[Aster]
The once cozy, welcoming cave was now dark, cold, and silent, a far cry from its former self. The warmth that had always lingered in the air had vanished entirely, replaced by a biting chill that made each breath feel like inhaling needles. Nothing escaped the winter's grasp; every crack and crevice, every surface, from floor to ceiling, was covered in a thick layer of frost. The crystals above, which once constantly bathed the cave in their soft light, were now dimmed and muted, hidden beneath a blanket of ice, casting an eerie, ominous gloom over the space instead.
At the far end of the cave, the small hot spring that had once kept the small family of three warm was now frozen solid, its surface black and glassy, reflecting nothing but darkness. No gentle bubbles rose from its depths, no warmth, no comforting ripples, nothing. The childish carvings etched into the walls all around, left behind by whoever lived in this place long before, were blurred and distorted, the ice that coated them distorting the innocent, clumsy drawings of stick figures and animals into something grotesque and unrecognizable. Ghosts of a happier time trapped in ice.
The cave would have seemed completely lifeless, nothing but a frozen tomb buried deep underground, if not for the ragged nest of clothes in one corner and three naked, pale figures huddled tightly within it, struggling to keep each other warm.
Pressed against the larger, more curvaceous frame of Nivalis, Silvia's small, petite body trembled like a leaf in the wind, her silver head buried between her mother's soft, plump breasts, with only a few strands of her messy, silver hair visible above the motherly cleavage. Her inhales and exhales came in short, shaky pants, muffled by the warm flesh of her mother's chest.
Those thin, pale arms of hers clung to her mother's naked body with a desperate, almost panicked grip, trying to pull herself closer and closer still. Her bare legs, smooth and fair, were intertwined tightly with those of her mother's, her toes rubbing against each other and curling up with each shudder of her petite frame.
Goosebumps covered her entire body from the top of her head to the tips of her toes, and no matter how hard she rubbed her thighs and knees together, no warmth would come to them. Not even the combined body heat of her mother and brother was enough to ease the cold that bit into her bones. More than ever, she wanted to curse her ice affinity for making her so much more sensitive to the cold, but her lips refused to part, teeth clattering too hard to form any words.
Nivalis was no better; her shivers were almost as strong as her daughter's, but she didn't utter a single word of complaint or show any sign of discomfort. Instead, she held her children tighter, trying her best to protect them with the warmth of her own body. For three days straight, ever since the cold intensified so suddenly and violently, the mother and her children had been huddled together in their makeshift nest, barely eating, barely drinking, and barely sleeping at all. The cold just wouldn't let them do any of those.
Pressed against his sister's petite back, Aster's skinny body hugged her tightly, his chin resting on her delicate shoulder, desperately trying to soothe the tremors that shook her fragile frame with each breath. His scarred, slightly sweaty palms rested on her flat chest and soft belly, slowly rubbing up and down over her cold, goosebumped skin, hoping that the friction would warm her up a little bit more.
The boy's frail, skinny body shivered just as badly, if not even more than his sister's or mother's. Not from the cold, though, but from the enormous strain of keeping the fiery mana inside him under control. Every part of him hurt, from his muscles to his bones, from his heart to his lungs. It felt like he was being dipped into boiling oil over and over again, the pain so intense and overwhelming that he could barely think clearly, could barely even breathe. And yet, it wasn't enough; the girls were still shivering from the cold, their teeth chattering and their bodies trembling.
"You're getting red again, sweetie," Nivalis whispered through trembling lips, her voice quiet, weak, and tired. Her blue eyes filled with worry as she looked down at her son's tiny frame, seeing the strain in his flushed, youthful face. "Please, get some rest. We'll be fine without it for a bit," she added, reaching one hand up to brush a few strands of sweat-soaked, silver hair from his forehead before returning to the small of his butt, giving it a gentle, reassuring squeeze. Worry clouded her blue eyes as she looked down at her son.
Aster shook his head, his golden eyes meeting hers before glancing at his sister's still trembling frame. He forced a small, reassuring smile onto his face despite the pain that was clawing at his insides. "Just... a bit more..." he said quietly, his voice hoarse and raspy. His scarred hand moved from Silvia's tummy, and with shaky, uncertain movements, it reached towards his mother, offering her a gentle, comforting caress on her hip.
Adjusting his position ever so slightly, the boy raised his right leg over both of them, pulling himself even closer. His wrinkled, small shaft squished against his sister's little behind, but neither of them cared about that at the moment. On the contrary, he could almost swear that Silvia wiggled her butt against his crotch a little bit, seeking more of his warmth.
Nivalis gave her son a long, sad gaze before nodding, the worry never leaving her eyes. She nodded slowly, her palm giving the boy's soft, smooth thigh a slow, appreciative rub. "Thank you," she mouthed, leaning her head against his, pressing his burning cheek against hers. She felt his hot, ragged breaths against her skin, smelled the sweat on him, and felt his heart beating wildly in his chest.
His warmth was the only thing keeping them alive, the only reason why they weren't just three frozen corpses, forgotten by the world. They had never expected it to get this cold, not even in the wildest nightmares. To the point that their hot spring had frozen over. To the point that ice covered everything except for the small space around their ragged bed.
'It must be what killed those two...' Aster thought, swallowing hard, his throat dry and sore from the intense heat within him. A mother and daughter hugged each other tightly, waiting for help that never came—likely decided to run into the unknown out of desperation, hoping to find a way out of this place. He didn't even want to imagine what it must have been like to die like that, but he couldn't help it. 'It must've been horrible,' he thought with a shudder, afraid that they would soon find out if things continued the way they were.
Inhale. Exhale. Again and again. 'Not happening. We won't die,' he told himself, squeezing his eyes shut in concentration and gritting his teeth, igniting more mana inside his skinny chest, more and more. His lungs felt like someone filled them to the brim with boiling water, his skin like it was about to melt, and his heart hammered against his ribs like a wild animal in a cage, threatening to break them from within. The girls' shivers grew weaker; he felt, after a few minutes of agony, almost losing consciousness in the process. 'Still... not enough...'
A blanket, how desperately he wished that they had just one proper blanket. Something, anything to cover his mother and sister with, to preserve the precious warmth he was struggling to give out. Then, perhaps he wouldn't have had to keep up with this torture.
Perhaps it was the overwhelming exhaustion and pain weighing down his mind and fogging his thoughts, but he could almost feel the softness of the blanket in his scarred hands. He pictured how he would cover his trembling mother and sister, tuck them in, making sure no cold could slip past the fluffy barrier—a hallucination born of sheer desperation.
It was a simple, stupid fantasy, but he couldn't stop himself from imagining it in his mind. A thick, warm blanket, something that was so heavy and fluffy that you'd be sweating in just a few minutes, even during the worst winter nights, smelling of home and safety when you'd wrap yourself in it.
While his mind played that cruel trick on him, offering him a brief escape from the hell he was putting himself through, his mana was busy obeying his wish. Aster had so much ignited mana swirling and raging within that tiny, frail frame of his that he didn't even notice when some of it slipped out of his control. And then some more, and some more. With every rapid, hammering beat of his heart, it seeped into the frigid air around him, invisible and silent, slowly trying to form into what the boy was trying to picture in his mind.
It wasn't in fire's nature to form anything solid and tangible. Fire's nature was to destroy, to reduce everything it touched to ash. It resisted every attempt to bend it to his desires, fought with all its might against the boy's will, not wanting to be anything other than itself. But Aster's mental image was so detailed, so clear, and filled with so much desperate longing that it had no choice but to kneel and obey. Not in a way Aster wished it to, though, as it simply couldn't become a physical, solid thing, but the closest it could manage.
As more of the boy's mana flowed from him into the cold, dark air, it began to mix with the raw, ambient mana that naturally floated all around, forming a delicate, almost transparent mist that shimmered with a faint, barely noticeable golden hue. It wasn't like the fog that Silvia often used in her spells, not in the slightest. It lacked the weight that her magic had, the moisture, and the chill. Instead, it was warm and light, almost like steam, if not even lighter. One you'd see rising from a bowl of freshly cooked, steaming soup.
