Gardenia’s Heart

Bathed in the warm morning sunlight, a silver-haired girl walked calmly, enjoying the refreshing breeze. Reflected in her heterochromatic eyes was the vast grassy field stretching across the sunlit horizon.

The warmth of the sun against her skin once more was so comforting that it made her want to lie down in the grass all day long.

Even though Nia had returned to her body, since they could share their senses, they were both able to enjoy this pleasant sensation together.

(It’s really amazing to be able to see so far, isn’t it, Lily?)

Stopping for a moment, the girl smiled at the sweet voice in her head.

”Yes. After spending so much time inside the mist, it feels almost like I’ve taken off a blindfold.”

Lily couldn’t remember the last time she had been able to see this far. Even without dark mana, her eyes could perceive hundreds of meters ahead with ease.

In the distance, she could perfectly make out the contours of the clouds. Below them, small hills and land elevations shaped the region’s terrain, surrounding walls that she could guess belonged to a feudal city.

(Even with so much open land, why don’t they let people live here?) Nia asked curiously as she observed the landscape.

Since they had arrived, the girl hadn’t stopped asking questions. Chuckling softly, Lily paused for a second to think before answering.

”I think it’s because even if it worked for a few decades, eventually, the population would grow too much.”

Lily crouched down and took a handful of soil between her fingers.

”Not all land is suitable for farming, whether due to a lack of nutrients or high salinity. At some point, there wouldn’t be enough food for everyone.”

Standing up and continuing to walk, Lily let the small amount of dirt slip through her fingers back onto the ground.

”In order for those living on this side to have food, they force those inside the mist to fight for it. That way, they can control the population’s growth.”

She turned her gaze behind her.

Approximately two hours had passed since they had crossed the connection bridge. Even though they hadn’t been walking slowly and were following the dirt trail, she could still see the towering wall of dark mist marking the horizon, as if a great storm had been frozen in time.

It was not a pleasant sight. It was as if a massive line had split the world in two.

Letting out a sigh and returning her focus to the path ahead, where the trail now had another fork, Lily extended her hand to the side. A small map unfolded before her, supported by two tentacles.

”This is the second intersection, and to the north is the county, so we should be around here, right? That means we need to head east, along this route.”

With the map given to her by Selene, Lily now had a way to navigate toward her goal.

Unlike the mist, which used a complex movement system like the beacons, here she would have to rely solely on her sense of direction.

The terrain around her wasn’t densely forested or overly mountainous, but it was still difficult to orient herself.

Though they hadn’t encountered anyone yet, Lily wanted to leave the open area as soon as possible.

Merchants, travelers, or even bandits wouldn’t be a problem, but she preferred not to run into a mage or a guard who might question what she was doing there.

Since she had chosen not to obtain any kind of documentation, avoiding trouble for now would be best.

Her destination wasn’t too far.

Although she didn’t remember the exact location from memory, with the map, she knew it was somewhere in this region.

(Hm… Lily?)

As she continued to thoughtfully observe the path they were about to take, the girl once again heard her beloved’s voice in her mind.

“Yes, Nia? What is it?”

Tilting her head at Nia’s call, Lily waited for her response. Since Nia hadn’t asked a question as she usually did, it seemed like she had something she wanted to say.

(I didn’t offer this earlier because I thought Lily would like to enjoy walking in the sunlight a little longer, but if you want, I can take us there veeeeery quickly.)

This was one of the rare times Nia stretched out a word so much when speaking, and Lily felt curious about what she was referring to.

“Sure! Actually, I was just thinking that it would be better if we moved away from the bridge faster.”

Accepting Nia’s offer, Lily couldn’t help but let out a light laugh at how cute her wife’s voice had sounded. Before she even realized it, a portal resembling a starry sky appeared before her. Stepping through it without hesitation, just as she always did, Lily now found herself standing in another grassy field.

Whether it was the dirt path beneath her feet or the type of vegetation around her, the environment looked almost identical. Of course, there were a few more trees scattered here and there, but Lily couldn’t quite tell where her wife had taken her.

