𓋇  𓇗  𓆸 𓋇 ᪥ 𓇑

As Python had said, the light from the forest really did die down at nightfall, and Chirin’s fatigue had evolved into an overwhelming sleepiness that increasingly became more difficult to fight off with every minute that seemed to pass. The crystal-like structures that hung from the trees seemed to curl into themselves all at once, their light fading, and the forest quickly falling into pitch black darkness. The scenery was frozen and deeply unsettling, but at the same time, it was almost peaceful.

That was mostly thanks in part to Python’s company. Chirin did not like to be alone.

While Chirin searched for a spot to sleep, Python had taken to lurking within the vicinity of their temporary encampment picking up sticks, leaves, and other materials to feed the fire.

After searching for a bit, Chirin found a good enough spot: a leafy patch nestled against a log. It wasn’t comfortable, but it was close enough to the fire for him to keep warm. He really didn’t care where he was sleeping if it meant he’d be able to nurse whatever was making his body hurt so much. He swept a few extra dried leaves into his makeshift bed before plopping down and lying on his side, watching Python with droopy eyes.

At some point, she stopped what she was doing, sat down on the edge of the log Chirin was nestled against, and began rolling her coin in her hand. Chirin watched as she fiddled with the coin, his interest slowly increasing as he watched her fluidly perform one impressive trick after another. One trick had left Chirin gaping: Python began spinning the coin on each of her fingers before catching it with her thumb and folding the coin into a fist. It was incredibly impressive– almost logic defying– and it had Chirin leaning forward, watching and waiting for more.

Python: “...I don’t know what’s so interesting about what I'm doing right now, Chirin.”

The snake helmeted woman turned to look at Chirin, the boy in question letting out a sound akin to a surprised puppy squeak as he turned and looked away, aggressively flustered at being caught staring.

Chirin: “S-Sorry! I didn’t mean to stare! It’s just that thing you're doing with the coin… it’s… really cool.”

Python: “Cool…?”

She remained silent, her lips pressed in a thin line. Going by her apparent body language, Chirin can only guess that she was surprised.

Python: “...You really think that?”

Chirin: “Yeah! It’s– like– super cool!  How do you do all of it? Can you show me?”

Python: “Ah? Shouldn’t you be sleeping away your pain?”

Chirin: “Pleaaaase show me at least one!”

Python sighed.

Python: “And here I thought I’d have a quiet peaceful night to meditate and think about stuff in peace…”

Python’s voice dropped to a quiet, barely audible murmur as she mused to herself.

Python: “ — This is surprising though… No one's been this interested in my coin tricks since Wolfspider...”

Despite his slight curiosity about whoever “Wolfspider” was, Chirin was more interested in what Python had in hand.

Chirin: “Pleeaaasseeee? Cool coin tricks pleaaaase?”

Python: “… Fine. I’ll show you how to do one, but you’re gonna owe me for it. What do you have to offer me?”

Chirin thought for a moment. Should he offer money? Answers? No… He didn’t have either of those. He doesn’t think he’ll ever understand why Python insists on putting a price on everything, but now that he is a bit familiar with how Python operates (as strange as he thinks it is), he has begun to understand that this will most likely be a regular occurrence between the two of them. He might as well adapt to Python’s wavelength for sanity's sake, and he had just the idea of how to do so.

Chirin: “I can offer you…The promise that I will be quiet, go straight to sleep, and not disturb you until morning?”

Python’s grin was almost feral.

Python: “Damn, Chirin. You almost know me too well already… It’s a deal then.”

Chirin: ("Yaaaay!")

Python opened her fist, coin lodged between her index and ring finger. Meanwhile, Chirin shuffled quickly, propping his elbows into the ground and his hands to his chin. He leveled Python with a wide-eyed stare, humming excitedly as he swung his legs like an excited toddler. Python sighed with fond exasperation at his almost unnatural interest. Her next words came slowly– almost nervously.

Python: “Alright Chirin. We’ll start suuuuper simple. This is what I like to call ‘flicking the coin’. It’s the one where I flick it in the air with my thumb, and catch it with the same hand. You do it like this…”

Python laid her coin on a sideway fist, and with a quick flick of her thumb, flicked it in the air. Chirin’s gaze followed the coin as it flew in the air, and back into Python’s open hand.

Python: “... And you kind of need to catch it like that. I’ll explain each step more slowly…”

The rest of the explanation came easily, with Python becoming more and more comfortable with each motion she demonstrated to Chirin, her gaze pointed more towards her movements than her audience. Chirin, her only audience in question, gave her as much of his attention as he possibly could, but the urge to surrender to his sleepiness slowly overrode his attention on Python. After a short while, Python finished her explanation. She rolled the coin over her knuckles and into the palm of her hand before closing it.

Python: “... That’s preeeeeetty much everything I can tell you about that one. Now all you’ll need to do is practice it a bit… Don’t expect to get it right the first time. You might be a bit frustrated at first. Just keep at it until you can build enough confidence to do it without even thinking about it… Do you understand, Chirin?”

