The tiny human rubbed its face against his sleeve. It seemed to dislike that the fabric was dusty from the stone floor they rested on. Slade smiled as it snuffled and turned its face away from the offending garment.

His hand slid over the thin shoulder with the movement and he raised his arm away to avoid disturbing its sleep. It grumbled under its breath, the sound so very much like a cub, and small hands reached for his.

“Good morning, Mora.”

Its—her eyes shot open to reveal shiny, watery emerald eyes. Large and witless, they blearily rolled around as if searching for something before resolutely closing again. The hands that captured his pulled back and his arm was directly used as a cuddle toy, its—her cheek pillowed on his hand. Does it not feel cold to her?

He could not stop the chuckles that bubbled from his gut at her tiny face, button nose scrunching from his quiet laughter. It probably felt loud where she was and she won’t be able to sink back to sleep again. His grin stretched wider. Maybe he had let his rumble loose on purpose.

“There’s no window to see if it’s morning. Let me sleep.”

Her voice was quiet but strong. The words enunciated with a clarity rarely seen in such a young human. He chuckled some more. The little thing kept speaking with strange words in a tone that only adults would use. It really is quite entertaining. And...cute.

Horribly weak despite the hidden potential—that nearly destroyed a thousand years of recovery he managed to accumulate—but still cute. And very brave. He was a danger for all the regard he had shown her and yet she was able to sleep leaning on him. She could even banter calmly as though she were his equal.

Slade used his fingers to pinch her nose and tug them from side to side until she opened those jeweled eyes again. They seemed to flare with an inner fire just from mere irritation. Mora is truly an amusing human.

“You’re a brute and a bully.”

He did not respond and only raised an eyebrow, flattening his smile into a thin emotionless line. Her eyes narrowed, the serious expression almost out of place in such a young face. They stared at each other for one long moment before he relented and released her nose with a final tap on the reddened tip.

“Do you feel better?”

Slade did not know why he asked. He knew she was healed. He made sure of it. Despite being unable to deal with his own injuries, he had enough Materia to completely heal the girl in the course of the night.

It is the least he could do after harming her, is all. In an urge that he had indulged since she had settled beside him, he used his other hand to pet her hair, his fingers running through the bright red strands. Only carrots rivaled such a color. Would she complain being compared to a root crop?

It made a delightful contrast against her pale skin like maple leaves before its bloody red peak fallen onto white marble. And with her grass green eyes that always seemed to take everything in carefully in its largeness, it made her seem more than what her small body suggests.

Mora made a sound that had his smile hooking higher. An action that usually meant death to all present but right now was just something to express his contentment.

He knew the tiny creature would leave soon. But at least he had a good person visit his gods-bedamned cage. It was more than what he had for the past eight centuries. Even if said visitor was a strange youngling that seemed uneducated in regards to common sense and propriety. Case in point, the child now plastered itself closer to him, despite everything that happened the night previous.

“Yes. Did you do that? With your fog powers?”

He laughed. Fog powers.

“Yes. The Materia this one used can heal as much as it can hurt.”

Her darker red eyebrows rose in a thoughtful expression.

“Didn’t you say you’re injured? Also, you told me I hurt you too. Have you healed yourself?”

Slade shook his head slightly, trying not to dislodge her from where she lay on his robes. How could he explain his injuries to the girl? This lord simply cannot.

“It is harder to heal the self than others.”

Her eyebrows rose even higher but she did not speak. White blunt teeth nibbled her lip and he wished he could stop her from worrying the already reddened bit of skin.

“So what’s the plan?”

It was his turn to think through the situation and then decided to lay things out clearly. The trust in the human’s eyes snuffed the thought to trick the girl into staying just for his entertainment.

“You will wait until the sun takes care of the muddy paths then you can take off. This lord is assuming that it was the wet roads that caused you to fall and get injured in such a remote portion of the forest.”

She sniffed and her brows tightened into a frown. The girl froze and barely breathed, the hands on his arm tightening. He kept his silence as he waited for whatever it is that upset her to pass.

