Chapter 7: The Tale of the Humans
The days following Lucy's surprise fire spell were brutal, but a rare moment of peace finally arrived.
He found himself in the banquet hall, a sprawling chamber with crystal chandeliers floating overhead and walls adorned with living tapestries that shifted with the wind. Typically, by 11:30 sharp, the doors would swing open and Darfin would march in, grab him by the collar, and drag him off to more "character-building" pain—often before he even got a bite to eat.
But not today.
Darfin had ordered Lucy, Llarm, Eri, and Gindu to take the afternoon off to prepare for a new training phase. That meant Lucy, for once, had time to do what he'd been dreaming of since his first day on this strange world: feast.
And what a feast it was.
His plate was a tower of chaotic indulgence—waffles stacked like golden bricks, greasy cheeseburgers piled high, fries spilling onto the polished table, and an entire pizza perched on top like a greasy crown.
His eyes gleamed with joy, and he practically cried. "If heaven had a buffet, this would be it," he muttered reverently.
Across from him sat his new, and possibly only, friend, Llarm, the blonde-haired wind mage and self-declared sports enthusiast. Llarm was using a breeze spell to flick chunks of food into the air and catch them in his mouth.
"Score!" he shouted after every successful catch, fist-pumping like he'd just won a match.
Meanwhile, at the far end of the table, Eri and Gindu sat stiffly, keeping as much distance between themselves and Lucy as the long banquet table would allow. Unlike Llarm, they hadn't warmed up to the idea of a human being in their midst.
Lucy noticed. He always noticed.