Lunara, Lumaris 11, Year 577 of the Elythera calendar

  Golden light from a clear sky filtered through the thin lace of the window curtains. The Aurelia season had arrived in full, with long, warm days and birdsong livelier than usual. A gentle morning breeze brushed the drapes—and with it, a new day began.

  Sora lazed between the sheets, still savoring the warmth of his bed. He’d slept like a log. Lately, his dreams were pleasant, comforting, as if his body had finally grown fully accustomed to this new world.

  Knock, knock, knock.

  Half-asleep, Sora mumbled, “Come in…”

  The door eased open and in stepped Aeris, smiling as always. This morning it wasn’t Tsukari who came to wake him—she and Alvaron had left at dawn for town, swamped with seasonal preparations. The Harvest Festival was approaching, and with it, Rulid was in constant motion.

  “Good morning, Sora,” Aeris said sweetly. “Did you sleep well? From the look on your face, you might have overslept. You nearly missed breakfast.”

  “W-what!?” Sora yelped, snapping fully awake. Only one thought echoed in his head: I overslept again!

  Aeris let out a light chuckle at his reaction. It wasn’t typical of him, and these spontaneous little moments were the ones she loved to see in her young lord.

  “You slept a bit past your usual,” she added, amused. “Let’s get you changed so you can come down for breakfast, okay?”

  Without thinking, Sora let himself be guided, still half-drowsy. But when Aeris stepped close to unbutton the top of his pajamas, something inside him sprang like a trap. He went completely rigid, eyes wide, and in his mind he could only scream:

  What!?

  Heat rushed up his neck to the tips of his ears. Aeris? Is she really going to change me?

  She noticed the sudden shift in his expression and looked at him, puzzled.

  “Is something wrong, Sora?”

  He didn’t know how to react. He tried to say something, but nothing coherent came out. Finally, Aeris gave a faint smile, not making a big deal of it.

  “It’s normal for me, as your maid, to help you with your clothes when Lady Tsukari isn’t home. I’ve done it since you were smaller, remember?”

  Of course… The old Sora was used to that. But he, Adriel, now trapped in the body of a five-year-old, still couldn’t take situations like this naturally. He swallowed with resignation and looked away while Aeris continued the routine. There was no escape.

  As she helped him dress with her usual patience, Aeris couldn’t help noticing how tense he was.

  “Sora… don’t get so nervous, it’s only clothes. It’s nothing I haven’t seen before,” she said in a warm, unbothered tone.

  He didn’t answer, he simply wished the floor would swallow him up. Another awkward situation survived… more or less.

  Dressed at last and still blushing from what had just happened,Sora went down to the dining room with Aeris. As had become common in those busy days, it would be just the two of them at the table this morning.

  The atmosphere was warm and calm, and Aurelia’s soft light streamed through the dining room windows, illuminating the dishes already served: warm rolls with butter and blackberry jam, fruit cut into small cubes, and milk lightly sweetened with wild honey.

  As they ate, conversation bubbled up naturally.

  “You’re making a lot of progress with reading,” Aeris remarked, stirring her cup of milk gently. “I’m not surprised, although…”

  Sora looked at her, curious, noticing she hadn’t finished the thought. Aeris paused, a slightly mischievous smile on her face.

  “You know… sometimes I get the feeling that you’re holding yourself back a little.”

  Sora froze for a second. He tried to keep a neutral expression, but a faint prickle of nerves ran down his back.

  “What makes you think that?” he asked, forcing a smile.

  “Just a hunch,” Aeris replied with a small shrug. “It’s not that you’re doing badly, quite the opposite. But there are moments when I feel you could go faster, that you understand more than you let on. As if you were… holding yourself back.”

  Sora sighed, knowing it was pointless to keep pretending, his Reading skill had already reached 11/20, so he couldn’t mask his reactions as well as he thought. And he didn’t want to lie to Aeris either.

  “Alright… I admit it,” he said, setting his roll aside. “It’s not that I don’t understand the lessons. It’s just that…”

  He paused, lowering his gaze a little.

  “I don’t want to discourage Nanami. She’s trying so hard. She gets excited with every new word she learns, and I love seeing her like that. If she notices I’m way ahead, she might feel bad or lose that enthusiasm.”

