(VOL.2) Stitches and Shadows

Soon, Lux's measurements were completed by this elven lady with the soft ruler.

Sylvie's movements were skilled and professional, her fingertips dancing nimbly between the line and the cloth, like a master seamstress who had been immersed in this art for many years.

Only, when measuring Lux's chest, Lux keenly caught a fleeting look of pity in Sylvie's eyes.

"I think this is quite good, it saves a lot of fabric. For me, this is the perfect figure," Lux tried to use a self-deprecating joke to cover up that trace of imperceptible embarrassment, and to show that she didn't care at all.

However, seeing the sympathetic look of "what a pitiful girl" on Sylvie's face grow even stronger, Lux could only manage a dry laugh and said no more.

"Alright! Measurements complete!" Sylvie put away the soft ruler, her face beaming with an eager, energetic spirit. She turned to Lux and suggested again, "Lux, are you really not considering it anymore? Let me make you an Aethelfleur Skirt? That kind of skirt is especially light and flowing when worn, I think it would suit your temperament very well."

"Uh, really no need, thank you very much for your kindness," Lux quickly waved her hands. "Besides… I'm still more used to wearing trousers and simple cloth tops, they're more convenient for moving around."

"Is that so? But…" Sylvie tilted her head, her azure eyes filled with the brilliance of imagination. "I always feel that if Lux wore an Aethelfleur Skirt, paired with a Feylight Blouse, she would look especially refreshing and agile, definitely very beautiful!"

When she spoke, her eyes sparkled, as if she had a magical fitting room in her mind, had already put Lux in the elven outfit she imagined, and had given it a perfect score.

Alright… This was probably one of the most difficult situations Lux had ever encountered in her life—facing an elven lady she had just met, yet who was overly enthusiastic, she really didn't know how to refuse.

However, fortunately, this little "ordeal" did not last too long.

Because Sylvie soon discovered that her stock of the special flower called "Everfragrance Bloom," used for decorating the hem of the Aethelfleur Skirt, seemed to be insufficient (this flower was said not to rot or wither for many, many years).

So, she had to temporarily abandon the idea of making an elven skirt and decided to first sew a well-fitting pair of trousers and a simple cloth top for Lux, as requested.

"Around here, it's basically just me living alone. Other elves generally don't come this way either. So, if you feel bored staying in the cabin, feel free to go out for a walk," Sylvie said to Lux, who was standing aside somewhat at a loss, while skillfully cutting the fabric.

Then, Sylvie looked up, her gaze falling on Lux, as if she had suddenly discovered some "weakness" of hers, and added with a hint of imperceptible worry and a kind reminder, "But… please don't go too far, okay."

"Don't worry, I understand. I'll just wander around nearby, I won't go far." Lux immediately realized Sylvie was kindly reminding her, this "directionally challenged" person, which made her face flush slightly, too embarrassed to attribute her lack of direction to some "weird curse from the forest" again.

Moreover, it really wasn't appropriate to keep disturbing Sylvie's sewing by staying in the cabin.

So, Lux, still wearing that light green skirt outfit that looked exceptionally "casually loose" at the chest (she hadn't changed into trousers yet), walked out of Gaia cabin and began to wander aimlessly in the surroundings.

The sky was an extremely clean, translucent blue, like a colossal iceberg soaked in pure blue pigment, suspended high in the firmament.

A gentle breeze blew, and the grassland, like an audience at a grand event, excitedly waved countless green arms, emitting rustling cheers.

And the distant forest stood silently, like a slumbering giant, only the occasional rustle of leaves moved by the wind, like the giant's even snores in its sleep.

The stream beside the cabin was crystal clear, its water glistening under the sunlight.

As the water flowed, it seemed as if countless tiny, minute phosphorescent lights were shining, leaping, and undulating, adorning this tranquil stream into a brilliant river of stars flowing in broad daylight.

Lux quietly looked at this vibrant, peaceful, and harmonious scene before her, yet she faintly felt a sense of being out of place.

Although she had struggled alone in the forest for a full three months and was long accustomed to being with nature, she had never experienced such a pure, such a tranquil feeling.

