WIEDERGEBURT Chapter 21

My arms were sore when I regained consciousness. I didn’t understand why at first, but when I tried to move them and heard a rattle, I realized they were being suspended above my head by something. Hrm. Now that I was cognizant, I also felt a dull yet stinging throb in my wrists. It felt like they were being rubbed raw.

Opening my eyes, I swept my gaze around the area before me, studying the dark space I’d found myself in. It looked like I was inside of a room. The walls were made of some kind of mud-like material I’d never seen before. It was tan and had cracks spreading along the surface, which really made me wonder how sturdy it was. However, it was also surprisingly cool to the touch.

There was not much of anything inside of this room aside from myself. I glanced up to look at what was keeping my arms raised above my head. Chains. My wrists were cuffed to a pair of bracers that were attached to two chains that jutted from the wall. I pulled on the chains for a moment, but they were quite durable. I wouldn’t be getting out of this unless I channeled the lightning element through them. However, my Spiritual Power was feeling sluggish at the moment.

Sighing as I was forced to let my arms dangle painfully above my head, I tried to figure out how I ended up in this situation. I remembered stopping by an oasis, resupplying our water, and then snake people attacked us—no, wait. Before that, I had been bitten by a snake! I think the snake might have also been poisonous. After that… after that… huh? I couldn’t recall what happened after that, but I suppose I must have blacked out. The fact that I had woken up here meant I’d probably been captured by those Lamia.

How was I still alive? No, perhaps the better question would have been: Why was I still alive?

While a frown worked itself onto my face, a strange breeziness came over me. I hadn’t noticed it before. However, now that I had, I realized it felt really drafty. Looking down made me discover why I felt this way.

I was naked. There wasn’t a single stitch of clothing on me.

Just as I was wondering what happened to my clothes, a strange sound caused me to perk up. It sounded like shifting sand. This sound was different from what I was used to, though. The thudding of feet that normally accompanied this sound wasn’t present. Instead, it sounded like something was being dragged across the sand.

A curtain off to the side flapped open. Sunlight streamed in through the room. It was blazing hot, but the sun was soon blocked as something large entered.

It was a Lamia, one of those snake-people that Zane had told me about. This one had the same dark hair and dark tan skin as the others. Her hair was long, reaching all the way down to her butt. Unlike the others, she wore golden jewelry on her forehead. The headpiece was something I’d never seen before. It looked like a circlet with a snake in the center.

While the woman’s golden eyes were stunning and her elegant face was captivating, I think I was more focused on her body. She was completely bereft of clothes. Her naked body was like a work of art, all sinuous curves and powerful muscles. Her breasts swayed and jiggled as she slithered into the room. They were large and enticing, capped with dark nipples. Her tight stomach had powerful, rippling muscles as she moved her hips, which melded into a snake lower half, in a languid and sensual sashay that drew my eyes toward it. Since she wasn’t wearing any undergarments, her hairless mound was also on full display.

“I see you are finally awake,” the woman said in a soft but cold voice. “Several days have passed since my people brought you to me.” Her eyes narrowed. “I had been wondering if you would wake up at all.”

“Did you… save me?” I asked.

“Save you?” The woman cocked her head to the side. She seemed to be pondering my question. After a moment, her lips twitched into a faint smile. “Yes, I suppose you could say I saved you.”

There was something about the way she spoke that caused me to narrow my eyes. Her mannerisms seemed polite enough, but I could sense some cold humor coming from her. There was also the fact that I was still chained up.

“Then I don’t suppose you could undo these chains?” I requested, jangling the chains for emphasis.

“I am afraid not,” the snake woman said. “It is most unfortunate for you, but the reason my people decided to take you with us is because of your strong Spiritual Power. I lost a child several years ago, you see, and so I need to have another one who can eventually become the new ruler of my people.” She placed a hand on her stomach. “I plan on draining you of your Spiritual Power to help this child grow strong.”

Her words stunned me, literally shocking me like I’d been zapped by my own lightning. My power was going to be drained and used as nourishment? How did that even work? Was that even possible? Moreover, the idea of my Spiritual Power being drained sent a chill down my spine. I didn’t know anything about this ritual of theirs, but I was sure it would kill me.

“You will remain here until it is time for me to enact the ritual. Someone will come to feed you later.” The snake woman gazed at him for several seconds longer, and then slithered back toward the entrance. She paused at the doorway. “My name is Queen Medusa. You and I will only know each other for a short time, but since you’re being used to nourish my child, I believe you at least have the right to know it.”

