Return of the Mythic Bloodline

Unlike Ruru, who used long jumps to travel, Vyaghra was passing through the trees, pushing back their bark with his paws to launch himself forward like a bullet.

His speed was several times faster than Ruru's, and the air resistance from his extreme movement was so intense that my eyes were forced shut, and my skin felt as though it was being ripped off.

He maintained this intense pace for twenty minutes before skidding several feet to a stop.

"Why—huff... huff—did you stop?" I asked, taking heavy breaths after the crazy ride.

"We have... arrived," he replied, his voice tired.

"Already?" I asked, shocked, as I opened my eyes.

We were standing at the entrance to the Neutral Zone.

Leaning against the border trees, Jambavan and Ruru sat.

"Lon' time no see," Jambavan smirked, looking at Vyaghra.

He had transformed into the human form—the one that I saw in his memories. He wore a loose tunic, braies, and knee-length leather shoes. An eyepatch was covering his damaged eye.

However, Ruru was still in her beast form.

"You have turned into a weakling," Vyaghra replied, quickly shaking me off his back.

"Bwahahaha, look who's talkin'. Ya seem like ya would die by the flick of mah finger," Jambavan laughed heavily, pointing at him.

And without giving a break, he mocked further, "And have ya started providin' ridin' services as yer retirement plan—bwahaha— Tell me the fare, Ay would also like to get one."

"You don't need to fret. I can provide you a free ride to the afterlife this instant," Vyaghra responded, glaring sharply at him.

"Ahm afraid yer not qualified for the job," Jambavan shot back with his words.

"Haha~! You guys are pretty close," I interrupted, trying to calm the palpable tension.

"No! We are not!" Both of them shouted at the same time.

Before they could bicker further, Ruru got up and walked towards Vyaghra.

"Ahm! How—how have you been, Ruru?" Vyaghra spoke; his firm tone turned into hesitation.

Ruru, ignoring his question, pushed his belly with her antlers, taking him to the sides behind the trees.

"Did you just see what I saw? When did these two become so close?" I gasped, my mouth opened from the shock of what I just witnessed.

"Stop fretting over small things. Don't ya have somethin' urgent to do?" Jambavan replied, coming towards me with a smirk on his face.

"Something urgent? Hmmm..." I wondered, scratching my head. Then, with a sudden snap of my fingers, I exclaimed, "Yeah, you are right. I totally forgot that."

"So ya finally remembered, brat," he chuckled, his voice laced with pride.

"Yeah, I need to bathe in Amrita water right now," I replied, stretching my arms.

"Ya idiotic brat! Is that what ya were forgettin'?" he snapped, slapping my head.

"Aaghh! That hurts. Why are you hitting me all of a sudden?" I shouted back, rubbing my head.

He sighed in frustration as he spoke, "Yer a lost cause. Ya left a beautiful maiden waitin' and didn't even ask about her after comin' back."

"You talking about Nymeria? Isn't she inside? I was gonna meet her after taking the bath," I mumbled, looking down.

"Yeah-yeah, sure-sure, just go inside," he responded, clearly not believing me.

As I was about to move, he spoke again,

"Here, wear this. Yer lookin' like a beggar in those worn-out clothes."

He took out a pair of clothes from his tunic and handed them to me.

"Since I have returned, I wanted to ask this question. Where in the world did you find these clothes?" I pried, glancing at his outfit.

"It's thanks to a game Ay and Snott Maker played in our younger days. We stuffed a chest full o' clothes and other fancy trinkets, then buried it deep in the ground on mah land. We wanted to see how much the fashion would change when we opened it again," he replied, his face filled with a warm smile as he remembered the good old memories.

"Well, it sure came in handy," I grinned, walking inside the Neutral Zone.

Nymeria wasn't anywhere in sight. She might be inside the tree house, I thought.

I placed the clothes on the rock beside the pond and took off my jacket.

"You have returned?" Nymeria's soft voice came from behind.

"Did you miss m—" I was about to ask, but her appearance shook my very soul.

She wore a high-neck black dress that clung to her upper body and flowed like a shadow below the waist.

She took slow and delicate steps, reaching closer to me.

"You got hurt again," she whispered, rising on her toes as she gently touched the cut on my cheek with her hand.

My whole body was marked with countless slashes and dried lines of blood. They weren't deep, but as the line says, numerous drops can make an ocean. They looked absolutely horrible as well.

"Well, it was inevitable. Vyaghra is very strong," I murmured, rubbing the back of my head.

"Did you win?" she asked, her hand still on my cheek.

"I wouldn't be here if I hadn't," I chuckled, touching her hand with mine.

She raised her hand and flicked my forehead, then spoke—her voice turning firm,

"You seem fine enough to joke. Go take the bath, then we will talk."

She turned and walked inside the treehouse.

"I wonder what she wants to talk about," I muttered, touching my forehead.

Then I took off the rest of my clothes and jumped straight into the pond.

My injuries began to heal, and the extreme hunger I was feeling also started to fade away. So my assumption was correct—it does provide the fuel to move my body.

My eyes closed as the physical and mental exhaustion of the past few days caught up to me.

.

.

.

"Raj, you remember how you used to mock me by saying no girl was gonna like me because I behaved too much like an old man? Well, I've got bad news for you. A girl actually fell for me. She is very pretty and kind. Yesterday, I proposed to her for marriage, and you're not gonna believe it, but she actually said yes.

My marriage is set for next month. The home is once again filled with joy and laughter. A smile, though small, has returned to Mother's face as well. I have never been this happy before. She filled my heart with a pleasure that even the entire world couldn't offer.

But still...

Sniff... She couldn't fill the void left by you. I-I want to see that hilarious expression on your face—sniff...—when I take the marriage vows. I want to brag to you about it for the rest of my life.

So please—sniff... sniff—wake up, Raj.

Wake up.

WAKE UP.

.

.

.

"Wake up, Raj."

My eyes suddenly opened as I came back to consciousness. I was inside the Amrita water. Nymeria was sitting on the ground behind me. She held me by the shoulder, trying to wake me up.

"You've been sleeping here for hours. Come out, or you might catch a cold."