Chapter 5
549words
It was Clara, Grim the flower fairy's human, cradling something in her arms.
"Lilith…"
Lilith looked up, gesturing for her to place her burden on the counter.
It was a cat.
A black cat, nothing but skin and bones, its fur dull and matted. It didn't even have the strength to open its eyes—only the shallow rise and fall of its chest showed it was still alive.
"Found her at the alley entrance," Clara whispered. "I think… she's dying."
Lilith's gaze dropped to Clara's wrist.
On her pale skin, an angry purple-blue bracelet of bruises hadn't yet faded.
Clara flinched and quickly tugged her sleeve down to hide the marks.
Without commenting, Lilith turned her attention back to the cat, gently touching one ear with her fingertip.
Cold and stiff.
In the messaging network, Pip's fiery avatar appeared.
[Avatar: An angry orange flame] Pip: "New visitor? Smells like a candle in its final flicker."
Lilith's thoughts echoed in the network: "Can you communicate with her?"
[Avatar: An angry orange flame] Pip: "She's barely hanging on, but I'll try!"
A tiny orange spark materialized from nowhere, settling on the black cat's forehead and pulsing gently.
After a moment, Pip's voice resonated through the network.
[Avatar: An angry orange flame] Pip: "Her name is Bria. She's waiting for her master—a wizard. Before he left, he promised he'd return soon."
"How long has she been waiting?" Lilith asked silently.
Pip's light dimmed noticeably.
[Avatar: An angry orange flame] Pip: "She doesn't know. She only remembers many snows falling and melting away."
Lilith's heart sank.
She'd seen this story too many times before, and it rarely ended well.
The network fell silent for a long moment.
[Avatar: A teary-eyed wolf pup] Rufus: "Years back, I caught the scent of that kind of magic deep in the Black Forest. Massive explosion. Ground still scorched black. Nothing grows there, even now."
[Avatar: A majestic pine tree] Eldrin rapidly uttered something in Ancient Elvish.
Pip translated immediately, his tone grim.
[Avatar: An angry orange flame] Pip: "The old tree says a wizard's experiment went catastrophically wrong years ago. Nothing left of him but a smoking crater."
The messaging network went deathly quiet.
Lilith stared at the dying cat on her counter—completely unaware, yet stubbornly honoring a promise that would never be kept.
"She doesn't believe it."
Pip's voice fell to a whisper: "She says her master promised to come back."
[Avatar: A bunch of beautiful flowers] Grim: "Please, witch! Save her! The poor thing is slipping away!"
Grim's message quivered with emotion.
[Avatar: A tearful wolf cub] Rufus: "Do something, please! I'll give you all my secret rabbit stashes—every last one!"
The wolf pup's anxious howls echoed through the network.
Suddenly, without warning, a gentle silver light pierced through reality and settled on the counter.
The light didn't startle anyone—it simply enveloped Bria's frail body in a soft, silvery glow.
In the messaging network, a familiar avatar illuminated.
[Avatar: A winged unicorn with spread wings]: "I… I can try to help."
"My horn can ease her suffering."
Within the silver radiance, Bria's rigid body relaxed slightly, her breathing becoming more regular.
But her eyes remained firmly shut.
Healing magic could postpone death, but it couldn't cure a broken heart.
