I Built a Divine Zoo in Another World

Lukas’s room was immersed in the soft dimness of dawn when the door opened with a low creak. The wood groaned, a sound Lukas knew well, the same creak from every morning since Judite had started appearing out of nowhere.

Light and hurried footsteps echoed across the wooden floor. Small bare feet striking the boards, tap, tap, tap, in a frantic, uncoordinated rhythm full of barely contained energy.

Before Lukas could fully open his eyes, a small, warm weight jumped onto his bed.

The mattress sank under the impact. The wooden springs creaked in protest. Tilbo, who had been sleeping curled up on his pillow, was launched a few centimeters into the air before falling back onto the wool, her antennae moving frantically.

"Lukas! Lukas! Wake up! Wake up!" Judite shouted, bouncing on the mattress as if it were a trampoline.

She jumped nonstop, her messy brown hair flying in every direction. Her face was flushed, her brown eyes shining with such intense excitement that they looked like little stars. She was wearing a wrinkled nightgown stained with jam from the previous day’s breakfast.

"Today is your birthday! You’re turning one! A whole year old!" She emphasized the words "one year" with an even higher jump, nearly reaching the wooden ceiling.

Lukas blinked, confused for a second. His mind was still caught between sleep and reality, in that liminal state where dreams still whispered and the real world had not yet fully taken shape.

"One year."

The words echoed in his mind.

"One year."

He sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes with his little hands. Tilbo, recovered from the scare, moved her antennae toward Judite in a gesture Lukas interpreted as, "you could have warned me."

Prata, on the small table beside the bed, slightly raised her front legs, as if she too were surprised by the morning commotion. Her multiple eyes reflected the faint light of the oil lamp.

"Judite... it’s still dark..." he murmured, his voice rough with sleep. The window was still gray, and the sun had not yet risen.

"The sun... hasn’t even come up yet..."

"That doesn’t matter!" she insisted, grabbing his arm with both hands and pulling with all her strength.

"It’s your birthday! Mom and Dad are already awake! Come on! Come on!"

She did not wait for an answer. She pulled so hard that Lukas almost fell out of bed. If not for his extraordinary strength, he certainly would have tumbled onto the floor.

He laughed quietly.

"She’s more excited than I am."

He sat on the edge of the bed, his bare feet touching the cold wooden floor. He rested his hands on his knees, tilted his head back, and let reality settle in.

"One year."

"A full year in this world."

It felt like such a short time, yet also an eternity since he had awakened as a baby in Aurora’s arms, with her white hair falling over his face and her violet eyes shining with tears of happiness.

Judite could not stay still.

She ran to the window, jumped to reach the curtain cord, and with a dramatic pull, yanked the curtains right off the rod.

Fabric and rope fell to the floor with a muffled sound.

"...Oops." Judite said, looking at the damage.

"I didn’t mean to..."

"We’ll fix it later." Lukas replied, laughing.

The gray light of dawn flooded the room, still faint, but enough to illuminate their faces.

Judite turned around, her eyes shining, and ran back to the bed. She jumped on Lukas, literally on top of him, and hugged him tightly, her little arms squeezing his neck with an intensity that would have made any normal baby cry.

"Happy birthday, little brother!" she exclaimed, her voice muffled against his shoulder.

"You’re the best brother in the world! Even if you like spiders and giant ants!"

Lukas returned the hug, laughing.

"Thank you, Judite. You’re the best sister too."

"The only sister."

"The best only sister."

Judite squeezed him even tighter.

The door opened again.

Aurora entered, still wearing her nightgown, a long white linen dress, wrinkled and marked from the pillow, but with a radiant smile that lit up the entire room more than any sun ever could.

Her white hair was loose, cascading over her shoulders like a waterfall. Some strands were caught beneath the strap of her nightgown, while others fell across her face. She did not seem to care.

She approached the bed and wrapped both children in a tight embrace, pulling them against her chest. Lukas felt the warmth of his mother’s body, the scent of lavender and milk, and the rapid beating of her heart.

She kissed Lukas’s forehead several times. Forehead, left cheek, right cheek, forehead again, nose, chin.

"Happy birthday, my love." she whispered, her voice full of emotion.

"One year. My little genius is already one year old... Time passed so quickly. It feels like only yesterday that I held you in my arms for the first time..."

Lukas felt the warmth of his mother’s embrace and closed his eyes for a moment. He returned the hug, burying his face against her chest.

"Thank you, Mom."

Clavor appeared at the doorway.

He looked tall and imposing even without armor, wearing a simple gray linen tunic, dark leather pants, and boots tied at the ankles. His brown hair was combed back, still damp, as if he had washed his face only minutes earlier.

His normally serious face, the face of a warrior marked by a scar on his cheek and early wrinkles around his eyes, softened when he saw the scene.

He approached, placed his large, calloused hand on Lukas’s head, and affectionately ruffled his white hair.

"Happy birthday, son." he said, his voice deep but warm.

"May this year bring strength and wisdom."

Lukas looked at his father and smiled.

"Thank you, Dad."

...

Breakfast was lively.

In the main hall, Helga had prepared a special table, not the usual one where they ate every day, but the large dining table, covered with a white embroidered tablecloth reserved for special occasions. It was decorated with flowers from the inner garden.

There were warm loaves of bread with herb butter, the scent of rosemary and thyme filling the air. Soft cheeses, one creamy white, another yellow and firm, a third blue and strong. Fresh fruits, red apples, yellow pears, and the small tart fruits called Lirium, which Lukas had already come to love.

Creamy scrambled eggs with a light smoky flavor that Lukas still had not managed to identify. Helga claimed it was a "family secret."

And Lirium juice for Lukas, two full glasses, just the way he liked it.