  Aeris looked at him in silence for a few seconds surprised, but also moved.

  “Sora…” she said gently. “Not every child would think that way. What you’re doing for Nanami speaks very well of you. You have a generous heart, and that’s something no book can teach.”

  Sora felt a bit relieved, though a small knot of guilt still sat in his chest.

  “Thanks for understanding… Big Sis Aeris,” he said without thinking, in that honeyed tone that had become his secret weapon.

  Aeris turned away at once, blushing to the tips of her ears.

  “S-Sora! Don’t say that out of nowhere…” she murmured hurriedly, standing up with a clumsy motion as she gathered the empty dishes, trying to hide her expression.

  Sora could barely hold back a laugh. Aeris could be strict at times… but when he caught her off guard, her tenderness betrayed her completely.

  That little stolen moment between them, under the soft morning light, felt like the start of something special in that day.

  After breakfast, Aeris cleared the dishes with her usual efficiency and gave Sora a calm smile.

  “I’ll be busy with some house chores this morning. If you need anything, call me,” she said, adjusting her apron as she headed for the kitchen.

  Sora nodded, knowing it wasn’t unusual lately for Aeris to let him roam on his own. He’d proven responsible enough or at least calm enough, not to cause trouble in his free time. Besides, they’d both agreed there would be no lessons that morning. They’d save them for after lunch, once Nanami was with them.

  In truth, Nanami had been arriving a bit earlier than usual these last few days, and that wasn’t a coincidence. It had been Sora’s idea. In a tender moment, wanting more time together, he’d asked Liora, Nanami’s mother, if her daughter could come by earlier. “That way we can make better use of the day,” he’d said. He’d also assured her there was no problem if Nanami stayed for lunch; the table would be livelier that way.

  Liora, a little embarrassed at first by her daughter’s boldness, ended up accepting gladly. She knew Nanami wouldn’t be a bother… and deep down, it warmed her to see her little girl share such a strong bond with Rulid’s heir.

  With that sliver of freedom and a couple of hours ahead of him, Sora made his way to the study. He liked that place: the faint scent of wood, the silence broken only by the distant sounds of the town and the song of some summer bird. On the worktable sat a stack of books, but one in particular caught his eye: a basic geography volume of Elythera, with illustrations of regions, climates, and the creatures native to each area.

  He settled into the armchair with the book in hand, opening to the first section—Kaelis, the broad territory where Rulid was located. As he read, he linked words he’d barely recognized before. He no longer needed Aeris to guide him line by line. He recognized names, understood sentences, and could even infer the meaning of longer paragraphs from context.

  Amazing. He turned the page. It’s only been a few weeks and I can already read this without help…

  It was a quiet progress, but one that filled Sora with satisfaction. Not only because it let him explore more of the world he now belonged to, but because it also marked one more step in his own growth.

  Time slipped by unnoticed as he sank into names of regions, sketches of mountains, and marginal notes written in the elegant hand of someone who had once studied with passion.

  And, in the back of his mind… he waited eagerly for the sound of the door that would announce Nanami’s arrival.

  While Sora was immersed in his reading, oblivious to the world around him, a figure quietly peered in through the study doorway.

  Aeris, a small towel in her hands, surely from drying them in the kitchen, paused without a sound, resting her shoulder lightly against the frame. Her eyes settled on Sora, curled up on the sofa, holding the open book with complete focus. His eyes moved line by line, and though his brow furrowed now and then, he was clearly enjoying the moment.

  The sight moved Aeris deeply.

  Since when do I worry about him this much…? she wondered, a gentle smile forming on her lips.

  It wasn’t that she hadn’t cared before, of course she had. She’d always felt affection for the young son of Rulid’s lords. But something was different now… something she couldn’t explain. It was no longer just part of her duties as a maid. Seeing him like this, trying, growing, filled her with a very different warmth.

  A special tenderness.

  I’m excited to spend time with him… she thought, and as she did, her cheeks took on a faint blush. With… my little brother.

  Just then, a burbling, wet, urgent sound snapped her out of her thoughts.

  “Ah!” she gasped under her breath, alarmed.

  It was the unmistakable sound of water boiling over. One of the pots in the kitchen had begun to spill. Aeris spun on her heel and hurried down the hallway, her footsteps pattering away.

