A Shut-in Relic's Day Out

A crescent moon bleeds through the roiling clouds, drenching us in red light.

She stands near the edge of a sharp cliff, looking down at the clashing waves of humans. Through her tight grip, I can feel the erratic, jolting flow of our emotions, the beating of her heart as clamorous as the screeching metal and screams below. Through her eyes, I watch our memories intermingle and interpose themselves - the people are different but the sights, the sounds, and the feelings all stay the same. They all become another memory.

Her grip tightens further and pain flickers inside the flow.

"Thank you for accompanying me this far, Reli," she murmurs. Sorrow and fear ripples through my consciousness, ever-present. Are these emotions mine or hers? Have they ever been separate since the day her hand wrapped around my form? But this hint of betrayal is hers. And this numb exhaustion is mine.

How will she fare in a world without me? I have wondered again and again.

She lifts me up into the sky. For us, this is as high up as we could have ever reached.

My consciousness gazes at the world one last time. The last time I will have to see these creatures struggle endlessly against each other. Us struggle against the endless tides. My fruitless endeavor ends here. Because she promised me. I made her promise me.

Through me, she calls the wind and rain.

The wind that lay dead before begins to throw itself into a howling scream. Cold and heavy drops fall from the sky, gathering themselves into a sharp, chilling rain. Cries arise from the waves below and their eyes look up at us with horror and a bittersweet acceptance.

It's only the two of us on this cliffside. Only I can hear her stifled sobs be carried away by the wind.

We weren't meant for anything more in this life.

---

My consciousness flashes awake. The same old nightmares again! But nothing can be done about them so I wiggle myself into a comfortable position.

A Mimic's stomach for a sleeping spot may not be glamorous - it's a little stinky really - but it's dark and warm enough to be called cozy! The constant gurgles and rumbles of its living system might even be described as a soothing lullaby. Compared to the past, it's even luxurious but who needs to recall the past anyways?

Still I don't fall back asleep right away. I toss and turn - surely giving the Mimic a veritable stomache but it was the one that chose to eat me so how could it complain? - while waving away those old dusty nightmares flitting at the edges of my consciousness.

The same old same old. Such a cozy existence. This is surely what I was seeking all that time ago. How long ago? It doesn't matter.

My consciousness begins to sink into the same old sea. The cycle loops once more and as it does I suddenly become aware of a strange sensation rolling through me. Flicking like sparks, a feeling of... of pain?

Ah. A quiet numbness now ripples through me, familiar and dreadful.

The Mimic is dead. Treasure Hunters have killed it.

Oh well, they will move on soon. What else could a living creature feel about a Mimic than a frustrated disgust? Give it one good kick - one last curse! - and then they will be on their way.

In the meantime I'll sleep through another cycle and give them enough time to move on. Then I can go search for another willing landlord. Ah now that I think about it, I don't even know what kind of place I'm in-

The rumbles have not stopped. The Mimic is dead but I still think I can hear the gurgles of its system. In fact those gurgles even seem a little metallic like a tool. A tool scraping-?

The darkness is suddenly ripped away replaced by a blinding orange light. Cool damp air rushes over my form and brings with it a startling realization.

Two surprised faces look down at me.

"What the hell's that?" one of them asks, a confused scowl on his face. For some reason, he's wearing an apron.

"You-" the other begins but I'm staring at her red hair, stunned in place. She reaches her hand out to me.

I bolt towards the faces like a foolish fly.

A surprised yelp erupts from them and the two reflexively jump back. Clear of the Mimic's body now, I scan the surroundings quickly and locate two other creatures at each side. They turn now - one a cat girl and the other a giant holding a giant backpack - who seem to have been watching each side of the tunnel we're in.

Before the peak of my jump ends, I already decide what path to take. I bounce off the wall directly behind the first two and rocket towards the cave floor near the giant's feet. Red-Hair is the first to come to her senses, scrambling towards me.

"Catch It!" she yells.

