Ari

Chapter 100: Wedding

"Ahri? Tora? Are you both ready? They were all in the prayer hall," Macan asked as he knocked on the door.

"Yes! We just finished dressing up," I answered as I opened the door using my power.

He looked stunned to see the two of us wearing dresses.

"Wow. Those kinds of dresses were expensive back in our previous lives. I couldn't even afford one for Tory with just my salary for a month," he mumbled.

"Haha! You purchased without considering that your sister's birthday was approaching. How could you afford one if you still need to pay the remaining mortgage for the house you previously bought?" I said while laughing, remembering what he said a few days ago.

"Right. That was a foolish move. I haven't even had the chance to give it to the recipients," I regretfully murmured.

"Hmm? What were you talking about?" Tora asked.

I explained everything to Tora since he forgot the details. She laughed at her brother, and he ended up being embarrassed, though his eyes looked sad while looking at his sister.

"Let's go! We can't let everyone wait for us longer," I said, trying to distract Macan.

He held our hands and led us to a door across the dining hall. Dylan's people opened it before us, lowering their heads and greeting us for a joyous day. My brother greeted us as he extended his hand before me to lead me inside while glancing at his bride, blushing with a subtle smile.

I held and pinched his hand, then whispered, "Can't even praise her beauty? Such a disappointment, my dear brother."

"N-No. It's just that not a single word could describe Tora's beauty—it's on par with the goddesses," he responded with a bright smile.

Tora looked flushed and couldn't utter a word while looking away with embarrassment. I was stunned to see my brother smile brightly for the first time.

"I'm relieved. I felt like I made the right choice," I whispered.

My brother looked at me with confusion—as if he heard me whispering but did not understand what I just said. "Sorry, my dear sister. What did you say?" he asked.

"Nothing," I replied, smiling while lightly shaking my head in reassurance, then nagged, "I think you should smile more instead of always being aggressive," pulling my brother lightly.

"What? Am I like that?" he asked embarrassedly.

"Yeah! It's the first time I saw that smile. I'm so happy." I grinned, smiling sincerely at him.

My brother looked flustered, making me giggle as I pulled him toward the center of the hall where the others were waiting for us. The tribespeople watched at a distance as they looked at us in awe. My brother stroked my hair and patted my head before handing my hand to Dillon as he extended his hand to Tora. Macan kissed Tora's forehead before handing over her hand to my brother. A drop of tears slid down from her eyes as she smiled brightly.

She looked at me and grinned sweetly as my brother took her hand. He whispered to Tora softly, making her chuckle with her eyes brightly shining as they moved to their designated position.

"Are you alright?" Dillon whispered.

I nodded and answered, "Yes, I'm just happy."

Lowell held my shoulder gently, wrapped his other hand around my waist, leaning his head lightly on mine as he stood behind me and whispered, "We'll make you even happier."

Dylan suddenly approached, took my hand, and led me in front of my brother and Tora while the others stood to the side. It was my first time to witness a wedding, but I have to officiate it since I have the highest authority as a goddess.

I stuttered while trembling at most of my words despite memorizing my lines. Tora chuckled, trying to hold back her laughter, and my brother slightly smiled as he looked downward, trying not to make me feel embarrassed. I looked to the side and saw Gurion at a distance, grinning sweetly at me as he held his mother's hand. I smiled back and continued with the embarrassing act.

Lastly, I had to bless them using my power after Dylan.

"May the blessing of the light protect the union of my most beloved people. Let your bright smiles never fade like the mighty sun in the morning, the calming subtle light of the moon, and the playful twinkling of the stars at night," I mumbled as I cast my blessings for them.

A glimmering light showered the couple as I released my power before them. Everyone was astonished at the sight as they kneeled, murmuring their praise.

After the ceremony, Tora hugged me, crying, "Thank you, Ari. I'm so happy."

"Yeah! I must have looked like an idiot stuttering my words in front of everyone," I mumbled, flushed in embarrassment.

"No! You did well!" she said, hugging me tightly.

"It's a relief, then," I mumbled, hugging her back.

The next ceremony was my wedding, but our wedding was different from Tora's wedding. There was no officiant because I and Dylan are Immortals. Our status is above anyone attending the ceremony. The only one who could bless us was my mother, the queen of Nirvana.

Kneeling at the altar, I prayed to the Queen Mother for her blessing as I clasped and raised my hands towards the ceiling with my eyes tightly shut, uttering words of praise taught to me by Dylan. The four males knelt behind me with their heads lowered, trying their best to convey their sincerity by quietly following me using their natural language.

A warm light from above suddenly covered and enveloped me, followed by the gasping sound of the people surrounding me. Ignoring the commotion, I proceeded with the prayer as I uttered the last words, "Valeat voluntas tua." (May your will prevail.)

Upon opening my eyes, I saw a familiar figure subtly smiling at me with teary eyes and said, "Floreat in anima tua dignitas a Patre tuo." (May the prestige vested by the Father flourish within your soul.)

I faltered and muttered, "Mother..."

Everyone was kneeling, lowering their heads to the ground. I strangely felt a longing in my heart that I couldn't explain as my tears kept streaming down.

"Your father and I shall wait for your return," she said while briefly caressing my cheek with one hand and holding my hand with another before her body glimmered and vanished, leaving a ring on my hand.

"Hic! But Mother—" I cried and whimpered without moving from my position, looking blankly at the space where she disappeared.
I had a lot of questions on my mind that I needed answers to and a lot of things that I still didn't understand.