Sahar walked quickly down the white gravel road. He was in a hurry: he wanted to be forgiven as soon as possible; to make up for it, to show his "true" self. However, just because he had learned from his mistakes so quickly did not mean he would be forgiven.
It was up to Nyara to decide what to do. Only she could forgive him... or not. It was possible that she would refuse to talk to him and threaten him with death. Despite what Tadda had said, who had reassured Sahar that she was very sympathetic and kind, he was not entirely reassured. The boy did not expect a favorable outcome and thought he would find himself kicked out of the house, barely welcomed... Az would not protect him this time. Sahar was going to have to take the consequences of his actions, which he did not want to do.
- ... If I am no longer accepted, where will I go...?
Surely the other people in this World would not be as friendly as Nyara and Az... No one was going to welcome Sahar into their home. It just seemed unrealistic. Even if Tadda didn't seem so bad, there was no point in asking him for something like that: he would say no in a second. If Nyara decided not to forgive Sahar, he could only hope for luck... Maybe God hadn't abandoned him yet, who knows? There was still hope.
The road ahead was rather long. Sahar had met a few people, but very few. He had not yet seen any girls or men with animal attributes. It seemed that Nyara was the only person who did. Perhaps it was very rare, in this World? Besides, the fox-girl seemed to be able to make them disappear at will: when they had met, she did not have her fox ears or tail, which she had revealed on the way home. Maybe other people were hiding these attributes? But why not show them? He didn't understand.
On the way, Sahar thought. He imagined the conversations he would have and thought in advance of what and how to answer. He should not lie, unless he had to, he still did not intend to talk about "his world". He didn't have to answer in the best way possible: he just had to be sincere and be himself. It was a piece of advice his mother had been telling him since he was a child and it always worked. The proof: he hadn't really been himself since he was in this new World and everything was going wrong...! If that wasn't concrete proof... His mind still couldn't accept the fact that Sahar had seen Nyara... as just a "Love Interest". How dumb could a human be...? Sure, it was under the "ecstasy of being teleported to another world," but it was still ridiculous. Even if Nyara forgave him, Sahar would never forgive himself. He had been far too stupid to deserve to get away with anything. He deserved real punishment, real restraint.
- I still hope to stay with Nyara... I'd like to get to know her better... Learn more about her... the gray-haired boy thought.
He had not spent much time with her. He didn't know anything about her. He couldn't say she was his "friend". However... he had a kind of "feeling". He... wanted to be her friend. He really, really wanted to become her friend. He knew it would take time — even more time than he had expected, considering the crap he had done — but he knew how to be patient. He just needed... Nyara not to hate him. Otherwise, it was going to be very complicated.
- Why did my emotions take over my body, at that moment...
Seeing that Nyara had a Power, was powerful, while he, teleported to this new World, was absolutely nothing compared to her... All this had pissed him off. He couldn't manage his emotions properly when they exploded. He had been like that since he was a child and he couldn't do anything about it. He tried to calm himself down, to not let his emotions control him, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't control himself. Would he ever...?
He was jealous of Nyara and the fact that she was so strong, that she had power and that she was so much more of a "main character”. It was a stupid mentality; that was what Sahar thought. Yet that was how he had seen it. Now that his eyes had been opened, he noticed how far his stupidity had gone.
- …
Sahar was beginning to feel a kind of hatred for himself, but was it worth it? Wasn't he exaggerating? Wasn't he being too hard on himself...? Probably; but he couldn't ignore this feeling that was starting to eat away at him.
He clenched his lips as well as his fists and remained silent. The road he was taking was getting long, but it was when he looked up that he noticed that he had arrived.
A big house with two floors, very beautiful and vivid colors, a large area and an impressive garden. At home, it was called a rich man's house. All that was missing was a Jacuzzi and luxury cars.
- There are no cars, however, in this World. These are carriages, it seems, Sahar thought as she walked through the garden.
Even though Nyara seemed to be someone of some importance, the house did not look protected. Maybe Creel was the one standing guard, in case people were intruding...? But if that was the case, wouldn't Sahar be attacked? Sure, he was a bit of a "guest" right now, but after what he had done to Nyara.
- Unless......
...the girl didn't say anything?
