Gardenia’s Heart

”It’s really strange to have merchants when a warning signal has been given,” Lily commented as she slowly chewed on one of the breads she bought, half of which she handed to Nia, who accepted timidly. ”I hope they don’t stay for too many days.”

Lily was sitting on the bed with her back against the wall, while Nia was nestled in her crossed legs. Listening to Lily’s story, the metamorph couldn’t help but worry about how the girl was treated in this village.

(Are there only jerks who think with their lower heads in this world?) She tried to press her body against Lily’s belly, in an attempt to comfort her.

Noticing Nia’s movement, Lily finished eating her half of bread and began to stroke Nia’s gelatinous body.

”Thank you for caring, but don’t worry, I’m fine... somehow I’m already used to it,” the girl said, but couldn’t hide her discomfort. ”Sorry, I lied, didn’t I?”

She smiled awkwardly and got up carefully.

”I need to go take care of the garden, I didn’t do it yesterday after everything that happened,” she got up but noticed how Nia tried to follow her. Since she didn’t need to meet with people, the girl thought it was okay to take her along.

Holding Nia’s body carefully, she placed her in her basket of clothes and covered her with a light layer of clothing. Leaving the house and looking both ways, she only found the usual fog and an empty street. In relief, she circled her house and went to her backyard.

”And then? What do you think?” Lily made sure to whisper so as not to attract the attention of any curious passersby.

The village houses had no wall beyond a simple fence limitation, so it was possible to fully observe her garden if anyone approached. In her garden, a small space of five square meters contained five rows with different types of herbs. The girl made money by selling herbs that she planted and cared for alone.

Nia squirmed with curiosity as she noticed the herbs she had never seen before; some were green and others had a slight bluish hue. Everything was completely new to her and it thrilled her.

With some compost she kept separate, Lily began to spread it carefully among the plants. The girl knew what each plant needed and the ideal amount for it. With a small pair of scissors, she cut the leaves that were already ripe and took care of the seedlings that needed attention.

”I would like to plant vegetables and greens, but in cities in the fog territory it’s almost impossible to grow them due to the minimal amount of sunlight,” she watered some plants as she explained. ”Some people here can use simple mana spells to generate light, so it’s possible to plant wheat, at least that way we won’t starve.”

Approaching the basket, she placed one of the leaves they had just collected on top of the cloths.

”Make sure not to eat, okay?” With a slight wink, a mesmerizing shiver was sent to Nia, who used all her strength to not show it.

(Am I really okay? What is this feeling I’ve been experiencing since yesterday?)

The metamorph began to roll inside the basket as she tried to analyze the symptoms she was feeling again.

(This only happens when it comes to Lily, only with Lily.)

Just resonating the girl’s name in her mind made her feel the warmth growing within her.

After a few minutes of efficient work, the girl finished taking care of the garden and began to head back inside, carrying Nia. She noticed the girl moving inside the basket, but since she seemed happy, she avoided commenting.

---

A week had passed since they met. Each day in Nia’s mind was completely new and rich with experiences.

Nia noticed that Lily’s routine started early. After waking up and giving her a good morning kiss, the girl dressed in layers of clothing and left the house. Some days she went to the river where she found Nia to wash clothes, on other days she went to the city center to sell herbs or buy food. After returning home, they would eat together, and she would tend to the garden until bedtime.

Apparently, the money she earned was not enough for her to afford meat or a variety of vegetables in this village. Although Nia didn’t have much of a problem with just one type of food, the knowledge in Nia’s mind told her that it wasn’t healthy to eat only bread almost every day. Although she sometimes tried to refuse her share, the silver-haired girl always declined.

(I wish I could do something to help, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to hunt until I learn new spells.)

The teleportation magic that saved her life was the only thing she had learned in the magical field since acquiring her mind. Her species’ abilities could help, but nothing too significant.

With a slight shake, the door opened and caught Nia’s attention, who was under the bed. Slowly Lily entered the room and when she made sure the door was locked, she knelt and called out.

”Nia, I’m back.”

Sliding out from under the bed, the other girl quickly approached and jumped into Lily’s embrace.

(Are you okay? Did anyone bother you today?) She asked incessant questions in her head, but without a mouth, she couldn’t voice any of them. So she just rubbed herself with all her might against the girl, hoping somehow she could relieve any discomfort she might have.

While holding Nia in her arms, she sat on the bed. Her gaze focused on the fluffy metamorph in her right arm, and with a slight unconscious reflex, Lily frowned.

Even Nia noticed the expression and the sound she unconsciously made, and stopped moving. Lily noticed Nia’s stillness and thought she had no choice but to explain.

”When I noticed how cute you were, I tried to pet you and... well... ended up trying to move my left arm,” her expressionless gaze wandered to where her left arm should be, her voice trailing off as she spoke.

Nia noticed the change in expression and tone, sliding out of the girl’s arm and starting to climb her back to her shoulder.

”Hm... What’s wrong?”

Although she didn’t have hands naturally, she used her innate abilities to extend a small, purple tentacle of slime toward Lily’s face. More specifically, toward the solitary tear streaming down.

The first time she saw her cry, she couldn’t react, but now she knew that’s what she needed to do.

”Thank you,” came a sincere and warm voice in response.

After a long silence, Lily placed Nia back on her lap and began to speak with some hesitation.

”Do you want me to... talk about it?”

Noticing how the little metamorph nodded, the girl took a few seconds to steady her breath before continuing.

”I wasn’t born in this village, actually the place where I came into the world is very, very far from here,” she began, running her hand over Nia’s gelatinous surface. Lily had noticed some time ago that this significantly calmed her. ”I was raised by my father alone. I never knew what happened to my mother.”

Her tone of voice was warm; it was the first time Nia had seen her like this, speaking about someone other than herself.

”Because I was very young, I don’t remember much about the village. I believe it was smaller than this one though. The village was located in a territory beyond the reach of the mist; the memory of the sun’s warmth on my skin is still vivid to this day.”

Nia’s mind knew what the sun was, although she had never seen it directly. As far as she knew, it was a large star that emitted heat and illuminated the planet.

”Unlike here, which is cold and gray every day, there were beautiful yellow and red hues, but that was so long ago... that...” Her voice trailed off. ”Although we didn’t have much money, we lived happily.”

At this moment, her face returned to its cold expression, no, it was much worse than that.

”Everything changed that day,” her gaze shifted from Nia, and began to stare at the door, no, she wasn’t looking at the door, but at a much more distant place. ”According to what they still say today, our village was attacked by monsters, all the inhabitants were killed, and all the houses destroyed.”

Nia didn’t know how to react.

The girl was a monster; not all monsters were the same, and she obviously wasn’t part of those who destroyed Lily’s village, but it still made her uneasy.

”But you know what, Nia? That’s a lie.”

The voice sounded heavy and distant. There was no subtlety, affection, or consideration for anything; it was something dense and tangled, it seemed... hatred.

”When I woke up that morning, the sound of horses resounded in the streets, the cries of pain and anger were louder than the singing of the birds. My father picked me up and ran out of the house with me, but it was no use. His leg was injured from work, so he rarely went out.” Nia was sure she saw the girl biting her lip. ”Those cruel beings approached and impaled my father with a sword right before my eyes.”

Revulsion and anger burned in her gaze.

”Do you understand, Nia? It wasn’t monsters that attacked my village and took everything I had from me. It was humans.”