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“Here is the map of Byakuyakoku,” He raised the paper in his hands for her to see: overuse clear in the crinkles that would have made the topography of the map lifelike… had it not been so crudely drawn. His finger tapped at one spot of it: the three points of Helios clear on the smudge that would presumably be the piece of land they call their home.
He shifted to use his other hand, pointing to the opposite side of the map — a bigger blob than Byakuyakoku.
“And this is the world outside!” Piramumon told her.
The world outside? To anyone else, this would be an unknown, but to Clymene, an official of Byakuyakoku, she knew this was true.
Clymene gasped, opening her mouth, but just when she felt the vibrations of her voice in her throat, she stopped herself, covering her mouth instantly to cease any noise.
Piramumon stared at her, clear white irises that blinked back in confusion, “What?”
She gazed back at the bedroom door, feeling her heart hammer against her chest, but a few seconds of stillness eased her.
Biting down on her lips, Clymene lowered her hand from her face as she arched her brows and shook her head sternly.
Piramumon narrowed his eyes at her response.
“I didn’t even tell you what I was going to do yet!” He argued, and with a small huff, he continued his explanation, “Anyways, you see this red line here?”
His small pointer finger traced the road drawn between little Byakuyakoku and the unknown outside smudges before smiling above his map, grasping the edges proudly, “This is how I’m going to get to the outside world!”
Get to…the outside world?
She snickered. She slapped her hand over her mouth to suppress the bellowing laughter that threatened to escape her. In no way was this map proficient enough of a clear route to go to the outside world, but to a kid, it must have meant everything. She could see it in how his eyes shone or how fast he spoke when he explained. And it was obvious, too, in how eager he was to show her this map.
Clymene took a deep breath and sighed out silently, lowering her hand when she felt she was in control of her laughter, and she smiled at the child before her, whose eyes were as curious and wide as the depths below their kingdom.
Then she offered her hand, gesturing with the wave of her fingers to hand her the map.
And briskly, Piramumon placed it in her hand (she almost feared that his doing so would rip his efforts).
Looking carefully, she could see small figures: a drawing of himself standing at the beginning of this red route in bright yellow on top of the black smudge of Byakuyakoku — a bright and eager smile just like the one he held now.
Her thumb rubbed close to their home on the map, not being able to fight back a quiet chuckle at the sight.
“So once the Solar Rite ritual is over, I’m gonna find my way there!”
Her limbs stiffened, expression dropped an instant.
How could she forget about the Solar Rite? It was coming so soon. She even knew it, walking into this room today. It was hard for her to pay any attention to Piramumon until the very second he had stuffed the map in her face.
But his smile, the little hopes he had drawn upon this map he gave her — the brief moment of joy with him that could delude her to thinking of them as only mother and child — it made her forget.
Her eyes strained. She couldn’t tell him the truth. She couldn’t say anything at all. She could only fight back the grimace that strained her expression, forcing a smile at Piramumon and offering his map back to him.
And carelessly, he’d take it back, eyes still brimming with joy and hope, staring at his dreams and pride and not at the lie that sits upon her lips.