Raga of the Dry Branch 42: The story between and after (2)

Seeing their faces filled with shock, I smiled awkwardly.

“As I was being chased, my heart was beating loudly. All I wanted to do was live. Of course, I know that I can’t die anymore. But then, in that situation, I thought I was going to die.”

If things got a little painful, I would let myself go in the past. Because back then, there was no reason to be desperate to live, nor energy to survive, no reason to struggle.

It was a time when I thought that letting go of life would make things easy for me- that things would be convenient for me.

“I thought I was lucky to be alive. And I found that the regrets I had kept accumulating, so I guess I did give up in the past. But now, I think I know a bit of how precious time is.”

“The past seems like nothing much these days, but looking back, at that time, they were the most difficult times. But now, I want to spend more days like this. Thank you for rejecting my request to put me into eternal slumber.”

When I lifted my bowed head, all of them were looking at me with complicated eyes.

“I lost.”

Fay uttered a single word and smiled in dismay. Shang-di sighed and then touched my cheek as she said.

“If you say it like that, I can’t say anything more. Instead, I will say this. Never get yourself into anything dangerous.”

“Yes, this time it was a special case, but in the future, if anything happens, you should call for us right away. If you do it like you did this time and suffer alone again, I will scold you!”

“I am going to hit you!”

I kept nodding my head when I listened to Shang-di, Ren, Heli, Heli, and Juli.

I am a happy person now. The moment I whispered that to myself, I slowly was aware of the consciousness swelling up inside me.

Unknowingly I nodded my head, and soon I was dozing and Fay, seated next to me, put his hands on me.

As the pleasant scent tickled the tip of my nose, my craving for sleep grew strong.

“You must be so tired, come one, let’s get you some rest.”

“Yes.”

[Right, follow me. I will take you there. Only for today, I will let you hug me while sleeping as a means of destressing.]

“Okay.”

As I followed Poppy, who was leading the way, and Fay, who supported me, I suddenly heard a voice next to me.

It was calling for me.

“Al?”

“Huh?”

It was Juli who called for me.

The moment our eyes met, a smile was unbelievably friendly for a guy who has his kind of face.

With his eyes shining bright, he whispered to me.

“Have a nice dream.”