  Meanwhile, Sora hadn’t noticed a thing. He was still focused on the map of Kaelis, drawn in soft strokes and blue inks, daydreaming about places he might someday travel to himself.

  A short while later, a bright, sparkling voice rang out from the house’s front entry:

  “Soraa!”

  That unmistakable voice could belong to no one but Nanami. This time she sounded even more confident than in past days, so much so that her mother no longer escorted her all the way inside. The familiarity between the children was growing by leaps and bounds.

  Hearing her, Sora immediately closed the book in his hands, carefully marking his place. He sprang to his feet, leaned over the stairs with a beaming smile, and exclaimed:

  “Nanami! You’re here!”

  Nanami answered with a grin from ear to ear. That brief exchange of looks and gestures was all they needed to understand each other, words were just a bridge between games, secrets, and shared affection.

  They sat in the sitting room and chatted about kid things: they talked about games, invented little stories, even mimicked animal voices, laughing at the silliest things. That simple, everyday moment had a kind of magic that only exists when friendship is real.

  A little later, Aeris peeked in from the dining-room hallway with a patient smile on her face.

  “Lunch is ready, you two.”

  At the sight of her, Nanami dashed forward and, without thinking twice, gave Aeris a soft, spontaneous hug.

  Aeris froze for a few seconds, completely taken off guard. Nanami had never hugged her like that before. Her cheeks flared as if the Aurelia sun had shone on her directly.

  Instinctively, her gaze flicked to Sora,a mix of incredulity and playful warning. She shot him a look. Sora, for his part, only glanced away, hiding a silent, conspiratorial chuckle, as if to say, And what did I do now?

  Having no choice but to accept her emotional defeat, Aeris gently patted Nanami’s head and returned the greeting with a tender smile, warmer than she herself expected to show.

  “Let’s go then; we shouldn’t let the food get cold,” she said serenely, composure restored.

  The three of them headed to the dining room. The atmosphere was light, familiar, and full of small joys, so simple, and yet so essential.

  During lunch, the three of them shared their meal with the kind of harmony that only happens when the company is just right. As they ate, they chatted about small daily things, little anecdotes, game ideas, even which book they’d like to read next.

  It was then that Aeris, taking a sip of water, commented in a casual tone:

  “By the way, today’s lesson can’t run too long… I need to go out and buy some provisions for the kitchen, so you’ll be on your own for a bit. Sorry, you two.”

  Sora nodded easily, understanding that Aeris had other duties as well. It wasn’t the first time.

  Nanami, on the other hand, looked up as if she’d just heard the worst news of the day. She puffed out her cheeks and furrowed her brow in an adorable pout, staring right at Aeris. Then, in a little voice trying to imitate Sora’s mischievous tone, she exclaimed:

  “You’re going to leave us, Big Sis Aeris?”

  Aeris’s spoon froze midway between her bowl and her lips. The line rattled her more than she would ever admit. Not because she disliked it… but because how was it possible that Nanami too now?!

  Almost by instinct, she turned her face toward Sora with an expression as clear as a storm on the horizon: This is your fault, too!

  Seeing her look, Sora already knew what was coming. He quickly dropped his gaze to his plate, popped a bite into his mouth, and stifled a laugh. Only a faint, breathy fufufu escaped—like a silent confession.

  Aeris sighed, resigned, though she couldn’t quite hide a smile.

  “I’m sorry, Nanami,” she said softly, stroking the girl’s head. “I truly can’t put it off. But I promise that as soon as I’m back, we’ll pick up the reading, alright?”

  Nanami lowered her face, pout still firmly in place.

  “Mmm… okay… but don’t take too long, Big Sis Aeris…”

  Aeris didn’t answer this time—she hid her face behind her glass of water while the faintest blush colored her cheeks.

  The meal went on a mid light jokes and gentle laughter. Though Aeris tried to keep her composure, deep down she felt utterly defeated by these two little conspirators who, day by day, were burrowing ever deeper into her heart.

  Once lunch was over, Aeris stood calmly, gathered the dishes, and glanced sidelong at Sora and Nanami.

  “Don’t leave the dining room yet I’ve got one more thing for you.”

  Sora and Nanami exchanged a look, a mix of curiosity and contained excitement, like they were waiting for a good-behavior prize. And in a way… that was exactly what was about to happen.

