*** Mia's Pov ***

I woke up still wrapped in a blanket, I apparently fell asleep in Celeste's embrace. Unlike yesterday, I was now in a stone room that was a lot more spacious than the one I woke up in. The bed was big and really comfortable, but the room didn't have much furniture. As I stood up the dimly lighted room became brighter and I could see better.

Seeing the neatly folded clothes on the nightstand, I realized I was only wearing underwear and should dress up. I looked at the clothes, they were the clothing I was wearing yesterday. They'd been washed and patched, and on top of them was a weird belt.

"You woke up?" A voice suddenly asked, startling me.

I looked around only to realize I was alone in the room. Remembering yesterday's conversation, I figured it should be Lybra the spirit lady. And as if to confirm it, sparkles gathered and turned into her. 

"We didn't know if you wanted to keep your clothes or not so we mended them but if you want you can wear a PMSL spacesuit. I would recommend that as it's more resistant, grants better protection, makes it easier to move, and is comfier," she explained while pointing to the belt.

"A something spacesuit...?" I repeated not sure what she was talking about.

"Right, the technological level of this planet seems pretty low, not to mention the PMSL model I don't think you people even know what a spacesuit is. You can think of it as a really resistant protective gear, it's the same things that m-mom was wearing. To wear it you just need to put the belt around your waist and put your finger in the center of the belt."

Intrigued, I followed her instructions and put on the belt. Suddenly a white goo extended from the belt and began to envelop my body, I let out a surprised yelp while the goo soon covered my whole body under my neck. It then morphed into a white suit with platinum lines similar to what was wearing Celeste. The spacesuit, as she called it, felt strange to wear it was almost as if I had a second skin.

The outfit was really comfortable, knowing it was matched to the ones worn by Celeste and Lybra it felt warm... No, it was really warmer. Seeing my dumbfounded reaction, Lybra giggled before explaining the suit's functions. I didn't understand most of what she said but from what I understood, I was wearing something akin to a legendary artefact. The spacesuit that I could barely feel before suddenly seemed a lot heavier.

I wanted to take it off but I didn't know how and while I was distracted Lybra had taken away my old clothes. Without any other choice, I could only resolute myself to wear it. Since it was a legendary artifact I shouldn't be able to damage it, right? I remember Lybra said it had self-repair and self-cleaning integrated, it should be fine, no? I was split, I felt unworthy of wearing such a precious thing but I also wanted to be matched with them...

"Can I really wear this?" I asked Lybra with a little hope but dreading the answer.

"Silly girl, I wouldn't have given it to you if you couldn't wear it. Of course, you can! Now go, I'm sure you're hungry and Mom is waiting for you." she replied before showing me the door.

I followed Lybra's indications, passing by two tunnels before exiting outside. The whole structure has been carved inside a cliff and from time to time I could see some weird metal thing going around with material in their grasp. From what Lybra said they were "drones", machines used for heavy labor, precision work, or dangerous ones.

Celeste was waiting at a metal table outside, from what I could see she was working on some weird device. Seeing me, she beckoned me while Lybra left in a mist of blue sparks. Celeste put down her work and pulled out a stool for me to sit on. It was then that I realized that her hand had been healed. How?! That shouldn't be possible... is she really a goddess? Seeing my frozen state she chuckled before making me sit down.

"Did you sleep well?" She asked sitting in front of me.

I could only nod, feeling a little shy. She was without a doubt an incredible person, not the kind that should interact with a girl like me. But she also radiated warmth, I barely knew her but I felt safe. It was like going back to the old time when Mama was alive. I was happy but also worried. What if it ended? If I went back to the village? I was starting to shiver when I felt a warm hand petting my head. Looking up I could see Celeste smiling warmly at me.

"Don't worry, you are safe. I will always be here for you." She comforted me. Once I was calmed down she pushed a tray in front of me. "You must be hungry, I prepared your breakfast, though it's already noon."

There were only three things on it, a cup of water, another containing a brown liquid, and a little square biscuit on a plate. I didn't recognize the brown liquid but it smelled sweet, the biscuit looked a little small and not really filling but it was definitely better than moldy bread.