The woman left soon after saying those haunting words, which all but spelled my doom. I knew I couldn’t remain here. However, I also didn’t have to strength to resist yet. My body and Spiritual Power still felt sluggish. If I wanted to have a chance of breaking out and escaping, I needed to regain my strength and bide my time until an opportunity presented itself.

Shutting my eyes, I began slowly circulating my Spiritual Power, trying my best to flush the poison still inside of my body.

***

Stelys sat in the meeting hall, which was marked by numerous large columns that supported the vaulted ceiling. His chair was located on a slightly elevated platform. Meanwhile, the chairs belonging to the elders of his clan were all situated below him. There were six chairs in total, three on each side of a walkway marked by red carpet, and all of them were occupied by old men in their late sixties.

The chair at his side was empty.

“Are we sure this is a good idea?” asked Om, who sat on the chair closest to Stelys’ seat. “While the auction certainly helped us a little, it did not give us nearly enough money to put us back on our feet, and now you want us to work with the Alchemist Association? They may have been a prominent group at one point in time, but that prestige has long since passed. Their glory days are gone. Now they are barely hanging on. If we work with them, I fear they will simply drag us down into their quagmire.”

At least two of the old men murmured their agreement, but the remaining three elders kept silent. Dag and Igmar were the two who had agreed with Om. Garth, Hagen, and Sindri were the ones who said nothing. Of course, saying nothing did not mean they were on Stelys’ side either. They were simply smart enough to hear what he had to say first.

“I understand why you would believe that partnering with the Alchemist Association is a bad idea. Indeed, what you said about their glory days being gone is true,” Stelys acknowledged.

“Then—”

“However—” Stelys raised a hand to block the man from speaking “—I’m also sure that all of you are aware of the new alchemy pills they have created. We all saw the effects of those pills before auctioning them off. They have the power to change the entire market when it comes to healing medicine and even Spiritual Healing Techniques. Those pills were made by the Alchemist Association. If we can partner with them now and begin selling them before anyone else, our profits will surely rise along with theirs.”

“That… may be so,” Om allowed, though his expression remained stubborn. “However, I do not believe that it will be as easy as you seem to think. Marketing a brand new product is incredibly difficult, especially when that product is an alchemy pill.”

“Maybe it won’t be easy right away, but I have confidence that once everybody begins to realize how effective these pills are, many people will be flocking to buy them,” Stelys infused as much confidence into his voice as he could.

“You bring up a valid point,” Garth said, at least agreeing with Stelys.

Hagen nodded. “This might be a big risk right now. However, the bigger the risk such an endeavor is, the greater the rewards that will follow when it succeeds.”

“I have to admit that the idea of introducing a new product to the market does sound intriguing.” Sindri also seemed to finally be coming around. “I would like to aid in this endeavor.”

Stelys didn’t sigh in relief, but he wished he could. While it wasn’t necessary to get the elders behind him in order to implement his plans, it made everything a lot easier, especially since these old geezers tended to cause a ruckus when he did something they disapproved of. He always shut them down. However, it was better to have their agreement right from the beginning.

Just before he could adjourn this meeting, however, Om spoke up again.

“Even if this succeeds, it will still be a long while before we see a significant increase in our funds.” He smiled at everyone there. “At the moment, what we need is a fast method of earning valis. There is one such method…”

“I know what you are going to say, and I refuse.” Stelys gave Om a stern glare. “I will not sell my daughter off to the Leucht Family. They may be an affluent family, one of the Three Heavenly Families whose power in Nevaria is ranks just below the Empress, but I’ve heard many rumors about them, none of which are good. I refuse to let a family of questionable reputation have my only daughter.”

Fay was his precious child, the only link he had left to her mother. While he might not have been the best father to her, he still loved more than anything else in this world. He refused to hand her over to anyone he did not implicitly trust to have her best interests at heart.

What’s more, it was clear that his daughter was in love with Eryk Veiger, the young man who had first approached him about partnering with the Alchemist Association and selling alchemy pills. Stelys might not be a great parent, but he did have an eye for talent. That boy was an incredibly talented individual. He would go places.

If Stelys was going to let his daughter marry anyone, it would be Eryk.

For a moment, Om looked like he would say something. When the Leucht Family had come to them with the proposal, this man had been the first one to jump on board with the idea.

The elders had all been in agreement of following through with it at the time, but now that they had another method of saving themselves, it was unlikely they would allow her to be married off. He must have realized this too. His gaze swept around the room, even going to his two compatriots who almost always sided with him. They both looked away.

