Miracia

Sage walked and walked. He kept on walking, against the cold, against the blizzard. The footprints he left in the snow were soon covered up, and he could hear no sound except for his own. There was no sign of life around, not even a single plant or tree. It was as if he had come to a deserted place. The ruins of an apocalypse, perhaps. But he had to continue walking. His journey was his only purpose of living. 

He exhaled a series of white breaths, his body shivering to retain at least a little bit of heat. He was struggling to keep his ragged cloak and hat from being blown away, and the farther he walked, the more he felt like his feet were sinking into the snow. Maybe his path was destined to end here. Maybe this bed of snow was where his body was supposed to lie. Come to think of it, he hadn’t been able to find any meaning in his journey lately. Nothing good had happened to him, and he was all alone the entire time. He set out on this journey to experience a fulfilling solitary adventure, but he ended up learning how empty solitude could make one feel. 

Just when he was thinking about surrendering to the cold, something shone brightly in the night sky. After a few more steps, the clouds started to shift aside, and the blizzard weakened. He gasped out loud the moment he looked up at the magnificent beauty hovering above him. 

“Miracia…”

It was the legendary constellation. An enormous dragon of stars was floating in the air. Sage could see its two horns and two claws, its spiky mane, and its long tail. It seemed to move as he moved, like an actual creature. Miracia was alive, and it had miraculously appeared right above the lonely traveler. 

Sage stopped to watch the bright constellation with his eyes wide and his mouth agape. He was still freezing cold, but the sight of the great dragon somehow warmed his heart, the core of his misery. This has to be some kind of sign, he thought. Miracia wouldn’t show itself to a plain being like him for no reason. 

Then, Sage suddenly heard a voice from a distance. A cry. Was someone lost, like him? Maybe they were crying for help.

Sage quickly began running towards the voice, and as he got closer, the cries became clearer. They were the cries of an infant. He had to hurry. 

He ran and ran despite his steps being slowed down by the snow, and he finally saw something small and red in the middle of the white terrain. He approached it quickly and carefully, trying not to make too much noise just in case. He saw the infant’s face poking out from the red cloth wrapped around them. The baby was wailing loudly, and they had probably been doing so for hours, for their voice had become quite hoarse. 

Sage slowly picked up the baby, wondering why they had been left here. Where did they come from? Did their parents abandon them? What for? What crime did the innocent newborn commit to be left alone in the cold like this?

When Sage embraced the infant out of worry, their cries became quieter. The baby’s confused and fearful expression gradually smoothed out, and they curled up in Sage’s arms to envelop themself in his warmth. He then realized. He looked at the constellation and back at the infant. Miracia, the miracle dragon. By showing itself before him, it had given him three miracles. The calming of the weather, a new purpose of living, and the end of solitude. He had been tasked with the protection of this infant, who was just as lonely as he was. This important task was going to keep him alive, and this new bond between him and the infant was going to make the emptiness within him disappear. 

He was not alone anymore.

The thought made him smile as he held the baby close to his chest. 

“It’s going to be okay,” he whispered to the baby. “We’re going to find someplace warm. Don’t worry. I’ll protect you, no matter what.”

Sage inhaled deeply and took another step forward, carrying the baby across the land of cold and white. Miracia continued to follow him, the horns growing from its head pointing towards the path he needed to take. He checked on the infant once in a while, and every time, he felt relieved to see them sound asleep in the cradle of his arms. 

It was so strange. The silence which seemed so harmful and foreboding a few minutes ago was now quite calming and supportive. His surroundings seemed to be cooperating with him to give the infant some peace, to give him the freedom to keep the infant safe. He also wasn’t shivering as much as before. The core of his body didn’t feel so cold. Was it because the blizzard receded, or was he simply feeling like he was warm due to his renewed strength and confidence? 

Sage walked and walked. He kept on walking in the direction Miracia was guiding him towards. Despite the pain rushing through his muscles, especially his legs, he dragged himself through the deep bed of snow, trying not to let the freezing wind bring harm to the infant. 

Soon, Sage began to see some lights and the silhouettes of triangular roofs. He was about to arrive at a new town. He smiled in relief, and he looked down at the baby he had managed to save from a solitary death.

“We’re safe now, little one.” he said to the baby.

He then looked up at Miracia, the kind and forgiving dragon who had given him the opportunity to get back on his feet, to live a life of warmth and prosperity.

“Thank you.” he whispered. “Thank you.”

Sage faced forward and carried the infant down the slope that led to the town, feeling hopeful about his and this little child’s future.