Return of the Mythic Bloodline

"Lady Ruru? Is she talking about the same Ruru?" I thought, then I spoke, "So that snotty brat finally took some time off fer me,eh?"

I moved to the other door of the room, and as I opened it, sunlight fell on my face. It was the first time I had seen sun in this world. The two moons still glowed faintly in the sky. I thought days never dawned here.

I was at a balcony. I walked to the railing and looked down, realizing I was standing in a towering castle in the middle of a grand city. The streets were completely crowded with thousands of people looking up at me. The moment I reached the railing, the people's cheer filled the entire city.

"Happy birthday, Lord Jambavan!" they shouted.

It wasn't just people with beast-like appearances that were present, there were humans as well.

I waved my hand at them and then, clearing my throat, I shouted, "Ehem ehem—Thank ya all fer yar damn wishes. Today's gonna be a grand feast till midnight, so let the world know how we of the Jambavan tribe celebrates."

The crowd roared in response,

"Long live Lord Jambavan!," they sang in unison.

After waving for a few seconds, I turned and moved back inside.

"Is it alright ta celebrate in times like these," Varena asked as she took off my coat from behind.

"That's more o' the reason fer this feast. If we show any weakness now, folks'll become restless," I replied in a serious tone.

With a little knock, a voice came from the door,

"Lord Jambavan, lady Ruru has arrived and requesting for your presence."

"Alright, I am coming," I said opening the door.

There was a massive hallway with dozens of rooms, each guarded by two people in knight armour.

I moved past them, followed by the two knights who stood by the door of my room, walked down the stairs, and reached an extravagant hall with golden and silver decorations. In the middle, sofas were laid in an L shape, and a woman in black was sitting on one.

"Oy snotty brat, you look even more skinny now. Does yer peole ain't feed you or somethin'," I spoke in a sarcastic voice sitting beside her.

"Is this how you greet a friend you meet after five years," she replied sipping from a cup of tea and continued, "Well, what can I expect from a muscle-head who named his territory after his own name."

She was wearing a single-piece, tight black dress, thigh-length, clinging to her skin.

She wore a black bracelet on her right hand, with which she sipped the tea, and a matching necklace embedded with black gems.

She had the face of a woman in her early 30s. Two small oceanic-blue antlers were coming out of her forehead. Her starry eyes gleamed with the lights in the hall, and similar to Jambavan, she also had animal ears on her black-haired head—the only difference was that her ears resembled those of a deer.

Woah, she looked so beautiful and stunning. I never imagined she had a human form—and she could speak too. I wondered why she didn't talk to me or take this appearance in front of me.

"Hah! I ain't into complicated stuff like namin'," I replied, picking my nose with my pinky.

"You can at least have basic manners. Can't you see I am drinking tea here?" Ruru replied, her voice getting sharper.

"Why the hell are ya frettin' so much? It ain't like I threw this booger into yer tea," I replied, rolling it with my fingers.

"What the hell, man? Stop this shit! I'm getting second-hand embarrassment here," I shouted inside my mind with frustration.

"Ughhh, you are gross," she said, putting down her tea with disgust and spoke further,

"By the way, you turned one hundred and thirty-two today. How much longer are you going to live, old fossil?"

"Like yer the one to talk. You ain't no young as well—only a year or two younger than me," I replied, throwing the booger into her tea.

A sudden punch landed on my face as she snapped, "I am five years younger than you, bastard."

"Aghh, yer broke my nose. Yer lookin' fer a fight or somethin'? I'm always ready," I muttered, holding my nose with one hand while clutching the other into a fist.

"Oy Jambavan, who's that kid?" Ruru asked, pointing at Vani who was staring at her through the gap between the stair railing.

"Hehe~! That's mah lovely daughter. Ain't she adorable?" I boasted, grinning with pride.

She didn't respond. After a little pause, I spoke again,

"Oy snotty brat! Why ain't ya sayin' somethin'?"

I turned and looked—she wasn't on the sofa.

"What's your name, cutie?" Ruru asked, already sitting on her knees beside Vani.

Huh! When did she reach there? I startled from her sudden movement.

Meanwhile,Vani stood up and, in a straight posture, announced in a sharp voice,

"Ah'm the daughter o' the God o' Strength and the princess o' the Jambavan tribe. Mah name's Vani Jambavan."

"Oy Jambavan! How-how could a brute like you have a daughter this beautiful," Ruru gasped, raising Vani in her arms.

"Hehehe~! Because she carries mah genes," I replied, my nose getting longer with a sense of achievement.

"Hah! Do you even realize how contradicting you sound right now?" she scoffed, then turning to Vani, she asked, "Do you know who I am, Vani?"

"Yeah, I know. Yer the God o' Protection and leader o' the Antlers tribe, snotty brat Ruru."

Ruru gently put her down and with a warm voice, she asked, "Did your father tell you about me?"

"Va-Vani, you ain't be answering that!" I stammered, my voice carrying a hint of fear.

"Yeah, papa told me that amongst the four Beast Gods, you throw the most tantrums and always cry fer every little thing," Vani replied, tapping her head with her finger, recalling what her father said.

"Oh, is that so?" Ruru replied calmly.

"I should get out o' here," I mumbled, taking secretive steps outside.

But as I was moving, my stomach hit something.

It was Ruru's head. She stood in front of me, her body pulsating with energy.

"Oy snotty brat, you shouldn't take a kid's word fer real," I muttered, softly touching her shoulders.

"You–you bastard! How–how could you! You ruined my image in Vani's mind," Ruru grumbled, her voice beginning to crack.

"When did—awaaaa...—when did I throw a tantrum?" Ruru sniffed, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Oh my god! She looks so cute right now. You muscle-head Jambavan, how could you make her cry? I just want to hug her right now," I growled inside my mind.

"Yer throwin' a tantrum right now," the words left my lips as I muttered, scratching my head.

"This stupid mouth of mine. Why can't I control it," I screamed inside from the frustration.

"Oii snotty brat, I wanna ask what's exactly the reason of yer comin' here. I ain't believe you visit after all these years only to wish me b'ddy," I spoke, trying to change the topic.

"Yeah, I do have—sniff...—have another purpose of my visit," she replied, clearing her tears and continued, "Queen Gumiho has summoned us."