The final foe in front of me is Backpack. He has just barely turned around but his eyes have already tracked my form. I try to trust my rusty instinct and shoot towards the space between his legs.

Rustier than my instinct is my movement. My long dormancy has made me stiff. But thanks to my unusual form - a toy-like stick tipped with a small hoop upon which paper-like streamers flow - Backpack's hands just miss me as I break through.

Before long, I'm already far down the path, leaving their yells and scuffing shoes behind. I boost my speed with blasts of wind once I'm sure they won't be harmed.

For a moment I think about that red-haired woman again. She had seemed so familiar but the feel of her face, the length of her hair- to begin with, red hair is already so rare in this world. But it's just a trick of my mind. I'm just a coward, an idiot longing for the past I threw away. I keep going. My cozy existence is all I really need.

---

"Relium...!" I watch as my old friend disappears into the darkness beyond my torch light's reach. My heart is bubbling with joy but I'm scared I just made up Its familiar form- maybe I'm just fooling myself again.

Yet to be hiding within a cave system all this time, inside a Mimic's stomach no less...! That's just the kind of 'romantic' story it likes. So it must be- no, how many times have I thought this before...?

I feel a tap on my shoulder. When I turn, at first I see backpack straps and then adjust to see Bokric with a worried expression on his face. He hooks his pointer fingers together, inclining his head questioningly. The sign for 'friend'.

"Maybe," I say. I appreciate his concern but I'd feel embarrassed if it wasn't Relium after all. And topics about the Old War just... "It's... let's just move on."

He frowns and pats my shoulder.

"No, it has to be It!" Cerse plows into me with her usual feline abandon and stretches her hands out in front of me. She makes a circle with her fingers, saying, "That circle thing with paper streamers! I definitely saw it! Come on, you got a good look at it too, didn't you, Anthem?"

She calls out to our cook who is still kneeling and stowing away pieces of the Mimic into a bladder-lined bag. I could only guess at what maniacal dish he's planning today.

"Yeah, sure," he mumbles.

"Boooo! Well, you can trust me!" She wraps her arms around me and rests her chin on my shoulder.

I laugh and pat her head. "Yeah, your eyes are the best."

"But why did it run away?" she asks. "Aren't you guys friends?"

"...We parted inh an awkward way."

"What way?"

"Well, It wanted me to drop it into a ravine at first."

"What?!"

"But I thought that would be too rough so I set it floating down a river instead."

"Huh?! How is that any better?"

"We were young and dumb... and it's a Living Relic anyways. It wouldn't have been destroyed by any normal means." I purposely leave out how taken with the idea the Relic had been, even calling it 'romantic'. Yet if I had dropped it into a ravine, perhaps I wouldn't have spent all this time searching...

"What a funny guy! Now I really want to meet It." Cerse pulls her arms back and spins in a circle, stumped by the story.

"We need to locate my friend first."

"Shouldn't we complete the bounty first?" Anthem rises from the chest, now emptied of its 'valuables'. He gestures to Bokric who comes over and then kneels down to let Anthem stow his precious new cargo. "Thanks."

Bokric beams.

I point at the path that the Relic fled down. "Well, if it is Relium, with Its luck, It'll get there before we do."

---

Unlike living creatures, objects like me don't get tired. The energy of the world cycles through me constantly. I never need to sleep, eat, or breathe.

Once, she remarked that it must have been a tiring positon to be in. Because living creatures have needs they are constantly driving themselves towards new experiences - and with that, new goals, new desires, new heights. Therefore it must be so boring to never need or want anything.

But as I lay in the darkness of that Mimic, I wondered how tiring could it be to never want anything? I realized that I have never been able to ask that question.

I continue hurling myself through the cave system. Apprehension grows in me with every hop.

That's because I have no idea where I'm going!