“That. Yes. The muddy roads. Sure.”

She finally said in weak affirmation, her body slumping in forced relaxation. He tensed at the words she mumbled under her breath. So quiet that he could not have heard it if not for what he was.

“More like someone wanted to get rid of the useless kid and thrown her down the cliff.”

He knew humans are often despicable, but. Surely it was her family’s enemies that she was speaking of. The alternative was chilling to contemplate as he considered the lively red-headed child laying on him like a doll. Even beasts will not harm its own young. Surely?

But unless Mora knew who he was, that he could hear her quiet words and had planned to uselessly inform him of contrived crime by the adults around her, when such deceit would only result in death... it should be the truth.

Truly, the world is going into the Hells in a tributary.

“Well then, we have time! Explain yourself!”

She shot up to sit on her knees, excited grin spreading over her face as her eyes glittered with intent. Slade fixed his face into an unimpressed mask and raised an eyebrow. Either the girl has a broken mind that cannot stay on a thought for long or she’s a good actor who excels in sweeping aside her own moods.

“Magic!!! You have magic and you said I do too!”

Was he wrong? Did she not start her training in magic yet? If his examination of her body’s condition was accurate, she was ten years old, almost eleven. He had to use the least amount of Materia to check her internal state as she slept lest he destroy such a small body.

He remembered that humans start training their energy use and studied related theories by the age of seven. Or did that change during his incarceration?

Her excitement is that of someone encountering energy manipulation for the first time.

“Have you not received instruction about it yet?”

Mora flushed, the pink vivid because of her paleness. She raised a hand and scratched just behind her ear with the tip of one finger.

“Eh. This? I don’t know.” Then she straightened up again, bouncing and squirming forward until her knees pinned the loose fabric of his pants beneath her. “So? Teach me!”

“Why should this lord do that?”

His lips hooked into a smug grin waiting to see if the girl would say something interesting again. She looked troubled for a moment and then she tilted her head to one side and the other as if she was trying to dislodge her thoughts.

“I helped you get the chain off.” She pouted. “You said it was meager assistance.”

The girl seemed displeased that he discounted her strange ability to disperse the enchanted metal’s restrictions. He hid his smile. Unless she was an Ancient in disguise, even he could not explain how she had been able to do that. So, he kept his silence.

“If you can teach me, won’t I be able to help you more? Like maybe...” Her eyes glittered with excitement, “maybe even remove the trapping thing you said the cave has.”

She nodded as if agreeing to herself. “Right? Like, won’t it be awesome if you can get out?”

Slade wondered what she would think if she knew what a feat doing that would be. When he, a being that rose to the supreme was unable to break it, what more an uninitiated infant?

He wanted to disabuse her of overly ambitious thoughts, but something stopped him. He felt an interest to see her try. It was not like he had something else to do in this cursed isolation.

“Very well. If that is what you wish, then this one will become your master.” He gave up resisting and took her nose between his fingers again. Warning her as he tugged her about with it. “You will have to promise this lord two things, however. Three, if we include your offered attempt towards my freedom.”

“What things?” She narrowed her eyes again and Slade realized it was more reliable to watch her intent through those expressive eyes than to sift through her oft careless words. “I always keep my word so you should make them reasonable, okay?”

“Absolutely.” He does value honesty in his associations, so her candor was appreciated. “As this lord have said... Once your ability is high enough, you have to free me. Or at least you can attempt to.”

Mora scoffed. “Of course. Will you please trust me a little and believe that I can reach that level?”

“This one have not killed you yet, that is enough trust at the moment.” He dismissed her words with a wave of his hand and continued. “Second, you will not tell anyone of this lord. Protect the information about my existence. My location, my condition and your connection with this lord. This is for your safety and not only mine.”

“Yes, yes. I got this.” The eye-rolling should have irritated him, yet it only made him fond of the fearless cub.

“Lastly. Agree to complete a blood bond with me.”