---

"Wake up dear, lest you miss the beautiful sight of the sun rising" A melodious voice entered Yuzhen's head, as he began shuffling about within the bed, hugging onto the soft warm body he had found, before whining, "But I want to stay in bed!"

Lucatiel chuckled as she cuddled her child against her chest, "Would you waste this moment just to have a few more minutes of sleep?"

Forcing himself off his mother's chest, and off bed, Yuzhen raised his arms high up as he stretched, before clasping his hands together as he bent his arms down behind his back. He slowly looked around his parent's grand spacious bedroom his eyes still closed as they formed cute thin slits.

"Mother, mother!" Yuzhen anxiously called out suddenly.

Lucatiel raised an eyebrow as she looked towards her fumbling child trying to find his way around the room, "Did something happen dear?"

"Mother... I can't see! I can't open my eyes!" Yuzhen put his hands on his face as he felt for his eyes, before scratching something hard off the corner of his eye, "Oh! Mother, it was just this... Thingy..."

Lucatiel burst out laughing on the bed at the sight of Yuzhen staring cluelessly at his finger, "Dear! Just go and wash your face already!"

Feeling as if he had made a fool of himself, Yuzhen's face went completely red as he retreated to the bathroom, "J-Just a second mother!"

Now in the bathroom, Yuzhen turned on the tap as he splashed the water on his face. With his eyes now closed, Yuzhen searched for the towel which should be hanging somewhere on his right, but couldn't find it.

"Mother! I can't find the towel!" Yuzhen called out, as he continued to try and search for it.

Lucatiel chuckled, already behind him, she turned his body around as she carefully dried his face with the towel in her hands, before kissing his forehead, "There, all dried up now."

"Mother! Don't scare me like that. I didn't even hear you coming!" Yuzhen pouted as he looked up at his mother's chuckling expression.

"My bad, my bad." Lucatiel continued to coddle her child as she cherished him deeply, "What will my adorable little Yuzhen be doing for his morning?"

"Picking flowers in the forest!" Yuzhen excitedly answered, as carefully broke out of his mother's embrace in order to get changed.

Watching her excited son run about the room in a rush, Lucatiel tilted her head in confusion, "Are you getting flowers for your father and I?"

Yuzhen hurriedly shook his head as he explained, "For my new brother!"

Lucatiel faked anguish, as she wiped a fake tear off her eye, "You have already forgotten about your parents."

Unable to bear the sight of his mother being sad for a second longer, Yuzhen rushed towards her. Getting on his toes, he outstretched his hands towards her face as he cupped her cheeks within his small hands as he focused her gaze into his own, before cutely reassuring her with a beaming smile on his face, "I'm your flower mother!"

Lucatiel's face could not help but go red in an instant as she felt her heart skip a beat, "You are... so much like your father."

Yuzhen tilted his head in confusion, as he did not understand what his mother meant. However, it did not matter, grinning, Yuzhen ran out of the house laughing, "Mother's face is red!"

---

Yuzhen with a huge backpack on his back, gleefully skipped below the thick canopy of leaves that filtered the rays of mellow sunlight which penetrated through it, as it cast a surreal green-gold within this beautiful forest full of vibrant flora and cute small animals.

Being careful as to not harm the flowers, Yuzhen got to his knees as he sniffed each and every interesting or beautiful flower he had come across, to his own annoyance, as it caused him to sneeze a lot. Pricking his noise slightly, Yuzhen had once again, let out another soft sneeze. Rubbing his nose, Yuzhen continued on through the forest.

To find a flower is a simple thing, but for Yuzhen, this flower had to be special. For a gift to commemorate the first sight you set on a cherished family member, must be important and meaningful.

However, as he was searching, a mystical azure glow was coming from deeper within the forest. Such a thing, he had not seen happen before. Feeling curious, Yuzhen wandered closer to it. It was such a beautiful mellow glow, Yuzhen thought it as dazzling.

Yet, once he got to the source of the glow, his eyes could not help but widen open out of pure surprise, as he had never seen such novel beauty he was currently seeing which was right in front of him.

---

Sitting upon the grassy surface of the forest, leaning on a tree, was the sight of a bewitching creature that resembled a female human, yet, Yuzhen smiled innocently, this was not a creature to him, but a human being.

