Skill Forge: Broken Extra Character

She was clearly just as surprised as Jett, and her wide eyes were locked onto the sight before her: a little girl with jet-black hair, who looked no older than two or three, was fast asleep on Jett's body, nestled comfortably as if she belonged there.

Freya, who had woken up and walked into the room, was too stunned to say a word at first.

After a moment, she moved with a sort of automatic gentleness, picking up a piece of cloth from the side of the bed and covering the sleeping child with it. Despite the confusion, her protective instinct kicked in, ensuring the little girl was comfortable.

"Who is she?" Freya finally asked, her voice soft as she pointed at the girl. This was the first time she had seen a child in the academy, let alone in their room. But the bigger question was, how had she gotten there?

Before Jett could respond, the little girl began to stir, her tiny hands rubbing her eyes as she slowly woke up. She blinked up at Jett with a cute expression, her innocent eyes full of trust.

"Daddy?" she said in a soft, sleepy voice. Then, turning her head slightly, she looked at Freya and added, "Mummy."

*****

The whole gang was now gathered in Cedric and Matthew's room, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

"She called you guys her parents?" Rey asked, his brow furrowed as he tried to process the strange situation.

"But who is she?" Rosa chimed in, her curiosity evident as she glanced over at the little girl.

The girl, oblivious to the adults' confusion, was happily playing with the pets that could fit inside the room. She giggled as she chased after Asher's Wraith Bat, her tiny hands reaching out to touch its spectral wings.

The other pets, like Marcella's Elixir Slime and Evelina's Archer Faerie, seemed to be equally taken by the girl, circling around her as she laughed.

The group watched in silence, each of them trying to piece together how this little girl, who had appeared out of nowhere, had managed to get into their room and why she thought Jett and Freya were her parents.

"I knew we shouldn't have let you guys share a room together," Aiden teased, a sly grin spreading across his face.

Evelina joined in with a smirk, "I must say, we didn't know you had it in you, Jett. And you too, Freya."

"Evelina," Asher quickly interrupted, covering her mouth with his hand, "Stop talking."

Evelina squirmed in Asher's grip, struggling to break free, but Asher held firm, clearly not wanting her to dig the hole any deeper.

Meanwhile, Elora's curiosity got the better of her. "So, you really have no idea how she got in your room?" she asked, watching as Seraphina gleefully joined the little girl in making a mess of the once tidy space. The pets were in on the fun too, with the room quickly descending into chaos.

Cedric whimpered as he watched the disorder unfold, remembering the countless hours he had spent meticulously cleaning the room. "Why this room, though?" he lamented, his voice tinged with despair.

The group continued to brainstorm, tossing around ideas and trying to figure out how this mystery girl had appeared. Morrigan, however, was watching the girl closely. "Look how she's getting along with the other pets," she pointed out, her tone thoughtful.

"Pets… Hold on," Jett suddenly exclaimed, his eyes widening as something clicked in his mind. He began scanning the room, as though searching for something specific.

"What's the matter?" Freya asked, noticing the sudden change in Jett's demeanor. She could tell he had thought of something important.

"I can't find the egg," Jett replied, his voice filled with worry. "I think it was supposed to hatch today, unless…" He trailed off, the implications of his words hanging in the air. 'There's no way,' he thought, feeling a mixture of disbelief and concern.

"Now that you mention it, I don't see it anywhere," Rey said, his expression mirroring Jett's unease. He glanced at the little girl, now giggling as she played with the pets. "What if… she's the pet that came out of it?"

The room fell silent as the others processed Rey's words. The idea seemed far-fetched, yet as they looked at the girl who had seamlessly integrated herself with the other pets, it also made a strange kind of sense.

"That's impossible. That's a little girl we're talking about," Morrigan interrupted, her disbelief clear.

"She obviously came from the gacha egg," Rey argued, his tone firm.

"Then how do we explain her calling Jett and Freya her parents?" Marcella asked, offering the girl some cookies. The girl took them eagerly, her big, innocent eyes lighting up.

"Imprinting?" Seraphina suggested, still playing with the little girl, who seemed to be enjoying every moment.

The room fell into a puzzled silence. This situation was too bizarre to fully comprehend, and the conflicting thoughts were starting to overwhelm everyone.

"I am so confused right now," Jett sighed, rubbing his temples as he tried to make sense of what was happening. The situation was spiraling out of control, and he had no idea how to fix it.

