Sunlight filtered through the lush branches and leaves, casting dappled shadows across the forest floor.
Nahida walked barefoot across the soft grass.
Her steps were light; each one seemed like a tentative exploration, yet also an act of enjoyment.
Her toes curled slightly when they touched a blade of grass, she paused briefly upon stepping on a fallen leaf, and whenever she encountered a wildflower, she would stop, crouch down, and brush the delicate petals with her fingertips.
Amid flew beside her, his tiny wings fluttering as he occasionally circled around her.
He looked at Nahida’s small bare feet and finally couldn’t help but sigh.
“Bi~ Bi~” He flew in front of her, pointed at her feet with his claws, then at his own wings, and finally mimed the action of putting on shoes.
‘Put on some shoes!
Or you could just fly!
Who walks around barefoot like this?’
Nahida tilted her head to look at him, her clover-shaped eyes shimmering with amusement.
“Are you saying…
I should wear shoes?” she asked.
Amid nodded frantically.
Nahida looked down at her feet, pressed them against the grass beneath her, and the corners of her mouth curved upward.
“But…” she said softly,
“I want to feel it.”
Amid was stunned.
Nahida looked up toward the canopy above, sunlight dancing on her eyelashes.
“It’s been five hundred years,” she said, her voice as light as a falling leaf,
“I was always kept in that vessel, only able to understand this world through the akasha terminal.”
She lowered her head and pressed her feet into the soil again.
“Now that I can finally come out, I want to…” She paused for a moment, searching for the right words, “experience it for real.”
“Experience it truly.”
She lifted one foot, showing Amid the sole stained with bits of grass.
“Look, this is the texture of grass; it’s a bit cool and a bit soft.” She took another step,
“This is the feeling of soil; it’s moist, and stepping on it leaves a tiny footprint.”
She turned her head to look at Amid, her eyes sparkling.
“I don’t want to feel these sensations through the soles of shoes.”
Amid fell silent.
He looked at Nahida’s small feet, covered in mud and grass, and saw the childlike wonder and satisfaction on her face.
Suddenly, he understood.
‘For her, this is the first time.’
‘The first time using her own feet to walk on a real path.’
‘She just wants to properly feel this real world.’
He sighed and stopped trying to persuade her.
‘Fine, fine, barefoot it is.’
‘Anyway, I can fly, so I don’t need to walk.’
He continued to fly by her side, occasionally glancing at the ground beneath her feet, terrified that something sharp might prick her.
Nahida felt his gaze, and her heart felt warm.
“Little Amid is so thoughtful,” she whispered.
Amid puffed out his tiny chest proudly.
‘Of course.’
Nahida walked very slowly, savoring every step.
When she found a patch of moss, she would stop to gently poke it with her toes, feeling the fuzzy texture.
Encountering a shallow puddle, she would cautiously dip her foot in, let out a soft “ah” at the coldness, then pull it back, her eyes crinkling into crescents as she laughed at the water droplets on her feet.
Just then.
Amid suddenly sensed something and came to a sharp halt.
There was movement in the bushes not far ahead.
He flew in front of Nahida, his gaze fixed warily on the spot. Find the original chapter at g.com.
Nahida felt it too.
She stopped walking, her eyes landing on that patch of shrubbery.
The next second—
“Ya!”
Four Hilichurls rushed out from the bushes!
They brandished wooden clubs and torches, lunging toward Nahida and Amid.
Nahida took a step forward, shielding Amid.
The green tips of her hair began to glow with a faint light as Dendro Energy circulated around her.
Though she was not skilled in combat, she was a deity after all.
Dealing with a few Hilichurls would be no problem.
But before she could act—
A small green figure flew out from behind her, blocking her path.
Amid.
He hovered in mid-air, his tiny body held straight, two small claws extended forward, aiming at the four charging Hilichurls.
His eyes lit up with a deep blue light—
Psychic Skill: Confusion!