A mystical fairy maiden that had come straight out of his fantasy books. Two intricate black-azure horns on each side of the head right above the ears, as the four horns curled up to form a crown-like structure. Laid out on the surface intertwined with her legs was her flowing silky snow-white hair as it clenched onto it's stomach with it's right-hand.

While Yuzhen was too busy being mesmerized as he curiously observed the creature he had encountered, the creature was likewise observing him too, as it's glowing deep-azure iris' flickered with deep interest. At the human boy who resembled it's dreams.

However, unlike Yuzhen who was so surprised he had forgotten to speak, the creature was more forthcoming as it curiously questioned the interesting boy, "Why have you not ran away yet?"

Yuzhen could not help but feel close with the creature in front of him, if only because it's melodious voice closely resembled his own mother's voice when she spoke to him. Feeling slightly confused by the question given, Yuzhen returned his own question, "Why run away from a fairy maiden?"

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The creature chuckled as it corrected Yuzhen, "As much as it would hurt to disappoint what you have read," it gave a self-depreciating smile as it continued, "I am not a fairy maiden."

Yuzhen pouted as he accused the creature, "You're trying to trick me aren't you!"

To which the creature simply shook its head.

Yuzhen childishly glared at the creature as he continued to question it, "Then what are you?"

"A corrupted." The creature simply stated, as it seemed curious of Yuzhen's reaction.

Yuzhen's eyebrows scrunched together as he pondered over something, "But I've never read of a corrupted that has horns..."

The creature smiled weakly, as it elaborated, "I am a special corrupted."

Yuzhen's expression brightened as he asked, "So you're human?!"

Once again, the creature shook it's head, "Corrupted are not human."

Yuzhen quickly shook his head, "That's untrue!"

The creature looked at him in confusion, "How is it not true?"

With a grin on his face, Yuzhen took a single step forward. A single step was all that was needed to cause the creature to flinch, as it anxiously tried to crawl away from Yuzhen, only to find the tree's trunk blocking it's path of escape.

Unheeded by the creatures odd reactions, Yuzhen continued to walk closer to it as he knelt beside it, and reached his hand out his small hands towards the creature's hand which was clenching onto it's stomach, and stated with an innocent grin, "Because you feel pain."

Without warning, a strange emotion began flowing into the fairy maiden's heart and thoughts, rushing endlessly into her like a waterfall. It has been so long since a human had treated her so humanely, so softly, so compassionately.

Fear began welling within the fairy maiden's thoughts as she reached out towards Yuzhen's cheeks, no longer caring whether or not Yuzhen will judge her negatively. She was too afraid that he would simply vanish in thin air. She did not want this dream to end.

Yuzhen cheerfully giggled at the familiarity the fairy maiden was now treating him with. It didn't matter to him if her pupil's had suddenly constricted to the size of a pin, or that she's caressing his cheeks so affectionately, even the single tear drop which he noticed that fell.

All he was glad about, was the fact that his fairy maiden was now smiling for him, as she softly whispered into his ear, "Can you keep me company for a few minutes longer?"

Yuzhen hurriedly nodded as he sat down right next to her, taking out a mortal and pestle out of his backpack, before carefully selecting herbs one by one as he chucked them into the pestle and began grinding it.

Silently watching what the young boy was doing, she could not help but grow increasingly anxious. She had long already come to terms with what she was. There was many things she can no longer have, such as a relationship. She was no longer human.

Jumping up excitedly, Yuzhen exclaimed as he lifted up the medicinal paste he had created, "It has been prepared at last!" before shuffling closer towards the fairy maiden's stomach as he tried lifting her hand from blocking the wound, yet she just wouldn't budge.

Yuzhen gave the fairy maiden a pensive look, his gaze sharpening as he pouted, "If you don't lift your hand, I'm going to just leave!"

The fairy maiden avoided his gaze, as she weakly answered, "Just go."

Yuzhen shook his head sadly before slowly packing up the mortar, pestle and herbs he had laid out into his bag before getting up, patting his the back of his pants before making his way home.

The fairy maiden silently watched until the view of his back was no longer visible. She understood she would regret this, but she did not want to cause harm to befall the young child.

Because sooner or later, she was sure, she would both suffer much greater than she would be suffering right now.

Lifting up her hand, flowing silver blood was revealed.

She was not a fairy maiden, but a creature.

However, just as she was wallowing in her own anguish, the face of a child cheekily grinning suddenly appeared right beside her from behind the tree, "You fell for it!" Yuzhen laughed heartily.

