Bab 394: [76.3] The Painful Truth of Mortality
After returning home, Lovi hopped off the ice chunk and ran inside. Koale noticed her run and decided to do the same.
I let out a tired sigh and stepped off, walking into the courtyard where Asmonious and Rose were already waiting. Asmonious was holding Lene who was now much too big to be held, but knowing her she probably demanded it.
Lovi stomped in front of him, "Big brother. Tell me the truth. Do I look old?"
He blinked back at her silently, "Uhhh. What?"
Lene rubbed her eyes and got down, "Lovi is the same age as Lene. She's not old."
Lovi's face turned red, "Then how come I look older than you!? How come I'm aging but you're not!?!"
Lene looked confused, "Lene doesn't understand. Lovi and Lene are demons."
Lovi's tears started rushing down her face, "No! You're a demon!!! I'm just a dumb human!!!"
Lovi burst into tears and ran off crying. Asmonious was frozen when he noticed her crying, completely speechless.
Koale looked around at our expressions curiously, "Why did she get sad?"
Lene furrowed her brow, "Was it Lene's fault?"
"It wasn't your fault, Lene." I handed the twins to Asmonious, "Take care of their diapers and get them into pajamas. I'm going to go talk to Lovi."
As I walked away, Koale took out his new tattoo kit and looked at Rose with a bright grin, "Can I practice tattooing on you?"
She shrugged, "Okay."
I went over to Lovi's room and lightly tapped on her door, "Lovi. It's me. Can I come in?"
I heard a few sniffles in approval and went inside. I rarely went into her room, but seeing it covered in curse paraphernalia, I frowned in disapproval.
Why is it always so dark and spooky in here?
I don't understand why she likes it so much.
I pushed away this thought and sat at the foot of her bed, "Do you want to talk about it?"
She sat up, her face red and puffy, "Why can't I be a demon like my mother? Koale didn't take after my father! Why did I have to!?!"
"Never search for answers in a sea of questions." I let out a sigh and used my sleeve to wipe away her tears, "I can't tell you why these things happen, but where I am from, everyone thinks these things happen for a reason. It's fate."
"T-That's bullsh*t."
I laughed, "It is. As cliche as it is, the span of a human holds its own beauty. If you were immortal, life wouldn't be as precious. It would become boring and monotonous."
She rolled her eyes, "You're only saying that because you're an immortal fairy."
"I am not. I keep telling you I'm human."
"You haven't aged a bit since I've met you!"
"That's only because you can't see my face."
"And you can?"
"...."
No, but I have a feeling I have wrinkles by now.
Her eyes slowly lowered to the ground, "But… Bale is immortal. I don't want to leave him behind…."
My eyes widened slightly, "Lovi… Do you love him?"
She averted her gaze and puffed out her cheek, "..No. He just calls me his mate so I'd feel bad leaving him."
I found her shy expression cute and couldn't stop myself by squeezing her cheeks, "Just admit you like him."
She pushed me off while whining, "I-I don't!"
"Hmmm. Really?"
"...Maybe."
Cute!
She let out a somber sigh, "If only there was an immortal curse."
I flicked her forehead, "No more curses."
She grumbled, "...Yeah yeah."
As I stood up to leave, she quickly grabbed my arm, "Master… Could you tell me a story?"
"What kind?"
"I don't know…"
"Then…" I thought for a moment before smiling, "How about the story of the Guardian Panther who protects a very important village against intruders?"
Seeing her nod, I started my story about the Bale of the future.
I kept talking until I ran out of things to say. When I glanced down at Lovi and found she was fast asleep, I smiled softly and bent down to kiss her forehead. I pulled her blankets over her and whispered, "You'll always be my precious disciple no matter how old you get."
As I quietly closed her door behind me, I didn't notice the relieved smile that crossed her hidden face.
I went back to the exhausted Asmonious and grabbed the twins who were ready for bed. I said my goodnights to everyone before bringing the twins into my room and placing them into the crib.
Zephyr wailed, grabbing my arm and refusing to let go.
Astra cried with him, "Momma! Momma!"
I let out an exhausted sigh, "You two need to learn to sleep alone."
They continued to cry until I picked them back up and sat down in my rocking chair.
I kissed the tops of their heads, "Starting tomorrow."
I closed my eyes and found myself drifting off to sleep with them.
But after a while….
I found myself standing in front of a lake.
I already knew who was behind me without even checking.
I turned my head with a smile, "Cyrus."
He smiled softly at me from the steps of the gazebo.