Om closed his mouth. Finally…

“If that is how you feel, there is little I can do but agree,” he said at last. “I hope you do not come to regret this decision.”

Stelys frowned at what sounded like a threat, but he let it pass. This old man was always crotchety. However, he did think about what was best for the clan.

“In that case, I believe this meeting can be adjourned. I will send someone to the Alchemist Association to inform them of our decision.”

All the elders nodded in agreement. Stelys watched as they rose from their seats, and then he looked at the empty seat on his right. He sighed at how lonely it appeared without someone there to fill it.

***

Five days had passed since the auction. With the increase in funds that I had acquired from the auction of my A-rank Spiritual Fire Technique, Five Finger Flame Whip, I had enough money to buy a lot more ingredients for my alchemy pills. Of course, given that I was now working alongside the Alchemist Association, there wasn’t any need for me to do so.

Instead, I used some of the money to buy clothes. Most of what I bought were merely nice shirts made out of silk from the Giant Silkworm Demon Beast. I also bought several pants, a few jackets, socks, and the proper type of soap that was necessary to clean these expensive items. Given that all of it cost me about 30,000 valis, I had no desire to ruin my clothes by washing them using standard methods.

I hadn’t seen Fay at all since that day at the Auction House.

At the moment, I was currently helping Feinrea teach her alchemists how to refine the pills they were going to sell. She and I were in the Refining Hall, the large room where all members of the Alchemist Association could refine their pills. The two of us walked between tables that were neatly lined in rows of five. We would observe the work being done by the alchemists we passed, making sure they were doing everything properly and correcting them if they weren’t. Fortunately, Feinrea had used the knowledge I’d given her wisely and taught everyone else while I was training. Few mistakes were made.

The pouch I was wearing swung around my neck as I walked. It wasn’t heavy since there was only one item inside. I ignored it as I looked at the alchemists going through their work.

“Be careful when crushing the monster core,” I said to the young man with orange-tinted red hair as I walked past. It was Feinrea’s brother. He seemed to possess some skill with Alchemy, but his pestle was shaking a bit, causing some fragments to fall onto the table.

The young man looked up at me, startled, but then he looked at the table and blushed. He nodded at me and muttered a quick “thanks” before getting back to work. He was much more careful after that.

After making our rounds, Feinrea and I met up near the front of the Refining Hall. I expected my business partner to be wearing a satisfied expression. That was why I felt surprised when, instead of smiling, she was wearing a small frown.

“Is something the matter?” I asked.

Feinrea looked startled, but then she shook her head and smiled. “Maybe… I’ve been thinking about something as I walked between the tables and watched everyone refine pills.”

“And what were you thinking about?” I asked.

“That we will probably need more alchemists.” Seeing my confused expression, Feinrea shrugged and educated me on a small issue I hadn’t thought about. “These are all the alchemists we currently have. Just these fifteen people. It takes them about fifteen minutes to refine one pill. That is about two or three pills every hour and seventy-two pills every day if I have them work all day without rest. That would only amount to about 1,080 pills a day. If we wish to sell alchemy pills in bulk, we’ll need to train more alchemists.”

I could see what she was getting at, and I slowly nodded as I realized she was right. The Alchemist Association would eventually need more people. That said…

“It should be fine for now, right?” I looked back at the alchemists who were diligently working. “At the moment, we have only just begun trickling pills into the market. Thanks to the Valstine Family owning several stalls, we’ve been able to reach several consumers in a couple different locations. This includes the Noble District. So far, our sales have only just begun showing results. Once more people are aware of the alchemy pills and their benefits, more people will begin to respect alchemy. At that time, it shouldn’t be too hard to find eager young men and women willing to join the Alchemist Association.”

“I suppose you are right,” Feinrea conceded. “Perhaps I am overthinking this.”

Over to our left, an older man with no hair, a shiny scalp, and thin fingers was adding monster core powder into a beaker of glowing purple liquid. I nodded as I observed him. While the monster core hadn’t been completely crushed and there were a few larger chunks leftover, it was still satisfactory for now. That man, and everyone else, would hopefully continue to improve with practice.

“Since it looks like everything is working out here, I’ll be heading out,” I said to Feinrea. “Send a message to the library north of the Imperial Royal Palace if there’s any trouble. That’s where I work.”

“You work at a library?” Feinrea looked flabbergasted, and then she sighed and waved her hand. “No. Nevermind. Should something come up that requires your attention, I will of course inform you about it.”

“Thank you.”

I left the Refining Hall after saying goodbye, the ends of my shirt and vest swishing around my knees as I walked, and soon I left the Alchemist Association completely.

The library was closed for today. Ms. Nadine had said something about renovations being needed, so I had a good deal of free time. My first stop was to visit the Alchemist Association, but I had a few other stops to make as well.

My next stop was the blacksmith who I had paid to make the metal cylinders for my weighted clothes. When I entered the smithy, it was to find the man doing what he always did, pounding away at a hunk of molten metal. I waited for him to finish. Wandering over to the weapons and armor hanging from the walls, I studied the quality of each item. They weren’t the best. However, they weren’t the worst I’d seen either.

The Dweorgs would kick his ass in blacksmithing, though.

“Back again, brat? I hope you’re not here to give me another job that requires no effort on my part,” a gruff voice spoke up, causing me to turn around. The man had finished working and was walking toward me.

“This time, the job I have for you will require a lot more skill.” I spread my arms out as though to reassure him. “I need you to make me a weapon. However, this weapon is a little… unique. It will require a good deal of talent to make.”

“That so?” Stopping in front of me, the man swung his hammer around a bit, and then rested it on his shoulder. A gleam entered his eyes. “Tell me more about this weapon.”

Nodding, I reached into the pouch at my side and pulled out a goatskin scroll. I gestured for the man to follow as I walked over to his table and unfurled the scroll on top. He looked a little disgruntled at me, but I merely gestured for him to come over again. When he looked at the scroll from over my shoulder, his eyes widened.

“This is…”

“I call it the Dragon’s Tail Ruler,” I said.

The scroll contained the schematics for a weapon that I had acquired a few years after arriving in Midgard in my previous life. It was a large weapon. From hilt to tip, its reached a length of about 2 meters. The width measured at 30 centimeters. It looked like it was segmented. Several sections had lines running through it showing where the blade could be detached. There were 11 places in total. Its last and most prominent feature was the long handle that added another .5 meters to its length and the wide crossguard.

Of course, the schematics for this weapon were very basic. The one I had used was far more complex, but I didn’t think anyone in this plain could build the true Dragon’s Tail Ruler.

“It looks like a giant slab of metal,” the blacksmith muttered.

“It might seem like that at first glance.” I curled my lips in amusement. “However, I want you to look at this. You see these sections here? Each of these sections is segmented and are meant to come apart. What you’ll need to do is create a locking mechanism inside of a hollowed point at these sections so they unlock and be detached at will.”

The man scratched his head. “And how exactly are you gonna unlock them if they’re on the inside?”

“Don’t worry about that,” I said as if it was inconsequential. “I just need you to make sure they’re strong enough that they won’t unlock unless I do it manually.”

“Well… I suppose I could.” The man looked at me with some consternation and sighed. He gave me an evil eye as if I’d done him a great disservice. “You know, when I said I wanted you to give me something that was challenging, I didn’t quite mean something like this.”

“Considering this a compliment to your skills.” I smiled at him. “I am coming to you with this project because I am confident you can make it.”

The blacksmith’s response was to sigh again.

***

I arrived home after traveling to the blacksmith. Walking into my room, I glanced at the bed, where the snake lazed around like a freeloader. Because it was over 6 meters and my bed was barely 2 meters, a good portion of its body hung over the side. The snake lifted its head and stared at me as I entered. It hissed out a greeting before laying its head back onto my pillow.

Walking over to it, I sat on the bed and began rubbing the creature’s head. It was hard to tell if the snake liked this treatment. The snake couldn’t really make any facial expressions—at least, it couldn’t make any that I recognized. But as I ran my hand over its scaley head, the tip of its tailed thumped against the floor several times.

“I’m about to head out for some training,” I informed the snake. “Do you want to come with me?”

The snake looked up from the bed again, studying me for a moment, and then slowly bobbed its head up and down once. I smiled and stood up from the bed. I grabbed my weighted clothes and the bag of Three Way Spiritual Widening Pills. Meanwhile, the snake slithered off the bed and wound around my body before climbing onto my shoulders. Because it was so freaking long, it had to curl itself across me, lest its tail drag along the ground.

Most of the people ignored me as I made my way to the training ground. I’m pretty sure they had gotten used to seeing the weird feminine boy with green hair and a snake wrapped around his body like a tourniquet. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. Speaking of, the snake was resting its head on top of mine. I could feel its tongue occasionally flick against my forehead.

