Ji Ao leaned forward, attentive, while Lobraw continued his story.
"You call her Ruby now, but, according to what is said... she was born Ribhia, daughter of King Hassim Rabbit the Third and the warrior queen Zanya D'Lee Tart. Two honorable rulers. The king was noble, just. The queen, mysterious... beautiful. But there was a tragedy between them: they were genetically incompatible. They could not have children."
Ji Ao pressed his lips together.
"But... then how is she...?"
"Listen," Lobraw continued, unhurried, his voice deep and steady. "The king needed an heir. Without it, the kingdom would fall. With a broken heart, he sought an old ally. A hero... a legendary warrior who lived far away, on incredible adventures in the Peaks of the Frozen Clouds. Far, very far from the White Forest."
Ji Ao widened his eyes.
"It sounds like a legend..."
"It is. But it is real. This hero, a jackal warrior—or something close to that—named Janckal, had already distanced himself from the kingdom he helped create because of a torrid passion. A passion for the queen herself, before she married. It was a love that became a beautiful affair... until a betrayal happened. And he threw himself into adventures that carried him through the kingdoms, across the vastness of this world, which is the White Forest."
Silence fell for a moment. Only the crackling of burning wood filled the emptiness.
"The king, desperate, proposed something unthinkable: that the hero, in disguise, lie with his wife. That he give her a child he could never father. The hero initially refused. But in the end he demanded a special condition... and also, the heart... always speaks louder."
Ji Ao seemed petrified.
"So... Ruby is his daughter?"
"We do not know for certain," Lobraw paused. "The queen gave birth to twins. But shortly after, an even greater tragedy happened. One of the king's guards—a lesser-lineage jackal—discovered the secret. He took advantage of the queen in a moment of weakness. She was... transformed. Forced into submission. A hushed scandal. A crime never punished."
"That is horrible."
"Yes."
Ji Ao clenched his fists.
"But... the special condition? The one you mentioned before..."
Lobraw looked at him with a cold gaze now. That kind smile hid beneath the shadow of old pain.
"That, my young one... is something I cannot tell now. But Ruby is not ordinary. And some say her nature is unstable... that she carries something that can awaken... or destroy. That is enough for now."
Ji Ao turned pale.
"And does she know all this?"
"No. And, for your life... I hope it stays that way," Lobraw said, serious. "She trusts me. And if she knows I am telling these stories, not even the great white wolves of the forest will protect me. And you? I do not even want to imagine."
Ji Ao swallowed hard.
"You... you told me this because you trust me?"
Lobraw laughed, a tired laugh.
"No. I told you because I saw in your eyes the same doubt that once destroyed a kingdom."
And then the two were silent again. Ji Ao staring at the flames, and Lobraw with his eyes lost in memories that would never go away.
"And do you think I have a chance with her?"
Lobraw let out a laugh that caught the attention of the patrons, most of whom were already dozing in their seats.
"Excuse me, gentlemen... you may return to what you were doing."
"Does that mean no, Mr. Lobraw?"
Lobraw felt himself about to laugh, and disguised it by looking aside as if searching for something to catch his attention.
"And what could you do that would be useful to a white rabbit princess?"
"Princess? White rabbit? Ruby is a rabbit? Like the ones here? Human face, little rabbit ears on top of her head, and... well... a tail... hmm... pompom."
He finished, embarrassed, while Lobraw struggled not to laugh, but still let out a low howl.
"Uhh! (this boy still makes me laugh) Oops! I think I said too much."
Ji Ao looked at Lobraw and finally gave up.
"Lobraw, I know when I am not wanted around... So stop making up stories to please me. And if you do not want me here, I ask Ruby to take me away immediately."
Lobraw's laughter rang out again, and before he could stop, he heard Ruby's voice shouting from her room upstairs:
"What kind of dump is this, Big Lobraw? You cannot even sleep peacefully without one of your drunk clients making noise!"
Lobraw apologized while leaving the counter he had been at and was absent for a few moments. When he returned, to Ji Ao's surprise, he held a curious necklace in his hands.
"Here. Everyone has one of these, and you need it too, because you never know when you will return home."
Ji Ao wanted to retort, but considering the world he was in, there was a small chance he might not even make it back to his reality. And that was not entirely bad, because there he was nobody. And now... well, he was still nobody, but at least he had Ruby. And this lobhuma, who seemed to want to be his friend, in the end made him feel like he was gaining something.
