he had accidentally killed Vargan during a quest, and after that Zenash hadn’t spoken to him for almost an hour of playtime.
’That was another mistake.’
"Good name."
"I chose it."
"Then it’s an excellent name."
Zenash lifted her chin slightly, and Draven observed her.
’That worked.’
They continued along the path that crossed an area with low trees and farmland.
Draven knew the region well, not because he had been there physically before, but because that area existed in the game.
In the videogame, the village of the Dunvyr appeared as a minor location.
Most players didn’t even pass through there, since it had no main quests, only a few side ones.
But Draven had completed them all, so he remembered the surroundings quite well, and that included several places that could be dangerous for children.
Draven looked toward a side path off the trail.
’We shouldn’t go that way.’
To the right there was a small wooded area that farther ahead turned into a slope leading down to a stream.
Nothing especially dangerous for an adult, but there was a creature that could appear near the water, which wasn’t strong.
In fact, for a level-five character it was practically irrelevant, but Draven and Zenash were children, the same as Yruza.
Although he suspected Yruza might be much stronger than she appeared.
"What’s over there?"
Zenash asked, and Draven reacted, since she was looking precisely toward the side path.
"A stream."
"Really? I want to see it."
"It’s not interesting."
"Then you won’t mind going."
Draven looked at her.
’Yes, I do mind.’
Zenash began walking toward the side path, and Draven followed her.
"We can go another way."
"Why?"
"Because..."
He couldn’t tell her that in the video game there were enemies there.
"Because the path is a little slippery."
Zenash stopped and then looked at him.
"Do you think I’ll fall?"
Draven understood immediately what had happened.
’Great.’
He had touched another thing Zenash hated, which was people doubting her.
"I didn’t say that."
"You thought it."
"No, of course not."
"Yes, you did."
"I only said it’s slippery."
Zenash raised her chin.
"Then I’m going."
Draven looked at Yruza.
"Aren’t you going to say anything?"
Yruza answered calmly.
"My job is to watch over Lady Zenash."
"That doesn’t answer my question."
"I know."
Draven sighed.
’Two difficult demon girls.’
They kept walking, but Zenash was in front now, and Draven took the chance to observe her.
’She’s very different.’
Her adult version had far more confidence and also knew perfectly how to manipulate a conversation.
This Zenash still had pride, but she was still a child, which meant she reacted in a much more direct way.
’The story is already different from how I remember it.’
Draven began to think.
In the game he had never seen a scene of Zenash visiting Draven when both were children, and he also didn’t remember any important relationship between them.
Draven Dunvyr was a secondary character.
He could appear in documents, conversations, some routes related to Aster, but he had never had any direct relevance with Zenash.
’So this didn’t happen.’
Or at least it hadn’t occurred in the version Sam knew.
That could mean several things.
Maybe the story had always had events the player never saw, maybe his arrival had changed something, or perhaps this world had already been different from before.
Draven didn’t know which of the three options was worse.
"What are you doing?"
Zenash asked, and Draven raised his gaze, seeing that she was waiting for him farther ahead.
"I was just thinking."
"You think too much."
Draven smiled.
"My mom says that too."
Zenash seemed to consider the answer.
"My mother says I should think before I speak."
Draven remembered several scenes of the adult Zenash.
"She’s probably right."
Zenash frowned, and Draven raised both hands.
"It’s a joke."
She watched him for a few seconds and then continued walking, but Draven felt a look from behind from Yruza, so he only thought.
’Don’t judge me.’