Everlasting Dream

Chapter 73: Means to survive

[Aster]

Aster's tired golden eyes darted around the white forest, squinting against the harsh wind that howled through the trees. Snowflakes danced in the air, swirling around him and obscuring his vision. His sweat-drenched hair clung to his forehead, his skin now a deep shade of red from the constant igniting of his mana, droplets of sweat beaded on his gaunt features.

Each breath Aster took was excruciating, his chest rising and falling with pain as if someone were squeezing him with all their might. His entire body trembled uncontrollably, not from the cold but from the relentless agony that coursed through him with every step he took.

He had been walking for hours now, relying on his memory to guide him in the right direction. The thick clouds above obscured the sun, making it impossible to tell where it was in the sky. Aster had no choice but to carve tiny, barely noticeable signs into the trees along the way, hoping they would be enough to lead him back.

Worst of all, every time he felt his pain subsiding, he knew he had to ignite more mana just to keep himself warm. Otherwise, the cold would seep through his clothes and skin, making him curse the very air around him as violent shivers wracked his tiny body. He had already done this three times now, each time feeling the pain inside him grow worse than before.

He had no idea how far he still was from the river or even if he was getting any closer at all. All he knew was that he couldn't stop. Not when his sister and mother were waiting for him back in their cave, probably crying their eyes out with worry for him. He gritted his teeth, pushing himself to take another step forward, determined to make it through this hell and bring the dinner to his girls.

A barely noticeable hum, somewhere far in the distance, made Aster pause mid-step. His golden eyes widened as he recognized the sound, a wide smile spreading across his sweaty, exhausted face. 'I can hear it,' he thought, feeling a sudden wave of relief. The thunderous sound of rushing water filled his ears, growing louder and louder with each eager step he took toward it.

And then, he was finally there, standing on top of the small hill and overlooking the river. The roaring, frothing, raging water below was almost mesmerizing. Rocks jutted from its surface, and the current broke on them violently, forming huge amounts of foam all around.

Doing his best not to break his neck, Aster slid down the hill. When he finally reached the riverbank, he couldn't help but kneel and take a few sips of the cold, fresh water. "Ahhhh," he moaned, feeling how it cooled his boiling chest. "That's much better," he mumbled, wiping his wet lips.

Getting up, Aster looked around, searching for the perfect spot. After a few minutes of wandering along the rocky, uneven shore, he found what he sought. The water was shallow here, not as deep and dangerous as other parts, and the current seemed manageable. Most importantly, it had a rock wide enough for him to sit comfortably on.

Aster removed his improvised skis and jumped onto the rock with the help of his two spears. He felt it shift slightly under his feet but not too much for him to consider the spot dangerous. He carefully sat down and removed his backpack, placing it on his lap. A bright smile played on his lips as he glanced at the water below, spotting a few small fish swimming nearby, ignoring him entirely.

After all, he came prepared to catch these fellas. Aster unbuttoned his backpack and pulled out a small, handmade net that looked like it might fall apart as soon as it touched the water. But he knew it would work fine, for they had spent the last two days making it together.

None of them was naive enough to expect him to catch some fat salmon like his mother did many times with her bow. No, even though Aster took the fishing spear, hoping for a sudden miracle, the plan was to catch all the little guys with the net. There were plenty of them swimming around, so it should be easy.

Aster's golden eyes watched the water carefully, seeing the small fish darting around the rock he sat on. With a quick movement, he dipped the net into the water, then pulled it up, only to see it empty. He grumbled and repeated it a few more times without any result. They all simply slipped away before he could get it out of the water.

With a sigh, Aster tried again, moving the net slowly, trying not to scare the little critters. His hands were growing cold, his fingers getting numb from the icy water and the biting wind that blew across the river despite the raging flame inside his body.

To his delight, one tiny silver fish, twice smaller than his pinky, wiggled and squirmed in the net when it emerged from the water. "Yes!" Aster whispered excitedly, hurrying to toss it into his backpack. His thin, reddened hands shook slightly, steam rising from them. "I need to attach the net to my spears... Yeah. It should be easier this way," he mumbled under his breath, untangling the net as his eyes scanned the trees to ensure he was safe.

It took him more time than he wished to, but eventually, Aster managed to attach the net securely to the ends of both spears, making it much easier to use. With the spears in his hands, Aster dipped the trap into the water and carefully swished it around, hoping it would get the job done.

