An Eventful Day

In the early morning, the sun barely rose from the horizon. The early spring season arrived, and droplets of water and dew were littered everywhere one could see. On the pavement of stone and concrete, on the leaves and grass-they were everywhere.

A girl was outside in the backyard this fine cool morning, checking the flowers and plants.

In her warm sweater and sweatpants, silently tending to the flowers, snipping off the overgrown dead branches and leaves, Anna felt a sense of tranquility.

Of serenity.

The simple act of being a gardener takes her mind off of things.

Tending to the garden was a task she greatly enjoyed, especially now.

While she was snipping, a cold breeze blew past her, pushing her hair across her face. Anna simply brushed the hair back behind her ear.

Back in the city, her parents bought a house without a backyard or garden, and so Anna had to do some volunteer work in the backyard of some other house. Thankfully, an old family friend, an old grandma, was living nearby, and so she helped with her gardening in the suburbs.

Even then, in the suburbs, she rarely sees any butterflies, especially caterpillars. The pollution must've been bad there.

In addition with pollution, city life wasn't all that lovely. Some countryside girls, like herself, think city life is great and all.

Oh how horribly young and naive she was.

Having experienced living in the countryside with clean air, Anna would rather prefer to remain here, tending to the flowers for the rest of her days. Sadly, life as usual doesn't give a person free lemons to make lemonade, and so a person must seek it out.

For example, the upcoming festival she was invited to. At the thought, Anna smacked her forehead.

True, there was the option of simply ignoring it as she did for other problems the past several years, but now she was offered the chance.

The chance to be a part of human civilization known as…

𝘚𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘺.

At the thought, Anna almost keeled over in disgust. Even if she was hesitant, at least she wanted to be at least polite and respect the elderly. Was that too much to ask?

As these thoughts brewed in her head, minutes became hours, and the sun had finally risen far past the horizon.

Hours later, she laid on the floor of the living room, gazing at the ceiling. Even after hours, she still has not made up her mind. It was barely afternoon, and tomorrow would be the day where the festival would begin.

Anna didn't have the proper clothing for the festival, but seeing as some people wore casual clothes, maybe she could too? It was not as if wearing a yukata is required.

"...why can't I have a simple spring break, cruel world?"

The day she was invited to the festival, the moment she went back to her house…she felt a stomach ache. Especially ever since her little friend turned itself into a cocoon.

Amor, the little caterpillar, was still in its cocoon.

Anna turned towards the cardboard box. Even now, she was afraid that the cardboard box might be detrimental to its growth. Normally, butterflies don't hatch from their cocoons in a box, but outside in the wild.

So, she dully dragged her eyes to the ceiling once more. Anna was about to go back to overthinking about life before she heard a small cracking sound.

Anna immediately got back up to her feet, and ran-tripped-stumbled-walked to the cardboard box. Just like that, all her stress and fears went away, even for a short moment. It was a familiar sound, a sound she hasn't heard for years.

She hasn't experienced seeing a butterfly coming out from its cocoon in such a long time...

Slowly leaning over the box, she peaked into it, and saw what she expected to see.

With fascination, Anna looked on as something crawled out of it. The butterfly slowly crawled out of it, his wings still wet.

"Wow..."

The girl's eyes grew wider and wider as the butterfly finally came out of its cocoon. The process of something hatching from an egg still leaves her with a sense of awe. Subsequently, Anna took the time to see what the butterfly really looked like.

It was simply beautiful, the wings looking like a dreamy blue. Observing it, she happened to notice the color of the butterfly was extremely similar to that of the butterflies in her dream. The dream of her walking through a dreamy forest filled with blue, glowing butterflies.

'Was it a coincidence?'

Anna could only try to remember. Even now, parts of the dream was still in her head, and although some of it faded away, she could still remember parts of it.

As for the butterfly, Amor crawled up to the top of the cocoon. It then started twitching its wings. After a while, it stopped.

It, or rather, 'his' wings were still wet. Anna finally noticed it was a male.

How does she know that it's a male? Although she doesn't have a real reference to compare a male butterfly to a female one, most male butterflies have a much smaller abdomen than the female. Since this one's abdomen looks quite slender, it should be safe to assume that Amor is a male.

Just then, Anna quickly grabbed the box and swiftly headed outside. She had just remembered that his wings were still wet, and they must be dry enough for Amor to be able to fly.

Everything she was doing now was based on a very old memory. Anna seemed to have forgotten that there was a computer cafe in Yume, as well as a public library.

Perhaps it was because she didn't want to go to town again, after that small event?

...

Putting it directly under the shining sun, Anna sat down on the wooden floorboard and waited.

And waited…

And waited…

For thirty minutes, and during that time she waited, she waited. Five minutes in, Anna had underestimated how bored she was, simply sitting on the wooden floor and watching a butterfly dry its wings. As it wasn't all that productive, she quickly grabbed her sketchbook, which she got out, once more.

