Step by step, a series of thudding sounds and a very soft but rapid beat reverberated inside the cave. Each step sounded like stepping on a puddle of water. But the floor is completely dry; even the person who was making these sounds was very dry from head to toe. Her dress flowed like a water wave as she moved. She was walking back and forth in the middle of the room. She has been restless ever since a week ago, when her companion teased her about something.

...

"Nieves, where have you been, huh???"

A girl emerged from where the shadow landed. Her skin is as white as the hail that was falling from above, and she is wearing a white dress that blends with her skin and has very long blonde hair.

"I was out."

She skipped past her, picked up a cloth on the side, and started to wipe the table. Marikit could feel that Nieves was radiating a very good mood, which was also trying to be contagious, trying to affect Marikit. She picked up the mug that Marikit was using and saw that it was used.

"Why did you use this? I haven't cleaned it up yet."

"Who's the one that is cleaning only just now?" Marikit crossed her hands to her chest. She hmmped. But it was all just an act, like their usual banter exchanges.

"Well, who's the one who woke up so early? You usually wake up around the time when most living things are still sleeping. Tell me, were you a Hielo like me in your past life?"

Marikit could only laugh dryly at Nieves' words. Her companion actually knew what was on her head relating to what was mentioned—the past life.

Marikit sat on top of the table that Nieves had just finished cleaning. "First of all, don't lump me with creatures like you. Second of all, I have no past life. I do not reincarnate." She felt sad but didn't show it.

"And you made me like that without my consent." She puffed up her cheeks in an attractive manner and crossed her hands above her chest.

Marikit patted her head as if Nieves were a kid needing some attention.

"Did you not like being immortal?"

"When did I say I hated it? But how about I ask you that in return? Do you not like being immortal?" Nieves looked into her eyes, and she saw the wavering gaze of Marikit. Being her companion for a very long time, she knew the other person's thoughts easily. She knows what she's thinking about at this point.

Marikit averted her gaze and skipped to the side, as if dodging the question given to her. It's not that she had regrets or that she has the power to regret them. It's just that she's powerless over it. She could do a lot of things in this vast world, but even without being shackled by her destiny, she's still not in control of it.

"Of course! Of course! There's so much benefit from being immortal, you know that. I could watch everything without noticing the time; I could watch everything from here. I've seen the Taw't Tribe start with less than 50 people, and now they are thriving like ants in that harsh condition. And also, I've seen different leadership from them as they come and... go."

Her words got quieter the more she spoke at the end. She crossed her arms as she remembered a figure sitting on one of the chairs at the table. It was a very distant memory, but for her, it was like yesterday.

Nieves sat on one of the seats and watched the lady in front of her quietly. She knew who the person who had been occupying her head was. Someone irreplaceable, someone who's never coming back.

But that's what she thought as well, until this day, when she ventured out. After so many years, her scouting had paid off. And not just that, she found a gift that could probably make her companion happy, even for a while.

"Mother, I have some good news to tell you." She decided to change the topic to also alter the mood of the room.

The lonely woman had her mood changed, like Nieves thought. Marikit sat on her lap and gleefully asked, "What is that??" That gesture was just one of their bonding moments together.

"You were right. Only when they reached the age of 8 would they awaken their talent."

Marikit looked at Nieves weirdly and said, "Don't you know that already? That's basic."

"Yeah, yeah. But I think I've found the person I'm looking for and... the person you were longing for," she said cheekily. She still couldn't believe what she just saw. She left this year to scout for the new batch of kids that would be trying their luck inside the veil. She's been doing it ever since they first opened the veil upon the first agreement. She had already forgotten how many times it had already happened, but finally, this time, she had found what she was looking for. "Finally," she thought.

"What do you mean? Huh?" She couldn't understand the cryptic message Nieves had relayed to her. She tried to find some answers from their previous conversations, but nothing really came to her. She was totally oblivious about it.

"Can you please go off now? You're so heavy." Nieves slowly pushed Marikit off of her lap.

"Oh, ohh! Youre going to make me fall, wait." Once Marikit was off of her lap, she stood up and picked up the towel from the table and went somewhere else and started wiping.

"Nieves?? What is ittt??" Marikit followed Nieves wherever Nieves went just to ask that question. "C'mon! Tell mom, pleasee?" She looked at Nieves with pitiful eyes. This method worked wonders, and that's why she's currently using it against this secretive companion of hers.

"Hey!! That's cheating!! Hmp!" She crossed her hands and never let Marikit's catch her gaze. Wherever she looked—left, right, up, down, going round, and behind her—Marikit tried to put her face where she would be in Nieve's vision, but her effort didn't pay off as her opponent closed her eyes to gain her victory.

"Hmp! Unfair! Tell me now, Pleasee?" In that turn, she used the voice technique. It has a better chance of working, and she knew that it wouldn't be that long before she would win this battle and finally get her answer.

Nieves could only sigh. "Haaa. You are so unfair." Upon opening her eyes, she could see Marikit with a teasing smile. Showing her victory smile to her opponent.

"Yeah, yeah. You won. I'll tell you." She watched Marikit smile and enjoy her victory like a kid.

She wondered what the real Marikit was that she had encountered all her life with. She had seen a lot of versions of her, like this one that she is currently on, the very cheeky and naughty one; she had seen her being angry with no remorse; and she also saw her being very vulnerable and weak, someone who needed some help. Someone who would ask for advice. Someone who would need a shoulder to cry on till she sleeps.

And that was the version that she's trying her best not to meet again. She could feel the pain just by watching in deep sorrow.

She could feel a surge of happiness in her while watching her. And she knew that her surprise would probably make her happier; hence, she's also excited to show her surprise to her. She couldn't wait to see her reaction once she saw what Nieves had been cooking for her.

"So what is it, what is it?" Marikit went near her face teasingly, wanting to rile Nieves up.

But to her surprise, Nieves smiled as if she had won the battle. Her smile was like the devil's incarnation in some of the kids' nightmares.

"I'll tell you next week. Hahahahshaha gotcha." She escaped from Marikit's clutches and ran across the other side of the room.

"Whaaat??? Hey!"? Marikit was in disbelief that she had been played by her. This made her more curious about what Nieves was talking about.

"I said next week. Promise!! Hahahaha." Marikit started to run after her to catch her, but Nieves was too nimble.

"Why not now?"

"It won't be a surprise anymore if I tell you! Hahahahaha."

...

"1001, 1002, 1003, 100—" the woman in white watched her companion being restless by what she had been planning as a surprise for her.

"Nieves. What are you counting for?"

Marikit, who's still walking back and forth, heard Nieves' mumblings. The numbers that finally reached the thousands added to the restlessness she had been feeling. It's been an hour since the surge of nervousness. The counting didn't help alleviate it and instead added more to it.

"The times you've been walking back and forth. 1007, 1008." She continued her counting and was amazed by what's happening in front of her. This version of hers was the most fascinating one for Nieves, which was why she always brought her gifts and other sorts of surprises, and some stories as well that she heard beyond their territory. She used to see it on a yearly basis, but ever since it stopped, she tried to wake up and satisfy this version of Marikit in front of her.