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Chapter 18
Ayla let out a startled, “Huh?” while Nairien tilted her head.
“But you can’t maintain a form outside the Spirit Realm, can you?”
“It’s fine. I want to stay with Ayla. I want to be with Ayla.”
Nairien’s gaze slid toward Ayla.
“What do you think, Ayla?”
Confused, Ayla hesitated before answering.
“I… I don’t think I could constantly look after a spirit. I mean, it’s kind of you to offer, but…”
The thought hit her like a nightmare—what if this little one suddenly recited her diary out loud?
‘No. Absolutely not.’
“No, I’ll be useful to you! I’ll be… Bzz-Bzz!”
“…Bzz-Bzz?”
“Ahh, you mean you’ll take the form of a sling?”
Nairien interpreted. Ayla blinked at the glowing orb.
“Sling? You mean…?”
“Yes! I’ll become Ayla’s sling and adventure together with her.”
“If you take that form, it would be useful indeed. Quite unlike an ordinary sling. So, Ayla? He’s this insistent…”
The gentle but pressing tone left Ayla cornered.
“But if the sling talks while I’m using it, I…”
“No, once outside I won’t be able to speak. Just a sling.”
Relieved, Ayla nodded.
“In that case… all right.”
“Good. Then, here we go.”
Nairien plucked a single strand of her own hair—snap!—and it unfurled into a simple blue sling, about twice Ayla’s forearm in length. The glowing orb rushed into it, and streaks of gold spread across the cord until it gleamed blue and gold in shimmering bands.
The sling floated into Ayla’s hands. She grasped it carefully; it fit her palm as though it had always been hers.
“Give it a name.”
“Um… I’ll call it… Shooting Star.”
“A fitting name.”
The other little orbs, who had been lingering, suddenly swarmed around the sling.
“How lucky!”
“Shooting Star, how splendid!”
“Blessings of the stars upon you!”
“Grace of the moonlight!”
“Mercy of the sun!”
Their chattering piled up until Nairien’s low command rolled like thunder:
“Enough.”
The orbs squealed and vanished. Nairien exhaled a deep sigh and flicked her fingers. A familiar notebook materialized in her hand.
Ayla’s eyes widened in shock.
‘My diary!’
At first, just one. But with a wave of Nairien’s hand, the copies multiplied until a whole stack floated before them.
“I’ve been keeping them for you. Here—these are yours, and now you may read them. For a human, they will be useful.”
Ayla’s cheeks flamed. Somehow, she forced her voice steady.
“I… I can read them?”
“Yes. Everything you’ve ever written.”
“Even… even the future?”
“Yes.”
“How is that even possible? I mean, this is the past—or no, the present, but…”
Nairien’s smile was edged with mystery.
“The Spirit Realm is unlike the human world. Time and space hold no sway here. There are restrictions of another kind—but ones a human cannot easily comprehend. What you see now is but a reconstruction within your perception. Not the true form of anything.”
“…I don’t understand.”
“You don’t need to. Here—take it.”
The notebook floated into Ayla’s hands, opening on its own.
“Think of a date, and that day’s entry will appear.”
“Thank you…”
She accepted it politely, though she suspected it might only dredge up old fantasies. Still, one never knew.
“I suppose I must keep it from anyone else.”
“Others will see nothing but a blank book.”
“Oh, that’s a relief.”
At Nairien’s command, Ayla extended her right hand. The light within the crystal bottle spilled over her skin, imprinting the mark of Solarun for an instant before fading.
“Now you can summon it at will. In darkness, it will be your strength.”
Overwhelmed by all she had received, Ayla bowed deeply in thanks.
Nairien lifted her face to the bright, full moon that hung even in this realm.
“It is time to return, child of Solarun.”
Ayla clutched the sling with both hands. Shoulders straightening, she asked timidly:
“Lady Nairien… I don’t know if I should ask this, but—do you know why the Crown Prince made a pact with demons?”
Nairien’s hand brushed her chin in thought.
“Because he bears magic.”
Ayla stiffened.
“The Crown Prince… has demonic power?”
After all, wasn’t magic the sole domain of demons?
“No, not a demon. But he does possess magic.”
She tapped Ayla’s nose with a playful finger.
“That is enough. Time to go. Shooting Star—take her back.”
“Yes!”
The sling coiled around Ayla’s wrist and yanked her forward. She was swept away, soaring once again like a leaf on a current.
“Goodbye! Thank you!”
Her voice echoed as the world blurred. They shot through the silver doorway and skimmed beneath the lake until—
“I really like you, Ayla! I like your determination, and how much you care for others. I like everything about you!”
Her cheeks blazed.
“Th-thank you.”
The sling laughed, a bubbly sound like bursting droplets.
“I’ll be your strength. This is only the beginning of your great journey!”
They plunged into a speck of light. The next instant, Ayla landed on the floor with a thump.
She gasped, looking around.
The reception room. Quiet. Still. Only fading ripples of light dissolved into the darkness.
Her nightclothes were dry. Her hair too.
“Oh…”
Something coiled her wrist: the sling, braided gold and blue. She stroked it once, then slipped toward her room—only to be intercepted by Mrs. Poppy.
“Miss! Where on earth have you been? How did you leave without me noticing?”
“I’m sorry… I just couldn’t sleep and wanted a walk.”
“Oh, heavens. I nearly fainted when I saw your bed empty! Come now, you’re freezing.”
“It’s still summer, Mrs. Poppy.”
“Even summer nights can be chilly. Early autumn already, you know.”
She bustled Ayla into her blankets.
Ayla curled up and whispered,
“Good night, Shooting Star.”
The sling tightened around her wrist in reply, then relaxed.
Ayla smiled faintly and closed her eyes. For the first time in a long while, no fear nor unease troubled her dreams.
Fish Adornments
Lessons with the Sage were always about everything.
He called the children out at night to watch the stars, or set them to studying maps.
He spoke endlessly with Desawa:
How the tides rose and fell with the moon.
That currents surged through the oceans, guiding the fish.
That winds shifted with the seasons, carrying ships along trade routes.
Which goods arrived in which harbors, and how tariffs changed with the times.
He showed them gleaming coins while explaining:
The weight of a single gold coin. The dangers of counterfeit minting. The ebb and flow of markets.
How currencies shifted in value between nations—wars sparked by gold itself.
Each tale was new and dazzling.
And then… he spoke of demons.
Ayla’s ears pricked.
“As you know, demons are spiritual beings who feed on negative emotions. Their true bodies exist in the Demon Realm, bound by laws utterly unlike our world. They gain strength by consuming human despair, entering contracts, or even stealing bodies.”
Desawa smiled, turning his eyes to her.
“The Solarun family is one of the most renowned demon-hunting lines.”
Ayla let out a bitter little laugh.
‘Yes… and trusting in that, I swung a sling and met my death.’
