The wind brushed softly against my skin as I stood there, watching Elira's figure drift farther and farther away until she became nothing more than a pale outline swallowed by the light. The only sound left was the gentle run of the spring beside me, its rhythm echoing the moment she had leaned down to drink the golden water.
I could still picture the way a loose strand of her fair hair slipped from behind her ear, catching the sunlight. She looked almost unreal back then… impossibly pretty in a way that made my chest tighten with something warm and foolish.
I let myself drift in that memory longer than I should have, losing track of everything else, until Beelzebub suddenly nipped at my ear.
"Ouch! What was that for?" I hissed, ready to scold him, but he lifted one tiny leg and pointed.
