The stars are twinkling beautifully in the night sky, lulling the world into a gentle sleep. Underneath the blanket of twinkling lights surrounded by the tranquil darkness, one young boy lay awake awaiting an opportunity.
After eating delicious food and having a wonderful nap in the afternoon, Zero was having a hard time falling asleep. Truen was exhausted and snored lightly beside him, his arm draped securely over the brunet who couldn't sleep. Zero wanted to move and explore the wonders of the night in the forest but he didn't want to disturb Truen who needed his rest. The dark elf looked terrible and Zero knew that having to stay awake while feeling sleepy could put anyone in a bad mood from personal experience. A wood elf guardian in a bad mood was not a fun friend to have around.
Zero lay on the ground with his eyes closed, simply waiting for Truen to be truly asleep. Upon the insistence of Isis and Freya, Zero was forced into his squirrel onesie pajamas instead of the tracksuit he loved. After a selfie session, Truen bade the brunet goodnight. It took about thirty long minutes of waiting before the wood elf finally drifted off.
Sparkling with delight at having his patience paid off, Zero stealthily slipped out of the hold. It was his request to sleep out under the stars for a change instead of inside the lamp. Zero wanted to know what the world looked like when it was night time. Mii shared many wonderful stories about how certain animals would come out and how some flowers only bloomed at night. Zero wanted to see the fireflies that Mii told him about. He was curious to know how they could produce light in their bodies. Did they know light magic?
After a two failed attempts, Zero finally freed himself. The air was cool but there was nothing to worry about. Grem Lee's clothes and the Great Gods' enchantments worked very well. The only thing Zero wished could be improved on was how the hood kept falling over his eyes. He had half the mind to throw the oversized cloth back completely but decided against it. Who knew what would happen if he didn't wear clothes properly. Truen was certainly not pleased when Zero wore the tracksuit pants the other way around after his bath. Humans sure have it tough.
The chill air was crisp and had a new kind of freshness to it. The forest wasn't quiet. In fact, Zero wondered who was making all the noises he heard. Some were far away while some were near. For example, he spotted a tiny tree frog making the loudest noise up in a branch. Also, Mii mentioned that there were tiny insects that sang at night. Zero wondered if the occasional strange chirping were made by them. Nevertheless, he had a mission. He was going to find those fireflies and ask them how they can light up in the night.
The first place Zero went to was by the river that they passed by earlier today. Truen caught fishes there for their dinner and Zero enjoyed every moment of it. Truen was a great cook.
The river looked very different from what it did in the day. For one, Zero had a hard time spotting fishes in the water. It was probably because they weren't there. However, upon a closer look, he found some of them hiding beneath rocks. They weren't moving and the brunet wondered if it would be easier to catch them at night instead of the day.
To his surprise, the fishes didn't move even when Zero approached them. Maybe they were sleeping like Truen? Then again, how can they sleep if they had their eyes open? The small boy's mind was full of questions. His eyes would probably hurt a lot if he kept them open while he slept. On second thoughts, maybe it was easier to sleep with open eyes under water. He'd have to try that another time.
There was a low rumble and Zero salivated. The fish was making his stomach growl. Wouldn't it be nice if he could catch a big fat fish? There was one hiding in some river grass not too far from where he was. The water was definitely colder at night but Zero was determined. He would catch a fish by himself tonight.
Catching a fish at night was harder than Zero thought it would be. For starters, the fish woke up and swam away. Sleep made the fish slower than what it could have been but with Zero's short arms and legs, it was difficult to keep up. If Truen was here, he might be able to catch it easily. Unfortunately for Zero, the fish was too formidable an opponent so the brunet had to give up for the night. Zero's stomach wasn't too pleased but there was hardly anything the boy could do at this moment.
As if suddenly remembering his mission, Zero decided to climb up the tallest tree in the area to spot fireflies. If Mii was correct, they tend to be near swamps. Zero wasn't sure if it was a good idea to travel to the swamps alone because Truen mentioned that several dangerous creatures lived there. The brunet was in deep thoughts for a long while before he came to the conclusion that it shouldn't be dangerous at night. Many animals were sleeping and maybe only friendly animals come out at night.