Look, it can't be helped. Back then I was entranced by the flow of that river. Through rainy skies and moonless nights, past burning fields and ruined cities, I lay within its quiet waters for countless days and nights. A worthless weapon like me - a form I had turned so small it appeared to be a child's toy - was overlooked by every living creature. And yet such a peaceful life struck my consciousness with this thought: no matter which way I moved through the world, all I could ever see was another side of the same thing. I was simply another being in the world whether I joined the cries or left them behind.

And left them behind I did. Soon the expansive sky was replaced by the stifling darkness of a cave ceiling. When the monotony of such a view began to bore me, I stepped out and was immediately eaten up by that Mimic.

...So that's why I have no idea where I'm going! I've never explored this system before!

As I try my best to take a dizzying set of turns as fast as I can, I notice a strange phenomena: a rumble trembles through the cave. It's clear these aren't 'earthquakes'. Their timing is too inconsistent and they vary in intensity - from a skirting softness to a crashing quake.

Clearly these are the steps of a gigantic monster!

Which clearly means the group I met aren't 'Treasure Hunters' but Bounty Hunters!

My consciousness leaps with joy at the thought. Surely by now my existence has just become a passing thought. Therefore all I need to do now is find a nice hiding spot-

"You see? I told you It would get there first."

A familiar-seeming voice suddenly comes from up ahead where the cave path opens up on the right. That same red hair stuns me in place.

"This Relic's got some bad luck!" Another face pops up behind her - a cheery-looking cat girl who coos at me. "C'mere, nice Relic! I'll scritch your chin- uh- head? real nice!"

What am I, a cat!? This is the first time anybody's ever treated me like this!

"Huh. Do Relics get itchy?" Red Hair asks.

"I don't know! You never tried?" Cat Girl replies.

"I don't!" I can't help crying out. "Forget it! I'm leaving!"

I turn around to flee but get greeted by two more faces.

"I guess it's cute." Apron grouses, dragging a hand over his scraggly chin. Next to him, Backpack waves with a smile. Just what kind of rag-tag group is harassing me...?

But Living Relics aren't amazing for no reason!

I leap high into the air and summon a burst of magic.

"Close your eyes!" Red Hair shouts.

A bright light dispels the darkness surely blinding any creature with eyes. Unfortunately for me, the instant I touch down on the ground, the four hunters are already bounding for me. Just how high level are fighters these days to expect a move like this?!

But what 'unfortunately?! I am a Living Relic, a veteran that's pushed through countless battlefields and been forged in the fires of blood, steel, and magic. I've been surrounded by enemies plenty of times! Got trouble?! Just use magic!

From the tip of my handle, a ballooning wall of water sprouts up and then splits in the middle, crashing into each side like a colossal wave.

As expected, the smaller members of the group are swept off their feet! Only Backpack remains standing thanks to the colossal weight of his body and his pack. He begins charging towards me but with the rest of his teammates still sputtering on the ground the battle is already over!

I launch myself in the air, flipping my handle so that it's facing the ceiling. I safely loose a wind blast behind me and rocket past the sputtering women.

"What?!" I cry out.

Unbeknownst to me, rather than scramble towards me after recovering, Cat Girl and Red Hair had instead gotten to their feet and backed up. Now they once again bar my path. Was the sputtering an act?! It's as if they had me figured out all along...!

Before I know it, Cat Girl has locked onto my form. The battle is already over- I've been caught.

"I did it!" Cat Girl cries out in excitement as her hands tightly grasp me. Before I can even register the softness of her fur, emotions and memories flood into me - excitement, relief, adrenaline, a smiling face covered in flower petals as it holds its hand out then bewilderment as emotions flow into her - but I numb the flow within my consciousness.

That's right- this is truly the last trick up my sleeve! A tool like me which was meant to open the hearts of others- a failed tool which could only ever overwhelm humanity with its own consciousness. I only have a second to make a decision!

A part of me knows that if I unleash the true extent of my magic, I could bury us all. I could sleep eternally in the ruins. In fact, fine control was never my strong suit and neither was it hers.

"W-What is this-" Cat Girl begins to stutter.