She tried to slow her breathing, relax her body, and completely immerse herself in this tranquility.

She walked slowly, along the bank of the stream not far from the cabin, strolling among the blooming flowers and fragrant green grass, trying hard… to integrate into this nature, to "live" in such scenery.

There was no shortage of agile creatures here.

Colorful butterflies danced among the delicate flowers, their light feet touching one flower before immediately flying to another, as if playing an never-tiring game with these silent flowers.

Occasionally, furry rabbits or squirrels with fluffy large tails would cautiously poke their heads out from the grass or tree holes, vigilantly looking around with their small, dark, glossy eyes.

Seeing these cute little creatures, for the first time in a long while, Lux didn't have the thought of "can I eat it," but instead, rarely, began to appreciate their pure, natural cuteness.

However, just as Lux was gradually immersing herself in this rare tranquility, an unprecedented, incredibly heavy fatigue, like an invisible giant hand, suddenly seized her.

This fatigue came so suddenly, so violently, it almost dragged her whole body to the ground.

Lux managed to walk to a nearby large tree, leaned against the rough trunk, and sat down, continuing to gaze at the peaceful and beautiful scenery before her.

"It's so nice…" Lux couldn't help but let out a heartfelt sigh. "If… if Mitty and I… could have lived in a place like this back then… how wonderful that would have been…"

"Mitty…"

The moment this name, like a magic spell, resurfaced in her mind, Lux felt the originally tranquil and harmonious air around her suddenly become thick and suffocating.

Everything before her eyes—those active creatures, those bright greens, blues, and cyans—was instantly covered by an ominous purple, as if seeping out from the depths of the earth.

This bizarre purple was boiling, burning.

In the raging purple flames, blurry and distorted human figures continuously emerged.

And those figures… they were all laughing.

They were laughing cruelly. They were laughing madly.

Just as Lux felt her blood run cold, subconsciously wanting to get up and fight, or immediately flee this bizarre scene—

She heard a voice, an incredibly familiar, yet endlessly sad voice, softly sound behind her:

"Brother…"

"Mitty?!" Lux abruptly turned her head.

She saw her. She saw a girl in a vibrant red long dress, standing gracefully not far away—it was Mitty.

And Mitty, upon seeing Lux, also smiled.

Only that smile was no longer as bright and sunny as in her memory, but filled with an indescribable desolation and despair.

"Brother… was I… delicious?"

The moment her voice fell, Mitty's figure, like an ignited scroll painting, rapidly burned, twisted, and finally turned to ash in the purple flames…

Hearing this sentence, Lux felt as if her soul had been instantly ripped out, plummeting into an infinitely cold, infinitely dark bottomless abyss.

She kept falling in the darkness, falling… until the deepest fear in her heart condensed into the sharpest, most dazzling light, fiercely piercing her eyes.

"Ah!" Lux suddenly woke up.

Her entire body was soaked in cold sweat, she was gasping for breath, her heart pounding wildly in her chest, almost about to burst out.

She felt all her muscles tensed up from extreme fear, an icy chill frantically coursing through her limbs.

"Lux? Are you alright?" A crisp, pleasant female voice, as natural and beautiful as a bird's song in the forest, sounded beside her ear, tinged with obvious concern. "Did you… have a nightmare?"

"Sylvie… I… I'm alright." Lux raised her hand to wipe the cold sweat from her forehead, trying to calm her violently heaving chest.

She opened her eyes and looked around.

The sky had completely darkened, but this night sky was not purely pitch black, but rather presented an extremely deep, extremely pure ethereal blue, as if someone had evenly sprinkled countless crushed top-grade sapphires across the entire night canopy.

The stars had quietly made their appearance, twinkling on the ethereal blue velvet curtain; at first glance, they were somewhat dazzling, but upon closer inspection, they seemed so quiet, so obediently staying in their own places, gently blinking their eyes.

And the moon, hanging high in the sky, still maintained its mysterious and hazy poetic quality, emitting a cool, soft halo, giving people the illusion that they could really step on the moonlight and ascend, entering that cool, quiet, pale yellow world belonging only to the moon.