Chirin: "..."

Python: “...”

She looked at Chirin, noting that at some point during her demonstration, he had face-planted on the ground. The position he was in didn’t look comfortable at all, and he was eerily still.

Python: “...Chirin?”

Chirin let out a tiny snore.

Python: “Oh… He fell asleep.”

She observed his sleeping form for a moment, silently marveling over how Chirin is able to sleep in such an uncomfortable manner before moving to pull out a coat from her bag. She laid it on top of Chirin before taking a seat on the log behind him, silently resigning herself to a long, quiet night of keeping watch; alone with herself and her thoughts.

It was… lonelier than it usually was.

She honestly wished she could show Chirin more.

Python: “... Goodnight, Chirin.”

𓋇  𓇗  𓆸 𓋇 ᪥ 𓇑

Chirin can’t remember the last time he slept deeply– undisturbed by the forces of oblivion that trapped his consciousness and sense of being within it– an aftermath of his descent to the Abyss and the tranquil slumber that followed as his senseless shell of a body became one with the earth.

Thinking, yet not considering all the same. 

Each shallow breath he took as he fell deeper and deeper into his slumber brought sensations both familiar and unknown.

The scent of soil and fauna and the gentle crackling of the fire paved the path for successions of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations. 

Chirin subconsciously embraced these concepts, occurring both voluntarily and involuntarily, floating into the light that brought with it the fruits of his subconsciousness.

And once it consumed him, Chirin was no longer in the Abyss.

He was in Terra Firma, standing in a vast flat plain painted white by flowers that numbered by the thousands, standing amid the sea of white in a body that was much younger than his present one. The sky was a lovely light color, stretching seemingly forever upwards, not hindered by any physical heavenly barriers.

He was humming a song whose notes came to him as he sang to himself. It was a smooth, comforting melody that warmed his heart and filled him with hope.

He couldn’t quite place a thumb on why it seemed so important to him. Maybe it was because it was something he made up. Now that he thought about it, he always did have an imaginative mind...

A considerable distance before him, he spotted what looked to be a man staring out into the jet-black void that stretched just behind the edge of Terra-Firma, his expression carefully blank. There physically, but gone mentally. His facial features were completely indiscernible by the limitations of Chirin’s psyche, but nonetheless, it was able to supply him with a single word. A single iota of identification for the stranger that stood before him.

“Father.” 

“𓋇 𓇗 𓆸𓋇᪥𓇑.”

Everything that followed came outside of Chirin’s will as he fell into the role of his current, physical self: actions and emotions of a long past memory being watched through the lenses of the dreamer.

The younger Chirin called out his father’s name and began running towards him at the fastest speed his short legs could carry him, fully intent on realizing his goal of playfully taking his father down. His grin grew as he silently delighted at his father’s apparent lack of reaction.

(In truth, 𓋇 𓇗 𓆸𓋇᪥𓇑 was simply pretending not to notice his son hurtling towards him, a small smile curling on his face as Chirin drew closer and closer).

And when Chirin was upon him, 𓋇 𓇗 𓆸𓋇᪥𓇑 grunted as he let himself get knocked over by the overwhelming force that was Chirin’s run-fueled-full-body-tackle.

Chirin: “Foul beast! You have fallen before me!! You are at my mercy now!”

𓋇 𓇗 𓆸𓋇᪥𓇑: “Oomph! I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up!”

Chirin laughed manically as 𓋇 𓇗 𓆸𓋇᪥𓇑 feigned struggling against Chirin. And then, baring his teeth, he bit his father's sleeves, pulling at them with all his might: it was a habit he never outgrew that drove his mother crazy, but who was he to deny using his greatest weapon? Suddenly, with a mischievous grin, 𓋇 𓇗 𓆸𓋇᪥𓇑 went eerily still and flopped over, his tongue rolling out dramatically. Chirin pulled away, frowning as watched him curiously.

Chirin: “... Dad?”

Suddenly, his father’s arms were around him, and Chirin let out a delighted shriek as he was pulled into a huge, tight hug. 𓋇 𓇗 𓆸𓋇᪥𓇑’s laugh was light and airy, full of a gentleness that only Chirin knew.

𓋇 𓇗 𓆸𓋇᪥𓇑: “Who's the fallen one now?”

Chirin squirmed in his father’s arms.

Chirin: “Aaahh!! Daaaad! Too tight! Too tight!”

𓋇 𓇗 𓆸𓋇᪥𓇑: “Ooops.”

𓋇 𓇗 𓆸𓋇᪥𓇑  released Chirin, and the boy rolled away from his father. He stared at 𓋇 𓇗 𓆸𓋇᪥𓇑, pouting. 

His dad was so… muscular… And so much taller than him. Even if Chirin can knock him over, 𓋇 𓇗 𓆸𓋇᪥𓇑 is able to overpower him so easily. If only he had muscles like him too… Then 𓋇 𓇗 𓆸𓋇᪥𓇑 would never get the upper hand on him!

Chirin looked at his own arms. He was only six years old, and so skinny… and tiny… It wasn’t fair at all…

𓋇 𓇗 𓆸𓋇᪥𓇑: “Chirin? Is something the matter?”

Chirin: “It’s not fair…”

𓋇 𓇗 𓆸𓋇᪥𓇑: “... What’s not fair?”

Chirin looked away, blushing furiously.

Chirin: “Y-You’re…”

𓋇 𓇗 𓆸𓋇᪥𓇑: “I’m what?”

Chirin’s voice was barely a whisper.

Chirin: “You’re… super buff…”

Those were words that 𓋇 𓇗 𓆸𓋇᪥𓇑  hadn’t expected to hear. He stared at Chirin for a few moments, unsure of what to say in response to the strange comment before bursting into a fit of giggles.

𓋇 𓇗 𓆸𓋇᪥𓇑: “Ahaha… Me? Buff? Why thank you!”

Chirin: “W-Will I ever be as big and awesome as you?”

𓋇 𓇗 𓆸𓋇᪥𓇑: “Of course you will! One day, you’ll be as strong and cool as me. It’ll happen before you know it."

Chirin: “But I’m only six! Mom says I’m shorter than kids my age! I’ll never be tall…”

𓋇 𓇗 𓆸𓋇᪥𓇑: “Hmmm… Well, let me ask you this… Do you know anyone your age, Chirin?”

Chirin looked at 𓋇 𓇗 𓆸𓋇᪥𓇑 sheepishly.

Chirin: “No… I don't have anyone else to play with…”

𓋇 𓇗 𓆸𓋇᪥𓇑: “If that’s the case, then by that logic… You’re the tallest kid in Terra Firma! That’s amazing, isn’t it? Furthermore… you’re much better than me when it comes to hide and seek too. You always win.”

Chirin: “Yeah… But… Mmmm…“

𓋇 𓇗 𓆸𓋇᪥𓇑: “...What’s wrong?”

Chirin: “When we play hide and seek… You never hide in the woods. You never look for me there either. That’s why I always win. Why do you never leave this flower field?”

Chirin did not understand the slightly pained look on his father’s face.

𓋇 𓇗 𓆸𓋇᪥𓇑: “...”

𓋇 𓇗 𓆸𓋇᪥𓇑 picked one of the white flowers that surrounded the two of them, pinching it between his ring finger and his thumb.

𓋇 𓇗 𓆸𓋇᪥𓇑: “Chirin, do you know what this is?”

Chirin stared at the flower, vaguely confused at the simplicity of the question and the sudden shift in topic.

Chirin: “... A flower?”

𓋇 𓇗 𓆸𓋇᪥𓇑: “In a sense, yes, it is a flower… A lily to be exact. But what kind of lily is it?”

Chirin squinted.

Chirin: “... A white lily?”

𓋇 𓇗 𓆸𓋇᪥𓇑 chuckled as he shook his head.

𓋇 𓇗 𓆸𓋇᪥𓇑: “It’s a Peace Lily, Chirin.”

Chirin: “Ooooh! … So peace is a color?”

𓋇 𓇗 𓆸𓋇᪥𓇑: “Oh, Chirin… Peace isn't a color, it's more like an idea. You were right about it being white the first time. But as for the concept of peace itself… I like to imagine that it’s empty. Blank. Yet illuminating, brilliant, faithful… and waiting for something to happen… Just like the Peace Lily. That's what makes it special.”

Chirin: “I don’t get it. It’s just a flower? What’s so special about it?”

𓋇 𓇗 𓆸𓋇᪥𓇑: “It’s not the flower itself that is special, Chirin. It’s what it tells us that is special: ‘There is hope for a new future’… but when inverted, it tells of the absence of one.”

𓋇 𓇗 𓆸𓋇᪥𓇑: “Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future. Forgiveness for the sinner is only afforded to one who is willing to forgive, and the saint is merely a sinner having been forgiven. If there must be hope in the future, there must be power in the hearts of those who stir the present. And the present… it comes in the form of the future. As for me, my future comes from waiting. Wait and hope for a new future… For forgiveness...”

Chirin’s father glanced at the Peace Lily pinched between his ring finger and thumb with an unreadable expression.

𓋇 𓇗 𓆸𓋇᪥𓇑: “That is my purpose…”

Chirin: “... Doesn't it get lonely sometimes?”

𓋇 𓇗 𓆸𓋇᪥𓇑: “Of course it does.”

There was a brief silence.

𓋇 𓇗 𓆸𓋇᪥𓇑: “...I’m going to give this Peace Lily to you.”

Chirin: “Why? We’re surrounded by them.”

𓋇 𓇗 𓆸𓋇᪥𓇑: “Hmmm? No particular reason…”

𓋇 𓇗 𓆸𓋇᪥𓇑 reached over to Chirin, sliding the flower into his hair while the boy watched him with wide eyes. After he was finished, he leaned back and hummed– pleased with his work. Chirin fidgeted nervously and flashed him a small smile, not completely understanding what or why this was happening.