Chapter 18: A Place to Belong
Night had fallen.
Outside the Midnight Exchange, silence ruled.
Inside the Moonlit Tea Room…
Far from it.
Laughter occasionally echoed through the room.
Tea continued to be poured.
Someone was arguing.
Again.
For the first time since his awakening…
Fenrir wasn't fighting.
He wasn't bleeding.
He wasn't running for his life.
He was simply sitting among people.
Talking.
Listening.
Living.
The feeling was strange enough to frighten him.
---
"No way!" Borin shouted.
"The spear is the king of all weapons!"
Durin slammed his hand onto the table.
"Wrong! The sword is perfection!"
Thrain looked personally offended.
"You two have no taste! Hammers are eternal!"
The three dwarves immediately started arguing.
Again.
Fenrir blinked.
"...Have they been doing this all night?"
"Yes," Sebastian replied.
"They've already had this argument three times."
"...Why?"
"No one knows."
---
Then—
The three dwarves suddenly turned toward him.
"Young Sovereign!"
Fenrir froze.
"Y-Yes?"
"Which weapon do you prefer?!"
Silence.
Every eye in the room turned toward him.
Even Raphael looked curious.
Fenrir looked mildly horrified.
"Why am I deciding this?"
"Because your opinion matters!"
"It really doesn't."
"It absolutely does!"
Everyone waited.
Fenrir thought.
And thought.
Then—
"...A frying pan."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
The three dwarves looked devastated.
"A… frying pan?"
"It cooks."
"..."
"It can hit people."
"..."
"And everyone owns one."
Several seconds passed.
Then—
Yuna burst into laughter.
Kael laughed so hard he nearly choked.
Even Adrian covered his mouth.
The three dwarves looked like they had just suffered a terrible betrayal.
Fenrir calmly sipped his tea.
He had no regrets.
---
"You are a strange person."
Fenrir looked up.
Elena was watching him.
Her crimson hair flowed like fire beneath the warm lantern light.
Golden eyes with slit pupils regarded him with quiet curiosity.
"That's the third time someone has said that."
"Perhaps everyone is right."
"That's concerning."
A small smile appeared on her beautiful face.
For some reason…
Fenrir found himself staring.
Then he immediately looked away.
Why was he suddenly nervous?
---
Nearby, Selene's smile widened.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
---
Somehow…
Yuna had moved closer.
Again.
Far too close.
"So, what do humans usually do for fun?"
Fenrir thought.
"Read."
Silence.
"...That's it?"
"I also play games."
Yuna sighed in relief.
"Oh, thank goodness."
"What?"
"For a moment, I thought you were secretly eighty years old."
Laughter filled the room again.
Fenrir sighed.
Why was everyone bullying him?
---
"What kinds of books?" Raphael asked.
"Fantasy."
"Adventure."
"History."
Kael frowned.
"That's boring."
"I feel like I should be offended."
"You should."
Adrian chuckled.
"Personally, I expected something stranger."
"Like what?"
"I don't know. Tax collection."
"...Why would that be my hobby?"
The vampire shrugged.
"You have the face of someone who pays taxes early."
Silence.
Then—
Even Fenrir laughed.
A small laugh.
But real.
The room became quiet.
Because it was the first time anyone had heard him laugh.
Then Yuna smiled.
And somehow…
Everyone else smiled too.
---
Aetherion watched the scene silently.
Warmth touched his old eyes.
The young man sitting before him looked nothing like a monster.
Nothing like the ancient nightmare of legend.
He simply looked…
Young.
Far too young.
A boy who had suddenly been thrown into a world far larger than himself.
A boy desperately trying not to drown.
---
Aetherion slowly placed his teacup down.
The room gradually became quiet.
"Fenrir."
"Yes?"
"What do you intend to do now?"
The question surprised him.
Silence settled over the room.
Everyone waited.
Fenrir looked at his cup of tea.
Plans?
A few days ago…
His biggest concern had been graduation.
Finding work.
Building a future.
Maybe…
Marrying someday.
A small pain crossed his chest.
That future no longer existed.
Not anymore.
Silence filled the room.
Then he finally spoke.
"I don't know."
Nobody interrupted.
"There are still too many things I don't understand."
His red eyes lowered.
"I don't understand this world."
"I don't understand my bloodline."
"I don't even understand what I am anymore."
The words came quietly.
Almost uncertainly.
Then he looked up.
"But…"
A small determination appeared in his eyes.
"I want to become stronger."
Nobody looked surprised.
Because everyone there had expected that answer.
Aetherion smiled.
"For revenge?"
Silence.
A long silence.
Then Fenrir slowly shook his head.
"No."
Everyone looked at him.
"I don't want power just for the sake of power."
"I don't want people to fear me."
"I don't want to rule anyone."
Silence.
Then—
He smiled.
A sad smile.
"I just…"
His voice became quieter.
"I don't ever want to be helpless again."
The room became still.
A different kind of silence.
Heavy.
Painful.
Because everyone there understood those words.
Powerlessness.
Regret.
Loss.
Every long-lived race carried scars.
And for the first time…
They could see his.
Fenrir's eyes lowered slightly.
"I couldn't protect anything."
The words escaped before he realized it.
He froze.
No one spoke.
"I couldn't protect my old life."
"I couldn't protect my happiness."
"I couldn't protect… myself."
Silence.
For the first time that night…
The cheerful young man wasn't speaking.
The lonely one was.
The one who had cried himself to sleep only yesterday.
The one who had lost everything.
The one who still hadn't fully accepted that his old life was gone.
Something tightened painfully inside his chest.
Then—
"You're wrong."
Fenrir blinked.
Seraphina had spoken.
The beautiful vampire was looking at him.
Her crimson hair glowed softly beneath the lantern light.
Golden eyes held a warmth he didn't understand.
"You survived."
Silence.
"You stood back up."
She smiled gently.
"And you're still moving forward."
The room remained quiet.
"That's not weakness, Fenrir."
Her golden eyes softened.
"Standing back up after losing everything…"
"That's real strength."
For some reason…
His chest tightened.
No one had said something like that to him in a very long time.
Then Raphael smiled.
"I agree."
Kael crossed his arms.
"You survived impossible odds."
Adrian nodded.
"That's something most people fail to do."
Yuna smiled brightly.
"And you're nice."
"...That's your contribution?"
"Yes."
A few people laughed.
Even Fenrir.
A small laugh.
But real.
Then the three dwarves stood.
"You also have excellent taste in cookware."
"...Thank you?"
The room erupted into laughter.
The heavy atmosphere disappeared.
Just like that.
And somehow…
The warmth returned.
---
Fenrir looked around.
At the smiling faces.
At the people laughing.
At the tea.
At the peaceful room.
It felt…
Nice.
Dangerously nice.
Because for the first time since everything had changed…
He didn't feel alone.
A strange warmth filled his chest.
As though…
Without realizing it…
He had found something precious.
He had spent the last two days losing everything.
His future.
His dreams.
The life he thought he would have.
Yet somehow…
Tonight, he had gained something too.
Something he hadn't realized he needed.
People.
People who wanted nothing from him tonight.
People who weren't afraid of him.
People who simply wanted to know who Fenrir Endarth was.
For some reason…
His eyes suddenly felt warm.
He quickly looked away.
Nobody said anything.
But several people noticed.
And out of kindness…
Pretended they hadn't.