A stream of freezing water gushed along the riverbed and I placed a wooden bucket into the stream, gathering the water as it flowed past. Once the bucket was filled near to the brink, I repeated the process with a second bucket behind me.

Then, lifting the buckets in each hand, I walked back up the hill of the forest that was partially covered in snow, reaching a small clearing where the snow lessened here for some reason.

Green grass and flowers grew sparsely across the clearing, and at the centre of the clearing, Zilver was sitting down motionlessly with her legs crossed, her eyes closed, and her beautiful moonlit face relaxed. Wind picked up the back of her long silver hair, swaying it gently in the cool air.

“I’m done with the buckets,” I announced, walking over to where Zilver was sitting.

Zilver didn’t respond, just as she normally wouldn’t whenever she was sitting quietly like this. The first time I saw her doing this, I had naively thought that she had been sleeping, until I once tried to wake her up and received a beating from Zilver as punishment.

Meditation is what Zilver had said that she had been doing.

I had never heard or seen anyone doing something like this in all my eleven years of living back at my village.

Placing the buckets down beside me, I found a spot near Zilver and quietly sat down besides her. Then, I studied her posture for a moment before trying to copy her posture and closed my eyes to try out this meditating thing.

‘What’s even the point of this…’ I thought to myself, ‘I don’t get how anyone can sit like this for hours like she does without saying a single word… Is this what she does to train her fighting skills…?’

After a few minutes, I was bored out of my mind. Another ten or so minute went passed, and I was ready to call it quits, having felt like I achieved nothing.

Opening my eyes with a sigh, I picked myself up from the ground.

“Sit down.” 

Zilver's calm voice stopped me and I glanced at her to see her sitting in the exact same position, her eyes closed, and having not moved even a centimetre the entire time.

Reluctantly, I sat back down and tried to close my eyes to meditate again.

...

“…What am I supposed to be even doing, Zilver?” I asked, keeping my eyes closed.

“Nothing.” Zilver replied.

“…”

I tried to do nothing as Zilver had said, but only felt restless.

“Should I be thinking about something?” I asked. “I feel like my mind is getting barraged with a million thoughts while doing nothing.”

“Just let your thoughts flow, Rei.” Zilver said.

I tried to do as Zilver said.

After some time, Zilver eventually spoke to me again.

"Tell me," she said gently, "what are you thinking about?"

“…My parents.” I said hesitantly.

Silence fell upon us once more, and I forced myself to think about something else.

“Hey Zilver…” I called out to her. 

“What is it?”

“Where are your parents?” I asked. It was a question I had been wondering about for a long time actually. 

"..."

Zilver didn't reply for a few seconds and I thought she wasn't going to answer but then she spoke again. 

"They're dead." She said. 

"I-I... I'm sorry..." I stammered, not really knowing how to respond. I don't know why but I felt ashamed for asking her the question.  

“Don’t be. I have no feelings for them unlike you.”

“…”

I didn't understand. How could someone have no feelings for their parents? 

Feeling awkward in the silence, I tried to ask about something else. After all, it wasn't every day that Zilver was so responsive to my questions. Normally she would just say something like 'a child doesn't need to know so much' or something else along those lines. 

"So then, you've lived here in this forest all by yourself this entire time?" I asked. Although it's been almost a year since I've been living here in the forest with Zilver, I still had not met a single other person around. It felt weird since there was always other people around back in the village. 

“No," Zilver replied. She spoke slowly for me to understand, her voice as calm and gentle as always. "This forest is a special place, Rei. It is where my teacher, and her teacher before her, and all our ancestors, trained and lived throughout their lives. It is a tradition for us to live with and be raised by our teacher until we are of age, and I was no different. I had only been living here alone for the past six years." 

“S-six years...?!” 

"Yes."

"..."

I pondered about that for a while, trying to process what she had said.

"What is it?" Zilver asked, her eyes remained closed but somehow she had sensed that there was something on my mind.

"Um..." I hesitated, "Isn't it... lonely...?"

"..."

"Ahaha! Forget I ask that!" I quickly said as I saw the expression on her face. I returned to focusing on my meditation, trying to clear my mind.

Even though Zilver always maintained a calm and composed composure, I had learnt during the time living with Zilver that there were still certain things or topics that she liked or disliked.   

After a moment of meditating, my thoughts returned back to my parents. It seemed that was where my thoughts always led me eventually. Anger and rage swelled up inside me, screaming at me to seek vengeance.

Zilver opened her eyes, glancing to her side at me and saw me sitting there tensely with clenched fists that were trembling slightly.

“That’s enough for today.” Zilver said, and I opened my eyes again, watching as Zilver got up from the ground.

“R, right…” I breathed out, having not realised my breath had been staggered during the meditation.

Quickly, I picked up the buckets of water and chased after Zilver to catch her by her side. She walked quietly without a saying word, her moonlit face as cold as always, not revealing her inner thoughts.

But I sighed, feeling that I had somehow displeased Zilver.

“You did fine, Rei.” Zilver said, her eyes fixed forward at the path ahead without looking at me. “From today onwards, I want you to keep meditating every day for at least an hour in the morning.”

“Huh, okay...” I said. "And, how long should I keep doing this for?"

“Until I tell you to stop.” 

I felt confused by her instructions. "What if you don't tell me to stop...?"

"Then I expect you continue to practice every day for the rest of your life." Zilver said.

"R-right..." I took a moment to think about her words. I was already used to her bluntness from how long we've been living together. Suddenly, a random thought crossed my mind. "Hey Zilver, what age were you considered of age by your teacher?"

Zilver thought about it for a second, it looked as though she was trying to remember. “On my twelfth birthday...”

“Ah, I see…” I nodded, feeling excited. I had finally learnt the answer to a question that she had persistently refused to answer. “So, that means you’re 18-years-old now.”

"..."

“I’m turning 12-years-old in a few more months, so that means you’ll only be older than me by 6 years.” I said. "My dad was 10 years older than my mom."

“…”

“And in six more years, I’ll turn 18-years-old and be an adult like you." I mused, "By then, you won't be able to call me a child anymore.”

"Rei..."

Zilver suddenly stopped and gently pulled me in front of her. She bent down slightly to my level so that her vibrant scarlet eyes peered straight into my eyes. Her moonlit skin looked super soft to touch and her pink lips made for an appealing contrast to the paleness of her skin and silver hair. 

I had never seen a girl as beautiful as Zilver. 

"I want you to stop having these thoughts." Zilver spoke to me in a serious voice and there was concern behind her tone. "I... I'm not a good person."

I stared back in her scarlet eyes, then shook her hands off my shoulder. 

"T-then, I'll be a bad guy too...!" I said defiantly, feeling angry at her words, "I don't want to be a good person...!"

"Rei...!" She started, but I had already ran off ahead of her, heading along the path back to the hut. 

Zilver sighed, watching me from the distance for a moment, then followed after.