And it did. The net returned with two small fish squirming inside it. One was slightly bigger than the other, making Aster's stomach rumble at the sight of actual meat in his hands. However, knowing how many parasites could be inside the river fish, he knew better than to eat it. It would be dangerous if not cooked properly. Instead, he tossed both tiny fish into the leather bag and returned to work. The sooner he got home, the sooner they would all get to eat.

As the sun moved across the sky, Aster continued working tirelessly with the net, catching one or two fish if lucky, most of the time just getting nothing from the water. Unfortunately, no big fish swam close enough for him to try his luck with the spear. 'Did Mom have to wait many hours for something to swim by? Being alert all the time... Damn,' he thought, rubbing his tired eyes, his legs and back already hurting from sitting.

...

Looking above and noticing the faint purple shade in the sky, Aster began to worry he was running out of daylight. 'Just a few more tries, and I go back,' he thought, returning the net to the water again, the tip of his tongue peeking out in concentration.

A sudden movement in Aster's peripheral vision made him freeze the moment he dipped the net into the water. His eyes darted to the left, toward where he least expected something to move. The old, ancient, and incredibly creepy forest on the other side of the river... That terrifying place Nivalis and Silvia had to walk through when he was just an infant.

It was hard to tell how many nightmares he had about that place, and right now, he felt like he was in one.

The sight of the figure next to the dark, twisted tree made Aster feel a sudden chill down his spine. It appeared humanoid but was undoubtedly neither human nor elf. Rotten wood and plants seemed to form its body instead of flesh. Tall and slender, moss and twigs covered it, hanging loosely from its body like ragged clothes. Its face was twisted into an expression of hunger and pain, staring directly at him with its glowing yellow eyes that never blinked.

The creature's thin, long arms ended in sharp, claw-like wooden fingers. Its mouth was filled with rows of long, razor-sharp teeth, making a loud clicking noise every time the jaw moved, much louder even than the roaring sound of the river.

Aster's eyes widened in fear, his heart raced, and his breathing became rapid and shallow. He tried not to move a single muscle, hoping the creature would lose interest in him, but it didn't. Instead, the clicking sound grew faster with each passing moment, its mouth opening and closing without stopping. The glowing yellow eyes remained fixed on him without moving even slightly.

Still holding two spears with the net attached between them, Aster slowly kneeled to grab his backpack. As soon as he moved, dozens of similar clicks erupted from the woods behind the creature — the sound of many more pairs of teeth snapping together.

As any sane person would in this situation, Aster panicked. Spears in one hand, the leather backpack in the other, he jumped from the stone back onto the shore. The moment his feet touched the snow, the clicking intensified even more. He quickly grabbed his handmade skis lying on the ground and ran straight ahead, leaving the river behind without stopping.

Finding the courage to glance back, Aster saw three similar creatures standing near the first one. All of them were looking at him, motionless, except for the moving of their jaws. That sight gave Aster an incredible burst of speed, making him run as fast as his tired legs possibly could.

...

When Aster finally found the familiar pile of snow that hid the entrance to their cave, it was already way past sunset. Luckily, the full moon provided enough light for him to see his snowy surroundings clearly and find his way home.

More than anything, he wanted to sleep right now, to close his eyes and rest his exhausted body. For the last few hours, Aster had been walking in zigzag patterns, making circles and changing directions whenever possible. He did everything he could to make it hard to follow him, not wanting to lead whatever it was to his family.

This entire time, he kept igniting more mana to keep himself warm, over and over again. But the more he did so, the more pain and tiredness he felt. While he could deal with the pain and fatigue, he started feeling incredibly dizzy at some point, indicating he didn't have enough mana left, making him almost panic that he might not make it in time. But now, the relief he felt as he climbed up the familiar pile, dragging his tired feet through the snow, was indescribable.

Aster quickly began digging a tunnel through the snow, only to feel someone doing the same from the other side. His sister's soft, high-pitched voice, filled with relief and joy, reached his ears. "Astyy!" Silvia cried out, her small hands digging through the snow with much more effort than he did.