What if Nyara hadn't explained the incident that had occurred? What if she hadn't told the other two about her "attack"? It was possible that the fox-girl had kept everything to herself.
But Sahar didn't like that.
When he had something on his mind, he liked to share it with someone he trusted. Sometimes he kept everything to himself, but it depended on the situation, on the seriousness of the matter. If Sahar were in Nyara's place, he would probably have explained, whether in detail or not, that she had been attacked... That her guest had attacked her. He wouldn't have liked to keep it to himself. However, not everyone reacted and thought the same way. He couldn't forget that. Just because he did it doesn't mean that everyone else thought the same as he did.
When he arrived at the front door, Sahar did not know what to do. Was he expected? Was he going to be greeted with a katana? Was Nyara even at home...? Too many questions! He would just have to apologize and see how the conversation would turn out. How Nyara would react and what decision she would make. All he wanted...
- …
He took a deep breath and tried to open the door.
It was closed.
He swallowed loudly and tried to calm himself. He didn't want to start going off the deep end... All he had to do was knock and wait for the door to open......
- ...... It's okay, Sahar......
So much stress for so little. The boy almost felt ridiculous. He brought his fist up to the door and knocked gently. He waited in front of it, his lips tight. The seconds stretched out like minutes. Sahar began to think that no one was really inside. However, even if Nyara hadn't returned, wasn't Az or Creel there? They hadn't left, leaving the house defenseless... Had they?
- ... I can wait for them here on the porch.
Sahar thought that was the best solution. What else could he do, anyway? He wasn't going to try to go home without permission: he might get the worst beating of his life when they returned. The boy had to do was wait for them.
- ... ?
As Sahar sat down, the door rattled as if someone had opened it. Sahar stood up and turned around, but saw nothing special. Was it open now? He slowly approached the door and touched the handle, his heart pounding. So they had waited to open it for him? He noted these questions in a corner of his mind as he opened the door. He entered in secret.
No one was waiting for him at the entrance.
- Who let me in, then... Az?
Since Sahar couldn't see Az, it was possible that he was standing right next to him, but without making a sound. Should Sahar call him, just in case...?
- ...... Az...?
- …….
There was still silence. Either Az wasn't around, or he wasn't answering.
But if that was the case, why do this? If that's the case, I'll have to be blameless. Let's look for Nyara, Sahar thought.
He closed the door behind him and walked down the rather dark hallway: the lights were not on. He didn't know how to turn them on, so he let it go. He could see pretty well anyway, despite the darkness. It was probably due to the windows letting some light in. Still, it was pretty dim. Sahar was heading for Nyara's room, where the girl might be resting. He felt he was being followed... watched, observed by someone.
- Maybe it was Az... Probably... Probably.
The boy wasn't totally convinced that this feeling was well-founded: he was probably just a little paranoid.
Sahar arrived in front of the girl's room. He swallowed and hesitated to open the door. It wasn't right to come in without knocking... However, he still had to talk to Nyara. Explain to her, try to make amends and maybe plan a relationship between them later...
- As long as I'm her friend, I'll be happy...
Sahar knocked gently on the door with his right fist and waited for an answer while twiddling his thumbs. After a few long seconds in the silence, the boy tried once again to call the girl.
But there was…
...no answer. Was she sleeping? He wouldn't check, so he could only hope that she was just in the living room. He continued to walk in the darkness in search of the girl with the fox ears. Sahar still hoped she was here... He arrived at the living room doors and took a deep breath. If she wasn't here, he would look in the other rooms, even the second floor if he had to; although he remembered that there was no access. Only Creel could go to the second floor. This had left a mark on Sahar, who still wondered why he was the only one who could go there.
Sahar took a deep breath of air while closing his eyes and pushed open the door. It opened to the living room, where there were five sofas, more or less all the same. They could all accommodate two people, or even three if they squeezed together. The light bulb that served as the only light in the room was threatening to break, but it was still holding and was giving off more light than it seemed to be able to. The walls were painted in a strange way that made the boy feel rather uncomfortable, even though he hadn't thought about it when he first came in. He looked at the couch where the girl had sat the last time, hoping to see her again.
And…
- ...... You came, didn't you.
