[Aster]
— "Are we ready?" Aster asked softly as he wrapped the cloak around his waist, for once covering his nakedness from view. The thin cloth that had just minutes earlier served as their bed was now tied around his hips, draping down to his ankles while leaving his skinny torso bare.
His long, silver hair flowed down his tiny shoulders, concealing most of his smooth, hairless chest; only his pink nipples peeked through the silky strands. Every time he moved, a little bulge would show between his thighs on the fabric, outlining his tiny boyhood, indicating that this cloak was the only thing he wore.
"I am," Silvia responded in a cheerful tone, standing beside him in the gentle light of the blue crystals, right at the entrance of their cave. Unlike her younger brother, her cloak completely enveloped her small frame, from her shoulders to her boots. Hair of the same silver color as Aster's cascaded down her shoulders and back, framing a youthful face with golden eyes and rosy lips curved in a soft smile.
In her little hand, she clutched an icicle she had fashioned for herself; one end was deadly sharp while the other was wrapped in cloth, making it comfortable enough for her to grip. A makeshift knife that looked anything but dangerous due to its size. She knew that it would likely shatter on the first strike, but at least it was better than nothing. Worst case, she'd launch it with her magic if need be.
Her golden eyes glanced at the ice barrier blocking their way out of this little cave. Their only protection from what lay behind it: endless tunnels filled with darkness, cold, and worms everywhere. "Let's get it over with," Silvia added much more quietly as the cold mana inside her chest stirred uneasily, causing a little shiver to run through her entire body.
Aster simply nodded before looking over his shoulder to see their mother behind them, putting on what was left of her ragged tunic. It barely held onto her shoulders, the straps stretching under the weight of her big breasts, with holes and tears all over the fabric. It did little to hide the natural paleness of her skin or hardened pink nipples from view, but going outside without it just felt wrong.
Pants were next, equally torn up as she put them on; every few steps would probably show off a glimpse of her smooth buttocks hidden underneath that poor piece of clothing. She looked back at her children with a slightly nervous smile and whispered to her boy, "Lead the way, my love." She took the makeshift bag from the floor and tossed it over her shoulder—the reason Aster's cloak was much smaller than his sister's.
Nivalis also picked up her knife from the rocks nearby, an ugly thing that glinted ominously in the dim light when she gripped its handle. "You know the rules: no splitting up, and keep it quiet. And count the turns," she reminded them both in a hushed whisper, even though there was no real need for that. They knew this routine as it had been the same for many months.
Humming in agreement, the boy turned toward the icy barrier, then took a deep breath. He touched the cold surface with his scarred, sensitive hand; a barely audible hiss escaped his lips as the chill sent a sharp pain through his sensitive palm. The bandages that once protected his hands were long gone, as his wounds had healed enough for him to be free of them, finally.
The boy ignored the discomfort and instead focused on the swirling, boiling mana within his small body. A moment later, the sound of cracking ice filled their small cave as the barrier began to melt under his touch, turning into water that ran down the sides until only a dark hole remained in the stone wall.
Cold air instantly rushed into the cave, hitting their pale skin like needles. A flickering flame appeared above Aster's other palm a few heartbeats later, illuminating the dark, ragged rocks of the narrow tunnel that led up and out of their home.
'Everything will be alright. As always...' Aster told himself quietly before climbing out of the cave first, with his mother and sister following closely behind, all in complete silence; only their knees and hands shuffled against the cold stones beneath them as they moved.
Nivalis struggled to fit through the small passage; her hips got stuck once or twice. Silvia and Aster patiently waited each time until their mother freed herself with a quiet groan. It had always been like that every time they got in and out of their hot spring cave, so none of them said a word. Being small as they were had its advantages.
Finally, after a good minute, they reached the end of the tight passage. Aster's silver-haired head peeked out, looking to the right side of the tunnel, then to the left. Nothing but darkness greeted him; only his little flame danced in the cold air, casting long, eerie shadows on the rough walls, with everything looking as empty as it usually did.
