Summoned and Unwanted

“Why does it feel like I am leaving for a long time? Is it because they didn’t want me to leave?” Murmured Vincent while turning to face the outside.

Sofy saw Vincent passing through the gate and leaving. “Good luck, and return in one piece.” She said before leading the three horses to return to the mansion.

The two soldiers stood where they were. Both were baffled at the exchange with Vincent. The soldiers ended up insulting the noble they were stationed there to meet and inform about the carriage.

They were forgiven instead of reprimanded. After finding out who the one family against the five others was, the two soldiers began to doubt who could win.

“Should we bet on him?”

“I don’t know if the Lionheart family is the one participating.”

“But if it is true, doesn’t it make him special?”

“Special? For what? He does not have the presence of a powerful person.”

.....

“Huh? I have never seen or heard a familiar talking before. It means he is rich. Not to mention that strange human-like plant. It also spoke.”

“Nah! You must be imagining things after hearing that little weak fox talk. How can a plant speak?”

“Why you!”

*Sigh* “Bet on him if you wish. I will bet on the ones with the most chance to win.”

“You are on! I will bet my entire savings on the Lionheart family!”

“Hehe. Don’t worry about starving. I will share some of the winnings with you if you lose.”

After a discussion, one of the two soldiers went to send a message to Russo’s office. It was to let Russo know Vincent left the city safely, and start with the arrangements for a carriage.

*North West Of Lusterfall City – Yevala Forest – Noon*

A couple of hours passed. Vincent, Plow, and Zero entered Yevala Forest after moving at their own pace without taking a break.

Plow skipped on the snow while cautiously approaching a new plant strange rock. She was having a lot of fun in the wild.

Zero was walking beside Vincent while chewing on a Limb Seed and gradually growing in size.

On the other hand, behind the excited little fox, and beside the growing plant was Vincent walking strangely.

[Vincent. Let’s take a break. You have been walking for hours in this cold weather. Fortunately, it is not snowing, or your strange way of walking could put you in danger.]

“It looks that strange to point it out?” Vincent questioned with a frown.

[Defenatly. It is similar to walking with weights while moving with numb limbs. You are walking a little better than a zombie.]

“Zombie?...” *Sigh* “I am walking while channeling Energy Flow all over my body since I need to regain control of my intent as soon as possible.”

“...but I didn’t think it appeared that bad.”

[Don’t worry about hurrying Vincent. We have enough food, warm clothes, and dry sticks to light a fire. Not to mention the wonderful Pocket Cabin to keep you warm.]

“I agree. Rest is also good medicine for recovery.” Vincent stopped and called out to Plow. “Plow. Let’s take a quick break.”

Plow was curiously looking at a slanted rock with tiny icicles hanging on the unnatural bent edge. Her ears raised, and her first thought was, ‘Food time?’

Plow skipped towards Vincent while her tails wagged happily. “Coming.” *Pho ?*

Vincent found a place with few trees and stored them. Try as he might, Vincent could only store the trees by touching them. And even this way took a couple of minutes per tree.

Vincent was certain training to regain control of his intent was the best way to begin his journey of recovery.

After removing a couple of trees in about a quarter of an hour’s time, Vincent summoned the Pocket Cabin. His eyes watered at the view of the Pocket Cabin in front of him. His work to remove the trees was worth the time and energy.

Vincent, Plow, and Zero entered the Pocket Cabin. After the door closed, the warmth brought a smile to Vincent and Plow. They began to dislike the idea of going outside ever again.

Vincent looked at the small kitchen. He went to prepare lunch.

Three plates and one set of cutlery were the first to be summoned to the table. Next was the food. One plate had freshly cooked meat. One plate had five Limb Seeds freshly made. The last plate had a mix of meat and vegetables for balanced nutrients.

Vincent sat on the chair while Plow jumped on the chair and used her tails to elevate her body until her small paws reached the table.

Zero looked at the chair before moving its gaze to Vincent. After climbing on the chair, Zero found it difficult to eat. It stood up and found it better to eat.

The three of them had a good time eating.

Plow was too excited to share this morning’s experience with Vincent. She couldn’t keep her mouth shut while eating.

