As Lucille kept stroking Dobby and Ponyo's soft fur, Ashrik silently assessed her while evaluating the state of her broken inner core. Sensing its calm state washed over his heart with relief.
She had done a great job in protecting her core from the surrounding spiritual energy. But this wasn't the perfect solution.
The core's wall of defense might crumble anytime, particularly under stressful conditions.
"Dinner's ready," Ashrik said as he rose to his feet. His tall shadows fell over Lucille. "Go freshen up."
"Ah? What time is it?"
Flustered, Lucille looked around, only to realize the entire room was brightened by the lamp hanging on the ceiling. The curtains were drawn in, and she guessed the windows were also closed.
"Almost seven." Ashrik reached out a hand, rubbing Dobby's fluffy gray head. "This rascal switched on the lights. I kept the room dark when you slept earlier."
Such a thing had happened many times before. Both Dobby and Ponyo were too smart, but also too naughty. They especially liked to toy with Felix. Isaac was their second favorite victim.
"Arf!"
Dobby barked, clearly pleased with its own brilliance. Unable to restrain itself, it nudged Lucille's arm again, prompting her to laugh. She rubbed under its chin.
"Hehe, okay, okay, you're so clever!"
In actuality, Lucille was quite baffled. She didn't expect to nap longer than two hours, but considering her current weakened state, this was inevitable.
Ashrik turned around to return to the kitchen, but paused after two steps. As he looked over his shoulder, he saw Lucille standing up from the floor.
"How do you feel?"
Even though he felt nothing was amiss, he still asked. It was better to be safe than sorry.
She smiled. "I'm alright. Better now."
Her body movements were still quite stiff, but she felt nothing alarming. She believed it was just a side effect of having her ability core broken.
He nodded slightly before retracting his gaze from her. "Go to the kitchen later."
"Okay."
Without wasting time, Lucille headed to the washroom. She wanted to freshen up before dinner. She chuckled when Dobby and Ponyo followed her, their fluffy tails flicking happily.
"Stay there," she said before closing the washroom door. "Behave, okay?"
"Arf! Arf!"
Lucille emerged from the washroom not long after. The oversized Pekingeses were still waiting for her, as if they were her loyal knights. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Wanna follow me to the kitchen?"
Ponyo and Dobby barked in unison, "Arf!"
Helpless, Lucille could only let Dobby and Ponyo trail after her. She slowly walked down the hallway, passing by the open windows along the way. Stunned, she halted in her tracks.
Outside, the clear blue sky she saw during the day had turned inky black. With no ashy smoke fogging the vast sky, sparkling little stars emitted their radiance as they accompanied the lone silvery moon.
How long had she seen such a view?
Most skyscrapers and other buildings that used to radiate neon lights at night had been reduced to ruins. Despite that, it was still hard to see a sea of bright stars in the night sky.
Light pollution might have receded, but the continuous spiral of smoke still adulterated the environment.
In the four years of apocalypse, Lucille could count on one hand the times she saw a beautiful, starry night sky. Seeing such an alluring scene now swelled her heart with a sense of nostalgia.
'This place called space... is more than a mystery.'
Its existence was inexplicable, just the same as the relic known as Calamity Stone. Perhaps the mystery of their origins could never be unearthed, tracing back hundreds or thousands of years.
"Lucy?"
"...huh?"
Startled by the call, Lucille abruptly turned her eyes away. She saw Ashrik at the kitchen entrance, untying the apron sash from his waist.
"What are you doing there?" He raised one brow, his voice low. "Saw something?"
Blinking, Lucille quickly shook her head. A sheepish smile adorned her lips. "No. It's just... The stars are so bright here. I haven't seen such a pretty starry sky like this in a long time."
Ashrik hummed, understanding why the night sky had entranced her. The scenery in this space was incomparable to the grey apocalyptic world, tainted with never-ending chaos.
"Let's eat outside," he said before spinning on his heels to return to the kitchen. "You can see your little starry friends all you want."
Lucille was stunned before sensing the heat radiating from her cheeks. Her heart thumped rapidly for a moment before she calmed herself.
Because her name, Lucille, meant light, he used to say the stars were her little friends. She didn't expect to hear such a remark again.
Ashrik told Dobby and Ponyo to lead Lucille outside. The two dogs cleverly brought her to a wooden table. It was attached to a long bench on both sides.
Outside the cottage, the open field stretched wide. Glittering stars were scattered on the dark canvas of the night sky.
Not long after, Ashrik carried a big tray. He placed pots of plain rice congee, milky fish soup and several small side dishes. Everything was served on the table.
"Why are you still standing?" he asked without looking at her. He put large bowls of meat and softened grains beside the table for the dogs. "Sit down."
Lucille quickly settled herself on the bench, sitting across from Ashrik. Her eyes scanned the congee, fish soup and the side dishes.
After ladling some fish soup into a bowl of plain congee, he pushed it toward her. She thanked him with a smile.
"Fresh air is good for recovery," he said while picking the side dishes with chopsticks. "And food tastes better outside."
"You're right," she agreed.
Lucille ate her first spoonful. The plain congee had absorbed the rich flavor of the fish soup. Its taste was as flavorful as the chicken congee she had this afternoon.
"This is delicious."
Upon being praised, Ashrik's lips curled slightly, but he still kept a calm demeanor. "As long as you like it."
"Arf! Arf!"
Dobby suddenly barked while Ponyo was busy gnawing on its bowl with satisfaction. The two fluffy fools' antics made the ambiance even better.