December 25, 2000
Operation Code: 2319981999 [Act Reference 78]
.....
Somewhere in the white snowy region, the Chrono Control Foundation's special task forces were sent to investigate an unusual Singularity on Mount Everest.
"Iris," Morgana called out.
"Mm. Yes?" She responded, looking up from the campfire.
Slowly, Morgana reached out to Iris' palm and passed her an envelope, her body shivering from the cold weather.
"What is this?" She asked.
Morgana didn't respond, she just smiled at her.
Chen however was not having it and threw another stick inside the burning ember.
"Damn it Morgana! You can't just leave us hanging like that! If you have tea, spill it or leave it." Chen said sternly, but her voice was not unkind.
But again, Morgana just smiled and said;
"If anything happens to me..."
"Take care of my children."
.....
Iris suddenly feels a sharp pain in her head and she jolts awake from her sleep.
"Morgana!" She yelled out.
She was panting heavily and beads of sweat ran down her forehead to her neck.
"It's just a nightmare.." She convinced herself.
She looked out the window from her bed — realizing she was still inside the CCF base.
The vivid image of The Administrator's last envelope haunted her to this day; Iris blamed herself for losing the envelope in the snowfield.
She clutched at the fabric of the mattress, looking at the moon as tears streamed down her cheeks — mixing with her sweat.
In the next moment, she heard a familiar sound of a baby crying.
"Sylvie.." she muttered under her breath.
Iris quickly wiped away her tears with the back of her hand and quickly sprinted to the room where Sylvie and Felix were sleeping.
When she opened the door, she saw Felix next to her sister's cradle, trying to comfort her by pushing the cradle with his small hands.
Felix looked up at her with his big innocent eyes and crawled up to her.
"Poor sweetheart," Iris said as she picked up Felix from the floor and put him back in his cradle.
"Just sleep, little one. I'm here." She whispered to his ear while gently patting his head before turning to Sylvie's cradle.
Iris picked her up from the cradle carefully before placing her next to her brother in the same cradle.
"Merry Christmas.. my children.."
She sang them a lullaby with a soothing melody and gently pushed the cradle until the siblings were claimed by slumber.
In the end, kids are just kids.
[—Her Diary…]