76 My real name is...

"What do you think?" The dragon god asks her with an amused voice. "Was he fool to give his heart to the woman he loved?"

"If it was Kyo and me, I would have given the heart to him." She gives him a shrug. "I guess I also belong to the category of fools."

After she is gone, Aeis smiles and says, "You can't hide your presence well."

The darkness moves away from his body. The Dark God emerges near the closed door. "You shouldn't have told her."

"Are you embarrassed that she would think badly of you because you were used by a woman?" Aeis smirks at his closest friend. "Are you unhappy that she found out about your first love? She must be thinking that there was someone before her in your life."

The dark god doesn't miss the underlying meaning. "She means nothing to me. She is just my harbinger. I will take back my heart."

"You gave your heart to your first woman. Your second woman was born with your heart." Aeis shakes his head and chuckles. "You say that you pity her. I wonder if I should pity you."

The dark god scowls at him. "Are you done? Her soul will also get erased when she dies. If gods don't pity humans, then who will? You should be worried about your son who has a human mate."

Aeis' headache returns. There is only one human in his realm and she is his daughter in law. The entire empire will be in an uproar. On top of it, she is already carrying halflings. "Don't remind me of that."

The Dark God is happy to see his friend like this. "I am glad that the seer won't be following us in the future."

The dragon god watches his friend indignantly. "You gave that command intentionally."

The Dark God laughs. "I didn't like the fact that you lived peacefully for thousands of years. You hated humans the most."

***

Damin comes back to his room with an anxious heart. She's holding a pillow and sitting on the bed. He pauses, wondering whether he should go to another room. Then, his father has told him to take care of her. How does he take care of her?

He isn't moving from the doorstep. Deia's temper is high again. "Are you going to stand there all night?

"I am thinking about where to sleep."

The bed is big enough. What if he crushes her in his sleep? Should he make her sleep on the floor?

She shifts to one side of the bed. "Why are you being shy? We have already done what everything that a man and a woman can do. I am already pregnant with twins. Just come to bed. It's big enough for ten people."

Damin blinks in surprise. "You are...?"

He rushes to her and puts his hand on her belly. The sign of another life. Not one. But, two. Dragons don't get pregnant that easily.

"I will be a father?" He is having trouble digesting that part. Half-humans? He knows about dragons, but what can he do about half-humans? "Do you know about human children?"

"I know a bit." She doesn't know whether to laugh or cry after seeing his expression. She realizes that he is as shocked as she is, but he isn't unaccepting or hateful. He is just different.

"Tell me what you want to eat." He says suddenly, "I will bring it to you."

"You." She grins at him. She understands that they aren't in love. It will take a lot of time to understand each other. Perhaps, she can make this dragon fall in love with her.

He blinks at her. "Do human females need to eat males when they are carrying?"

She chuckles. She is getting the hang of it. "We need to get loved a lot."

"Oh." He gives her an understanding nod. "I will start loving you a lot then."

***

Kresi returns to the room where she left Kyo and Mogrok. She finds Mogrok sleeping on the ground. Kyo is nowhere to be seen.

"Why do I leave you with important tasks?" Kresi resists the urge of beating him up. She comes out of the room. "Where the hell did he go?"

After walking around for a while in the palace, she reaches the garden. She turns around when she feels a presence. She finds Kyo coming toward her. "Where were you?"

"I was looking for you." He runs toward her with a bright smile and sparkling eyes. "You are here."

It's already dark. There are only stars in the sky. Kresi and Kyo lay down on the grass, facing each other. There is a slight chill in the air. They hold each other to keep warm. Suddenly, he hears her mumble, "I already know a world without Kyo."

He looks at her strangely. "What are you saying?"

She comes closer to him and hugs him. He senses that something is not right with her. She raises her head and meets his lips. She kisses his lips gently for a long time.

Before this, she has never kissed him like this. There was once when she kissed him like a woman who fell into the temptation when she was drunk. Then, she gave him pecks and small kisses all the time as his sister. This is the first time when she is kissing him like she is trying to tell him something. Kyo can't understand the depth of her emotion. Her hot tears drop on his skin.

He cups her face. "Why are you sad?"

She doesn't answer him.

"Tell me." He is upset to see the sorrow in her eyes. "Are you hurt?"

Her smile can't hide her sadness in her heart. "I am not hurt. I just feel like crying."

"Something must have made you sad." Kyo is uneasy. "What is it?"

"Kyo, don't ask any question." She lays her head on his shoulder. "I just want to freeze this moment. This moment that belongs to you and me only. I want you to remember it. Just listen to me."

"I will remember it," He tells her softly.

"My real name is..." She pauses for a moment. "Before I came to this world and took the name that belonged to this body, my name was Ari. Takayama Ari."

"Ari," He whispers her name.

"Never forget."

"I won't."