Edited by: Solyom, tommyjl7

Can you hear it? Listen. Focus. Close your eyes, open your mind. Don’t think. Be. So, do you hear it? A cricket singing somewhere in the tall grass? Bees buzzing near their nest on the tree on the opposite side of the glade? The cold, refreshing wind blowing, cooling your back? Oh, the blow of the wind! The day was warm, very warm, with the sun high in the sky, this gentle breeze was like the blessing of Uranus, who wanted to help his children after a long, stressful day.

You are now in [Meditation] state!Mana regeneration 50% up.Your skills may have additional effects while casting.Mental trainingIn progressCore creationOnCore improvementOffCurrent session01h21m11s

Can you sense the existence of the field mouse, running from one hole to another, hiding from predators, desperately trying to find some food to feed her offsprings, hidden under the roots of a tree?

Yet the falcon that was circling in the sky above spotted in, nosedive with deadly speed to pick her up? The little creature’s existence started vanishing, being grabbed by the bird’s talons. So sad. Without the mother, the young will most likely die. Such a cruel world.

Well, what can I do? Take them with me, train them, feed them, force-evolve them, making them into some enchanted magical creatures? Like hell, I will. Sorry, this world is horrible but pure and just. I can’t bother with every little creature on my path, especially the pathetic ones. The circle of life and death will continue. Survival of the fittest, kids.

But, back to my question: about the sound. Can you hear it? The whisper of the brook, the water that constantly washes the rocks, the scratching, howling, buzzing, squealing, crying?

Do you know what is it?

It’s a motherfucking silence! A bloody calmness! Divine serenity! The heat of the sun on my face, the wind on my back, half of my body in the shadow of the tree while the music of survival is playing around! THE BLISS! I can rest! First time in ages! I don’t have to kill things, I don’t have to train physically, I don’t have to fake smile while nodding, listening to completely uninteresting stories of other adventurers! GISELE IS NOT HERE! For the mercy of the gods, I love her, but her presence may appear a bit overwhelming. Her constant need to devote her 120% of your attention is exhausting. No, I don’t mind complying. Not if every once in a while I could have this moment. A moment for myself.

I don’t have to run the company, I am not forced to create repeatedly the same boring potions, just because they are being sold quickly and are a good source of income for the Syndicate. I don’t have to clean vials, checking twice if there are no remainings from the previous potion inside, that could ruin the experiment, I don’t have to put all crates with the ingredients back on their places, I don’t have to note down my thoughts about new possible potions.

Speaking of the devil, I wonder if the mushrooms I picked on my way to this town are already dried? I cut them into pieces, hanged on a single needle with a twine and left it hanging in the window. You see, mushrooms are storing lots of water, which is completely unnecessary after the process of dehydrating is over, I will raze it to powder that could be easily…

BAD ZARI! Don’t think about the alchemy! It’s time for yourself! Lazing around WHILE being productive. In the end, leveling this silly meditation gives me boost to mind stats. Ha, it’s like a cheat.

I heard a single giggle, right in front of me. Is there someone? Why can’t I sense… oh. In meditation state, I am focused on sensing mana and life forces. It’s like sitting in the dark room, with 360-degree vision in which colors are appearing, depending on the size and power of life forms. This way I can sense every bug in a radius of few dozen meters hidden in the grass.

An existence made out of pure life appeared about a meter in front of me. It was huge, bright, yet… concentrated in a very small form. If the life around me was like ember glowing in the dark, this creature was like a sun that emerged right in front of my face. Without breaking my meditation I have opened my eyes. I saw a single girl, barely a teenager, lying on her belly, supporting her chin with her palms. Her legs were rising and falling back on the ground in turns. Pretty, round face, very big, gentle eyes and elf-like ears. A pleasant smile was plastered on her face.

- “You are finally alone! Duh! You are far too popular! I have been wanting to talk with you for months, yet someone was always around you!”

- “Hey Aira, how have you been? Everything’s all right?” I addressed the goddess casually.

- “More than good! I wanted to thank you! Thank you sooo much!”

- “For what?” I chuckled.

- “Believers. You have converted three villages back to the faith of nature! That’s a lot! My powers are like roots, coming from the forests and spreading across the world. If someone wishes not to worship me, then I can’t this way, even if I would have a believer in cities, I couldn’t reach them. Then, I wouldn’t be able to grant my miracles and in the process, I would lose even that single soul. But words are spreading! Merchants that visits lands touched by me are mentioning it in the courts of nobles. You are the sparkle that lit the flame of my faith!”

