Gift

Thea, Riz, and Ayhan returned to the house of Gia after searching for almost twenty-four hours. Everyone was already sound asleep aside from Asuren. His bed was empty. He was nowhere inside the house. He was not in the front yard.

"I'll check the backyard," Thea hurried out of the backdoor.

Asuren was there, sitting on the ground and leaning on a tree. His eyes were open and staring blankly at the clear blue sky.

'He is here,' she told Riz on their special communication line before approaching Asuren.

"You can't sleep?" she glanced at his bandaged chest. "Is your chest wound hurting?"

"I just want to look at the sky," he kept his gaze up on the sky. "Even though our realm is covered with a fake sky, it still looked beautiful. I've never seen a blue sky. I've never seen the sun. Its light is truly blinding and warm."

"I felt the same when I saw the sky in Nightfall Realm," Thea sat next to Asuren. "I've never seen the sky that dark. I also read somewhere that the moon and stars are a magnificent sight but Riz and I never got the chance to see them because of the rain. Have you seen them, Asuren?"

"It was a rare sight but I did. They are beautiful and their glow felt warm and comforting," Asuren suddenly looked reminiscent and he took a bite of the sugarcane in his hand.

"I apologize…"

"Your father only wanted to keep you safe. I should be the one asking forgiveness," Asuren looked away from the sky and bowed low in front of Thea. "I lost control and almost got you killed. Forgive me, Princess Thea."

"I will forgive you if you stop calling me Princess and if you raise your head and look at me."

Asuren slowly lifted his face from the ground and gazed at her. There was guilt in his eyes.

"I am as guilty as you are," Thea admitted with a sigh. "You are already recovering but my father added another serious injury to your body."

"I…"

"Let's stop apologizing to each other," Thea smiled. "I will prepare a small peace offering. Wait here. I will be done in a few minutes," she straightened up and hurried back to the house.

^###########^

"Peace offering…" Asuren stared at the backdoor with a pounding heart. He had nothing to offer. He looked around and searched for something that he could give her.

"What are you doing? Have you lost something?" Juliann came from the backdoor.

"I… I'm looking for a peace offering…"

"Peace offering? Who did you agitate this time? If it is Thea's father, I already told you that he is recuperating inside a recovery bud."

"Thea told me that she will prepare a peace offering. I should also give her something," he kept looking around him.

"Why?"

"I almost killed her. That's why."

"She doesn't see it that way. She knew it was not you but the Evil Witch."

"It is my body."

"Is it that important to gain her forgiveness? You just met her."

"The same goes for her. She just met me. But a lot has already happened since the first time we met. It was always a dangerous situation. I am always on the brink of losing control. And I completely lose it this time. With my cursed body… I will lose control again…"

"Don't think about running away," Juliann glared. "I don't know how she did it, but she knows how to pull you back to your senses. That's one more person that can stop you aside from me, Ayhan, and Calix. Stay with us. Even if you lose control, we can get you back."

Asuren let out a deep breath before confessing, "I feel strange whenever I am with her."

"Have you fallen in love with her the first time you saw her?" Juliann stifled a smile.

"It's… not like that…" Asuren ignored the escalating pounding of his heart.

"What was it like?"

Asuren stared at the ground for a long while before asking, "Have you ever met someone and felt like you've been with them for quite a long time? Her presence is strangely comforting. When she was here earlier… it felt like talking to you, Ayhan, and Calix."

"Then think about the things you are willing to give if a fight broke between us," Juliann gave him a light tap on the shoulder. "I'll leave you here to think. See you later," he beamed wider and marched back to the house.

Asuren frowned and kept on looking for something that could pass for a peace offering.

^#############^

"What are you doing?" Riz followed Thea to the kitchen.

"A delicious chocolate drink," Thea had no talent for cooking but she was good at preparing a chocolate drink.

"Why are you preparing that drink for someone that almost killed you?"

"It was not him," Thea heated milk and cocoa in a pot. "How many times do I have to repeat myself? It was the Evil Witch."

"In his body," Riz glared. "Your father is right about him. He emanates an evil aura. He could lose control at any moment. Maybe we should stop working with them."

"What happened in that cave was exhausting but I'm not seriously injured. I don't even have a scratch. I might be weaker than you and Asuren, but I know how to defend myself. I already learned my lesson. I will not engage in a fight I cannot win. Asuren, at that moment, was weaker than me. His body but not his mind. All I had to do was wait while my wind gusts firmly restrained his body. He came around sooner than I expected," Thea explained while stirring the pot of creamy chocolate drink.

"Asuren is still dangerous. You should keep your distance from him," Riz insisted.

"We should be cautious when it comes to the Evil Witch, not Asuren," Thea strongly believed. "Aside from that, he is the only one that can bring us closer to the boar seal."

"He knows its location?" Riz was suddenly confused.

"The boar seal wants him. He is here in Daybreak Realm because it tried to take his friends. Sooner or later, they will meet. We should be with him when that happens. That is the only chance we have to destroy a seal. We met them for a reason, Riz."

"I hope you're right," Riz let out a sigh of surrender.

Thea tapped her friend on the shoulder and asked, "How was your day with Ayhan?"

"Weird," Riz admitted with a frown. "I should treat him as a stranger, but I feel so at ease with him. It's kind of scary."

"You are overthinking," Thea laughed and patted Riz on the back. "Get some rest. I'll take this drink to Asuren. I'm sure he will recover faster."

Riz rolled her eyes and stepped out of the kitchen while Thea finished preparing the chocolate drink.

^#######^