Soft breaths.  

The children fell asleep quickly.  
Saebyeok was curled up on Gyeoul’s stomach, while Levinas clung tightly to her legs.  

“Mmm…”  

Perhaps feeling suffocated by the hold, Gyeoul wiggled her fingers in her sleep.  
Saebyeok’s tail brushed between those fingers, and Gyeoul’s lips curved into a contented smile, as if all was right in her dreams.  

“Hehe.”  

Levinas bit Gyeoul’s tail as she slept.  
Even asleep, my kids were adorable.  
Midsummer brushed their hair softly, one by one, before quietly leaving the bedroom.  

“Sophia, the children are asleep.”  

“…Good. Let’s head outside for now.”  

Though they hadn’t explicitly agreed on a destination, the two women moved toward the portal as if drawn there by an unspoken agreement.  
Before the flickering, rose-like red portal, Sophia came to a stop.  

“Have you confirmed it?”  

“…Yes. It’s definitely Gyeoul’s homeland.”  

“How could you be so certain, so quickly…?”  

Clearing the dungeon would mean parting ways with Gyeoul—the child who had become their entire world.  
Sophia, uncharacteristically, didn’t hide her emotions.  
She let out a heavy sigh, her heart visibly troubled.  

“Still, there’s no need to go in immediately.”  

“Did the dungeon tell you that?”  

“Yes. It gave me more information than usual.”  

Dungeons were mysteries that emerged when the world cried for help.  
That was something Saebyeok had said long ago.  

“It’s telling us to prepare thoroughly.”  

“…I suppose so.”  

In a world without mana, all of Midsummer’s combat skills would become useless.  
She resolved to train harder, for Gyeoul’s sake.  

“When do you plan to tell Gyeoul?”  

“I’ll let her know little by little when the time feels right. If I tell her everything at once, it’ll be too much for her.”  

“Yes. We’ll all need time to prepare ourselves and Gyeoul.”  

“…Right.”  

Gyeoul’s homeland had been destroyed.  
Her family and friends were all dead, yet they hadn’t found peace, instead becoming wandering corpses.  

How much pain would Gyeoul feel upon hearing such news?  
Sophia couldn’t even begin to imagine.  
Trying to understand the child’s suffering felt arrogant.  

*If that happened to my family and friends…*  

What if her loved ones turned into horrifying monsters and she was the only survivor?  
Could she continue living with her sanity intact?  

*Clench.*  
Midsummer bit her lip, forcing herself to smile.  

“I should ask Yuna to create a barrier around the portal.”  

“A barrier?”  

“Yes. Gyeoul said she wants to go inside.”  

“Her homing instinct must be kicking in.”  

It seemed certain now that the world beyond the portal was indeed Gyeoul’s home.  
Sophia tapped the ground with her staff. For now, they decided to act as though everything was normal, for Gyeoul’s sake.  

—

Morning came.  
Having gone to bed early the night before, I woke up before the sun rose.  

Rubbing my eyes, I headed to the living room.  
There sat Sophia, who was usually a heavy sleeper.  

“Sophia, did you stay up all night?”  

“No, I just woke up a moment ago.”  

“Oh, okay.”  

I had worried she’d stayed up all night.  
Stretching, I plopped down beside her, sitting close enough for us to feel each other’s warmth.  

“Sophia, I have a question.”  

“A question?”  

“Yes. It might be a little rude, though.”  

I watched her closely as I spoke, sensing something unusual about her demeanor.  

“…What is it you’re so curious about?”  

“Um, I was wondering why you haven’t grown any taller.”  

*Gulp.*  
Sophia tensed momentarily, then let out a small chuckle, as if relieved.  
Apparently, it wasn’t as rude a question as I had feared.  

“It’s because I’ve avoided water. A beastfolk’s growth is tied to nature, you see.”  

“Oh… So if you go into the water, you’ll grow again?”  

“Not unless I immerse myself regularly.”  

*Sigh.*  
Sophia let out a small, wistful sigh.  
Perhaps she regretted her body’s inability to grow. I decided to comfort her in my own way.  

“That’s actually a relief.”  

“You think it’s a relief that I’m not growing?”  

