Dama immediately recognized that gruff voice. It was Himon Koul, a natural born handyman and eventual founder of his own lumber business trade within Enohay Village. Houses, Wells, Fenced Districts, if you needed something built or constructed, Koul was the man to ask.

  “Crap, why is he here all of a sudden?” Dama questioned as he peeked his head out from the pantry room. “I mean, he usually comes up here to chop down trees and to check up on me every now and again.”

  Looking to Giona, how stared at the door like a statue, Dama continued to ponder. “I wonder, how would he react to Giona, or rather, how would Giona react to Mr. Koul? It would certainly complicate some things, I'd rather her meet Granny Tsubasa first!”

  “Dama? You good, my boy?” Koul shouted as he knocked again.

  Not wanting to waste any more time, Dama hurriedly formed a plan in his mind, motioned for Mumu and Nini to come to him, and whispered instructions to his two stuffed companions. (“Pssst, Nini, stand in front of the bed to block Koul's view of Giona. Mumu, come with me to the door and stand right behind me!")

  Both Mumu and Nini's ears twitched as they took in the command. Giving each other a quick glance, they then nodded at Dama.

  Nodding himself, and with a sense of urgency, Dama responded to Koul's call. "Yes! C-Coming!"

  Rushing to the front door with Mumu trailing behind, he cracked it open to reveal a familiar towering figure. The man boasted unruly brown hair that matched his aloof brown eyes. Sideburns seamlessly connected his hair to a scruffy beard, forming a goatee. His face was patterned with dark smudges, particularly around the cheeks, and the same blotches dotted on his blue overalls.

  While at first masked with worry, Koul's face instantly lit up at the sight of Dama. “Ah! Hey lad! So you ARE still kickin’! Including that giant of a toy! It’s been a minute since everyone down in Enohay VIllage have seen y’all! They’ve been worried sick! You usually come down every noon or so to help out and earn some shekels. What gives, lad?” He exclaimed, his voice carrying along both his relief and distinctive accent.

  “M-Mr. Koul!” Dama started to say, realizing keeping a farce would be harder than expected. “You r-really surprised me, haha… I’m doing fine… Is, uh, is everything alright?”

  “Everything is as quaint as a peach I’d say,” Koul ran his fingers through his hair before pointing at Dama, “except when it comes to you. You still haven’t answered why you decided to stay cooped up all alone on this blasted mountain. We thought you might have gotten sick, or even perished in the snow up here.”

  “A-ha…" Dama struggled to keep eye contact at this point, the task of keeping Giona a secret becoming way harder than he initially expected. "I’ve been…busy…with things…”

  Koul raised an eyebrow. “Oh? What are these ‘things’ you speak of?”

  Dama's features twisted in a strained smile, his eyes darting around as he attempted to weave a falsehood. “Oh, that, uh weeeelll… I was just…um, building something, like you! Haha… It’s a secret!” His words stumbled out, his laughter emerged strained, carrying a nervous tremor he could barely hide.

  "Working on a ‘secret’ project, eh?" Koul muttered, rubbing his gruff beard in contemplation. With each stroke of his hand across his jawline, sweat dripped off Dama’s forehead more. His audible "Hmmmmm..." of curiosity as to what Dama was working on became more and more apparent, until…

  “OH! I get it!” Koul exclaimed whilst hammering one hand into the other's palm.

  “Huh?” Dama said as he stepped back a bit.

  “You’re creating another one of your buddies, aren’t ya?” Koul exclaimed with a snap of his fingers, thinking he cracked the code.

  “Buddies? What is he…?" Dama looked to the side, pondering on Koul's word choice before perking up, realizing what, or rather who, he meant. "Wait, is he talking about Mumu and Nini?”

  “Honestly, I don’t blame ya kid, not one bit. That bear behind you has the strength of almost seven of our men, the fox one can reach high places we could never reach, and both follow your orders to a T. Not to mention they're very popular with the children down in the village.” Koul chuckled before putting a thumb to his chest. “That ‘Soulful Technique’ of yours, or whatever that old goose always yaps on about, is really handy. Giving life to simple toys and objects? That is nothing short of a blessing from the gods themselves, wouldn’t you say, lad?” He said as he kneeled to Dama's level and gently elbowed his chest.