Soon enough, the opening was large enough for Aster to crawl inside and slide down the pile. Without hesitation, the boy wrapped his arms around her thin, shivering body and pulled her close. Silvia was wrapped in just a few blankets since he had taken all their clothes to keep himself warm. "I'm back," Aster breathed into her pointy ear, squeezing her as hard as he could.

"W-welcome home, Asty. Are you alright?" Silvia whispered, her voice trembling and muffled by his shoulder. Her little hands tightly gripped the back of his clothing.

— "I am now," Aster nodded, his head buried in her neck crook. When they separated, their mouths locked in a gentle kiss, a tiny peck between brother and sister. "You too, okay?" the boy whispered, licking her taste off his lips.

"Mhm. Let's go. Mom is waiting," Silvia breathed, pulling him deeper into the tunnel, boots and her bare ankles peeking out from the bottom of her blankets.

— "Are you?" Silvia asked, straightening her back and sliding down to sit below his bottom. Her small hands moved to cup and squeeze his buttcheeks.

"Yeah... but I've already gotten used to it. We can do it after the massage," Aster mumbled, his eyes fluttering closed from exhaustion.

— "Nope. Not happening. Mom's right. I'll heal you first, and then we can continue," Silvia replied firmly, giving his butt another gentle slap, giving more color to his already red skin. "Turn around, Asty. On your back," she instructed.

"Ugh, sure," Aster grunted, doing what she told him to. When his little, smooth, limp penis came into the girl's view, she lowered her flat torso against his, feeling his warm, little thing get squished under her weight. His fragile, hairless balls hid in the warmth of her thighs.

— "Ready?" Silvia asked, looking down at him. He was incredibly sleepy, barely able to keep his golden eyes open.

"Mhm," he breathed out, giving a weak nod as his thin arms moved around her waist to hold her close.

Silvia smiled down at Aster and closed her eyes, focusing on gathering her mana. The freezing sensation soon appeared inside her, growing stronger with each beating of her heart and slowly spreading all over her petite chest. Her breathing became shallow and rapid, and goosebumps covered her pale, icy-cold skin again.

"Be careful, my sweet," Nivalis whispered, rubbing the girl's back with her warm hand.

Silvia hummed in response, her tongue peeking out to wet her dry lips. It took her a little over five minutes to gather the required mana, just enough to break through her little brother's. When feeling ready, Silvia locked her hands behind his back and squeezed him tightly, pushing their chests as close as possible, making their tiny, pink nipples rub against each other.

Aster's eyes clenched shut, his fingers digging into his sister's sides as he let out a muffled whimper. His body trembled violently as wave after wave of her icy mana crashed against his chest, making his fire mana burn with incredible heat to fight the invader. His breathing grew increasingly erratic, his mouth opening and closing rapidly in an attempt to inhale some air.

When Silvia finally broke his defenses, she willed all her mana to rush into him and lick his burning flesh, cooling his insides with her icy touch. Her little brother's body went completely limp underneath hers, a relieved moan escaping his lips right next to her pointy ear.

Once Silvia had used up every last drop of the mana, she rested her forehead on his shoulder, trying to catch her breath. The girl was drenched in sweat and very sleepy, just like he was.

"Are you done?" Nivalis's soft voice reached her, making Silvia weakly nod. "Good. I think he fell asleep," she whispered, pulling the blanket up to cover her two children snuggled together. "You should rest, too," she whispered, getting comfortable beside them.

— "Night," Silvia breathed out, feeling her hand caress her cheek lovingly as she closed her golden eyes.

...

But sleep didn't come easily for Silvia despite being incredibly exhausted. More than anything, she wanted to sleep right now, but something kept poking her just above her most private area, almost touching the softness of her tiny slit. Because of this, her little butt was slightly raised into the air, a barely noticeable change in height, but it kept her away from the warmth of her little brother.

The girl kept wiggling her hips, hoping whatever it was would disappear, but it didn't. Instead, it seemed to... throb against her sensitive skin with each movement she made, much to her surprise. 'What's happening?' Silvia wondered, feeling too tired and sleepy to open her eyes and see what it was; her head just found that perfect spot on her Aster's shoulder!

She let out a soft, quiet sigh, shifting her hips left and right. The thing seemed to roll between their bodies but did not roll away, no matter how hard she tried. Her lower body wiggled around, her bottom raising and lowering in an attempt to move it away. A few minutes later, she finally lost patience and slid her hand down, carefully touching whatever kept her from sleeping.

