The first thing the child clearly saw was Vivia's warm, smiling face, cheering him on with her bright emerald eyes. He stared at her, unblinkingly.
Zerath looked up at the sky and blinked. "It stopped snowing."
She followed his gaze. "Oh. I didn't realize it at all. It doesn't feel that cold either."
They made their way toward the lake, which lay near the cave's entrance. The child gazed around in every direction, at the endless white expanse of ice blanketing the trees and earth. The frozen landscape was a striking contrast to the dark cave he had been living in.
The fresh wind brushed against his cheeks, the winter birds sang sweetly, the snow-laced leaves swayed gently, and the grey clouds stretched endlessly as far as his gaze took him. When he exhaled, a small hazy mist puffed from his mouth. He tried to catch the dissipating mist with his little fingers.
Zerath set him down when his gaze landed on the enormous, frozen lake. He didn't speak, but a flicker passed in his eyes.
Vivia knelt beside him and smiled. "The lake is so big and beautiful, right? Look how the ice shimmers."
The child clutched the edge of his tattered clothes in silence.
"Do you know we can skate on the ice too? Back in my town, people used leg bones of large beasts. We would strap them on our feet and glide across the frozen rivers. It was so much fun!"
"Ah. The infamous ice gliding of the Human Realm. My master had taught me that once," he tipped his head to the side.
"Your master has a good eye," she nodded with appreciation. "We even hold a winter festival. Whoever wins the race gets a grand prize."
Her nose rose proudly. "*Ahem* I've been the undefeated champion for years now~"
Zerath squinted his eyes. "I'd like to challenge you one day."
"I welcome the challenge any time. But be prepared to lose," she smirked.
He chuckled. "We'll see."
An idea struck Vivia, and her eyes shone with delight.
"I know! We can't do ice gliding now, but behold! I'm very adept at dancing on the ice floor. How about I perform a dance for you~?"
The child stared at her, confused.
"I'll take that as a yes!"
"Vivia's dance, huh? It'll be my pleasure to witness it," Zerath's brow arched curiously.
She proudly flipped her hair back. "You'll feel awed by the end of it."
Shrugging off her furry overcoat, she walked on the icy lake's surface. She confidently took the center stage and grinned. "Let's begin!"
Zerath sat cross-legged on the lake shore and smiled at the child. "Why don't we enjoy Lady Vivia's dance?"
The little demon glanced at him, then slowly sat down as well, wrapping his arms tightly around his knees.
Vivia took a deep breath and slowly closed her eyes. She let herself sink into the stillness, listening to the rhythm of her heartbeat and the frozen hush of the world around her.
'Waahaaa, I don't want to do this anymore! I don't want to learn dancing. It's too hard…' a ten-year-old Vivia sobbed.
A smack landed right on top of her head with a dark figure looming over her. 'Keep practicing.'
'But my body hurts everywhere! What is this monstrous dance you're teaching me anyway!? I cannot do it!'
"You cannot do it because your heart is not in the right place!'
She turned away, muttering. 'If it doesn't hurt, then it's fine for my heart to be in the wrong place…Ouch!!'
She whacked her again with her fan, sneering. 'Only weaklings make such excuses.'
'I'm not a weakling!'
'Which weakling runs away then?'
'Ugh…!'
"Dance is not simply entertainment. With your hands, with your feet, with your entire body - you express what you truly desire the most. The more passionately you desire something, the more freely your body moves. The truer you are to yourself, the purer your dance becomes."
She chuckled wickedly.
'Dance is the purest, yet also the most selfish expression of yourself.'
Vivia gently opened her eyes, her master's words echoing in her mind.
'Know what your heart truly desires, Vivia.'
I want to see this child in front of me smile. A smile as warm and pure as the first light of dawn.
I want to see Nethermoor bustling with life and laughter once again.
It's selfish. Maybe it's too much to ask for. But that is what I want, Master.
That is what I will dance for.
With that thought, a serene smile curved her lips upward as she gently tapped her right foot on the ice. With the first graceful arc of her arm, she began her dance.
Her movements were slow and deliberate, like the first stirrings of life beneath the frozen ground. She spun lightly on the tips of her toes, her dress trailing behind her like a hush of a breeze. Balancing herself on her left foot, she raised her right leg in an elegant arc and spun in a circle around her left toe tip.
She arched backward, letting the tips of her fingers tenderly touch the frostiness. Her grateful gaze appreciated the tingly chilliness of the winter. But a moment later, she raised her body up once again with her arms reaching out wide toward the sky and twirling around herself, as if embracing it to summon the spirit of warmth.
As she twirled, her hands moved with graceful elegance. Her steps quickened as she began to glide and leap across the ice with joy infusing her every motion. It was as if the entire lake was her dance floor as she jumped and twirled all around the frozen body of water.
The tips of her fingers moved like the leaves playing a melody, and her laughter echoed the merry of all the birds chirping. Her pounding heartbeats raised the tempo of her dance like a happy farmer plowing his fields under the sunlight and enjoying the fruits of his labor.
Her dress swirled behind her with the wish to see birds flapping their wings in the blue sky. She spun and leaped as if carrying the promise of the sun in her embrace. Her hands then gently closed against her chest with the hope to see Nethermoor's revival.
Zerath watched her in awe, witnessing her performing such a complicated dance with ease and finesse. In no way were those movements and swirls easy to pull off, yet Vivia did it with the utmost elegance and fluidity.
He knew the strenuous efforts she would have put into learning this demanding dance. He innately felt the endless hours of training and discipline that dripped one with sweat and breathlessness. That grace and elegance was blessed only after an immense perseverance.
"Vivia…" he whispered.
Beside him, the child trembled. His wide eyes followed Vivia's every move. As she swirled and turned, the melody of a woman's sweet laughter echoed in his mind.
The woman's eyes twinkled with warmth. Her arms felt safe and comforting. But the memory that resonated with him the most was of that woman dancing with all her heart and joy.
'Come Eurus, dance with me.'
'Eurus, twirl with me.'
'Don't be stiff. Move your hands freely like the birds,' she chuckled.
He remembered the sky was blue back then. The sun that shone on the woman's beautiful face made her look like a fairy. The wind that fluttered her hair was warm and pleasant. The tiny ripples from the lake echoed in the air. The child stared at Vivia with the memory of that woman overlapping with hers.
Amidst her dance, Vivia caught a glimpse of the child and shone with delight. His once blank silver eyes now shimmered with a faint light.
Encouraged by the hopeful glimmer in his eyes, she entered the final arc of her dance. Her body arched and dipped with beats, praying to the winter to let the innocent child smile. With a last, graceful leap, she landed at the heart of the lake, arms raised high.
"Finished! How was it?" Vivia beamed.
But to her shock, instead of a smile on his lips, tears welled in his eyes.
Did I mess up? She panicked inwardly.
The child raised his trembling hand, reaching out to touch Vivia. A tear slid down his cheek and plopped on the ground as the warm memories of his past surfaced.
"Mother…"
The whisper of that word melted the frozen walls of his heart, with something long forgotten returning to embrace him once again.
As if in a symphony, the rigid winter chill began to subside as the gray clouds overhead slowly parted. Thin rays of golden light pierced through the cracks of the broken dark sky, casting its glow and warmth on the snow-capped hills for the very first time in years.
It was the testament to the hopes and dreams everybody was longing for.
Spring had arrived in Nethermoor.