Everlasting Dream-Chapter 109: Forgotten heritage

[Aster]

Once they arrived home, the first thing the three of them did was to carve every twist, turn, and dead end they had encountered onto their wall map while the details were still fresh in their minds. Afterward, they slipped into their usual routine: undressing and neatly laying their clothes back on the soft moss to form a makeshift bed, their little nest, before slipping into the hot water to wash away the grime from the hours of exploration.

Only a few words were exchanged between them during all that; each one was lost in their thoughts, with the image of those skeletons and crude art stuck in their minds.

Their pale bodies glistened in the gentle blue light, and the steam from the hot springs surrounded them like a comforting embrace, helping to soothe their worries, if only a little. Silver strands floated on the water's surface, surrounding their tired faces as they quietly bathed together. Forced smiles occasionally crept onto their lips, trying to convince each other that everything was okay without saying it out loud. The gentle splashing of water and the rhythmic sound of their breathing filled the otherwise silent cavern.

Aster's chest tightened each time he glanced at the walls decorated with childish drawings, especially the stick figures of a mother and daughter. He tried to look away, to forget about them, but the image of the skeletons huddled in the corner kept coming back to his mind.

Clearly trying to break the uncomfortable silence between them, Silvia mumbled in a whisper, "Have you looked inside? The bag, I mean." Her golden eyes looked up from where her little head rested against her mother's bosom, cheek pressed into soft skin.

Aster, scooping a bit of water and splashing it onto his sister's bony shoulders, running his fingers against her back, raised one eyebrow at their mother, matching her curious yet slightly uneasy expression. His wet silver strands stuck to his forehead, with a single drop of water sliding down the tip of his pointy nose.

"No, not yet," Nivalis mumbled back, letting out a soft sigh as she gently stroked Silvia's wet hair with one hand and cupped Aster's butt with the other, giving it a little squeeze every now and then. She glanced at the small bag beside their bed and couldn't help but whisper, "I feel guilty for taking anything from them. I should have at least checked inside before picking it up. What if it's packed with children's toys or something?"

Wrapping his arms around the small of Silvia's shoulders, Aster pressed himself tightly against her, burying his face in the nape of her neck and inhaling her scent—a mix of her natural sweetness and the faint sulfur from their hot spring. "I-I... I don't think they mind anymore," he reassured, right before blowing a little raspberry on her wet skin, to try to make his sister giggle and lighten her mood at least a little bit.

— "And if it's something they cared about, we can always go back and put it back," Aster said, glancing at Nivalis for a moment before turning his attention to Silvia, his moody big sister. He noticed her cute pout as she turned her head toward him, and he couldn't help but lean in to give her a little kiss on the cheek. It brought a little smile to her face, even if it was only for a moment.

"Don't do that, stupid," Silvia grumbled, but did so quietly so only he could hear it, pushing him back gently with her butt. His flaccid boyhood got squished slightly between their wet bodies, and he let out a soft "Ow."

Nivalis hummed quietly in response to Aster's words, letting out another sigh as her eyes remained fixated on the pouch. "Yeah, you're right," she finally said after pondering for a moment. "Let's see what's inside, then..." Nivalis replied, gently lifting Silvia off her lap and setting her down on the rocky shore before scooting toward the edge herself. Her big, heavy breasts slightly wobbled as she leaned over to reach for the small bag resting next to their makeshift bed, the ragged stone threatening to brush against her sensitive, pink nipples.

She pulled up the pouch, feeling its contents rattle and clatter around inside, when she brought it closer to examine it. The bag was simple, crafted from rough cloth, torn in a few places, and dirty, with seams barely holding everything together. Nivalis carefully untied the leather cord that held the bag shut, then opened it and peered inside. "Huh," was her only reaction as she blinked twice in surprise.

Curious about what could be inside, Silvia walked through the warm waters towards her mother, splashing with every step; her silver hair cascaded down her back, dripping with water. "What is it?" she chirped, standing beside Nivalis and trying to peer into the bag. As she caught a glimpse of something shiny within the pouch, her soft face lit up with excitement. "I see something!"

Aster joined as well, quickly moving to his mother's other side just in time as she emptied the contents onto the ground, forming a small pile out of them. The first item the boy noticed was a necklace made from a metal that had lost much of its shine due to rust. Simple yet pretty, it was shaped like a heart with a blue gemstone embedded at its center, the color reminding him slightly of his mother's eyes.

