Starlight in the Secret Base and Ripples at Their Fingertips

Mrs. Smith's cold warning was like an invisible barrier, but it could not truly keep two curious hearts apart. Lynn became even more cautious. He made the attic "Secret Base" more concealed, covering the gaps in the folding screen with old blankets to ensure that not a trace of light or sound escaped. At the same time, he hurried through his orphanage chores, determined to make each appointment on time and not disappoint the little brown head in the library corner.

Hermione had clearly felt some sort of pressure as well. When they met again, she no longer loudly shared her discoveries as before. Instead, like a wary little deer, she looked around first, making sure Mrs. Smith was nowhere nearby before quickly slipping over to sit beside Lynn. Then she mysteriously pulled a small cloth bag from her schoolbag.

"Lynn!" she whispered, her large eyes sparkling with the excitement of sharing a treasure. "Look! What I found!" She carefully poured several objects from the cloth bag onto the table.

They were stones of varying sizes and colors: deep inky black, warm milky white, and one strange dark blue stone that seemed to have a halo of light flowing within it. What they had in common was that their surfaces had been polished exceptionally smooth, their edges rounded, and their shapes made into neat geometric forms, as though they had been carefully selected and worked by hand.

"These stones...?" Lynn picked up the dark blue one. It felt slightly cool and smooth in his hand. It really did not seem naturally formed.

"I found them in an old pile of rocks in my backyard!" Hermione kept her voice low, but it was full of accomplishment. "I secretly used Dad's toolbox. There was a grinding wheel and polishing paste in it! I worked on them for ages and ages, until my hands turned red!" She held out her small hands, and sure enough, there were faint new red marks and thin calluses on her fingertips and the edges of her palms.

Lynn's heart was instantly filled with a warm yet aching emotion. This little girl, only eight years old, had silently done so much for their "secret," just to find something that could "carry" that wondrous power. He gently held Hermione's wrist, avoiding the red marks, and looked at the slightly expectant expression on her face. His voice unconsciously softened. "Does it hurt, Hermione? Don't do this again. It's too hard on you."

"It doesn't hurt!" Hermione immediately shook her head, lifting her little face with stubborn determination. "As long as I can help and find clues about the 'key,' it isn't hard at all! Lynn, do you think these stones might be like the symbols in your book? Could they... could they 'sense' something?" She looked at Lynn hopefully, then at the dark blue stone.

Something stirred in Lynn's heart. The symbols in the Starry Book required the energy of his own "Little Spark" to activate them. Whether these stones themselves were special remained unknown, but Hermione's pure intentions and determination were already the most precious "key." He picked up the dark blue stone. It was cold in his hand, but when he tried to wrap it in the faintest trace of warmth from the "Little Spark" within him...

Bzz...

It was incredibly, incredibly faint! Like a drop of water falling into a deep pool, only the slightest, nearly imperceptible ripple reached his fingertips. The stone itself showed no change. If Lynn's senses had not been so sharp, he would have almost missed it. This felt completely different from guiding the symbols in the Starry Book. It was more like an extremely faint resonance, or rather... a passive response from the stone to his energy.

"Did you feel something?" Hermione asked nervously, her little fists clenched tight.

"Mm... there was a tiny, very faint change," Lynn chose to tell the truth, though he used vaguer words. "Like... like a water droplet falling onto a perfectly still surface, making a tiny ripple." He set down the stone and looked into Hermione's eyes. "Hermione, your thoughtfulness and effort are the best 'key.' These stones are beautiful. You found and polished them with care, and that alone gives them special meaning."

Hermione's eyes shone even brighter. Lynn's words had clearly pleased her immensely. She picked up the dark blue stone and stroked it lovingly. "Then... Lynn, you can have this prettiest one! Its color looks a lot like that starry book!" Without giving him a chance to refuse, she stuffed the stone into his hand.

"Thank you, Hermione. I really like it." Lynn closed his fingers around the stone, which still carried the warmth of Hermione's palm. Beneath its cool touch, it seemed to hold a faint warmth. Looking at Hermione's excited little face, an idea flashed through his mind. From his simple cloth bag, he took out a small bundle carefully wrapped in old newspaper. Inside was a short length of fairly sturdy thin copper wire he had found yesterday in a pile of discarded lumber behind the orphanage, along with a few small tools he had "borrowed" from the orphanage tool room.