  A moment later, Aeris returned carrying a small tray. Resting on it were several fluffy sponge cakes, golden with a faint orange hue, their sweet aroma filling the air in an instant. They were impossible to mistake.

  “Orange-and-apple sponge cakes!” Nanami exclaimed, eyes shining as if she’d discovered treasure.

  “I knew it!” Sora said, giving a small triumphant tap with his fist on the table.

  Both of them knew these cakes were something special. They weren’t everyday desserts; they were their favorites, something Aeris only made on very particular occasions… and always with one condition: they had to have accomplished something important.

  Aeris set the tray on the table and folded her arms, though she couldn’t hide the satisfied smile on her face.

  “I promised I’d make these if you did a good job on the last lesson… and honestly, you did better than I expected. So… here you go.”

  Without a second thought, Sora and Nanami hopped up, ran to her, and in unison wrapped her in a tight hug as they said:

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  “We love you, Big Sis Aeris!”

  This time, Aeris didn’t blush. It didn’t catch her off guard. In fact… she’d been expecting it. That sincere little gesture warmed her chest every time she heard it, and though she tried not to show it, it was plain in the way she ruffled both their hair with affection.

  “Alright, alright… don’t say things like that or you’ll end up spoiling me.”

  And as they sat back down to enjoy the cakes, the scene filled with laughter and sweet bites as if that small moment were the perfect definition of what it means to be home.

  Once the surprise dessert was done—both Sora and Nanami devoured it with bright smiles and crumb-dusted cheeks—and after Aeris cleaned the table with her usual efficiency, she turned to the kids with a gentle yet firm look.

  “Shall we get to the lesson?”

  They glanced at each other, nodded with energy, and hopped up, already used to that daily routine which, far from boring, had bound them together more than they could have imagined. They headed for the back garden, their usual lesson spot.

  It was no longer the forgotten corner where Aeris had first read with Sora. Now, in the heart of the Aurelia season, sunlight bathed it warmly, and the flowers along the garden’s edge seemed to welcome the little scholars. There was a tea table with matching chairs and unused by the family for ages, rescued and polished by Aeris for the children’s lessons. The air felt… special. Alive.

  Seated in their usual nook, surrounded by the freshness of nature, they began. Letters, words, and laughter wove together in a unique harmony. Nanami, as always, asked a thousand questions; sometimes she read aloud in an exaggerated tone just to make Sora laugh, and he, for his part, did his best to keep pace without showing how much he already knew.

  After about an hour, Aeris stood with a hint of reluctance. She patted both their heads with fondness and said,

  “I’m sorry to leave now, but I have to go to the market to buy a few things for dinner. I can’t put it off, so you two are in charge of the fort for a while.”

  She left them a couple of simple books to practice with while she was gone. Before heading out, she paused and, like any big sister who knows exactly whom she’s leaving alone, added with a raised brow,

  “And no mischief, understood? I mean you especially, Sora.”

  “Why me!?” he shot back, wearing a guilty little grin.

  “And you don’t egg him on either, Nanami,” she added with a sideways smile. Nanami stuck out her tongue playfully in response.

  Aeris shook her head softly, stifling a laugh, and left them in the garden surrounded by books, nature… and a freedom that was dangerously tempting.

  Not even half an hour had passed since Aeris left when Sora began to notice Nanami fidgeting in her seat. She swung her feet under the table, let out little sighs, and cast quick glances around instead of focusing on the book. She’d made real progress with her reading, but without Aeris guiding them directly, the words were harder to grasp.

  At last she couldn’t hold back and looked at him with those bright eyes she used whenever she wanted to win him over.

  “Sora, Sora… don’t you want to play for a bit?”

  Sora closed the book in his hands and set it on the table with a smile. He knew perfectly well what that look meant. In a relaxed, familiar tone, he answered:

  “Sure, Nanami. What do you want to do? Kick the ball around?”

  She shook her head lightly and, with a mischievous smile, replied:

  “I like playing with the ball, but… what if we play something else today? What if we play adventurers… and explore the garden?”

  Sora arched a brow, curious. The way she said it, the way she looked beyond the garden, as if she already had something in mind, gave him the faint suspicion that Nanami had more planned than a simple round of exploring.

  Even so, he played along with a small laugh.

