"The moon is beautiful, isn't it?" the little white-haired girl asked after 13 minutes of silent staring.
She didn't expect a reply. However, to her surprise, the black-haired boy responded, "Was it? I can't see any beauty in it, though."
Although a bit taken aback, she was pleased to finally elicit a reaction from the unusually emotionless boy, causing the white-haired girl to smiled brightly.
Her joyful response even prompted the expressionless boy to glance at her for a moment. He couldn't comprehend why she was so happy about his response.
Before long, the little white-haired girl's cheerful expression faded into sadness. She looked at his dried wounds and softly asked, "isn't it painful?" She had a strong aversion to blood, and she especially disliked the fact that the boy next to her was wounded and in pain.
The black-haired boy disregarded her concern and retorted, "You still haven't answered my earlier question. What do you find so beautiful about the moon?"
"If you don't think it's beautiful, then why have you been staring at its reflection for so long?"
"Just answer me first."
The white-haired girl hesitated for a moment, then lifted her gaze to the real moon as she said, "The moon is beautiful because it provides warmth and light. The moon and the stars around it serve as a beacon of hope in the endless darkness." She turned sideways to face the boy, causing her white hair to sway and flutter gently. "Moreover, it fills your heart with wonder and tranquility. At least, that's what my mama always said."
The black-haired boy looked at her. When she turned, he felt momentarily entranced by her dazzling appearance. For a second, his mind even misinterpreted her as the moon's manifestation itself.
Seeing his dazed expression, the little white-haired girl misunderstood and asked, "Did you finally understand?"
Upon hearing her question, the boy regained his composure and resumed staring silently at the moon's reflection.
When the little white-haired girl saw his lack of response again, she pouted adorably. However, after a few moments, the boy finally spoke.
"I see... No wonder I felt so calm when I started looking at the moon's reflection." After saying this, he reverted to his emotionless demeanor and remained unresponsive, regardless of what the white-haired girl did or said.
The little white-haired girl pursed her lips but refused to give up. Just as her delicate fingers were about to touch his shoulder to provoke a reaction, she heard a calm yet cold voice from behind her.
"There you are.."
Like a cat startled by its own tail, the little white-haired girl abruptly stood up and turned around. After identifying the source of the voice, she panicked, "Moth-er."
At a distance, Duchess Luminous stood with her arms crossed, casting a cold glance at her daughter.
"Well, well. What do we have here? You seem to be having quite a lot of fun after running away from home, my little sweetheart." The Duchess approached her daughter step by step. "Meanwhile, I have been stressed over losing a dear friend. Quite the contrast, isn't it?"
Seeing the irritated smile on her mother's face, the little white-haired girl began to sweat, "Ma...ma, I--"
The Duchess cut her off. Instead, she looked at the black-haired boy who had just turned his head toward them and asked, "Who is he? Your secret boyfriend?" However, upon taking a closer look at the boy's bewitching face, the Duchess was left profoundly stunned.
"Wh-at... no... h-e..." Although the little white-haired girl didn't grasp what her mother meant by 'secret boyfriend', she instinctively felt her face blush feverishly.
Fortunately, before she could formulate a response, she noticed her mother staring at the black-haired boy with wide, shocked eyes, completely ignoring her.
"You...." The Duchess pointed her finger at the boy, her deep blue eyes swirling with indescribable emotions. "Black hair... and that face... Are you—"
The Duchess hurried past the little girl and positioned herself in front of the bewildered black-haired boy. She intently scrutinized his blood-stained clothes, lost in contemplation.
The black-haired boy stood up and regarded the Duchess warily. Although he only partially comprehended her words, that alone was enough to make him extremely cautious and ready to flee at the slightest indication of her harming him.
After a few seconds, the Duchess calmed down and organized her thoughts. Soon, a realization struck her, prompting her to burst into joyful laughter, "HAHAHAHAHA...."
Seeing her mother erupt into wild laughter as if she had lost her mind, the little white-haired girl beside her grew anxious, fearing that her mother might be mad at the black-haired boy and had misunderstood him as the one who brought her here.
Instinctively, she stepped in front of the boy, spreading her arms to protect him. She bit her cute lips and attempted to explain, "Mama, he's not—"
Upon hearing her daughter's worried whisper, Duchess Luminous stopped laughing and looked at her daughter with amusement, "I know, silly girl. Don't worry, I am not going to bite him."
"Huh?"
"Now step aside; I need to check something." The little girl didn't have a chance to express her perplexion before she floated into the air and landed next to her mother.
The Duchess moved closer to the boy and knelt down beside him. She looked into his emotionless gray eyes and gently asked, "Little one, can you tell me who your mother is?"
Even though she already had a guess, the Duchess wanted to confirm it directly from him.
The black-haired boy glanced at the woman's deep blue eyes, noticing no hint of malice in them. As he heard her question, he contemplated whether he should truthfully answer or not.
Then, he realized something important. He finally understood that his mother didn't randomly teleport him here by chance; she had sent him here because of the woman in front of him.
"Yami Abyss Twilight." In the end, he chose to respond honestly.
"I see..." The Duchess sighed sorrowfully, glancing at the bright moon in the sky, concealing the deep pain in her eyes.
After a brief silence, the Duchess composed herself and turned to the black-haired boy again. "What is your name, child?"
"Aeuu Abyss Ragnarok," the boy replied with an emotionless tone.
"Alright, Aeuu it is! From now on, you will be known as Aeuu Eve Luminous."
Her sudden declaration surprised both the little white-haired girl and Aeuu.
Nevertheless, the Duchess continued without concern, "From today onwards, you will live with us and consider me and my daughter your only family from henceforth."
Upon hearing the Duchess say that they would be his family from now on, an unfamiliar emotion flickered in his lifeless gray eyes. After the tragic loss of his parents, this was the first time someone had comforted him and offered to be his family.
Unfortunately, before this feeling could fully emerge, he closed his eyes, burying the deep pain and sadness in the depths of his heart.
A gentle hand rested on his head, softly rubbing it. "I know what you're trying to do. Don't hide the pain; let it all out. Cry as much as you want. After all, you're still a seven-year-old child, right?"
Sadly, Aeuu shook his head and refused to let even a single tear fall.
Duchess Luminous sighed. She glanced at her daughter and gestured for her to come over. "Sweetheart, come here. This little rascal will be joining our family from now on. Why don't you Greet our new family member."
The little white-haired girl had long since overcome her initial surprise. Now, she observed their interaction with an inexplicable sense of relief filling her chest.
As she noticed her mother's gesture and heard her words, she eagerly approached Aeuu and, without hesitation, took both of his hands in her own, introducing herself.
"I am Celestia Eve Luminous. I have always wanted a sibling. Will you please be our family, big brother?"
Upon hearing the melodious voice of the white-haired girl he had met not long ago, Aeuu opened his eyes and gazed at her life-giving cyan eyes in a daze. In the end, he could only nod.
Watching their adorable interaction, the Duchess smiled and stepped forward. "And I am Jenia Eve Luminous, the Duchess of this state and your new mother from now on," she said as she hugged both of them in her embrace.
As the tapestry of stars and the luminously glowing moon lit up their new familial relation and the not-so-far-away city of illumination, the boy who lost everything begun anew.