A Few Days Later
It's been a few days since I killed Fenrir. The world feels quieter now—emptier. I thought peace would follow, but instead, I got… her.
"Hey Erik! Erik! Eriiiik!!"
Her voice cut through the air like an annoying bird that forgot how to land.
"Would you shut up?! I'm trying to monologue!!"
She tilted her head, her ears twitching with curiosity. "What's a monologue?"
I swear, I felt a vein bulge on my temple.
Stay calm. Don't let her get under your skin, I reminded myself, pressing two fingers against my forehead.
Sigh.
"A monologue is… a long speech about a topic," I muttered, dragging the words out like I was teaching a particularly dense rock.
She gasped, eyes lighting up like stars. "Ooooh! What's a topic?"
My eye twitched. Another vein throbbed.
Breathe in… Breathe out…
"A topic," I said through gritted teeth, "is the subject or main idea. It can be anything—a person, a creature, a concept."
"Oh! What about—"
I shot up a hand like a traffic signal.
"Stop. Right there."
She froze mid-sentence, mouth still half-open.
I sighed again, longer this time, rubbing the bridge of my nose.
"Why have you been following me?" I asked, turning to face her.
She glanced away, ears drooping, fingers fidgeting at the hem of her sleeve.
"…I was lonely," she mumbled. "The others of my kind… they don't really like me. They think I'm weird."
I narrowed my eyes and took a step closer, letting my gaze pierce into her. "Why do you care what they think? When we first met, you radiated power. You moved like a force of nature. But now… you act like a lost child."
Her lower lip trembled. "I-I'm not weak!"
"I know you're not," I said firmly. "But why the difference? Why hide behind this act?"
She hesitated, then looked up at me with a sheepish grin. "I was imitating my master's father. He used to appear and vanish in a swirl of wind and shadows, always saying weird cryptic things. I thought it was cool… so I copied him."
We stood there in silence.
Me: "…."
Her: "….."
I sighed, turned my back to her, and started walking again.
As I was saying—before being interrupted for the hundredth time—it's been a few days since she started tailing me. And from the moment she showed up, the questions never stopped. She was a constant buzz in my ears, a persistent poke in my ribs. Like a younger sibling you never asked for but somehow ended up stuck with.
I held off on using my system tickets, thinking she'd eventually leave.
She didn't.
"When are you leaving?" I asked bluntly one night, while we sat under a half-broken canopy of stars.
She stiffened, her body visibly deflating as she hugged her knees. "…D-Do you not like me?" Her voice cracked as tears began to well up in her huge, glistening eyes.
Oh no.
"No! No, I like you!" I blurted out, waving my hands in front of me like I could push the tears back into her skull. "I like you a lot!"
She sniffed. "Really?"
"Yeah," I answered, smiling awkwardly.
Her eyes lit up, and she burst into laughter, spinning around like she'd just heard the greatest joke ever.
I slumped back and let out a shaky breath. That was close.
Last time she cried, it was like a floodgate broke open. She bawled for hours, following me the whole time with tears and sniffles. I tried threats, I tried running—nothing worked. Eventually, the system took pity on me and recommended I buy her some food from the shop.
It worked like magic.
But now, every time I eat, she expects to be fed too. And if I say no? Tears. Instantly. And not the soft kind—the earth-shaking, sky-cracking kind. The kind that makes monsters flee and birds drop dead from stress.
I always give in.
Still… as annoying as she is… it's not so bad.
I smiled faintly, watching her hum to herself, spinning in little circles.
"Erik, what's a main idea?"
I froze. My smile cracked.
Never mind. I want this brat gone, I screamed internally.
….
After reaching my base, I didn't waste a second. I headed straight for the river, stripped off my clothes, and dove into the cool water. The sensation hit me like a reset—clean, grounding.
A splash followed.
Moon had jumped in after me, laughing wildly as she hit the surface. Water flew everywhere, and her silver hair clung to her face in wet strands. I blinked, surprised—and then I laughed. A real laugh. Her joy was so pure, so ridiculous, I couldn't help it.
She splashed toward me, imitating my movements in the water with all the elegance of a flailing duck. I watched her struggle to copy how I scrubbed myself down, her hands slipping or missing spots entirely.
Sigh.
I waded over and began helping her, gently lathering soap into her hair and working through the knots in her tail. Her ears twitched as I cleaned them, and when I moved to her cheeks, I couldn't resist giving them a pinch.
She yelped and tried to swat me away, cheeks puffed out in a dramatic pout.
I laughed again—loud and unrestrained.
It wasn't forced this time. Not dry or hollow like before. After everything I'd been through in this place, after the battles and silence and solitude… it felt good to just laugh.
Once we were done, I purchased a set of clothes for each of us from the system shop. Nothing fancy—just something warm, soft, and dry. We dressed and made our way back to the main shelter.
Inside, I sank into my makeshift chair—roughly carved from stone and reinforced with branches and animal hide. It wasn't elegant, but it held my weight and gave me space to think.
Moon stood nearby, eyes locked onto me with a silent expectancy.
I didn't even need to ask.
With a flick of my fingers through the system window, I conjured up a familiar spread: a juicy burger, golden fries, a slice of pepperoni pizza, a can of soda, and a pile of chicken wings.
Her eyes lit up—no, glowed—with uncontainable joy.
I just watched, smiling, as she tore into the food with childish glee. Sauce smeared across her cheeks, and she made the happiest little sounds as she ate, completely immersed.
Looking at her, something stirred in me.
If I ever had a daughter… I think she'd be like this.
Just—less reckless.
And quieter.
But still… like this.