"Your eyes!" Red Hair shouts again just as she reaches the two of us.

A bright light floods the cave again.

A cry erupts from the one holding me and when I slip out of her grasp only one person is chasing me.

The one who clearly knows me too well.

I still have a good headstart on Red Hair. She hesitated just a second too long looking at her teammate before taking off after me.

But I'm trembling. My consciousness floods with panic, with fear, with longing. But I shake it frantically- now isn't the time to be a coward! It's time to get creative!

I shorten my leaps and with each one turn the solid rock floor beneath me into slippery mud! I mix up the direction of my path, turning the path ahead of her into a veritable muddy minefield!

You wanna catch me!? Then you better prepare yourself for a twisted ankle! This Relic doesn't play fair!

...And if you're who I think you are, please just remember our promise. I'm the least-capable Relic in existence- complete trash.

As I hoped for, Red Hair's pace slows down once she realizes the destruction I've wrought! I quickly leave her torchlight behind in the darkness.

...

I squeeze myself into the small space inside some crumbled rocks where the path splits into two. Using wind, I hurl stones down one of the paths as if copying my own hops. Then I wait.

Her rushing footsteps approach and pass by. I hear them stop before the split. She's barely panting.

A moment later, her footsteps ring out again. They appear to get further and further...

"Hey" comes the voice through the opening.

Shock ripples through me before I realize Red Hair had used the same trick as me, covering her own quiet approach with pebbles. What, is she mocking me for my idiocy? Feeling petty, I stay quiet. But then her next words shock me into a real silence.

"Relium, I know it's you."

My consciousness goes cold. So it wasn't just my imagination? Is it really...?

"You don't remember me?" The voice takes on a familiar sad tone before suddenly changing up. "Or maybe you think I'm a Mimic."

It takes on a lilt I know all too well and my consciousness shakes from dread. "Do you remember the code words?" She sucks in a breath.

"Don't sing!" I burst out of the opening, my form reacting out of pure memory. I curse myself for a moment but just a moment.

Red Hair is crouched there, looking up at me, a torch in one hand. It's the first time I've really seen her face.

She has the same green eyes, the same little freckles. That fiery shade of hair is just like I remember... But it's just a little off. Her hair is shorter and rather than a tangled, wild mess, it's been combed into something tamer. The pale skin and sunken eyes that once got called 'the heritage of death' is much more vibrant and healthy now even in the flimsy torchlight. The dread that always pooled in her eyes, the fear turning every movement rigid, where are they now? It looks more like... Cat Girl's memory comes back to me, interposes itself over that face. The sun drenching her in orange light, flower petals caught by long strands of hair, the wide smile teeming with affection. A hand that will never let go.

Ulia sits in front of me, gazing into my consciousness. It's Ulia - there's no doubt in my mind - but is she the person I once knew anymore?

"Did you know? The world has changed." I can see it in her face but I still can't believe it. "The world we knew, it's just called the 'Old War' now. The fear of my red hair, it's just called a 'stigma' now. Not even old wives whisper about it. Relium, a century and a half has passed."

That much time? Already?

...A part of my consciousness rejoices. My curiosity sparks and I hesitate to put out its flame. But another part of me deflates with shame. It's clear- Ulia has lived a whole life without me.

She sighs. "No more battles, no more fights to pick because someone else said so. But I still wake up sometimes as if I'm still back there. And it's true that the world can still be a terrifying, unloving place. Probably that's how it's always going to be."

How could a foolish coward like me stay beside the person my best friend has become?

"But it's different now. It's become a world I want to show you. My life is different now and I still want to share it with you." With hope pooling in her eyes, Ulia reaches her hand out to me. I flinch but her hand stays in the small space between us. She's waiting for me to take it.

This is too much for an immature Relic like me.

My voice escapes me before I realize.

"Leave me alone."

I hesitate when that hurt expression flickers across her face but I already made my decision a long time ago.

