Ari

Chapter 62: Jael's Abode

The village chief was baffled upon seeing my appearance.

"A familiar collar... An ancient race... A white winged lion... A guardian mark... A female?" He mumbled in shock.

His confidante asked for my collar while Jael was still mumbling.

I was shocked and was nervous because my ovulation is near and it would be a disaster for me and the village if all the males suddenly ran on a rampage.

"Would it be alright to let her keep the collar on?" My brother asked upon seeing me tremble in nervousness.

"Isn't that the collar you traded with us? Is she the ancient race female you were talking about before?" Jael asked curiously.

"Yes, she is. Please let her keep the collar. She is sensitive to the scent of stranger males and the collar helps her normalize her senses." Lowell answered.

"Hmm... That's new... I didn't know it had an effect like that. I have a lot of questions. May I invite you all to my humble abode?" Jael mumbled.

"It will be our pleasure." Lowell responded.

Jael leads us to his meeting room. Their house is quite large compared to the usual house of an alpha of any tribe. It was also well kept despite the limited manpower they have. It also has an exquisite and delicate design that compliments the ambiance of the whole village. His priced collections were used as decoration in their meeting hall to showcase the visitors his personal possession of rare items.

He introduced us to his wife, Aja, and his daughter, Nyala. Both of them have dark brown hair and brown eyes. They have a remarkable resemblance. Nyala is 13 years old and she seemed to be loved by both of her parents.

According to Jael, his wife has ten more children from her other spouses—9 males and 1 female. However, Nyala is his only child. The two other spouses were out hunting or doing their respective tasks.

"I asked my subordinates to prepare a feast for us. It will be prepared in a while. Please have your seats and feel at ease." Jael said warmly.

Everyone was already sitting down quietly while I and Tora were having trouble with my big wings. I couldn't fit in the chair due to the shape of its back support. I had no other choice but to transform into my passive form in front of strangers.

"Wow! So she does have an ability like that. Do ancient race females have an ability like that?" Jael mumbled, fascinated by the sight.

"Oh my! I was wondering earlier why she has a guardian mark on her arm despite being a male. So she really is a female. How fascinating!" Aja added.

"Mom, she looks like the goddess!" Nyala mumbled, suddenly.

"Oh... You're right, Nyala. She does look like the goddess Hera if her hair wasn't short." Aja supported her daughter's comment.

I sat down, flustered without uttering a word due to embarrassment. I just tried to smile at them politely because I don't know how to respond to their praise.

"She did look like a goddess before she cut her hair." Dillon mumbled, blushing while looking at me like he was reminiscing a distant memory.

I became more embarrassed because of his statement. I wanted to pinch him but I felt nauseous with just a slight touch of the skin. I felt exasperated and hopeless.

"It is quite a good move to cut it... Since males will swarm on you non-stop if they know that you are a female." Aja said while smiling at me kindly.

"It is... Truthfully... By the way... We initially wanted to seek information about the gods and goddesses. Specifically the god named Sephtis and the twin goddesses named Ayla and Arie. Do you happen to know who they are?" Lowell asked politely while getting straight to the point.

"Right.... Is that your purpose for coming all the way here to our village? I did learn so much about the gods and goddesses from my ancestors, but the twin goddesses are quite a mystery. All I know was that they were children of the queen goddess and the first ruler of the Beastman. The goddesses Ayla, who possesses the power of the moon and Arie, who possesses the power of the sun. It was a widely known tale that they used to be the reason for calamities here in the beastman world. At least that was what others said." Jael responded honestly.

"What?! Why? How?" Dillon jolted upon hearing Jael's words.

"They were not totally at fault, it was because of their uncontrollable power that caused the chaos. There were rumors during the ancient times that whenever there was a blood moon or even every moon enfolding, calamities start to take place. It was because their powers were colliding with each other every time they unintentionally fuse with one another. It was quite a relief because there was no longer chaos taking place. At least for as long as I can remember. However, no one knows what happened to them exactly at the end. Some said that the goddess Arie died prematurely after the last moon enfolding along with the first ruler while the goddess Ayla was sent to the south for restriction. She was restricted due to the imbalance of powers in Nirvana that caused the world to almost collapse." Jael stated calmly.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. How could the twin suffer such an ill fate? However, what was their relationship towards Sephtis and why was I even being connected to them. Am I really the goddess Arie?

I wanted to ask, but I couldn't open my mouth due to the feeling of anxiety I am feeling just by hearing their tale. It was as if I was listening to a tale of my own life that I couldn't even remember. It was nostalgic and painful, yet unfamiliar at the same time. It was so confusing that I felt like I was about to cry, though I kept shaking off my tears because I don't want to look so embarrassing in front of others. I can't break down right now; not in front of the head of this village and his family.