The midday sun beat down on the clearing, warm on my face. The air here was cleaner than near Seyaette, scented with pine and damp earth. We'd flown for a few hours on Ryu's back, covering ground impossible on foot, finding this secluded spot deep within a less populated forest region. Ryu himself was currently curled up near a large rock formation, his massive form blending surprisingly well with the landscape when he wasn't actively breathing fire or being ridden.
Raphtalia and Rifana were practicing sword and bow drills nearby, their movements fluid and sharp, testament to the brutal efficiency of the slave crests and their suddenly adult bodies. Filo, in her humanoid form, was attempting to teach Ryu how to race, demonstrating sprints around the clearing with exaggerated arm movements, while Ryu watched with what looked suspiciously like draconic bewilderment.
It hadn't been much time at all. Two weeks since I arrived in this world, ripped from my old life and thrown into despair. Two weeks since I found Raphtalia and Rifana, broken and hurting. Three days, exactly, since Filo hatched from her egg, a squawking ball of fluff that rapidly turned into... well, into that. And only a few hours since Ryu, the vengeful dragon, agreed to be called Ryu and become my companion.
Their presence here, the sounds of their training, Filo's cheerful chirping directed at a bemused dragon... it was reassuring. A constant, vibrant counterpoint to the silence and despair of my first timeline. I wasn't alone anymore. I had powerful companions, rapidly growing stronger, capable of fighting by my side.
But there was a thought. A quiet, persistent thing that lingered in the back of my mind like a stone in my boot.
I wanted them to stay. Raphtalia, Rifana, Filo. I wanted them here. By my side. Fighting with me. Growing with me. Filling the silence.
But... did they want that?
In my previous life, the answer would have been obvious. The bond wasn't just about me saving them. It was forged in shared hardship. In fear faced together. In near-death experiences where we relied on each other completely. There was an emotional connection, a mutual trust built through months of fighting against a world that hated us. They didn't want to be separated from me because I was their anchor, their protector, yes, but also because we were a unit. We were a family, messy and unconventional, but bound by unbreakable threads of shared history and affection.
In this life? That history wasn't there. Not yet. They'd only met me two weeks ago. I was their savior, yes. The one who bought them, freed them (in a manner of speaking), healed them, gave them power. They were dependent on me. Grateful to me. Loyal to me, in their own way, because of what I'd done. But it wasn't the same as facing death side-by-side for months.
And the future? My life was full of hardships. Full of troubles I couldn't avoid. Waves of destruction that would tear through the world. Political enemies who would scheme and slander. Divine tasks from capricious Gods. Potentially, vengeful assassins from Qten-lo. Alna, nursing a fresh, potent betrayal, likely plotting her own brand of chaos. My path was a minefield of unavoidable conflict and near-death situations.
I didn't want them to go through that again. Not Raphtalia, who had suffered enough in her short life. Not Rifana, who deserved peace. Not Filo, who radiated pure, unburdened joy. They were strong now, yes. Beautiful, with bodies that had matured at an impossible pace. Smart, adapting quickly to this world's brutal realities. They would have very good lives. Easy lives. Lives free from my chaos. If they weren't with me.
Sadeena. She was the key to that easy life. She was already watching out for Raphtalia and Rifana (and now, presumably, aware of their 'condition' thanks to my bribe and note at the previous inn). She could give them a safe place, a normal life, far away from the front lines of my war. They could grow old without constantly looking over their shoulders, without the taste of blood and fear in their mouths.
And me? I already had Ryu. A powerful companion bound by a strange mix of mutual need and understanding. He could handle the dangers I attracted. And soon, I'd need more. Other strong people, yes. People who would join my cause for pragmatic reasons, for power, for revenge against the Waves. People who would be honest about their intentions, unlike Alna, who wanted to... ugh, forget it. People whose companionship wouldn't be based on saving them from the depths of despair, but on standing as equals against a common enemy. Relationships built on utility, not on the complicated, messy bonds of rescued innocence.
When it came to Filo... she imprinted on me, yes. Called me Master. But she was adaptable. She'd bonded with Raphtalia and Rifana too. If she lived with them, with Sadeena, surrounded by others... she'd get used to it. She'd race them, play with them, see them as her family. She'd probably forget the Shield Hero who hatched her eventually. Or remember me as a strange, distant figure who gave her treats and insisted on push-ups.
It was fine. It was... probably for the best. I'd just learn to live without them. I'd had to learn to live without everything else in my previous life. I could learn to live without this too.
I couldn't manipulate them into staying. Not these three. Not Raphtalia, whose trust I'd earned in a past life and was now being freely given again in this one, despite the grim circumstances of our reunion. Not Rifana, with her pragmatic questions and surprising resilience. Not Filo, with her pure, uncomplicated affection. They were the exception. The people I held dear enough that I couldn't twist their choices, couldn't bind them with emotional debt beyond what was already inherent in their dependency and the slave crests.
The thought settled, heavy and cold. They deserved better than my cursed path. They deserved a normal life, one where dragons weren't companions and puberty wasn't a magic trick.
I watched Raphtalia execute a perfect parry in her training drill. Heard Rifana's quiet concentration as she aimed an arrow. Saw Filo finally convince Ryu to move, the dragon letting out a low rumble as he began a slow, ponderous sprint across the clearing, looking utterly ridiculous.
They were magnificent. And they shouldn't be here. Not with me.
The decision felt like a betrayal of my own heart, the part that craved their presence, their laughter, their simple trust. But it was also... pragmatic. Necessary. The most logical outcome for them.
I stood up, the grass cool under my boots. The time would come. When they were stronger. When they were fully recovered. When I'd found Sadeena and explained everything (leaving out the parts about Gods and Passess and Curses, obviously). Then... then I'd have to let them go.
It would hurt. Probably more than a few hundred dragon attacks. But it had to be done. For their sake.
For their chance at a normal life. One without the Shield Hero and the chaos that followed him. Even if it meant I was left with only dragons and the ghosts of a past I couldn't escape.
Yeah. I could live with that. Probably.