Chapter Twenty: Sending You a Little White Flower
“Looking at the stars…”
Hearing this, the little girl slightly raised her head and cast her gaze upwards.
Following her gaze, Shaya peered through the cracked roof of the shed and the narrow gaps between the rooftops of the alley, faintly seeing the deep night sky.
However, the visible area was too small to clearly see the twinkling starlight scattered across the night sky.
Shaya nodded and pointed to the haystack beside her: “Can I sit here?”
“Mm, mm.”
The little girl quickly nodded, a hint of meekness and flattery flashing in her eyes as she moved a distance to the side, curling up in the corner to leave Shaya a lot of space.
Noticing that the haystack was not very clean, her expression turned a bit ashamed, and she hurriedly placed her old thin blanket on top of it.
Seeing this, Shaya let out a gentle sigh.
He didn’t say anything and sat down comfortably, not minding at all, as he and the little girl gazed at the pitch-black night sky together from the narrow alley.
“By the way, what’s your name?”
Shaya suddenly remembered this matter, tilting his head to look at the little girl in the corner as he spoke.
“Aileen… Aileen Natalie.”
After softly saying this, she seemed to recall her parents, and her eyes turned slightly red.
But no tears flowed.
“That’s a lovely name.”
Shaya reached out, gently covering Aileen’s small head, and slowly stroked her with his hand through her dry yellow hair.
Seemingly startled by this unexpected action, Aileen’s small body trembled a little, and she looked at Shaya with a timid gaze before burying her face in her knees.
Although she did not dare to speak, under the cold night, that big hand conveyed a warm feeling.
“Aileen, would you like to see the complete starry sky?”
Upon hearing this, Aileen raised her head and glanced at Shaya, receiving his encouraging gaze.
Her heart skipped a beat: “B-but, Mom said the streets outside are dangerous, and I shouldn’t go out casually.”
Shaya was silent for a while, then smiled slightly: “Then, let me show you a magic trick.”
Saying this, he gently took Aileen’s thin wrist, and under her doubtful and evasive gaze, extended the hand wearing the “Veil of Concealment.”
With a gentle grasp, he lifted a curtain of shadow.
Seeing this, Aileen’s bright eyes widened, as if she had witnessed an incredible sight.
“Big brother, are you… a mage?”
She was very curious about the scene before her, wanting to reach out and touch the curtain of shadows, but felt a bit hesitant.
“Sort of.”
Shaya smiled as, amidst Aileen’s soft gasps of surprise, he melded into the water-like shadow with her.
Aileen felt her vision blur, and then she was immersed in the water, engulfed by a comforting darkness.
But not long after, a dim light returned to view.
She blinked and found that, in just a few seconds, the two had reached the top of the house, and looking down could see the dilapidated shed in the alley.
“Look up?”
Shaya’s voice coaxingly guided her, and Aileen shook her head, then cautiously tilted it upwards.
She saw a vast and boundless starry sky.
The night sky unfurled like the simplest of canvases, and the twinkling lights sparkled like dazzling diamonds that a deity had carelessly sprinkled onto this pure canvas.
At the center of this canvas hung a bright, pure moon.
“Beautiful,” Aileen’s eyes trembled, “So, so…”
So I can also gaze upon the stars like this?
The latter part of her thought was secretly hidden in her heart.
They were silent for a long time.
Both were gazing at the vast and beautiful night sky, strangely calm, each lost in thoughts.
“Big brother.”
“Mm?”
“Do the stars… have names?”
“They do, oh, you see the big, bright one closest to the moon? That’s called Saint George Star, symbolizing the first Emperor; a bit farther away is the Traveler Star, a star that can be seen anywhere, even in the desert, it can guide lost travelers; and then there’s that one…”
“Big brother, is there someone on the moon?”
“Mm? Why do you ask that?”
“Because I see a very beautiful big sister dancing up there in a skirt that has those folded layers.”
“Haha, your imagination is very rich.”
“N-no, it’s not imagination, it’s real!”
“Oh, then maybe… it’s the Goddess of the Bright Moon?”
“By the way, Aileen, isn’t Grandpa Peter taking care of you?”
“No, Grandpa is very good to me, gives me bread to eat, and lets me stay at his house, but… but I don’t want to trouble him, because Mom said that in this world, everyone is already tired, and we shouldn’t always add to others’ troubles.”
At this point, Aileen’s gaze dimmed.
“You have a very good mother.” Shaya reached out to touch her head, thinking of his own mother, who had resolutely stood in front of the executioners to save her young self, “Of course, I do too.”
After that, the two of them sat on the edge of the rooftop, chatting here and there, most of the time beginning with Aileen’s questions and ending with Shaya’s answers.
Aileen’s feelings of inferiority and timidity were diluted significantly.
“Big brother…”
At a certain moment, Aileen suddenly raised her head.
She took a small white flower from her somewhat tattered pocket, which seemed to have been picked from the nearby grass.
This wildflower wasn’t beautiful and had no fragrance, but its tenacious life made it common to find.
She carefully handed this little white flower to Shaya without saying a word.
“Thank you.”
Shaya patted her head and placed the flower into his jacket pocket.
The night gradually deepened.
At one moment, Shaya vaguely heard a sound of breathing, and looking down, he found that the dark, thin Aileen had unknowingly leaned on his arm and fallen asleep.
He thought for a moment and decided not to wake her, maintaining this posture quietly while watching the night sky.
To prevent her from getting cold, every little while, Shaya secretly cast a Warm Wind spell.
His current magical realm was that of a Warlock, and with 14 more attribute points, he could even advance to a Mage. His total magical power had increased manyfold, but what he could still use was limited to those few apprentice spells, such as Warm Wind, Fireball, Grease, Illumination, and so on.
They were simple to learn and did not consume much magic power.
The night passed in silence.
Until the distant sky slightly reddened, and sounds began to stir in the streets, Shaya quietly took Aileen back to the dilapidated shed.
Then he disappeared into the alley.
