There was something in the city rebuilt,

That remind us

Of a bumpy year.

Gigantic walls we hope protect us

Once more, as we sing the melody

Of familiar chances.

Raise your voices everybody

And smile.

A smooth surface area greeted Anon. She stood, stoic but feeling quite dumbfounded with the half a metre egg that had rolled to her naked feet. Laugh, yeah, she forgot to take a pair of shoes before she left Paradise. It was a habit to say; Anon preferred to go around barefooted because it was more comfortable. She protected them with mana, so injury wasn’t a problem.

Anon wore a pair of shoes the banquet though, but they weren’t hers. It belonged to Queen that dropped by her room after she arrived. Stopping the roll with her toes, Anon starred at the pure white egg for a solid minute and hummed.

‘A magical beast…?’ came the conclusion.

Magical beasts mostly laid eggs so it might’ve been just that. But the possibility of it being a common bird’s egg also stood. Despite anything, there was a high possibility of the young in the egg not surviving even if it hatched with all the danger lurking around.

The snow haired goddess decided to pick up the egg, adopting it. Confident it wasn’t a cockroach’s egg, Anon wouldn’t mind the additional company.

Under normal circumstance you see, Anon thought herself an open-minded person. She also considered herself a tolerant being after years of practice. But cockroaches were an exception to it all.

The way they moved with infinite speed. Their long nimble legs, twitching antennae that moved as though in the direction of filth and (felt)fear- frankly put, was quite frightening. Anon didn’t hate cockroaches, she feared the critters, and it was a rational fear. Never questioning the gradual phobia all this while, it developed slowly with time.

The desire to exterminate the entire species wasn’t present. Anon never felt nauseous around them either; only a slight disgust alongside an unquestionable fear. Simply put, more of a: if I find it (cockroach) in the bathroom or in any room actually- you most certainly would not find me at said location!

Embracing the cool object against her chest, Anon first made sure to listen for any impending cries of a distraught parent. Void of haste, the goddess waited for a while before returning onto her ongoing exploration after hearing nothing.

As the clear sky darkened, wisps of dark clouds started to loom over the forest. Anon already found shelter, a humble cave deep enough as it was spacious. The excellent location was surprisingly empty but the goddess didn’t pry.

Cleaning the living area, Anon took the gathered vines or weeds she found along the way to make a nest for the egg. After spending who-knows how long living, bored gods were bound to find something to do. The goddess herself picked up a few tricks; although not perfect but somewhat decent in appearance, the nest was made after great effort.

Anon decided to meditate next, she closed her eyes and focused for the pumping second heart in her body. It wasn’t a physical organ, but more of a magically made organ after continued rehearsal. The heart was like figurative speech, an existing dream ingrained into reality. After stabilising the formerly unstable heartbeat, Anon planned for her next stop.

The goddess may have been a recluse, but she was a fussy shut in; The cave she stayed in as of now didn’t even have proper bedding, which was a huge ‘no’ in Anon’s book. The bed she stored in her space wouldn’t help relieve anything either. The cave was spacious, but still not wide enough to move around easily if a king-sized bed suddenly popped out from nowhere. She’d have no place to put it.

Anon currently sat on a cushion she summoned. With the egg opposite her, she quietly observed it. The room’s temperature started to drop.

‘Didn’t eggs need warmth to hatch?’

‘…’

‘Should I find a feathered creature to do the job?’

Adopting a living being before the age of maturity was hard…

Anon considered fire magic in hope it’d help the egg hatch. Many questions occupied her mind.

Thunder started to sound above them; lightning strikes could be seen quite frequently but it was yet to rain. The forest was eerily silent, save for the soothing rumbles.