Everlasting dream (18+)

The bright summer sun crept over the horizon, painting the cloudless sky in vibrant hues of orange and pink. The forest came alive with various sounds — birds singing sweet melodies, squirrels scampering up and down tree trunks, and insects chirping their tiny songs. A gentle breeze caressed the land, swaying the tall grass and rustling the leaves as it passed through the trees.
It had been over a month since that accident with Aster's mana when Silvia had helped him recover by breaking through his mana barrier. For this entire month, Aster tried to return the favor by doing the same for his sister. The two would cuddle together every evening after Aster returned from the forest; the boy did his best to push his mana through hers, slowly filling her petite, trembling body with his warmth. Although exhausting for him and painful for the little girl, during this time, Silvia's health gradually improved.
Inside their cave near the entrance, hidden behind a curtain of vines, Aster and Silvia were getting ready to go outside. Nivalis stood beside them, helping tie knots
Nivalis sighed, adjusting the hood that covered her head. "That's true," she admitted. "I wish you didn't have to, though. Maybe I should go as well? My walking is much better these days," she mumbled, looking between her children.
"No way," Silvia replied immediately, shaking her head. "We talked about this, Mom. You're staying," she mumbled, picking up the spear from the floor.
Nivalis smiled at them, a touch of sadness in her blue eyes. "Alright, I guess..." she sighed, looking down. Noticing this, Aster came closer and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his head against her chest, the hood on his head sliding down.
"I know you will, honey," Nivalis nodded and gave a soft, wet kiss on his forehead, adjusting the hood of his disguise cloak and pulling up the cloth to hide his face. "Be very careful out there, alright? Especially you, Silvia," she whispered, glancing at her daughter. "Listen to your brother, sweetie, and be ready to run if anything happens. Always keep track of the sun so you know where our cave is. And please, watch each other's back, and don't let your guard down."
"Of course, don't worry," Silvia smiled and hugged her mother when Aster stepped aside. "I'll make sure Asty won't do anything stupid," she whispered against her ear, kissing her gently.
"Thank you, sweetie," Nivalis said, gently slapping their little bottoms and sending them away.
"Let's go," Silvia whispered, taking her brother's hand and squeezing it softly. Aster waved at their mother, and they stepped through the vines and exited the cave. Silvia and Aster carried their spears in their free hands, sharp stones glinting in the morning light as they walked away.
— "Careful now," Aster whispered, his voice barely above a breath. He led his sister through the uneven, rocky terrain, their footsteps cushioned by the soft grass and twigs tied to their boots. While it was great for hiding their tracks, walking with them was challenging in places like this.
"Mhm," Silvia hummed, eyes on the ground to avoid tripping. After a while, when the rocks gave way to soft grass, she asked, "Where are we going, Asty?" her voice as quiet as his.
— "Just somewhere I haven't been in a while. There should be more food," Aster replied, eyes scanning their surroundings. His sharp gaze darted between the thick trunks, tall grass, and bushes, looking for any movement.
"Okay," Silvia nodded, holding his hand tighter. "It's a bit scary to walk around just like that," she admitted, glancing at her brother.
The sound of crunching and rustling under their feet filled the silence, the only sound breaking the peace. Silvia followed her brother's lead, darting her eyes around and behind them to ensure nothing followed them. Her golden eyes
as she spotted a familiar, barely noticeable bush with tiny, purple berries
"Asty," Silvia whispered, pointing at the plant.
"No way," he mumbled, gently squeezing her hand and leading her closer. "It's so hard to find them. Great job, sis," he praised her.
They crouched next to the bush. Aster took a
from his backpack and placed it on the ground. The two children began
, and, of course, eating a good share of them.
They walked on, fingers entwined, silent as the forest around them. Each unusual sound — a snapping twig, a bird taking flight — had them crouching, their ears straining.
A few hours passed in silence as the siblings gathered food around the forest. They found primarily berries and nuts, occasionally mushrooms and herbs, filling only a third of Aster's backpack, nowhere near the goal they planned to get by the end of the day.
Aster placed his backpack next to him and turned to Silvia, whispering, "Yeah, could you-" He was about to ask if she could cool them down a little but stopped when he saw that she was already concentrating on her mana, her eyes closed. He lowered his hood, removed the cloth from his face, and sighed in relief as he breathed in the fresh air, patiently waiting for his sister to create ice.
Silvia opened her eyes a few minutes later, a small smile on her lips. She looked at her brother and held out a small, perfectly transparent ice ball about the size of his palm. "Here, this should help," she said, smiling.
— "Thanks," Aster smiled back, taking the ice and placing it on the back of his neck. He let out a long sigh as the coolness spread. "Ah, much better," he mumbled, resting his head on the tree and closing his eyes. The melted water trickled down his skin, disappearing beneath his cloak.
Silvia opened her eyes and looked at him. She leaned in and took a sniff of her brother's scent. "Um, a little, yeah. But not as much as I do," she said, smiling awkwardly. "Why do you ask?"
— "We should clean ourselves or at least rub the skin with pine needles. It's better to do both," Aster murmured, glancing around the bushes. "This spot's perfect for it. Remember what Mom said about goblins?"
Silvia nodded, her expression turning serious. "They have really sensitive noses..." she whispered, suddenly feeling
. "Are we safe here?"
Aster shrugged, scanning their surroundings again, and replied, "At least we're hidden..." he whispered, looking at her. "We'll be fine, don't worry. Let's just try to be quick," he reassured her, offering a weak smile.
Silvia forced a smile back, nodding. "Okay," she replied, slowly pulling up her disguise cloak and revealing her wet tunic. The garment clung to her petite body, sticking to her flat chest and belly.
Her silver hair was damp with sweat, sticking to her pale, completely hairless skin that glistened in the sunlight.



