"She is a silent and sweet girl," Aksai said through his clone as it was being played around by the little snake girl.
"She completed her breakthrough into the Core Formation realm about twenty years ago. I wanted her to focus on her growth without any distractions. So I kept her safe in a special place that is only accessible to me."
He hesitated briefly.
"Umm," he added, "you could say I was being a bit overprotective."
The woman turned fully toward them. Her eyes widened slightly as she looked at the snake girl. For the first time since Aksai had arrived, her calm expression broke.
Something warm and fragile surfaced in her eyes. She took a slow step forward. "My child…" she whispered.
The woman slowly walked toward the little snake girl. Her steps were light, almost soundless.
