21: Acquiring a familiar

Elysia could feel the wind hitting her face as she did her best to keep holding on to her clothes. The fast-moving wind had caused her clothes to dry but it did not ease up the irritation Elysia felt at her current predicament.

Had it been any other occasion, Elysia would have enjoyed her current situation more. But as things stood, Elysia could not help but struggle to be let down.

"Let me downnnnnnn."

Elysia cried out, her voice filled with fear. Getting dropped from such a height would hurt a lot. The beast giggled Elysia around, enjoying her panicked-filled yells.

Elysia was sure her voice was loud enough to wake up even the dead. But the paid did not encounter any such obstacle in their journey toward the center of the forest.

The beast shook Elysia in its grasp causing her to snap her attention toward the mass of colors in the far distance.

'It must be the center of the forest,' Elysia's dizzy brain made the connection as she tried to get herself under control.

The faster the beast went, the more Elysia felt like hurling her breakfast out. Thankfully, Elysia was let down before she could let her breakfast out of her body.

The beast's magical aura and the fur also faded from around his body as soon as Elysia was let down. In the place of the mystic beast stood the child once again.

"So, did you have a fun experience? I tried to be as gentle as I could but humans have a weak stomach."

'Weak stomach? You did that on purpose to make me sick. You just wanted to see me suffer.'

Elysia had a feeling the kid had enjoyed causing her trouble. It seemed like Elysia had managed to leave a negative impact on the kid.

'Now only if I can leave a sour impression on the Forest Lord as well. I hope I get banned from this forest forever.'

"Oi, are you alright? Don't tell me you are sick. You're not that weak, right?"

The kid was hovering around Elysia. He reminded her of a small but annoying fly that she wanted to swat away.

'Control yourself, Elysia. You don't want to cause unnecessary trouble. Think of Eve and the mission.'

Elysia took in deep breaths to calm herself down. The more she ignored the kid, the more she was able to get her muscles to relax.

"Hey, are you ignoring me? I don't like being ignored-"

"Lord Sorias, so this is where you were? I need your help in finding some…..one." Elysia panicked as soon as she heard Lord Dirac's voice. The man sounded as cold as ever but Elysia was sure he was angry with her.

She had not expected to run into Lord Dirac so soon and Elysia was not mentally prepared enough to face her situation.

Her eyes met Lord Dirac's impassive blue ones and Elysia could read her doom in them. It seemed like she had failed her mission to gain Lord Dirac's trust already.

"Lucas, so you did decide to visit. The girl told me she was your family member."

The kid, no, Lord Sorias was the one who replied. Elysia's shock just worsened once she realized who her savior had been.

To say that Elysia was lucky to still be alive would be an underestimation.

"Elysia? She's my younger sister but we were separated due to circumstances and she was raised by the temple. I asked her to come back recently but things are a little more complicated than I would like them to be."

Lord Dirac's voice sounded frustrated. Elysia did not doubt that this change in tone was related to her circumstances.

'Has Lord Dirac caught on to my actions? He is suspicious of me so I need to be careful.' Elysia quickly reminded herself of her reality.

"Complicated? I can see why you would say that. And? What do you want me to do about it? I'm sure you have a reason to visit me today. You never visit me without a reason anymore."

Elysia might be overstepping her boundary in saying this but she was sure that Lord Sorias was pouting when he complained.

Elysia wanted to rub her eyes to make sure that she was not hallucinating but it did not seem to be the case.

"Sorias, please take this situation seriously. I do need your help with Elysia so I hope you will hear me out."

Elysia wanted to tell the kid not to hear Lord Dirac out. But the window of opportunity for doing such a thing had already passed.

'Things are not so bad. I am sure I made the worst possible expression on Lord Sorias. There is no way Lord Sorias will agree to Lord Dirca's request.'

This was the only good thing that had come out of Elysia's attempt in running away.

"Out with it Lucas. What do you want me to do?"

"I *need* you to find a familiar for Elysia. There is a dangerous case she wants to participate in and I cannot accompany her myself. I need someone to look after her while I am not able to."

There it was, the elephant in the room. The forest seemed to have fallen quite as soon as Lord Dirac made his request.

Elysia could not read the atmosphere around her to make an accurate guess about what would happen next.

Her vision was not good enough to be able to read other people's expressions and the magic surrounding her was distracting Elysia from being able to focus.

Still, she was sure she had made a bad enough impression on Lord Sorias to be denied this request.

"That will not be easy, Lucas. Her magic level is too much for a normal beast to be able to handle. There is only one best in this forest that can handle this amount of magic and that is 'me.'"

And Elysia was sure there was no way the Forest Lord would enter a contract with her. Elysia was safe now.

"So, you will deny my request?"

Elysia braced herself for the happy news of rejection to reach her ears. It would be any moment now.

"Of course not. Since the request came from someone I respect, how can I deny it? I will enter the familiar contract myself. It's been a long time since I've been able to leave this forest."

Elysia felt her heart fall as soon as she heard Lord Sorias's excited voice.

When she looked back at the kid, he seemed to be looking back at her. Elysia had a feeling that the kid had a self-satisfied smirk on his face.

'He's agreeing on purpose. He knew that I did not want to be forced into this contract but Lord Sorias still decided to form one anyway.'

Elysia had thought that making a bad impression would get her out of her problem, not land her right into it.

"Sorias, I am warning you. Do not think of this contract as a game you can abandon anytime. I won't be able to forgive you if something ended up going wrong under your watch."

Elysia was sure Lord Dirac was saying this to save face but her chest still felt warm at hearing those words.

No one except Adam and Eve had ever cared about her safety and wellbeing. But those two were someone Elysia could not get close to on purpose.

However, Lord Dirac was a different case. He was family but also a stranger that had no reason to care for Elysia except for sharing the same blood.

Even if he was making this threat to preserve the family image, Elysia could not help but be happy at hearing the worry in his voice.

"Lucas, I am not playing around. I almost got flattened by Elysia earlier so I know how volatile her magic is. Besides, I took a liking to her so I will do as I please."

Lord Dirac's face looked a little green at Lord Sorias's admission. He looked like how Elysia felt at the suddenness of that confession.

Moreover, hearing the confession from the mouth of someone who looked about 8-9 years old was beyond worried.

"I can see that you like her Sorias and that's what worries me. But it also pains me to admit that you are my only option right now. I will leave Elysia in your capable hands."

"Sure, leave her to me. Ely, come here and I will teach you how to make a familiar contract."

Elysia wanted to protest at the sudden change of her name. She wanted to tell the people not to call her 'Ely' but her mouth could not move.

There was too much enthusiasm in the voice that was calling out for her. No one had ever called out her name in such confidence and joy.

The closest one who had ever called Elysia with such affection was Eve, but even she tended to hold back because of years of conditioning.

Adam was a different case and his way of calling Elysia was either too formal. He seemed to also be holding himself back every time he talked with Elysia. There was an awkward air around him.

"Y-Yes. What should I do to make a contract with you?"

Elysia was so taken aback by the nickname that she even forgot to protest against the contract.

By the time Elysia realized this, it was too late. She was already in the middle of the contract ritual and she could feel the bond with Lord Sorias snapping into place around her magic.

Elysia was sure Lord Sorias could feel her magic inside him as well.

The ritual did not take long and it did not require too much effort either. It was a simple process since both sides were in agreement and they were not trying to reject the bond.

"Now that the bond is in place, we should address some key things."

Elysia tensed as soon as she heard Lord Sorias's voice. His initial agreement with the bond made much more sense now, he had likely agreed to it because he had something to gain.

Why would anyone agree to be with Elysia otherwise?

Lord Dirac's glare warned Lord Sorias to be careful of his next words but Lord Dirac was also bound now.

Lord Sorias was a familiar of his house and Lord Dirac was responsible for him. Lord Dirac could not foolishly make decisions based on his personal feelings.

"Lucas, my conditions are not that bad. Just hear me out first."

"Fine, say it."

Lord Dirac relented in the end. Elysia felt bad for forcing Lord Dirac into this situation but she was even more amazed to see Lord Dirac agreeing to back down.

There was no need for Lord Dirac to do that for Elysia's sake.

"First, I want to roam around in human form unless it is necessary. This is non-negotiable. It is up to you what you tell the world about me and my identity."

"Alright, fine. I will prepare a room adjacent to Elysia for you but you will prove your identity as a magical beast when it is called for"

Elysia was surprised to see Lord Dirac agree to that request. It seemed like he was dragging his words out.

"Now, the second condition is for Elysia."

"For me?" Elysia was surprised at being addressed but she should not have been. Of course, the Forest Lord would want something from her.

Elysia braced herself for the request. She was sure it would be difficult to comply with.

"Call me Sora. Sorias is too long and calling me Lord would cause problems for us all. In return, I will call you Ely, alright?"

"No. You will call her Elysia. This is non-negotiable. She's also spoken for."

"I don't mind. I just want a little sister. Besides, it is her decision and not yours Lucas so keep out."

The pair in front of Elysia was mock-fighting. It looked serious but Elysia had a feeling that it was not serious at all.

But she was surprised at the request she received. No one had ever asked permission to call Elysia by a nickname before.

But surprisingly, it did not seem bad. Actually, Elysia really liked this new experience. It made her feel nice enough to open her mouth and utter an 'alright' to the request.

"See Lucas, shove it. She agreed to it so there is no taking back."

Lord Sorias, no, Sora looked a little too smug at Elysia's agreement while Lord Dirac had a sour face.

And watching this scene, all Elysia felt was a sense of warmth. She really liked this atmosphere.