“Yes. It makes you feel like a friend, you know? There’s none of that adult distance.”  

“Hmm…”  

Sophia cleared her throat, her cheeks slightly flushed. She didn’t seem to dislike the compliment.  

“But Sophia, what if I end up growing taller than you? Wouldn’t that be awkward…?”  

If I grew while she didn’t, wouldn’t that hurt her pride?  
I already felt bad about being shorter than her now.  

“Well… Actually, Gyeoul, you might not grow at all.”  

“What…?”  

What did she mean by that?  
My eyes widened in shock.  

“A beastfolk’s growth requires nature’s energy. That’s something cities lack.”  

“But there’s a park…”  

“It’s a nice park, but it can’t compare to the vastness of true nature.”  

“Oh…”  

Was I going to live my whole life with a child’s body?  
The thought was unsettling, but I hid my worry for Sophia’s sake.  

“Don’t worry too much. It’s not like there’s no way to grow.”  

“I-I’m sorry.”  

How could I complain about not growing in front of Sophia, who had the same issue?  
If she scolded me, I wouldn’t even be able to argue.  

“You don’t have to apologize. A child wanting to grow taller isn’t something to be angry about.”  

“Um, okay…”  

I wasn’t really a child, but I must have seemed like one in her eyes.  
Feeling guilty, I fidgeted with my fingers.  

“If you really want to grow, you can always move to the wild like other beastfolk.”  

“Uh… Okay…”  

I didn’t want to leave, but at least it wasn’t an impossible situation.  
Since beastfolk lived much longer than humans, I decided to take my time thinking it over.  

*What a predicament.*  

Not growing was disappointing, but it wasn’t a major issue.  
An ageless body had its benefits, after all.  

The real problem was how others might react.  
If everyone around me grew while I stayed the same, it would inevitably cause discomfort.  

*According to Sophia, Levinas and Saebyeok wouldn’t grow either.*  

Kids frozen in time, surrounded by a world that kept moving forward.  
Wouldn’t people label us as monsters?  

The thought made me uneasy.  
This was something I needed to think about seriously.  

—

As the sun rose, everyone else began to wake.  
Without hesitation, I went to find Midsummer.  

“Um, excuse me…”  

*Tap, tap.*  
I tugged at the hem of her clothes.  

She was preparing a snack when she looked down at me with a warm smile.  

“Yes? What is it?”  

“What would you think if… I never grew up?”  

“Huh…”  

“Huh…?”  

“Huh, that’d be great.”  

Midsummer gave me two enthusiastic thumbs up, clearly approving.  

“Wouldn’t you hate that?”  

“I’d love it. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.”  

A Gyeoul who never grew up?  
To her, that must have sounded like paradise.  

“Why would your mouth water…?”  

“I’m just kidding.”  

Her response was strange, but at least she didn’t seem to dislike the idea.  

“I thought you’d hate it. That’s a relief.”  

“Why would I hate a Gyeoul who doesn’t grow up?”  

“Because I’d be a hassle…?”  

A hassle?  
How lowly did I think of myself?  
Midsummer let out a bittersweet chuckle and handed me a snack.  

“You worry too much, as always.”  

“I do…?”  

Even with my muffled speech, she understood.  

“Yes. Most of the things you stress over turn out to be nothing, right?”  

“Mm…”  

“So don’t keep it all to yourself. It might not be as big a deal as you think.”  

What Midsummer really wanted was for me to open up about my past—about the world I came from.  
But trust was needed before revealing such truths.  

“I’ve heard you still have memories of your original world…”  

Saebyeok had once told her this.  
I remembered everything except the destruction.  
But I had never told anyone about my origins.  

“Sometimes, it feels like you’re from another world.”  

“Th-that’s…”  

I’m sorry, Midsummer.  
Just this once, let me keep my secret.  
I’ll make it up to you later.  

—

The portal pulsed again, resonating with me.  
The familiar scent of home overwhelmed me.  

I wanted to go back.  
I wanted to see my family and friends.  
The longing was almost unbearable.  

“Actually…”  

A secret I had

 sworn never to share.  
But my yearning for home forced the words to the surface.  

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep