บท 74: Big...WHAT!?
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(General POV)
Riveria turned over in her sleep as she squinted her eyes over and over again. Beads of sweat ran down her face and soaked her sheets as she shivered under the covers of her bed, the weight of her dream bearing down upon her.
One by one, the confusing and daunting images flashed by in her mind. It was always the same dream, one she appeared to have almost every single night, and infested her sleep, refusing her the rejuvenation of a good night's rest.
Her struggling in bed eventually caught the sensitive ears of one of her attendants who hurried into the room. The worried she-elf knelt by the high elf's bedside and vigorously shook her wake.
"Lady Riveria! Lady Riveria! Wake up, it's just a dream." She pushed on Riveria's shoulder frantically. "Wake up My Lady! Wake up!"
Riveria gasped as her eyes flew open.
The attendant gave her a worried frown as she backed away from the bed.
"Are you feeling alright Lady Riveria?"
"Yes." Riveria sighed as she took a handkerchief from the girl's hands and dabbed at her forehead. "Yes, I'm fine."
"Is it the same dream again?"
"Yes, it is." Riveria sighed as she scrunched up the handkerchief in her hands. "I keep seeing the same boy over and over again. Human, black hair, green eyes, pale and tall. And he wears the strangest clothes as well. And it's like I see him at different stages of his life, like from young to old."
"But never to full adulthood?"
"No."
"I have to ask, when did these dreams start?" The attendant asked her.
Riveria furrowed her brows as she tried to think. "Perhaps a month ago? A bit more? I'm not sure. I didn't really take notice of it until they became repetitive."
"I have to say though, it's a strange thing. To keep dreaming of some lowly human boy over and over again." The attendant sniffed. "If we were back home, the seers would have been able to solve this problem."
Riveria narrowed her eyes before rolling them discreetly as she swung her bare feet over the edge of the bed. Her sweaty hair hung down her face, unbeknownst to her giving her a sort of natural beauty that was a little different to her proper self.
'My father would have locked me in the castle and arranged me to get married as soon as possible. He would have thought that by having elven children of my own, it would have gotten rid of dreams about a human boy.'
"Please fetch me my clothes for the day. I hope they were cleaned and well prepared." She said exasperatedly.
"Of course." The attendant nodded and hurried out to fulfil her princess's orders. The self exiled princess in particular rolled her eyes again and leaned her face into her palm.
It did not slip by her that the dreams had begun at the same time Lyzof Keele had joined the Familia. The boy from her dreams had not been the only human haunting her thoughts lately.
Riveria herself could not figure out what was going on. There was something about the sad little orphan that drew her to him, and she had an urge to protect him at all times. Everytime he returned home in a half dead state, her own heart would jump in her mouth and she would find herself irrationally afraid for his wellbeing.
At the same time there was a reluctance in her to reprimand him whenever he was going wrong. She truly believed that he was destined for greatness. The progress he showed was evidence enough, but she found it hard to be harsh with him unlike other children in the Familia.
Lyze had a separate effect on each and every member of the Loki Familia but she could bet that she had been impacted the hardest. Things just did not make sense, and yet even if she did want to find answers, where would she even begin to look for them?
---
Riveria entered Finn's office as she did whenever an expedition was coming up. As vice-captain, she was left with some of the more hands-on preparations but even she had paperwork to fill in.
She paused for a moment as she saw Finn sitting with his feet up on his desk, flicking through pages of a book. He locked eyes with her before smiling a little.
"Good morning Riveria. Come in to fill out the reports?"
"Yes I have." She said suspiciously as she eyed the pile of papers on his desk. "Why are you not working?"
"I finished them this morning." He replied as he continued reading through his book, taking momentary sips from a cup at times.
"You? Finished all that difficult tallying in a few days?" She asked flatly. "You really expect me to believe that?"
"You wouldn't believe the real answer." He returned seriously.
"Try me."
"Lyze did it for me."
"What?"
"Exactly what I said. Calculations that make grown men think hard and scratch their heads, he did it in just a few minutes. The quill was literally blurring over the pages and before I knew it, all my paperwork was done."
Riveria said nothing but walked into the room and sat at her own little space, pulling out her own inkwell and documents.
"You're not even going to question it?" Finn asked.
"No. After all the absurd things Lyze has done in the month that he's been here, things like that aren't so surprising anymore."
"Tell me about. Levels up in a day, is more than qualified enough to level up again only a month later, is able to forge magical weapons, can see even when he's blindfolded, wields several different powers, holds dozens of skills before he's even got a Falna, is a natural limit breaker, can fight with adventurers four levels above his own, kills a monster rex on his first run, can clear the upper and middle floors easier than some high level adventurers, seems to have formed a closer bond with Ais than most of us, has been able to apprentice under the captain of the Hephaestus Familia under the eye of Hephaestus herself, is more skilled at literature and mathematics than some of the best scribes, carries a never heard of magical sword that changes forms, can apparently sing better than royal minstrels, is able to make Mia Grand go all motherly over him, survives fatal wounds, avoids mind zeroes with ease, has every resistance known to us, immune against fires and poisons, can cast healing magic, can fly, performs equally well in both melee and magic, has been able to capitalize on strength, endurance and speed all at the same time..." Finn paused to take breath. "...and the list presumably goes on since we weren't privy to his private conversation with Loki."
"I wonder what it was they talked about." Riveria said. "I've never seen Loki as alarmed as she was back then."
"Neither have I." Finn said as he looked out the window. "I know I've said this before but...Lyzof Keele...just who is he?"
---
"Okay. We're heading down now." Lyze said as he and the two girls showed their passes and walked through the underground doors into the entrance of the Dungeon.
"Yes, Lyze." Ais said in her ever empty voice, although a small smile graced her face.
"Yes Master Lyze." Lili said cheerily, a new pack on her back as he tiny figure trailed after the older two.
Lyze grimaced before turning back to her.
"And please Lili, drop the 'Master' business, okay? Makes me feel queasy."
Lili cocked her head. "But Master Lyze is Master Lyze. That's how Lili wants to say it."
"But that's not what I want to be called. Please call me something else."
"Okay. Umm." Lili pondered as she rolled her eyes upwards. "How about Mister Lyze."
"Still way too formal." He waved it away as he began walking to the dungeon entrance.
Lili put a finger to her chin as she thought further. A little blush graced her small face as she thought of a new honorific. She nervously threw out her next suggesttion.
"T-Then how about...B-Big Brother?"
Lyze choked and stumbled, almost falling into the giant pit upon hearing that of all things. "What did you say?"
"...Big Brother Lyze?"
'URK'
Lyze felt as if something pierced his heart. The way she was saying it was just too adorable!
Ais was merely looking back and forth between them, seemingly enjoying the exchange.
"Did Lili say something wrong again?" Lili said.
"N-No." Lyze said weakly as he waved his hand at her again. "It's perfectly fine." He croaked.
"YAY! Big Brother Lyze it is." Lili said cheerfully.
"Yeah...sure." The edgy young kid said as he began descending down the spiral staircase. "Let's just get this over with."
And thus three children entered the Dungeon, one whose face was burning in embarrassment, one whose expression was full of sunshine as she felt that much closer with her saviour and one who just took it all in stride like she usually did.
Unaware of what lay ahead of them.
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