She cried out in her heart, but the sound vanished into the biting gale.
Loneliness and fear coiled around her like cold-blooded pythons, squeezing tighter and tighter.
Her body temperature was draining away fast. Her hands and feet had gone completely numb, and even her eyelids felt too heavy to keep open.
She felt certain she would die here… frozen solid in this white wasteland where no one would ever find her.
From deep within the blizzard came low, eerie howls, like hungry beasts lurking in the shadows, waiting for their prey to lose all ability to resist.
She desperately tried to run, but her legs were like two heavy lead pillars. Lifting them took enormous effort, as if she were struggling through a quagmire.
A bone-chilling emptiness mixed with the twisting cramps from her lower abdomen—the root of her whole-body shivering.
Just as her consciousness was about to be sealed in ice, a rush of burning warmth suddenly swept in from every direction. It drove away the cold in her chest and the cramps in her belly, bringing an overwhelming sense of safety. It felt as though someone had grabbed her firmly just as she teetered on the edge of a hopeless abyss.
In the latter half of the night, Movira woke with a start from the violent trembling in her arms.
Half-asleep, she reached out and felt as though she were holding a block of ice. The strange sensation snapped her fully awake. Her first thought was that Seraphina had come down with another fever. She quickly pressed her hand to the girl’s forehead, only to find cold sweat.
This wasn’t a fever…
Next she caught a faint metallic scent of blood.
Could it be…
She carefully lifted a corner of the blanket. At the same time a crimson glow rose in her eyes. In the darkness it let her see the room as clearly as daylight.
“Mm… Didn’t I tell you to be more careful?”
Movira’s voice was extremely soft as she “scolded,” but her hands never stopped moving. She cast several spells in quick succession to clean up the mess.
Then she pulled Seraphina back into her arms, using her own body heat to warm the girl’s icy limbs while her other hand rested gently on Seraphina’s lower abdomen.
Seraphina’s brows were tightly furrowed. Cold sweat kept beading on her forehead. Her lips were pale as she unconsciously mumbled incoherent words.
“Cold… so cold… snow… help… someone save me…”
“Don’t worry, it’ll be over soon.” Movira kept her voice extremely gentle. She leaned close to Seraphina’s ear, breathing warm air against it.
Throughout this the still-sleeping Seraphina kept clutching the front of Movira’s nightgown as if it were her only lifeline. Her body pressed tightly against the source of heat, face buried deep in Movira’s chest. Her icy feet curled up, only to be gently caught between Movira’s legs and warmed.
Occasionally Seraphina let out soft, tearful whimpers, as if suffering greatly in her dream.
Under Movira’s steady warmth and soothing presence, Seraphina’s tense body finally relaxed. The trembling eased, and her breathing grew steady once more.
Even so, her small hand still clutched Movira’s clothes.
Movira lowered her head and gazed at the peaceful sleeping face of the girl in her arms. Feeling her body temperature slowly return to normal, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. She stayed perfectly still in that position, afraid to disturb this hard-won peace.
She simply tightened her embrace a little more, using her own body heat to build a solid wall against the cold wind and fear for Seraphina.
The first rays of morning sunlight streamed through the window and fell across the two tightly entwined figures.
Seraphina’s internal clock gently pulled her from deep sleep. The first thing she felt was warmth everywhere.
Next came an unprecedented sense of being completely wrapped up. She seemed to be… held fully in someone’s arms, her cheek pressed against soft, springy skin. Her nose was filled with a familiar clean scent. It was Movira’s scent, one she knew well.
Seraphina blinked sleepily. The scene before her slowly came into focus.
The first thing she saw was the folds of a nightgown… but this angle and this closeness…
She snapped fully awake. She realized her head was buried deep in Movira’s chest, and the other woman’s arms were wrapped around her back.
How—?!
Blood rushed to Seraphina’s cheeks and ears, burning so hot it made her dizzy.
In such a shameful position… this had never happened before… this close, touching such a sensitive place.
Embarrassment made her want to pull away at once, but the moment she moved, a dull ache bloomed in her lower abdomen. She couldn’t help sucking in a sharp breath. Her newly waking limbs felt weak and powerless.
Her whole body was limp and drained of strength. The weakness made even escaping Movira’s arms feel impossibly difficult.
The tiny movements and breathing sounds roused Movira from her light doze.
The events of the night made her instinctively tighten her arms, thinking Seraphina was in pain again.
But the motion caused a faint pressure against her own abdomen—barely noticeable unless one paid close attention.
“…Mm, don’t… don’t squeeze…” came Seraphina’s muffled, indignant voice from her chest. “Sister, you’re squishing me!”
Movira immediately loosened her hold. She quickly looked down and saw Seraphina’s ears burning bright red, almost dripping blood, and those wide purple eyes misty with panic.
The girl was trying to escape, yet Movira had held her even tighter, making Seraphina’s movements clumsy from both discomfort and the “obstruction.” She looked pitifully adorable.
“You’re awake?” Movira’s heart melted instantly. She relaxed her arms a little but still didn’t let go, afraid Seraphina might catch a chill.
“How do you feel? Still uncomfortable?”
“I… I’m fine… It’s just… I don’t understand…”
Seraphina trailed off. Her gaze darted everywhere except Movira’s eyes.
Movira understood the girl’s confusion and embarrassment. Deep down she found this version of Seraphina incredibly endearing, but she kept her expression calm and caring.
She reached out and gently tucked a stray lock of hair behind Seraphina’s ear. The intimate gesture made Seraphina shiver all over.
“You probably don’t remember, but in the early hours your… monthly cycle started. You were freezing cold, shivering, and talking in your sleep. Were you having a nightmare?”
Seraphina peeked up at Movira for a split second, then quickly buried her face again and squeezed her eyes shut.
She had a vague recollection of the nightmare, but she couldn’t remember exactly what it had been about.
“I… I…” She opened her mouth but didn’t know what to say. Having such a private matter brought up so directly by Movira again made her wish she could sink straight into the floor.
“If you can’t remember, then don’t think about it. I used magic to clean you up. You looked so cold I just held you to help you warm up.”
“Mm… um… th-thank you.”