Epic Of CaterpillarEpic Of Caterpillar
Ultimately, they had a hard time reaching any conclusion, with the only evidence of what had happened being everyone's memories, and with nothing left behind from their fight against Koga Saburo, as everything faded away, there was little they could do to find him.
Frank tried offering the items "dropped" by him after his defeat, but they were generated by his powers and weren't exactly pieces that belonged to him, so they couldn't be used to track the origin of this Mythological Spirit, the mysterious master that summoned him.
The only thing they could do right now is send several people to scout the entire city looking for strange signals of corrupted energy or spiritual power they could track and find what was happening.
Meanwhile, the Great Ancestor said she would attempt to do some clairvoyance to find out if there was something she could find through this method.
Once finally done, Frank ended walking back just barely before the sun were to set completely, finding that his mother was already cooking dinner, his dad had yet to get back home, but he would probably arrive quite soon.
"Ah, Frank! Dear, there you are, you came back late," his mother greeted him.
"Ah, yeah, I'm back..." Frank nodded, still thinking about many things. "Sorry for making you worry."
"Oh, it's fine," she smiled, kissing his forehead. "Can you help me get the table ready for dinner?"
"Sure!" Frank nodded, quickly deciding to just not overthink things for now, and enjoy the moment.
Eventually, his dad arrived back home, and his sister walked out of her bedroom, where she had been doing homework for a while now.
Although Frank immediately suspected she was just playing vide games or reading manga, or both.
As Frank talked with everyone about his daily life, he felt a bit annoyed he couldn't share his supernatural life with them.
That he had powers and joined a clan was all a secret.
And this secret was what ended also making it so his parents weren't able to protect themselves when...
When Wasp came.
"Should I tell them?"
However, if he told them, this would mean that his entire family would also be plunged into the dangerous world of the supernatural.
No longer just normal citizens, they would end up being included in dangerous things, things they weren't ready for.
"I can't... Not for now."
He needed more power, he needed to grow stronger, to both protect his family and also uncover the truth.
However, nonetheless, he still enjoyed this harmony, this warmth...
It felt like he missed it for a long time now.
In these memories, in these dreams, he had been stranded for quite a while.
Away from home, away from his family.
Seeking... seeking something, which he couldn't quite remember yet.
But because of that, he had to separate from his family for so long.
He missed them more than he could believe that side of him born from his dreams... or memories.
"Seconds, please!"
Frank finished the rice, gyoza, and fish his mother prepared for him right away.
"Geez, you ate it all already?! You sure are growing if you're hungry! Alright, alright. Good thing I cooked a lot of rice. I don't have more fish though, are eggrolls fine?" his mother wondered, smiling gently.
"Yeah, sure," nodded Frank."
"Can I have more eggrolls too?" his stepfather asked. "The ones you make are tastier than my mother's, to be honest, honey."
"Hahaha, really? But why?" laughed Frank's mom.
"Hm, maybe the spices you add?" wondered his stepdad. "You add a bit of oregano, right? And the little bit of pepper with salt, it really makes it have a more flavorful taste... usually just the sweetness used to bore me."
"Hehe, well, if that's the case, there you go!" Frank's mom served the two with a large second portion of rice and the last eggrolls.
"Thanks!"
As Frank ate and enjoyed, and filled his heart with warmth and happiness, his resolve grew stronger.
Once everything was over, he went to take a warm bath and then went back to his room.
There, he summoned Ruby again, who had already fully recovered within the separate Pet Space where she could go to rest and hide.
"Raarr!" she wagged her tail cutely as she saw Frank.
She was larger than he remembered, bigger than he imagined. Her entire body almost completely covered his bed, she had larger legs and big wings too, making it hard for her to walk around the small room.
"Ahh! Can't you get smaller?" Frank wondered, as Ruby was licking his face without letting him move, as she had fallen over his body.
"Raarr! Raarr!" however she didn't listen, continuing to rub her face with his and lick him.
She really loved him, and it seemed she looked relieved he was alive and fine after everything. "Were you scared about what happened before? I'm sorry..." Frank said, caressing her scaled, soft head. "Let's get stronger together, alright?"
"Raawrr!"
Ruby slowly returned back to a smaller form, around the size of a little dog, although still quite huge, she sat over the bed and rolled around.
Frank couldn't resist petting her a bit more, especially her cute little belly, whose scales were very soft and smooth.
This area of a dragon was often times a very vulnerable part, so when one allowed their master to touch it or caress it, it meant the dragon trusted their lives to them. "You've already become quite different compared to these dreams... or memories," Frank wondered. "You never evolved into a Wyvern there, so this is already changing the future." "Rawr?" Ruby was confused, unable to understand what her master meant.
"Well, just rest for now," he patted her belly. "I have to see this first..."
After giving some attention to his pet, he quickly moved to something more important, he checked the items he possessed.
And what he had gained from his battle against Koga Saburo.
Two strange elixirs, a dozen of weird magic stones, and lastly, a skill book.