  Dama took a few moments to contemplate Koul's words, and agreed. “Of course, I thank the gods everyday for this ability I’ve been given. I couldn’t imagine living all alone without Mumu and Nini, especially right after I lost—”

  Dama's words were cut short by a gentle pat on the head. Even before he processed it consciously, the unmistakable feeling of rough calluses, formed from years upon years of grueling handiwork, conveyed what happened.

  “I know kid, you don’t have to say it, I understand. Speaking about it will only remind you of the pain that demonic plague brought all of us, and I don’t want you to go through that pain again. I know for a fact your family is smiling upon you, proud to see the young man you’re growing into. Especially your father, that crazy ol’ coot, hehee!”

  “Yeah…" Dama smiled as he looked up at the sky, only for Mumu to look down at Dama, blocking his view. Dama's smile widened as Mumu's stitches on his snout curved upwards into a smile of his own as he nodded vigorously, agreeing with Koul. "Yeah, he would, heh!”

  "Couldn't have said it better, lad. Even Mumu agrees!" Smiling himself, Koul took a few steps back. “With that, my mission here's done. Glad to see you haven’t kicked the bucket on us. You’re practically the village's errand boy, every villager's subscribed to your service. Imagine the chaos without you around my boy, har!”

  “I am?" Dama responded, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. "I-I see, thanks Mr. Koul!”

  “No problem lad!" Koul exclaimed before a gust of wind spurred out of no where, causing him to shiver from the biting cold of the mountain. Crossing his arms in response, he continued, "Oh boy, it looks like I’ve spent too much time here. I honestly dunno how you do it lad, to live up here in this chill."

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  Dama put a finger in the air as he responded, "Well, it's mainly thanks to improved fireplace you built for me, remember?"

  Koul chuckled at the comment as he ran his fingers through his hair again. "Glad to hear it's been of some use! And remember, if something breaks, or you decide to move out of here, I'll always have an extra room in my house for ya!"

  Dama smiled at the offer, one Koul has voiced multiple times before, yet he never gets tired of hearing it since it served as a reminder of how great of an uncle and reliable figure Koul was. However, Dama just didn't want to leave the home his family shared together once. "Leaving it all alone up here, just doesn't sit right with me..." he thought.

  Sniffing from a rising cold, Koul looked towards the sun. "Either way, now that I'm done here, I gotta go and yell at all the young pretty birds back at the village who asked me to check up on ya.”

  Dama immediately sprung up, his face flushing with embarrassment at the implication. “Y-Young pretty birds?”

  “Har Har! Indeed my boy, did I not mention that? Seems you’ve amassed some maiden attention, attaboy! Speaking of, sorry if I bothered you during something important. I originally was going to just look through your window to not bother you,” Koul said as he mimicked binoculars using his hands, “but you’re a growing boy now of, what? Thirteen years at this point? You’re growing into a fine young man, you know? And men both need their due respect and privacy, har!” Koul's hearty laugh made Dama’s face redden even more.

  Starting to walk back down the mountain, the man said his parting words. “Come down tomorrow at least to put everyone at ease, and don’t keep them waiting now, you hear?”

  “Yes-yessir! Thanks again Mr. Koul!” Dama exclaimed whilst responding to Koul’s waves in kind.

  Once Dama saw Koul's figure slowly disappear over the mountain's steep horizon, silhouetted by the lowering sun, he went back into his cabin thinking about the encounter. “Whew, that was a bit nerve racking, didn’t expect for anyone to come up here. Guess I have to go down to the village tomorrow now.”

  “Good job Mumu and Nini!" Dama exclaimed as his eyes landed on his friendly companions, whose stitched faces morphed into a happy expression at his praise. "I don’t think Giona is ready to be introduced into village life just yet. Speaking of which, I’m very sorry about that Gio—!?"

  Dama's words trailed off out of shock as he turned to face Giona, who had retreated under the blankets, her small frame visibly shaking. Getting closer to the bed, Dama could hear Giona's soft and helpless whimpers.

  "Giona...?" Dama said as he reached out, his hand landing on what felt to be Giona's boney shoulder. Opening his mouth to ask what happened, Dama hesitated for a moment, realizing bombarding her with questions might not be the best course of action. "Is she...scared? Did she get like this because of Mr. Koul? Was it his knocking? He was knocking a bit too loud. Could have been his voice too, maybe she even saw him, I can imagine Mr. Koul looks a bit scary to people that don't know him..."