She was beaming with pride, gratefulness and love. It was almost overwhelming.

- “Who are you and what did you do to my Aira? There is no way that she could say these words without blushing!”

She giggled again.

- “The girl is growing up!”

- “If I am correct, you are one of the oldest beings that ever existed. Only the administrators that created you, the deities, are older….”

- “That wasn’t very nice! A girl’s age should remain a mystery!” she pouted. “… also, you are wrong. Time does not matter to us. For you, it is a measure of growth and the length of the existence that remains till you die… we are beyond that. We have no end. We don’t age, thus counting year is… irrele… irela… ir… Pointless.”

- “Irrelevant?” I tried helping her with picking up words.

She blushed, embarrassed.

- “See? We… can’t learn. Oh, we can observe and adapt new knowledge, but we are limited to what our creator wanted us to be.”

- “So you will remain so cute and cuddly forever?”

- “Y-y-you think I am cute?” for a moment she became the same old Aira I knew. “… but no. I won’t. There will be an event soon. You could call it my birthday…”

- “You said that you are ageless, in that case, why are you celebrating a bir…” She gave me an angry look. “… forget about it. You are talking about the Night of the Three Moons?”

- “Y-yes. I wanted to warn you… No, there is nothing to be afraid of… wrong word… Inform you? No, too formal… maybe….”

- “Aira.”

- “Y-yes?!” she almost jumped after she got lost in her thoughts.

- “Just tell me what concerns you.”

- “As you know, my sisters can change their form as they please… but I can’t. Yes, I may appear as flower or nymph, but even then I am limited to specific forms and places. Even now I could only show you this avatar so far from the deep woods because you are technically my priest…”

- “Not only technically. I consider myself to be one. It is my own joy to make people worship you.”

She grinned like a kid that was just spoiled. That full smile, closed eyes, and light blush.

- “Now you did it. Come here!” I just couldn’t resist those pointy ears and kid posture like behaviors. I grabbed her, pulled her closer and started ruffling her short hair. They were so pleasant to touch, almost silky.

- “Stop it!” she chuckled. “… you will ruin my hair!”

Remember, guyz, if you ever encounter a happy loli goddess, you are formally bound to spoil her.

After a minute or two I stopped petting her.

- “What I wanted to say is… that… uh, do you know what my avatars are?”

- “The Child, that curiously plays with life, the Lover, that, with passion, is bound to grant her gifts of life upon us, the Mother, that watches over the life of her kids, and the Elder, that bestow her knowledge about life to all three.”

That was a common knowledge. Something that priests would teach in kindergartens.

- “… I… Can’t be all of them in same time… The Three Moons are…:”

- “Saying bluntly you will hit puberty?” I teased her.

- “Very bluntly. I will become almost different person.”

- “What? You mean you will vanish?!” my heart skipped a beat.

- “NOO! No-no-no-no! That’s not this drastic! No! I will keep my memories! I will remember everything! I will still be me!... Just… I may… what I mean is… that my…. Uh. Do you know how kids are growing up among humans?”

- “Yeah. Hormones, pimples and more hormones.”

- “But it’s spread in time. In the end it takes around three years for the process to end… I will be hit with all of that in a single night.”

- “…So… you will become…” I didn’t like how it sound.

- “I will become what?”

- “Bit more… um…”

The next stage after the Child is the Lover. We all know where it heads. And she just admitted that in the single night. How do you call someone a slut in a polite way?

- “… More… straightforward?” Phew. I found the word.

- “What do you mean by stra…”

She is cute, but in this form, her intellectual powers are limited. She may have knowledge about everything concerning life and death, yet it doesn’t stop her from being a little fool at the same time. A hamster that replaced her brain started running in its wheel, accelerating the thinking process.

A glimpse of understating appeared in her eyes. Then, a consternation. Then her cheeks became red, her forehead, and even her ears.

- “Zari. You are a pervert. That woman corrupted you. I will cease her existence.”

- “Jokes aside. You did not answer.”

- “I WILL NOT! I am a goddess! A deity! I am an idea! I simply would change the way I act! Right now, as Child, I am rewarding people for curiosity! To discover, to play, to live! As Mother, I reward more for watching over little ones, mostly offsprings and as Elder, I reward sharing knowledge!”

- “Why?”

- “Heh?” she looked surprised.

- “Why do you change patterns?”

- “I am… you see… the reason of life is to evolve. And there are many ways to achieve that. The curiosity of Child allows you to adapt to a new situation – evolve as an individual, Elder encourages sharing knowledge to evolve as society…”

- “And Mother and Lover?”

