Miros was still sitting in front of the mirror. His eyes had dried, but the area around his chest was still damp. Yet he swallowed everything, blocking his own mouth to keep from spitting it out. While feeling a bone-chilling cold, he simultaneously felt like he was burning up.
Only after quite some time had passed did the door to that small cabin open. He was still sitting slumped in front of the mirror with his head down.
“Why are you sitting on the floor?”
It was Levia. He placed something on the table beside the bed. Just as a clattering sound was heard, he strode over and lifted Miros up.
“Did you fall? Did it hurt a lot?”
“…It’s not like that. I just, looked at the mirror a bit.”
“Goodness, why is your face like this? Were you crying? Did it hurt that much? How about now? Let me see. Hm?”
“I said no. I didn’t fall, and I wouldn’t cry over just that.”
At Levia’s fussing, Miros couldn’t help but chuckle. How absurd. Who would treat me like such a child, and how could they handle me like this? He was already fully grown—to the point where he could take down a cow with his bare hands.
Of course, he didn’t actually catch cows with his bare hands. The cow would be pitiful. Even if it was going to be eaten. What would you gain by tormenting it like that? It’s more convenient for both parties to send it off quickly.
Levia picked up his sprawled form and gently sat him in front of the table. Then he pushed forward what he’d brought earlier. In a large cup, steam rose from hot chocolate. Marshmallows floated abundantly on top.
“Eat. You like this.”
“…I’m not at an age to like this stuff anymore.”
“You’re not? Then you won’t eat it?”
He pouted his lips, but when Levia tried to take it back, he quickly reached out his hand. With both hands as if protecting it. Feeling the warmth touching his hands, Miros quietly looked down at the cup and said.
“…I’ll eat it.”
“Don’t force yourself to eat it.”
“It’s fine.”
He looked at the cup trapped in his two hands and thought. Was the cup this small? When he was young, it seemed too big and heavy even holding it with both hands. Levia had said several times he’d change it to a smaller cup because it was dangerous, but Miros at that time stubbornly insisted on drinking chocolate in this one.
I wanted to back then. I think I wanted to show I’d grown up. He was displeased that Levia kept treating him like a baby. But even so, he couldn’t give it up. That affection was too sweet. Just like this chocolate.
Miros hesitated for a moment, then lifted the cup. One sip. Sweetness stuck stickily inside his mouth. It was sweet enough to make his tongue ache. Sweet enough to make his nose tingle, and tears burst out along with it.
“Shit… It’s too sweet.”
“Does it taste bad?”
“…Never mind.”
Whether it meant it was fine or not. Levia fidgeted while watching Miros drink the chocolate while crying. Whether he knew Levia’s state of mind or not, he scrunched up his face completely yet sipped away and stubbornly drank it all.
Then as soon as he put the cup down, he reached out and pulled Levia into an embrace. Burying his head in that embrace, Miros barely managed to say in a tear-soaked voice.
“Leri…”
“Yeah.”
“I, I still hurt.”
“Where? How much?”
“I don’t know, just. Just, it hurts. It keeps hurting.”
Levia, who had been standing awkwardly, waved his hands in the air, then clumsily hugged him back and stroked his head. He didn’t know what to say. His chest just ached. When this pretty child says it hurts like this, what can I say?
Though he himself had no idea why his heart felt so bad. Miros rather spoke as if he knew, without lifting his head.
“So for now… don’t send me away.”
“Miros, that’s…”
“When I get better, I’ll go. I promise.”
The way of speaking was unmistakably childlike, but those words dug into Levia’s core more precisely than anything. How can I turn away from this?
“Okay. I understand.”
Levia tapped his back with his fingertips. He said nothing more than that.
Miros closed his eyes while still buried in that embrace. Does Levia know what it means to say I’ll go when I get better? He wouldn’t know. And he wouldn’t get better. He couldn’t get better. Because of Levia’s love, he had already been preserved in the past.
***
After that, Miros became docile as if it had never happened. To the extent that you’d wonder if there was ever a time when he sulked alone and turned away for unknown reasons. Reaching hands were frequent, and strangely affectionate. Yes, it was strange. He wore a faint smile, but there was an eerily chilling feeling.
“Leri, hold my hand.”
“Hm?”
“Don’t want to?”
“Of course not.”
This cunning thing. Miros still imitated a young child. He imitated himself from that time, the self that would remain in Levia’s memory. Levia, knowing nothing, held his hand as if Miros was lovable.