Ji Ao looked. At first glance, it seemed like a simple cord, perhaps made of vine, or some plant he did not recognize. But there was a stone — a large stone — that emitted a faint purple glow. Strange? Maybe it was far too expensive a gift for someone who could not even be considered a friend. But, given that he was a friend of Ruby, perhaps... Lobraw took that into account.
"Here, little friend. This is a skill necklace. It shows you many things. One of them is your health. Wow, how weak you are."
The boy felt embarrassed. It was not the first time he had heard that. But, after all, what was the level of strength of those creatures in that place?
"But you know I am weak just by looking at the glow of this purple stone?"
Then Lobraw looked at him and, asking with his wide-eyed gaze, said:
"Do you see purple in this stone?"
And Ji Ao replied:
"Of course I do."
Then he said:
"Well, this is a skill stone. Usually it shows the amount of vitality you have. That's why I thought you were weak. But one of the things it also shows is your strength. And here nothing appears. If it is purple... it means something else that I don't even know."
Frightened, Ji Ao asked:
"So maybe I'm sick? Could that be it?"
"Hey, everyone! Does anyone know what the purple color in the skill necklace means?"
The patrons who were awake looked and said, all as if agreeing beforehand, a resounding:
"No, we don't know."
And returned to dozing, while Lobraw scratched his head as if it reminded him of something he didn't even know.
Lobraw scratched his head, still holding Ji Ao's necklace, and sighed. "Okay, little friend, let's see if you understand this... each stone shows something about you, but it's not magic. It's energy, strength, vitality, all together, each color a different thing."
"Well," the lobhuma muttered, "we have green for vitality. We have red for... well, what was red again? Anyway... we have blue for strength, we have... green for speed... and we have..."
"Hey, hey, wait a minute, Lobraw! You're repeating colors and changing the abilities!"
"Hey, boy! I live here, I know the things! You're trying to confuse me?"
"But, in doubt, tomorrow ask your Ruby. She certainly knows all the colors and will give you all the necessary tips."
A drunk porkius leaning on the counter shouted, "Red is life! Blue is strength! Green… speed! Yellow… brain?"
"More or less," laughed Lobraw, grabbing a piece of leather and starting to scribble. "Red is vitality, blue is strength, green is speed, yellow is intellect, purple is charisma. White... is special: it's called the Treasure Stone. It allows you to challenge someone or be challenged. Without it, don't even think about it."
The other drunk raised his mug and asked, "And the purple? Does it glow?"
"That one is rare. But now pay attention," Lobraw continued, staring at Ji Ao. "If you face someone, don't just look at appearances. They may seem weak, but look at their necklace: if their stones are bigger than yours, don't dare. And the Treasure Stone? It's like money, right? Value two, value one… whoever doesn't have it cannot challenge or be challenged. If you lose without it… well… let's just say it doesn't end well."
Ji Ao swallowed hard, his heart racing. "But… this is serious?"
"It is," said Lobraw, serious now. "There is no cute fantasy here, boy. If you challenge someone famous, too strong, without a stone… your life is at risk. You could become a slave, or… worse. This is how the world works."
The boy looked at the necklace in his hand, the purple stone glowing faintly. He felt the weight of what he carried, and for the first time understood that this fantasy world had harsh rules, real dangers, and that if he wanted to survive, he would need to pay attention to every stone, every color, every value.
A drunk porkius fully woke up, snorting as loudly as a herd of wild boars.
"The white stone is for Power... The Treasure Stone is in another necklace!"
And then fell completely silent.
"Go up, boy. Courtesy of the Wolf Fang Tavern," said Lobraw, handing Ji Ao a heavy metal key.
"But this key won't be free."
"What! But wasn't it a courtesy of the tavern?"
"Just a trade, boy. Leave that weak name for your world. Here it sounds small and ridiculous."
"Because of the disrespect with me, Lobraw?"
"You misunderstand, boy. Here a name means a lot, and I have a good one for you… Zhang Kao."
"Zhang Kao? You really think it's a good name?"
"Familiar? It's a prince's name."
"A prince?" Ji Ao muttered as he thought. "Maybe this way I can get Ruby's attention?"