An invisible force erupted from him, instantly enveloping the four Hilichurls.
“Bi—!” He let out a sharp Growl.
‘Take this!’
The four Hilichurls froze simultaneously.
They maintained their running postures but could no longer advance an inch, as if pinned down by a massive invisible hand.
Amid’s little claws lifted slightly.
The four Hilichurls began to float, rising higher and higher from the ground.
They flailed their arms in terror, letting out panicked cries, but they couldn’t break free from that invisible power at all.
Amid took a deep breath and slammed his claws downward!
Boom—!
The four Hilichurls fell from mid-air at the same time, crashing heavily onto the ground!
A shallow pit was smashed into the earth, and dust billowed everywhere.
Once the dust cleared, the pit was empty—the bodies of the Hilichurls had turned into Haze, dissipating into the air and leaving behind four Masks.
Amid kept his claws extended, panting for breath.
‘Huff…
huff…’
‘Still too weak.’
Just four Hilichurls had made him a bit tired.
If a whole group came, he definitely wouldn’t be able to handle it.
As he was thinking, he suddenly felt a warmth on his head.
Nahida’s hand gently rested on his small head, ruffling it.
He looked up and met those gentle, cross-shaped eyes.
“You did a wonderful job,” Nahida said with a smile, then lightly clapped her hands.
“Little Amid can protect Mama now.”
That smile was full of pride and joy.
Amid’s heart warmed, and his previous exhaustion seemed to lighten a bit.
He put his hands on his hips, held his head high, and flapped his little wings.
“Bi!”
‘Of course!’
‘I am the Celebi who is going to protect Mama Nahida!’
Nahida looked at his smug little expression and laughed even harder.
“Then I’ll count on little Amid to protect me from now on?”
Amid nodded vigorously.
“Bi!”
‘Leave it to me!’
Then—
“Bi~”
A tiny yawn escaped his mouth.
Amid blinked.
‘Eh?’
Another yawn.
“Bi~~”
This one was longer, and even his little wings shook with it.
Amid felt his eyelids starting to fight each other.
‘Why am I suddenly so sleepy…’
His tiny body swayed, and he almost fell out of the air.
Nahida was quick, reaching out both hands to catch him.
Amid landed in her soft, warm palms and instinctively curled up.
So sleepy…
He had used his Psychic powers twice today—once for Teleport and once for Confusion.
For a hatchling less than a day old, the exertion was simply too much.
His mental energy couldn’t hold out.
Nahida looked at him, swaying with sleepiness, her gaze as soft as a spring pool.
She gently picked Amid up, cradling him in her arms like a little baby.
The tiny Celebi curled up in the crook of her arm, his head resting against her skin, wings drooping softly.
“Sleep if you’re tired,” Nahida whispered, her voice as gentle as a breeze.
“Don’t worry, I can protect myself.”
She gently patted his back, once, and then again, in a steady rhythm.
Then, she began to sing.
It was a very, very soft song, without lyrics, just a gentle humming.
The sound was like moonlight, like a breeze, like a mother’s hand gently caressing a child’s cheek.
Amid felt the sound wrap around him like a soft blanket.
Warm and secure.
He struggled to open his eyes to look at Nahida one more time, but his eyelids were too heavy.
His last sight was Nahida looking down at him.
Sunlight fell on her face, her eyes were curved, and she had a smile on her lips.
So beautiful.
‘Mama Nahida…’
His consciousness gradually sank into darkness.
Amid had a dream.
In the dream, he was lying on a patch of soft grass.
The sun was pleasant, not scorching, just shining warmly on his body.
Nahida sat beside him, looking down at him.
She didn’t speak, just smiled and used her hand to gently fiddle with the little Antennae on his head.
The Antennae wobbled back and forth, feeling ticklish.
Amid wanted to dodge, but he couldn’t—because he was laughing too.
Laughing so hard his eyes squinted shut.