Unfortunately, the gem had a large crack running through it and was missing a chunk from one of its edges. In the spots where metal touched it, strange symbols were etched onto the stone—barely visible to the naked eye, but Aster's curious gaze picked them out quickly enough. 'Holy...! These must be runes!' he realized, mirroring the surprised expression on Silvia's face. 'This is the first enchanted item we've ever stumbled upon... It's a shame it's broken, though.'

Next to it lay a ring that was as simple as it could get, with nothing on its metal surface except all the rust, dirt, and scratches covering it. Aster quickly lost interest in it and glanced at the other items. There was a hardened blob that had likely been bread once, a broken vial, a piece of flint, some thread, an old needle made of bone, and a single coin so rusted that no one could make out what was stamped on it. A slice of dried meat also caught his eye; it looked like someone had eaten it at least once, yet somehow it still looked more appetizing than the gross worms they ate daily.

And the thing that Nivalis couldn't help but reach for right away was an unremarkable dark stone about the size of her palm, no different from any other they had lying around. She gently picked it up and held it in front of herself with such care that it seemed like she was afraid to even breathe on it too hard, despite it being just a plain old rock.

It didn't look like anything special, but only at first glance. The closer Aster looked, the more confused he felt. Fractals. There were intricate fractal patterns etched into its surface, repeating themselves over and over, no matter how small they got. "What the hell is this...?" he whispered, narrowing his eyes as tears unexpectedly welled up and blurred his vision. It felt incredibly trippy to stare at the stone, making him dizzy and slightly nauseous.

But there was more to it. Aster's heart began pounding against his ribs when he felt the mana radiate from the rock in faint pulses, responding to the gentle touch of Nivalis's fingertips on its rough surface. It was nothing like his fire mana or Silvia's icy, and it certainly didn't feel like the raw one that was always in the air. It was somehow darker in nature, more ominous and heavier, pressing down on his mind and making breathing difficult.

Silvia sensed it too, even before Aster did. Her instincts kicked in as she quickly shouted, "Don't touch it, Mom!" Her eyes were wide with fear as she lunged forward, grabbing the stone from her mother's hand and tossing it away onto the floor with a startled yelp.

Without wasting a second, Silvia grabbed Nivalis' wrist and pulled her hand closer to inspect it carefully, checking for any wounds. "It felt wrong. I don't know what it was, but it felt so wrong..." she muttered, her heartbeat louder than the bubbling of the water.

Nivalis, blinking rapidly at the girl's sudden shout, stared down at her fingers. She flexed them slowly, showing her daughter that everything was fine; no scratch or bruise marked her pale skin. "I'm fine, sweetie," she whispered confusedly, looking down at the rock lying on the floor just nearby. A small smile formed on her full lips before Nivalis continued, "I felt nothing at all, but I guess you two did?" she asked, glancing at Aster as well.

— "I did..." Aster replied, trying to shake off the unsettling feeling that lingered in his mind from looking at the rock. "Silvia is right. There's something wrong with it, so... let's just not touch it again," he muttered, shivering slightly. But when he noticed that silly smile on his mother's face was still there, he tilted his head and raised one eyebrow. "What?"

Nivalis's smile only grew wider with each passing moment. "It's a Blessing stone," she finally replied, gently brushing away a strand of hair from Aster's face with her fingers, watching how his expression changed from confusion to disbelief. His lower lip slightly dropped as golden eyes darted between her blue ones, waiting for her to say 'No, just kidding!' and laugh, but it never happened.

Aster kept blinking rapidly, thinking he had misheard something. "What?" He simply repeated himself in disbelief, shaking his head slowly from side to side.

"No way..." Silvia whispered with wide-open eyes, staring at the rock, her mouth agape in awe.

Nodding her head slowly, Nivalis confirmed once more. "Yes way, my little pumpkin," she whispered back, letting go of Aster's face and scooting closer to the edge of their hot spring again before grabbing the stone from the ground. She took a moment to inspect it carefully, running her fingers along its jagged edges, feeling its weight in her palm.

"It's a Blessing stone, I'm sure. I've seen one before," Nivalis explained, turning it around slowly between her fingertips. "...Many years ago. Though this one is much darker." She looked back at her children with a warm, loving gaze as she placed the rock back on the ground. "Remember I told you about them? About how rare they are?"

"Yeah... I remember," Silvia quietly replied as Nivalis wrapped an arm around her and pulled her against her side. "They come from monsters and can give you a part of their powers or something... like breathing underwater," she recalled, leaning her head on her mom's chest with a soft sigh. "And they cost so much that you can buy an entire house with one," she added, glancing at Aster, who leaned closer towards the stone.