The mist swirled around the three huddled figures like a cloak, thickening and growing warmer as more mana slipped out of Aster's control, enveloping them in its soft embrace and slowly pushing the cold away.
"What the hell is this?!" Nivalis exclaimed suddenly, her blue eyes widening as she noticed the mysterious golden vapor surrounding them. She waved her hands frantically, trying to disperse the smoke, but no matter how hard she tried, it always found its way back. "Sweetie?! Is that... you?" she asked, her voice trembling with fear. It refused to swirl away like fog would usually do, staying right where the boy's will commanded, stubbornly returning every time it was swatted away.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Aster blinked his eyes open, a confused frown creasing his forehead when he saw his mother's hand waving right in front of his face. His golden irises darted around, taking in the sight of the strange smoke swirling around the three of them, one Nivalis was struggling to disperse. "I-I... think I did something...?" he whispered unsurely, trying to remember what exactly he was doing just a heartbeat ago.
It felt like a spell, but he couldn't quite recall what exactly he was doing and thinking of. Like a dream you just woke up from, the memories were hazy and vague, slipping through his mind like sand between his fingers. 'A blanket?' The word lingered on his dry, slightly parted lips for a moment. He repeated to himself in a whisper, "Blanket," in a desperate attempt to make the word stay in his memory, his brows furrowing in concentration.
Nivalis calmed down a bit after hearing it was his doing, but her breaths still came in short, panicked gasps. Her eyes darted back and forth between the strange golden haze surrounding them and her son's exhausted face. He was frowning, lost in his thoughts. "What did you do, honey?" she asked, gently shaking the boy's shoulder to get his attention. "Are... you okay?" she added, her voice softening.
He didn't answer her; instead, Silvia finally raised her silver head from the warmth of her mother's cleavage, a soft groan of protest escaping her. Shivering and rubbing her eyelids, she let out a cute little yawn. "What's going on? Did I sleep? What... what is this?" she mumbled, her golden eyes widening when she looked around their ragged, dirty bed.
However, soon enough, her confused expression gave way to one of utter relief, and a smile spread across her face. "Oh... why is it so, so..." she trailed off, her small, pale body stretching out, her back arching against her little brother, toes curling in delight. "...warm..." she finished in a whisper. A shiver rocked her fragile frame, a good one this time.
Nivalis let out a shaky, relieved laugh as she, too, realized how much warmer it had suddenly become, tears welling up in her eyes. "Sweet gods... It must be what heaven feels like," she breathed, closing her eyes and savoring the warmth. The tightness in her muscles began to ease; the tension she hadn't even known was there melted away like ice under the sun. She exhaled a sigh of pure relief, a sigh that carried with it all the fear, pain, and cold she had endured over the past few days.
Just a moment before Aster was about to begin panicking that he had forgotten the only thing that could keep his family warm, he smiled weakly, all of a sudden remembering. "I think I got this," he mumbled, raising his shaking hand high into the air and spreading his scarred fingers wide. Nivalis and Silvia looked up in unison, following his gesture with their eyes, seeing nothing special happening above them.
Nothing happened for a good few dozen seconds as Aster concentrated, picturing the blanket in his mind over and over again. A thick, safe, and comfortable blanket to cover them with. But nothing happened for some reason, no matter how hard he tried. That state of mind he had been in before, where he had been completely lost in his imagination and agony, seemed impossible to return to. "C'mon..." he grumbled under his nose, his golden eyes squeezing tighter. "C'mon!"
Soon enough, his heart began thudding more and more as panic set in. The fear that he wouldn't be able to do it again, that they would once again have to endure the cold until death came to save them, was growing stronger and stronger, making it even harder to focus.
Nivalis and Silvia took each other's hands and squeezed, holding their breaths as they watched their little boy, hoping that whatever he did earlier would happen again. And that it would keep happening. The silence was deafening; none dared to utter a word or even make a sound, afraid that it would break Aster's fragile focus.
