Chapter: 18, Desire
Seeing Dain getting unconscious, everyone rushed to support him. The girls tried to pick him up but Lilith stopped them.
"Wait, let me clean him first." She said as her hands started to glow brightly in a slight blue color.
Dain's body also emitted a blue light as the impurities sticking to his skin and clothes quickly started to be dissolved and vanished into the air.
Soon, including his training outfit, Dain was completely clean. The foul stench dissipated leaving no trace of it.
As soon as the impurities were gone, Hestia picked him up on her back and said to Lilith, "We'll take him to his room since our tasks are already done."
Azaria and Penelope nodded and began to follow her on her way to Dainsleif's room.
Lilith didn't say anything since they had completed their tasks. The three boys just stood there and went back to their training.
Aldric just stared at Hestia's back as she was holding Dain. His heart burned and an incomprehensible feeling welled up. Was it jealousy, or was it unwillingness, or was it anger. His eyes clearly held disdain as it looked at the fading figure of Dain.
*
In the vast palace-like hallway of the training facility, a boy with brown hair was walking towards his room after finishing today's training. Sweat dripped down his skin as he was taking deep breaths. Now he wanted to just take a shower and sleep soundly.
He was walking through a corner when he noticed three figures hurrying toward somewhere. He could see that one of them was carrying a person on their back.
Among them, he noticed a figure who he could never forget, Azaria. She was hurriedly following the others as a rare expression of worry appeared on her face.
The day Duron got to know that Azaria had a flaw like that, he couldn't help but imagine the cute, shy and lovable girl doing those kinds of things, making those kinds of expressions.
Suddenly, a very exciting image of Azaria flashed in his mind. He shook his head trying to forget that image, but he couldn't.
Suddenly, he recognized the unconscious person Hestia beside Azaria was carrying. It was a good looking guy with golden blond hair, Dainsleif.
Seeing him, all of his excitement vanished and a deep look of hatred appeared in his eyes. Why was she still caring for him when she knows that he can never reciprocate her feelings? Why can't she see that he loved her? He can love her more than that guy ever could, so why?
During the recent days, Duron has tried many times to win her affection. He fetched water for her, made her breakfast by his own hands and even offered to help her when she needed someone's help.
But what did she do? She rejected his water, rejected his handmade food to eat the cafeteria food and rejected him when he tried to help. Why can't she just move on and start a life with him?' he thought as anger burned in his heart, about to erupt but he controlled himself and decided to do something.
He… started to follow them. As they passed through corners and hallways, they soon reached Dain's room.
Entering his room, Hestia gently laid Dain on his bed. Azaria, knowing that they won't be leaving so soon, decided to lock the door, and in the process, she was seen closing the door by Duron, who was hiding in the corner, watching her every movement.
With resentment in his eyes, he left slowly as he couldn't do anything right now…
*
Inside the room, after Azaria closed the door, she looked back to see Hestia and Penelope sitting on both sides of the bed, their eyes locked at Dain's unconscious face, their eyes gentle but also sad.
They longed to touch him just once but were afraid of disturbing his peaceful sleep. Azaria went ahead and sat beside Penelope, looking at Dain's face just like them.
Azaria's feelings were too obvious. She has a strong urge to touch Dain, to feel his warmth, to know how firm his body is.
Penelope, on the other hand, was imagining a sweet and dreamy scene. In it, Dain was gently holding her face and petting her with a gentle smile. His face was close to hers as he gave a light kiss on her cheek. He looked at her lovingly as if she was the most important person to him.
Aside from that, she also imagined something that's way worse than the sweet one. Where he was abusing her, humiliating her and was treating her like an object. His face held no affection, what it held was nothing but mockery.
Tears flowed from her eyes as reality hit her hard. She knew that the dream where he loved her would never be true. The alternate one was worse but not unacceptable to her.
Hestia, aside from them, was feeling satisfied just watching his peaceful unconscious face. She still vividly remembered the wish the boy in her memories made.
"I want a future where I can live and die peacefully with the people I love."
This sentence rang in her mind as tears formed in her eyes, her eyes reddening. That same person might never be able to love anymore, but that doesn't mean he won't live peacefully.
She would do anything, endure any hardship that comes in her way and defy fate if necessary to give him that future he wished for.
To see him live that life, to see him smile at the peaceful time and to see him die with a smile, she would do anything. That goal is the thing her flaw and her existence longs for, and the longing she needs to fulfill.
She hesitantly moved her hands towards his. Hesitant but also excitedly, she held his hand and touched her face with it. This was a touch that her heart longs to get as a reward, the touch she won't need to steal and will be given to her willingly by him.
To be continued…