— "W-what... what kind is it?" he stuttered hesitantly, staring at the intricate patterns that seemed to shift around yet not move simultaneously, an optical illusion that played with his mind. Feeling a wave of dizziness wash over him once again, he turned his attention back to the girls. "What does it do? I remember there was something about quality, purity, and stuff."

Nodding her head slowly, Nivalis gently stroked Silvia's arm in a comforting gesture while keeping her gaze fixed on her boy. "Well, there's no way to know until we use it. The color and the sensations you both felt suggest it originated from something dark in nature—like a bat, spider, or... those nasty worms," she muttered under her breath, imagining the squishy, slimy body of those nasty things they hunted, but the size of her arm and with some magical power like venom, camouflage, or whatnot. "I hope we never have to meet whatever left this behind." She then shrugged.

Nodding in agreement, Aster couldn't agree more. If the stone alone could mess with his mind so much, he didn't want to imagine what would happen if they came face-to-face with its creator. He doubted his fire would do anything more than anger it. "Yeah, me neither," he said, eyeing the stone warily before looking back at his mother and waiting for her to continue.

"This kind is rarer than most. A treasure for someone with a shadow affinity because it'll make their magic more... intense? Pure? I'm not sure how to call it," Nivalis added, gazing thoughtfully at the rock. "The blessing will be stronger, too. It's not often that people find stones like this."

— "Is it dangerous to use if we don't have the shadow affinity?" Aster asked worriedly, lifting himself to sit on the edge of their rocky shore. His little butt squished against the rough stone as his feet dangled in warm, sulfuric-smelling water.

Nivalis watched him do so, her eyes wandering all on their own along Aster's thighs before settling on the little, flaccid shaft nestled between them, peeking at her shyly. "The first one shouldn't be dangerous even if you have a different affinity or none at all," she replied, tearing her gaze back up to his face with a tiny smile. "It's when you start using multiple stones that go against one another that things get dangerous," Nivalis added, reaching forward and caressing his pale thigh to reassure her worried boy.

Meanwhile, Silvia wrapped her delicate hands around her mother's slim waist, enjoying the softness of Nivalis' big breast pressing against her cheek while listening to their conversation attentively.

"And about its quality and purity... I don't know much. Only that it depends on the size, color, patterns, and intensity of what you feel from it," Nivalis explained. "There are special people trained to judge stones like these, so I can't tell how good this one is."

Aster thoughtfully hummed as he looked over at the pile of random items that spilled out of the pouch. He took the necklace and carefully inspected it, flipping it over in his scarred palm. Almost immediately, he felt the emptiness inside and how his mana wanted to rush into the gemstone and through the tiny runes etched onto its cracked surface. It didn't take much effort for him just to let it fill the necklace up, and within moments, a faint light began to emit from it, painting his surprised face with soft blue hues. "I did something," he mumbled, his expression showing guilt.

"I can see that," Nivalis replied, giving Aster a gentle flick on the forehead with her finger. "You must be more careful with things like this, young man. What if it had exploded in your hand?" she whispered worriedly. She carefully took the necklace from his palm to examine it more closely, with Silvia peeking from behind her arm.

"Wow... I didn't see runes on it before," the young girl whispered, touching the glowing stone with one finger.

"Yeah, this is for sure enchanted. Probably just a simple light enchantment or something like that," Nivalis muttered thoughtfully, glancing at the drawings on the walls before returning Aster the necklace. "I guess this is how they survived down here."

Aster looked down at the gemstone in his palm, noticing that it had grown much hotter and was constantly leaking mana into the air through its crack. "It's broken, though..." he pointed out at the damaged surface of the stone, "...and it keeps losing my mana from here."

Nodding, Nivalis watched as he placed the necklace back on the ground, sighing softly. "Probably the reason why they ended up like... like that." Her voice trailed off, her expression turning somber. After a brief silence, she took a deep breath, gently lifted Silvia, and put her next to her brother at the edge of their hot spring. Placing both hands on the rocky shore on either side of them, Nivalis leaned in and asked with a warm smile, "Which of you wants the stone?"

Aster and Silvia shared a glance with one another, as if silently communicating, before nodding their heads in agreement. "You," they replied almost in unison, turning their faces toward Nivalis. "Obviously," Silvia added with a smile, to which the boy could only hum approvingly.