Everything around was so peaceful, so harmonious, only the faint chirping of insects came from the grass, and the soft "rustling" sound of the night wind sweeping across the grassland.

The terrifying nightmare just now formed such a stark contrast with this peaceful and beautiful reality before her that Lux felt somewhat dazed for a moment.

That dream… was more like a malicious warning, warning her not to dare to indulge, to die in this false, beautiful world.

She couldn't die.

She should live, live forever in that human inferno burning with purple flames…

Lux felt her head starting to ache again.

Her spirit seemed to be torn in two, painfully swaying and struggling between the fiery hell and this tranquil nature before her.

"Lux?" Sylvie clearly noticed something was wrong with Lux too. She extended a warm hand, gently pulled up Lux who was still sitting on the ground, and said softly, "Your clothes are ready. I saw you were sleeping soundly just now, so I didn't have the heart to wake you. I went to prepare dinner first, waiting for you to wake up. I was just thinking whether I should wake you… Come on, let's go have dinner together."

"...Thank you, Sylvie." Lux nodded, trying hard to dispel the terrifying images in her mind.

She understood that she couldn't let this enthusiastic, kind-hearted elven girl who had taken her in worry about her anymore.

Besides, it was already so dark, which meant Sylvie must have waited for her for a very, very long time while she was asleep.

Lux followed Sylvie back to her little cabin, Gaia.

At this time, the inside of the cabin was somewhat dim because no candles were lit, but it wasn't completely dark.

Some peculiar white spherical flowers, emitting a soft fluorescence, had been carefully crafted into a chic flower lantern, hanging in the center of the room.

And what surprised Lux even more was that the "energy source" for this flower lantern was actually provided by inserting it into a piece of transparent crystal that emitted faint magical fluctuations.

After returning to the cabin, Lux first went to try on the new clothes Sylvie had just sewn for her.

It was a set of trousers and a top made from some soft and comfortable plant fiber cloth, simple and unadorned in style.

Although there were no extra decorations, it fit exceptionally well, and wearing it, she didn't feel the slightest sense of restriction, it was very comfortable.

Lux was amazed by Sylvie's exquisite craftsmanship and couldn't help but praise sincerely, "Master seamstress Sylvie!"

"Oh dear, it's almost cold," Sylvie said with a slightly embarrassed smile, bringing out a rustic earthenware pot from the kitchen, inside which was a steaming hot thick soup stewed with various mushrooms and wild vegetables.

On the table, there was also a plate of fragrant-looking flatbreads—surprisingly, the bread even had some unknown, fragrant flower petals mixed in.

Beside it was a small fruit basket filled with some fresh-looking, juicy wild fruits.

"I'm sorry, I'm not very good at cooking meat. So, are these vegetables and mushrooms okay?" Sylvie asked somewhat apprehensively. "I heard that humans like you, Lux, seem to have to eat meat?"

"Actually, it's not a must, these are very good, they look delicious," Lux said quickly.

And to be honest, during this time in the forest, she had indeed only eaten dry, unseasoned roasted meat and was long tired of it.

If she were really served a greasy meat feast now, she might actually suffer from indigestion and vomit.

Dinnertime passed quickly in a warm and friendly atmosphere.

The mushroom and vegetable soup was delicious, perfectly seasoned, clearly with enough salt and spices.

The flatbread with flower petals had a unique, refreshing fragrance and was very tasty.

Lux even felt a faint floral scent lingering in her mouth.

This was a dinner that left Lux feeling incredibly satisfied, and it was also the first proper "meal" she had been able to sit down and slowly enjoy in over three months.

This long-lost peace and warmth made her feel as if…

Lux abruptly shook her head, forcibly shaking off those untimely, painful memories.

She didn't want to show any trace of sadness or sorrow in front of Sylvie, especially in this warm environment where Sylvie had carefully prepared such a sumptuous dinner for her.

After dinner, Sylvie pulled Lux along, carrying the flower lantern that emitted a soft fluorescence, and they sat together on the steps at the entrance of the cabin, starting to chat about everything under the sun.