  Dama snickered to himself, knowing that Koul was a loveable dork at heart, but immediately shook his head, refocusing on the situation at hand. "Whatever caused this though, I think I should just try and comfort her for the time being, yeah, that sounds right... Right?"

  "Hey Giona," Dama began, making sure to keep a soft and assuring tone, "everything's okay. You don't have to be scared."

  However, the trembling continued with no response.

  Slumping his shoulders in defeat, disappointment taking form on his face, Dama then adopted an emphatic smile as he withdrew his hand from Giona's shoulder. "It's okay if you need time, just know you're safe here."

  Underneath the blanket, Giona paused, her trembling slowing hearing the last few words again, "you're safe here," just like what he said earlier when helping her back up. She then heard Dama's voice again, "How about this, I'll finish making supper. That's something to look forward to! Mumu! Could you please help with the cauldron in the storage room and bring it into the fireplace? I'll get the bucket of water we got yesterday.”

  "Supper...?" Giona thought to herself, unfamiliar with the word. Her train of thought would be interrupted seconds later after hearing the creaking of Dama's bed and the sound of feet shuffling upon the hardwood floor. It was evident that she had been left to her own devices, and with nothing else to do, she looked down beside her, spotting Tales of the Cataclysm.

  Minutes later, flames licked the underside of the cauldron, filled with lukewarm water while Dama went about peeling the vegetables, with the help of Mumu, he chose. While Mumu held the produce, Dama peeled them, their coordination created a seamless and efficient process. “Man, without Mumu as an extra pair of arms, this would be much harder… Mr. Koul’s right, creating another would be very beneficial… But I don’t even know how I gave rise to Mumu or Nini in the first place… Maybe I can ask Granny Tsu about it tomorrow.”

  As the chef duo finished their preparations, the gurgle of the boiling water indicated that they finished just in time. Once the diced produce started to simmer in the cauldron, the enticing aroma of spices and vegetables permeated the room, intertwining in the air. Taking in a big whiff himself, Dama sat in front of the fireplace, content with the results.

  “Dama…” Giona’s voice sounded from the bed behind him.

  Dama turned around excitedly to the call of his name, seeing that Giona had finally come out from underneath the blanket, “Hm? Yes Giona?”

  Giona simply patted the space beside her on the bed.

  Sitting where she gestured, Dama wondered what she wanted. Eventually, Dama spotted the book 'Tales of the Cataclsym' in her lap.

  At the same time, Giona looked up at him, her eyes brimming with childish curiosity, "Giona..." She uttered, pointing at a page in the fabled book, drawing Dama's attention to a particular passage:

  ‘In a dire moment that spelled certain doom for the young Adam, he stood resolute. His grip unwavering on his sword, his bloodied visage reflecting only determination to defeat a demon general named Movak. Armed solely with his physical prowess amid a magical hellscape the Holy Catalyst War wrought on the world, he pressed forward against impossible odds. It was then, amidst this peril, that a demon met an unexpected fate, engulfed in black flames, summoned by an unexpected ally. A striking woman, with dark brown hair, a violet purple wide brimmed hat, and a cloak of the same color adorned her figure. Among all the truths and lies told about her and of this era, historians unanimously agree on one fact: this woman who saved Adam was none other than Giona Evelyn Tamaki—not only the first to master every Affinity Element, but also the First Witch.’

  Dama smiled at Giona's discovery, happy to indulge her curiosity. “Ah, I see you've found the introduction to Giona Evelyn Tamaki in the book! They say she was the first witch to ever be born in Eranovum, and that every other witch that came after her is descended from her. I would say who their father is, but that's revealed later in the book!”

  Witnessing the subtle amazement and her desire to know more growing within Giona's eyes in real time made Dama's heart melt. Relishing in the moment for a second, an idea suddenly popped into Dama’s head. “You know, if you're interested in the book, we can practice reading this book together! Would you like me to read the story to you from now on?”

  Giona paused as she took a moment to look down at the book in her lap. Blankly staring at the book, Dama could tell Giona was thinking of something. Eventually, Giona took the book and put it in Dama's lap, nodding her head in response with the very same smile she had when she first introduced herself.

  Pleased with the answer, Dama patted Giona on the head, reciprocating her warm smile. “So you do! That's great, I'll read you the first chapter after we eat, okay?”

  -

  Next: (Chapter 5) Foreboding Tavern Encounter