  “Alright, but I’m the party’s swordsman. I won’t accept any other class.”

  Nanami clapped softly, delighted, and immediately took Sora by the hand, tugging him with bright energy away from their reading station and the little setup Aeris had prepared. As she led him across the grass, Aurelia’s sun lighting their steps and birdsong filling the air, Sora couldn’t help but think with a smile:

  This girl is plotting something… but you know what? I don’t mind. I love her schemes.

  Nanami pulled Sora along with a determined stride, as if she already knew exactly where she wanted to go. He simply went with the flow, a mix of curiosity and resigned amusement. When it came to Nanami’s whims, he never quite knew what awaited at the end of the path.

  They walked along the garden’s edge, skirting rosebushes and shrubs, until they reached a somewhat hidden corner of the back wall. It was covered with old large board, damp-softened wood with patches of moss creeping through the cracks. Nanami stopped there, excitement lighting her face, and pointed with a finger that trembled with enthusiasm.

  “I found a secret entrance to a dungeon! Why don’t we explore it?”

  Sora studied the structure for a few seconds. Then he remembered. That spot… I’d noticed it before. During a ball game, Nanami kept glancing toward that corner. Now it all made sense.

  A faint worry settled in his chest. My parents have always kept me within the estate grounds. They’ve never allowed me to go out. I understand, it’s because of who I am… and even so, they’ve never deprived me of freedom inside these boundaries…

  While that thought held him back, Nanami turned to him with one of those looks.

  That look.

  He knew it far too well. It was the same one he used on Aeris whenever he wanted the impossible, a blend of innocent pleading and sweet manipulation. He couldn’t say no to that… not to her.

  Sora sighed, resigned but wearing a crooked smile.

  “Alright… let’s see what treasures await in the dungeon.”

  Nanami let out a delighted, eager laugh. Together they moved up to the wall and began carefully shifting the planks. They didn’t seem nailed in, just loosely slotted together.

  “Let’s try not to move them too much,” Sora whispered. “That way we can put them back in place when we return.”

  Nanami nodded with determined gravity, like the commander of a stealth mission, and between the two of them they opened a gap wide enough for one person to slip through at a time.

  On the other side, a gentle breeze and the murmur of leaves greeted them. It wasn’t an open clearing, but a narrow, natural path that slipped into the trees lining the edge of Sora’s family grounds. Sunlight filtered through the high branches, scattering gold patches that danced across a floor carpeted with leaf litter.

  Sora and Nanami walked in silence, footfalls careful at first, as if expecting someone to shout their names from afar at any moment. But only birdsong and the crunch of their steps kept them company.

  The path climbed little by little. Between stifled laughs and make-believe talking about dodging goblins or hunting hidden treasure they reached the top of a hill.

  And there, like a secret meant only for them to discover, they saw it: a huge, solitary tree whose crown overflowed with white-pink blossoms that drifted on the breeze like perfumed snow. It was as if summer itself had stopped there to rest.

  From the hill, they could see the village of Rulid spread out among green fields and red roofs. The world looked larger from up here, more real, more magical.

  At the crest, Sora stopped dead. His feet rooted to the earth as if time itself had braked. Before him, the lone tree crowned the hill with a majesty too great for simple words. White-pink petals fell slowly with every breath of wind, filling the air with a sweet, gentle scent as though summer had shed its purest tears upon this place.

  Nanami, a few steps behind, was just as awestruck. But true to her playful spirit and boundless imagination, she burst out:

  “Whoaaaaa! It’s the Whitecrest tree! The legendary guardian tree that watches over adventurers who dare enter the dungeon!”

  She said it in the spirit of their game, yet her voice held a natural note of respect. What stood before them wasn’t only a tree, it was a symbol. A monument of nature that seemed to exist solely for this moment, for them.

  Sora wanted to answer, wanted to say something, anything, but his throat closed up. For an instant, it was as if the world had lost all sound, all weight, all the usual distractions. There was only him… and that tree. Not even in his past life, so full of urban scenery, screens, and artifice, had he seen anything that made him feel like this. It was as if his whole soul shivered before such beauty.

  Before he could speak, a faint fluttering broke the silence.