The air was stale, with not a single gust of wind to bring freshness to it, yet he made a deep breath anyway. 'Here we go again...' he thought, unable to shake the nervousness that accompanied every trip outside their little cave. Hope of finding a way out of this underground labyrinth still lingered somewhere inside their hearts despite all odds. Little by little, as they drew more and more lines on their map, it was just a matter of time. Or at least they kept telling themselves so.
With a determined nod to no one but himself, Aster crawled out of the cave first, pushing himself to his feet and helping his sister and then his mother get out and up as well. He managed a small smile for both of them, even though his palm hurt quite a lot because of it.
Silvia shivered, rubbing her upper arms with both hands to get some warmth back into them while she looked around with her golden eyes, anxiously hoping not to spot any worms in the shadows. She knew they were there; they always were. Dozens, if not hundreds, of them lurked ahead and behind at all times, kept at bay only by the flickering light of her little brother's flame.
Just as she always did when she stepped out of their cave into the enveloping darkness, Silvia quietly took Aster's hand, intertwining her delicate fingers with his scarred, rough ones. The boy tried to give her a little squeeze of reassurance, but there was almost no strength behind it, so it ended up being more of a limp hold. Still, it made Silvia feel slightly better, especially when Nivalis put a gentle hand on her shoulder from behind.
Slowly, they started walking away from their home, down the long tunnel that stretched out endlessly before them. Each turn and curve was now well known to them, as they had explored this part many times in the past. Every little bump, crack, and hole was etched into their memories, so their steps were somewhat confident.
Today, they planned to venture further north—or at least what they considered north—to see what lay beyond the familiar. Pretty much just to wander around, explore, and memorize as many new tunnels and caverns as possible before returning home in a few hours. Despite having done this many times before, they still felt nervous and uneasy, aware of how quickly things could go wrong if they weren't careful; their faces showed worry.
As they silently made their way forward, with Aster leading and holding out his tiny flame to light their path, he couldn't help but think about what it must be like outside right now—the sun shining warmly on the trees, the grass swaying gently in the breeze, and birds chirping happily. 'It must be the end of summer,' he thought, remembering how nice it had been in the past, before the goblins came. Only when you lose something important do you realize what you have lost.
The sound of a river flowing nearby and the sight and smell of fire, burning wood. A fat salmon Nivalis had just caught, roasting over hot embers... its meat crispy on the outside yet juicy and succulent on the inside. He swallowed a bit of drool that gathered in his mouth at that image before glancing around at the dreary tunnels surrounding him, cold, damp, and lifeless.
'Don't think about it,' Aster thought, shaking his head. 'We're... We're fine down here... It's not so bad,' he tried to convince himself as he glanced back at the girls behind him and gave them an encouraging smile, only to receive two smiles back—Silvia's slightly nervous and Nivalis' warm and reassuring one. 'Yeah. So what if we've been stuck down here for... How many months now? Four?' The boy counted in his head before shuddering at the realization of just how long they had been there. 'Maybe even five? Damn.'
He shook his head once more, choosing to focus on all the good things they had instead. A series of pleasant memories from the past few months flashed through his mind: playing together in the hot spring, receiving all kinds of lessons from Nivalis, practicing magic with Silvia, bathing each other, sleeping together... snuggling each other... and simply talking or laughing with one another. He had even started doing light exercises again, trying to chase away the softness that was creeping into his muscles.
And there was also more intimate stuff... and it was something else entirely. Words couldn't describe how good such things made him feel, all the care his mother gave him during their special moments together—her hands on him, his lips against hers, her body against his little one. He knew that he should probably feel ashamed or guilty about them doing those kinds of things with each other, but it just felt so right in some way.
Before a silly smile could appear on Aster's face at all the naughty memories, Nivalis' hushed voice interrupted his daydreaming. "Okay, I remember this one. We skipped it last time," she said quietly while gesturing towards an unfamiliar passage that branched off to the side, a small dark hole in the wall looking like any other around here. "Let's check it out."
Silvia's grip on his hand tightened at those words, clearly not wanting to go there. Yet, she mouthed no complaints and simply nodded with her golden eyes wide open, anxiously glancing into the unknown.
