Chapter 31: Sophie’s Relief
Lucy returned to the kitchen and pulled out another plate of meat. Then another. Then another.
She cooked and reheated, chopped and roasted, working like a warrior battling fate. Each time she placed the food down...
CHOMP!
CHOMP!!
CHOMP!!!
Gone.
Ash tore through piles of meat like a smiling black hole with wings. His appetite was terrifying.
Ten minutes later...
"Mom?" Bruce asked slowly. "Are you okay?"
Lucy was sweating, sleeves rolled up like she had been in a life-or-death brawl. "I am fine," she breathed.
Ash patted his belly happily.
Finally, after eating what could easily feed a small village, Ash let out a satisfied burp.
Kyyuuuuu~
Lucy collapsed into a nearby chair and exhaled. "I knew dragons ate a lot, but this one’s appetite is monstrous."
Bruce offered to step into the kitchen, but Lucy shook her head. "No. It was good exercise."
A few minutes later, she excused herself to rest.
"I will go wash up. You two finish eating. Do not stay up too late."
She disappeared into her room, looking both exhausted and weirdly proud.
Meanwhile, Lily turned to Bruce, eyes big with dramatic betrayal. "Big brother, you did not tell me Ash is a food monster!"
Bruce raised a brow. "You did not ask."
Lily gasped. "What! That is such a big secret! How can you just hide something like that from your little sister?!"
Bruce calmly took another bite of stew.
Ash sat beside Lily and happily gnawed on a giant bone like a satisfied puppy.
Lily hugged Ash excitedly as he finished gnawing a bone. "He is so soft! Can he sleep in my room tonight?"
Bruce paused, glancing at Ash, who tilted his little dragon head like a curious puppy.
He could have said no. He should have said no. But Lily’s eyes were sparkling, her smile wide and hopeful.
"Yeah," Bruce said. "He can."
"Yaaay!" Lily cheered, spinning Ash around in her arms.
Ash flapped his tiny wings in approval. "Kyuu."
Bruce leaned back slightly, watching the two of them with a faint smile. He did not understand why he agreed so easily. Maybe it did not matter.
For now, this was fine.
Warm. Quiet. Peaceful.
And maybe, just maybe, this was what home and family were supposed to feel like.
Bruce drifted into sleep that night without even realizing it. No tension. No pain. Just stillness.
When morning came, he woke up rested.
Truly rested.
A soft knock came from the front door.
Lily, who had been humming to herself while stacking Ash’s tail with colorful ribbons for fun, paused and looked toward the entrance. Ash was clinging to her back like a small child, paws wrapped around her shoulders, wings tucked in.
"Someone is here," Lily said, and Ash chirped as if agreeing.
She headed toward the door, Ash now riding on her like a tiny dragon backpack. The scene looked so natural it felt like the world had always been this way.
Before she even opened the door, Ash wagged his tail eagerly. He already sensed who was waiting outside through the figure’s familiar scent and life force.
Lily pulled the door open.
"Big sister!" she cheered, launching herself forward without hesitation.
Sophie laughed softly and caught her in a warm embrace. Her crimson eyes softened as she brushed Lily’s hair. "Good morning, Lily. You are as energetic as ever."
Ash wasted no time. With a flap of his small wings, he flew from Lily’s back onto Sophie’s shoulder, nuzzling against her cheek.
"Oh, and Ashy-boo is here too," Sophie said, patting him fondly. "Did you miss me?"
Ash purred, an actual dragon purr.
Lily blinked. "Why do you call him Ashy-boo?"
"Because he likes it," Sophie said without missing a beat.
"Really?" Lily tilted her head.
Ash chirped again, confirming it, and she nodded seriously. "Okay. I will call him Ashy-boo too."
"You can come in," Bruce’s voice called calmly from inside.
Sophie stepped in, smiling as she led Lily and Ash into the house.
For a moment, Sophie stood frozen at the doorway.
Bruce was leaning casually against the table, arms relaxed, expression calm, but something about him was different. The air around him felt heavier, invisible power coiling beneath his skin like a sleeping dragon.
Her pupils narrowed slightly.
This pressure.
It was faint, suppressed so well that anyone else would have missed it entirely. But Sophie was no ordinary girl. She had grown up surrounded by monsters in human form, beings born to dominate.
She knew the weight of power when she felt it.
And the aura Bruce now gave off was no longer that of an A-rank.
"This is S-rank suppression."
She kept her face composed, but her heart trembled.
Just yesterday, he awakened.
And now, now he was S-rank?
Her rational mind fought to process it. Even with Velmora’s system of achievements and titles, power progression was not easy. After the awakening trial, most people were stuck at whatever rank they ended with, sometimes for years, sometimes forever.
Yet Bruce had shattered that logic overnight.
"He disappeared suddenly and came back stronger than 70.99 percent of Awakened in the world."
There was no word for this kind of growth.
It was terrifying.
And yet, she felt relief.
"So his disappearance helped him after all. Thank goodness."
She had been worried sick, on edge, ready to tear through the kingdom to find him if necessary, but now that she saw him standing there alive and stronger than ever, she could not help herself.
She crossed the room in a heartbeat and hugged him.
Hard.
Her soft body pressed into his, her arms holding tight around him like she never wanted to let him go.
"I am glad you are okay," she whispered against his chest.
Bruce blinked, slightly surprised. He was not used to warmth like this, but after a short pause, he returned the embrace, one hand moving to gently pat her back.
Ash tilted his head innocently on Bruce’s shoulder, as if giving them privacy.
Sophie finally pulled back and sat down beside him, though she stayed close, very close.
Her eyes sharpened.
"What happened?"