Vir frowned when he found Aira just standing there, silent as a statue. He looked around the little girl, seeing some ruins of houses on the right side, then on the left side, at the front, and behind himself.
The man frowned again. Perhaps Aira was now standing, right in the middle of her ancestral village?
The thing was, Vir also saw blackened marks on the ground, near the little girl's feet. It was probably the remains of a campfire when this village was still alive, typical of people in those days, every village must have had a place to warm up together. Especially, at night with a big fire.
Usually, people would sit around the big bonfire while discussing one thing or another, as well as enjoying warm drinks, or freshly roasted food.
Well, Vir had lived that kind of life when he was a child before the Central Empire troops came with thousands of dragon riders and destroyed his beautiful village, as well as other villages.
"Aira?"
And just like before, Aira just stood there. Vir was a little curious, so he approached Aira but was surprised to find that the little girl's gaze did not blink at all, and he also found unusual glints in her eyes.
Vir tried to touch the little girl's shoulder despite being half confused and worried about what was happening to her.
Just as Vir asked "Where are we going to rest?" earlier, at that moment, Aira's mind seemed to be possessed by an invisible force that made her suddenly fixed like a stone statue.
What Vir currently saw in Aira was far different from what Aira herself was experiencing and seeing.
After the magical power entered the little girl's mind, she suddenly felt like she had been transported to another realm.
"Vir?" Aira shouted back and forth. "Where are you?"
Aira seemed to lose the man in the midst of the white-green mist. In the mist, she saw the shadows of trees. This further confused the little girl.
"Vir... Don't hide!"
The little girl continued to walk in the midst of uncertainty while shouting, searching for the whereabouts of Vir who was still beside her just a moment ago.
"What happened to me?" Aira was getting more and more anxious. "Vir, where are you?" she shouted again, calling out to the last descendant of the Vulcher. "Vir... Don't leave me alone!"
Everywhere she went, all she found was a puff of greenish mist. Occasionally, the light flashed at some point, like lightning but without the thumping sound.
After a few steps, Aira frowned and felt that she was just circling around there and returned to the starting point.
She saw a shadow, at first it looked like a tree, but the longer she watched it the longer it formed the silhouette of a person.
She squinted to make sure. And it looked like the shadow of a woman, she thought.
"Who's there?" she shouted. "Hello... My name's Aira. I'm sorry if I've stepped on or been where I shouldn't have."
The shadow seemed to get smaller and smaller as it moved closer to her.
Aira took a step back, gulping, she tried to bring out her abilities, but she could not sense the thoughts of the figure or any of the creatures around her.
Then, whose shadow was it?
"Who are you?" cried Aira who was starting to get scared. "I'm sorry, I didn't—"
The nine-year-old girl was stunned, eyes wide and mouth open. It was as if she couldn't believe her own eyes when a figure appeared, standing one step in front of her.
"Aira." The beautiful figure smiled sweetly down at the little girl. "Sweetheart..."
"Mom?" Aira was so nervous that her body trembled with longing for the figure that was now in front of her. "Mom..."
The little girl threw herself into her mother's body, hugging her tightly in a cry that she could no longer hold back.
"Mom... I miss you. I miss you so much, Mom," Aira said through her tears.
"Oh, my poor daughter."
The beautiful woman hugged Aira warmly, stroked her head and back gently, and then kissed her head.
"I'm deeply sorry, sweetheart."
The woman squatted down, cupped her daughter's wet cheeks lovingly, then smiled sweetly as she wiped away her daughter's heavy tears.
"Mom, I really miss you."
"I know, sweetheart." The woman pulled her daughter into her arms. "I know."
"How did you come back to life?"
Well, this is impossible, another cry in the corner of the little girl's heart. There is no way my mother can come back to life.
What has really happened to me?
No, no... this wasn't a dream!
" Sweetheart, listen to me," said the still-smiling mother as she gently stroked her daughter's face. "Have you found the right person to accompany you?"
Aira nodded. "He's very rude, Mom. But I know he has a good heart."
"Is that so?" the woman smiled again. "Do you see the signs?"
The little girl nodded again.
"Keep honing your skills, sweetheart. You are the only one left from our people. Fulfill the prophecy of the ancestors, become the whisperer that all the creatures of this world have been waiting for."
"But, Mom," Aira hugged her mother again. "I'd rather be with you, Mom. I don't want to be separated from you anymore. Please..."
"Sweetheart," the woman sighed deeply as she rubbed her daughter's back. "You must be strong, you must be courageous. You must revive the legend of the Asurry. Show those people that our tribes will not be easily destroyed."
"But, Mom—"
"Promise me, sweetheart! Promise me you'll help that man until the end. Until the prophecy comes true!"
Aira nodded stubbornly, her tears still rolling down her cheeks.
The mother smiled, caressing her daughter's face with all the warmth she still had even though her body was no longer real.
"This is the first and last time we'll see each other, sweetheart."
"No-No, Mom. No, please!"
Aira hugged her mother tightly as if she didn't want to let go, didn't want to be separated from her anymore.
"Please don't go, Mom. Don't leave me again. I'm lonely!"
"I love you with all my heart, sweetheart. I'm sorry, we all depend on you."
"Mom!"
Aira tightened her embrace but suddenly she could no longer feel her mother's body. Only that puff of greenish mist remained in her arms.
"Mom..." she cried. "Please, don't leave me alone! Mom..."
"Aira? Hey!"
Aira seemed to come to her senses as Vir embraced her tenderly.
"What's wrong? What happened?" Vir squatted down in front of the little girl. "Tell me something!"
And when the little girl realized that something had really happened, not just a dream, she hugged the man tightly and burst into tears again.
The man didn't know what had just happened to the little girl, but, seeing the little girl crying like that while hugging him, Vir felt a tightness in his chest. He couldn't bear it. Whatever was behind her crying, for now, Vir didn't want to know.
He let Aira cry in his arms. That was all he could do, giving her all the warmth and care he could.
They remained in that state until a few minutes later.
And gradually, Aira finally stopped crying.
"Hey..." Vir held the little girl's shoulders. "What's wrong? What made you cry like this?"
After all, this was the first time Vir had seen Aira in this state. In fact, he had always seen Aira as an annoying, stubborn, and troublesome little girl.
Aira wiped away the tears on her cheeks, wiped her face, and tried not to cry again even though the longing in her heart was so great for her mother.
"Will you tell me?"
Vir took a deep breath. This time, he didn't want to force the little girl to speak, nor take offense at her silence.
He stood up, looked at Aira for a moment, then approached his cart, taking out a few things from inside it.
Well, he thought. Something must have triggered her memory of this region, the land of her ancestors. Whatever it was, he thought.
Vir built a campfire there, not sure there would be a better place for them to rest tonight around there.