It took a moment, but eventually, the boy changed his approach, realizing something. 'It doesn't have to be a blanket, does it?' He smiled to himself and opened his eyes. He only had to picture the warm, thick smoke that was currently swirling around, one that would insulate them and protect them from the biting cold. So that's what he imagined.
It took all of his will and effort to force his mana to form into something like this once more, but thankfully, it worked. It was an expensive spell, he felt, as all the remaining mana he had inside him suddenly surged out from his small fingers in just a matter of seconds. 'Now, mix with the raw mana in the air, and then... thicken,' he commanded in his mind, picturing the smoke appearing from his hand and lazily floating around their bed.
Sighs of relief echoed through the cave from the three naked, huddled bodies as, sure enough, the smoke surrounding them grew thicker, its golden hue intensifying. Slowly but surely, it began blocking out the rest of the freezing, dark cave, creating a cozy pocket of warmth. The girls' eyes never left the boy, watching in amazement as the smoke formed from the palm of his hand, slowly drifting and swirling around them like a protective bubble of sorts.
After a few seconds of letting the mist pour out of him, Aster's arm finally slumped back down, completely drained of energy. "Done..." he whispered breathlessly, his head collapsing on Silvia's bare shoulder. A silly smile spread across his flushed, sweaty face, one of relief and accomplishment, his breathing coming in slow, heavy gasps. The pressure inside his chest had finally vanished, leaving behind an overwhelming sense of numbness and exhaustion.
Nivalis couldn't hold back a sob that escaped her lips. She wrapped her arms around her son, drawing him closer to her chest. "That's my sweet little bunny," she whispered, her voice trembling with emotion. "How... What did you do?"
— "I figured out a new spell for us. A mana blanket... kinda," he mumbled happily into his mother's smooth, delicate neck, feeling his eyelids growing heavier and heavier with each new breath he took. "I just wanted to keep you both warm," he added, his lips hardly moving.
Silvia let out a soft giggle, sniffling as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. Her hands shyly went up and down the boy's flushed, thin body, gently caressing his soft skin before wrapping around him tightly until she felt the small of his butt squish against her hips. His back pressed firmly against her flat chest, her pink, hard nipples tickled by his shoulder blades.
"You will tell me everything you did after you rest. I want to learn this, too," the girl whispered into his pointy ear before planting a soft kiss on his burning neck. "Thank you, little brother," she added, resting her chin on his shoulder and closing her eyes. One last shiver rocked her body before she relaxed into his warmth and scent, feeling safe and, more importantly, warm.
Being sandwiched between two soft, naked girls was something Aster had always loved, and not worrying about them freezing to death even more. "Sure... You're very welcome," he mumbled just as he buried his face into his mother's breast, filling his nose with the scent of her. "M'not going to let you freeze..." he mumbled against the soft mounds, his words muffled and barely audible. He let out a quiet yawn before slipping away, his body going limp as he surrendered to his exhaustion, a peaceful smile on his flushed, tired face.
The last sensation he remembered before drifting off to sleep was how Nivalis reached down to his crotch, letting his soft, wrinkled shaft rest in her palm, and began playing with his pink, hairless testicles. A little habit of hers that she had developed ever since they had gotten stuck in these caves. It always helped them both fall asleep a little faster.
Rolling his balls gently between her fingers, she slowly moved them back and forth with her smooth, warm palm, the motion slow, deliberate, and soothing. Like a lullaby, but for the boy's sensitive, young orbs, making him moan softly in his sleep. He had never once woken up during her nightly ritual, no matter what she did to them. She could even gently squeeze or tug at them, and he'd only wiggle his butt a bit and continue sleeping.
The boy didn't even notice when his hand had instinctively moved to his mother's waist, his fingers gently caressing the curve of her hip, before they drifted towards her smooth, round butt, where they stopped and lingered. Not before giving her a few gentle rubs and squeezes, of course. Just his way of saying, 'Good night, I love you.'