The Man Who Adopted Trouble

Orion had lived peacefully for three hundred and forty-seven years.

Three hundred and forty-seven.

Not three hundred and forty-six.

Not three hundred and forty-eight.

Three hundred and forty-seven.

Long enough to appreciate silence.

Long enough to avoid people.

Long enough to know children were dangerous.

Unfortunately, the universe hated him.

"Rude."

Orion stared at the small girl.

The small girl stared back.

The giant wolf stared at both of them.

Nobody moved.

Finally Orion spoke.

"You called Fenrir rude."

"Yes."

"He's a legendary magical beast."

"He's still rude."

Fenrir looked offended.

"See?" Lyra pointed.

"He's doing it again."

Orion rubbed his forehead.

Somewhere deep inside, a tiny voice whispered:

Leave.

Walk away.

This is not your problem.

Unfortunately, another voice replied:

This is hilarious.

Orion hated that voice.

The World's Most Terrible Introduction

"What's your name?"

Orion asked.

"Lyra."

"Just Lyra?"

She frowned.

"Do you introduce yourself as Just Orion?"

Orion blinked.

Fenrir looked amused.

Which somehow felt worse.

"No."

"Then there's your answer."

Orion stared.

The child had known him for approximately thirty seconds.

Already exhausting.

Hunger

Then Lyra's stomach growled.

Loudly.

The forest went quiet.

Even the birds seemed concerned.

Lyra crossed her arms.

"We're not talking about that."

The stomach growled again.

Traitor.

Orion sighed.

"When was the last time you ate?"

"..."

"Lyra."

"Breakfast."

"Today?"

"...Maybe."

"Yesterday?"

"...Possibly."

Fenrir looked at Orion.

Orion looked at Fenrir.

Neither needed to say anything.

The child was staying.

At least for tonight.

The Cabin

Orion's home sat deep inside the forest.

Hidden beneath enormous trees.

Covered in vines.

Protected by ancient magic.

Lyra expected something impressive.

A giant castle.

A magical fortress.

An ancient tower.

Instead—

It was a cabin.

A very nice cabin.

But still a cabin.

Lyra stared.

"This is where you live?"

"Yes."

"Voluntarily?"

Orion narrowed his eyes.

"It's a good cabin."

"It's a cabin."

"It's a large cabin."

"It's still a cabin."

Fenrir walked past them.

Lyra pointed.

"Even the wolf agrees with me."

Fenrir ignored her.

"See?"

Orion sighed.

The Dragon Problem

The moment they entered the cabin, something small and red crashed directly into Orion's face.

THUD.

Lyra jumped.

Orion didn't.

Which suggested this happened regularly.

A tiny dragon clung to his head.

It looked furious.

"Hello, Ember."

The dragon bit his ear.

"Fair."

Lyra stared.

The dragon noticed her.

She noticed the dragon.

The dragon narrowed its eyes.

Lyra narrowed hers.

Neither trusted the other.

"This is a dragon."

"I noticed."

"It's a baby dragon."

"I also noticed."

The dragon hissed.

Lyra hissed back.

Silence.

Orion slowly looked between them.

"No."

"What?"

Lyra asked.

"You are not fighting the dragon."

"I wasn't."

"You hissed at it."

"It hissed first."

"That's not helping your case."

Dinner

Orion placed food on the table.

Bread.

Soup.

Roasted meat.

Fruit.

Before he could sit down—

Lyra attacked the meal.

Not literally.

Mostly.

The bread disappeared first.

Then the soup.

Then the fruit.

Then another piece of bread.

Orion watched.

"Slow down."

"What if someone steals it?"

"Who?"

Lyra looked around suspiciously.

"...The dragon."

Ember immediately attempted to steal a piece of bread.

"HA!"

Orion closed his eyes.

Of course.

The Question

Hours later, the cabin had grown quiet.

A fire crackled softly.

Fenrir slept near the door.

Ember slept upside down from a ceiling beam.

Orion still didn't understand how that worked.

Lyra sat on the couch.

Much quieter now.

The sarcasm.

The jokes.

The stubbornness.

For the first time since meeting her—

they slipped away.

She looked very small.

Very tired.

Very alone.

Orion knew that look.

He'd seen it before.

Many years ago.

"Why did they leave you?"

The question escaped before he could stop it.

Lyra didn't answer immediately.

Instead she stared into the fire.

"Because I'm useless."

The words came out casually.

As though she'd heard them so many times they no longer hurt.

That somehow made them hurt more.

Orion felt something cold settle in his chest.

"Who told you that?"

Lyra shrugged.

"Everybody."

Silence filled the room.

Then Orion spoke.

"They're idiots."

Lyra blinked.

"What?"

"I said they're idiots."

"You don't even know them."

"I don't need to."

He leaned back.

"Anyone who abandons an eight-year-old child in the Beast Forest is automatically an idiot."

A small laugh escaped her.

Tiny.

But real.

And somehow Orion felt strangely relieved.

Dangerous.

Very dangerous.

Because that feeling was how attachments started.

And Orion had spent centuries avoiding attachments.

Meanwhile—

Lyra yawned.

Then another yawn.

Then another.

She looked moments away from falling asleep.

"Go to bed."

"Okay."

She stood.

Stopped.

Turned back.

"...Thank you."

Orion froze.

The words were quiet.

Almost shy.

Then she hurried upstairs before he could answer.

The cabin became silent.

Fenrir opened one eye.

The wolf looked at Orion knowingly.

Orion pointed at him.

"No."

Fenrir continued staring.

"No."

The wolf looked extremely unconvinced.

Orion groaned.

Because deep down—

He already knew.

The child wasn't leaving.

And his peaceful life was doomed.

End of Chapter 4

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