She Belongs To The Devil

The Heavenly Mother joined everyone else in the living room. She glanced at Tobias. He looked happy as he conversed with Ariel.

She would have loved to give him more time. But she didn't want to be gone from Heaven for too long. And she didn't want Tobias' father to send someone looking for him either.

So she asked her grandson, "Tobias, I think it's time that we return."

"Returning already?" Ariel pouted a little upon hearing that.

The Goddess glanced at Tobias and said to Ariel, "I will bring him back if he wishes to meet you again."

Ariel looked at Tobias with expectant eyes and a smile on her face.

Tobias put the teacup down on the table and cleared his throat. And he spoke as if he was still not sure about meeting again, "Let's see. I will first have to make sure that my schedule allows me to come by."

Ariel squinted her eyes and playfully said, "Cousin, I know that you aren't that busy to not even have an hour or two in your hand. Just come by. We can meet somewhere outside of Wyverndale if the barrier is what's stopping you."

Tobias wasn't giving an answer.

So, Ariel further said in a whisper, "Well, if you don't want to ask granny to set up a meeting for us every time you want to meet me then I can ask granny to lift the barrier. Then you can come by–"

Tobias furrowed his brows and instantly denied in a stern voice, "No! You shouldn't lift the barrier just so I can come by whenever I please. Others can also do that!"

"Oh!" Ariel giggled and said, "You sounded just like my father there for a second."

"No, I didn't." Tobias looked away from Ariel while frowning. He didn't like being compared to a fallen angel.

Ariel couldn't stop smiling because she had found another cousin who acted as protective towards her as Ramon did towards her and Niylah.

She shifted a little closer to Tobias. She hugged him again and said, "Come visit me soon, Tobias. We still have so much to catch up on."

Tobias awkwardly gave a few pats on Ariel's head and replied, "Yes, we still have a lot to catch up on. I will come by."

After saying his goodbyes to Ariel, Tobias also bid goodbye to everyone else.

The Goddess also said her goodbyes to her grandchildren. And she disappeared along with Tobias.

She took Tobias back to the place where she had found him earlier – on the surface of the ocean which was now far behind the Endeavor.

She looked at her grandson's face and asked him even though she knew the answer, "So, did you get the chance to challenge Ariel for a duel?"

Tobias lightly rubbed his thumb on the knuckle of his other hand and answered, "I… forgot." He took a deep breath in and said firmly, "I will challenge her the next time we meet."

The Goddess smiled knowing that whatever he just said was a lie. But she gave a nod and replied, "Sure. You can ask me to arrange a meeting when you want to meet her again."

She gently caressed his dark red hair and said, "See you in Heaven then, Tobias."

She disappeared the moment she said those words.

And Tobias kept on standing there in the middle of the vast ocean thinking back to the small talks that he had with Ariel.

He didn't realize it, but a subtle smile appeared on his face when he recalled those moments with his eccentric cousin.

All of a sudden, he frowned and questioned himself, "Why did I say that she shouldn't ask grandmother to lift the barrier though? Father would have been happy to know that the barrier was gone."

"Father…" he took a deep breath in again and asked himself, "What do I tell father? Should I report everything new that I discovered about Ariel to him?"

He got an uneasy feeling in his chest when he thought of doing that. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. And he mumbled, "I think I should keep everything to myself for now. I will report to him when I gather more information about Ariel."

After taking some time to calm himself down, Tobias also disappeared from the Earth realm.

---

It was already dark. Everyone had finished their dinner. And they were entertaining themselves.

Ramon and Niylah were in the sparring room. They were polishing their fighting skills by practicing them together. Zach was also sitting in the furthest corner of the sparring room and was keeping count of the scores for Ramon and Niylah.

Ariel and Kenneth were outside on the deck. They were standing by the railing of the ship. And they were busy staring at the reflection of the night sky on the relatively calm ocean.

"The tides are surprisingly low," Kenneth glanced at Ariel and asked, "You haven't done anything to keep the ocean calm, right?"

"Pfff…" Ariel knitted her brows together and shook her head. "I don't think that it is even possible. And even if it is, I wouldn't waste my energy trying to control something as vast as this ocean."

Kenneth simply nodded his head and went back to staring at the horizon. "The view and the company, both are perfect," he whispered.

Ariel sniffled and then rubbed her arms. The cold night breeze of the ocean was a bit too cold for her liking. "It would have been perfect if the breeze wasn't this chilling. I think I will catch a cold if I stay here for longer."

Kenneth smiled and said, "I know you won't catch a cold. But you look like you could use the warmth of the blanket. Shall we call it a night and head back to our rooms?"

Ariel swiftly nodded her head. "Let's call it a night."

The two of them then headed towards the floor where their rooms were.

And as they were walking, Ariel said to Kenneth in a soft voice, "Kenneth, if you… if you really wish to find out more about your birth parents, then I can ask granny again."

Kenneth gave a sad smile to Ariel. "I really appreciate it. But I am good for now." He looked at her and said, "If I ever get curious again, then I will ask you."

Ariel pressed her lips into a thin line and nodded.

They soon reached in front of their rooms. They both stood in the middle of their doors while facing each other.

Kenneth then asked Ariel, "Do you need anything? Water, snacks?"

"No, the shelves are full," she answered.

Kenneth forced a smile and said, "Goodnight then. Sleep tight."

"Goodnight, Kenneth," Ariel whispered with a smile.

Her eyes fell on Damien's aura at the end of the corridor and she suddenly asked, "On second thought, can I get an extra blanket? I am feeling really cold, I don't know why."

"Sure thing." Kenneth whooshed inside his room and came back with a blanket in his hand. "Here you go."

"And what about you?" Ariel asked him since he gave her his own blanket.

"I will ask the servants to get me another one," he reassured her.

Ariel took the blanket from him and said again, "Goodnight." She then turned on her heels and entered her room.

The lanterns in her room lighted up all at once.

When she heard the sound of Kenneth rushing away, she slowly opened her door and peeked. Damien's aura was hovering right in front of her.

So she opened the door wide and asked, "Come in."