The sun finally showed up, shining through the trees and making the forest bright once again. The morning was warm, with a gentle wind rustling the leaves
Birds were singing, but the girls couldn't hear them over their
.
They sat by the cave entrance, their bodies
, their hearts hurting, and
Suddenly, they heard a quiet crunching sound, barely louder than the birds singing, making their hearts skip a beat. Immediately, they froze, listening intently; hope returned to their tired faces. Their eyes darted around, trying to find the source of the sound, until they saw a figure in the distance coming towards them.
His body swayed from side to side, struggling to stay upright. "Mo...m, Silv-" Aster tried to reply, his eyes struggling to focus, his words barely understandable. He could only take one more step before collapsing on the grass, the spear falling from his hand.
Without a second thought, Nivalis rushed forward and knelt next to her son, lifting his head to make him look at her. "What happened? What is..." she asked worriedly, pausing as she pulled down the hood of his cloak, revealing his red skin.
"I... I don't know, sweetie. He's all red for some reason," Nivalis replied, carefully picking up the unconscious boy. "Let's get him inside. Hold onto my neck, sweetie," she whispered, motioning for Silvia to grab her from behind.
Silvia nodded and held onto her mother's shoulders and neck. Her legs dangled as Nivalis slowly returned to the cave, carrying her children. Her quick footsteps and ragged breathing echoed in the dark tunnels.
After a short while, Nivalis
placed the children on the bed. "Why is he so red?" Silvia asked, sitting next to him and touching his forehead. The hot feeling made her quickly pull her hand away. "He's burning up!" Silvia gasped, looking up at her mother with wide eyes.
Nivalis didn't say anything. She placed her hand on his chest and felt his racing heartbeat and the intense heat radiating from his body, even through all his clothing.
"I think he did something with his magic; maybe he used too much of it. We need to cool him down," Nivalis whispered, quickly taking off her son's boots, pants, disguise cloak, and tunic. She revealed
Nivalis quickly stood up, rushing to the fire to grab a wooden bowl, then straight to the hot spring. "Honey, check his skin for any injuries," she said as she approached the water, her voice shaky; the bowl trembled terribly in her hands.
Silvia nodded and immediately began feeling his arms, neck, chest, and tummy, searching for wounds or bruises as fast as she only could. "I don't feel anything," Silvia answered, still running her fingers through his hair to check if he hit his head.
The sudden coughing from Aster's mouth startled them, causing Nivalis to rush over to him and spill half the water in the bowl. "Aster!" she exclaimed, kneeling beside him, lifting his head slightly.
"Sweetie, do you remember what happened?" Nivalis asked as she placed her hand on the boy's chest, right over his heart. She could feel the incredible heat; his heartbeat echoed in her palm.
"Y-yes," Aster gasped, taking a shaky breath. "G-gobl..." he started to say, but his coughs interrupted him.
Nivalis grabbed his shoulders and helped him sit up, hoping it would be easier for him to breathe this way. The coughs continued, making his body shake and his eyes squeezed shut. "Easy, honey, easy. Deep breaths," she whispered, patting his back.
"As I... walked... back home," Aster managed to say once the coughs became less frequent. "I walked into... a goblin," he continued, pausing every few words to gasp for air as the heat in his heart grew stronger.
Silvia and Nivalis froze, their eyes widening. "Quick, honey, check his back for any injuries. I'll check his legs again," Nivalis said quickly, moving to his legs and running her fingers along his pale, naked thighs, looking for any wounds.
"No... I'm fine. I ran as soon as I saw him," Aster said, taking a few deep breaths and coughing several times. "He called for others. I don't know how many. I saw only... two. They chased me all night," he whispered, his eyelids getting heavy. "I tried to hide... in the bushes. Then..."
Aster looked down and saw his red skin. "No... I just got scared being alone there at night. I started casting spells on myself to be prepared if something goes wrong," Aster explained, wincing in pain in his chest. "And used almost all of my mana because of this," he continued, taking deep breaths between each sentence, his eyes starting to water.
"Then," Aster continued, taking a sharp breath and trying to swallow, but the throat was too dry. Nivalis gave him some water, which he drank eagerly. He nodded at her and continued, "I heard them walking around the bush where I was hiding. I started panicking and gathered the last of my mana... But they just walked away without realizing I was there."
"How long?" Nivalis asked, staring angrily at him.
, making Aster gulp and lower his head. "How long, mister?" she repeated, her voice harsh and demanding an answer.
"That should be enough, honey. Stop now," Nivalis whispered, placing her hand on Silvia's shoulder and noticing the subtle tremble of her body. "Thank you," she whispered, taking the tunic back.
