A child?
Out of all the possibilities Vivia and Zerath had imagined, the last thing they expected to find in the hidden cave was a child.
The little demon was curled up in the farthest corner, arms tightly wrapped around his knees. His ice-silver eyes stared at them in silence, unblinking and unreadable.
"How did a child end up here?" Zerath mumured in disbelief. "This place looks like it's been buried and left untouched for ages…"
Vivia squinted through the darkness but could only make out vague shapes of matted hair and tattered clothing. An idea struck her, and she gently pulled out the glimmerpetal she had tucked in her dress's pocket. The delicate petals glowed softly, casting a pleasant light across the dark, stone-cold cave.
"That's a good use," Zerath arched his brow.
The soft light gave them much-needed clarity, and what they saw tightened their hearts.
Dried twigs, broken branches and remnants of fruits littered the cave floor. It was painfully evident that the child was trying to survive off whatever food he could get his hands on.
Vivia's heart ached as she took a clear look at the child who looked like a complete mess. His silver hair had outgrown his shoulders with dirt and tangled clumps all over it. His clothes were too battered and ripped that could hardly provide him with any warmth. Like his hair, dirt clung to his frail, exposed skin.
"Who are you?" Vivia asked softly so as to not frighten him.
He didn't respond, but neither did he look away. It was as if he was thoroughly scrutinizing the two strangers before him like a wild, untamed animal.
Zerath knelt beside her, inspecting the child.
"Ice-silver eyes. It's quite rare in our realm."
"I've so many questions," she whispered. "What has he been doing in this cave and for how long? Who left him here? Where are his parents?"
This time, Zerath tried, keeping his voice low and friendly as much as possible.
"Can you tell me your name?"
Only silence greeted him.
Vivia thought for a moment and beamed. She slipped out a small piece of confectionery from the inner linings of her dress and placed it on her palm.
"Do you see this? It's a sweetmeat! These are sweetened nuts. They're sweet and tasty. Do you want it?"
"How do you have those?" Zerath blinked.
"Sous chef Ronove gave me some before we left~"
"I see they're growing fond of you," he smiled.
"I've always been a very charming person, and I'll charm this child in no time, hoho~"
The child stared at the confectionery on her palm but did not move an inch.
Undeterred, Vivia placed another sweetened nut. "Do you want two? You can have as many as you want. I have lots!"
No answer.
She patiently nudged her hand closer to him. But the child reacted sharply and slapped her hand away, hissing with hostility and anger.
His animosity wasn't as shocking as compared to the fact that a thin layer of ice now formed on her hand that he harshly slapped away. Her fingers trembled with the chill.
"An elemental demon?" Zerath's gaze sharpened.
"Elemental?"
"Demons that can control nature's elements - Fire, ice, wood, wind, light, darkness and so on," He explained as he quickly broke away the thin layer of ice.
Ice? No this…cannot be possible…
"I think we're thinking about the same thing," Vivia said, "which feels too unbelievable."
"Yes," he whispered grimly, "It seems too far-fetched of a notion for a child to be trapped in here for more than twenty years and be the cause for Nethermoor's eternal winter. A large-scale occurrence like this by his hands…"
Though Zerath also couldn't discount the possibility despite the sheer improbability.
"But he is so small and he is definitely not twenty years old. He cannot be the source," Vivia protested.
She shook off the thought. "Let's think about that later. First, we should get him out of this cave and feed him something."
Zerath agreed, but it wasn't as easy as it sounded. The child didn't budge an inch. Vivia tried many tricks to lower his guard, but he remained rooted in place, silent and unblinking.
"Don't you want to see the outside? It's very beautiful! There are big, lush trees, pretty flowers blooming, birds chirping, a vast blue sky, waterfalls and lots of warm and delicious food too!" She clapped her hands in delight.
The child kept staring.
Vivia made funny faces for his entertainment.
No answer.
She cracked the funniest jokes she could.
No reaction.
Vivia was close to crying at this point.
Children loved me back in my town! Am I losing my touch?
Zerath gave it a thought next. He looked around and found a long, thin branch lying nearby. He picked it up and took one sweetened nut from Vivia which he tied around the branch's tip. He held it in front of the child and swayed the branch - first left, then right. The little demon acutely stared at the oscillating sweetened nut, and his pupils followed the trail.
Zerath gradually sped up the movements - two folds, then four folds until he abruptly stopped. The child lunged to catch the nut, but he swiftly moved the branch again. The child leaned back and patiently resumed to follow the swinging treat.
Vivia was dumbfounded.
This is something I play with my town's street cats. So…Zerath is treating him like a cat?
Zerath let him win at his third try. But instead of being satisfied, the child stared at him with a quiet, accusatory gaze.
"So you know that I stopped for you on purpose," he smiled. "Guess you don't like unfair victories."
Vivia wasn't sure how to react to this whole interaction. Zerath let out a chuckle at her bewildered look.
"Demons always like to get involved with something fun and interesting. It can be anything - games, horse riding, sword training. Anything that can pump our blood and senses with exhilaration. It's in our innate nature, and I figured this child would be no different."
"So just like lilybells."
Zerath paused, tilting his head. "Huh. Now that you say it like that…"
He then said, "We've spent a long time here. We should leave now. Lucian must be searching for us."
They tried everything to coax the child out of the cave, but every attempt failed. The only time he would react was during Zerath's game, which gave them an idea.
Vivia jumped to her feet and dusted her dress. "Yes, yes. It's quite late now."
As they began walking away, his small body twitched at first. He shifted awkwardly, his gaze fixed at the dangling branch Zerath held.
As they reached the cave's opening, the child stood slowly. His steps were slow and cautious, laced with hesitation, but his gaze remained glued to the sweetened nut the whole time.
He really wants to win the game, Vivia coughed.
She chirped. "Once we're out, you can play catch with Zerath as much as you want~"
It was a sweet deal for a child who had been trapped in the dark, lonely cave for who knew how long. Zerath gauged his eyes and offered to carry him with the most non-threatening expression he could.
The child stared up at him. All of a sudden, he leapt to snatch the nut, but Zerath swiftly raised the branch and out of his reach.
He chuckled. "You've a long way to go to be able to catch me off-guard."
The child nearly stumbled, but he steadied himself. He looked neither embarrassed nor frustrated by his defeat. His gaze simply looked steady as if he was planning his next move.
"Apologies, but playtime is over. We've to leave."
The child's ice-silver eyes peered into his golden irises as if accusing him of running away.
"You can challenge me outside too if you'd like," Zerath smiled.
The child seemed to ponder for a long moment. At first, he hesitated, then he walked closer, allowing Zerath to lift him up.
Zerath leaned and whispered in her ear. "Demons don't like losing either."
His warm breath gently brushed against her ear, making her tickle.
"Why are you telling me this?" Vivia asked, slightly flustered by his sudden proximity.
"Hm, just thought you should know~"
Her brow twitched.
This feels suspicious…
They finally climbed out of the underground hold. Vivia drew in a deep breath of fresh air.
How could he survive in that suffocating cave? It's pure torture!
The child immediately squeezed his eyes shut and buried his face in Zerath's shoulder.
She gently poked his head and grinned. "It's fine. Take your time. There's no rush."
The child slowly lifted his head, his eyelids parted by only a tiny slit. As his vision gradually adjusted to the brightness, the world unfolded before him like a blossoming flower he had never seen before.