The Seed Thief

“Hah…”

He sighed deeply and sat up. His sheets were damp with sweat. He went to the table, poured himself a glass of water from the pitcher, and downed it. His hand trembled as he lifted the glass. After finishing the water, he collapsed into the chair, his body slumping.

“That dream again.”

The dream, faintly lingering in his memory, was a nightmare. More precisely, a replay of the moment he had found Lulu on the pyre, dying.

Lulu had been bound to the stake, engulfed in flames. He had run towards her desperately. But no matter how much he ran, the distance between them didn’t close. The flames grew larger, consuming her, and he had thrashed and screamed, desperate to reach her.

And then he woke up.

Ervandas covered his face with his hands. It was just a dream. But the despair, still vividly etched in his memory, weighed heavily upon him. He remained motionless in the chair until dawn broke.

* * *

“Hah…”

The next day, Ervandas woke up in the middle of the night again. He always woke up at the same time, regardless of how tired he was. But to be awakened by nightmares two nights in a row…

However, he had no mental capacity to question it. The scene from his dream, the memory of that day, kept replaying in his mind.

Even after morning came, he didn’t leave his room. The servants, sensing something was amiss, called for him from outside but he claimed to be unwell and remained confined to his room all day.

The next day, and the day after that. The nightmares continued. The dreams became more vivid with each passing day, and Ervandas was plagued by guilt upon waking.

As his thoughts spiraled, he always arrived at the same conclusion.

That thought sent a sharp pang through his heart. He was tormented by the feeling that he was the source of all her suffering.

Had he ruined her life? Wouldn’t she have been happier in the forest, living her days in blissful ignorance, untouched by the cruelty of the world? Because of him, because of his choices… but he… he couldn’t live without her…

The more the dreams continued, the more Ervandas’s mind unraveled. Lulu kept dying in his dreams. Witnessing her death repeatedly made him question why he was still alive.

With each nightmare, his grasp on reality weakened. The lines between dreams and waking life blurred. And then, one day, he saw it. His sword, gleamed on the wall.

So, if he were to disappear now…

Ervandas gripped the hilt of the sword. Thanks to his daily polishing, the blade was razor sharp. He stood there lost in thought for a moment, holding his sword, until a jolt of fear, cold and sharp, snapped him out of his trance.

That realization shocked him deeply. At the same time, his mind screamed at him: Something’s wrong. Go to Lulu, now.

Just as Ervandas, realizing the gravity of the situation, turned around,

The door burst open. Standing there, her red hair disheveled from her frantic rush, was Lulu, her chest heaving.

“Lulu…”

Ervandas called out to her, his voice hoarse with disbelief.

Lulu looked at him, then her gaze shifted to the sword in his hand. Her face crumpled as if she were about to burst into tears, and she rushed towards him.

“Put that down, now!”

Her hand moved swiftly, drawing a large magic circle in the air. The magic she unleashed struck Ervandas before he could react. A blue light enveloped him.

For a moment, he felt like he was submerged in clear, cool water. All the filth, the darkness, washed away. Clean, pure, serene.

The sword in his hand clattered to the floor. Ervandas’s body, drained of strength, collapsed.

“Er! Wake up! Er!”

Ervandas lost consciousness, listening to Lulu’s tearful cries. Relieved that she had returned, he closed his eyes, his hand clutching her clothes tightly.

* * *

Ervandas sat on the bed, listening to Lulu’s explanation.

“Ancient magic, you say?”

“Yes. It’s not a particularly powerful spell, well, it is powerful in a way, since it affects the mind. I analyzed it, and it’s a magic spell that gradually breaks down the mind by repeatedly showing the victim their most painful memories. It doesn’t manifest immediately, so everyone probably missed it. I managed to create a dispel spell in a hurry, but I didn’t calculate the backlash properly… I didn’t expect you to be unconscious for three days.”

Ervandas had been unconscious for three whole days after being struck by Lulu’s magic. He could tell how much Lulu had cried and worried during that time just by looking at her face, which was so swollen that her eyes were barely visible.

Even after waking up, it took him a long time to regain his senses. Fortunately, after half a day, he could move without any problems.