She sketched Amor, the trees, and the flowers. It wasn't enough. She even tried to sketch out the littlest detail. The crevices of the wings, the eyes, every piece of hair on his legs…

Nothing was missed according to what she saw with her eyes. Even then, Anna kept an eye out just in case anything happened to Amor.

Butterflies are said to be rather fragile after all.

…

After thirty minutes, the butterfly finally unfurled the entirety of its dry wings and set about to flutter into the air. Unfortunately, as there was netting on the top, it wasn't able to fly at all.

Anna reached to open the cage, but a thought stopped her. What if…what if he leaves her forever? She looked at Amor, and aw he was struggling to leave. Every second of seeing him struggling, Anna felt more and more guilt.

Thoughts flooded into her head. To let him go, or to let him stay?

In just a second, the girl felt her shoulders droop, and she grabbed the netting.

Amor shouldn't be caged against his will. Instead, he should be free.

Opening the netting, Anna watched as the butterfly spread his wings and fluttered off into the open sky.

"Wait, don't go-!"

Anna felt her heart drop. Reaching out her hand, she took a step forward, and another one, and another one...but she stopped.

The girl clenched her first, biting her lips. She felt despair at that moment, not only because it was almost time for her to go to the festival, but because her only friend for only two weeks left her. Regret boiled inside her. Even then, something inside her told her it was wrong to capture the butterfly again, but was it really a bad feeling?

'To let something I cherish go?'

Now, Amor might be gone…forever…

Then, whatever supported her weakened. Anna kneeled onto the ground, and she began quietly sobbing. Only the cold breeze embraced her, and her hopes and dreams seemed to fade away…

That's how all the sad stories usually go.

…

No.

'I refuse to let that happen. At least, as long as I am here. As long as I'm alive.'

…

The girl wiped her tears. It had been minutes since she cried, and now, she felt desolate.

Empty.

Just as she was about to stand up, tiny puffs of wind were felt on her forehead.

Along with the sounds of the subtle flaps of wings.

Looking up, Anna saw her friend fluttering over her. As if guided to, she slowly held out her hands upwards. It was a strange thing to do, yes, but somehow…she instinctively felt the need to do so. Itt somehow did the trick, as the butterfly landed on hands. Amor's wings stretched outwards, barely covering the entirety of both her hands.

Anna slumped down on the ground, watching the butterfly twitch here and there.

Looking at him, the world around her became brighter. The sun seemed to shine down on her, and she felt a nostalgic warmth.

It truly was spring, wasn't it?

Anna held the butterfly close to her chest, right under her chin, and she shuddered. Right after that, the girl broke out into a smile, and she laughed. A tear from her closed eyes slid down her face.

She wasn't crying out of sorrow, but out of happiness.

Out of joy.

The tear slid down slowly, from her cheek to her chin. Reaching the very bottom of her chin, the tear dropped onto the butterfly, which made it twitch. A slight glow exuded from it, but only temporarily.

It faded away, unbeknownst to the laughing girl.

...

That whole day, time flew by in a flash. The two friends simply spent time together in the backyard. The butterfly fluttered above and around the girl, who was sprawled onto the ground. She giggled as the butterfly landed on her forehead.

It was truly a warm, beautiful day.

A day where everyone can enjoy themselves, carefree and without worries.

Alas, such peaceful days can never last long.

Just like a dream.

...

It was late at night, and Anna was sleeping with a small smile on her face, tucked in her blanket. Next to her, on a small table, sat an open box with a small flower and a couple leaves within the box. On that flower, laid a butterfly.

Anna made it a while ago, a home for Amor inside her home. His old caterpillar home wasn't really made for a butterfly after all.

Gazing upon her with his small, developed eyes, Amor couldn't help but think about his little sister, Rin. The moment his thoughts led to his little sister, however, it had unfortunately lead to the memories about 𝘩𝘦𝘳.

He inwardly sighed. That was only a dream, a sweet dream that'll never come to be. Still, he couldn't help but remember a particular memory over and over again.

Slightly shuddering, Amor turned to look at his status. After his evolution, he expected to gain some stat increases, as well as the increase of power from his previous skills.

So, he opened his status screen.

===============================

Name: Amor

Titles: 𝘐𝘯𝘷𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘴 (𝗦𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗱), 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘩 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘺 (𝗦𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗱)

(𝗡𝗲𝘄) Bonded Companion: Anna Choko

Race: Adult Caterpillar ✦ (Variant ???) => The Dreaming Butterfly ✦✦✦

Strength: F => F+

Endurance: F => E-

Agility: F => E-

Magic: E++ -> D+

Luck: E- => E+

-------------------------------------------------------------

𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀:

Dream Magic: E+ => C-

===============================

Amor felt extremely uncomfortable when he saw what was under his titles. Was it a coincidence that his granddaughter, Anna, bonded to him by accident?

The butterfly's body trembled.

A bond is a sacred ritual in which a being bonds with a monster, spirit, or elemental using blood, hair, or tears. Of course, the creature bonding with the person has to accept it wholeheartedly. The bond could be a master-slave contract or an equal contract.

