Chapter 3 Anything at All

Satisfied with my time in the human world, I returned to the cave to go back. I created the dimensional portal myself; no one taught me. I learned it purely on my own, following my heart.

A blinding light appeared when I entered the cave and opened the portal. The forest I had last lived in finally came into view. I smiled contentedly as I looked at this cave. It had been with me for years. Of course, it had been helpful, allowing me to do good deeds in the human world.

The first thing I did was look for Vrael. Usually, he would be asleep, tired from waiting for me to finish getting acquainted. But for some reason, today he was nowhere to be seen. I knew he could sense my energy when I arrived, which is why he often woke up suddenly when I came from the human world.

I decided to search around the cave. My eyes scanned the area where Vrael would have waited for me to arrive. There were lots of tall bushes around here, just like in the cave, making it look abandoned. It was very different from the surrounding area, which looked clean and free of bushes. Even though it was part of the same area, for some reason the atmosphere was different.

"Princess Cyrene, I finally found you!"

The voice that came from behind made me spontaneously look back. I saw Aelar with Vrael. It was unusual to see them getting along, with Aelar's arm around Vrael. It looked very awkward with Vrael only as tall as his shoulder. In fact, I could clearly see Vrael's frown.

"What's going on?"

Wait! Aelar? How did he get here? Isn't it true that no one knows about this place except me and Vrael? I glared at Vrael, who was standing next to Aelar, as if I knew who was responsible.

"I just want to make sure you're okay. Lately, I've seen some palace soldiers wandering around here. Even though the King has ensured your residence is safe, I still have to be on guard."

Aelar explained seriously. I had no choice but to listen carefully. Ah! I thought Aelar would scold me for going to the human world.

During my stay here, palace guards rarely came this far. I became worried about the state of the kingdom. Was there an emergency that required the dragon kingdom's guards to come to the wizards' area? I had to find out as soon as possible.

"Is there an emergency at the palace? It's unusual for soldiers to be here."

All this time, Aelar had always been someone I could trust. He often gave me information about the state of the kingdom that even I didn't know. He was always reliable in this regard.

Aelar shook his head. "Unfortunately, I haven't heard anything from my father. I just found out and came to see you right away. What were you doing? I called your name several times, but no one answered."

The house was indeed empty. Besides, who else would be there? Only me and Vrael. Even if Vrael was at home, he wouldn't have heard me. His ears rarely functioned when he was asleep.

"I already told him. Don't make excuses. You have to be honest with him!"

Vrael interrupted, knowing that I wanted to lie. The problem was that Aelar was one of the King's confidants. I could be severely scolded if he found out that I had gone to the human world.

The human world is rarely visited by half-dragons like me. In fact, I don't even know how many people can enter the human world. Can they also create portals like me?

"I know you get bored when you're not doing anything. But please! Don't go there too often. Especially in a situation like this. I'm just afraid that your presence here will be discovered."

Aelar is indeed the best. It was the right decision to make her a close friend. Even though we don't seem very close, I often confide in her as well as Vrael. In my opinion, two different perspectives allow me to see things from more than one side. And that allows me to learn many things I didn't know before.

"It's not for fun. I go there because I follow my heart."

"Still! Don't go there. You can take me with you if you want. At least you'll be safe with me. But, I can find a beautiful human, right?"

Aelar raised and lowered his eyebrows. I clenched my fist at him, ready to punch him. No wonder he wasn't angry, it turns out. I just found out that Aelar is like this.

"You!"

"Don't get me wrong." Aelar lowered my fist, which was ready to punch his handsome face. My hand was just about to touch his smooth cheek, ehh.

"I'm so tired of dealing with dragons that look like that. At least I can compare human life with life here. Besides, I'm sure there are no handsome humans like me there."

I looked at Aelar awkwardly, and I could see that Vrael also looked disgusted with Aelar. I didn't expect Aelar to be narcissistic too. It was a trait I had only just discovered. Usually, he always kept his gaze on others, who said he was cold and expressionless.

"You're just like Vrael. Just admit that you're jealous that you can't come with me."

"Why bring me into this? I've been quiet this whole time."

Vrael seemed upset when he heard me compare the two of them. But when I thought about it, Vrael and Aelar were actually very compatible. It was just that the differences between their worlds made me give up on the idea of pairing them together. They would never be able to be together.

In fact, words can be the opposite of actions. Vrael flew towards me. I thought he was going to hit me for making him angry. Instead, he changed his body size and sat on my shoulder, leaning back as usual. What a lazy little fairy! He's too lazy to even fly.

"I'm sleepy, please be quiet." I was about to scold this fairy, but I stopped immediately. I could see her mouth yawning, a sign that she was indeed sleepy.

