Harmony War

Chapter XII - Salvation

March 3rd, 1170 (230 B.O.)

"Nero! Nero, wake up!"

"Nnnghh... Felix?"

The chimera blearily stumbled back into consciousness, feeling drowsy and disoriented, his eyes narrowing at whatever was in front of him.

As expected, he found his brother there, waking him up from his sleep beside a tree trunk in the forest where their family lived.

The sun was out high in the sky, visible through the leaves of the canopy, and Nero smiled. "Where's Claudia?"

"She's already finished eating breakfast, jeez," Felix replied, crossing his arms and feigning disappointment.

"EHHH?!" Nero did a double take, before looking up again. "Oh, yeah, it is noon."

"Whatever. Mom and dad are waiting for us, let's go."

Getting to his feet, Nero rubbed his eyes, following his seven-year-old older brother to the clearing where their parents were laying down and resting on.

Claudia, his five-year-old younger sister, was picking flowers in what was essentially their garden. When she noticed him, she ran lightly and smiled, her little legs supporting her light weight. "Nero! Felix! Look!" She held out both of her hands, the dandelions on her palms transforming into beautiful blue butterflies with pure magic, flying away as the small breeze made the grass on the clearing sway back and forth.

Both of her brothers were very impressed.

Lucius, the father of the three children, was clearly even more impressed, his reptilian hands clapping together enthusiastically. "Bravo, Claudia. Daddy's proud of you."

With his long body, the body of a Chinese dragon, Lucius curled around the clearing and petted his daughter's head as she giggled.

Nero smiled genuinely. The family had spent a very long two years together, braving the wilderness of the south until finally finding a peaceful, secluded settlement in the mountain forests - and this particular forest was Nero's favourite. The natural harmony and beauty of the place which he appreciated so much was what led him to calling his home the Harmony Forest.

The years' long, horrid winter was over, and finally, for the first time in their life, the family had found respite and peace. It was a pure miracle that they had all survived it.

Nero's mother, Cassia, a Chimera with a rather humanoid-looking form (much like her children) walked over to him and smiled, handing him his breakfast (lunch, more like) - a bowl of miso soup from her home country of Japan.

"Huh?!" Nero exclaimed, taking the bowl gratefully. They never ate food made of meat or dairy, instead making sure their diet was as nutritious as possible without disrespecting the other animals living in the forest peacefully, as was their ethical conduct. "Is this okay, mom? We rarely have this much because we need to conserve food."

Classia rubbed his hair with her hand, smirking. "It's okay, sweetie. Today is a special day."

Ah. That was right. It was his birthday today.

Nero quickly embraced his mother in a warm hug. "Thank you!"

"Happy birthday!" His family collectively cheered, as he sat down and ate his miso soup, taking his time.

"Delicious..." Nero commented, not even bothering to eat with his mouth shut. His family were never particularly strict, allowing him to be himself, but still teaching him etiquette and manners when necessary - and because he understood them, because he was always obedient when he needed to be, Nero was allowed to have a significant amount of free time.