Calytrix is a young witch who just turned 20. As is customary for all witches of her age, she must leave her home village and explore the world. She journeys to find her own place within it and a purpose, but magic is declining and only a few witche...
A suspicious group of black bats flew towards us before we entered the inn. Akios wasn't interested, but I knew, seeing their bright red eyes, that they were the vampire kids' familiars. I initially attempted to ignore them, but they then began to crush into me. Now was not the time to confront Akios. With a sigh, I rushed towards the inn.
"Calytrix?"
"It's just too cold," I said without looking back at the bats.
I sped up, skidding on the ice, yet caught the inn door.
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I didn't take a good look at the inn because I couldn't wait to jump into a fluffy, warm bed. All the inns had more or less a similar outline either way. Usually, the bottom floor had customers eating and drinking, and the top floors had overnight guest rooms. I didn't inquire about Akios' rooms; I just followed the magic. The room was quite close to the stairway, making it the perfect distance for a weary traveler.
The blanket was slightly warm, but it wasn't fluffy. I could make it fluffy with magic, but I focused on the warmth spells first. Magic helped me warm only a little, but the exposure to the cold was too much... It could take me a few hours, perhaps even all night, to recover.
"Body warmth is the best solution for the cold," Akios explained.
"It is if one doesn't have magic," I said.
Akios ignored my words and took hold of the blanket. I almost screamed, but somehow, I quickly regained some composure.
"What? What are you doing? It's cold," I said, shivering.
"I generously offered myself to warm you up," Akios said.
"I'm fine, thanks!"
I gripped the blanket tighter to prevent any air from going in.
"Are you really?" he said. "You know, I've seen the way you look at me."
I buried my face in the pure white mattress. Was I that obvious? I might have had a slight crush on him because he was handsome, but I didn't really sort my feelings out. There is a powerful sensation in me that wanted me to just go with the flow, but another equally strong one was yelling inside of me to be careful.
"I think that saving the world should come first."
"But without precious people, there is nothing to save, isn't it?" Akios asked me as he gripped the blanked tighter and entered the bed.
He avoided getting too close, but even that slight gesture conveyed a great deal of warmth, highlighting how numb I still felt. Ice couldn't melt easily in the cold.
I couldn't complain about his presence. Getting warm and saving the world were my priorities. As he lay in bed, he fixed his gaze on the wooden ceiling, and I focused on the unmoving door.
"Even so... without knowing anyone... a world is a miracle in itself worth saving." I said as I thought of flowery meadows, butterflies, bees, rabbits, cats and children playing in them.