"This kid woke me up so casually. He doesn't know that I'm recharging my energy," she said, staring sharply at Aelar. Meanwhile, the one being stared at just smiled innocently. Don't forget Aelar's hand scratching his head like he had done nothing wrong.

"Never mind. Let's go home! I'll take you there safely."

Aelar prepared to put his arm around my shoulder. But I gently pushed him away so as not to offend him. Even though we were close, I didn't like being touched like this.

"Do you even know the way home? If you do, go ahead."

Damn it! I knew he wouldn't remember the way around here. I was sure of it because I had been here many times. This was Aelar's first time here, and I was sure he would just keep walking without knowing where he was going. Moreover, almost all the paths in this forest looked the same, so it was very easy to get lost.

"I know! Trust me."

His confidence is impressive. But I'm pretty sure he won't find a way out. Let's just wait and see. But someone with good intentions should still be given a chance, right? Maybe I should give him a chance to prove himself.

"All right! You go ahead. I'll follow slowly behind. I don't want to disturb Vrael."

Vrael had fallen asleep at some point. It seemed that my shoulder was too comfortable for him, as he often fell asleep on it. Actually, even if I walked around the forest with big steps, it wouldn't wake him up. It was as if there was glue stuck to Vrael's head. So once he leaned back, it was difficult for him to fall. I had tried it before and Vrael wasn't disturbed at all.

Aelar walked ahead as I had instructed. His confidence grew before I realized that we were actually going around in circles in the forest. We even passed the same place three times. Until finally, I got annoyed seeing him, which only made me even more lost. I was tired and wanted to rest, but this kid was only making me more irritated.

"Do you know the way? We've been going around here three times."

Aelar, who was busy determining the direction of the wind, stopped. He turned and looked at me. Then, with an innocent smile, he said, "I don't know the way. Then you go!"

It really annoyed me. I looked at him lazily, as if I had no intention of responding. I had suspected it from the beginning. I just didn't expect him to be this useless. We weren't even halfway home and he had already led me astray. His memory was terrible.

"A moment ago you were acting like you knew the way. Now you can't even do that! Loser!" I said irritably. I didn't care if Aelar was offended. I was already tired from the human world and now I was being led around in circles in the forest.

"The route looked easy when I arrived. So I was confident. I didn't know it would be so complicated."

He always has an excuse. Now we were walking side by side.

"Why don't you walk behind me?"

I asked irritably, seeing Aelar walking so close to me. I had already told him that I didn't like being touched by strangers.

"A man shouldn't walk behind a woman. He should be in front or beside me."

Excuses! Always the same. Besides, no one knows if he's behind or beside me while we're in this forest.

"Don't stick so close to me. You're just trying to get close to me. If you keep sticking to me, I'll leave you here alone."

Good! Aelar was immediately frightened by my threat. He slowly moved away, although he was still beside me. It's okay, the important thing is that he didn't press his body against mine.

I've known this forest since I was a child, so it was easy for me to find the way out. In less than ten minutes, the three of us were behind my house.

Aelar looked at me in disbelief. He had tried to get out earlier but couldn't find the way. Instead, he made me get lost for the umpteenth time.

"How did you find your way here so quickly?" he asked, looking at me in awe.

Ah! I love seeing him like this. It's rare for Aelar to acknowledge my greatness. Usually, he's afraid of being outdone when he sees me surpassing him.

"Of course! I've known this since long ago. Remember! This is the last time you're coming to this forest."

I warned him. This area belongs to me. No one else has ever entered here except me and Vrael.

The admiration faded from Aelar's eyes. He looked at me blankly after I warned him.

"Yes, yes, this is your forest. Anyway, why do you come here so often? Didn't you get lost the first time you came here?" 

Aelar's words made me remember the first time I found this forest. Even though I was still young, somehow I was able to find my way out once I entered. I could hear a voice in my heart, as if someone was guiding me. But that's all I remember. Sometimes that voice still appears, though not as often as when I first arrived here.

"Of course I could find my way out immediately. You don't know that I'm a descendant of nobility!"

It was okay to be arrogant in front of Aelar once in a while. Besides, what I said was true. Descendants of nobility cannot be underestimated.

"Stop looking at me like that. Come to my house, I made some cookies earlier. Maybe you'll like them."

I invited him to my house, and Aelar happily followed. He loves to eat, so he wouldn't refuse my offer. 

"You know I'm hungry."

And of course, Vrael woke up when he heard me mention food. These two kids are the same, neither of them can resist food when it's in front of them. Moreover, they say my cooking always pleases their palates.

I looked for the recipe myself, so of course it tasted different from other people's creations. I failed many times before I was able to create various recipes for myself. Luckily, I had always played in the kitchen since I was a child, so even when I was here, I was already used to cooking alone. The kitchen was also what made my face look ugly. But I never hated that place. For me, it was just an experience that made me better than before.