"Marcus." In the darkness of the night, Marcus opened his eyes wide and saw a grinning giant standing above him. He squealed like a little girl and nearly jumped out of the bed. A deep laughter filled the dark bedroom and Marcus's heart was racing like crazy. "FATHER!" Azaa pulled Marcus back down to her and scolded Shen. "Leave the room! Marcus will come down, when he is ready," she said and the giant walked down the stairs, still laughing.

"What is going on?" Marcus gasped, as Azaa tried to calm him down with gentle kisses. "Knowing him, he is most likely here to take you with him on some kind of trip," she said, and he felt in no way calmed. "Is it normal that your father shows up in your bedroom at night?" Marcus asked, and Azaa squinted her eyes. "Boundaries and privacy are hard for people like us, who have perception abilities. Still, he should know better. When my mother returns, I will tell on him and she will scold him properly," she whispered to Marcus.

"I guess I have no option to say no?" Marcus whispered. Azaa smiled, "Not if you want to build a good relationship with my father." She kissed him and then she did something with her hand, which under the circumstances made Marcus very conflicted. She gently moved her hand and whispered, "Have a nice day with my father. When you come back I will finish this." She crawled back under the sheets.

Deeply motivated to survive the day, Marcus put on his clothes and unmuted Xeen. It only took seconds for Xeen to understand the situation and he vowed to stay at Marcus' side through all of it. When Marcus came down the stairs he found Shen plundering the cupboard for some food. "Good morning Shen,"Marcus said awkwardly, and the man smiled from ear to ear. "Put your armor on. We are going hunting," He said, just before he left the house, holding food in both of his hands.

A few minutes later Marcus stepped outside and saw the first rays of sunlight coming over the horizon. Shen was gobbling down the last of the food and Marcus found it hard to believe this man was about to go on a monster hunt. Shen wore only light gray and blue clothing, and looked more like he was on the way to the bakery than to fight with murderous monsters in the wild. If It wasn't for the belt with a few pouches and some large sacks he carried over his shoulder, Marcus would have thought Shen was making fun of him.

"The morning hours are a great time to hunt monsters. Let's hurry to find some," Shen said, and started to move with large steps down the street towards the city gate. Marcus had to run to keep track with the giant and shortly after they passed the gate. "Where are the others?" Marcus asked, when they started to move down a field and were still alone.

"It is just you and me today, Marcus," Shen said, and increased his pace further so that Marcus had to sprint. He could keep up this speed all day, thanks to his vitality, but he was still very slow compared to people with a few dexterity crests. "I'm sorry, I'm slow," Marcus apologized. Shen nodded, "I know. Was there not some jumping ability you used to move faster?" Marcus swallowed hard, "Yes, but it is loud and drains my endurance quickly over longer distances." Shen just nodded and said no more.

I am already failing in his eyes, Marcus thought.

Nonsense. He understands your limits. Just do your best and be true to yourself.

That is easier said than done, Marcus thought and followed Shen into a dense woodland. In spite of his size, Shen deftly moved through the vegetation at great speed, while Marcus struggled with the trees. They had spent more than an hour running when Shen slowed down and came to a stop. "Frillars, three of them. You know them, Marcus?" The tall ginghi asked, and Marcus nodded. He had fought against them a few years ago. "Good, then take them down," Shen said straight to Marcus' face and pointed into the direction of the monsters.

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Marcus focused and moved in the indicated direction, passing several groups of trees. He quickly found a clearing with three monsters resting next to a large tree. The beasts were already aware of him and didn't hesitate to charge Marcus down. Their heavy furred bodies moved through the twilight of the forest, the horn on their heads charged with electricity. Sharp teeth and claws gleamed and tried to tear Marcus apart, but these monsters were no match for the current Marcus.

The charge of the first beast ended when his fist smashed into its skull, the second broke under one of his kicks and the last jumped on him, but neither tooth nor claw could penetrate his armor or harm his skin. Marcus put his hands on the chest of the predator and quickly ended its life. It was a fast and clean fight, Marcus thought.

