An aged firefly beetle crawled forward along a shallow groove in the bar counter.
It was too old. It had long since lost the ability to recover by molting, and its entire body bore the marks time had left upon it. One side of its translucent wings was curled up, while the other was riddled with holes like those left by wind erosion, making it look thin and fragile.
Its massive abdomen was slowly dragged along by its three remaining legs. Large patches of white calcified matter were visible within its body cavity, and only a small area still gave off a faint glow.
Two slender fingers descended from above, deftly pinching the firefly beetle and placing it in a small puddle of spilled liquor. The insect eagerly extended its mouthparts and sucked it up with all its strength.
Then the glow blooming behind it brightened slightly.
"We couldn't afford magical candles in the tavern before, so we kept a small group of semi-wild firefly beetles." Colmar watched the booze-loving insect with faint melancholy and casually explained, "But only a few are left now... This one is the boldest. It dares come onto the tables to beg for liquor. The timid ones only hide in corners and drink a little dew."
Beyond the bar.
The guests of the Sakura Tavern stared at the insect, but their eyes were unfocused. The story the tavern owner had told earlier kept circling through their minds.
A little girl who had gotten lost, exactly like her—except one had been lost in the Mirror World, while the other had merely lost her way in the Silent Forest. Then a Big Rat that had lost its child found emotional comfort in the lost little girl, and the two lonely souls leaned against one another as they