It was a long climb up the jungle tee but Zero was amazed by what he saw at the top. Although it was slightly disappointing that he couldn't find fireflies immediately, he was amazed by how many stars there were in the sky. From where they were, Zero could only see a part of the sky. Up in the tree, the wind was cooler and stronger. There were not many clouds and the sky was enormous! There was no end to what Zero could see and the brunet wondered how many there were. The young boy took some time to appreciate the beautiful creation his past self made. At the back of his mind, he wondered if he would be able to do the same. It's a shame Great One wasn't able to look at all this. Zero was determined to remember this for the both of them. Maybe someday he would find a way back to tell his past self about his adventures!
Deciding that he had enough of the stars, Zero decided to stand up for a better view of the surroundings. He could see where Truen had set up camp for the night with the campfire still burning. Zero wasn't afraid. If he got lost, he could always teleport back even though it might require energy. Mii suggested heading to the swamps to the east and Zero took that advice.
It didn't take long to reach the swamps. Zero decided to take a shortcut and teleported there with Mii's map as a guide. The swamps were very different even though they were a part of Endow Hill. For one, the trees were no longer full of leaves and green. They looked skinny and slightly scary with more branches and roots than leaves. The chirping sounds also disappeared. The swamps were more silent and Zero swallowed. Did fireflies live in such a scary place?
There was a strange hooting sound and occasionally Zero would hear something move. It sounded like wings of a huge bird and Zero didn't know if it was friendly or unfriendly. Zero decided that the frogs were definitely king in the swamps. They were everywhere and Zero didn't know if there was a place in the swamps that frogs didn't sing. They were loud and seem to be in every corner from tree to water. The swamp was a lot darker than the forest they were in previously. With so many shadows, it was difficult to know where he was going.
Still, Zero didn't give up. In such a dark place, surely fireflies would stand out.
"Mii, where do we go from here?"
The strawcherry fairy shrugged. "They could be anywhere. It's easier to see them in an open space with lots of long grass and some water. I see a clearing on the map about ten minutes from here. Would you like to try going there?"
Zero grinned, his heart raced at the thought of meeting these amazing night insects. He had so many questions and couldn't wait to know.
According to Mii, it took ten minutes to get there. However for Zero, it took a lot longer to waddle his way to the clearing in the swamplands. The ground was often soft and unstable. The brunet nearly fell into the cold water a few times as he slipped. No wonder Truen wasn't willing to travel through the marsh! Danger lurked everywhere and it wasn't even the dangers from scary animals...
Finally, he arrived and Zero was amazed by what he saw.
Underneath the sky full of stars, he saw thousands and thousands of tiny lights floating about the long grass in the field. The brunet smiled. It was worth the trouble of travelling through the hazardous land. The fireflies looked like tiny stars that he could touch.
Excited, the young boy ran over to the middle of the clearing, ignoring how the muddy ground soaked into his shoes. They auto-clean enchantment will work after a while, he had nothing to fear and Truen wouldn't even find out where he'd been.
Surrounded by thousands of tiny lights, Zero beamed as bright as the sun. "So beautiful," he breathed and held out a hand for some of the passing fireflies. He didn't know what they were all busy about but the way the flew in patterns in the air looked like a dance. Zero knew that he shouldn't disturb them but he wanted to know so badly how they could be so brilliant in the dark.
Then, one firefly took pity on the poor boy and rested on his palm for a while as if to ask Zero what he wanted from them after disturbing their dance. The brunet apologised and explained his desire to know how they could light up in the night.
As if indulging the brunet, the bug crawled onto his finger and turned around, letting Zero have a closer look.
"Oh my! Your butt is lit up! Does it not hurt?"
The bug fluttered its tiny wings as if to chide Zero before flying off. The brunet stood there for a long time, admiring the fireflies as the zig-zagged through the air, minding their business. The brunet didn't get an answer but he was satisfied. Those bugs at night were very busy and Zero yawned. He was getting tired too.
Waving goodbye to the fireflies, Zero teleported back to their camp spot where the fire had started to die out. He slipped back into Truen's arms and snuggled into the wood elf's chest. After a great night adventurer, the young squirrel was ready for bed.
That night, while Truen suffered in the hands of Freya, Zero dreamt about becoming a firefly with his shining butt and flying around in the air at night, greeting the other thousands of fireflies as they flew past him. What a busy night!