Azrean and Sumi slid off the edge of the enormous bed together, their tiny bodies dropping onto the thick green carpet below with a soft thump.
For a moment they just lay there, stunned by the fall. Then Sumi suddenly twisted her body sideways.
"Roll!" she whispered urgently.
Azrean blinked, then followed her lead. The two babies began rolling across the carpet like small logs tumbling down a hill. Their chubby arms and legs flailed awkwardly as they tried to keep their balance while their bodies spun over and over. The silk blankets they had dragged with them trailed behind like oversized capes, dragging softly along the floor.
The thick carpet cushioned every turn, its soft fibers brushing against their backs and bellies as they rolled.
After several turns, they finally stopped halfway across the room. Both of them lay there breathing heavily.
Azrean's face had turned pink from the effort, while Sumi's pale cheeks were now blotchy red. Azrean slowly turned his head toward her. His eyes flicked nervously toward the door.
"Did you…" He whispered, "…feel that?"
Sumi froze in place. One of her hands still clutched the trailing blanket. Her blue eyes narrowed.
"Yeah," she answered softly.
For a moment, the two of them simply stared at each other. The room suddenly felt far too quiet. Then Sumi's expression hardened.
"Keep moving!" she shouted.
Her voice came out high-pitched and squeaky like any baby's cry, but her determination was unmistakable.
"We're not stopping now!"
Without waiting, she rolled again. Azrean quickly followed. This time they moved faster. Two small bodies tumbling clumsily across the carpet in uneven bursts. Thump. Roll. Pause for breath. Thump. Roll again.
They bumped into the leg of a side table and had to awkwardly change direction. At one point they knocked into a small stool that wobbled dangerously before settling back into place.
Sweat formed on their foreheads. Tiny fists clenched. Despite how ridiculous they must have looked, both of them pushed forward with stubborn determination. Eventually, they reached the base of the tall bookshelf.
The dark wooden structure towered above them like a massive cliff. Rows of leather-bound books filled the shelves, their spines far too high for two babies to reach comfortably.
Sumi crawled forward first. She placed both palms against the lowest shelf and pushed herself upright. Her knees wobbled as she struggled to keep her balance, but she managed to hook her chubby fingers around the edge of a thick book.
Azrean scrambled beside her and grabbed onto the same book. They pulled but nothing happened. The book didn't move even slightly.
To their infant strength, it felt as heavy as a solid brick. They pulled again. Harder. Both of their faces twisted with effort as small grunts escaped their mouths. The wooden shelf creaked faintly. The book slid forward a tiny inch… then stopped again.
"Come on…" Sumi hissed between clenched teeth.
Azrean leaned forward until his forehead pressed against the book's spine for extra leverage. His legs kicked uselessly behind him as he strained.
"Together… now!"
Both of them pulled with everything they had left. Their tiny muscles burned. Then the book finally shifted. At first, it moved slowly. Then suddenly it tipped forward all at once.
The heavy volume tumbled out of the shelf, dragging a rush of dust and stale air with it.
THUD.
The book landed heavily on the carpet between them, its pages bursting open from the impact. Both babies immediately collapsed onto their backs.
Their chests rose and fell rapidly as they stared up at the ceiling in exhausted silence. Sumi flopped beside the fallen book, her arms stretched out wide. A huge grin spread across her face.
"Victory!" she shouted.
Her voice was high and squeaky, but full of pure excitement. Azrean lay beside her, breathing heavily. One tiny hand rested over his eyes.
"I'm so tired…" he groaned weakly. "That almost took everything."
Sumi turned her head toward him, still smiling despite the exhaustion.
"Me too," she said between breaths. Then she nudged the large book beside her.
"But come on. Let's push this thing back toward the bed."
She gave him a determined look.
"Together."
They didn't argue. Both babies slowly shuffled around to the side of the heavy book. Their small hands pressed against the thick leather cover. At first, their fingers slipped across the smooth surface, but after a moment they managed to find a better grip.
They planted their tiny feet firmly against the carpet. Then they pushed. The book shifted slightly. Just an inch. Then another.
Small grunts and breathy huffs filled the quiet room as they pushed together in uneven rhythm. Sweat dampened their fine baby hair, and their cheeks puffed bright red with effort.
The heavy book dragged across the carpet slowly, bunching the thick green fibers into small waves in front of it as it moved.
Halfway across the room, Azrean glanced down at the cover they were pushing. The leather was a deep midnight blue.
The edges had been worn smooth over time. Thin lines of gold foil traced elegant patterns along the borders, forming twisting vines that curled into faint rune shapes at each corner.
In the center of the cover stood two shadowed figures. They were drawn in black silhouette against the faint glow of a silver moon.
One figure held a longsword raised high, the blade catching a sharp gleam of light. The other extended one hand forward, palm open. Flames burst from his fingers in sharp stylized bursts twisting upward. Neither of the babies said anything about it.
They simply kept pushing. Heads lowered. Shoulders straining. Finally, the edge of the book bumped gently against the base of the large bed frame.
Both of them collapsed beside it at the same time, breathing heavily. They lay there staring upward at the towering mattress above them.
From the floor, the bed now looked like a mountain. The silk sheets draped over the edge like distant cliffs, and the height between the floor and the mattress suddenly felt enormous.
Azrean swallowed nervously.
"We're… too small," he muttered. "There's no way we can climb that."
Sumi leaned her head back further and squinted up at it.
"Yeah…" She sighed.
"I didn't really think this through."
The two of them looked at each other. Their faces carried the same blank confusion.
"What do we do now?" Azrean asked.
Sumi opened her mouth to answer. Then she stopped. She closed it again and shrugged her tiny shoulders.
"I… don't know."
Azrean rubbed the back of his neck with his chubby hand.
"Me neither."
The room fell quiet again. Then—click. The door latch turned softly. Both babies' heads snapped toward the sound. The door slowly swung open.
Invanne stepped inside. Her black uniform was perfectly neat, the silver-trimmed apron tied neatly around her waist. In her hands, she carried a small silver tray holding two warm milk bottles.
Her gray eyes lifted. Then stopped. She stared directly at the two babies sitting on the carpet beneath the bed… with the heavy book lying between them.
Her eyes widened completely. For the first time, genuine shock cracked across her usually calm expression.
"Oh no!" Sumi squeaked in a tiny panicked voice.
Invanne froze right there in the doorway. The tray tilted slightly in her hands.