Ari

Chapter 97: I'm Scared

It was an extremely eventful day so I decided to sleep with Tora, but I suddenly woke up in the middle of the night and felt as if no one was around. I was still sleepy trying to feel if she was still beside me, but I couldn't feel her presence.

I opened my eyes and saw that Tora's side was empty. The clock struck 12 on the wall of my room and I couldn't find Tora. I was worried and decided to look for her despite the silence of the corridor.

The light of the crystals surrounding the palace was dim since it was nighttime. Only those crystals that were near me lit up brightly due to the power of the sun.

"Tora..," I mumbled, trying to lower my voice so as to not disturb the others.

My room was located in between the room of the males and Tora's room. The males didn't want to use separate rooms because it was a custom for traveling beastmen, but they encouraged me and Tora to have our own rooms so that we can have our privacy.

I looked at Tora's room and saw that it was empty.

"Where could she be at this time of night?" I mumbled.

I walked along the hallway and saw two figures flinching upon seeing the flashing lights of the crystals on the corridor.

"Brother? Tora?" I mumbled, rubbing my eyes trying to clear my sight.

"A-Ari?! Goodness! You scared me! I thought it's an undead," she screamed while tapping her chest and catching her breath.

"Why aren't you asleep yet?" my brother asked.

I leaned on the wall and closed my eyes, then yawned before answering, "I thought Tora was kidnapped. I didn't know the kidnapper was my brother."

"Haha! What are you saying Ari? Did you have a nightmare again?" my brother laughed.

He walked near me and rubbed my head.

"Are you alright, Ari?" Tora asked.

"Not really. When do you plan to marry?" I asked bluntly.

"What?! W-What are you talking about? U-Us? M-Marry?" Tora stammered.

I couldn't see their reactions clearly because my eyes were still sore and tired from crying.

I nodded while briefly closing my eyes as I slid down the wall to sit on the bare floor, almost falling asleep due to exhaustion. My brother lifted me in his arms and felt Tora's hand stroking my hair.

"I want to see you get married before we arrive in the North if you really like one another. I want to... See it... Be... cause... I'm scared..," I mumbled before suddenly dozing off.

************************************

The next morning, I woke up on my bed and saw everyone was in my room. Tora was lying beside me, hugging me tightly, my brother was sitting on the bed beside me, Macan was sitting on the bed beside Tora, Dillon and Lowell were sitting on the edge of the bed while Dylan was standing by the door.

They all looked gloomy and I was baffled.

"Why is everyone here?" I asked.

My brother looked worried and asked, "Do you remember what you said last night?"

"Hmm..? Did I say something wrong?" I asked.

He sighed and asked, "Yes! You did... You really don't remember what you said?"

"Hmm... Is it about your marriage?" I asked.

"No! Not that... The one you said after that," he replied.

Macan was silent, but his eyes were red and swollen. He evaded his eyes and didn't utter a word.

"Right. She also said something similar yesterday. She said she's not sure if she'll be able to come back," Dillon added, clenching his first while looking away.

"Ari... Please... J-Just give up this m-mission and just l-live like a normal b-beastman like us. I'll give you everything you need, I'll find a way to hide you from those Immortals," Lowell stammered, trembling while crying.

"She can't... There's no place in this world where she can hide from her responsibility," Dylan mumbled with a distressed and hurt look on his face.

"You! What kind of male would let his partner suffer such torture?!" Dillon roared furiously as he transformed to his aggressive form to attack Dylan.

Dylan casted a shield without even batting his eyes, causing Dillon to bounce back and accidentally hit his back on the table, breaking the table into pieces.

"Enough! It's my fault! Please! Stop! It was my choice in the first place. I just want to spend more time with everyone, even if it's just for a little while," I cried as I sprung up from the bed, pulling away from Tora.

Tora also sat down, then stroked my back and said, "No... None of this was your fault. It's normal to be afraid of something uncertain."

Tora's words reminded me of what Tory usually says every time I chicken out on any major task on my hand.

"Tora..." I mumbled and cried, trembling while looking at her like a frightened child.

She hugged me silently and so did my brother and Macan.

"Hic! Sorry..." I mumbled.

"Hush... You don't need to say sorry," Tora whispered.

"We'll do everything you wish. If you want to see me marry Tora; I'll do it. We'll also stay beside you until we reach the North and we'll wait for your return no matter how long it will take," my brother said.

"I'm sure there's a reason why Tory and I were reborn in this place. We'll do our best to help you through this," Macan said.

"Thanks... I will do my best to return safely," I said, grinning despite the tears falling from my eyes.

"My dear... I have already prepared everything you asked for. The time distortion was lifted while you were sleeping, we need to wait for the full moon to open the portal to the North so we still have time to spare," Dylan said with a worried look on his face.

Macan, my brother and Tora loosened their grip and let go of me as I wiped my tears and crawled away towards Dillon's direction.

"Thanks... How much time more before the next full moon?" I asked while crawling out of bed.

"At least a week," Lowell responded while supporting me as I got out of the bed.

"I see... Dillon... Are you alright? Let me see... Did you get a splinter?" I asked as I bent down to check Dillon's condition.

He didn't look like he was in pain though he remained silent after he hit his back on the table. I stroked his back and healed his wound. It wasn't that serious, so it didn't consume too much of my energy.

He suddenly hugged me and said, "Let's get married, Ari. I don't want to wait any longer."

"Okay... Let's do that..," I answered instantly.