by Dahlia Lu
“I provide the resources. It is up to you what you will do with them.”
“You’re such a confusing person.”
“I’m not, really.”
Frowning, she asked. “What do I do now?”
He shrugged. “Live your life like I’ve never appeared in it.”
She gasped when the gateway began to close between them.
“Hurry,” he said. “Go to the other side.”
Her legs wouldn’t move. She looked at him standing on the one side and then glanced at the city on the other.
“Mortal,” he hurried her. “You don’t have much time. Go.”
She stepped forward and reached for him, but the barrier would not allow her to reenter. “Try…” she cried. “Try to break free…”
“It’s futile, mortal.”
“Try!” She pressed her palms against the barrier. “At least try! You can’t just give up before you even try!”
“Mortal. You worry me. You don’t even know whose side you’re on.”
“Does it matter?” She attempted to break through the barrier with her fists.
“You’re just hurting yourself.”
“Why won’t you try?” She cried.
“I built this place. I know exactly how much energy is needed to break it. Go to the other side, mortal. The gateway is closing.”
“I don’t want to!” She screamed back at him. He was surprised by her strong reaction, but she was a lot more surprised with herself. “You can’t tell me what to do anymore!”
“There is nothing you can do. Return to your world as I’ve returned to mine. The day has come for us to part ways, mortal.”
“I… I…” The words seemed to be clogged in her tightened throat. A series of flashbacks replayed in her mind. She recalled the moment when she first met him, and then a number of other events since then. Those images placed a heavy burden on her little heart. She didn’t know why she felt so pained when she turned away from him and began to drag each step toward the other side. He’d done nothing but hurt, insulted, and humiliated her. She shouldn’t pity him!
Lying to yourself again, Amara?
It wasn’t pity, and she knew it. He may be mean and condescending, but there were times he could be almost… kind.
Kind? He’s not kind, Amara.
He could be gentle.
He’s not gentle.
He could be tolerant.
He’s not tolerant either.
She didn’t know how to stop the tears from overflowing. He may not be kind and gentle or tolerant to other people, but he was to her. He’s changed, hasn’t he?
No, he hasn’t changed.
“Mortal.”
She halted when he called.
“Be careful out there.”
She didn’t want to turn back. She didn’t want to let him see the tears that were dripping down her chin. But if she didn’t turn back, she’d never have another chance to. Never again. So she threw away her foolish pride and slowly turned back.
His lips parted slightly when he laid eyes on her face. It took him a moment before he asked. “Why are you crying?”
“It’s hard to say goodbye to a friend,” she said breathlessly.
“I’m not your friend, mortal.”
He’d said it once before, but this time his words pierced her deep. She felt them gutting her. “I don’t care if you think I’m inferior. We are friends. At least we are to me.”
Amara decided to save herself from more rejection and turned.
“Mortal,” he called softly.
She continued to walk on, but she couldn’t help but stop again when she heard him call her name. He rarely ever called her by her name. She forced her legs to continue a few more steps to the other side.
As she walked through the barrier, she heard him say, very softly, “I love you, Amara.”
She sprung around immediately, catching a glimpse of his blue eyes before the portal closed her out.
For several minutes, she wasn’t sure if she’d heard what she did. Her ears must have played trick on her. He couldn’t have possibly said it.
He couldn’t have possibly felt it… could he?
He loved her? He was in love with her? And he waited until now to tell her?
A little too late, don’t you think, Noctis?
“A little too late…” Her words began to sink into her heart. Regrets filled her. “Everything is too late…”
She swallowed back all of her bubbling emotions and began her journey back home, wherever that was.
Epilogue
“Amara!” Lizzie screamed from the front door of the mansion. “There is a fish girl here to see you!”
After Amara sold her apartment, she’d needed a temporary place to stay until she could rent another apartment near campus, so she had decided to stay at the mansion Noctis had left behind. She walked out to the lobby to see what ‘fish girl’ Lizzie was talking about. Her friend wasn’t kidding. There was very buff man carrying a mermaid in his arms – the same mermaid she’d met at the temple.
“Hello,” the mermaid waved at her, excitedly flipping her tail.
“Uh… hi,” Amara said. She didn’t know how to react, initially. “Can I help you?”
“It’s good seeing you again,” the mermaid said with a smile. “I have a favor to ask of you.”
