Fireside Talk

It's almost completely dark now. Only a streak of silver dusk light remains in the evening sky. By looking up, I see something I have never seen on such a scale before back on Earth.

Stars, countless stars, scattered across from one side of the horizon all the way to the other. They all have their own unique brightness and colors, and each one of them is winking at me. Some come together and form shapes, while others shine brightly by themselves.

"Whoa," Cisca exclaims.

It's not that I have never seen stars before. I have, very few of them, when I am above the clouds in my private jet at night. As for Cisca, I am not so sure.

"They were really once an alternative for what we are doing right now, weren't they?" Cisca asks.

"Yeah," I say, "To think that salvation was right above us, yet it was never within reach."

I extend my palm up into the air, trying to grasp the shining dots.

We stay in speechless awe for a while.

"Alright, head back, I want to know more about Lohikaarmi," Cisca says.

"Okay," I drop my hand as my thoughts return back to the ground.

Even though the sun is nowhere to be seen right now, the stars cast enough light to see under the dark night.

In the distance is the cave, from within red light emanates. The worlds above us have been locked away by Earth's government, but I will still find a way for humanity to go on, right here, in Eden.

I enter the cave with my findings. Lohikaarmi is silently sitting beside the little girl, staring at the fire.

"Welcome back, Master," she says at my return.

"Thank you," I say and put the stuffed pouches down and set the helmet atop the bonfire, "What do you eat, Lohikaarmi?"

"I can devour everything Master tells me to."

Yeah, I don't doubt that.

"No, but like, what do you prefer to eat?" I ask.

"Prefer to eat?"

"Yeah. Do you like the berries you were talking about earlier?"

"I don't know. I can't taste anything as a dragon."

"What about when you are a human?"

"I rarely go into my human form," she says.

"Why?"

"Humans are weak. Except for Master, that is why I am in my human form right now, to be more like Master."

"Right… So this will be your first time tasting something in a while?" I ask.

"Yes, Master."

"Cool."

The sap has already begun boiling. Smoke comes out from the helmet as bubbles surface. The cave is filled with a sweet aroma and the crackling of firewood.

"It's a very good smell," Lohikaarmi says.

"It is, isn't it?" I say and open up the pouches of berries, "It's about to get even better."

I grab a handful of berries and drop them into the helmet.

"Lohikaarmi," I say as I wait for the berries to cook.

"Yes, Master."

"Can I ask some questions?"

"Of course. I shall answer to the best of my abilities."

"You said earlier you are the Dragon Queen."

"That's right."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that I have defeated all dragons who dared to challenge me, and through centuries, I have proven myself to be the strongest of them all on this continent."

Shadows of Lohikaarmi's gentle features dance on the caves behind her. Hearing something like that coming out of her lips is quite out of place.

"So there are many other dragons?" I ask.

"Yes."

"Can they all turn into humans and speak like you?'

"No, I am the only one blessed with the intelligence of the human mind, which I believe to be a major factor in my becoming of the Dragon Queen."

"How come you are the only one?" I ask.

Lohikaarmi stays silent for a second and speaks, "I am sorry, Master. I can not answer that as I do not know the answer myself."

"I see."

I look over to the video of Cisca. She is scrambling to note stuff down while chugging cups of what I assume to be coffee.

I take out the multi-tool again and pull out the knife. Using it, I stir the stew and add in another handful of berries. About half of the sap has been boiled off. The liquid is gaining an opaque color with the red from the berries.

"What about the knights, Lohikaarmi?" I ask, "Why were they attacking you?"

She pauses and says, "I do not know the answer to that question, either."

"Are there always humans trying to hurt you?" I ask.

"No. Only recently did they start coming after me."

"Did you do anything to them?"

"I don't think so," she says.

"What do you mean by you don't think so?"

"We dragons don't pay much attention to humans, as they are no more than mere insects in our eyes. We don't actively seek to hurt or help them, but sometimes, they get caught in the crossfire between our feuds."

I nod in acknowledgment. So, unlike Earth, humans in Eden are not gods. They do not have the strongest presence. In fact, they are nothing compared to the dragons. Oh, if people back on Earth had something like dragons to keep their pomposities in check, maybe we would have never needed to abandon our home.

A strange natural order it is. Cisca has stopped writing things down and props her head up with her arms. The berry stew is done now. Only a quarter of the total liquid remains. The rest is a thick, red sauce-like paste.

"Will you get burned by the metal?" I ask Lohikaarmi as I pick up the helmet.

"I fear no flame except for Master's," she says.

"Nice. Have a little sip. Save some for me and the little girl," I say and hand her the helmet.

"Yes, Master."

Lohikaarmi takes the hot helmet with her bare hand and doesn't react at all. She brings it to her mouth to take a sip.

"It's… really sweet," she says after bringing the helmet down from her face.

"Yeah? Do you like it?" I ask.

"Very much."

"Good."

Lohikaarmi hands back the helmet to me. I scoop up a spoon full with the substance scanner and walk over to the sleeping girl. I tilt her head up and feed her the berry stew. It goes down smoothly.

Lastly, it's my turn. I take a sip from the helmet. It's a lot better than I had expected. The sourness of berry is gone, replaced by the sweetness of the sap, but the fruity taste remains. It's like a hearty jam.

"Aww…." Cisca opens her mouth wide and yawns.

"Kris," Cisca says, "I think I am going to get some shut-eye now. Nothing interesting is happening anymore. If you need me, just call out my name. The voice-recognition software will pick it up and alert me. For now… Awwwwwww… I am going to sleep."

"Got it," I say and Cisca reaches out to the camera. With a beep, her video feed shuts off, and I gain my whole view back.