As I left Nevaria and began traveling past trees and boulders, walking along the dirt, I glanced at my hand. The strange black markings covering my ring finger hadn’t gone away. The rose-like patterns were the same as always. I normally forgot about them, but the snake’s presence right now made me remember.

“Hey,” I said, raising my hand to the snake’s eyes. “What exactly is this thing you gave me?”

The snake hissed and flicked its tongue against my hand, but it didn’t actually answer me—not that I was expecting it to. Smart as this thing seemed to be, it still wasn’t capable of human speech.

I arrived in the clearing that I’d been using as a training ground. I paused, however, when I saw a figure standing in the middle of the clearing. Her fiery red hair was tied with a leather band near the base of her neck. She wore black pants that were covered in pockets, a vest that had similar pockets all over it, and vambraces that were likewise covered in more pockets. Her clothes were basically identical to mine.

After getting the shock coursing through my body, I resumed my walk. The figure turned around. Her red hair whipped over her shoulder as she moved.

“Eryk,” she greeted me in a soft voice.

“Fay…” I wasn’t sure what to say. If she was here, then I believed I could assume her purpose was to resume training. She had her weighted clothes on and everything. At the same time, our last meeting replayed in my mind, causing me to look away in guilt.

“Why are you looking away from me?” asked Fay, placing her hands on her hips. “Aren’t we going to train?”

I glanced back at her to find a soft smile on her face. It wasn’t quite as large as her normal smiles, but the fact that she could smile at all was a good sign. Then again, Fay was strong. I doubt the rejection of some man she’d only known for a 90 days would be enough to really get her down.

“You’re right,” I said. “We are here to train.”

“Then let’s begin.” Fay’s smile became a bit bigger.

The snake slithered off my shoulders and curled up on one of the boulders, soaking up the heat like a lazy cat. With my body free, I was able to begin training. I placed my hand against my clothing, closed my eyes, and channeled my Spiritual Power into the Runes of those metal cylinders inside of my clothes. My outfit instantly became heavier. I continued increasing the weight, until it was hard for me to move, and then stopped.

Fay had done the same thing.

“Let’s go.” Fay turned around and took off running.

As we ran, I noticed that Fay seemed to gain a bit more spirit. Perhaps working up a sweat helped her. There were plenty of people who became happier after exercising. I wasn’t sure why this was the case, but I also couldn’t deny what I’d seen. Even I often felt better after working up a good sweat.

Like always, after our obstacle course and strength training exercises, the two of us took a Three Way Spiritual Widening Pill, sat cross-legged on the ground, and began doing exercises to control and expand our Spiritual Power.

By now, my control over my Spiritual Power was pretty much perfect. If nothing else, I knew it wasn’t going to get any better. I’d reached what could have been considered the peak of my control. That meant it would soon be time for me to begin the next phase of my spiritual exercises, which would involve making my reserves bigger and trying to reach the Second State of Spiritualism.

“After you rejected me, I thought a lot about what I wanted to do,” Fay said after several minutes of absolute silence.

I almost flinched, but I think I did an admirable job of hiding it.

“A part of me wondered whether or not I should continue training with you,” she continued, heedless of my increasing sense of guilt. It felt like a led ball had been dropped onto my stomach. “I kept wondering if it was even worth it. I kept thinking that if I saw you again, it would just hurt me even more.”

“I understand,” I said in a soft voice. I took a deep breath. “Have you come to a decision? On what you want to do, I mean.”

Fay opened her eyes and glanced at me. Her narrowed green eyes held a seductive quality that Kari didn’t have. What made it more powerful was that I didn’t think she was aware of her own seductiveness.

“I have,” she said quietly, staring into my eyes with a determined glimmer. “I’m not going to give up. I understand that you are in love with someone else… but I have also come to realize that I am in love with you. That is why, even if you love someone else, I won’t give up. I’ll get you to fall in love with me.”

It was impossible for me not to admire this girl’s determination. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, her words also made my chest feel both warm and tight.

“Well…” I drew out the word as I tried to think of what I could say. “I can’t really stop you if you’ve decided not to give up…” I paused long enough to grimace. “That said, I really do think you should. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

I wasn’t sure why, but Fay smiled when I spoke. Something seemed to have made her pleased. She uncrossed her legs, placed her hands behind her, and used them as support as she leaned back. Her eyes never left mine.

“The fact that you don’t want to hurt me proves that I still have a chance,” Fay said with quiet confidence. “You care about me.”

