Aria lay asleep, clinging gently in Luna's embrace.
Looking down at her sister's peaceful face, Luna chuckled softly and wiped away the tears still clinging to her cheeks.
The sight of Aria's face, still a little puffy and red from crying, struck Luna as oddly funny.
Carefully, she smuggled herself out from under the sheets, sliding off the bed in complete silence before slipping out the door.
Walking alone down the beautiful corridor, Luna couldn't help but ask,
"Niva."
"..."
"Yes?" Niva answered.
"What can you do… in the sense of, what are your abilities?"
"...Anything ice-related. Whatever comes to your mind, it's possible, as long as it falls within the concept of ice."
"I mean, the ability to freeze things, create and shape anything from ice."
Luna walked quietly, pondering his words for a moment , more than ten seconds passing before she spoke again.
"In the sense of what magic can do? Magic has endless possibilities… Is it similar for you? Or the same?"
Niva materialized in front of her with pride, placing one paw firmly on his chest and speaking grandly,
"No! My abilities cannot be compared to magic! My abilities are one of a kind! Magic is too restrictive!"
"My skills are beyond the bounds of magic! Heh!"
"You're a spirit. An ice spirit, right?" Luna asked, her finger lightly pointing up as if poking a hole in his boast. "So… are there other spirits who have the same or similar powers?"
"Ah, " Niva let out a sharp, startled sound, caught completely off guard.
His posture sank. Head lowering, he spoke in a quiet, dejected tone,
"No… I am an Ice Spirit. I embody ice. There are other spirits, but they each correspond to one of the six elements of magic."
Luna chuckled softly. "Don't worry. I still love you… because you're with me."
She gave Niva a small pat, a quiet smile blooming on her lips, just enough to lift his spirits.
She tilted her head in thought, eyes narrowing slightly as something puzzled her.
"But you said 'corresponding to the six elements of magic.' Then… What are you? You're not one of the basic elements, are you?"
Looking away, Niva waved her question off with the flick of a hand.
"You don't need to know that now… So, regarding what I can do…"
"Due to your massive mana pool, thanks to your soul, you're able to use me to my full potential! Of course… as long as you practice using me!"
Luna exhaled softly, accepting the redirection. "I guess."
"I really was terrible at using you back then," Luna murmured under her breath, gently shaking her head from side to side.
"The more you know, you know," she added with a faint grin.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Niva asked, clearly confused.
"Anything," Luna said with a chuckle. "As you said, anything."
"What…?" Niva murmured. Then, without another word, he slipped back into Luna's mark—just as Nyx and Theo rounded the corner ahead.
Seeing Nyx and Theo, she rushed towards them and jumped with her hand in front of her, grasping Nyx's legs, and she hugged him from behind.
Nyx, startled, jumped away from Luna's arms, scared. Theo outright laughed, seeing him jump away like a scared cat.
Luna was confused. She looked at Theo and Nyx continuously; every second, she grew even more confused.
What? What is happening?
Luna, seeing Theo laughing hard, his blue eyes filled with tears of joy, and Nyx, her brother, scared as a cat...
Nyx, seeing it was Luna, called out in a scaredy-cat voice, "How are you this silent!!?"
"It makes no sense!?"
Theo, wiping his tears, added, "That's right, Miss, you made no footsteps."
"His injuries still keep Young Theo on toes."
Nyx, seeing Theo laugh and Luna's confusion, quickly composed himself. He walked up to Luna, kneeled before her, and asked in a gentle, soothing voice,
"Is everything alright? I… I should've assigned you a guard since Theo wasn't available at the moment."
"I am sorry… that my irresponsibility has once again caused you pain," Nyx said, regret clear in his eyes.
"…Pain? What pain? Brother, what are you saying? You've caused me nothing!" Luna cheerfully tried to lift his spirit. "To begin with, what's there to fear when fate is already sealed, haha."
She tucked her hair behind her ear, chuckling at her own self-deprecating remark.
"What?" Nyx murmured, his eyes locking onto Luna.
Deflecting his gaze, Luna turned to Theo and said with a happy tone,
"Thank you for saving me back there, Theo. I'm happy that you did your best!"
She smiled gently.
"I'm sorry I didn't come any sooner," Theo said, kneeling in front of her, a trace of regret softening his voice.
"I… should have come sooner…" he repeated, sadness still lingering in his tone.
"Luna, is everything okay…" Nyx glanced into her eyes, sensing something hidden beneath her smile.
"Anyway, thank you, brother, for coming to save me!" she said, brushing off his words as she hugged him.
"I'm happy you both came," she added with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, her gaze slipping past Theo, into the empty corridor, as if listening for something that wasn't there.
Letting go of Nyx, she stepped back with her hands folded behind her back and asked brightly,
"Can I come with you?"
Nyx kept staring at her, her smile, her eyes, something about them didn't feel right.
On Nyx's behalf, he replied,
"If Young Nyx doesn't mind, you're always welcome to come with us."
He smiled softly as he said it.
"Then I'll come with you."
Luna darted past Nyx, her words still hanging in the air. His gaze followed her, concern flickering in his eyes.
She extended her hand back toward him. "Come, Nyx! You'll be left behind if you keep crouching there!"
Luna and Theo walked down the corridor, side by side, as Nyx slowly stood up behind them, eyes fixed on Luna.
"…What happened to you there…" Nyx murmured, watching her chat with Theo from afar.
Her smile, it wouldn't stop bothering him.
"Tsk," Theo clicked his tongue, a frown weighing on his face as sadness settled into his expression.