"So, has enough time passed for me to try using magic again?" Fiu asked, still frustrated about not being able to perform magic like Snow could.
"Now's the perfect time, but let's go outside," Snow suggested.
"Fine, whatever. Just teach me how to do that magic stuff," Fiu grumbled, his frustration evident in his tone.
With a playful spin, Snow suddenly appeared in a new coat, with a mischievous glint in her eye.
Fiu also got up. He started walking towards the cabin exit, expecting Snow to follow suit, and she did.
Once they were outside, Snow shivered slightly. This was weird as she was a spirit. *Spirits don't feel cold, right?*
"Are you cold?"
"Hm? Yeah, I always do. You don't?"
"No, I'm not even wearing my jacket, but I don't feel cold."
"Weird," Snow replied half-heartedly.
In reality, she wasn't feeling this way because of her environment's bitter coldness but because she had been feeling lonely. And that for centuries. Spirits aren't known for being warm anyway, but when one becomes unhappy, they turn even colder to the touch. *I mean, who can blame her? Spending hundreds of years with little to no human interaction would make me feel lonely, too.*
"Anyways, let's start by imagining what you want a part of yourself to materialize into."
Fiu's eyes lit up with excitement at the mention of imagining what he wanted to create. It was the first time Snow had seen Fiu being non-gloomy. It was like one of the stories he had read while he was still a living human.
"Like imagining the mana flowing out of my body?"
Snow chuckled softly at his question. "What? I don't know what mana is," she declared.
Fiu's smile slightly faltered.
"And what did you mean by creating something from a part of myself?"
"Well, you can't just create something out of nothing. And you're not experienced enough to use just one type of molecule to form something new," Snow explained enthusiastically. "So, you must sacrifice a part of your spirit self to use magic. The easiest way is to imagine what you want to shape with magic. But don't worry, it will merge back into you once you dissolve what you made, just like the spoon I showed you."
"You can't exactly see my thoughts, but just try doing what I'm going to show you," Snow said. She closed her eyes, and some blue essence started flowing upwards from the open palm.
Fiu watched in awe as the transparent substance started shifting into butterfly-like wings resembling fractured ice. The wings began fluttering even before the rest of the butterfly's body got in shape. There it was: a crystalline butterfly wholly made out of a part of Snow's body.
The little butterfly flew around confusedly, but the movement quickly turned into a lively dance. Then, Snow closed her palm, and the butterfly disappeared in an instant.
"Now, you try."
"Alright."
Fiu extended one hand and tried hard to think of something to create. For a moment, nothing popped into his mind. But then, he thought of something from his 'previous life': a book. Finally, it started materializing in front of his hand. The book fell to the ground. It looked slightly deformed and weird; there was no cover, no title, just a blank, white front page, but it was still there, tangible and physical.
He leaned down to pick it up. As he straightened up, he turned the book around, inspecting it from all angles. He started flipping through the pages and saw that the book was empty.
"What happened to this?"
"You probably didn't think of anything written in it. Right?"
"Yes."
"So, what did you expect? It will be empty if you don't imagine something's contents."
Fiu nodded, understanding the situation.
"I see. But I did think of the cover, and it's not there."
"Strange," Snow thought.
She quickly thought of a follow-up to what she said earlier. "On that note, when you think of something to create, you should also think of what's on the inside; otherwise, it will be hollow."
"I see, I see," he responded. "Well, I feel exhausted now."
Snow had an idea. She decided to lead Fiu to the top of a nearby mountain to watch the sunset together.
"Then let's go somewhere. I know a good place!" She said, already tugging impatiently at Fiu's arm.
Fiu thought about how he didn't even want to interact with this weird girl, but now, a part of him wants to go with Snow.
"Fine, but only this time."
Snow placed her hand in Fiu's; it felt significantly bigger than hers, but nonetheless, it filled her with warmth—a warmth that she hadn't felt in centuries. Blood rushed to her cheeks, painting them a gentle shade of pink. *Turns out, she only needed affection, even if the other person did not return it.*
Fiu, taken back by Snow's forward activity, considered releasing her hand. But it didn't feel horrible. In fact, her hand felt pretty soft in his. He'd decided to go along with this strange girl's actions.
"So, where are you going to drag me?"
"You'll find out once we get there," she said mischievously.
After a few minutes of walking in silence, they reached the mountaintop. She sat in the fresh snow, pulling Fiu down beside herself.
Snow turns to Fiu with a neutral facial expression. "Do you think you'll have fun staying with me?" She asked hopefully.
"I don't know. Maybe," Fiu responded to her question.
Snow was a little disappointed, as she expected some kind of praise from him. *Maybe it's too much to ask for from someone she just met?*
Snow noticed something warm still wrapped around her hand and realized they were still holding hands. Her cheeks flushed again, and she quickly removed her hand from Fiu's.
Snow quickly thought of something so the awkward silence phase wouldn't occur. "Don't you think the sky is beautiful when the Sun is going down?"
"It is," Fiu replied while staring into the horizon.
"So, um, did I die and lose everything?"
"Everything except for your memories. But I'd suggest not holding onto them. It will make everything harder, trying to reach for something that isn't there anymore."
His past life's memories flashed in front of Fiu once again. It was tough to hold back the emotions, but he managed.
"You might be right. Do I have to live with you for... however long spirits live?"
"Spirits don't 'live,' we just exist forever. And no, you don't have to. You can go away any time you want."
"But where to?"
"Good question. Humans can't see you anymore."
"And what happens to other people who die?"
"They get sent to the afterlife," Snow's cheeks went pale at the thought of explaining why she kept him here instead of sending him to the afterlife.
"To the afterlife? But why was I not sent there? Was I not good enough?"
"It's not about that," she answered, trying to avoid the question about the afterlife. "Your soul just... stayed here?" She said, unsure if it was a question or a statement herself.
"But why?" He said.
"Let's head home. It's starting to get very dark out here," Snow said, trying desperately to avoid answering his questions, knowing that it would make her look bad in this situation.
—————
To be continued...