I leap forward and past Ulia, intending on escaping down the split pathway. But unlike what I expect, she doesn't scramble after me again.

"You remember, don't you? What I really wanted to say when I made you that promise." She speaks to the opening, her voice calm and quiet. I want to turn around to see her expression but I know if I do I'll fall into my own temptation. "I still feel the same way. Reli, when we meet again, tell me for sure you don't want to live with me anymore."

I run away into the darkness.

---

"Ulia!" Cerse is the first to spot me as I make my way back to the team. She has her sunglasses back on though she could probably still see better in this darkness than the rest of us. "That- what happened?"

I know what she's really asking about.

"You know what I told you. My grandfather wanted to spread hope through the world... Relium is the living embodiment of his hope." Although my voice is steady, I can feel my heartbeat pound. Reli was so close... I almost got through to It. I march through the group, intent on reaching the source of the quakes. "Come on, we don't have time to waste."

"That's- I mean yeah that does answer my question but like-" Cerse stumbles through her words as she quickly pads after me. Her hands fly through the air in a confused mess. "It's just- that's- it was really scary..."

"And that's why my grandfather's method failed." I try but I fail to make my words sound measured. In the end, he was just brute-forcing the end of the war in a different way but that isn't Cerse's fault. The young woman falls into a glum silence. I feel guilty but now just isn't the time. If I don't hurry, Relium will defeat our bounty and then leave-

A firm hand lands on my shoulder and forces me to a stop.

Bokric locks me into place with a serious but gentle expression. As usual, he gets so much across with just one look. He puts me who can use my own voice to shame.

"Sour words turn a meal sour." Anthem wipes his hands on his apron, a gesture that exposes his nervousness. Bokric pats his shoulder with his other hand.

"You never talk about the past, just a little bit. Now I get it but..." Cerse looks at the ground. "Are you going to keep us in the dark forever? Even after this?"

...

I look at each member of this team. Each person that I just happened to pick up on this long journey alone, each witrh their own quirks, their own fears. No, I wasn't alone. Didn't I just say that Cerse, Bokric, and Anthem were with me?

I shouldn't be ashamed of my past. Instead I should feel guilty for still thinking one day they might leave me too.

I take a deep breath in and then pat Bokric's hand still on my shoulder.

"Yeah, you're right. After this is over, let's talk." I smile even though my heart is beating even faster. "Let's talk over a meal."

---

I don't focus on where I'm going. I just submit myself to the flow of the passages as I launch myself forward with blast after blast of wind.

My consciousness overflows with guilt and shame, drowning in memories that look more like nightmares. My life, my purpose, my longing, I just want to leave it all behind!

That's why I don't notice the stifling passage become a massive cavern before it's too late.

"Oof!" I knock into something and bounce back onto the ground. "What the hell..."

A long thin leg like a spider's sits in front of me covered in a hard white carapace. As I bring my consciousness up the leg, I find it attached to a short squat body that looks a lot like a crab's. At the other end of the body where the head should be comes a crunching kind of sound. A giant pincer claw is holding something up to the mouth and little things - what looks like mini versions of the creature in front of me - drop into the shallow river flowing through the cavern.

Disturbed by the impact, the anomalous crab's eye stalks turn towards me. I feel a cold dread crack inside me.

Oh boy...

Please say I don't look edible and delicious right now...

With a piercing screech, the crab scrambles towards me, causing a mini quake beneath each leg.

It's too late to turn back into the passage where it can't get me so I stand my ground!

When the pincer claw rushes towards me, I leap onto it. From there I hop up the limb until I reach the top of the crab. By skittering along its shell, even with those creepy beady eyes trying to glare at me, I can keep playing tag with its pincers as the crab tries to shake me off! Once I ready enough magic, I can summon a firestorm hot enough to cook it inside its shell!

But then a thought comes to me.

...What if I just let myself get eaten?

No, that's way too stupid! With Ulia on the Hunters' side, this thing's bound to get killed anyways! And I still have no idea what they were doing with that Mimic- if they tear this monster apart, I'm just going to get cornered again!

