Still Little Embers

Beyond the desert sands, when the mounds of golden dust began to thin into flat unfertile soil, they began to see dry shrubs in their journeys. The dunes were behind them now, still shining in their last moments with the sun setting over the horizon. One final goodbye, to the two, as they pressed on.

They were fortunate to have been rather close to the edge of the desert, having only needed an entire day to reach the outskirts. Now with the moon hanging above their heads, Mumei believed that it would be suitable to promptly rest for now. They were fortunate enough to find more than enough dry sticks and twigs to set up a bonfire.

Although, Aephery did not know how to manipulate flame, not even an ember to his control. Any flame that had been spewed from him was of the Everlasting Phoenix's will, and throughout this journey, it hasn't decided to even communicate with Mumei at all. Only the curious stare that Aephery would give her whenever she'd look over to him.

"Why are we waiting?" The human vessel of the Everlasting Phoenix asked, both of his hands wrapped around his knees as he watched the old owl carefully with interest.

"You don't feel tired, Aephery?" Mumei responded, darting her eyes away from the nicely stacked pile of wood they had.

"I don't feel the heat from the sun. I don't feel the cold from the moon." He answered. "Is it… wrong?"

"No no! There's nothing wrong with it!" The old owl quickly interjected. "Let's say, erm, let's call it tradition to stop during night time. It's good for the mind and soul to take a break every now and again."

Aephery titled his head, like a bird moving its head constantly to examine and fully process what it is currently perceiving. His lips gently hushed words. "Okay. I will wait."

"No, not 'wait'. This is 'rest' or 'relaxing'." Mumei corrected. "Have you ever felt the need to lay down for a moment, or do your eyes ever feel tired, Aephery?"

A momentary sidelong stare to the distant nothing where only withering bushes. There was a sparse amount of greenery, all clustered into their own patch. Greeneries, but no fruits to produce. It lived, but for what?

He was alive, just like those surviving patches of green, but he never knew what was he living for? He had only been following his curiosity, wandering without thought. Indeed, he has stopped at certain places to witness the remnants of society, but there was nothing to think of destroyed buildings when you never even knew what they meant in the first place.

Meeting Mori, meeting Mumei, he received some clarity to his existence. But his mind still felt foggy whenever he was asked any questions relating to him. He was interested in knowing himself, so any labels that anyone else would give him, he would gladly accept.

As Aephery stared into space, not a single unchanging expression over his face. While waiting for his answer, Mumei decided to lit the bonfire, but not with sticks and stones, but with her hands instead.

The Everlasting Phoenix played a significant role in society and civilisation. Mumei was in some way, thankful for it. Mumei is indeed a deity, albeit a lesser one compared to the others within the council she was in; but she was not worshipped directly. Her existence was from the culmination of knowledge humanity had.

She was more of an overseer than anything, the protector in some cases. Hence, her title of "Guardian of Civilisation" and a guardian must protect everything that is under its jurisdiction– the whole race of humanity. She was more a prophet than a god at this point what with her travelling around the world instead of staying in one place.

If so, whose words were she spreading?

Mumei punched the palm of her hand or rather, hit it in a way similar to how someone would grind flint with steel. It was a simple trick that the Everlasting Phoenix had taught to the world. A way to create flames by the soles of your hands in such a way to create fire, to stave away the cold for the poor.

She smacked her knuckle into her palm again, grinding the sparks down to the dry wood before flame emerged in the darkness. The bonfire is lit.

"Oh, thank goodness it didn't take long." Mumei breathed another sigh of relief as she fully allowed herself to sit down on the dusty soil beneath her, staring at her small success. Flint and steel could be frustrating to deal with.

"That thing you did."

The old owl turned to look at the vessel, his eyes looking directly at her hands.

"Oh. That? It's just an old trick that you can do if you have hands that are as hard as stone." Mumei outstretched her hands once again, putting her left palm up and vice-versa. "See?"

There were black smears, the skin losing its softness and now hardened. The ash marks crawled from the centre of the left palm to the tip of the middle finger, charring the sides of the index and ring finger. The right middle knuckle, used to replace the steel in this case, was the only part that was significantly blackened.

"Does it… not hurt?" Aephery asked.

"Well, a little bit, but it's fine." Through some force, the burnt marks began to fade away into the pale white skin Mumei had. "I'm a god. I can mend simple wounds like these. Humans, well…"

Despite flames casting away the darkness of the night, it failed to cast away the doubt and shame painted upon the old owl's face.

Those who didn't have a choice but to use their bodies as flint to survive winter, their hands became rough and torn apart, sometimes down to their bones. Mumei had seen it first hand, their desperation, their anguish, their misery. Her heart would plummet. Was it not her calling to help everyone? To help humanity?

And now they're all dead. All of them– except this one, this innocent soul in front of her. Aephery, the way to fix what should not have happened, her redemption.

