Daevas -I- ✔️

Chapter 6.1: Erroneous

"This is the lion's den of blood demons," Freir mumbled.

"It will be okay," Ari said.

"Ari, do you know what you are doing right now?"

"Finding answers."

"Time is not on our side. You know this, so why?" Freir frowned, pinching the bridge of his nose, and said, "We have no option but to now. He will not just let you go."

Freir spat on the ground and glared at the castle before them. "Do not trust a word that he says, Ari."

"I know."

Ari's gaze shifted to Rein, witnessing him deliberately turning his head away from Inge as the latter continued to speak with excitement. A sense of responsibility weighed on Ari's mind – he felt compelled to intervene somehow. Their strained relationship was a result of his actions, and the growing distance between them was a cause for concern. Ari believed they needed unity, not further division, and he could not help but feel like the wedge driving them apart.

"Do not worry about it. He will come back to me," Freir mumbled under his breath.

Inge seized Rein's wrist, shaking it with a smile, and exchanged unheard words. Rein succumbed to Inge's persuasion, following him and the others inside. Ari, perplexed by Rein's sudden compliance, turned his attention back to Freir, seeking an explanation. However, Freir's expression remained inscrutable.

"What makes you so sure of that?" Ari asked.

"Because he loves me," Freir asserted, but the lack of conviction in his tone hinted at his own uncertainties. The words seemed more like an attempt to reassure himself, causing a discomfort in Ari's stomach. He had to do something.

As they entered, Ari instinctively pressed close to Freir, navigating through the unfamiliar faces that greeted them by the door. Amid the greetings, a woman's voice emerged, addressing Cyrus in a familiar yet unexpected manner.

"Cyrus, you look gorgeous, as always!" she exclaimed, planting a kiss on his cheek. "But you are pale. Had he taken that much from you?"

"I will be fine," Cyrus responded nonchalantly.

"Come, let me kiss your lips."

"I'd rather not," he retorted, pushing her away with one hand as she persisted.

"Why are you like this to me?" she whined, catching Ari off guard with the unexpected reaction.

The woman, small and thin, possessed long, black blades of hair and golden skin akin to Auovin's, though darker. Her round almond eyes glistened as she spoke, and her full lips curved into a warm smile.

Cyrus bluntly replied, "Because I do not like you," maintaining a distance by holding her at arm's length. It became evident that Cyrus had a general dislike for people, as Auovin had mentioned.

Shifting his focus, Ari observed Auovin engaged in conversation with an unfamiliar, towering man. The man's eyes, as dark as the night sky, and a formidable physique surpassed even Cyrus's imposing presence. Ari was momentarily captivated as the man ran a hand through his black hair, their eyes meeting briefly before the man averted his gaze, seemingly disinterested. Ari felt a sense of relief at the diversion of attention.

"And the other two?" the man inquired, his gaze directed at Auovin.

"His... friends," Auovin replied.

"Auovin––"

"Everything is quite new to him. I must keep some familiarity around him."

"You know the rules."