"What did you use to activate the egg?" Rey asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

Jett hesitated for a moment before reluctantly answering, "A dragon scale I swiped from the treasury when your dad wasn't looking."

"You did what!?" they all chorused in shock, their voices blending together in disbelief.

Their reactions were immediate: eyes wide, mouths agape. The sheer audacity of Jett's confession left everyone stunned.

"Do you even know what species of dragon you used?" Elora bickered, her eyes narrowing as she tried to process the information.

"Nope," Jett lied smoothly, though internally, he was smirking. 'Of course I do,' he thought. 'The strongest of the dragon species.'

"That's by the way," Freya interjected, bringing them back to the pressing issue. "Why does your pet… girl… whatever: why does she keep calling me her mom?"

The question hung in the air, and a new wave of confusion washed over the group. This was yet another mystery they had to solve, but this time, Jett seemed to be hiding something. His expression was conflicted, as if he knew more than he was letting on but didn't want to say it.

Freya noticed the hesitation in Jett's eyes. "Jett, is there something you're not telling us?" she asked, her voice gentle but probing.

Jett looked away, his thoughts racing. He knew something, but admitting it would open a can of worms he wasn't sure he was ready to deal with. "It's complicated," he finally muttered, avoiding eye contact.

The others exchanged glances, the atmosphere thick with tension and unanswered questions. The little girl continued to play, blissfully unaware of the turmoil her presence had caused.

"Complicated? What do you mean?" Freya pressed, clearly wanting a straightforward answer.

"Well… umm… technically she is our child," Jett admitted, his voice wavering with nervousness. He couldn't even bring himself to look them in the eye, hoping they wouldn't jump to any wild conclusions. "Haha, can you imagine that…?"

"Oh snap, this just got interesting," Marcella smirked, casually munching on some popcorn as she took in the scene, clearly enjoying every moment of the unfolding drama.

"Where did you even get the popcorn?" Morrigan yelled, glaring at Marcella, who seemed entirely too amused by the situation.

Everyone's curiosity was now fully piqued, including Freya's, as they turned back to Jett, eager to hear more.

"So, you guys remember that time Freya got kidnapped and lost most of her blood?" Jett began, his tone more serious.

"Yeah, we almost died trying to get her back, but what does that have to do with any of this?" Rey interrupted, confusion etched on his face.

"Yes, of course, what about it…?" Freya added, her voice tinged with unease.

"Umm, guys?" Seraphina called out, her voice filled with worry.

"Something's coming out of her mouth," Rosa said, pointing at the little girl.

"That's smoke," Asher observed, his eyes widening as he realized what was happening.

The little girl scrunched up her face, looking as if she was about to sneeze.

"I think she's going to sneeze," Matthew pointed out, his voice filled with alarm.

"She's going to burn my room at this rate!" Cedric trembled, his anxiety spiking as he imagined the potential destruction.

They all moved to try and stop her, but it was too late. The little girl let out a massive sneeze, and with it, a jet of fire shot out, narrowly missing the ceiling and scorching a portion of the wall.

"Whoa!" everyone exclaimed, instinctively ducking as the flames erupted.

The room filled with the acrid smell of smoke, and for a moment, there was silence as everyone processed what had just happened.

"Okay, so she really is a dragon," Jett muttered, more to himself than anyone else, as he stared at the charred spot on the wall.

Freya looked at Jett, her eyes wide with a mix of shock and bewilderment. "Our child… who breathes fire. What exactly have you done, Jett?" she asked, her voice a blend of disbelief and faint amusement, 'Our child? What the hell am I saying?'

Jett rubbed the back of his neck, clearly uncomfortable. "It's a long story, but I guess we'll be needing to figure out how to parent a dragon girl now..."

Cedric groaned, burying his face in his hands as he surveyed the damage. "I can't believe this is happening…" he mumbled, defeated.

The little girl, seemingly oblivious to the chaos she had caused, giggled and clapped her hands, clearly pleased with herself. The pets and sprites around her reacted with caution, some moving closer while others kept their distance, uncertain about the sudden burst of flames.

The rest of the group exchanged looks, their earlier confusion now mixed with a sense of incredulous acceptance. Whatever had happened, one thing was clear: their lives had just gotten a whole lot more complicated.

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Pretty much unexpected