“Anyway, I completely dispelled it, so don’t worry.”

Even as she said that, Lulu glanced at the window where he had thrown his sword. It wasn’t just the sword. There was nothing left in the room that could harm him.

“You still need to recover, so get some rest.”

“…”

Ervandas’s expression darkened at her words, urging him to sleep again. He could feel that the magic had been dispelled. The fog in his mind, the heavy emotions that had been weighing him down, were gone. But the memories of those days hadn’t disappeared.

He was afraid that if he fell asleep and dreamed again, he would see those scenes again. Ervandas remained silent, averting his gaze.

Lulu, sensing his unease, climbed onto the bed and looked him in the eye.

“Er.”

“…”

“What memories did you keep seeing?”

Lulu guessed that he had witnessed something incredibly painful. The Ervandas she had seen standing there with the sword, his face contorted in agony, was a sight she had never seen before. As if he had been repeatedly stabbed and wounded.

“Er?”

When she called his name again, a tear rolled down his cheek.

“…In my dreams, you were burning.”

“…”

“I ran and ran to save you… but I couldn’t reach you.”

Lulu embraced him, his voice choked with emotion, barely audible. Her shoulder grew damp with his tears. After a long silence, he spoke again,

“As the dream kept repeating, I started thinking… What if you hadn’t met me? Wouldn’t you have lived happily in the forest? I thought… maybe I was the one who dragged you into all that suffering…”

“Er.”

Lulu cupped his face with her hands. His cheeks were wet with tears.

“I’m happy I met you.”

“…”

“Even if you hadn’t come, I would have left the forest eventually. Because I wanted to meet people. If I had met other people instead of you, would I be where I am today?”

If she had left the forest like that… She would have been naive and gullible, just like when she had been taken advantage of by the villagers. She would have gone through unimaginable horrors, and died unloved, all because she wanted to meet people and experience love.

“You gave me everything I wanted, Er. You showed me the world, you loved me, you protected me. And…”

Just then, they heard the sound of light footsteps outside. Small, quick footsteps, running straight towards their room.

The door swung open without a knock, and a child, about five years old, stood there, hands on her hips, and shouted,

“Mommy, Daddy! Heinel’s back!”

Heinel, imitating the way her cousins spoke, ran and jumped onto the bed. Lulu and Ervandas said in unison,

“Heinel, your shoes!”

“Take off your shoes before you get on the bed!”

But with her parents right in front of her after a long time apart, the child didn’t listen. They ended up scrambling to remove her shoes.

“Heinel!”

When Lulu called her name in a stern voice, Heinel giggled and snuggled into her arms.

“Mom, I missed you. Didn’t you miss me?”

“Of course I missed… No, that’s not the point.”

Lulu, who had been smiling along with her child, regained her composure. Heinel quickly escaped to Ervandas’s arms.

“Daddy? Didn’t you miss me?”

“Of course I did.”

Ervandas replied immediately, embracing his young daughter. Her sweet, childish scent filled his arms. Her small arms, wrapping around his waist, wanting a hug as well, tickled him. Lulu tapped him on the shoulder. He looked up, and she smiled, pointing at Heinel, who was snuggling against him, her face buried in his chest.

The most precious gift he had given her. Their adorable child, a perfect blend of the two of them.

Ervandas chuckled and embraced both Heinel and Lulu. Heinel, sandwiched between her parents, let out a playful groan.

“Heinel, we’re all sleeping together tonight.”

“Really? Why?”

Heinel had been practicing sleeping alone lately. But she was allowed to sleep with them tonight?

“Er’s afraid to sleep alone. So let’s hold hands and sleep together. We’ll protect him. Okay?”

“Okay! I can do it!”

Heinel jumped up and ran out of the room. She washed up and changed into her pajamas at an unprecedented speed, then lay down on Ervandas’s left side, taking his hand. Lulu lay on his other side, her hand reaching for his. 

Ervandas pulled their hands onto his chest. Their warmth spread through him, reaching his heart.

Tonight, he would sleep soundly.

Because the strongest and most beloved beings in the world were protecting him.