The fairy maiden's eyes widened open in surprise, as she speechlessly watched Yuzhen get his container filled with the medicinal herbal paste and a bottle of pure alcohol out of his backpack, as he set it out while once again, kneeling right beside her wound.

"Why did you return?!" The fairy maiden angrily asked, yet her voice could not help but soften as she watched Yuzhen carefully clean her wound with alcohol.

Yuzhen shot the fairy maiden a grin, "Because you were in pain, dummy!"

"It was not painful, you did not need to return," The fairy maiden mumbled weakly, as she watched Yuzhen start covering her wound with the medicinal paste he had grinded.

"I wasn't talking about the wound." Yuzhen simply stated, focusing his gaze onto the fairy maiden's, "Silver blood isn't something you should be afraid about showing, no one would hurt you for having different coloured blood!"

Something suddenly clicked in the fairy maiden's head, as she curiously asked, "Have you ever seen other humans?"

Yuzhen lightly placed his index finger on his lips as he pondered over the question, "Father, mother, grandpa Vii, uncle Cliff and grandpa Julius. There is also me, Yuzhen." Yuzhen thought for a moment longer as his eyes widened in realisation, "There is also you!" Before hurriedly asking, "Your name is?"

The fairy maiden raised her eyebrow at some of the names she heard, mostly the name Julius, however, once Yuzhen asked for her own name, her expression faltered. She wasn't sure which name to give.

Yuzhen's happy expression was slowly dimming, as time passed by.

Noticing this, the fairy maiden let out a sigh as she gave out her name reluctantly, "My name is Annette." then warned him, "Never tell another soul of my name, can you promise me that?"

Yuzhen grinned happily, "It's our little secret then!"

Annette nodded her head, before inspecting her previously open wound now perfect patched up, "How old are you Yuzhen?" Annette curiously asked.

"Six!" Yuzhen easily answered, as he began observing the flowers close to him.

Annette's eyes widened open as she looked at the child in bewilderment, for a moment, she had thought it was actually some sort of cursed man who was forced to take the appearance of a child. However, she could not help but feel relieved at his confirmation.

Noticing Yuzhen's anxiousness to find a flower, Annette curiously asked, "You require a special flower for a special someone, right?"

Yuzhen's eyes widened open in shock, fearfully asking, "C-can you also read minds?!" as he continued, "Why can everyone else read minds except myself!"

Annette could not help but laugh at his comedic reaction as she curiously asked, "Who else do you know that can read minds?"

With a very serious face, Yuzhen quietly whispered into her ear, "My father can read minds!"

Such words which entered her ears caused her to burst out laughing, before hurriedly applying pressure on her wound, "You're such a jokester!"

Yuzhen tilted his head, as he stupidly asked, "I am?"

Annette nodded her head as she tried to stop her own laughter, "You truly are." before adding, "I have a reward for you."

Yuzhen's eye's lit up in excitement, "A reward?!"

Annette grinned as she put her right-hand behind her back, before asking Yuzhen, "Who is this gift for?"

"My brother!" Yuzhen quickly answered.

Annette nodded her head as if she understood something, before pulling out a sparkling violet flower, "This flower is called an Iris Xiphium, but we simply call it Iris. It symbolises hope, and also cherished friendship. Is this what you had in mind when searching for a flower?" Annette curiously asked.

Yuzhen's deep-azure eye's sparkled as he excitedly nodded, "It's perfect!"

Annette could not help but smile as she placed it on his outstretched hand.

Now with the flower he had been searching for in hand, Yuzhen began packing all his things back inside his backpack, before making his way back home.

Silently gazing at his view once more until he was completely gone, Annette could not help but feel empty once more, as if all the colour within her world had disappeared once more. She hated this feeling, her heart was beating so happily for him. Yet she could not reach out to him. He was only a six year old child, she shouldn't push her own thoughts and emotions onto him.

However, moments after she had closed her eyes as she embraced the darkness, a soft, warm blanket was carefully placed over her body as the soft voice of a child cutely asked, "Will I ever meet you again?"

With a pleasant smile on her face, she answered, "If fate allows." And with that answer, soft footsteps began walking away once more.

With the thin yet warm blanket in her grasp, she cuddled it anxiously as she softly mumbled under her breath, "My precious little child."