Chapter 35: The Hidden Spring (3)
Maeve immediately fell into silence. For a moment, she didn’t even feel like breathing.
Then she finally replied in her mind. ’I thought you had a way to stop my aging... or keep me from dying in this world too soon.’
Pinky was quiet for a few seconds before answering. [The future is still unknown, Host. No one knows for certain what kind of life you’ll have in the future.]
In other words, Pinky was telling her that there was no guarantee that anything existed that could allow her to live for such a long time.
To be honest, when she first arrived in this world, she had never planned to stay, she had only wanted to survive.
She had never imagined building a home here, she had never imagined having a family, and never imagined falling in love.
More than that, she certainly had never imagined herself becoming the mate of three men who cared about her so deeply.
Yet somewhere along the way, things had changed.
Maybe it was because of the tiny life growing inside her womb, maybe it was because of the bond she shared with Ikarus, or maybe it was because, for the first time in a very long time, she had found a place where she truly belonged.
Whatever the reason was, Maeve suddenly realized that she didn’t want to picture herself disappearing from this world anymore.
Suddenly, a question rose in her heart. Did they realize that Maeve would never be able to live as long as they could?
And if they did, how much would it hurt them when that day finally came?
"Maybe someday you’ll get to see them glow again," Cerus said with a warm smile. "If everything goes well—and I really hope it does—we can watch them sparkle in the spring together with our child."
Maeve’s expression softened. A small smile appeared on her lips as she softly replied, "That sounds nice."
After that, they continued their journey toward the spring. This time, Maeve no longer held back her curiosity. Whenever she noticed something unusual or interesting along the way, she would ask about it without hesitation.
Cerus seemed more than happy to answer every question she had.
"What’s that plant?" Maeve asked, pointing at a cluster of pale blue flowers growing between the rocks.
Cerus immediately leaned closer. "Those are moonbells. They only bloom at night. During the day, they close up and look like ordinary leaves. They don’t need much water to grow, so some of them are still able to survive."
Maeve carefully examined the pale blue flowers. "They survived all this time with so little water?"
Cerus nodded. "They’re surprisingly stubborn."
The more they walked, the more Maeve saw the remnants of the past. Some of the plants were still alive, though barely, while others had long since dried up, leaving behind only brittle stems and lifeless branches.
"It’s here," Ikarus said as he suddenly came to a halt. Right now, they were standing in front of what should have been the spring.
Maeve looked down at the map several times, trying to make sure they hadn’t come to the wrong place. But no matter how many times she checked, she was certain that this was the spring.
"Almost dry, my ass," she muttered under her breath. "This isn’t almost dry. It’s completely dry!"
A wide basin stretched before them, its cracked edges showing where water had once filled the area.
"Wait, wait, I think I see some water," Cerus suddenly said. He narrowed his eyes before carefully climbing down into the empty spring. "I found it! I found the water!"
Maeve frowned. She couldn’t see very clearly in the dark, but she could make out Cerus hurrying toward something in the middle of the dried-up spring.
He looked down and smiled widely when he found the small amount of water that was still flowing there.
"Brother! Come here! She can drink it directly here too!" Cerus shouted excitedly.
Without wasting another second, Ikarus immediately followed him. When they reached the center, Maeve finally saw what Cerus had found.
There was a shallow pool no larger than a small pond sitting at the very center of the spring.
Water slowly seeped up through a crack beneath it. The amount was small, almost disappointingly small, but at least it hadn’t completely disappeared.
"I already tested it, so the water is definitely safe for you," Cerus said as he lowered the water jug into the shallow pool.
Maeve carefully made her way toward them. Now that she was closer, she could finally see just how little water remained.
It was actually hard to imagine that this tiny pool had once been a thriving spring that supported countless plants and creatures, and yet, despite everything, it was still here.
[It reminds me of them, Host,] Pinky said softly. [The people on this planet are still holding on despite being surrounded by misfortune.]
In the end, Maeve finally became convinced that the seed truly deserved to symbolize the source of life.
"How is it?" Ikarus asked after Maeve drank the water she had gathered in her hands.
Maeve’s eyes widened slightly because the water tasted different. It didn’t taste like the water she used to drink on Earth, nor did it taste like the water from the settlement.
Her eyes widened slightly as she took another small sip, trying to make sure she wasn’t imagining it.
"Oh, wow, it’s really refreshing!" Maeve said, her voice rising with surprise. "I don’t even feel nauseous when I drink it."
Yeah, these days, even water made her stomach feel uneasy. So when she finally found something that didn’t make her feel sick, she couldn’t help wanting more of it.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t much water left, and she had no idea when it would stop appearing for good. Besides, she couldn’t just keep it all to herself. Her mates needed it too.
"Do you think there’s enough water for the four of us?" Maeve asked.
To her surprise, Ikarus immediately shook his head. "You don’t need to worry about us," he said. "We’ve spent days without drinking water before. We’re used to it, so you can drink as much as you want."
