The snow did not fall on this very day. The sound of toddlers moaning was heard inside a thatched roofed house. Nolan Salvatore stood near the hearth with his palms pointed at the hearth. Ciara Salvatore sweetly smiled, holding her babies, a smile so warm that made the house warmer than it should be in winter.

Nolan Salvatore turned his attention to the twins who were playing with their mother’s hair. Nolan couldn’t but lift a smile on his face. The warms of the fire soothed him. The logs crackled as they were burned. Ciara sang a sweet song. There was a stray leaf that fell on the doorstep. Nolan turned to the seat and twisted on it. He looked at the outside and saw that smoke rose from the chimneys of the village houses.

“They are having a feast.”

“Thanks to you,” Ciara Salvatore said. “The games you hunted were enough to keep the village fed till winter ends. The village head wants us to stay because of it.”

Nolan bit his cheeks. “I attracted too much attention from the village. Are we going to stay here, Ciara?”

Ciara fingered the cheeks of her little girl. The little girl giggled with a lone tone of voice. Ciara played with the little one with her finger. “Not until the two can walk and talk. I may be strong but I will not risk the lives of Eira and Rory until then. We will need a wagon and a strong mountain horse that could pull it. With both of us, the wagon can be carried through mountains and hills.”

“What then?” He asked.

“We’ll find a place where we can watch them grow into adults that could take care of themselves. That is the role of the parents to let their sons and daughter go.”

“You are used to this.”

She smiled bitterly. “I’ve seen many orphans turned into adults. I saw them grow from toddlers into adults. I’ve watched them grow old and I stood near their graves.”

“Yet you hold them every minute,” he said. “I don’t think I held them for an hour.”

“Don’t blame me,” she muttered. “I’ve dreamed of having children ever since I knew you.”

“It bothered me that you didn’t take another. I’m sure that a bloke would have tried.”

“They did try. But have they waited for thirty-years and walked through a repeating cycle? Had they thought wandering an endless loop of suffering for the sake of me? I have seen some try but they never continued. They all fell to madness at thought of repeating a cycle. I induced them to a pretense loop and they did nothing but scream. Tell me, do you wish that I marry such bastards like that?” She sniffled. “Nolan, how did you endure it?”

“I didn’t think,” he said simply. “I simply focus on what my goal was and went with it. I thought that I might as well continue with a foolish love that turned into a strange journey that ended up me marrying you. If I’ve done anything that I am proud of. I didn’t lose my reason and I didn’t lash out like a child who would plug his ears when spoken with reason.”

“You are already mad, Nolan.”

“Why so?”

“Who in their right mind would marry the woman that made him wait for many years? Who would marry a monster like me other than you?”

“You are looking at him,” he groaned. “Did you put a spell on me?”

“No,” she said. “I wouldn’t dare do that to you. It’s simple really, you do not want to be alone in this world. Nolan Salvatore, just admit that you are lonely without me. We’ve been together for many lifetimes and this is the only place that we are allowed to sit still without anyone noticing. At that battle, you hesitated despite your sword ready. You hesitated to kill me and even here you cannot raise your hand against me. I am happy that you think about me so deeply.”

“I admit that. I can imagine walking blindly throughout the dark. I could watch this world die and nevertheless, I will be hurt the moment you leave me. It is a strange feeling that borders between love and hate. We’ve been hurting each other for so many years that settling down in a village while taking care of our children calms me.”

His eyes turned serious. “But I know you, Ciara Salvatore. I know that you are hiding things and you would move with the wind if it means that you would save a world that needed your help. You honor your promises. I know that. But how long will you honor such promise?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “I’ve been doing this for eternity now. It is a battle that I cannot win. To save the world is slow and exhausting. Most people don’t have the stomach for it and they do not push themselves when the time has come. I’ve done it for so many times and the happiness that I had when saving worlds cannot compare to the time I give birth to my babies.”

Ciara lovingly caressed her cheek to the babes on her arms. She stood up and walked towards Nolan. Nolan held his hands to his children and said. “Where are you going? This is rare for you to hand them to me.”

“Just a peek outside, and I think you should spend time with them,” Ciara said, sauntering out of the house, her boots raking the snow that gathered on the door. She took one breathe and the snow around her melted into water that seeped in the ground. Burning light glinted in her eyes. She glanced at the sky and saw a giant crack that tore the sky. She turned her attention to the villagers plodding down the road. They continued moving without a single look at the sky. Ciara looked at the giant tore and frowned heavily.

“The Ravines of the Sky,” she said with energy running rampant in her veins. “The Cheery Woman betrays, telling the Gods who would then peeked on the cracks they opened. All to spite the travelers who rest.”