If there was a particular smell Souhait hated, it would be the smell of the air on a hot, humid day. He had always found it a depressing, unpleasant stench. That was what he was smelling right now as he observed the memory in front of him. The air in the room that the Ras of this memory smelled that putrid stench. He looked gaunt and had a lethargic demeanor. He behaved as if his entire world had crumbled down and there was very little reason for him to move, let alone breathe.

All I wanted was to make Meb happy. I wanted to see her happy face when I brought him to Sirius. While she had been happy, her attention had been fixated on him and never once on me. Now, she’s gone because of him… why did I work so hard to bring him here if I was going to get ignored and lose someone important to me?

The way he was wallowing in despair and regrets made him look absolutely pathetic in Souhait’s eyes. All he could do was give him a smug smirk as he asked the current Ras, “How did it feel to learn that reality did not go as you expect? I bet you were expecting hugs, kisses and praises from your wife, yet she treated you as if you did not exist the moment Nova and I came into the picture.”

Souhait remembered it well. Mebsuta had treated Nova as if he was some holy being and paid zero attention to her husband and daughters. The look she had was one full of admiration and idolization. He had also sensed her family’s jealousy, which he had found understandable as he didn’t want this woman’s attention.

“You were worried that this strange man you brought to the isolated city would have stolen your wife given how she behaved towards him.”

“Any married man would worry.”

Seeing the present Ras’s disgruntled face gave Souhait some realization. There was nothing to be jealous about. Seeing that expression was proof that no one saw Nova for who he truly is. All they saw was an immortal being who can grant wishes and could be a bringer of destruction–a tool for their gain. It caused Souhait to chuckle because that thought applied to him too.

“There was no need to be jealous. Nova is not attracted to women sexually.”

Ras was shocked to hear this. “What? He’s gay?”

“In a way. While he chose not to date anyone due to his immortality, he does have an attraction towards men–handsome ones at that.” An image of Arcturus popped up in his mind. Arcturus’s face was in Nova’s strike zone.

“I didn’t know…”

Souhait poked a finger on Ras’s forehead. “That is because people do not see Nova for who he is, but only for what he does. Just like you. You only see Nova as someone who grants wishes and someone who makes your wife happy, but you barely know anything about him.”

Ras clammed up. When they both focused back on the memory, the silence was soon gone as the sound of tinkering caught the past Ras’s ears. When the tinkering stopped, the knob turned. The creaking noise of the slowly opening door had a young girl coming through.

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Souhait knew this girl to be Ras’s eldest daughter, Asteria Leonis. While she was seventeen years old, her height was much shorter compared to her younger twin sister and other female Ilacians, who were known for being much taller than their male counterparts. Her wavy platinum blonde hair danced with every step she took. Her pale blue eyes glared at the gaunt man in the room, signaling her less than good intentions on visiting her solitary father.

With his guard up, Ras asked, “Why are you here?”

Asteria gave no response as she took a step forward and pointed a gun towards him. The sight of it only caused Ras to squeeze out a scoff and a chuckle escaped from his throat. “I didn’t expect my daughter to be pointing a gun at her own father.”

“We’re only father and daughter by name. What have you done to warrant yourself as my father other than us sharing the same genes? You never raised us. You were never there for us in the most important aspects of our lives.”

“You do speak the truth…”

“The reason I am going to kill you here right now is to put you out of your misery.”

Ras raised an eyebrow. “That’s all? Surely, there’s more to it than that.”

Souhait saw Asteria’s grip tightening. She resumed speaking, “If anything, I am indebted to him. I hated Mother and now that he did what I couldn’t, I’ll help him by doing what he can’t–seeking revenge against those who wronged him. You are one of those who have wronged him, he said.”

Mebsuta did say that, while Asteria was talented in everything, she is easily swayed by others’ words hence why she’s not to be trusted because of it.

It made him scoff. “What a skewed sense of justice.” He stood up from his seat and approached his daughter. He leaned towards her and started whispering, “Are you really willing to abandon your family by listening to the words of a man you barely know?”

“I made my decision.”

“Very well, then.”

Ras grabbed the gun and pulled it towards his chest. He wasn’t afraid at all. Rather, there was a strong sense of certainty on his visage. “Do it.”

Once I die, I wish to be with Mebsuta…

The memory ended with the muffled sound of the pulled trigger once he had closed his eyes.

“So, is this why you said Asteria cannot be trusted? Because she is someone who gets swayed easily?”

“Yes. I don’t know how she is now, but I’m sure that she has her fair share of betraying due to her ever swaying convictions.”

“I see.”

When Souhait gazed upon Ras, he could sense a wish within him. He wanted to grant it, yet the owner of the wish was difficult to deal with. There was also an uncertainty within him as he had this inkling of a feeling that Ras might not want to have his wish granted. He needed to return to the Contract Room in order to find out.

“Now that it is over, let us return.”

A gray door appeared in front of them, as if it beckoned to Souhait’s call. He opened the door and entered with Ras following behind.