"You don't think it can fill your stomach, right?" She said looking at me with an amused smile. "Let me show you a little trick." 

She took the cup of water and poured the contents on the biscuit. It started to absorb the water, but unlike bread, it didn't become soggy but began to grow bigger. The biscuit has turned into soft and moistened bread almost ten times bigger. It was amazing, I didn't know magical bread like that existed!

"What is it?" I asked with sparkling eyes.

"It's called BRIC, it's a survival ration. It's a kind of special food made to last long and feed people in case of emergency," she explained proudly.

"Really? Bricks are amazing!" I responded touching the squishy bread.

"Go ahead give it a taste, as for the brown drink is hot chocolate, my favorite drink," she kept explaining as I bit into the bread.

The flavor exploded in my mouth, it was so soft it melted in my mouth. It tasted really sweet, I had never eaten something this delicious. Even honey candy couldn't compare, and I always thought it was the best thing in the world. Bite after bite I couldn't stop myself, I savored each piece. I also drank some of the hot chocolate and it was also really tasty. I didn't doubt it anymore, a food this good could only come from heaven.

"Was it good?" she inquired watching me eating the crumbs with a smile. 

"Yes, it's really delicious!" I exclaimed. 

"I see..." She looked up and I noticed a small tear running down her cheek.

"Why are you crying?" I asked worried.

"Uh? I'm crying?" she asked reaching for her cheek with her hand.

"Yes, are you sad? why?" I replied. Could it be it was her last piece of brick?

"I'm not sad, actually I'm really happy, it's a tear of joy. You see, BRICs are a little special to me. Do you want to hear the story?" She explained looking lost in her thoughts.

Seeing my eager nod she continued. "In the past, I had a big sister, she was really kind and played with me a lot. I really loved her. But I lost her... we were stranded... she gave me the only food we had and died of hunger... That day I made myself a promise never again... never again would I let my dearest die of hunger." Somehow Celeste seemed distant and sad but she kept telling her story.

"From that day on, I've worked on making the perfect survival ration, one that would never go bad, one that could feed someone for the rest of his life, one that could be carried everywhere. Of course, I'm still not able to make one but I never gave up. My first attempts were disastrous but year after year I made progress. BRICs have been specially developed by me and are the best survival ration I've made. Their shelf life is around a thousand years, one BRIC can be broken into 40 potions each equivalent to a meal. BRIC only weighs 500g and has a length of 20 cm making it easy to carry, the package is resealable protecting it from moisture. You can either eat it dry or after adding water, it was really hard but I made it safe to eat for 90% of known species. I also worked on the flavor but it's hard to please everyone."

"It's still far from my ideal and I keep improving it when I can, but I'm happy it pleases you. I'm quite proud to say that, thanks to me, most of the ships where I come from are equipped with emergency BRICs." She concluded with a brighter smile.

"You're amazing!" I exclaimed with admiration. I knew she was exceptional, and bricks are even more amazing than I thought.

Looking at me she showed a guilty smile. "I'm not as great as you said. When I lost my sister, I lost everything, my family, my home... From then on my life was a wild ride, I gained things on the road but lost even more. I won't lie to you, I don't consider myself bad but I'm not a good person. I have a moral code and helped many, but I've killed more people than you could ever imagine. You called me a goddess but where I came from people think of me as the devil. People don't know I'm the creator of BRICs, if they knew they wouldn't dare to use them."

She looked me in the eyes and said firmly. "You agreed to become part of my family yesterday but you must understand what you're engaging in. You're really important to me and I swear to take good care of you. But you must know, I'm referred to as the worst criminal to have ever existed. The blood I have on my hand could flood this whole world, I've destroyed hundreds of worlds, I'm an absolute monster, my mere presence here could doom this world." With each of her words, her smile turned sinister. "Knowing that, do you still want to become my sister?"