The girls took their time cleaning their Aster, washing every strand of his silver hair, and helping him wipe away all the dirt and sweat from his body. Then, they started massaging him. They rubbed his skinny chest, smooth thighs, shoulders, and feet for over an hour, doing their best to ease his pain.
And it worked. Aster's head resting on his sister's softest lap, breathing in nothing but her sweet scent, made the boy relax like never before. Their gentle, careful touch was just enough to help him fall asleep despite the constant ache in his chest. Nivalis sat at his legs, staring at her baby boy with a worried expression.
Although the cold compress helped his skin return to its usual paleness, his body temperature still made the girls nervous. His skin was unpleasantly hot to the touch, no matter how much they tried to cool him down. It just didn't seem to go away. At some point, all their clothing ended up being soaked and wrapped around his body, leaving the girls completely naked.
Seeing this, Nivalis quietly moved closer and wrapped her arm around Silvia, pulling her against her soft chest. The goosebumps on Silvia's skin and the shivers were all too familiar to Nivalis, a sign that her little girl had used too much magic. "How are you feeling, sweetie? You're shaking," Nivalis whispered, her hand sliding down Silvia's back.
Silvia looked up at her mother and tried to smile, but her lower lip trembled too much. "Don't worry, Mom. I'm okay," Silvia lied, leaning into her mother's embrace. "Just a little tired, that's all," she added, closing her eyes and focusing on the gentle hand moving up and down her back.
"Hmm, you know that lying to me won't work, sweetie," Nivalis whispered, kissing the top of her head. "Gods, you're so cold," she mumbled, rubbing Silvia's back faster to warm her up.
Nivalis smiled gently, feeling Silvia's soft breathing in between her breasts. She patted Silvia's head, whispering, "Alright, you need to take a break, sweetie. Maybe try hugging him instead? He needs something cold, and you need something warm," she suggested, slowly removing all the damp clothing from Aster and setting it aside. "Here, it might help you both."
"Alright..." Silvia whispered, carefully sliding out of her mother's arms and gently lifting Aster's head off her lap, careful not to wake him. Silvia crawled to the side and held onto his shoulders, pushing herself up to get on top of him. Nivalis helped adjust Silvia's limp legs, spreading her naked, pale thighs apart so they straddled his.
His soft member got pressed against her pelvic area, sliding against Silvia's smooth skin as she settled on top of him. Their naked chests pressed against each other, and his hot skin almost scalded her trembling body.
Silvia buried her face in his neck, taking a deep breath and inhaling her little brother's scent. She could feel his rapid, unsteady heartbeat as her soft nipples rubbed against his, all of the same shade of pink.
"Better?" Nivalis asked, tracing Silvia's spine with her fingertips, causing her little butt to clench repeatedly from the sudden touch. Her brother's soft member was squeezed between their pale bodies even harder because of it; his hairless, delicate balls had no space left, painfully flattened by
weight.
Nivalis stood up, picked up her discarded clothing, and took it to the pool to wash. She needed to keep her mind busy and do everything that came to her mindâclean around the cave, cook something nice, and maybe even knit.
Otherwise, she would end up sitting beside her children, crying at the sight of her son in such a state, crying that she let her sick daughter use her magic again. She had done enough crying the night before.
It was already late evening; the sun had long disappeared behind the horizon. The birds sang their last songs before sleep, and the crickets chirped their nightly tunes. However, Aster's condition hadn't improved at all. His skin was still burning to the touch, his breathing ragged, and his heartbeat unsteady. Nivalis, who had spent the whole day beside her kids after a sleepless night, felt exhausted.
Her blue eyes were bloodshot from constant tears and lack of sleep. Dark circles under her eyes made her look much older. Silvia, her little girl, had slept through the day and woke up only to eat and feed her little brother. She never once moved away from him, always lying on top of him as if afraid he would disappear if she let go.
"Wake up, my love," Nivalis whispered, softly shaking Silvia's bare shoulder and making her body sway against her brother's.
Silvia groaned and slowly opened her sleepy eyes, her eyelids heavy. "Mm?" she mumbled, looking up at her mother with concern. "Is something wrong with Asty?" Silvia asked quickly, raising her head to look at his flushed face, shiny with sweat. His forehead was covered with a damp cloth, hiding his eyes.
"No... He's still the same," Nivalis replied, pausing briefly to look at her son. "I just need a quick nap, sweetie. Can you watch him while I sleep?" she asked, looking back at Silvia and giving her a tired smile.
Silvia took a moment to stretch her arms and arch her back before answering, "Mhm... Don't worry," she whispered. Her soft bottom slid against her little brother's sweaty skin as she leaned forward and took the damp cloth from his forehead to wipe his face. "Sleep well," she added, glancing back at her mother, who already had her eyes closed.