— "How's that?" Aster asked, moving the ice slowly around her chest, leaving a trail of water droplets behind.
— "Okay," Aster whispered, feeling his sister's chest rise and fall with each
breath as he circled the ice around her skin. With his other hand, he began to rub her chest and soft belly, spreading the melted water
.
"Mmm," Silvia breathed, closing her eyes. "It feels good once you get used to it," she murmured,
. Aster smiled, slowly moving down to her thighs, gently squeezing and rubbing each, cleaning them thoroughly. Then, Aster knelt before her, moving the ice between her tiny, wiggling toes, getting her feet clean.
made him chuckle.



After cleaning themselves, Aster and Silvia sat naked on the soft grass for fifteen minutes, letting the sun warm their damp, skinny bodies. They listened to birds singing and leaves rustling, watched t
, and felt the gentle breeze on their skin. Now and then, Aster's golden eyes scanned the area to ensure they were safe.
"Ready?" Silvia whispered, resting her head on his shoulder.
She helped him, too. Together, they tied the knots and adjusted their clothes, hiding every part of their skin.
— "Let's go," Aster whispered, adjusting the backpack straps on his shoulders before picking up the spear and taking his sister's hand. They walked out from their temporary shelter side by side. Silvia's soft, slightly cold hand gently squeezed his warm one.
As they walked, Aster suddenly heard a familiar, low buzzing noise coming from the right. He
stopped his sister and signaled for her to stay quiet, his sharp gaze
.
reassured Silvia that there was no threat.
Aster gestured towards the tall, thick bush just a few steps away. The buzzing sound grew louder as the two children crept closer until finally, they spotted a tiny, yellow-and-black striped insect fluttering its wings and hovering in the air.
— "It is," Aster agreed, following after her. The two children slowly walked around, admiring the colorful, beautiful flowers, their heads turning in all directions. "There! The hive," Aster suddenly whispered, pointing to a tree in the middle of the clearing, a hollow hole visible in its trunk, high above the ground.
"Oh..." Silvia breathed, her golden eyes landing on the hive. She watched the insects hover in the air before entering the home. "So high... How will we get the honey?" she asked, her eyes still fixed on the beehive. "Won't they attack us?"

"It should be enough," Aster nodded, glancing at the pile. "Alright... we won't make the big fire here on the ground because it will be visible from far away, and we don't want that," he added, taking off his disguise cloak and backpack. "And with this wind, it won't even reach the hive."
"Makes sense," Silvia agreed, watching Aster place his disguise cloak on the ground and move the pile of dry leaves and twigs onto it. "Then how are we going to do this?" she asked, her hands resting on her hips.
Aster looked up at the hive high above them, then back at his sister. "Instead, I'll climb the tree and start making smoke next to the hive with my magic. I'll probably get stung a few times, but it's okay," he explained, tying the corners of the cloth together to create a makeshift sack. He slung it over his shoulder and secured it around his neck. Turning to his sister, he continued, "Your job is to stay here and catch the honeycombs I drop down
and keep an eye on the falling leaves
"
"I will," Aster smiled, walking towards the tree. He glanced back, adding, "There should be a lot of honey, and I mean A LOT. Use my backpack and all our sacks we took. And your cloak if you have to. And keep an eye out for goblins, alright?"" With that, he grabbed the first branch and started climbing. Silvia opened his leather backpack and pulled out an empty sack meant for berries and nuts. She then positioned herself beneath the tree
Immediately, the bees swarmed out of their hive, buzzing frantically, filling the air with their panicked hum.
Aster added more pine needles and leaves to the fire, tossing away the old ones as they grew too hot to hold.
More and more bees fled the hive, their wings creating a near-deafening roar. Fortunately, none attacked Aster,
When the sack was finally empty, Aster paused, desperately catching his breath. He felt a bit dizzy from blowing the air for too long. He watched the hive entrance for any sign of movement or sound. There was no
Slowly and carefully, Aster stood, gripping the branch above him tightly. He leaned his face close to the hive entrance and peered inside.
Using his second hand, he reached into the hive, breaking off the pieces of it, his fingers sinking into the sticky, golden liquid.
His forearm glistened with honey as Aster withdrew it from the hive, the golden liquid dripping onto the grass below

"H-hey! Stop laughing! I-i can't..." Silvia managed to say, her words muffled by the honey as she frantically wiped it off to breathe. Aster kept laughing as he climbed down the tree and ran towards her, his belly already aching.
"This isn't funny!" Silvia managed to mumble as her little brother continued laughing, wiping honey off her face and dropping it into the sack. The annoyed, angry glare she gave him only made him laugh harder.
"Ah, I can't... stop... my belly hurts so much..." Aster said, his voice shaky from all the laughter.
"Mhm," Aster whispered as he got up. He took his cloak and began wiping her pouting, angry face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. How about I give you a shoulder massage tonight? Will you forgive me?" he offered, smiling gently.