Nivalis shook her head, gently reaching out with both hands and caressing her children's cheeks. "No, it has to be one of you, my sweets." She traced her fingers along their jaws, feeling the warmth of their skin beneath her touch. "It would just be a waste. Having both magic and a blessing can give you many life opportunities. You have no idea how much," Nivalis said, trying to convince them.

No matter how minor, Blessings always opened doors for commoners that otherwise stayed locked. Even more so with a strong affinity like they both had—jobs, connections, education, and even marriages. Noble houses are always on the lookout for gifted people. "I didn't give you much in life, so..." she added, unable to finish her sentence.

Aster shook his head firmly, frowning at his mother. "I don't want it," he stated, crossing his arms over his chest and giving Silvia a little glance.

The girl mirrored his actions and nodded in response. "Me neither," she agreed, puffing out her cheeks adorably. "Besides, you once said that if it weren't for our family's 'no Blessing stones for girls before marriage' tradition, you could have received one long ago. It would only be fair."

Letting out a long sigh, Nivalis stepped back and splashed water onto her chest and shoulders with one hand, letting the hot liquid run down her pale breasts in thin streams. Her eyes flicked between her children's faces, searching for any hint of hesitation or doubt, but finding none. "Are you sure?" she asked softly, her voice barely audible over the gentle bubbling of the hot spring. "It's a big decision, my loves, so please take the time to think it through. It could be the only one we'll ever find," Nivalis worriedly added.

Its rarity was hard to underestimate, and saying no so casually clearly showed that they had no idea just how lucky they were. Many people would kill for such an opportunity, yet her children were turning it down without even a hint of hesitation.

Aster nodded, uncrossing his arms and mumbling with a little smile. "We're sure, Mom. Though if you get something like flying, I might get a little jealous," he added, receiving a gentle punch on his shoulder from his sister. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" he chuckled, rubbing the sore spot where she had hit him before looking back at Nivalis and giving her a little nod of reassurance. "We're sure."

The petite, silver-haired girl pouted at her brother, whispering under her breath, "Dummy..." before turning her gaze back to their mother. "You deserve it, Mom."

...

The few hours were much livelier than the first one upon their return. Once the bath was over, the small family of three shared a meal while chatting about the stone and guessing what blessing it would gift Nivalis once she used it. Plenty of ideas were thrown around: turning invisible, seeing in the dark as if it were a bright day, and even some silly ones, like Aster's idea of 'shooting spider webs out of your hands to swing around,' which made him receive only amused stares from the girls.

Cooking followed soon after, as they did not want the hunted creatures to go to waste. While Nivalis went into detail about how to use the Blessing Stone, repeatedly asking if the siblings were sure. After receiving dozens of 'Yes, Mom,' she finally stopped nagging and somewhat accepted their decision.

Using the Blessing Stone was a relatively simple process. She would need to put it against her chest, right above her heart, and go to sleep like that. Depending on the stone, it could take a few hours to several days, sometimes even longer than a week, for the blessing to be fully absorbed into one's body.

Aster felt a bit worried that it could be dangerous, but his mother quickly reassured him that there was no need to worry. She would simply be asleep, and the whole thing would be painless. At least, that's what she had been told when she was a little girl herself.

After the worm carcasses were transformed into long strips of meat and thoroughly boiled, they were stored in the farthest corner from the hot spring, where they would remain frozen until needed. This corner served as their storage area for food, pretty much just a pile of ice chunks with the meat buried inside.

Finally, when all the work was done, it was time to use the stone. The atmosphere grew tense as the moment when Nivalis would place the stone against her heart drew near, but everyone tried not to show their nervousness, forcing smiles onto their faces.

Stretching his arms above his head, Aster watched the girls returning from the icy corner back to the bed, where he already waited for them in his naked glory. "Are we done?" he asked, patting the spot beside him for his sister to sit.

Silvia looked visibly tired; her steps were sluggish, and her feet shuffled along the rough stone floor. A slight shiver shook her petite body as she approached the bed. "Yeah... I got everything frozen. We're finally done," she mumbled tiredly, plopping down directly on top of Aster instead of beside him, causing a slight 'oof' from the boy at the sudden weight. They both collapsed onto the soft bedding with a quiet thud, with her pressing her face into the soft crook of his neck, inhaling his scent, and feeling his much-needed warmth.