“Hm… Nia, where—!?”

It was only when she turned around that she finally understood what had happened.

The mist wall was now much farther away. And not just that—the county, which had seemed large on the horizon just moments ago, was now nothing more than a tiny dot.

Focusing dark mana in her eyes and scanning the trail, she could see, hundreds—no, perhaps thousands—of meters in the distance, the very intersection where she had been just seconds ago.

“But this…” Lily struggled to form words. It seemed simple—she had been there, and now she was here—but she couldn’t just accept it that easily.

(Without the mist obstructing my vision, I can easily pinpoint the coordinates of where we need to go. As long as it’s within our line of sight, I can take us there without having to force my dark mana to carve a path for me.)

For a moment, Lily froze in place.

She had completely forgotten about that.

Since they had always needed to visit a location first before Nia could teleport them there, Lily had erased from her mind the fact that this wasn’t strictly necessary.

If Nia could see where they needed to go, she could take them there instantly.

Lily didn’t know the exact numbers, but she was aware that, on average, a person could see up to four or five kilometers with the naked eye.

That meant Nia could cover that distance in a single portal and repeat the process as many times as necessary until they reached their destination.

If they didn’t need to stop for rest at any point, it wasn’t even an exaggeration to say they could cross the entire continent in less than a day.

At that moment, the true meaning of why teleportation was considered an Absolute Magic was once again engraved in Lily’s mind.

“Nia, this is incredible! I’m not exaggerating at all when I say this—it’s incomparable! You’re amazing!”

When the shock passed, a surge of excitement filled Lily’s body, and she started shouting with enthusiasm.

(T-Thank you…)

Caught off guard by Lily’s reaction, Nia found herself powerless as her wife, in the absence of a human body to embrace, grabbed onto every tentacle surrounding her and started bouncing in excitement.

Although Nia loved magic because of her immense curiosity, she had never considered her spells to be particularly impressive.

So whenever her discoveries or the limits of her magic were revealed to Lily and she received such heartfelt reactions, she couldn’t help but feel happy, too.

(I-If Lily points out approximately where it is on the map, I’ll take us there in minutes.) Nia said, simultaneously flustered by the praise and overwhelmed by the sensation of her tentacles being hugged and squeezed.

With a smile on her face, Lily took the map that her wife’s tentacles were holding and circled an isolated area with her fingers. At that very moment, a portal appeared in front of her, followed by another, and then several more.

Since she didn’t know the exact location, and it wasn’t marked on the map, it took several attempts to get their bearings. But finally, the girls arrived at a small forest.

“This is good, Nia. We can walk from here.”

Stopping Nia from creating more portals, Lily placed a hand on the trunk of a nearby tree and closed her eyes for a moment.

The chirping of birds and the gentle breeze surrounded her. The scent of grass filled her nose, and the morning shade brought a refreshing coolness that made her smile.

Opening her eyes again, Lily began walking in silence.

(But, Lily… where are we going?)

Even after saying she wanted to stop somewhere, Lily hadn’t explained where exactly they were headed. Since Nia hadn’t detected any threats nearby, she hadn’t thought to ask before. But now that they seemed to be getting closer, her curiosity grew.

Just as Lily was about to answer, the dark mana she had sent ahead with mana-location found something a hundred meters away.

(L-Lily… this is…)

Hearing Nia’s voice, Lily waited until they left the forest behind before responding.

“Yes. This is my village. The place where I was born.”

Before them lay a small village of fewer than twenty houses, completely reduced to ruins.

Burnt wood and soot-stained stone lay in heaps where buildings once stood. Weeds had spread everywhere, even across the dirt paths.

“After a supposed monster attack, with no one left to blame except for our lack of security, and with no one here anymore, there was no reason for the mercenary guild or any noble to rebuild the village. Without a reason to retrieve the bodies, to prevent disease from spreading, I suppose burning everything down was the only option they considered,” Lily said in a quiet voice.

There were no bodies. No blood.

So much time had passed that all traces of life had already been erased—whether by fire or by whatever monsters had wandered through the area.

Walking slowly through the village, Lily’s gaze lingered on each house for a long time before moving to the next.

She had been too young to remember everyone’s names, but she remembered their laughter, their smiles, and their kind words.

She didn’t know if any of them had survived somewhere. Now that the search had begun, maybe someone would be found. But without the knowledge to aid in that effort, all Lily could do was hope.

Wherever her eyes landed, a memory surfaced.

As the only child her age, she had always searched for ways to entertain herself alone.

The places where she used to play, the places where she used to hide—even buried beneath the rubble, she knew exactly where each of them had been.

Step by step, her feet carried her toward that place.

And when she finally arrived, she stopped.

Her trembling lips were a reflection of her struggle to stay composed.

Standing before the ruins, Lily was not welcomed by a fresh breeze carrying the scent of petals, nor by the majestic garden that once shone under the sunlight.

On the scorched and devastated ground where a wooden house had once stood, there was nothing left of what Lily had once called home.

“…I’m back, Dad.”

The pain in her chest wasn’t physical, but it surged all at once, becoming unbearable.

Her shoulders trembled, and the hands that had once been steady now clutched the debris with crushing force.

When the tears finally began to fall, her legs could no longer hold her up.

They streamed down her face in silence—until her body leaned forward and her quiet sobs turned into something deeper.

Her throat was dry. The once-small hiccups blended with ragged cries, shaking her entire body.

Each tear that fell carried the weight of a memory, a moment that had once been a pillar of her life—something that would never return.

At some point, Lily felt her sobs being muffled. Two arms wrapped around her, enveloping her in warmth, and a gentle hand cradled her head. In her most vulnerable state, she felt as if she was being allowed to take as much time as she needed in that place.

There, amidst the storm of painful emotions, Lily leaned into the embrace, crying until every seemingly endless tear had finally been released.

When her sobs began to subside and she lifted her face to look at the girl holding her, she felt an immense sense of relief.

Nia didn’t need to say anything. Simply being there with her in that moment meant more to Lily than anything else.

Still clinging to the arms wrapped around her, Lily shifted her red, slightly swollen eyes toward the debris.

“Nia, can you help me find something?” Her voice was soft, despite the strain from crying.

No further instructions were needed. Still holding onto Lily, Nia extended more than ten tentacles, carefully removing piece after piece of rubble from the house.

At a steady pace, every piece of charred wood was cleared and neatly placed around the area. Within minutes, the ground beneath the house was visible once more.

Using Nia’s support to stand, Lily slowly walked forward. Her tear-filled eyes struggled to scan the ground.

She didn’t even know if it was still here, but she knew she had to look.

As more debris was cleared away, Lily searched every inch of the ground multiple times.

It wasn’t until the last piece of wood was moved that she finally found what she was looking for.

“…It survived… it really survived…”

Holding the small object in her trembling hands, Lily fought the urge to cry again.

Her teeth pressed against her lower lip, and her eyes squeezed shut, unable to fully believe that what she held was real.

All this time, Nia had remained at her side, watching with quiet curiosity as Lily clutched the item.

Despite the black stains left by the fire, the small object had been preserved enough to be recognizable.

Three different flowers were tied together in a triangular shape, forming a delicate ornament.

“…An Oceanite Lily?”

Though she had only seen one once before, Nia would never forget a memory she had shared with her wife. When they had traveled to Caligo, she remembered Lily introducing her to this mana-infused herb.

Wiping away a stray tear with her fingers, Lily turned to Nia, letting her see it more clearly.

“This ornament represents the family I once dreamed of having. I made it when I was little, when I found an ocean lily for the first time. My father told me that my name was inspired by this flower.”

Gently touching the mana herb, which had gone through a drying process yet retained its shape, Lily recalled the day she had found it while adventuring through the forest.