Alas, Amor may have tweaked the contract here and there, but in essence, the bond was close to an 'equal contract.'

That wasn't all he was surprised about. One cannot simply make a bond, a contract, just like that.

'I guess I do have an affinity with her, being her grandfather and all...'

Amor felt the world really was changing. The rules that made up this world are no longer the same as he remembered. The smallest of changes in the wind and the earth…something big will come in the far future.

The world will change for sure.

Perhaps the status screen, once so abundant so many years ago, will be replaced by something else?

'What is the Lord God Almighty planning in his infinite wisdom?' the butterfly thought, saddened.

Even long ago, the message The Lord had bestowed upon him was vague.

Alas, he has time to think about it later. Being bonded with his granddaughter does have its benefits.

When a creature is bonded with a person, there are benefits such as feeling the thoughts of the other bonded companion, gaining some of the creature's skills as their own, and many more.

Now, for his stats.

Although his magic stat has risen exponentially, as well as his dream magic, the tradeoff was that his other stats had barely risen at all.

Which he had expected.

Then again, who would expect a butterfly to flip mountains. or people, or perhaps move at the speed of light?

Not Amor, of course. He can do that when he's at a higher tier of evolution.

Until then...

'I would need to grow much stronger, raising my attributes, as well as evolving into higher tier creatures. If I can't grow fast enough, then I'll have to resort to-'

Then, the butterfly felt something pass through him. The feeling was akin to a person trying to sleep, but all of a sudden his or her muscles began twitching. Familiar and vague, cold and warm.

Fluttering his wings, which he got used to during the past few hours, Amor turned around to look out the window, gazing upon the cold moon.

'So fast?'

With the mana level rising, even at a steady rate, it's increasingly growing more and more. That means it'll fasten the rate at which 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 will arrive, descending upon this mortal plane of existence once more.

Amor himself was evidence of that. An anomaly that shouldn't happen. Perhaps this time, it'll be different.

'Alas, I should've long disappeared into nothingness. The Lord Almighty prevented my disappearance, and so he must have a plan for me. Oh Lord, Our Father, please, give me a sign.'

The butterfly twitched his antennas. He waited, but no answer came.

Once again, The Lord God wants others to not wait for salvation, but to strive for it. Just like he always has.

So, Amor turned to look at the stars, twinkling peacefully in the night sky. In how many days will they arrive? Weeks? Months? Although he doesn't have an accurate estimation, he knows at least one thing.

Their arrival would be inevitable, and so he would need to grow stronger, much stronger than he was now. Strong enough to contend against the coming calamities. He would also need to train Anna, at least to defend herself against the coming catastrophe.

So, he'll have to resort to 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 then.

Amor would have to teach her to learn how to fight, to grow stronger. The best way to do that is in her dreams. With his new abilities, as well as his bond, it wouldn't be as difficult as last time. Within her dreams, he'll teach her indirectly, and in real life, she'll remember what to do.

Although she'll have to train.

Growing stronger in dreams while sleeping doesn't mean she'll grow stronger in reality.

Unless he was at his peak, Amor wouldn't have to take such difficult measures.

Protecting Anna is his highest priority. With Amor's ability and affinity with dream magic, her memories of her dreams would help guide her well.

Tonight would be a fine start, under the strike of the midnight bell. As he turned to land on Anna, Amor once again looked back at the starry night sky.

Even now, he can hear the faint whispers of the trumpets blowing, announcing their arrival.

...

In a faraway, distant place...

Blood, fire, and ice seemed to be still, never dying or melting, waiting in one place. They seemed to be waiting, waiting for 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 call

…

At another area, an uncountable number of what seems to be flaming rocks with various sizes floating within the void. They waited, waited for 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 call.

...

Within dusty clouds, creatures large and small, with many types of poison and venom, fluttered and wormed in place. They seemed to be waiting, waiting for 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 call.

…

In the shadows, dark and sightless beings of many sizes drifting within it, waiting for 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 call.

…

In the pits of a fiery landscape, scorpion-tailed beings with a human face, but sharp teeth, stood in formation, banging their weapons against their shields. They had locust-like wings on their backs, their hair long and dirty. Adorned with golden crowns and protected with iron-looking breastplates, they waited, waiting for 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 call.

…

Somewhere else, within the earth, four beings slept, waiting. Waiting for their turn.

…

In a place akin to paradise, eyes gazed upon a mystery. Coughing, she looked at a place far away from her. A mysterious forest, appearing and disappearing like an illusion. The elusive mystery she wasn't able to grasp into her hands. Now it is becoming more and more real. For so long, she wished to enter such a place. However, the rise and fall of mana indicated one thing.

He will arrive soon, and she will answer his call.

It had been far too long.

…

All of these beings wait, waiting for their lords, their masters to call.

It was only a matter of time until the calamities descended once more unto the disgusting creatures that inhabited the world.

Those who wish for change shall be granted the chance.

The weak and evil shall perish, and the good and strong shall either find providence, or suffer under the wrath of God.