Her fingers brushed against something stiff, a folded portion of the blanket trapped between them, perhaps? The form was strange, though, slightly wider at the tip, and each time her fingertips brushed against it, she could have sworn she felt it twitch, which made no sense. Silvia furrowed her brow, trying to push it away with a single finger, but it remained stubbornly stuck in the least comfortable place for the little girl.

Then Silvia wrapped her small hand around it and squeezed, trying to pull it from between them. The squishy thing throbbed in her palm as she tugged on it repeatedly, but it wouldn't budge no matter how much she moved her hand.

When her soft hand moved slightly lower to find where it got stuck, Silvia found something even weirder—something round, smooth, and incredibly soft. The girl gently squeezed it, feeling her fingers sink into the most tender thing she had ever touched. 'A little sack with tiny balls inside?' she wondered, giving it a few more squeezes. Her golden eyes shot wide open a second later when her sleepy mind finally realized what it was.

Silvia jumped up from Aster's body. With speed she never knew she had in her, like a cat that got scared by something unexpected.

The girl stared down at her little brother's crotch with wide, frightened eyes. 'W-what? W-why is it like this?! Why is it so b-big?!' her mind raced, her chest rising and falling rapidly, her mouth open in shock. 'It wasn't like this before! How?! Why?!' It looked completely different from when she bathed him.

— "M-mom," Silvia whispered, trying to wake Nivalis up. But she only groaned, rolling over and pulling the blanket over her head. "Mom, please, wake up," the girl repeated, a bit louder, nudging her side.

"Hmm?" Nivalis mumbled, rubbing her tired, blue eyes. "What's the matter, sweetie?" she asked, yawning loudly.

— "A-asty's..." Silvia gulped, unable to take her golden eyes off her little brother's crotch. His pink shaft was sticking straight up, twitching angrily at her. "I think I did something wrong when I used my mana on him," she whispered, her fingers squeezing the blanket tightly.

"Oh, gods. What's wrong?" Nivalis whispered, her heart rate suddenly skyrocketing, her blood turning to ice as she quickly sat up, scanning her son's body for visible wounds. But when her blue eyes spotted his little, unfortunately way too familiar, fully erect member, her eyebrows raised in surprise, and the tension drained from her body. "Oh... You mean that?"

— "Duh!" Silvia stuttered, frowning at her mother. "Look how big it is!" the girl whispered, her hands shaking as she pointed at his member, almost as big as her pinky.

Nivalis looked into her golden eyes with a gentle smile. "Shhh, calm down, sweetie. You didn't do anything wrong," she chuckled softly, seeing the confusion and concern on her daughter's face. With a tired sigh, Nivalis ran her fingers through Silvia's long hair. "Honey, he's a boy. It happens when they get older. I know it looks weird, but... it's not something bad," she added, reassuringly squeezing her shoulder.

— "B-but..." Silvia whispered, looking back at Aster's sleeping form, his member still standing proudly. "It was never like this before," she said, shaking her head, not understanding what was happening. "Are you sure?"

"Don't worry. Asty just dreams of something nice right now... this is why it got... up," Nivalis explained, a gentle smile on her lips. "It happens whenever boys get excited."

— "Really?" Silvia whispered, blinking a few times at her little brother's throbbing penis right before her. How it twitched and pulsed with each beat of his heart. "B-but it looks like it hurts."

"It probably does, but that's how nature works for boys... Come on, let's cover him and let him rest. You need to sleep, too," Nivalis whispered, reassuringly patting her daughter's thigh.

— "Y-yeah," Silvia whispered, pulling the blanket up and covering her brother's private parts, but she couldn't tear her golden eyes off the bump that formed in the fabric.

"Everything is okay. I promise," Nivalis breathed, wrapping her arms around her daughter and pulling her close, making her lie on top of her. "If it happens again, you should just ignore it. Don't make him feel awkward about it because he can't control it. Alright?"

— "Yeah. I will. Thank you," Silvia whispered, resting her head on her mother's chest.

"No problem, my dear. Try to sleep," Nivalis whispered, gently rubbing her daughter's back and feeling a slight nod in response. A momentary glance at her son's little bump made her exhale heavily. A troubled, worried look appeared on her face as she realized the boy would surely wake her up to get rid of it later that night.