I would agree, let's see how Shen evaluates this fight.

Marcus turned and Shen stood at the edge of the clearing, watching him.

"Good," Shen said, and moved to Marcus, who wasn't certain what he was meant to do next. "We will take their horns and claws. Have you ever done that?" She asked, and produced a knife from his belt. Marcus shook his head and the old man nodded, "Then join me and learn." Shen proceeded to remove the parts from two monsters and then guided Marcus to do the same with the last one.

"They are weak monsters and their parts aren't worth a lot, but they can still be used for simple tools and weapons. Wasting resources is bad," Shen said with a smile, and Marcus smiled too. Working together on the corpses for over half an hour had taken a lot of his worries away. "You look calmer now," Shen said. Marcus answered with a faint smile.

They moved on, now only walking at a brisk speed. "Now that my daughters aren't constantly getting in the way, we can finally have a talk, man to man," Shen said without any signs of sarcasm. Marcus took a deep breath as a reaction. They continued to walk and after some time without Shen saying something Marcus spoke. "Do you approve of me as the Azaa's bond?" He asked with a racing heart.

Shen slowed down further and answered his question in a roundabout way. "As a father you will always look after your children, wishing for their best. Even more so with daughters, you can't help and worry about their happiness," Shen said, and Marcus swallowed a lot of anxiety. Shen continued to speak while moving forward, "I made a mistake in the past, allowing a man to approach Azaa, hurting her deeply. It was her choice and her wish, but I foresaw problems and yet I didn't say anything, because I wished for her happiness. I had to watch my wonderful daughter fading away over a century, unable to soothe her pain. You can't yet understand how it feels like to fail your child as a parent." Shen fell silent for a moment.

"Today, I talk with Azaa about all my thoughts concerning your relationship. I think you are good for her, but she needs to be careful not to hurt you or to stifle your growth as a person. She wants to hold you tight, but she also needs to give you your freedom to explore the world. It would have been better if you would have met her twenty years later, but that isn't how things happened. Speaking about ideal scenarios is meaningless in the first place. You are both here right now, and that is the world we are living in," Shen explained, and Marcus tried to take it all in.

"You said a lot about her, and not much about me," Marcus said, but his voice was much weaker than he liked. "What do you want me to say? That you are far too weak? That you are too young and inexperienced? That your skin is wrong or that you aren't smart or talented enough for her?" Shen had expressed every insecurity Marcus felt in his heart.

"Let go of these useless fears, Marcus. My daughter is positively glowing and I can't see any ill intentions in you," Azaa's father said, and Marcus felt a wave of emotions running through his chest. He wanted to say something, but Shen was faster, "What is ancestor Xeen thinking of my Azaa and your relationship?" Marcus listened to Xeen's answer and told Shen, "Azaa is an outstanding woman. She and Marcus are well suited for each other. Together, they will form a strong foundation for the future."

Shen looked thoughtful for a moment and then laughed loudly, "I see. Ancestor Xeen sees through everything. I should have expected it from the venerable Xeen." Marcus thought, what are you two talking about?

Thinking long term and in larger scopes, Marcus. Do not worry about it right now. All that matters is that Shen is supporting your relationship with Azaa, no doubt.

That doesn't make me worry less, Xeen! What are you old people planning with us?

Ask Azaa, I am sure her brilliant mind has already seen ahead.

"Oh, you can bet I will talk with Azaa about this," Marcus said out loud, and Shen nodded. "That is a good idea. You should talk about your future. Understanding each other's dreams, hopes and ambitions is important," he said without irony.

"Now that we have talked, it is time for you to fight again." Shen pointed at something large moving between the rocks under a cliff. "I take it, I will fight alone again?" Marcus asked. Shen grinned, "Ancestor Xeen is with you, isn't he?" And what great help he is, Marcus thought full of sarcasm.

I can only do so much. Like an artist I am a slave to the materials I work with.

One day! One day, you will actually praise me for my skills, Marcus thought and Burst jumped towards the unknown enemy.

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