A dense forest.

The sun was still shining high in the sky, and the shadows were small, indicating that it was, indeed, still only halfway till nighttime. Most forest creatures still actively went out hunting. Their prime time of the day had not passed yet. 

Still, to the two people hiding in a secluded cave, it was as if years had passed.

They snuggled against each other to combat the cold air inside the cave, where sunlight did not reach. Their outfit was skimpy and torn at various places. Still, that did not stop the boy from ripping some cloth off his shirt to bandage up the girl, who was wounded in her leg.

“It’s useless, Roy. Please leave me and run away, at least one of us will survive…”

The girl’s voice was weak, as if saying that one sentence had used up all of her energy. She stared at the boy in front of her, who was desperate to treat her wound over his own, in her eyes a loving gaze but heavily diluted with helplessness.

“Stop spouting nonsense, Mira. You know I would never abandon you.”

The boy tightened up his makeshift bandage. The sudden force caused the girl’s eyebrows to scrunch up, but her determined expression was not fazed.

“Roy, at this rate, I would just be a burden, and they are coming here fast. Unless … do you want both of us to die?”

The girl named Mira held the corner of Roy’s shirt, as if begging him. Her almond-shaped cat ears twitched in nervousness.

“Roy, the goddess’s faith … has to be continued. It’s useless if we all died.”

“Shut up!”

The rudeness in her partner’s voice shook Mira up. She looked at Roy, teary-eyed, but what awaited her next was just his helpless sigh.

“Mira, the goddess had abandoned us. There is no hope for our faith, other than pure survival. As the priestess, you must have felt it more clearly than anyone else, when her power … disappeared in us.”

“No, it’s not true! She just … fell into a slumber, that’s all! She will … she will definitely come back...”

Unable to hold it in, streaks of tear fell down from her eyes, but she quickly wiped them off. Mira clenched her fist, and looked at Roy with renewed determination.

“Roy, if we abandon our faith, then what do we have left? We cannot hope to match the beast tribe in power, and we could never be as cunning as the human. Without our goddess, we would be nothing! That’s why … we must not lose faith! Or it would be the true end of our kind!”

Not expecting such strong words from his partner, Roy was momentarily stunned. He then lowered his head with a sigh.

“I know that, Mira, but if we ever hope to restore our faith, we have to come out of this forest in one piece first. And when I said ‘we’, I mean both of us.”

Roy stared at the girl in front of him. Her face was so close that he could pick up the smell of lavender emanating from her body. Mira loved to use such scents. He once traveled across two mountains to the neighboring Mimi village to buy her a bottle. It was a gift for her fifteenth birthday.

He could clearly remember her dazzling smile when receiving the present even now. 

Looking at the girl who has grown up along with him for many years, an affectionate feeling swelled up from deep inside him.

Even if he had to trade his life for it, Mira’s safety must be ensured.

Roy swore to himself.

Their momentary silence was broken by the nearby sound of boar hooves and human roaring. There were clear signs of something approaching their hiding place.

“Find them! Find the priestess! Rape and burn her as tribute to our great God!”

“Burn her! Burn her!”

Mira shook in fear. The cacophony of obnoxious laughter and weapons shaking echoed throughout the forest, passing by their cave. Roy could not help but clench his teeth.

“Roy, it’s not too late, you could still escape. Please … Mira doesn't want Roy to die...”

Mira’s voice was begging at him. Roy let out a long sigh, and held both of his companion’s, no, his lover’s cheeks.

“Mira?”

“Yes?”

Teary-eared, she still managed to respond to her lover.

“Do you remember our promise?”

“Yes...”

Mira answered with a smile. Tears ran down both her cheeks.

“When we grow up, we will come to the Elder’s place. I will stop being a priestess, and Roy could marry me as his … his wife.”

Roy affectionately brushed off a tear on Mira’s face. 

“And then … we would have children. They will be mischievous and make us mad a lot of times, but we would still love them. Roy likes a daughter, so I would try to have one, but if it turns out to be a boy, then please don’t be mad at me...”

Mira’s cheeks grew redder.

“Silly girl, how could I be mad at my beautiful wife? Boy or girl, I’m sure my children would be as cute as their mother, and I would shower them with love no matter what.”

Roy leaned closer, and landed a kiss on his lover’s lips.

“That’s why, I want to make a second promise. Mira, I promise you, we will leave this forest safely, and then we will have a big, big wedding. We will invite all of our friends. I think you would be even more beautiful in a wedding dress, don’t you think so, Mira?“

“Roy...”

Mira’s eyes were wet with tears.

“That’s why, please stay here, okay? When everything settles down, I will come back and look for you.”

Mira could not utter a word. She could only nod and watch Roy brandish his sword, as he stepped out of their hiding place, his armor torn and damaged.

“Roy...”

Mira closed her eyes.

Everything around her went dark.

There were only the sounds of weapons clashing against each other, the roaring of beasts, and the sound of gloating laughter left in her world.