Sahar bit his lower lip as he heard the voice. He thought he was ready, and yet he felt like running away... If he was here, having to apologize, it was because of that damn anger problem... That damn problem…
It was when he was 7 years old that he was told he had anger issues. When something doesn't go his way, he gets angry too quickly and explodes. A friend didn't want to play with him, so Sahar threw a huge tantrum... He is not violent generally, but when he explodes, he tends to become violent......
As he grew up, Sahar learned to calm down more and more, but when his emotions overflowed, he became too violent and sometimes he doesn't even remember what happened. Ever since he was a little boy, he liked things to go HIS way. He couldn't control himself and even now Sahar is struggling. He didn't want to get mad at Nyara or hit her, to hurt her.
Sahar just can't control himself, can’t control THEM. Despite his best efforts, he still finds himself...so pitiful.
Sahar, seeing the minty-haired girl in front of him, looked away from her: he didn't dare look her in the eye.
He was ashamed of himself. He knew that he was not totally responsible for this situation, but it was still his fault because he did not know how to control himself. He took some time before sitting down and remained silent. The silence was very awkward, both for the girl and the boy. What should Sahar say to break the mood? Should he try to make amends directly? Should he explain himself? Or should he ask how things were going? He lowered his head like a coward and preferred that Nyara call him out. That was the worst solution, but what else could he do…
- I'm really pitiful, Sahar thought.
The girl turned her head towards the boy before turning away again. Sahar felt rather bad about doing this, but he felt so oppressed that he couldn't do anything about it
- Are you going to say something, yes or no?
Sahar was startled and looked around to see where the voice was coming from. The way the man had spoken, it was...!
- You. think. standing. there. without. saying. anything. is. the. way. to. be. forgiven.? Ah. ah. ah.
Pretending to laugh at the end of his sentence, Creel openly mocked the fearful man who was no longer standing still. Sahar tried to retort, but the man was totally right. The boy took the opportunity to look at the man. His hair was a rather dark purple, although there were pink streaks at the end of his haircut. They were in spikes and reached the nape of his neck. He had a virile face and a muscular build. It was too far away for him to see his eyes, but it seemed to Sahar that they were a light brown, like milk chocolate. He must have been quite tall — something like six feet tall. He wore a string of pearls around his neck and on each of the pearls was engraved, but from where he was, Sahar could not understand them or even see them well. Sitting cross-legged, Creel was on the exact opposite side of the room from Sahar. He rested his head on his fist and stared at the boy with an almost undetectable smile. Sahar didn't know how old Creel was, but he had to be over twenty. In any case, he wasn't a teenager.
His gaze pierced Sahar's mind. The latter felt not only observed from top to bottom, but also judged. Creel was moving his foot weakly and steadily, but otherwise he was not moving at all. To return to what he had said before, the white-haired boy agreed with him. If he didn't say anything, he wouldn't move the conversation forward and he wouldn't be able to make amends. It was useless to stand there and say nothing, do nothing. He had to say the first word.
- ......
Nyara turned her gaze to Creel, not knowing what to say. She wanted to talk to Sahar, but no words came out of her throat. Why not? Sure, he was the one who had to apologize for his behavior, but she had been no better... She had almost skewered him, killed him on the spot. She had no right to be like that with a "guest"... Especially since......
- ... It's true.
Sahar broke the silence with two simple words. With his eyes fixed on the man in front of him, the boy finally decided to speak.
- We're in agreement.
- We are, yes, continued Sahar. I'd like to talk to Nyara, though. Alone.
Creel looked at the boy. While he was not in the best position, he dared to take such a tone?
- Funny, Creel replied. You. dare. to. talk. to. me. like. that. Are. you. crazy.?
- I-I'd just like to... talk to her alone…
He was already beginning to lose courage. The man sitting on the couch was... rather threatening, with such a look. Sahar had already taken a good beating from Creel, so he had no right to be overconfident. If he spoke badly, he would regret it with two good punches in the face... But he had to show that he was not afraid.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
- Even if my voice betrays me, it seems... he thought.
He couldn't entirely hide his inner fear. Compared to the two humans before him, he was a cockroach and they were monsters. Creel hadn't shown his Power yet, but Sahar was sure of one thing: he couldn't last two seconds against him. He felt it and knew it. Creel squinted slightly.
- And. why. should. I. leave. you. alone. with. Nyara?
- ......
Sahar just didn't want him to listen to their conversation. He wanted to make it up to Nyara by talking only to her. He was already rather embarrassed to do that in front of the girl, so if someone else joined in... No thanks.
- So...? asked Creel.
- ... That's between Nyara and me... Sahar said, unsure of his answer.
- How do I know you won't try to attack her again?
"He knows..." was the first thing Sahar thought. Nyara had probably told Creel and even Az about the incident. It was obvious, why wouldn't she have told him...? However, as he looked at the vixen, he noticed that she seemed surprised.
- But... ? she said.
- Yes. ?
- How do you know...?
This time, it was Sahar who was surprised. She seemed surprised that Creel knew what had happened a
a few hours ago. So...... it meant…
- I didn't tell you, though…?
Sahar was stunned to learn that Nyara had kept it to herself. Why? She could have totally told the others, just to explain the situation... so…
- I. just. followed. you. I. almost. stepped. in. by. the. way. You. hit. him. hard. ah. ah. ah.!
- Shut up... Nyara grumbled, genuinely annoyed.
The girl was not amused by the purple-haired man's words. He stopped laughing without removing his mocking smile. He turned back to the boy.
- I. just. want. to. be. clear. about. one. thing.
- ......
- Despite. appearances,. do. not. think. of. me. as. a. bad. person. I. like. to. make. fun. sometimes. but. I. am. not. mean. By. that. I. mean...
- ......?
- Don't make me be mean, Sahar.
Suddenly, Creel spoke normally. While he was just talking with pauses between almost every word, he had just dropped a threat in a terrifying way. He looked up at the boy. He was completely contradicting himself. Sahar didn't understand his personality.
- I have no reason to hurt you or hate you if you have a good relationship with my Nyara, ahah, he said.
- Creel... Nyara warmed up.
- It's okay, it's okay.
He stood up while waving his hand and walked away from the couch to the exit door. He looked at the boy once more and stared intently before leaving the room, humming. Sahar closed her eyes and sighed.
- I said I'd like to be ALONE with Nyara.
He blurted out the words, but…
- Oh, I've been found!
... a voice answered from nowhere.
Az laughed.
- So I'll leave you alone, hehe!
- Azgoria, don't listen at the door, please.
- Oh, they call me by my full name now? It's... it feels weird, but I like it!
He left the seat with a chuckle that made the girl smile. She shook her head in despair and turned back to Sahar as the door closed. The boy wanted to speak, but his throat suddenly tightened. He had acted like a confident man, but his stress made him silent. He held his hands and forced himself to start the conversation. Now that the other two were gone, this was no time to panic! He had to make amends and explain to Nyara why he had been so aggressive...!
However, he still couldn't talk. He thought he was so pathetic.
- You don't know what to say either... ?
Nyara was the first to break the silence. Sahar looked up and smiled weakly.
- I know what to say... I just don't know how to say it, he replied awkwardly.
The girl smiled, blowing out her nose, and put both hands on her thighs. Silence returned to the room and settled again between them. The boy, not wanting to fall back into the same situation, preferred to say something, even if it was nothing.
- I…
- ... ?
- …
- ......
He just wanted to make amends.
- I'm sorry, Nyara.
And he was going to apologize all the way.
The girl looked up and stared at the boy with a touch of astonishment. She blinked several times before answering, embarrassed.
- Me... me too, Sahar.
And she apologized too. The boy wasn't sure why she wanted to apologize too, so he asked her. She smiled weakly.
- I... I almost killed you, ugh... My reaction was... was over the top, she replied sincerely.
It was true that wanting to kill him just because he almost hit her was over the top, but he half deserved it.
- You don't... n-not really have to apologize, though... Sahar let out, scratching her cheek.
- I think I'm the one who should really apologize.
- But I'm the one who almost hit you for nothing!
- For... nothing...?
- Yes, for-
- Still, I understand.
- ………. What?
Nyara correctly put back a lock of hair that was falling in front of her eyes and stared at Sahar with a serious look. The boy didn't know what to say and didn't even understand the meaning of Nyara's sentence. Understand.... what? Did she know about Sahar's explosiveness problem? No, it wasn't possible... The boy kept his gaze on the girl and waited for her next words.
- I can understand... why you were so upset, she said. I... I told you we'd go see if you had a Power. I told you that everyone has it, well, almost.
- ......
- I made you think you had one, when after three exercises, it already felt... dead. I... I just wanted to check as far as possible to maybe still find something... But, even after all that, we found nothing in you. I felt a little bad.
- ...... You shouldn't-
- I made you think you had a Power, and your disappointment must have been just... gigantic. I get it. Then maybe I was the one who deserved to get hit.
- What are you talking about?!
Sahar shouted as he got up from the couch without averting his gaze. He straightened up and clenched his fists as he saw that he had just spoken in a high tone, but he couldn't accept that Nyara could say such things.
She spoke as if it was HER fault, when it was Sahar who had come to make amends. She had nothing to blame herself for, even though she had almost cut him to pieces. She had warned him and protected herself from Sahar. It was an overreaction, but it wasn't as bad as what the boy had done. He moved a little closer to Nyara, but kept his distance: he didn't want Az and Creel to come back and tear him apart.
- You didn't do anything wrong! I'm the one who's totally responsible for this situation! I almost hit you, while you "saved" me and welcomed me here! All this... All this for nonsense!
- Even! I should never have been so violent with you, that's all!
- It doesn't change the fact that I almost hit you for nothing!
- It's not nothing, to have made you hope for so much...!
- ... It's mostly because I have an anger problem that I almost hurt you.
- And it is me who provoked it, this anger!
They did not stop. One wanted to be right, the other wanted to be right. They both wanted to be forgiven by the other, feeling guilty about the situation.
Nyara felt guilty for giving Sahar hope.
Sahar felt guilty for wanting to hit Nyara.
The girl had also stood up, starting to get a little angry.
- I don't see why you can't accept my apology! she let out.
- And you, why don't you accept mine?
- Because you do not have to apologize! I want you to forgive me!
Sahar wanted to continue, but he stopped. His throat tightened when he saw the girl's face.
Small tears formed at the edges of her red eyes.
When she saw the boy's expression, she opened her mouth wide and rubbed her eyes.
- ... Let it go, I've already forgiven you... she said, dropping onto the couch.
- ......
She pouted as she lowered her gaze, fleeing Sahar's. The boy sat down next to her and looked the other way. He didn't know how to respond to this.
- ……….
There was silence again, but not for long.
- Then I forgive you too.
Because Sahar broke it again. The girl looked at him, her eyes still expressing her sadness. The boy's mind seemed to be elsewhere, his eyes fixed on the ground, but he was definitely on the ground.
- If you think you're so wrong, then I forgive you completely.
- ... Thank you.
- But on one condition.
The girl looked surprised and waited for his next sentence.
- I would like to try to become friends.
- Sahar, for trying to hurt Nyara, I'm forcing you to be friends with her and let her be your friend too.
This was the "punishment" that Tadda had offered him. However, just because he had ordered him to be friends with Nyara did not mean he wanted to be friends with her. He just wanted to. It was his heart that had decided it in the meantime.
And Sahar would do anything to be her friend.Only, he had to see if Nyara would be willing to be his friend
- ... Mph.
The girl turned to the boy, a big smile on her lips. Her eyes sparkled and you could see little stars shining warmly inside. She was so much prettier when she smiled, the boy thought as he imitated her.
- I'd love to have a friend! she said with a beautiful smile.
- I'd like to have a friend too, hehe, said Sahar.
Seeing that she was showing her "weak" nature, Nyara stepped back a little and coughed. She looked more serious and raised her index finger to the sky.
- Um hum, however, don't think we're really going to be friends so soon!!! she said, trying to be as serious as possible.
- It seems logical to me. I will prove to you that I am worthy of your friendship.
Sahar let a smile appear and did not hide his amusement. He was serious, however, about proving to Nyara that he would be a good friend.
- If not, I'll just kick your ass, heh!
And with that, Nyara and Sahar laughed together, forgiving each other.
- So is it good? asked Az.
Creel nodded.
- It looks like they made up, he replied.
Azgoria smiled, looking at the living room door. He turned on his heels and walked away. The purple-haired man watched him go, squinting.
- ......
Az stopped, feeling a look on him, but he didn't turn around and continued on his way after a few seconds of pause.
- He'd better be worth it, Az, Creel murmured, moving away from the door as well.