'I'm an idiot... I should know better than this.' A frustrated sigh slipped past Aster's lips as he scolded himself for being so careless and getting lost in thought like that; they wandered around these tunnels so much now that he had started letting his guard down far too easily. With a hint of guilt in his soft voice, he quietly replied, "Alright," to his mother before leading them into uncharted territory once again.
This time, though, he made sure to pay full attention to everything around him, ears straining for any unusual sounds or signs of movement beyond the faint glow of his flame. A familiar burning sensation soon rocked through his entire body as he cast a strengthening spell on himself, adding a little extra mana to punish himself for being so careless earlier. He always cast it whenever they were going somewhere unfamiliar, just in case.
Aster grunted softly with his teeth clenched together at the sharp pain that came with his spell; it felt like someone had poured boiling oil into his veins. His pale face scrunched up as he endured the burning agony coursing through him, golden eyes glowing faintly before intensifying, brightening the dark passage they ventured down... 'That's better,' Aster huffed quietly in relief once the pain finally subsided to a dull ache.
The tunnel grew narrower as it twisted and turned, forcing them to walk in a single file. Silvia kept close behind Aster, not letting go of his hand while Nivalis brought up the rear. They moved cautiously, taking their time to examine every suspicious crack or crevice for hidden dangers. Their footsteps were barely audible in the silent darkness that surrounded them.
Aster's lips moved as he mouthed to himself every little detail about this place, every turn and little chamber they passed along the way, committing it all to his memory so that it would be easier to map it on their wall once they returned to their cozy cave.
Before long, they found themselves at yet another dead end. The narrow tunnel had led them into a large, collapsed cavern, where piles of rocks and debris blocked most passages leading further in; there was no way through. Like always, they took their time to inspect the place closely—every stone, boulder, and crack. The unremarkable entrance to their home was enough proof that they should never judge a book by its cover and always check things out properly.
This time, however, it was clearly not worth the effort, as they discovered nothing but a few worms hiding in the crevices, trying to hide away from the Aster's flame and eyes. After taking one last look around, Nivalis patted her children on their shoulders gently before whispering with a hint of disappointment in her voice, "Well, nothing here, I guess."
It often turned out like this, as most of the tunnels they explored were dead ends that led nowhere. "I was thinking..." she began, pausing momentarily as an idea formed in her mind. "We should start building a food stockpile, just like we always used to do in the summer." Her blue eyes focused on her boy, knowing he would be the one doing most of the dirty work. "We already have a lot, but it's nowhere near enough to last us through the winter. Who knows what it will be like down here when it gets cold outside?"
Aster thoughtfully hummed in response to his mother's suggestion, taking a moment to consider it. "Yeah, good idea," he whispered with a nod, stirring the boiling mana inside his chest. He let go of Silvia's hand and stepped closer to one of the many cracks in the rocks, where he saw the tip of the worm's tail wiggle nervously, its slimy, dark-red skin glistening in the flickering light. Pores pulsated all along its body.
Pointing his palm toward it, Aster unleashed a blinding burst of flame from his hand, using just enough mana to kill the damn thing. He had practiced this a lot and gotten quite good at being precise about how much power to use. A high-pitched shriek pierced through the silence as the worm flailed within its crevice, sizzling and bubbling under the intense heat until it finally stopped moving altogether. 'One down, now let's see where the others are,' he thought, casually looking around for his next victim.
The girls just stood there behind him, silently watching as Aster moved around the cave with quick steps, unleashing a burst of light and heat each time to kill another nasty worm. The whole place was lit up briefly every time, making their eyes squint before it went dark again. Only when he finished with the last one did they start collecting what he hunted, stuffing the charred corpses into the makeshift bag Nivalis carried.
Having a good excuse thanks to his hands, Aster simply stood nearby and lit up the cave with his flame held above his palm as the two girls finished their grim task. "Alright, let's go and wander some more. The day had only just begun," Nivalis said, her cheerful smile brightening her full lips as she swung the worm-filled bag over her shoulder again. She then patted both kids on their heads before guiding them back into the dark, narrow passage from which they came.
...