“Favor?” Amara curiously glanced at the buffed looking man.
“I need a place to stay. Do you have an extra room? I’ll pay, what do you call it? Rent. I’ll pay you rent.” She snapped her fingers and another huge man walked into the lobby with a treasure chest. He opened it to show the glittering treasure inside. “Will this be sufficient? Of course I need to modify some minor details to accommodate my…condition.”
“Sufficient,” Lizzie said, bending down to touch the jewels. Her eyes were glittering just as brightly as the jewels themselves. “It’s definitely sufficient.”
“Details?” Amara asked.
“Pool. I need a big pool. It will be out of my pocket, of course.”
“May I ask why you want to stay here?”
“Because you’re here, Amara.”
“Because I’m here?”
“You’re the only mortal I know. You can… help me blend in.”
Amara glanced down at the mermaid’s tail. “That will be easy,” she said sarcastically.
“I can use magic to transform. Just not on rainy days.” She pointed at the gloomy weather outside. “Rain water neutralizes most of my magic. I had no choice but to come to you in this form. I’m running out of time.”
“Out of time?”
“My twentieth year is approaching. Remember what I told you?”
“You were serious about that?”
The mermaid nodded. “So? May I stay?”
“Um, sure,” Amara shrugged. “Help yourself. And I can’t take your rent because I don’t own this place. My friend and I will only be staying here temporarily.”
“For your trouble,” the mermaid insisted. “I will need your help in the future.”
“What kind of help?” Amara asked cynically.
“I need you to help show me how a mortal woman can attract a male of her liking.”
Amara nearly choked on the air she was breathing. “Oh, I’m the last person who can help you with that.” She chuckled. “But come in, come in and dry yourself off.” Then she remembered. “Or not. We actually have a small pond in the sunroom. If we clean it up, it can be your room.”
“I want to live, Amara, not just survive. A small pond will not do.”
“Make yourself comfortable, I guess. By the way, what’s your name?”
“Sirena,” the mermaid said, with all of her charms. “I am Sirena, demigoddess.”
“Fitting,” Amara complimented. “We’re having dinner right now. Care to join? Oh, do you need fish?”
“I have a preference for them because they’re my staple diet, but I enjoy other things, too.”
“Okay, then, join in.” Amara took the lead. Lizzie and the buffed man carrying the mermaid followed. “Will they be staying also?” The question suddenly occurred to Amara.
“Just myself,” the mermaid said. “I needed them to take me here. I will not need them from now on.”
“Amara! I have come for a rematch!”
“Oh no, not again…” Amara muttered when she heard the Lycan’s voice. Dimitri and his buddies leaped in from the open window, looking like they were ready for war. “Don’t you know the meaning of defeat, D?”
They all shook their heads stubbornly.
“After dinner,” Amara promised.
The Lycans sat and helped themselves to the food.
“Dinner time already?” The necromancer casually walked into the dining room. Lizzie bolted up from her seat and leaped into his arms. “Hi, honey.” She kissed him deeply.
The mermaid was observing with fascination, while the Lycans couldn’t be more oblivious.
“Alright, let’s eat. I hope we’re not having any more house guests, because I didn’t cook enough.”
“One more?” Raya asked, smiling at the door. After the wedding, Raya looked positively glowing. “I won’t eat much, I promise.”
“D, go grab a chair for the lady!” Amara said to the Lycan.
He left and came back half a minute later with a chair. They all sat and enjoyed what little food there was on the table. After joking and laughing, they played a few rounds of poker. As usual, Dimitri and his buddies demanded another rematch and then left.
At the end of the day, Amara soaked herself in a hot bath and let the ache in her muscles slowly melt away. After the hot bath, she got into her white satin nightdress and climbed onto the massive carved bed. She reached for the switch on the table lamp and paused when she saw the third volume of Twilight of the Gods on the nightstand. She saw traces of him everywhere. It was hard to pretend that he had never been in her life. She turned off the light and sank down onto the pillow.
The eerie silence haunted her.
Her arm reached for the other side of the bed, dreading the empty space next to her. Cold, she thought, so cold.
Amara pulled his pillow from its place and hugged it tightly against her chest. His scent was still lingering about. She closed her eyes and buried her face in the pillow. It was a while until she could fall asleep.
End of Book 2