Chapter 225: Run, Horse!

[Two days after Ari woke up.]

Ari has a headache. 

Misaki is crying. Misumi is watching her with calm eyes. Mogrok is rolling on the ground, sobbing. Little Ai is wailing along with Misaki. The worst part is that the Dark God is also lamenting in the corner. 

"Stop crying, all of you." Ari shakes them. "I am really back. I won't disappear or lose consciousness. Abyss is me. I am Abyss. Why are you still afraid?"

"I find it hard to believe." Adira places his head on her shoulder. He had seen her dying too many times. "You keep disappearing on me."

"You are still a kid!" Ari pushes him away, annoyed by his constant crying. "We have three kids. Isn't it time that you grow up a bit? I can't raise four children."

"You keep promising me that you won't leave me." Adira looks at her accusingly. "But you have left me so many times."

"I didn't have any choice." Ari defends herself. "Anyway, I may have to leave you again."

Adira scowls at her. "Again?"

Misaki ceases her cries. She holds Misumi's hand in anticipation. Little Ai raises his head to peer at Ari. 

"I am a forsaken goddess," Ari tells them slowly. It's true that she can control her effect on the mortals, but she still can't stay on Iravan for a long period of time. "I have to do my job."

"What is that job again?" Adira grimaces at her. "Is it more important than our children and me?"

"It is." Ari gives him a dark look. "While I am away, you must take care of the kids. I will return after I am done creating the world for the forsaken creatures and transfer them there."

"Take me with you!" Misaki whines. "I want to go with you, Mother."

"Me too." Misumi raises her head. Little Ai's arm also shoots up in the air.

Seeing that, Mogrok raises his thousand arms toward the ceiling. 

When Ari sees Adira slowly raising his hand, she shoots him a dark look. "Don't you dare."

"Don't leave me behind," He begs her pitifully.

Ari shrugs and disappears from the room, leaving them all behind. If she takes them along with her, will she ever be able to finish her work? They can't stay near the forsaken creatures. 

The Dark Castle falls into a gloom. 

The next day, Misaki and Misumi argue. 

"Mother would have taken me with her if you two hadn't raised your arms." Misaki points at Misumi and Ai.

"But I also want to go." Misumi blabbers, "Why should only you go with her, Elder Sister?"

"Because I am older." Misaki mumbles, "I am your eldest sister."

Little Ai can't understand what is happening between the twins. He senses that they are fighting. To pacify them, he hugs them both tightly.

"Argh!" Misaki makes a face. "Why is he always hugging us?"

"Elder Brother loves us so much." Misumi kisses Ai's cheek. 

After a while, Misaki gives in and plants a kiss on her cute elder brother. 

"Let's plan for next time." Misaki suggests, "We will grab Mother's leg."

"Would it work?" Misumi asks doubtfully.

"You go for the right leg." Misaki continues, "I will go for the left leg."

"But we can't even walk yet." Misumi glances at the floor longingly. The distance between the crib and the floor is too much.

Misaki puckers her lips. That's a problem indeed. 

Their mother returns after a week. 

"What is that?" Adira frowns when he sees a child in her arms. The child has vivid green eyes. "Don't tell me that you have adopted one more child."

"His name is Scias." She puts Scias on the bed where Misaki and Misumi are. "He will become a forsaken creature after he turns ten. Until then, we will raise him here."

Misaki glowers at the boy who is only a year older than them. The boy peers at her quietly, slowly blinking his eyes. They stare at each other for a long time. Misaki is clearly seeing him as a competition while he is observing her in silence. 

Her elder brother is at school. If he was here, he would have beaten up Scias.

"Why do you go around and pick more kids?" Adira complains to Ari. "Are we not enough?"

"Adira, I couldn't let him live a horrible life in that place." Ari explains to him, "The Dark Castle is so big. Why can't he live here?"

Adira has no problem with that. But he is afraid that too many people are taking away his wife's attention. What about him? She never has time for him. Feeling grumpy, he puffs up his cheeks and turns toward the wall in protest.

Meanwhile, Misaki has the same question. Why does her mother need more kids when she, her sister, and her elder brother are already there? 