  From the tree’s highest branches, a family of small birds emerged. Their plumage was white, with subtle pink sheen, the very hue of the blossoms around them. They wheeled in circles about the children, dancing in perfect synch, as if celebrating the arrival of new guardians to the forest’s secret.

  Nanami who always had something to say, couldn’t make a sound this time. She watched the dance with shining eyes, mouth slightly open, heart racing.

  When the little birds returned to the Whitecrest tree, disappearing among its branches, both children remained silent. They weren’t playing anymore. The moment was real.

  And somehow, they knew they would never forget it.

  They sat beneath the shade of the whitecrest tree, right where the roots curved gently to form a natural seat in the grass. The summer wind danced through the blossoms, sending white-pink petals drifting through the air like motes of light.

  Nanami stretched out her legs with a long, dramatic sigh.

  “Let’s stay here a while… my legs hurt, Sora…” she said in a tone halfway between a complaint and a child’s laugh.

  Sora nodded with a quiet smile, gazing at the horizon beyond the hill.

  “Sure… it’s beautiful here. And the great whitecrest tree protects us.”

  The silence that followed wasn’t awkward. It was the kind of silence that feels like a caress to the soul, as if the world itself had granted them a moment just for the two of them.

  They leaned their backs against the trunk, looking up at the sky. The clouds drifted slowly, lazily as if they too were enjoying the day.

  “That one looks like a cookie,” Nanami said, pointing at a round, fluffy cloud.

  “And that one looks like… a sword,” Sora added, narrowing his eyes to focus.

  “Hey! It does! A giant magic sword! And it’s protecting Rulid from the sky,” Nanami declared, eyes shining as she dove into the game.

  “Then the whitecrest tree is its hilt,” Sora said, brushing the tree’s bark with gentle fingers.

  They laughed. The breeze tousled their hair, and the leaves whispered softly above them, as if the tree itself were listening and approving every word.

  For a moment, nothing else existed: just them, the sky, the faraway town, and the tree that sheltered them.

  It was a perfect instant—?, one of those you don’t forget, even after you grow up and years roll by.

  A memory under construction… one that, without knowing it, would mark their hearts forever.

  They stayed under the whitecrest tree for quite some time, soaking in the place’s quiet beauty. Time felt as if it had stopped for them… but it hadn’t.

  With a subtle motion and without Nanami noticing, Sora opened the Panel del Alma just to check the time. In the interface’s upper corner, written in soft gold, it clearly read:

  16:34.

  His eyes flew open in surprise.

  “Nanami!” he exclaimed, jumping to his feet. “We have to go back! Aeris should be getting back by now. It’s better if she finds us where she left us!”

  Nanami sprang up, brushing a few leaves from her dress.

  “Fuaaa… we got so distracted!” she said with a mix of surprise and a giggle. “But… I really liked the whitecrest tree.”

  She turned to Sora, a spark in her eyes.

  “What if we make it our secret hideout? What do you say?”

  Sora looked at her with a gentle smile, still wrapped up in the tree’s charm.

  “Sure… I like the whitecrest tree a lot. We can come back here again, but… we can’t tell anyone about this place. It’s our secret.”

  Nanami brightened even more, eyes shining as if she’d found a treasure. She held out her pinky toward him, brimming with a mix of playfulness and real emotion.

  “It’s a promise!”

  Sora didn’t hesitate. He hooked his pinky with hers, a conspiratorial smile on his face.

  “It’s a promise.”

  An eternal instant, a bond sealed in innocence…

  A childhood promise that, without them knowing it yet, carried a weight and depth that would outlast the years.

  With light hearts and a new shared memory, they started the walk home.

  As they made their way back along the narrow woodland path separating them from the back garden, Sora and Nanami walked in calm, their promise still fresh in their chests. The sound of leaves underfoot and Aurelia’s warm breeze kept quiet company… until voices cut through the stillness.

  Laughter and chatter—the unmistakable bustle of other children. Judging by their voices, they were older, maybe eight or nine.

  Both of them stopped dead.

  Nanami’s eyes widened with worry. Sora, without a word, felt the same tension crawl up his spine.

  We’re outside the allowed bounds. No one can see us, especially me.

  Nanami remembered perfectly what her parents had explained: that Sora mustn’t leave the house for very important, delicate reasons, that his mother worked hard to hide something that had to remain secret. She only understood it up to a point, but she did know that this little shared mischief would have consequences if anyone saw them.

