THE REBORN WORLD OF THE CHRONICLES

"Oh yes! I'll call you Master Lu!" Alfie exclaimed suddenly, grinning.

Lucy raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed,she already got herself some clothes from Alfie's mother wardrobe. "Who gave you permission to call me 'Master'? And don't shorten my name without asking first."

Without hesitation, Alfie dropped to his knees and pressed his forehead to the ground. "Make me your student, Mr.—I mean, Master Lucy. I'm sorry for how I acted earlier. I can't let my father's death be in vain. I need to carry his will… and eliminate every last darkside spirit from this world!"

Tears spilled freely from his eyes.

Lucy looked down at the boy and sighed, her expression softening. "You're still such a kid. I thought fighting a few battles might push you toward maturity, but…" She knelt down, gently lifting him to his feet. "Don't cry over small things like this. If you want to become a Shinra in the shadows, you need to observe, not just react. The moment you saw me, I expected you to understand why I came back—but I overestimated you. That was your first training."

Alfie sniffled, his head low.

"You've been my student since the moment I promised your father I'd train you. I tricked your mother into relocating to another town, and I already took your brothers and Rebekah to the Shinra Academy. Now, go say your goodbyes. Our journey begins from here." She gave him a gentle look. "And one more thing… I'm a woman, so stop calling me 'Mr.'"

Hearing this, Alfie's tears returned even harder, but with a relieved smile. "I promise, I won't call you Mr. again."

Lucy smiled and embraced him. "Don't cry, little Alfie. You're going to make your papa proud."

From behind the door, a small voice interrupted, "Why are you crying like a baby, rockhead?"

"Rebekah?" Alfie turned in surprise. "How are you here? I remembered—I disconnected my horse from the chariot and came here alone. How did you make it back?" Lucy said in surprise.

"I snuck onto the food supply chariot headed this way," Rebekah said confidently. "I'm not going to the Academy. I can't let my abilities get rusty."

"Just what I expected from my underling," Alfie smirked.

"What? I'm not your underling! Where'd you even get that from?" Rebekah snapped.

"Master Lu told me to always read situations. I just read this one and figured out that you followed her because you want to be her student. Since I'm the first student, that makes you my underling," Alfie said, proud of his deduction.

Lucy chuckled. "You're catching on fast, Alfie. I'm impressed."

"Let's go meet Mama and my brothers!" Alfie said as he dashed outside.

"I'll wait here," Lucy said. "I can't let your mother see me like this. She still thinks I'm an old man. You two go ahead."

"Okay, Master Lu. Let's get going, Rebekah!" Alfie grinned.

"Ugh. Stop calling me Master Lu! You're making me sound like I'm from some ancient Chinese tale. Just call me Lucy," she replied, rubbing her temples.

"I can't drop it. It's the first name that popped into my head, and now it's stuck," Alfie shrugged. "But… how do we get to Mama? I can't control your horse."

"Don't worry," Rebekah said confidently. "I learned how to ride horses from my dad. Just leave it to me!"

She ran toward Lucy's horse, but the moment she tried to climb, it panicked—snorting and kicking wildly.

"Whoa! Easy, easy!" Rebekah said, stepping back.

"Stop," Lucy said calmly. "That horse only allows one rider: me. She's my best friend and has never let another human ride her."

"Then maybe we need to think differently…" Alfie said, suddenly dashing back into the house. "Mama bought me and my brothers some alien costumes last week. Maybe… I'll ride as an alien!"

"This kid's going to get kicked through the air," Lucy sighed as she plopped down on a rock. "But let him try. He won't learn unless he goes through the hard way." She exhaled and closed her eyes. "Ugh, I need a long soak in a hot spring…"

Alfie emerged a minute later wearing a green alien costume, complete with antennae. "Let's go, horsy! The alien has arrived!"

"Stop fooling around, moron!" Rebekah called. "You'll just get your butt kicked!"

"Stand back and behold the genius of Alfie!" he declared dramatically, approaching the horse slowly. "Calm down, horsy… I come in peace."

The horse, surprisingly, didn't resist. With slow steps, Alfie climbed up and settled on the saddle.

"YAHOO! I told you it would work!" he shouted. "Don't underestimate Alfie's brains!"

"Okay, okay, I'm impressed," Rebekah said, hopping up behind him.

"You two better get moving," Lucy said. "It's getting dark. The longer you stay, the more darkside spirits will come sniffing around."

"Understood, Master Lucy!" Rebekah saluted.

"Enough with the 'Master' stuff! You're making me feel ancient," Lucy grumbled.

"You said we're your students," Alfie said, shrugging. "And if we're students, then you're our Master."

"Fine, fine…" Lucy muttered as she waved them off.

As the horse galloped away into the fading light, Alfie turned his head slightly. "Let's go.