While Vincent nodded and responded a few times, Zero didn’t talk unless it was spoken to. Zero chewed on the Limb Seeds quietly while hearing the conversation. It was easy to forget Zero was beside them.

“Plow can help with finding food.” *Pho* Plow cheerfully offered.

“Really?”

“Yep. But Plow wants cuddles as a reward.” *Pho ?*

[Good thing Lupa isn’t with us. The two of them would have challenged each other by now.]

Vincent chuckled. “Sure, little Plow. It will be our little secret.”

Plow looked at Zero. She gently wagged her tails and said, “Zero can tell bad wolf. Plow does not mind.” *Pho*

“Master. What. I. Do?”

“Hehe.” Vincent gave Zero a head pat and suggested, “Think hard about it. There is no need to agree now. No one is pressuring you.”

“Master. Zero. Understands. Zero. Will. Think. For. Answer.”

The door of the Pocket Cabin opened about half an hour after eating. Vincent felt the cold, and his face formed a frown.

Plow didn’t appear to dislike the cold. She skipped to the snow and barked cheerfully. On the other hand, Zero didn’t show any new or different emotions. As if Zero didn’t feel or mind the cold.

It took some time for Vincent to store the cabin and summon the trees back to their original place. He found it more difficult than before.

Plow was the first to resume with their adventure. She was motivated to use her nose and sniff every corner to discover a cuddle-worthy object.

Plow excitedly moved from one side to the other while glancing at Vincent to check if he was nearby. She didn’t want to be too far away from Vincent since her main job was to keep Vincent safe, even if she could barely fight at the moment.

Vincent followed Plow, while walking better than before, yet his walking was still unusual. After spending a long time storing and summoning the trees, Vincent sensed his intent control was better than before.

Even though Vincent felt strange to move in a body that was his, yet felt like it was not, bit by bit, Vincent was getting used to his current body.

*Snap* Vincent stopped. He looked down and saw a snapped stick under his feet. It was covered by snow, and it was difficult to notice.

Vincent grabbed the stick and raised it shoulder-high. A smirk appeared when he swung the stick, which was as long as a sword.

The stick became heavier the more Vincent controlled his Energy Flow to cover the stick. Soon, the stick became as heavy as a real sword or a log.

*Pho?* “Vincent Vincent. Are you feeling ouchie?” Asked Plow out of worry.

“No Plow. I am going to begin a new training. I will be starting to swing this stick from now on. Who knows. Maybe I can become a swordmaster, hehe.” Vincent lowered his gaze onto Zero. “Were you worried too?”

Zero gently shook their head. “Master. No. Feel. Danger. Master. Is. Good. Master. Is. Safe.”

[Intresting. Can Zero perhaps understand your condition with the familiar bond? Additionally, can Zero detect if you are in danger or not?]

-Didn’t you say Zero used the Amalmagametion trait to assimilate a bunch of empowered Seed Guardians?-

-Since Seed Guardians can be connected and controlled, Zero might be able to feel the link through our familiar bond.-

[Hoho. Quite a profound reasoning, Vincent. Your guess is more plausible than I expected.] Kazumi agreed while joking.

Kazumi moved her gaze to Zero. She wanted to observe Zero’s progress as time moved onward. The ability to rewatch her memories could help satiate her curiosity about Zero.

“Okay.” *Pho* “Plow will continue to look for goodies.” Plow turned and faced a tree. She moved her nose to try catching the scent of a cuddle-worthy object.

*Whoosh* Vincent swung the stick a couple of times. *Sigh* ‘It looks like it is going to take a long time. I fear Overflow isn’t going to work properly for a while.’

Vincent looked at Plow. She was excited while serious at the same time, all by herself.

Watching the cheerful Plow uplifted his spirits. It allowed him to swing the stick again and again without pause. A thought soon passed through his mind.

“Hey, Plow, how do you feel in the wild? I was concerned you might be unhappy to be cooped up in the mansion or on the island.”

“Vincent Vincent should not be con... concerned.” *Pho* “Plow likes to be with family the most. Home or outside, Plow is happy to be with everyone.” *Pho ?*