Ace :
Confusion gnawed at me as I lingered near Shira's home. When I arrived with the food ingredients, she was writhing in pain, and now, she lay asleep. No female I knew endured such agony during their estrus cycle. It was perplexing, and the mysteries surrounding Shira deepened when she spoke about her "world" after waking up.
She had claimed that she regained some memories of her life and had revealed that her home was far away when we last talked. But now, a different world, she said. It was a revelation that caught me off guard. Sure, Shira was peculiar, but to fathom an existence beyond our own realm was challenging.
Stories of beings from different worlds were common but were dismissed as myths in the beastworld. I wrestled with the idea that such a captivating world might exist. Were family bonds truly as tight as she described there? I had good parents, yet I adhered to the rules of the beastworld, leaving them once I received my name. The notion of staying with one's family beyond the age of teenager, going on trips with them, enjoying and loving them so strongly, was unfamiliar territory for me.
Allmer :
Silence draped the room as Shira succumbed to sleep once again. I sat in quiet contemplation, mulling over the revelations she had shared about her desire to return to her world. Initially, I assumed it was due to the foreignness of the beastworld, but the truth cut deeper—her longing was for the bonds of family, something I had never known.
My own origin story was one of abandonment. Born without parents, my father's suicide and my mother's subsequent death marked the beginning of my solitary existence. Ancestral memories granted me a glimpse of how beings loved, but what Shira described was beyond that. Snake children, like myself, were often abandoned early due to our retention of forefathers' memories. I yearned for familial warmth, occasionally envious of the way mothers cared for their cubs or families shared joy. However, Shira's depiction of family love was a revelation, sparking a profound sense of longing within me.
My envy simmered as I recognized the stark contrast between the familial love Shira spoke of and the harsh reality of my existence. In my world, it was a natural instinct for males to love their females profoundly, often going to great lengths for them. Yet, the reciprocity was minimal, with females viewing males as somewhat disposable. Shira, on the other hand, spoke of her parents' unconditional love, even extending to her sibling. I on the other hand had killed mine for food.
A pang of sadness gripped me as I realized the stark dichotomy between Shira's world and mine. She painted a picture of a life I had never known, and the profound yearning to experience such familial love echoed in my soul. I allowed myself a fleeting moment of hope—perhaps, someday, Shira would reciprocate my feelings with the same intensity. But, in the depths of my heart, I hesitated to embrace that hope, wary of potential disappointment.
Even as I grappled with my own emotions and the stark differences between our worlds, one thing was clear—I wanted Shira to find a way back to her world. Even if I couldn't grasp the kind of life she longed for, I had no reason to deny her the opportunity to reclaim it. As emotions surged within me, I vowed to support her in whatever choice she made, even if it meant facing the painful reality of losing her to another world.
Shira :
Several days drifted by in a blur, each marked by its own challenges and emotions. Ace, in a display of kindness, crafted a delicious potato dish for me. The savory taste was a welcome break from the monotonous fruit-based diet I had been on for weeks. I'll have to start cooking regularly now. The fruit diet was harming my taste buds.
In the following days, exhaustion tethered me to a state of constant sleeping, a respite from both physical pain and the emotional whirlwind I had unleashed upon Allmer and Ace. My feelings laid bare, aching from the homesickness that clung to me like a persistent shadow.
As the sun rose on another morning, a newfound determination stirred within me. I approached Allmer, my voice carrying a resolute edge, "Teach me how to use the power in your mark. I need to learn to protect myself." Crying before them, baring my vulnerability, had a profound effect—it steeled my resolve to return to my world. If I had any chance of surviving the challenges that lay ahead, I needed to strengthen myself against the dangers of this unfamiliar realm.
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