"Since it's so special," Lynn said, holding up the thin copper wire and tools for Hermione to see, "how about we make it a 'home' so it can stay with you all the time?" He meant the other milky white stone Hermione had kept for herself.

Hermione froze for a moment, then a huge surprise burst across her face. "You... you're going to make it into a necklace for me? Like a talisman in a storybook?" Her little face turned rosy with excitement.

"Mm, let's try." Lynn smiled and nodded. He carefully picked up the milky white stone. It had been polished into an almost teardrop shape. Remembering some simple jewelry-making methods he had seen in his previous life, he deftly wrapped and secured the thin copper wire around the stone's rounded end. As his fingers moved, a simple yet sturdy frame gradually took shape. He was not fast, but he was focused, his long fingers looking especially nimble in the faint light.

Hermione leaned over the table, her chin resting on her little hands, watching Lynn's movements without blinking. Her long lashes fluttered like tiny fans, full of admiration and anticipation. Every so often, she softly offered a suggestion. "Would it look better if it went around here?" Or, "Could you add another little loop?" Lynn always answered patiently, making small adjustments according to her ideas. In that tiny corner, there was only the soft sound of copper wire winding and their occasional whispers. The atmosphere was as warm as winter sunlight.

After an unknown amount of time, an exquisite pendant was finished. The thin copper wire perfectly wrapped and secured the bottom of the milky white stone, extending into a simple chain loop. Its lines were smooth, with a rustic sort of beauty.

"It's done. Do you like it?" Lynn gently placed the finished pendant in Hermione's open palm.

"Wow! It's amazing!" Hermione carefully cradled the pendant and examined it against the light coming through the window. Her little face overflowed with pure joy. "Lynn, you're so good with your hands! It's prettier than some of the jewelry in my mum's shop window!" She eagerly slipped the pendant's copper-wire chain over her slender neck. The milky white stone hung just beneath her collarbone, its soft luster making her little face seem even more lively.

"I'm glad you like it." Seeing Hermione so happy filled Lynn with satisfaction as well. He picked up the dark blue stone Hermione had given him and, following the same method, wrapped it in copper wire to make a simpler charm, then hung it around his own neck. The cool stone rested against his skin, seeming to take on a trace of warmth.

"Look! We both have 'talismans' now!" Hermione pointed at the stones on her chest and Lynn's, her eyes curving into crescents as she smiled. "Mine is called Moon White Stone, and yours can be... Star Stone! How about it?" She was delighted with her own naming.

"Alright, Star Stone it is." Lynn smiled in agreement. He took out the dark blue Starry Book and placed it on the table between them. "Hermione, today I want to try... looking at this book together, alright? Using that 'feeling' we found before." He pointed at his fingertips, then looked at Hermione.

Hermione immediately sat upright, her little face full of solemn expectation as she nodded hard. "Mm! Together!"

Lynn took a deep breath and slowly opened the book. This time, he did not touch the complicated symbols. Instead, he fixed his gaze on a relatively simple pattern made up of several dots and wavy lines. He focused his mind, summoned the "Little Spark" inside him, and carefully guided out a thread of warmth slightly stronger than what he had shown Hermione last time. It gathered at his fingertips as he used his thoughts to "trace" and "feel" the rhythm of the symbols.

Bzz...

The familiar, distinct vibration came from the page beneath his fingertips once more. Along the edges of the pattern's lines, an extremely faint silver gleam lit up, then vanished in an instant. The "Little Spark" within him gave off a faint sense of depletion.

"I felt it!" Hermione cried softly beside him, her voice trembling with suppressed excitement. "The air... the air is trembling again, like before water boils! Right there, by the page! It's a little clearer than last time!" She tried her best to describe what she sensed.

"Very good, Hermione. Your senses are very sharp." Lynn encouraged her, inwardly astonished by her perceptiveness. "Now, try to do what I did before. Focus your mind and imagine that you have that 'warm Little Spark' inside you too. Imagine it flowing down your arm and into your fingertips..."

Hermione immediately shut her eyes. Her little face tightened, and even her brows had furrowed into tiny knots as she desperately concentrated. Lynn did not disturb her. He merely maintained the faint current of warmth at his fingertips, keeping the weak vibrations and glow of the page's symbols going to provide Hermione with a "marker" to sense.

Second by second, time passed. Lynn kept up the guidance, and the mental concentration brought a fine sheen of sweat to his forehead. Hermione's little face had turned slightly red from effort, her long lashes trembling constantly. She could feel the increasingly clear "trembling" coming from the page, as well as the strange "warmth" radiating from Lynn's fingertips, but inside her own body... it still seemed empty. She could not find that so-called "Little Spark."

Just as Hermione was beginning to feel discouraged and Lynn was preparing to stop guiding the energy—

Hermione's little hand on the table, her fingers unconsciously curled from concentrating too hard, happened to brush against Lynn's fingertips, which were guiding energy into the page!

Bzz—!

It was as though a spark had fallen into a barrel of oil!

A surge of energy far more intense than anything Lynn had produced on his own suddenly erupted from where their fingertips touched!

The "Little Spark" inside Lynn flared like a fuse ignited in an instant, and an uncontrollable torrent of warmth rushed down his arm toward his fingertips! The symbols on the page, which had only been glowing faintly, suddenly burst with silver light! It was no longer a dim glimmer, but a tangible radiance like flowing mercury that instantly filled every line of the symbols! An invisible, gentle force violently spread outward from the page!

"Ah!" Hermione gave a startled cry at the sudden light and force. Her body involuntarily tipped backward, and she nearly fell out of her chair!

Lynn reacted quickly. His left hand shot out from beneath the table, catching Hermione around the back and holding her steady. At the same time, his right fingertips tensed as he forcibly cut off the energy connection to the symbols on the page. Shock flooded his heart. It had gone out of control! Hermione's accidental touch had instantly sent his energy output into a frenzy!

The dazzling silver light on the page receded like a tide and vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving behind only the now-calm symbol as though everything that had just happened had been an illusion. The library remained quiet. It seemed no one else had noticed the brief anomaly in their corner.

"L-Lynn?" Hermione leaned against Lynn's arm, still shaken. Her big eyes were full of shock and confusion. "That... that light was so bright! And... it felt like someone pushed me?"

Lynn's heart was still racing. He quickly withdrew the hand supporting Hermione and closed the Starry Book. His face had gone a little pale, half from the sudden energy drain and half from lingering fear. He had been too careless! He had never expected Hermione's touch to trigger such a violent reaction! The "Little Spark" within him was noticeably dimmer now, sending out a strong signal of exhaustion.

"N-Nothing's wrong, Hermione." He forced himself to remain calm, though his voice was still a little unsteady. "I... I didn't control it properly. The energy output was too strong. I scared you. I'm sorry." He chose to tell only part of the truth, concealing the fact that Hermione's touch had caused the loss of control.

Hermione patted her little chest and tried to steady her breathing, but her eyes shone brilliantly. Rather than being afraid, she was filled with overwhelming curiosity and the urge to explore. "Oh my goodness, Lynn! You just... you made that symbol shine so brightly! Like... like a real star! Is this... is this what that power really looks like?" The admiration and wonder in her gaze nearly overflowed.

Looking at the pure light in Hermione's eyes, untouched by fear and instead full of yearning, Lynn's lingering dread was gradually replaced by a strange warmth. He nodded, his tone solemn. "Yes, it is... but that also means it's dangerous. It needs to be controlled very, very carefully. I nearly hurt you just now." He looked seriously at Hermione. "So promise me that until we learn to control it completely, you won't try it lightly, alright? Especially don't touch me when I'm guiding energy."

Hermione saw the seriousness and concern in Lynn's eyes and felt his care for her. She nodded hard, her little hand unconsciously touching the Moon White Stone pendant at her chest as though drawing strength from it. "Mm! I promise, Lynn! I'll be careful! But..." Her big eyes darted around, carrying a trace of mischief and expectation. "The next time you guide it, can I... can I carefully 'feel' it from nearby? Just feel it, without touching you! I want to remember what that 'trembling' feels like!"

Seeing how cautious yet eager she was, Lynn smiled helplessly and indulgently. "Alright, next time you can 'feel' it from beside me. But we need to find somewhere safer..." He looked around the library. The loss of control had been brief, but the risk had been too great.

"I know a place!" Hermione immediately grew excited, her little face lighting up. "There's a tiny, tiny abandoned Tool Shed behind my house! No one ever goes there! We can turn it into our Secret Base! It'll be much safer than the library!"

A Secret Base? Lynn looked at Hermione's excited expression, then touched the cool Star Stone against his chest. Perhaps it was time to move their base. For safety, and to protect the bond that had grown ever more precious beneath starlight and secrets.