He walked over and naturally placed a kiss on my forehead. Then he rubbed the cheeks of the twins to greet them, "They are getting so big."
"Aaaa!" Zephyr buried his head into me and shyly looked back at Cyrus as if unsure of him.
Astra laughed and held her hands out to him, "Dadda!"
He reached out to play with her outstretched hand, "How are they doing?"
"They seem to be in good health. Astra talks nonstop, but can barely walk. Zephyr is always running around naked and he still hasn't spoken a single word. I'm getting worried. Shouldn't they already be talking and walking? What can I do?"
Cyrus hummed, "I don't think Zephyr would speak to me seeing how shy he is acting right now, but let me see if I can help Astra."
I placed Astra and Zephyr down on the ground. Zephyr ran behind me to hide while staring timidly at Cyrus. Cyrus knelt and held out his arms to Astra. With the gentlest smile, he called to her, "Come, Astra. Come to Daddy."
Her eyes lit up and she started to crawl to him.
However, when she crawled, he moved back. Horrified, her mouth opened in shock and she looked back at me for answers. Zephyr giggled mischievously as he clung to my skirt.
I smiled back at her, "You'll have to walk if you want your Father to hold you."
She turned back to Cyrus, her eyes burning with determination. She forced her body to stand, her legs shaking from the effort. She took a step.
Cyrus smiled, "That's it. Keep going!"
She took another step.
I clapped to cheer her on, "You're doing great!"
Her face swelled with pride and she took another step…
However, her weak legs couldn't sustain her any longer and she fell onto her face. She started sobbing hysterically and cried out, "MOMMA! MOMMA!"
I rushed over to her and picked her up, "It's fine, it's fine. Just a little bump."
I kissed away the red bump and eventually her wails died down. She hiccuped, still holding onto me while crying.
Cyrus came over and rubbed her head, "You did very good, so don't cry. It's normal to get hurt when you train. That's how you get strong."
I laughed at this, "Are you trying to train her to be a swordmaster like you?"
He thought about this, "It's not a bad idea… I always dreamed of one day practicing swordsmanship with my children."
My face turned red and I looked away, "Well… That sounds like a good dream."
He chuckled at my reaction and then looked down at Zephyr who was still staring at him cautiously.
He tilted his head with a smirk, "I never thought he would be the shy type."
Seeing Cyrus pay attention to him, he quickly pattered over to me and hid behind me.
I reached down to rub his head, "Zephyr. Where's your spunk? Show him how mischievous you are."
Zephyr hid further behind me.
I gave a shrug and looked at Cyrus, "Were you able to find Astra and ask her how we could meet like this?"
He nodded, "I found her. She's currently staying with one of your students. Did you know that?"
"I had no idea…" I paused, "Wait. Which one?"
He gave a helpless smile, "A boy that's… Quite the character."
My eyes narrowed, "Billy."
Astra looked over at Cyrus curiously. He reached out to rub her cheek, "She said that she didn't remember a lot from the dreams, only that you dreamed about me. That's why she recognized me immediately and even though she didn't know what you looked like, she knew you were the same person."
My cheeks flushed, "Awww she remembered us."
But why hadn't Zephyr?
I looked down at him but he was staring off into space with a blank look.
"..."
Right.
He's easily distracted.
Then what about the rest of the children? Although I may not have had a face or name, was I really that forgettable to them?
Ah. Wait. I remember now.
Lene also remembered me in her own quirky way.
That only leaves the oldest: Rose, Atta, and Asmonious.
Recalling their fates, I felt a dark feeling settling in my chest.
No.
I can't get discouraged.
I can still change their futures.
There's still hope.
"Did she say how she made the dreams happen?"
He shook his head, "When I gave her an explanation about what was happening between the two of us, she looked confused. She kept asking me if it really was the same thing because she didn't ever remember a dream with Zephyr."
I felt a bit disappointed, "So she didn't know how it was possible or how it happened?"
He shook his head, "She didn't. She thought they were only dreams. Not reality."
Cyrus suddenly recalled something, "Oh!!! Astra said it was important to tell you that Lovi-"
The dream suddenly cut out and I felt myself getting thrown backward into my rocking chair.
I woke up with a gasp and quickly looked down to see Zephyr cuddling me while chewing on my sleeve and Astra fast asleep.
I let out a silent groan.
What was he going to say about Lovi?
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
Nekoru
Nekoru Many people think immortality is a curse, but it can be just as bad to be the only mortal, watching as you age but no one else does.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone