Mira Irithryl

Waking up, my eyelids fluttered my gaze immediately falling upon the youngling. Gentle enough not to disturb his dream, I swayed his silvery hair to the side, the morning sun reflecting below his eyelids in crystal tears.

Wiping them off, a quiet smile found its way to my lips. It was the only time of the day that I was allowed to touch him. Any other time and he would immediately back up and shrink in fear. If it weren’t for the fact we had to share the same bed, I didn’t think I’d ever come in contact with him.

With a sigh of relief, I stood up, tightening the blanket to keep him warm.

Careful enough to keep quiet, I took a set of change of wear and made my way to the bathroom.

Undressing, the droplets of water splashed softly over the bath floor. I felt the cool touch of the water with my hand before stepping in, washing away the last remnants of the night, its cold embrace welcoming me into the new day.

As the final droplets drained down the sink, my attention shifted to the mirror—or more accurately, to my hand, which instinctively reached for my belly.

A faint smile found its way back on my lips in irony.

Shaking the thought away before it could even form, I dressed up and reached for the down floor.

Entering the kitchen, I reached to the counter for the cacao beans, only to realize water was running low again.

It had been a few weeks ever since Apollyon had been staying with me, and obviously, that meant the expenditure would increase, but I had yet to fully adapt to the changes. The food management was the easiest in that regard; he barely ate anything, to the point where I would get worried about him not getting enough nutrients. He was still a growing child after all, and there were times I wondered if he would have died of starvation if I didn’t push him to eat more.

At first, he wasn’t even eating anything, afraid of even touching the plate. I gave him the space he needed, thinking he was too scared of eating in the same room with me, but I would always find the plate the same way I had left it. Even after explaining that I wasn’t trying to poison or do any harm to him, he still wouldn’t budge. It was only at the end of the first week he actually ate, and even then only a spun full at best.

Unlike the food, the water supply was the opposite.

Usually, I would have enough to sustain more than an entire month for my own expenses before replenishing it, however, the sudden appearance of Apollyon had already sent me to the lake two times, this one being the third.

With a winter cloak on, and a dimensional ring with me, I set course for the lake.

The moment I opened the door, a chilly breeze entered the house.

Every trace of autumn had long passed, replaced by the snowflakes of winter. As the yellow season came to an end, the white one was to follow. Wherever the sun would shine, its light filtered through the yellow leaves was replaced by a scene of pure white.

No leaves remained atop the trees, but their branches remained full, only now by snow. And yet, the intertwined web above wasn’t enough to block the snow completely, the little few and between greenery below sparkled with snowflakes.

The path was a quiet one. Most of the animals of the forest had already gone into hibernation, done with their preparation for winter, awaiting the wake of spring. There were still a few chirps here and there, keeping me company and reminding me that there was still life in the forest despite the cold.

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Halfway to the lake, it began to snow.

Today was even colder than yesterday. Winter was still young, which meant the temperature would only keep lowering, and yet I couldn’t help but feel like this one was going to be warmer than the previous year.

‘How many years has it been since, I wonder…’

The snowflakes fell disorientingly yet elegantly. They didn’t have any purpose; they didn’t have any meaning, and that’s what made them beautiful. Free of the burdens of the world, they simply fell, the wind their only guidance.

Opening up a palm, a few of them would touch my skin, only to melt a moment later.

Memories of the past flooded in when I was a child playing in the snow. Things were so much simpler back then. We didn’t have any worries… we didn’t have to think about what came next… the joy of the moment was all that mattered, as it should be for any child. It was my mother who worried about the rest. Always there for me—always protecting and showing me the fascinating things the world had to offer.

The fresh air had let my mind loose and lost in thought, I hadn’t noticed the trees distancing themselves from each other. It was only after the soft sunlight contrasted with the cold in its weak warmth that I realized I was close to the lake.

What looked like an illusory gargantuan tree trunk was my destination. From the distance, one would mistake it for the heart of the forest, but in truth, it was simply four different trees, entwined with each other so naturally they looked like they were a single tree, climbing high in a spiral where each of them would spread their branches in different directions, and under their gaze, the lake hid beneath them from the cold.

The trees would sustain the lake in its liquid state by their warmth, and the water, in turn, would nurture them, allowing their petals to bloom every season of the year.

It was truly a work of nature.

I could stay here for a while, appreciate the view, and perhaps warm myself a little, but my responsibilities had priorities.

Bending down, I channeled quint to the dimensional ring and took out the Springs Smile.

It was a small, beautiful bottle, no bigger than a palm, made of bright blue glass, covered in a mix of silvery green patterns of different flowers. In its triangular shape, each of the sides represented each month of the spring, and each flower the first day of the month, thus its name: Springs Smile.

As for its usage, it was quite simple—it could supply a substantial amount of water. By my rough estimates, about a month’s worth, depending, of course, on how much time one spent replenishing it. Typically, it took only about an hour to fill, and even more impressive, there was no need to filter the water.

Unlike humans and dwarfs, we Elves didn’t bastardize nature in the name of technology. While I could understand it was meant for comfort in their lives and to make them easier, there were limits to how much one could and should interfere with nature.

Problems with pollution had already risen in the Rhineheart Kingdom even before I departed from the Moonblossom Forest. And if things had progressed even further in the Asmit Kingdom, they would be facing similar problems sooner or later.

But that wasn’t the reason filtering wasn’t necessary. After all, nature can be dangerous itself without the interference of anyone.

It was by the second function of the artifact, where it filtered the water automatically, so I never had to worry about boiling the water and going through the archaic methods.

After about half an hour, I made my way back. It was more than enough to sustain us for two weeks, and I could always come back for more, anyway.

Refilling the gallons and checking at Apollyon one last time, I proceeded the morning by brewing a hot cup of cacao.

By the time it was ready, the entire kitchen was filled with a sweet, floral aroma. With an orange and a buttered slice of bread on my plate, I found myself sitting opposite the piano.

Finally having the time to sit down and relax, I raised the cup and took a big breath in, the rich fragrant making my ears flutter involuntarily, before taking a sip.

A slightly bitter flavor danced on the edge of my tongue, its earthy undertones reminiscent of a forest after rain, grounding it with natural depth. Just as I swallowed, a faint chocolatey note lingered, tempting me to take another sip.

Before I could, however, the shadowy figure on the staircase made me turn, and a moment later, Apollyon came into view.

A soft gasp escaped me when our eyes met. They were so breathtaking that I still hadn’t grown accustomed to them.

“Good morning, dear. Did you sleep well?” I asked, offering him a gentle smile.

I waited for a bit, but like usual, he remained silent, hesitantly descending the stairs.

I took another sip, this time the taste a little too bitter for my liking.

“Come, come, I’ve made cacao. Would you like for me to pure you some?”

Once again, he didn’t reply, merely giving a slight nod.

The corners of my smile lifted a touch. With another quick sip, I turned to the counter, pouring him a cup, sweetening it with just a hint of sugar.

“Mira…”

My eyes flickered, surprised by the sudden sound of his voice.

“Why do you live alone?”