"Your eyes… they're watery."

Mumei quickly perked up and wiped away her regret. "Oh! Uh, really? Ahahah… Sorry, I'm just kind of… remembering."

The vessel's gaze didn't falter for a moment, staring not with sympathy, but with curiosity as he had always done. Perhaps he did not understand the turmoiling feeling inside, perhaps he didn't have the chance to experience sadness and grief. Perhaps that was a good thing, Mumei didn't want sympathy for something that should have never happened under her watch.

"And… besides," Mumei spoke again, making sure her voice didn't croak. "you're here. So, I'll make sure to help you."

The winds howled throughout the night. They whispered into Mumei's ears, of nothing but the constant emptiness she had been listening to for the decades she had been wandering. In the past, she had created a small paper friend to fend the loneliness away but as the world crumbled, so did her powers. She couldn't keep it alive. Only vague memories now, like a worn-out page out of an old manuscript.

The old owl cleared her throat, the flickering bonfire humming.

"We should sleep and get up bright and early tomorrow. You need to find more temples of the Everlasting Phoenix, right?"

Again, Aephery was silent with the stare that Mumei had somehow gotten used to. It was like how a child wouldn't know how to respond to an adult's question, waiting and expecting for the adult to decide everything for them.

"You're still unsure?" Mumei retained a gentle tone. The vessel looked away for a moment before nodding. She chuckled.

"Okay then. We can decide tomorrow. Let's get some sleep, shall we?"

"...How do you sleep?" An odd question fell from Aephery's mouth. Indeed, how could one sleep when they did not need to?

The old owl looked at him in the eyes, concerned. "Aephery, have you ever slept before?"

And the vessel shook his head. No wonder, he never experienced sleeping before but he seems to understand what it is at least. Strange.

"Ah, then…" Mumei patted her skirt, soft thuds. "Rest your head on my lap. Maybe I can help you?"

In all honesty, Mumei didn't need sleep either. Maybe it was her empathy coming into play, maybe it was second nature to allow a human to experience what actually being human was like. Maybe she saw him as a child, and her as the mother.

Regardless of whatever the truth was, Aephery obliged, his hair brushing against Mumei's skirt and blouse. No visible reaction, in fact, he appeared as if he was waiting for something as usual. The same blank stare he always had.

Silence loomed. He didn't seem to move, as rigid as a corpse some would say. The thousand-yard stare he had didn't help either.

"Um… You're supposed to close your eyes." Mumei pointed out, a bit nervous at his taciturn-like attitude.

And thus, the vessel did. It wasn't complete darkness, there was a faint light from his left side where the fire is, crackling every now and again. He did not imagine any thoughts, he did think of anyone, he was only closing his eyes. Waiting. Waiting.

At that moment, his wait came to a halt when a warm hand brushed his hair.

"Still little embers~ Dancing in the air~" A voice came along with the crackles of flame. "Whisked away by storm~ Flying with the message of the worned~"

Mumei was singing. It simply came naturally to her, an old lullaby that she didn't remember from where she learned.

"Cast the silence away~ Cast the darkness away~"

"Oh still little embers, sent away through dreams~"

"Hush all thoughts and bring us peace~"

Aephery opened his eyes. Mumei was staring upon the bonfire, the wind taking away the burnt embers from the wood, leading into darkness unknown. It appeared as if she was holding her breath as if she was melancholic to see those embers go away.

Humanity was once a burning flame, then it has truly become nothing but embers to the memory.

"Oh, still little embers, gone away have you, not~?"

"Where have you gone~? Where have you gone~?"

"In ash, you glimmer~ In soot, you glimmer~"

"Hush all thoughts and be at peace~"

A horrifying truth, a haunting life, no peace to be found, no rest to be given.

Nanashi Mumei's lifelong failure.

But;

The old owl finally noticed that Aephery had been staring at her.

"O-oh… Sorry, I just thought that an old lullaby would help you sleep." She excused herself. The vessel didn't react, as he usually would. It would be difficult to explain how she felt at the moment to him. He wouldn't understand it, and it would leave her feeling bitter in the end.

"Guardian."

The gem started to swathe in bright colours inside its shell domain, the centre shaping into a slit. A voice that stood monotone, eyes that did not blink, a hand going over to cup her cheek.

"Dying embers. They turn to ash, ash for the flame to ignite. Sicut est in mundo, ignis erit."

And then, those hollow eyes blinked. Confusion, as he slowly retracted his arm.

"Aephery?"

His head shifted a little, reacting at least.

"No, it's nothing." The old owl smiled. "How about a little old tale of how humans once lived? I can tell you all about them until sunrise."

The vessel's eyes darted away for a moment, glancing at the floating embers as they dance away into the night. Each and every one of them, slowly glided before falling.

"Yes. I want to know."

; because he is here, because he exists as her second wind. And she won't fail humanity a second time.