  With resolve, she grabbed Sora’s hand.

  “Quick!” she whispered. “This way!”

  They ran just a few steps off the path, ducking behind the thick, knotted trunk of a sturdy tree whose roots rose from the ground like giant fingers.

  The other children’s footsteps drew closer.

  Nanami and Sora crouched down, holding their breath as the voices grew clearer.

  “I told you it was down this path!”

  “No! The clearing’s farther ahead.”

  “Hurry up, don’t fall behind!”

  Right then, still holding Sora’s hand, Nanami caught her foot on a root and plopped down with a small, muffled thud.

  They both froze.

  This is the end! they thought in unison.

  One of the kids, the last in the group stopped.

  “Huh? Did you hear that?”

  He turned his head toward the sound. His eyes swept the undergrowth. He took a few hesitant steps, inching closer.

  Sora could hear his heartbeat pounding in his ears.

  Nanami, eyes wide, squeezed Sora’s hand tight.

  The boy was just about to push some branches aside when, from the path, one of his friends called out:

  “Come on, Kaner! They’re gonna leave us behind!”

  The boy hesitated a second longer… then turned around.

  “Coming…” he called back, and trotted off.

  Sora and Nanami stayed perfectly still for a few more seconds, listening as the laughter faded with the group’s footsteps.

  Only when silence returned did they both exhale at the same time, as if they’d been holding their breath the whole while. Nanami clapped both hands over her mouth to keep from letting out a nervous giggle. Sora let himself fall back onto the grass, relieved.

  They’d gone unnoticed… barely.

  They set out for home again, but this time avoided the path they’d taken before. They didn’t want to risk running into anyone else—especially after that scare.

  Fortunately, it wasn’t necessary. The Eryndel estate wall wasn’t far, and by simply following the slope and the natural landmarks they’d memorized on the way out, they slipped back without trouble.

  At the wall, they re-entered through the gap hidden by planks. Sora, taking great care, made sure everything was left exactly as they’d found it.

  “It has to look the same,” he murmured, pushing each board into place with meticulous precision.

  “Wow… it doesn’t even look like we touched them,” Nanami said, brushing off her skirt and smiling proudly at him.

  Back inside the rear garden, they patted dust from their clothes—there wasn’t much, but a careful eye might still give them away.

  Without wasting another second, they hustled to the table where they usually studied. Books still lay open on the surface, so they sat down with innocent expressions, opened one of the texts, and began to read with almost comical seriousness.

  “We did it,” Sora whispered, a mischievous smile tugging at his lips.

  “Victory for the adventurers!” Nanami added, raising her fist as if celebrating a completed quest.

  Not long after, footsteps sounded inside the house. Aeris slid open the door that led to the back garden, right as both of them were pretending to be utterly absorbed in their reading.

  Seeing them there, sitting as if nothing were amiss, Aeris smiled sweetly… but her sharp gaze immediately picked up on a few details that didn’t add up.

  “Hello, you two,” she greeted softly, folding her arms as she approached. “Did you behave while I was gone?”

  “Yes!” they both answered far too quickly, and at the exact same time.

  Aeris narrowed her eyes.

  “Then why… are you dirty?” she asked, tone gently suspicious, discreetly pointing to a few smudges of soil on their clothes.

  Nanami and Sora glanced at each other for a beat and, as if rehearsed, answered in perfect sync:

  “We were playing with the ball! Just to take a little break from reading…”

  They both turned at the same time, eyes wide, surprised by their own synchronization. They couldn’t hold it in and started laughing, first softly, then in conspiratorial peals that filled the garden air.

  Aeris watched them a few seconds longer, weighing the scene… then sighed in resignation.

  “Uh-huh… sure, the ball,” she said, turning on her heel and heading back inside with a faint smile. “At least you’re where I left you…”

  She didn’t say anything else, but deep down she knew those two were keeping a secret and she decided, at least for now, not to try and uncover it.

  A little later, Aeris rejoined them, bringing a light snack they shared once more out in the garden. The air was already cooling with Aurelia’s gentle winds, but the atmosphere stayed warm with laughter, cookie crumbs, and sips of tea.