Hours went by as Aster, Silvia, and Nivalis continued to explore the maze-like system of caverns, tunnels, and caves in the northern part of their underground world. Every wall, every stone, every passage, and the dead end they came across were thoughtfully examined and memorized in their minds. No corner or crevice was left unchecked to ensure nothing could catch them off guard or sneak up on them unexpectedly, just as that lizard had once done. It was a slow, routine process.
Having a chest full of ignited mana at all times was quite painful and made the whole thing even more tiring than it already was; however, Aster and Silvia showed no discomfort on their faces, having grown used to it after months of daily magic practice and all the exploration they had to do. Still, thoughts of how they would mana-invade each other upon returning to their cave often danced in their minds, bringing smiles to their tired faces. Do each other alright was just what they needed after a long day like this.
They hunted worm-like creatures whenever they had a chance, making their bag heavy and full of dead monsters, with Aster using his fire magic to kill them easily. Because of this and the strengthening spell that Aster kept using all this time, his mana reserves began to run low—not dangerously so, but still. "Let's go home after this one," the boy muttered quietly as they turned into another unfamiliar passage, glancing back at his sister and mother.
Both of them simply nodded in agreement. "Me too. My ankles are starting to get sore. I'd say we did well for today," Nivalis whispered back, squeezing past the entrance into the new tunnel they were now going down, following behind her children as always. Silvia just hummed in response, too tired and focused on keeping her cold mana inside her chest under control. She was clearly struggling more than Aster with the pain it caused, her petite body occasionally shaking from the effort.
The tunnel stretched ahead, dark and cold, with its rough black walls and low ceiling. For nearly five minutes, they crouched and crept through its length, carefully inspecting every little rock and crevice for anything dangerous or suspicious—all while bracing themselves for yet another dead end or fork in the path that they would explore next time.
But when they finally reached the far end of the tunnel, they were met with a sight that made them freeze in place. Their hearts pounded in their chests from fear. It wasn't a monster lurking in the darkness or any other kind of danger, but somehow, it was probably the most terrifying thing they had seen down here yet.
In the small and unremarkable corner nestled between the uneven cave walls, two skeletons lay eerily still: one was the frame of an adult, the other a smaller, more delicate child. The bones were brittle and discolored, covered with a thick layer of dust and dirt as if they had been resting there for many years, perhaps even decades.
They wore tattered rags and huddled close together, much like Nivalis often did with her children... the comforting kind, telling that everything would be alright, no matter how hopeless things might seem.
The walls around the two were covered with simple, childish drawings etched onto them with something sharp. Stick figures of a mother and a child standing together, smiling, and holding hands, with strange, unrecognizable words scribbled below them in a language no one had even an idea about. A little handprint nearby. Sun, clouds, and trees.
Aster's throat tightened as he stared at those corpses and the crude art that surrounded them, realizing that they were identical to the ones back in their cave. The only difference was that the lines were messy and unsteady, drawn by a little hand that trembled, he could tell. A small pouch lay nearby, torn and tattered, yet still containing its contents. In the child's hand, a tiny, crude knife was clasped between bony fingers, too rusty and fragile-looking to be of any use.
No one said anything for many long, painful moments as they stood there in stunned silence, staring at the scene before them, not even glancing at one another. Their eyes remained fixed on the bones and crude art as if unable to tear them away.
At some point, Nivalis found her voice again. "Let's go home," she whispered, barely audible even in the heavy silence. She put her hands on her children's shoulders and pulled them close to her, only to pat them gently, offering what little comfort she could. "We... We've done enough for today..." Nivalis mumbled before swallowing hard, unable to stop her mind from picturing how things might end up for them as well, with herself lying there next to her two little ones, dead and huddled together.
Aster and Silvia nodded in mute agreement; neither could utter a single word, say at least something comforting or hopeful out loud. They watched Nivalis bend down and take the pouch from beside the skeletons' feet, tucking it away into her makeshift bag while an even quieter "Sorry" slipped past her lips.
Slowly, they turned around and began walking back to their little cave, with Nivalis holding her children closely against her with every step, leaving behind nothing but silence, darkness, and two skeletons that would remain there for who knows how long more. And all their hope of finding a way out of this nightmare.