Chapter 14: A Day with Mother
In the far western gardens of the Dragon-Vampire Palace, a golden mist lingered like dreams that refused to fade. The twin suns of Arcania rose slowly, casting twin shadows on the marble terrace where a tiny voice shouted, "Mamaaaa!"
Empress Rose Nightshade turned with a soft smile as her little boy dashed toward her in a flurry of giggles and wind-swept violet hair. Phoenix's arms opened wide, and he leapt straight into her arms.
"Good morning, flame of my heart," she said, brushing her lips across his forehead.
Phoenix grinned. "Are we going on a special adventure today?"
She raised a brow. "You mean yesterday's dessert beast and forbidden pantry wasn't special enough?"
He giggled. "That was with everyone. I want a mama day!"
"Well then," Rose replied, lifting him easily into the air with a surge of mana. "Let today be just ours."
---
Their journey began at the Heartpond, an ethereal lake nestled beneath the palace's flying garden terrace. The surface shimmered with colors unknown to mortals, a place only accessible to Phoenix and Rose. It was her secret retreat—a haven even the imperial council had never entered.
"I made breakfast," Phoenix said proudly, pulling a wrapped item from his pouch.
Rose took it with curiosity and opened it slowly.
"…Is this… jam inside pickled dragonfruit toast?"
"I call it 'Mama Explosion Toast.'"
She looked at the squished, gooey mess with a straight face. "Looks… formidable."
He gave her puppy eyes. She took a bite. Paused. Swallowed.
"…Mmm. My taste buds are confused and slightly offended. But it's… loving."
Phoenix glowed with pride. "I'll make more tomorrow!"
---
They floated down to the base of the world tree—Yasgdril's root tip extended even to the borders of the Dragon Continent. Rose summoned a wooden glider shaped like a crimson petal.
"We're going root surfing."
Phoenix gasped. "Seriously?!"
With a grin, she flicked her fingers. The petal-glider surged forward along the curving root like a roller coaster.
Phoenix shrieked in delight as they shot through winding emerald tunnels and splashed through hanging moss curtains.
"Mamaaaa!"
"Yes, darling?"
"THIS IS THE BEST DAY EVER!"
They whooshed past a startled mana-stag herd, zipped over a shimmering mana pool, and did a loop-de-loop around a hanging fruit cave.
Eventually, the ride slowed and dropped them gently in a glowing underground glade filled with magical fireflies and humming flowers.
"This place feels… alive," Phoenix whispered.
Rose nodded. "This is the Heartgrove. Where the world listens to what you truly feel."
Phoenix knelt beside a curious flower. It shifted colors to match his eyes.
He turned to Rose. "Can I tell it anything?"
"Yes. But speak truth."
He looked at the blossom and whispered, "I want to be strong enough to protect mama."
The flower glowed red, then violet, then white.
Rose smiled sadly, brushing his hair. "You already protect me, little one. You remind me why the world is worth saving."
---
Later, they climbed atop a flying manta lily and soared into the sky. Phoenix leaned into her, snuggled under her winged cloak.
"Do you miss your old home?" he asked.
Rose blinked. "You mean before I became Empress?"
"Yeah. Were you… lonely?"
Rose thought for a moment. "I was powerful. Feared. Adored. But yes… I was also very lonely."
Phoenix took her hand. "I'll never let you feel that again."
She smiled, kissed his fingers. "You already don't."
---
Their next stop was the Midnight Library, hidden inside a mountain shaped like a reclining dragon. As they entered the floating marble halls, countless books whispered to one another.
"Where are we?" Phoenix asked.
"This library remembers dreams," Rose said. "Every dream someone ever had—real or not—is written here."
"Even mine?"
Rose waved her hand. A floating book with violet flames and gold trim floated toward them. On its cover: The Eternal Adventures of Phoenix Bennith Nightshade.
Phoenix gasped. "That's ME!"
She opened it.
The first page showed a crude crayon drawing of Phoenix and Rose holding hands beside a very poorly drawn dragon.
"I drew that last week!"
"Yes. And now it lives here forever."
Phoenix flipped pages. "Mama, it says I become the strongest person in the universe!"
Rose smirked. "That's a spoiler, young prince."
---
The day ended beneath a glowing mango tree near a bubbling stream. The stars overhead shimmered into constellations shaped like roses and fire.
Phoenix laid in her lap, yawning.
"Mama?"
"Yes, my heart?"
"If I become the strongest ever… will I still have days like this?"
Rose looked up at the stars.
"Only if you choose to."
He nodded. "Then I choose this. Always."
She tucked his blanket around him. "And I choose you. Always."
As Phoenix drifted to sleep, the stars blinked softly above, and the world turned a little gentler.