“…Lily’s name…?”

Seeing the curiosity in the violet-haired girl’s eyes, Lily felt her tense expression soften.

“My father told me that my name means innocence and virtue, so this blue flower represents me.”

Sliding her finger from the blue petal to the brown one, Lily tapped it a few times before continuing.

“This brown one… I sewed it out of fabric because it was the color of my father’s hair.”

She ran her fingers gently over the flower before finally moving to the last one.

“And the third one…” She turned to look at the girl beside her. “It’s a flower that represents purity and sincerity.”

There was no way that girl wouldn’t understand the meaning behind those words.

“Gardenia…”

Nia felt a powerful emotion begin to rise in her chest.

“My father always told me that if I ever got married, he would want my wife to have these qualities.”

Still holding the ornament in her hand, Lily stepped closer to the girl whose legs were starting to tremble. She wrapped her arms around her.

“Thank you for finding me, Gardenia.”

With no other reaction but to cling to Lily with all her strength, Nia pulled her wife firmly against her. A rough sound escaped her throat, a mix between a gasp and a whimper, as her trembling lips struggled to express everything she felt.

“I will always be with you, Lily! I am your family!”

Her teary eyes shone with fierce determination, her words carrying the weight of an oath she would never dare to break.

Hearing those words, Lily couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed with emotion.

She had lost many precious things, but she had also gained something priceless.

Leaving the house, Lily walked to what had once been her father’s garden. With Nia’s help, she dug a small, modest hole in an area that had not been as damaged by the flames and placed the hair ornament inside.

This wasn’t an attempt to forget but rather a sign of her resolve to move forward—with Nia by her side.

Covering it with a gentle layer of soil, she formed a small mound. Lily closed her eyes and knelt on the ground, intertwining her fingers.

“…Dad.”

She spoke softly, the weight in her chest gradually easing.

“I found a wife, and she’s a part of our family now.”

That pain would never truly fade.

“She is kind, cheerful, and extraordinarily beautiful. She takes care of me in ways I never could have imagined, and I don’t know what my life would be without her. I love her so deeply that I can say with absolute certainty—I will never leave her side.”

But she would never have to bear that pain alone.

“It was only because of her that I could be here for you today. I wish… I wish you could have met her…”

And because of that, she could move forward.

“…So it’s okay. Y-You don’t have to worry about protecting me anymore.”

Opening her tear-filled eyes, she forced a smile onto her lips—though it was difficult, her expression was filled with warmth.

“I love you, Dad.”

When the last tear finally dried, Lily stood up.

Beside her, the most precious person in her life welcomed her with a silent embrace.

The two remained there, motionless for a brief moment. Taking a deep breath, Lily gently cupped Nia’s cheeks, letting her know that she was okay now.

“Shall we go?” The silver-haired girl spoke softly.

Seeing her wife’s joyful smile return to her face, Nia’s lips curled into a smile of her own. However, instead of creating a portal as expected, Nia suddenly knelt before Lily.

“Nia?” Confused, Lily felt her left hand being pulled forward, and then—

A soft kiss was placed upon it.

With the roar of thunder, a pair of black wings as delicate as the veil of a storm spread from Nia’s back.

“This is… from the Leviathan…” Lily murmured in awe.

The black wings were translucent, shimmering with a faint glow of purple and red. Each feather seemed to vibrate with its energy as if radiating pure electricity.

With a confident smile, Nia stood up. Approaching Lily, she suddenly leaped into her arms—and was instantly caught.

“I have to show my father-in-law that I’m an amazing wife, don’t I?”

With an innocent yet unwavering expression, Nia declared her words with conviction.

Unable to resist the sight before her, Lily let out a quiet laugh.

Taking one last look at the grave, Lily reaffirmed her resolve and turned away.

The wind around them stirred softly at first, then grew stronger with each passing second.

Then, she felt her feet leave the ground—first by just a few centimeters, and then much, much more, until, from the sky, the world below them seemed so small.