Chapter 16 - A new home

The return trip was uneventful. By the time they arrived back in front of the plain looking wooden fence, the rays of sunshine lost most of their luster, and the gentleness of the night was slowly starting to caress the horizon.

Aiden yawned, and then looked at the sight ahead of him. A set of plain looking wooden fences separated the outside wildlife from the inner courtyard of a herb garden, and a cozy hut that stood proudly in the middle.

The hut itself looked old, but it had this strangely welcoming feel to it. The contrast of the dark wood with some white decorations mingled in-between was quite the rare sight to behold. The windows were also rounded, adding to its uniqueness.

"Wooaah!" Aiden couldn't help but exclaim loudly. Granny and Lily looked at him smiling at his reaction.

Granny pinched his cheek lightly, while gently looking at him.

"So you can talk after all. I was beginning to think that you are a mute. Are you better now? Can you tell us your name?"

Aiden looked at the Granny. He was still in her lap, his bum resting on her arm while his arms were wrapped around her neck. He still couldn't understand everything, but with the help of the system, he managed to decode most of the things. He separated his right arm, while still keeping the left in the safety behind Granny's neck, he pointed towards himself, and exclaimed a single word: "Aiden."

Then pointing at the elderly lady, he continued to express his observation results: "Granny". Lastly, pointing towards the small girl, he said her name as well: "Lily".

Lily's smile was already wide, but now it was threatening to break free from its holds, she was grinning so wide.

"That's right little brother! I'm Lily! Your big sis! You have to listen to me, okay? Hihihi" She couldn't contain her giggling, she was so happy. Everything was so perfect today. Even when her Momma was with her, she was hoping for a little brother to play with. It was very lonely, she never had anybody to play with. She was determined that if she ever will have a brother, she will be there for him every time, so he will not experience the loneliness she felt.

Granny was also smiling. Gently caressing his silky black hair, he softly replied. "That's right little Aiden. I'm Granny, and this energy bomb next to me is Lily. You know, while our meeting was unconventional, to say the least, we will do everything to make you feel safe and happy in your new home. Living as a family if you wish so. "

Aiden was listening intently to Granny's words, and although he couldn't understand everything, he stored the information in his mind, to let the system decipher all the information and help him gain familiarity with the language. For the time being, he just decided to go with the flow.

The only thing he wanted to do, was to test his newfound stats. He gained a lot, and he was unsure of what did those translate to in reality.

With that in mind, he just simply nodded his head, and then rested his head on the shoulders that he found so comfortable in this small trip.

"Ehehehe, brother is so cute! I can't wait to play with him!" Looking at her brother, Lily almost wanted to 'eat him up'. He was so adorable! Snoring all the way back, then first thing waking up is calling everyone by their names! He is cute and clever! It was so hard to remain calm, she just wanted to run around shouting to the world: "I HAVE THE CUTEST BROTHER EVER!".

Passing through the fence, Granny looked at Lily.

"Lily dear, when we get inside please separate the flowers for me okay? I will bring Aiden to his bed, so he can rest a bit more until dinner is ready."

"Sure Granny! Leave it to me! He will be sleeping next to my bed, right?" Lily asked with hope sparkling in her eyes.

"Yes dear." Granny nodded. She knew today was a dream come true to Lily. It would hopefully make her be able to close the past and move on from her trauma once and for all. While she did show signs of moving forwards, she still had days where she would be silent and melancholic all day.

Arriving in front of the dark brown colored door Granny looked at the small boy cradling in her arms, and while patting his head once more, she gently whispered into his ears.

"We have arrived. Welcome home Aiden."

---

While they both Granny and Lily were going their separate ways, Lily handling the flowers they brought back and Granny moving towards a room, Aiden was actively going through his system notifications, and checking his progress towards understanding the language. He really wanted to be able to communicate, as nodding and grimacing wasn't very effective in conveying his thoughts.

The notes showed steady progress, and he also learned that they were speaking the 'Common'. Probably the mostly recognized language around here.

[Analyzing Language: Common. Progress 5%]

[Analyzing Language: Common. Progress 10%]

[Analyzing Language: Common. Progress 15%]

.

.

.

[Analyzing Language: Common. Progress 75%]

'I'm almost done with analyzing. Once this is done, I would learn the language as a skill, right Enya?'

[That's correct Aiden.] Enya's reply was instant as always.

'Is there any way to speed up this process? Or once the analysis is complete, will I be able to talk with them?' Aiden's main concern was that even when the analysis was completed, he wouldn't be able to use the skill immediately. He really wanted to surprise the elderly lady, and the small girl during dinner, to thank them for all their help and care they showed to him.

[Once the analysis is complete, the system will begin compiling the processed information and start creating the necessary skill for you. This process will take an estimated 12 hours before you will be granted the skill.]

Aiden was immediately dejected on hearing this. 'So, there's no way for me to thank them at all?'

[That is not true Aiden. While you will not have the skill, the system has gathered enough information by now, to assist you. A simple 'Thank you' should be feasible if you wish so. However, this will cost you 50 experience points.]

'Oh, that's completely fine. Enya, please when the time comes during dinner, please let me thank these two for their care. They accepted me into their home, without knowing anything about me, and even prepared food.'

With an elated expression on his face, Aiden woke up from his 'sleep'. Looking around, he found himself in a room, on 1 of the 2 beds placed in the 2 sides of the room. The beds had a small cupboard next to them, and next to his, was a sweet-smelling liquid in a metal cylindrical container. The container had an extra piece of metal welded to it, giving it 1 ear. It was a strange sight to see.

Aiden could hear a sigh in his soul space.

[Sigh.. this is called a glass Aiden. The drink is just some cocoa. Don't be afraid, it's a sweet and hot drink that has no real powers besides it's sweet taste that soothes the soul. It's just a gesture of goodwill.] Explained Enya.

Aiden got embarrassed hearing the first part of Enya's words. Now that Enya mentioned it, it did make sense that it's a glass. 'How come I couldn't recognize it? What happened to me?'

[Don't worry about it too much Aiden. This is just the side effect of the blessing's backlash. Your past memories are repressed. Over time you will gradually regain them, but this is one of the reasons you need these two to take care of you.]

Sighing, Aiden simply nodded his head, then slowly placed his feet on the ground. It was his second attempt to stand since emerging from the cocoon, and he still wasn't 100% he will be able to stand up. He did regain most of his stamina while resting on the way here, but he was not in control of the power and strength in his body. Some trial and error is expected.

Placing his hand on the cupboard for some additional assistance, he placed his weight on his legs, and slowly stood up. His legs were wobbling, and with the fear of falling to the ground he exerted a bit of extra force on his hand gripping the edge of the cupboard.

Unfortunately, the cupboard couldn't withstand the sudden surge of force, and the cupboard crumbled into pieces with a loud noise. The sound was carried out the room, and rang all around the house, alerting its residents.

Both Granny and Lily, quickly rushed into the room, seeing the cupboard in pieces while the small fragile looking boy was standing still next to the legs while trying to regain his poise with flailing hands. Granny rushed to him, and grabbed his hands, helping him regain his balance.

"There, there. Don't force yourself. I can see, you have problems adjusting, huh? You have more power resting inside you than I thought. You can rely on us, we will help you, okay?"

While still gripping his hands, Granny slowly started moving towards the door, guiding the boy in his first steps. A small smile could be seen emerging on the so far expressionless boy's face, while a single tear could be seen forming...