Miros clung to him as if burrowing into his embrace. Miros, who had grown tall, was now much bigger than Levia’s human form. It became a picture of Miros confining Levia in his embrace.
“…I’m scared.”
“Yes, yes. I see.”
That can happen. Levia was still trapped in the illusion of Miros from that time. Though he himself didn’t know it, Miros keenly noticed it. It was close to instinct. Because the fragments and powers Miros had received from Levia remained intact. Though even Levia who gave them didn’t remember.
After acting cute for a while like that, Miros finally separated at Levia’s urging.
His smile was still pretty. But the end of it was endlessly suspicious. The corners of his mouth were pulled up, but his eyes kept watching for something.
Havi was watching the two of them from far away.
“…He begged me to come see him because the kid was dying…”
He’s perfectly fine, so what’s the problem? Havi scoffed at the disgusting sight of Miros. Because he could see him sticking to Levia’s side all day, refusing to separate with all sorts of strange excuses saying it hurt, he was scared, whenever he tried to do anything.
“Is he really unable to remember?”
—The Progenitor says so.
One of the Dryads peeking from the side responded. Havi still didn’t take his eyes off Miros, who was lying in a sunny spot with an innocent face and smiling, and began to communicate.
—What do you guys think? I think that human brat is scamming right now.
—…That thing is a bit strange. It’s ugly.
—No, not that. Does it seem like he remembers?
—Remember what?
Hopeless. Havi gave up quickly. Dryads were fundamentally spirits. They each had their own egos and could communicate, but that was it. They couldn’t do things like suspect and think. If you said so, they just believed it was so.
Havi didn’t hate Miros that much either. Grumbling about him being ugly was only because he was displeased with Levia excessively praising him as pretty.
It wasn’t only Levia who watched young Miros grow. Havi also knew what kind of child Miros was. He had some affection. But that was it. He could have liked him, but couldn’t love him like Levia did.
Humans are just humans. Weak yet cowardly and cruel. That’s their nature. You can’t change what you’re born with.
While watching like that, Miros fell asleep in a position almost like climbing on top of Levia. Levia held such Miros with careful hands and patted his back. Finally, unable to watch anymore, Havi communicated to Levia.
—Stop being fooled.
—Why?
—His memory might have returned.
At Havi’s blunt words, Levia was puzzled. Normally Havi rarely communicated, and the content was also absurd to his thinking. Levia lowered the sleeping Miros onto his lap and communicated.
—Why do you think that?
—It’s strange, that thing. For such a large adult to still act like a Hatchling.
Havi let out a short sigh and continued.
—He knows too well. What you like, what will make you not send him away.
That can’t be. Levia quietly swept back Miros’s hair.
—Miros wouldn’t lie to me.
—That can’t be the Miros you know. No, it shouldn’t be. You erased all his memories, so how could he be the child you knew? Even if that was his nature, looking at him acting cute like that, it doesn’t make sense. It’s definitely a lie, I’m telling you? He’s even incredibly clumsy at it. It’s so terrible that it’s practically shouting that it’s a lie.
Levia couldn’t understand why Havi was saying such mean things. Isn’t it unrelated to whether he has memories or not? Miros was just Miros. A pretty and lovable child. Though he’d become an adult, by Levia’s standards he was still no different from a young child.
—Why would Miros lie to me?
—Because he wants to be with you.
—That’s what’s strange. Miros received a Star. He’s supposed to have blessings. He should be happy somewhere, but there’s no way he’d want to be preserved here with old me in a place like this. If he were young, maybe, but now he’s all grown up.
Surely Levia also properly felt that something was off about Miros. The afterimage of his soul, the wavering. But he thought it couldn’t be. It wasn’t simply a matter of belief. No matter how he thought about it, it was irrational and he considered it too great a loss for Miros.
—For now… I’ll just stay like this. He says it hurts.
—Then, you’ll hurt too.
Even at Levia’s smile, Havi didn’t laugh. That foolish thing.
Of course, no matter what a tiny creature like Miros did, it wouldn’t cause Levia any problems. There might be a slight wound to his heart, but even that wouldn’t be anything major. But Havi hated even that. Because Levia was far more precious than the humans who came and went briefly.
—He promised he’d go back when he gets better.
Levia just bowed his head and patted the sleeping Miros.