But my hesitation is just long enough that I make a mis-hop.

I slip on the tip of the crab's head just as it shakes its body. I fall down into open space. Curse my 100-year laziness!

With a surprising grace, a pincer clasps onto my body. But the crab doesn't eat me for some reason.

Instead it holds me up to its face and its eyes look me up and down. Is it... inspecting me? H-huh? Is it intelligent enough to be curious?

Could this be the beginning of a lifelong friendship between a Crab and a Relic...?

However, the crab then opens its mandibles wide and starts to drag me into its mouth.

In the end the choice wasn't up to me after all...!

A loud blast suddenly blows through the cavern. A laughter rings out from the new hole in the wall along with Ulia's voice. "See, I told you if I aimed right the ceiling wouldn't collapse!"

Four people emerge and they're... exactly who I don't want to see!

"Wow! Giant crab, 4 o'clock!" Cat Girl calls out. "Wait a second, is that your friend in its claws?!"

"Actually it appears to be a lobster-crab," Apron corrects. "Short squat body not like a crab or a lobster but all the same parts. Perfect for a boil."

Backpack claps with an appreciative look.

...Just what kind of people does Ulia associate with?

Ulia doesn't make a smart comment though. I just feel her calm gaze wash over me. Her regretful face the night we made that promise is so dissimilar to this one. She raises her hand towards me.

...Okay, I've always been a sucker.

"Close your eyes!" I cry and then with my readied magic bring the sun back to the cavern. The lobster shrieks in pain, its eye stalks shriveling, and releases its hold.

I loose a couple wind blasts and fly towards Ulia. As I do my form elongates and shifts - I become a full magical staff, my original form.

Ulia catches me with one hand and an eternity - 137 years' worth- of memories and emotions passes through my consciousness. A vast, vibrant world that I have never seen before opens up inside me. And within that world Ulia's heart steadily flows at a beat I've never experienced before, with emotions I never have. My consciousness gazes at Ulia's face and she smiles with serenity as if the final piece of her puzzle finally fit into place. The first time I've ever seen in this 147 years of existence.

"Reli, you're happy too, huh," she says.

I think I am.

With a pleased tone, Ulia turns to Ap-Anthem. "Well, your orders, chef?"

"As usual. It's too large to be cooked whole."

"Yes, chef!"

By now, the lobster-crab has recovered from its blindness and begins charging at the group with a screech. Everyone else scatters into positions without a spoken direction while Ulia remains where we stand.

"What-" I start but then she leaps into the air just as the monster reaches us. A feeling of weightlessness and then- "Are we flying?"

Ulia soars high above the lobster-crab as if she were a snowflake dancing through the sky. I'm blown away by the fine control she exerts over her magic, the delicate balance she maintains even as she whips through the air.

"Over here, over here!" Cat- Cerse calls out. From her belt she pulls out a slingshot and lobs pebbles at its eyes, drawing the monster's attention.

The instant the lobster-crab extends one pincer far enough, we shoot a blade of water at the joint. The monster reels back with a soundless screech while the disconnected pincer flies through the air- to be caught by Bokric! He seizes one end and uses the momentum to fling it right back at the stunned monster.

The pincer slams into the beast and knocks it onto its back. Helplessly, its limbs wriggle in the air trying to touch the ground again.

From the air Ulia takes careful aim and then severs its head off its body with another water scythe.

The fight lasted less than 5 minutes and now the bounty lays dead. I know from Ulia's memories this is all natural but seeing this team fight before me is just another thing...

...And somewhere Anthem peeps out of his hiding spot because he can't fight.

After separating the monster's body into carryable pieces, Ulia gracefully lands on the ground. "It's a lot easier with you here, Reli. Flying is so much easier."

"...I think I get it but what did we cut up this thing for?" I ask.

She grins. "To cook and eat with the villagers of course! This is our life- we go around hunting monsters and making feasts!"

