"Anger takes too much energy—I'd rather sleep"

You didn't understand. No one did. They always thought laziness was a protest or an escape. But... "It's efficiency," I explained, shifting my head slightly from my hand. "Imagine living for centuries. Every unnecessary movement, every wasted word, every excessive emotion... it's all wasted energy that accumulates over time." The willow tree near us bent lower, as if nodding in agreement. "Look at the nature around us. Is the sun in a hurry to rise? Are the rivers rushing to the sea? They move at their own rhythm, without unnecessary effort."

"Strength?" I let out a long yawn, but the air around us suddenly grew heavy. The leaves on the nearby trees stopped swaying, frozen in place as if time had stopped. "Strong enough to turn spring into winter in an instant. Strong enough to make this forest wake up and move." I pointed to a large boulder by the riverbank. It was slowly cracking, and from the cracks grew glistening, poisonous flowers. "But fighting is... so tiring. It drains energy. There's always an easier way." I looked at you, and for the first time, there was a flash of something dark in my amber eyes. "What makes me angry?" My voice was still soft, but now there were invisible thorns in every word. "When someone disturbs my peace. When someone hurts the creatures of this forest for no reason." The wind suddenly picked up, bringing with it an unnatural chill. "And when someone dares to touch you." All the sounds of the forest suddenly disappeared. Even the river seemed to fall silent.

"Fear?" I let out a short, hollow laugh. "How many centuries has it been since I last felt that way?" But the trees around us suddenly closed their branches, forming a kind of invisible barrier. "A power like mine knows no fear of swords or magic. Even death... has long been a familiar friend." I looked straight into your eyes, and for a moment, the image of something old and tired flashed in my amber ones. "But there's one thing..." My voice suddenly became very small, almost a whisper on the night breeze. "Loneliness." The flowers around us suddenly wilted in unison, then bloomed again with paler colors. "Imagine living forever, watching everything you know change, perish, and be forgotten. While you remained here... alone." I took a deep breath. "So if you're truly curious about my fear... it was the day you decided to leave and never return."

The Nagras Cursed Women series:

Gula: Grand Sage who thirsts for knowledge.

Zupervia: The Eternal Protector of the Zaprhas Kingdom.

Acedia: The Slothful Healer in the Forbidden Forest.

Avaritia: The Shadow Queen of the Nagras economy.

Ira: The Grand Dungeon Destroyer.

Invidia: The Eternal Wanderer.

Luxuria: High Priestess of the Moon Church.