Aster wrapped his arms tightly around her, hugging her against himself to give her all the heat she needed. He felt every single goosebump that covered her pale skin as she shivered against him. "Yeah, it was quite a bit of meat. We've never hunted so much in a single day." He smiled down at her, gently stroking the delicate curve of her back. He felt tired, too, having to keep water boiling with his magic for an entire hour; it was exhausting.

Nivalis sat down next to the children, her blue eyes lingering on them for a moment before she reached down to pick up the stone that lay next to their makeshift bed. "Okay," she began, taking a deep breath. "Are you both sure about this?" she asked one more time, her voice full of concern. She clearly feared that they might not understand just how valuable the stone was.

But they did. They simply loved their mother more than whatever the stone could have given them.

Aster simply nodded at Silvia before the two of them replied in unison. "We're sure." They snuggled together, their small bodies pressed against each other, and their eyes of the exact same golden hue locked onto Nivalis' blue ones.

Nivalis looked at them tenderly, once again reminded of how much they were alike. No different than twins, despite the years of age apart. "Alright then..." she mumbled, shifting her attention to the stone in her hand, giving it one last glance. She traced her thumb over its surface, feeling the rough and cold texture beneath her skin. "Oh, one more thing," she began, looking up at them with a slightly apologetic smile. "I think your grandfather once mentioned that even though it is painless... it doesn't quite look like it."

Aster frowned at his mother's words. "What do you mean?" he asked, gently running his fingers through Silvia's silvery strands behind her pointy ear while keeping the other hand wrapped firmly around her back. He couldn't help but worry. It sounded way too much like she was just trying to make them less worried by hiding the fact that it might hurt like hell. He did it plenty of times.

"I-I, um... I don't really know. I was quite young at the time and was told to ask again when I'd be older. I kind of forgot about it until now," Nivalis admitted, giving a slight shrug. "Just don't panic if it looks weird. I should be fine." With a soft sigh, she leaned forward and pressed her lips gently to each of their foreheads, offering a tender kiss. "Okay?"

Lifting himself slightly, Aster pressed his lips against hers, his little tongue poking out briefly to lick her bottom lip. "Alright, we won't," he whispered, pulling back and looking down at his sister, who gave a worried nod.

"Alrighty then," Nivalis muttered back, taking a deep breath to steady her nerves before pressing the stone tightly against her chest with one hand and slowly leaning back onto their bedding. "Okay, I'm ready. Let's get this over with," she murmured nervously, her voice trailing off as she closed her eyes, letting her eyelashes rest on the softness of her cheeks. Her chest rhythmically rose and fell as she took slow, deep breaths, trying to relax her tense body.

Breaking the cuddling with her brother, the young silver-haired girl propped herself up and crawled over to Nivalis's side, giving the woman a gentle peck similar to the one her brother had just given. Their lips, of the same pink shade, gently brushed against each other until she pulled away. "Be careful, Mom," she muttered, getting comfortable beside her mother, not wanting her to feel alone.

Aster moved closer as well, sitting on the opposite side of their mother, and took one of her hands, holding it between his smaller, scarred ones. "Don't worry, we'll be watching over you the entire time," he reassured, squeezing her hand with all the strength he could muster despite the pain it caused to his injured palms. She barely felt it, just how weak his grip was.

Without opening her eyes, Nivalis smiled warmly at the loving gesture of her children. She returned her boy's gentle squeeze, interlocking their fingers together. "Thank you, my sweets. I'm really glad that you..." she whispered, but trailed off mid-sentence as if she had forgotten what she wanted to say. Her brows furrowed suddenly, only to relax moments later.

The siblings exchanged a confused glance before returning their gazes to their mother. "Mom?" Aster whispered but received no reply, only the sound of her rhythmic breathing in response. She showed no signs of discomfort or pain, and her expression remained peaceful and relaxed. The boy raised his eyebrow at Silvia, who only shrugged back at him.

Just as they let out a relieved breath, thinking this was just how it should be, a loud, sickening crack echoed through the cavern. Right before their very eyes, the stone started to sink into Nivalis' chest, causing the delicate ribs beneath her pale skin to bend unnaturally in all the wrong directions. Flesh split open and twisted with a horrifying squelch, revealing white bones and red, raw meat that glistened in the dim light. "Holy sweet fuck!" Aster shrieked a curse, jumping away in surprise.

At the same time, Silvia casually fainted and flopped back onto their bed, completely unprepared for something as terrifying as her mother's ribs twisting and snapping with a series of wet, gut-churning sounds.