  They continued reading after the break, though both Sora and Nanami seemed a little distracted. Every now and then one of them turned a page without really noticing what they’d read, or softly repeated a word in an absent tone. Aeris noticed, but said nothing. She simply watched them with fondness, guessing their thoughts were far from those pages… probably wandering among the whitecrest tree’s blossoms and the clear sky still filtering through the leaves.

  When the reading ended and the sun had begun sliding toward the horizon, the three headed back inside. Not long after, the front door opened with familiar ease: Tsukari and Alvaron had returned from town, accompanied by Liora, who’d come to pick up Nanami.

  Greetings followed, along with casual chatter about the day, naturally leaving out the part about their venture beyond the garden. Aeris respected that silence, choosing not to give them away.

  Before leaving, Nanami stepped up to Sora with a playful look. She rose on tiptoe and leaned to his ear, whispering with contained excitement:

  “I can’t wait to go adventuring again, partner!”

  Sora froze for a second. He hadn’t expected it, but quickly masked his surprise, nodded with a faint smile, and answered with a conspiratorial little gesture.

  Nanami stepped back, flashed him one last radiant smile, and waved her tiny hand before heading out with her mother.

  Behind them, Tsukari was silently squirming with tenderness.

  Aww… my little one already has his very own adventurer! she thought, pressing her hands to her cheeks, delighted.

  Alvaron, for his part, just gave Sora a calm half-smile and a thumbs-up.

  Visibly flustered, Sora pouted and hid a bit behind Aeris, who couldn’t help smiling at the scene.

  Evening gave way to night, and the routine flowed as it did every day.

  Before bath time, Tsukari crossed paths with Sora in the hall and asked with a mix of mischief and warmth,

  “And why are you so dirty, my son? I thought today was only reading practice…”

  Sora stopped, uncomfortable. He didn’t want to lie, but he couldn’t reveal their little adventure either.

  “It’s just that… Nanami and I took a bit of time to play,” he said, lowering his gaze. “I think we got a little too carried away…”

  Tsukari looked at him for a second, arms crossed as if weighing something important… then smiled sweetly.

  “I see…” she said—not scolding, but with pure joy in her eyes. “I’m glad you have so much fun with her.”

  Without another word, she ruffled his hair and told him she’d be waiting for him for his bath. Sora breathed out in relief and walked the hall at her side, a flutter of excitement, fatigue, and happiness stirring in his chest.

  Night fell over Rulid, and with it, the day of Sora and Nanami’s first big mischief was tucked away among the garden’s shadows sealed by a pinky promise and watched over by the blossoms of the whitecrest tree.

  After his bath something he’d grown used to, even if he still preferred to ignore it rather than accept it, Sora walked calmly hand-in-hand with Tsukari back to his room. With her usual tenderness, she dressed him in his pajamas and tucked him in, covering him snugly the way only a mother can.

  Without a word, she lay down beside him just as she’d done since the night Sora woke shaking, burdened by memories of a life long gone. Tsukari knew she might be spoiling him a bit… but she also knew that those nightly hugs and the soft, half-whispered stories before sleep were a balm for her little one. And as long as they helped him rest, she would keep doing it without hesitation.

  That night was no exception. Tsukari began a new story, an adventure woven with gentle, heroic words, full of far-off places, exotic creatures, and brave souls. Sora, lying there with the blankets up to his neck, listened closely, though sleep was already tugging at his eyes. He didn’t want to drift off before she finished. He loved those stories too much. He felt that, beyond the tale, little scraps of truth were hidden there… echoes of Tsukari and Alvaron’s real exploits in their days as adventurers.

  When the story ended, Tsukari fell quiet for a moment. Then she stroked her son’s white hair, carefully brushing aside a lock that had fallen across his forehead. She leaned in and kissed him just beside his small horn.

  “Good night, my little one,” she whispered with a tenderness only a mother utterly in love with her child could hold.

  Sora didn’t answer, but it wasn’t necessary. His thoughts still wandered among the whitecrest tree’s blossoms, the birds’ dancing flight, the promise sealed with a pinky… and that feeling that, at last, he was building something new. Something beautiful.

  Yes… this time I won’t ruin it, he thought, as a peaceful smile drew itself across his face.

  Wrapped in his mother’s warmth, in stories and the day’s feelings, Sora slipped serenely into the realm of dreams.