...Why did I even bother asking!

"And Reli..." Ulia says, a familiar lilt in her voice. Just what is it now- "You stink. You need a bath."

...I guess I was stewing in that Mimic's stomach for a century.

---

"Remind me again what we're doing here?" I ask even though I know exactly why.

"To harvest fruit from the Avarum Vines!"

"For?"

She laughs, still playing along. "For your birthday cake of course!"

That's right. Today is the day I was born.

In the worst years of the Old War, I was given life by the hands of a master Sage. Though he could not have known I had somehow become a Living Relic, I could feel through the pale grip of his wizened hands the hope that someday I might end the war that would continue for another 10 years. To pass on this hope became the first task of my life's purpose, his hope the first thing I ever felt. The passing of his life became the second as chaos exploded inside his home.

Even now neither Ulia nor I knew what had happened but somehow her little fist found my form and we never separated until the final battle of the war.

...Look, if I knew that was the final climactic battle of the war I would have given running away a second thought! It was the same old phrase we'd heard from countless generals for years! How was I supposed to know?!

Ulia leaps into the air from the cliffside we stood on. The sky around us is bright and blue, full of fluffy little clouds carried on a warm summer breeze.

Below us is a wild meadow full of Avarum Vines. Already they seem to sense that we're after their precious fruits, their thorny vines wrapping protectively around those sparkling red jewels. Unlike most plants, these creatures grow their fruit as a nutrient source. They store all the energy they gather from the ground and then, like bears, they 'hibernate' after dropping the fruit on the ground.

Today Ulia is using me like a witch's broom, hanging a basket off the bottom end of my form. As a replacement for me, she's pulled out the wand she keeps in her sleeve.

"I hate that thing," I grumble. "You could just hold the basket in your hands."

"Oh hush, we both know it's easier this way."

Still grumbling, I dive us into the mass of vines. With harvest time just around the corner, it's the safest time to sneak in. As Ulia knocks the fruits off their stems one by one with water blasts, I swerve us around the vines too slow and sluggish with malnutrition to keep up. In just a few minutes, we've gathered five fruits just the size Anthem insisted on and shoot back into the sky.

We make our way back to the squad who are already preparing today's feast.

The scent of roasting meat is already on the breeze. Ulia hums quietly, singing our old codewords. An overly dramatic love song from the only play we got to watch back then. The height of fancy at the time and now just a joke of a saying today.

When we spot the team, preparations seem just about done. Cerse and Anthem are setting the last plates on the table while Bokric is organizing a bunch of wild flowers in a pretty vase. To the side, Anthem's portable oven is keeping our feast of Goral meat and vegetables warm.

Ulia taps the top end of my form. I release streams of petals upon them like soft rain. Cerse is the first to notice, looking up and calling to us with big waves of her arms. Bokric joins Cerse in waving at us heartily. Anthem gives us a single glance before returning to his oven.

Although they can't hear, Ulia's laughter rings out quietly in the space between I and her.

"You know we didn't have to go to all this trouble for my birthday," I say later.

"What are you talking about! Birthdays are nothing to downplay!" Cerse looks appalled, her face covered in crumbs.

Bokric nods quickly, signing 'good food is a good life' before returning to his plate.

"Damn right," Anthem concludes. Just for the occasion, he's even swapped his apron to his good one. It's the same style though...

"You like sweet foods anyways so it's okay to say you're enjoying it." Ulia eats a bite of the birthday cake topped with fresh chopped Avarum fruit. Since I can taste the tangy, citrusy flavor through her senses, I can't disagree at all.

"And I'll give you lots of scritches for your special day!" Cerse adds, her mouth full.

Today is the day I was born and the day I met Ulia. Though I ran away from my purpose and resolved to shut myself away, the world became a place that could be loved after all. As I watch my best friend chat and laugh with everyone else, I feel the warmth of her joy ripple through me. I feel like I finally found what I was always looking for.