After understanding what race I belonged to and accepting my new identity, the first thing I did… was curl up against my mother's chest and drink milk from her soft warmth.
She seemed a little surprised by my sudden action, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she gently stroked my hair with affection.
After a while, I began to struggle lightly in her arms, trying to move downward.
"What is it, dear? Do you want to go down and walk?" she asked after noticing my movements.
I simply nodded.
"You won't be able to walk for long, my dear, and what if you get lost? Besides, the view from up here is quite nice… and it's very warm and comfortable. Do you still want to go down?" she said teasingly, clearly trying to tempt me.
What she said made sense. As a baby, I couldn't walk very far.
It had absolutely nothing to do with wanting to stay close to her chest.
Definitely not.
The surroundings were very dark, but as I closed my eyes and tried to sense everything around me, I somehow began to feel… comfortable.
At ease.
I wasn't human anymore.
I was a kitsune.
It felt natural.
"Do you like this place, dear?" she asked.
I looked around.
There was a lake reflecting the soft silver glow of the moon. Around it stood lush, dark trees and dense vegetation, all adapted to the eternal night.
It was beautiful.
Strangely calming.
It had a unique kind of elegance.
My mother took out a mat from somewhere and sat down, holding me in her arms. She gently stroked my head, waiting for my response.
"Yes. Alaric loves Mother… and this place."
That was my simple answer.
I truly liked this setting. Sitting beside a quiet lake with my mother, doing nothing… it filled me with a strange warmth.
My mother, not expecting such a response, hugged me tightly.
"Night?" I asked, confused.
Wasn't it always night here?
"Yes, my dear," she replied softly. "Even though it is dark now, there is a cycle of day and night. However… day only comes once every seven years."
I blinked in surprise.
She pointed toward the sky.
"During the long years of night, we tell the difference by the moon. When it turns crimson, it is considered day. When it is silver… it is night."
I stretched my neck and looked up.
The moon above us shone with a silver hue.
I was genuinely surprised.
Just how many wonders does this world hold?
Soon after, we returned to my mother's bedroom.
As usual, she held me close and fed me again. But this time, I decided to try something different. Instead of immediately feeding, I simply looked at her.
She noticed and smiled gently.
"What is it, dear? Do you want something?"
I spoke as best as I could, keeping my words simple and childish.
"Mother… no clothes… Alaric wants warm hug… sleep."
I did my best to sound like an innocent child.
She looked surprised for a moment, but then smiled softly and accepted my request.
In an instant, her clothes disappeared, and she lay beside me.
"Are you happy?" she asked, holding me closer.
I nodded, kissed her cheek, and snuggled against her before falling asleep.
She looked at me lovingly, covered me with a blanket, gently patted me, and soon fell asleep as well.
The next morning.
I woke up to find my mother already awake, gently stroking my head.
"Good morning, my dear," she said, kissing my forehead.
"Good morning… Mother," I replied in a childish tone.
After greeting her, I instinctively reached for her warmth again and began to feed.
Not long after, Ametista von Vulpis entered the room.
She saw our mother, half-dressed, feeding me—and didn't find anything strange about it.
Mother didn't react either.
At first, I found it odd that both of them considered this normal… but I chose not to question it.
If no one feels uncomfortable, why should I?
"Sister… Ametisha… hug," I said, opening my arms.
I still couldn't pronounce her name properly, so I didn't even need to fake a childish tone with her. That was a small relief.
"Oh, my dear, come here," she said with a smile, picking me up and kissing my cheek.
"Good morning, dear," Aurelia said, kissing Ametista on the forehead.
"Good morning, Mother."
"Sister… good morning," I added clumsily.
"Good morning, my dear," Ametista replied, kissing my cheeks again.
"Sister… there," I said, pointing toward the bookshelf.
She carried me over, and I pointed at a specific book.
It was about the basics of magic.
"You want me to read this to you?" she asked, slightly confused as to why a small child would be interested in such a book.
I shook my head.
"Then what do you want, dear?"
I looked at her and spoke clearly, marking a turning point.
"Sister… teach magic."
Those simple words became my first step into the world of magic.