Kaze Hikaru 風光る Japanese, n. A warm breeze of spring that follows after a dark cold winter, comes and breathes gently upon the skin, as if like a shining radiance. March 20th, 2019
Today had started just like all the other days of the past two months: Ian woke up, made his coffee and breakfast, and went to check on Eden. He had misted the leaves and flowers on her cocoon, trimmed away any blossoms that had faded overnight, and pushed open the curtains to let her get some light. The days were becoming warmer and brighter now, and he wanted her to take advantage of the extended sunlight—even passively. He had no idea how long she would be in this state, but he would be damned if he wasn’t going to do his best for her. And just like every day he paused to gently touch her cocoon where he assumed her head was and say he would be back later. He still needed to run the shop, even though Bethany had been helping as much as she could. But given that she was nearing the end of her degree and the beginning of her externship her availability was spread very thin.
Ian did his best to check on Eden frequently throughout the day, still holding tightly to the hope that something might change in a matter of hours. But with spring shrugging off the thick cloak of winter and coming into its own reign the shop was becoming busier and busier. Today especially was a bit hectic, and Ian didn’t get a chance to dart upstairs until well after his usual lunchtime. He had moved his laptop into Eden’s room during her hibernation, and today’s lunch was yet again spent watching an episode of his latest TV obsession with her as he ate. The hour passed in silence except for the show’s dialogue.
The afternoon was similarly frantic and filled with bouquets, consultations, and countless sales. The sun was hanging lower in the sky as the afternoon turned to evening and Ian could feel his stomach rumble at the thought of dinnertime approaching. When Ian was finally able to close up the shop and the last customer wandered out, he rushed upstairs with a heavy, guilty knot in his stomach. How was he supposed to keep an eye on Eden if business was only going to get more demanding? He swallowed thickly as he quickly dropped his keys in a bowl by the door and made his way to her room.
One would think that--after two full months of this routine--Ian’s heart wouldn’t persistently twist with painful hope every time he went a while between check-ins. But it still did, and it still sank when he saw her bound up like always. Ian didn’t bother trying to hide his disappointment anymore. He figured as long as he didn’t vocalize it, she wouldn’t be able to tell. And after two months he could only pretend so much.
He raked a hand through his curls as he sank onto the bed with a sigh. Was he doing something wrong? Should he be doing something else? Her protective barrier was still endlessly full of life, green and lush and decorated with an everlasting swath of flowers. She couldn’t be dead. Ian pressed the heels of his palms firmly against his eyes as he rested his elbows on his knees. How much longer did she need? He would never dream of rushing her, but it was difficult to be patient after so long. If he could just know for certain that she was alright…
The first rustle of leaves went unnoticed. But the second, more insistent stir made Ian lift his head. Was he imagining things? The window—closed. So it couldn’t have been one of the plants… Was his wishful heart making him hear things?
The cocoon sprang to life in a blinding flash of pink light that sent Ian crashing to the floor. He gaped over the edge of the bed as the tangle of vines became engulfed in a super-bloom of cherry blossoms that built upon itself until Eden’s shape had nearly doubled in size. He tried to call out to her, but his voice came out as a strangled sigh. It was startling, but possibly the most beautiful display of life he had ever seen.
In another pulse of light the blossoms faded and crumbled away to withered crisps. The other plants in the room--that Ian had faithfully nursed while Eden was sleeping--wilted similarly until they were dry and dark. He braced for the familiar rush of his energy out of his body, but it never came. The light that had swallowed up Eden’s form made him squint. But once it was apparently satisfied and no longer hungry, the glow slowly faded away into the evening light of the spring equinox. The display alone was enough to leave Ian floundering like a carp, mouth agape, but what he saw on the bed nearly knocked him down again.
-----
The comforting darkness she had come to know over the past two months was there one moment, and gone the next. Though Eden was sure her eyes were open, all she could see was a blinding, all-consuming pink light. Where previously she had felt neither emptiness nor hunger there was only a rush of life and warmth that filled her up from the deepest reaches of her essence. She gasped and shut her eyes tight, every muscle in her body alive with electricity but at ease at the same time. What was this?
When the glow finally faded, Eden let her eyes flutter open hesitantly. The familiar white ceiling of her room greeted her, the white metal headboard of her bed decorated with softly-glowing string lights. They dazzled her for a moment before she pulled her gaze away.
“E-Eden…”
Ian was there, standing over her and looking like he had seen a ghost. She groaned and stirred, arching her back off the bed as she stretched her—her back?
Eden moved to push herself up, ignoring Ian’s hurried lunge to help her. Her hand bumped against something unfamiliar and decidedly solid where her ribbon should be. The room spun as she looked down, her vision still a bit unbalanced and entirely too mobile for her liking. But what she saw made her gasp, and she looked up at Ian for confirmation. His matching disbelieving grin made her wings flutter against her back. Those months had not merely been a well-deserved rest. As she slept, Eden had been recovering and growing.
And now, at the height of the spring equinox, she had emerged as a Sigel.
RP Points - Growth Quest 1,087 words = 5 points 1,000-word bonus = 2 points
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