"I don't like him," Misaki grumbles to Misumi.

"His eyes are so pretty." Misumi smiles at Scias. "Are you going to be our elder brother?"

Scias peeks at Misumi, and then, he turns his gaze toward a sullen Misaki. Then, he looks at the person who brought him here. This woman has released his mother from the fae realm and brought him to this place after promising him that his life won't be difficult anymore. 

He doesn't know why but he wants to stare at Misaki. He wants to become her friend but she looks angry at him. He crawls to Misaki and grabs her hand. "I want to be yours."

"..." Both Adira and Ari whirl around and look at Misaki and Scias. What did they just hear?

"Okay." Misaki beams at him. She's going to raise this boy as her personal slave. "I accept you."

A bright red circle manifests beneath Misaki and Scias. Ribbons of red ehr emerge from Misaki's body and entangle around Scias' arm, warming his veins as the contract is complete.

"Did she just…?" Ari opens her mouth wide, unable to complete the word. 

"Complete a contract with a halfling?" Adira finishes her words. Scias is half-human and half-fae. Misaki is on the verge of becoming a goddess as her body is absorbing all the essence of Chaos in Iravan. Misaki would be an immortal soon.

Since Misaki is a Wahr, they already knew that she would form a contract with a spirit. But they didn't expect it to be another halfling. 

Adira frowns at Ari. "What did you bring here?"

"I didn't know." Ari exhales. "What can we do? He must be her chosen partner. Can't you feel her magic?"

"He's a half-human." Adira is against this union. "On top of it, he's going to be a forsaken creature."

The toddlers look at Adira, confused.

Ari drags Adira out of the room. "It's already done. Stop scaring them."

"Ari." Adira takes a breath. "What would happen after he becomes a forsake creature? Would the bond break?"

"Atvi did say something about Misaki having partners," Ari recalls Atvi's words. This must be what that goddess meant back then. "Maybe the bond won't end even after he becomes a forsaken creature."

Past might be abandoned, but there are a few things that surpass everything. She did see something similar on earth. Nakashima Wakana was still living on earth with her truemate. Wakana told her that the true bond was completed when she was a forsaken creature.

It's not a true bond. But the bond between wahr and her spirit is quite strong. The other case is Andareanesi and his wife, Gianna. 

"How long are you going to stay with us?" Adira asks her.

"Two weeks." Ari wraps her arms around his waist. "I guess we are having a long-distance marriage."

"I don't like it." He cups her face. "I wish there was a way."

"When our kids grow up, come to live with me on Haven," She suggests with a smile. 

"That will take so long." Adira sighs. 

"A little wait before a peaceful eternity together." Ari rests her head on her chest. "I don't dislike these days. Even if I am spending only days with you and our kids, I am glad that I still have the chance to be with you both."

Adira puts his chin on her head. "Alright, I won't complain anymore. What if you decide to stay in Haven without us?"

"I won't do that." Ari raises her head to look at him. "Adira, do you know that I can beat you up now? I am also a primordial goddess. Don't say nonsense anymore."

Adira lets out a chuckle. "Your stamina must have improved. Shall we test on the bed?"

"You are always thinking of that." Ari blushes. "Let's put the children to sleep first."

"Uwaaa!" A piercing scream comes out of the kids' playroom. Ari and Adira rush inside. They see Misaki sitting on Scias' back. Poor Scias is crying miserably.

"Go!" Misaki slaps Scias' butt. "Run, Horse!"

"Sister, he's not a horse." Misumi murmurs, "You are making him cry."

"No, he's my horse." Misaki continues to slap Scias' butt. "Horse, horse, horse."

Scias cries loudly, looking at Ari pleadingly. 

"What did you eat when you gave birth to her?" Adira questions Ari.

"You already know the answer." Ari massages her forehead. It's impossible to find peace when they have four kids. But it's lively and chaotic but she loves them anyway. "Let's put them to sleep first."

It shouldn't be difficult for gods to raise four kids, right? Surely, it won't be more difficult than saving the world. 

Ari is looking forward to this new adventure.