Souhait had found it hard to go back to sleep. The news about his location kept lingering in his mind. He also didn’t want to disturb Nova while he was asleep. All he could do was stare at the ceiling and think. He thought about his next move. He knew that he and Arcturus would have to leave here as soon as possible, but he also worried about Sophia and Murphy.
He didn’t know what sort of method the government would use to try and capture him. Would they send countless amounts of soldiers? Send out Shifties? Theoretically, he could destroy them all, but what about the people here? They would get harmed during the scuffle.
However if they were to escape, the government could easily figure out that Sophia and Murphy had hid him, so they would get severely punished. He didn’t want that; he also knew Arcturus wouldn’t want that. The only way they’d be safe from punishment was to take them along wherever they went. Having to travel as a large group was risky in itself. They were also elderly, so it would be another risk to take them along.
However, the biggest question is whether they want to come with us. They would be stupid for wanting to stay here, but also stupid for wanting to come along with us. Souhait started groaning as he sat up and started ruffling his hair. “Why is everything about this world so complicated now?”
He became startled when he heard the door unlock. Sophia and Murphy entered the apartment with somber looks on their faces, as if something unfortunate had turned up in their lives so abruptly. Souhait knew what was going on.
“Did you already figure out who did it?” He asked without any hesitation. He got out of the bed and took a few steps forward to approach them.
“Yes and…” Sophia sighed.
“Our suspicions were true,” Murphy continued for Sophia. “Arcturus also had his suspicions about Belinda and Miranda being the leakers and he’s right. They did it.”
“Figured.” He felt oddly proud of Arcturus being able to figure out everything.
“I just don’t understand…” Sophia murmured. “They were always so nice, so why are they doing this?”
“People cannot always be trusted. Even the nicest, most selfless people can have something within them. I know that sounds cynical, but that is what I have witnessed and experienced throughout my long life. Sure, there are genuinely kind people out there, like you two, but how can anyone know? People perceive others through a biased perspective.”
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
“What should we do? Now that they know, we aren’t safe. Normally, I thought I was fine with the idea of taking in whatever punishment the government would have for us, but after telling you the story of Virgo, I just can’t help but want to live. I don’t want to die.” Sophia was desperate for any chance of survival. Murphy gently held her shoulders
She held onto his hand and then looked at Souhait with fire in her eyes. “We want to see Virgo again. We can’t die here because of that.”
Souhait liked the look on both of their eyes. “Then, come with us, know that Arcturus will want to leave here as soon as possible and I predict that he has found ways to get us to safety.”
“We’d like to go with you, but our stuff will also be confiscated and burned to a crisp if we leave.” Murphy stated. “That’s another punishment for anyone who tries to protect fugitives.”
Souhait scanned the apartment. All of the items inside were old, but they do look well taken care of. He then noticed a small picture frame that was set down. He lifted it up to see a very old picture of Sophia, Murphy and a baby who is most likely Virgo. A small smile formed on his lips. “How important are these items to you?”
“They’re all important. It’s really hard to get furniture because garbage dumping is a competition in itself here in the Outskirts. Procuring all of these was a lot of work and I feel like it’d be a waste if we leave it all behind.”
Souhait understood the importance of items too. His eyes glistened as he hummed. He set the picture frame back on the stand it was on.“If they are that important to you, then I know a good way to store them.”
Murphy raised an eyebrow. “How?”
His current body belonged to Nova, so he touched the ends of his short hair and then stroked it to make it long. The golden hair changed to lavender as his appearance changed from Nova to Souhait. He felt the transformation too. He wasn’t that much taller than Nova, but he could still feel him growing slightly and his body becoming thicker due to having more muscle mass than him. His head felt heavier too. Once he removed his hand from his hair, he noticed the couple’s surprised expression.
He stroked his long hair. “Where I was from, dragons were known to be hoarders. The same does not apply to this world, so let me make that happen.” He took his hair with both hands and draped it over the set picture frame. When he sunk his hair into it, it disappeared, surprising the couple even more.
“My magic hair can also store stuff. If you like, I can store everything inside this house–even the food in the refrigerator–if you want! Let me know!” Seeing how they were speechless, Souhait felt like he needed to explain a bit more. “The items I stuff in my hair turn small and then they get transported into a special area in a special world in my dreams of sorts.”
They looked as if they weren’t convinced. Souhait only sighed as he took a deep breath and placed a hand into his hair to get out the picture frame that he had stored. This made the couple gape. Hoping that they were convinced, he put the frame back into his hair.
He placed a hand to his chest. “Do not worry. Your stuff will be safe in my hands.” The confidence he radiated from his declaration resulted in both Sophia and Murphy allowing to do as he pleased. This got him excited as he grabbed his hair.