“Of course I care about you.” I couldn’t concentrate on my exercises anymore, not that they were needed, so I stopped. The leafs and sticks fell to the ground. “You’re a good person, a good friend, and I admire your strong desire and determination to become stronger. But I only care about you as a friend.”

“I’m not sure I believe that.” Fay smiled as if she knew something that I didn’t. “I’ve seen the occasional looks you give me. You may not say anything, but I can tell you are attracted to me.”

“Well, yes,” I confessed. “I do find you attractive, but that’s my prerogative as a male. Finding someone attractive doesn’t necessarily equate to love. I’m sure Grant Leucht finds you attractive. I am also sure he doesn’t love you.”

“He might not, but I don’t think you’re feelings are quite so shallow. You are nothing like Grant Leucht.”

There was little I could say in defense of that. I looked away from Fay, whose eyes I could no longer stand to stare at, and gazed at the sky. A lot of thoughts went through my head in that moment. Since it had come down to this, I decided I should tell her some things about myself that may or may not convince her to give up.

“You know… I’ve only ever loved two women before,” I said.

“Two?” Fay questioned.

I nodded. “One of them is the girl I’ve been in love with for many years now. She means everything to me. The other… well, I don’t really know who the other woman is.”

A confused frown worked itself onto Fay’s face. “How can you love someone if you don’t know who they are?”

“It’s complicated.” I thought for a moment, rearranging the words in my mind before nodding. “A long time ago, when I was in a dark place, a woman whose name I didn’t know and whose face was always hidden by a cloak rescued me. She saved my life. I spent over a year with this woman. She taught me many things during that time, including how to refine some of those alchemy pills you’ve seen me make.”

Fay’s eyes went wide, causing me to smile.

The woman I was speaking of was someone I’d met after Kari was killed. At the time, my mind had been lost in darkness. I traveled the world, learning new Spiritual Techniques, killing people who got in my way, all for the sake of getting revenge against the Great Overlord of the Seventh Plane. During this time, I had recklessly attacked a horde of Demon Beasts and was nearly killed. This woman saved my life, and then she saved my heart.

“She didn’t teach me all of them, just a few. Some of the pills I learned to make from her are ones I haven’t made yet. However, the Spirit Cleaning Pill is one of the pills she taught me how to refine.” As I spoke, my snake roommate slithered up to me and placed its head on my lap. I ran my hand over its head almost absently. “I never saw her face or body because of the cloak she always wore. However, thanks to her, both my life and my heart were saved. She helped me overcome one of the greatest hurdles I have ever faced. However…”

“However?” Fay asked when I trailed off.

I shook my head. “She died. Her body was incredibly weak. It seemed she had suffered from the same Spiritual Poisoning that you have, only hers was far worse. It had reached such an advanced stage that nothing could be done to save her. The alchemy pills she refined could only extend her life by a bit. Even then, her body grew weaker and weaker, until it one day gave out.”

“I’m sorry,” Fay softly apologized, her head tilted down in depression.

I sighed as a heavy feeling pushed against my chest. “I do not know why you’re saying sorry, but there’s no need. I’m telling you this so you understand. There are only two people who’ve ever been able to make it inside of my heart, and while you may not believe it, I have known many women in my life. The chances of you being able to reach the same place as them is very slim.”

“But it’s not a complete certainty, is it?” Fay asked, her expression turning just a tad sly as she leaned forward, retracting her hands from the ground and placing them on her knees. “There is still a chance.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at her words. “Well, I guess there is. Still, I feel like your time would be better spent finding someone who can actually give you the love and attention you deserve.”

“Your advice has been duly noted and subsequently ignored.”

When I heard those words, all I could do was shake my head. I didn’t think she had a chance of reaching my heart. If Kari wasn’t alive, then maybe (and that was a very big maybe), but that was just it. Kari was alive, and I intended to protect her this time around. I would not let her die.

“By the way…” Fay began in a voice that contained a hint of uncertainty. “Is it just me, or does your snake look agitated?”

I glanced down at the snake restings its head on my lap, only to frown when I saw that it was hissing at Fay for reasons I couldn’t begin to fathom. It did seem kind of angry. That said, no matter how much I tried, I just couldn’t understand this snake all that well.

“He gets like that sometimes,” I muttered. “Pay it no mind.”

“Uh-huh… well, if you’re sure.”

“I am.”

As I spoke with an absolute certainty that I didn’t truly feel, the snake gave me an aggrieved look like I had said something insulting.

I’ll never understand reptiles.