The little fluff climbed to her dad’s place before realizing something. Eh, her dad was alright, but he looked like a... giant?
Zerra glanced at her paws and was horrified. She turned to Cassias with a look as if saying: how could you let this happen?
Cassias coughed and stared at her helplessly. It wasn’t him who was so enthusiastic and forgot they were in fox form, didn’t he? But he thought that little snow-white fluff ball was really cute.
Zerra was lifted by the scruff of her neck. "A fox? Where does it come from?"
Her limbs flailed around in the air, staring at Cassias with the look of asking for help. She had considered biting her dad for him to let her go, but she remembered that he was merely an ordinary person now. The zombie virus would affect him.
She let out small yips in panic.
Cassias got up to save the little ball of fur. She immediately clung to his wrist, her heart beating erratically. Still, she took a look at her parents, inspecting their condition.
"It’s my fox, Mr. Sylvaris," Cassias told him.
Alaric looked at the white fox, who was staring at him with her clear eyes. There was curiosity in them. He was in a momentary trance.
Rubbing his temples, he turned his eyes toward Cassias and asked in confusion. "Where is Zee? I seem to have heard her voice before."
Zerra tilted her head, noticing that her dad’s recovery seemed to be too fast, unlike ordinary humans. When she heard him calling her name, her ears perked up.
She subconsciously took the crystal core handed to her from Cassias and bit on it. This thing was good for replenishing her energy. Her eyes were still on her dad, then she shifted to Cassias, waiting to see how he would respond.
"She got injured–" Cassias’ words were instantly cut off.
"Injured?!" Alaric had a look of alarm on his face. His hand pressed on something, and he discovered his wife was lying beside him, separated by a long pillow.
The frown on his face deepened, full of worry.
"But she is fine now, Mr. Sylvaris. Don’t worry." Cassias muttered when he felt Zerra tapping him with her paw, staring at him with a look filled with warning. "She just got scared and passed out. The medical team has taken care of her."
The worry lines on Alaric’s forehead creased slightly. "How about my wife?"
His tone held a lot of concern, especially when his gaze fell on Nerith’s bandaged arms. Compared to Alaric, her condition was a bit more severe.
Cassias hadn’t heard the doctor’s explanation about their conditions yet, but he was sure they would be fine after a while.
"Mrs. Sylvaris suffered some external wounds." He told him based on his inspection. Nerith, Zerra’s mom, was still an ordinary human.
However, Cassias’ gaze fell on Alaric’s figure. Zerra’s dad seemed to have awakened an ability during the life and death situation. The earth, which wrapped around the tentacle... it wasn’t from other ability users.
They were too far away, and with their current power, they wouldn’t have been able to send timely help.
Cassias stole a glance at Zerra, who had finished her crystal core. Her little was scrunched up, like she was having some kind of trouble. She was even gnawing at her own paw.
He pulled the paw out of her mouth. Before she could protest, he replaced it with a crystal core. He didn’t forget to sneak in a few long strokes on her soft fur.
Zerra didn’t immediately bite at the crystal core. She was still staring at Alaric with a look of amazement on her face. Clearly, she also noticed his difference.
Alaric still checked on his wife. He pursed his lips when he saw Nerith’s arms, in guilt and self-blame.
"Is Zerra really alright?" He asked again. The memory before he completely passed out replayed again in his mind.
His body exploded with some kind of power, and he found he could control the earth according to his will. In desperation, he used the earth to lock the tentacle in place.
Before he lost consciousness, he seemed to have heard Zerra shouting at him, too. She was even running toward them, which scared him.
"Yes," Cassias patiently answered his future father-in-law. "We will go to her soon."
Zerra rolled her eyes. She would let him handle it then, let’s see what he would do once he found out she couldn’t shift to her human form.
Her eyes shifted to her dad again. He differed from ordinary humans, much stronger. His recovery was also faster. Cassias might have given him spring water, but still...
"Mr. Sylvaris, did you awaken an ability?" Cassias suddenly asked.
Zerra widened her eyes in shock. Eh, her dad awakening an ability? She would have gone to check herself, jumping out of the pillow in Cassias’ lap again if not for him clutching her paw to stop her.
This anomaly had never happened in any of reincarnations before.
"It seems so." Alaric had a thoughtful look on his face. "Those who have awakened are mostly younger people. I don’t expect that I will also have the power."
He had a dazed look on his face, followed by relief. "That’s a good thing."
In order to check his power, he turned to the potted plant on the window. Some soil moved from the pot, covering its underneath. As if having feet, the soil below it brought the potted plant to Alaric’s side.
Zerra watched her dad showing his power unblinkingly. But wasn’t her dad’s control over his new power such an exaggeration? He didn’t look like someone with his first level of ability at all. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on NoveI[F]ire.net
Even Cassias looked surprised. "You already have excellent control over your earth ability."
It might have been because of the life and death situation too, which triggered Alaric’s mastery over his new ability. Nevertheless, Zerra regarded it as good news.
Not long after, Nerith also woke up. She was aghast at first when she saw her condition, but soon she accepted it.
If it were before the apocalypse, Nerith might have made a fuss and felt bitter, but...
Zerra looked at her parents. She didn’t know what it was. Something seemed to have changed about them.
With the collapse of the plot, maybe her parents managed to break free too?
Captain Dalton entered the room with the owner of the house. His eyes held a pleasant surprise. "Mr and Mrs..."
"Mr. and Mrs. Sylvaris." His eyes turned solemn. "I understand what happened to the two of you after Mr. Whitmore," he gestured to the owner of the house, "told me about it."
"Can you tell me the experience from your perspective in detail?"