- “Well, Mother takes care of her offspring. In the end, one needs to have a baby so Elder could share her knowledge with…”

- “And Lover?”

That was a silly question, but I liked seeing her blush.

- “I think you know how babies are made. In the end, you practice it every night with that wench!”

Wait, wait, wait, wait. Wait.

- “How can you know?”

The blush completely left her face. Instead, she became pale, then even blue.

- “Aira, are you watching me?”

No response. Another snap.

- “What was I talking about?” the girl acted like she never heard the question I just asked. “… Ah! So, my birthday is coming, and I was wondering… would you mind participating?”

Apparently, her mind rebooted.

- “Sure, you want me to bring something? Cake? Drinks? Gifts?”

- “No, that won’t be necessary. It’s more like a spiritual event than a party. Just participating in the Sabbath would be enough. It’s all about showing your faith.”

- “Just give me a time and a place. Be sure I will appear.”

- “Less than a week, when the three moons dance in the sky at night. Place… wherever you desire. There will be quite a few gatherings. Just pick one.”

After she formally invited me to her party we could spend some more time together talking, in the end she was one of the beings that I considered my family. Except for few times I prayed by the altar I didn’t really share stories from my adventures with her, she may be stalking me, but even then I doubt that she could devote her whole time to watch over my little existence.

We took our time, talking for the hour, maybe even two. Yet eventually I had to get back. On my way there I looked into the mouse nest and pick the offsprings of the poor animal that died in the embrace of a falcon, don’t get me wrong, I am an alchemist and I need something to test my potions on.

Same time, elf group

- “So, do you have some plans ready?” the silver haired elf asked her friends.

- “Well, we are finally getting some time off. We will probably stay in the city, buy a few trinkets, I have also heard that in two days, there should be some theater act in this city so…” the personal maid of Lanele started making her plans

- “Humans? Theater? What a time to be alive. I could just take you to the zoo, the effect would be same when you would just watch few monkeys jumping around and…”

- “Mavik. Shut up already.” Lancer was quiet for the last few hours, he pretty much became his usual self. He raised his voice only to scold his friend.

- “But you can’t just expect that these lesser life form have a culture worth admiring!”

- “It doesn’t matter... It doesn’t matter if you enjoy their culture, their cities, their craftsmanship or even them. Right now we are in a human city. We are their guests. They already proved having a greater culture by allowing us in, for as you know, the cities of elves rarely let outsiders in. As long as you are sleeping in their beds, eating their food and walk their streets you will respect them. Or at least tolerate.”

- “But we are paying for it, so there is no reason to be gr…”

- “Stop. Being. Such. A. Cunt.”

Elves rarely used vulgarisms. That shocked the swordsman even more. He only “Tsked” his friend while turning his head to the side, letting everyone know that he considers this conversation as a finished one.

They continued their late dinner in silence. After few minutes, heavy steps could be heard as someone was descending the stairs from the upper floor.

- “Giselle!” the priestess smiled. “… please join u…” the dragoness already sat with them before she even finished her sentence. It was clear that she would just join them even without the invitation.

- “Daaaamn! Bath was all I needed.” She sat on the chair comfortably, or in other words – not very lady-like. With her legs spread and stretched for maximal relaxation.

Seeing this display, a single vein started pulsing on Mavik’s head, yet remembering his friends rebuke, he remained silent.

- “Anyway, Lana, ya wanted to join us. Is there any particular place you want to visit? Some quest to take?”

- “W-well, you know, I am a priestess and I may have some commitments. You see, there will be the Festival of the Three Moons soon, I am pretty much bound to participate. Zariel as druid…well maybe not , but I think that would be quite important for him.”

- “Important? For Zariel? My little foolish girl, there are only three important things for Zariel. Cakes, Alchemy and me. In reverse order, of course. I assure you, after hearing that he has to go somewhere he will do everything to stop us. There is absolutely no way that Zari would leave the guild for any other reason than to get a cake, kill something or make a potion. Druid or not, he is not very devoted so…”

In that moment, the door was slammed open and the white haired magician entered the inn, he quickly gazed over the room looking for their group. He located them pretty quickly and approached with a few fast steps.

- “Listen, ya lil pointy-eared bastards…” he started. “… I don’t know how you feel about it, but in less than a week, there will be the Festival of the Three Moons. We are attending it. I don’t care if you like it or not, I am not asking, just informing, so pack your gear and get your ass moving. We are marching out as soon as possible. I don’t want to hear any objections.”

All that needs to be said is that Giselle looked at this with dropped jaws.