Silvia gently wiped his flushed cheeks, cleaned his face and neck with the wet cloth, and then moved down his chest, removing all the sweat that had built up from her skin pressed against his for so long.
Her chest, as flat as her brother's, shone in the cave's dim light just as much. Noticing this, she began wiping herself while sitting on top of him. Her hips rocked up and down as she took her time to clean herself.
After refreshing the wet cloth, Silvia placed it on his forehead again, leaving his eyes open, and gently held his burning-hot cheeks with her cold hands. She took a moment to admire his cute face, almost a copy of her own. The worry never left her eyes as her little thumbs caressed his soft, flushed skin.
Silvia wished nothing but for him to get better, smile in a way only he could, and tell her some stupid joke or even tickle her. She wouldn't even resist, letting him do anything he wanted. Her little Asty was everything to her. All her life, all her memories, he was always there, a constant in this dangerous, chaotic world.
Her golden eyes looked down at him, watching his half-open mouth and the strands of his long hair stuck to his skin. She brushed the silver hairs away, tucking them behind his half-elven ears. Her fingers stayed there, gently rubbing his earlobes, their softness making her smile a little. 'He'd surely hate me doing it,' she thought, imagining his reaction, a chuckle escaping her mouth.
Aster smiled, his eyes struggling to stay open. "Mhm, I'm... fine," he whispered weakly. He could feel how relieved she was to hear that, her whole body relaxing. Still feeling sleepy, his grip on her little bottom loosened, and his hands began sliding down her outer thighs, dropping back onto the bed.
"No, let her rest. She must be exhausted. Just... please, let's just stay like this," Aster whispered, his lips forming a small smile though the pain was clear in his eyes. "It's a bit easier with you on top."
Aster's tired eyes slowly closed again. "How much mana did you use on me?" he whispered, his breathing uneven. "You're shaking."
"Liar," Aster chuckled, wincing in pain right after.
"Thank you. And... I'm sorry. For everything," Aster mumbled, his eyes opening slightly to look into hers. "For not coming back in time, for making you both worry so much," he sighed, pausing. "For being stupid. If I wasn't so reckless, I could have avoided that goblin, and it wouldn't have happened. Instead, I just kept panicking, making the situation much worse..." he added, tears forming in the corners of his eyes.
Aster smiled back, nodding. His hands continued to caress her bottom and hips, gently patting and squeezing his sister's smooth, round behind. It just felt wrong not to.
"Okay... Ugh-" Aster mumbled, his eyebrows suddenly furrowing. A sharp intake of air followed, his whole body trembling beneath her. "H-hot," Aster uttered through the pain.
"No," Aster breathed out, taking a moment to relax. The girl watched his expression slowly soften, and his trembling ceased. "I'm alright... Just a bit worse than usual, that's all," he mumbled, his eyelids fluttering open, smiling warmly at his sister on top of him.
"Mhm," Silvia whispered, letting out a sigh of relief as she felt him relax. "Is there anything I can do to help?" she asked, gently stroking his cheek.
Aster hummed, his golden eyes staring at her for a moment. "We should try the mana thing when Mom wakes up," he suggested. "Just the other way around, you'll try to break through my mana. Whatever is going on with my mana, your ice should help."
"You won't, I promise. We'll start slowly, as I initially did, with the smallest possible amount of mana. Just a tiny drop," Aster whispered, watching her eyes dart around.
"A tiny drop," Aster repeated, nodding. "As slow as we possibly can. Your control should be much better than mine, and we'll both be careful. If you feel something is wrong, we'll stop right away," he added, watching her think, biting her lower lip.
His expression shifted into one of understanding, "Yeah, she will kill us," Aster chuckled, frowning right after as the pain in his chest intensified.
"Mhm," Aster replied, closing his eyes, feeling his sister's weight and the softness of her body pressed against his. "Tell me a story. Your favorite," he mumbled, his hands moving up and down her naked back, feeling the shape of her petite, delicate body.
Aster moved his soft lips closer to her half-elven ear, tucking a strand of loose hair behind it, "Silvietta?" he asked, a small smile on his lips.
"That's terrible," he chuckled, coughing slightly. "This Astoor... at least he's an older brother?" he asked, gently running his fingers along her ribs, tracing them and making her wiggle.
"Astoor," Aster reminded her, chuckling. His hot breath blew over her ear in response, causing a barely noticeable twitch of her half-elven ear, the very tip of it.
As Silvia continued to spin the tale of Astoor and his stunning sister, Aster's eyes slowly closed. The warmth of her breath, the softness of her body on top of his, and the gentle, barely noticeable swaying of her hips were enough for him to forget the burning pain in his chest.