[NGL it's just a placeholder.]
The first thing I felt the next morning wasn't the stiffness in my shoulders or the groan of the inn's old mattress.
Something small and absurdly solid had wedged itself against the curve of my ribs during the night. A faint vibration hummed against me, like the echo of a purring cat translated through glass. When I cracked my eyes open, a gleam of green stared back — impossibly close, impossibly awake.
"Qwy…" My voice was gravelly, and the sound made her feathers twitch.
The little thing squeaked in delight, then headbutted me square in the sternum. Not hard enough to hurt, but firm enough to say Good morning, idiot.
"Ow. Yeah, yeah, I missed you too." I rubbed a hand down my face, still adjusting to the surreal reality that I'd gone to sleep alone and woken up with… well, technically a daughter. A feathered, squeaky, eyeball daughter.
Her feathers glowed faintly, silver threads woven through the white, pulsing in rhythm with my own heartbeat. I frowned, then realized it wasn't a coincidence. The Soul-Latch.
I let myself focus on it, just for a second. And there it was — a flicker in my chest that wasn't mine. Hunger. Curiosity. An endless little well of look at me, love me, feed me, play with me.
"…Oh no." I groaned into my pillow. "You're basically an empathic Tamagotchi."
Qwy squealed happily, unbothered by my existential whining. She did a weird little roll along my blanket, feathers puffing, until she came to rest squarely on my stomach. A glowing, squeaky paperweight.
"Fine, fine." I pushed myself upright. "Breakfast first."
The innkeeper's porridge wasn't much — oats, honey, chopped nuts. I spooned half for myself, set the rest in a shallow bowl, and placed it in front of Qwy.
Her eye dilated. Then, with scandalous speed, she dunked her entire body — not just her face, her whole self — into the porridge.
Too late. She surfaced with oats clinging to her feathers and made a squeak like a kettle about to explode. Then she sneezed.
A puff of glittering air — honey-sweet, sparkly, faintly glowing — scattered across the table. My spoon sparkled. The linens sparkled. My entire breakfast now sparkled.
"…You sneezed glitter."
Qwy burbled, ridiculously proud of herself. She even rolled once across the sticky table, leaving a trail of oats and sparkles like some deranged pastry.
I pressed a hand to my temple. "Rosaviel, please tell me that wasn't some catastrophic mana discharge."
[ "Correction: Skill activation detected. Honeybreath, minor discharge. Harmless. Table linen will smell faintly of candied herbs for approximately three hours." ]
"Fantastic." I groaned. "I'm raising a glitter factory."
Qwy squeaked again, this time sliding her bowl toward me like a bribe. Despite myself, I laughed.
After breakfast, I decided to test the Soul-Latch properly.
Okay, focus, I told myself. Send her something simple. Comfort, maybe.
I closed my eyes, thought of warmth — soft blankets, cocoa steam, Reddy's old hearth fire — and pushed that thought outward.
Qwy froze. Her wings fluttered, feathers trembling like wind had caught them. Then her entire body wobbled closer, eye half-lidding in what could only be described as bliss.
"Oh." I blinked. "So it works both ways."
[ "Confirmed," ] Rosaviel hummed in my skull. [ "The stronger your impressions, the stronger her response. Overuse may induce a feedback loop — be cautious." ]
"Translation," I muttered, "don't spam my feelings at her or we'll both end up emotional soup."
I sighed, brushing a fleck of porridge from Qwy's feathers. "You're already high-maintenance, you know that?"
Her squeak said Worth it.
Later, with the innkeeper's cautious blessing, I brought Qwy downstairs for some "fresh air."
The common room stilled the moment we appeared.
A mercenary at the bar actually dropped his mug. "...Is that an eyeball with wings?"
"Unique Companion," I corrected, sweeping past him. "Completely safe. Mostly safe. Safe enough."
Qwy squeaked, puffing feathers as though to prove my point.
Most of the fairies couldn't look away. Half whispered, "adorable." The other half muttered "dungeon spawn."
And there it was — the tension. I'd seen it before with monsters. People couldn't decide whether to pet them or kill them.
Qwy, blissfully unaware of social politics, flapped her useless wings and landed in a young fairy's lap. The girl squealed, startled, then melted when the Honeybreath aura hit.
"I-it smells like spring tea," she whispered, hugging Qwy close.
Her guardian yanked her back sharply. "Careful! It could bite!"
I bristled. "She doesn't bite. She squeaks. Get it right."
But even as I snapped, I felt Qwy's pulse against mine. Fear. Sharp, unfiltered. Not mine — hers.
She pressed against me hard, sending that impression like a desperate knock on a locked door.
My hand automatically went to her feathers, stroking until she calmed. "It's okay. I've got you." Follow current novels on novel★fire.net
The words left my mouth before I thought them. And then — because apparently I was a sucker for dramatics — I added softly, "No one will take you from me."
The Soul-Latch pulsed once, hard, sealing the promise like a nail hammered into the heart.
Qwy chirped, soothed, curling against me like she believed it.
And maybe… she should.
That night, when I finally collapsed back onto my bed, Rosaviel's voice intruded again.
[ "Observation: Companion growth trajectory has accelerated beyond baseline. Warning: localized anomaly detected. Creation has triggered System interest." ]
I froze. "...Define 'System interest.'"
[ "Your Creation is now flagged. Monitoring protocols engaged. Unknown parties may detect an anomaly in time." ]
I stared down at Qwy. She blinked up at me, green iris gleaming like emerald fire, feathers puffing with sleepy squeaks.
That night, when I finally collapsed back onto my bed, Rosaviel's voice intruded again.
[ "Observation: Companion growth trajectory has accelerated beyond baseline. Warning: localized anomaly detected. Creation has triggered System interest." ]
I froze. "...Define 'System interest.'"
[ "Your Creation is now flagged. Monitoring protocols engaged. Unknown parties may detect an anomaly in time." ]
I stared down at Qwy. She blinked up at me, green iris gleaming like emerald fire, feathers puffing with sleepy squeaks.
My chest squeezed tight. "You're not just my baby, are you?" I whispered.
She burrowed closer, as if answering anyway.
"You're something this world hasn't seen before."
And for once, the thought didn't terrify me. It thrilled me.