Her face had turned devilish with a bloodthirsty smile and her eyes were radiating craziness. I didn't doubt her words, not a single person looking at her right now would doubt she was the horrifying monster she just described. She scared me a little but after years of abuse I've learned to see through people and the person I was looking at didn't exude a shred of malice. She was like a beast, a terrifying predator that could reap your life in an instant, but I wasn't its prey. She acknowledges me as her family and this terrifying aura only felt warm to me.

I responded with all the seriousness I could muster. "Yes, I want to be part of your family, I don't want to be alone anymore."

In an instant, her aura shifted, and before I could react she hugged me. "That's my girl!" she yelled with the happiest smile I've seen. I was happy to be hugged, but her hug was so strong she was almost suffocating me. Still, as it's been so long since I was hugged like that I didn't want to stop her. But I was forced when I felt my bones start to groan.

"Oh, I'm sorry! Right, we'll need to strengthen you! We can't let you die from a hug." She began to play with her bracelet before giving a satisfied nod.

Taking me back to the cliff she explained, "Since you're now a member of our family you must know there are three laws that any member of the Silväeter family must obey. These laws are irrevocable and should never be broken even in death!" 

Seeing me nod, she declared with great conviction, "The first law is that family bonds are absolute! Blood and origin don't matter, Silväeter are indivisible. We will always be there for each other and hurting one of us is hurting us all! Against gods or demons, even if we must crawl into the deepest part of hell we will never abandon one of us!"

"The second law is, that Silväeter never gives up. No matter how hard, no matter if it is said to be impossible, no matter if you are at death's door, as long as he lives and even after a Silväeter will not give up."

Seeing my tense expression she patted my head once more and laughed. "Don't worry, you're still a child. I don't expect you to fight demons and as long as I am here I won't let you be harmed. What you must understand is that we'll always be family. The third law is the one you should focus on." 

Making sure she had all my attention she announced, "The third and final law, this one can seem pretty easy at first glance but truly grasping it is hard for many. Live your life to the fullest and have fun."

"Huh?!" I looked at her in disbelief.

She chuckled and then pushed me toward the stairs, "Come, I'll show you. The first two rules are pretty straightforward. But the last law is as important. Do you know what the meaning of life is?"

"The meaning of life?" I repeated while climbing the stairs. 

"I've traveled for a long time and met a lot of people. All would have their own answer to this question. Some would seek perfection, others would seek absolute wisdom. Having a goal in life is important because it helps you advance but many lost their way or died trying to achieve it. I also found my own answer to this question." She pushed open a door revealing a big room.

In the back was a weird metallic structure, that looked rather battered. The other side of the room didn't have a wall and was opened on the outside. I followed Celeste as she reached the edge and was only centimeters away from the precipice, "To me, the most important thing in life is to enjoy it. Because if you don't enjoy living what is the meaning of being alive?" 

From the edge, we could see the forest below extending like a green sea, admiring the view, Celeste spoke. "Beautiful scenery, isn't it? Not many people take the time to stop and look around them, missing so many things... We're rather high right now, falling from her would kill you. Common sense would be that you'd take a step back, you could watch it from a little further and be a lot safer. But that wouldn't be the same, the scenery is indeed beautiful but being right on the edge here is also impacting your feeling. This is why it's so captivating."

Putting a hand on my shoulder she grinned and asked, "Do you trust me?"

"Yes" I responded, I don't explain it but I trusted her a lot.

She grinned even more and firmly grabbed my shoulder. "Let me show you the way of Silväeter. Most people would stand further, and some would stand on the edge. But we Silväeter... would take a step forward." 

Following her word she had taken a step forward pushing both of us over the edge. I didn't even scream as we fell, I felt like they were butterflies in my stomach. I should have been scared but I only felt weird tickling. I should have been worried seeing the ground coming nearer but I wasn't, the hand on my shoulder was assuring me everything would be alright.

Then it came, not the ground but a burst of wind. Powerful wind currents had stopped our fall and were keeping us afloat, making us fly.

Grinning till her ears Celeste inquired, "So how is it? The Silväeter's way is the best, right?"

"That... That was... awesome!" I replied trying to get my respiration under control. It's been years since I had so much fun, Celeste is amazing, Silväeter are amazing!