Chapter 21 - Traitor

After a few hours, Yana was discharged and called her parents to inform them of what had happened.

They were very worried and immediately went to the hospital to see her. Before they went home, she visited Lexa in her room. Lexa's condition was the same; she hadn't woken up, and Yana still felt guilty about what happened to her.

Only one person was allowed inside the room, so it was just the two of them. Yana took a chair and placed it beside Lexa's bed, holding her hand.

"Lexa, please wake up. I'm sorry you got involved. And about your question... honestly, I don't know how to answer it. Wait for me in the dream world... I'll think about what to say to you when we meet again." Yana said, and then she said goodbye before leaving the room.

When they got home, Yana was still sad. She was worried about Lexa and wanted her to wake up.

"Daughter, don't worry too much. Maybe you're getting sick from worrying too much. Take care of yourself." Her father said while they were sitting on the sofa in the living room.

"Yes, Dad," Yana replied.

She was tired and didn't feel like talking. She decided to go to her room and skipped dinner.

"Eat first, daughter. I cooked so we could have dinner together." her mother said.

"I'm full, Mom. I'll just stay in my room." Yana replied.

"Sis, do you want me to bring you some food to your room?" her younger brother Samuel asked.

"No, I'm really full and I just want to rest." Yana said and went to her room. They understood and let her be.

When Yana entered her room, she threw herself onto her bed and stared at the ceiling. She recalled how she first met Qrolo and all the things he did for her.

How Qrolo always came when she needed help, and how just being with him made her incredibly happy.

In the short time she knew him, she tried to pinpoint when she started liking him, but she couldn't. All she knew now was that she was sure of her feelings.

Due to exhaustion, Yana fell asleep. She found herself standing in the same place where she last spoke with Lexa, but Lexa was no longer there.

Like what happened when she was with Riyugi and Banki, her dream continued from where she left off and didn't take her to another place.

She returned to the healer's house, but Qrolo and the healer were no longer there. Only the healer was present.

"Where are they?" Yana asked.

"They left." the healer replied.

"Is that so." Yana said and left the house. She saw a lake and went there. The water was so clear she could see her reflection when she bent down.

There were many trees around, and the breeze was refreshing. She went under a large tree, sat down, and watched the peaceful sky and flocks of birds flying.

Suddenly, she felt someone sit beside her. When she turned to look, her eyes sparkled as she saw Qrolo, who was looking into her eyes and smiling.

She immediately hugged him, not understanding why her tears started to fall.

When Qrolo left the healer's house, he returned because he thought he might see Yana there again. Lexa had told him about Yana's disappearance.

Qrolo explained that it was because Yana's body had woken up in the human world. When he returned to the healer's house, he asked if Yana had been seen.

The healer said Yana had gone to the lake. So, Qrolo went there and saw Yana.

"Can you please stop crying? Every time we see each other, you're always crying." Qrolo said to Yana while she hugged him tightly.

"You're so annoying. Crazy!" Yana said irritably between sobs. She let go of the hug and looked up. Their eyes met.

"You're always in danger because of me. Please, don't do it again." Yana said, unable to stop her tears. Qrolo held her cheeks and wiped away her tears. Then he smiled at her.

"I told you, it's my duty to protect you and everyone in the dream world. I'm willing to risk my life." Qrolo said, still looking into her tearful eyes.

"You don't understand." Yana said, which puzzled Qrolo.

"What do you mean?" Qrolo asked. Yana looked down, and Qrolo waited for her answer.

"Because..." Yana couldn't continue. She was afraid to say how she truly felt.

"Because?" Qrolo asked.

"Just promise me you won't risk your life for me again." Yana said, looking up. Qrolo smiled and pinched her cheek lightly. Yana glared at him for doing that.

"I promise." Qrolo said, making Yana smile.

They returned to the house where Qrolo and Kenro stayed.

When they arrived, Yana couldn't bring herself to look Lexa in the eyes.

She still didn't know how to answer Lexa's question. Qrolo rested while Kenro went to the nearby town to visit his family.

Lexa and Yana were left alone. Yana didn't know what to say.

"About your question..." Yana began, and Lexa looked at her, waiting for her to continue.

"I don't think I can stay away from Qrolo. I don't know if he feels the same way about me, but until I know his true feelings, I can't leave him for you. I'm sorry." Yana said seriously.

Lexa just looked at her. After a while, Lexa approached and hugged her.

"It was just a joke, don't think too much about it. Do what you want. I'm here to support you as your friend." Lexa said and laughed a little. Yana felt relieved and smiled, hugging Lexa back.

Meanwhile, when Riyugi and Banki's wounds had healed a bit, they decided to return to the kingdom to inform the king of their failure in their mission.

The Venera greeted Riyugi and Banki and bowed as they arrived.

The guards did the same and they immediately went to the king's throne to report their failure. The king was very angry and slapped Riyugi hard.

"You're worthless!!" the king shouted angrily.

Riyugi bowed his head and accepted all the harsh words from the king.

"My king, it's my fault. I was a burden on our journey, which caused us to fail our mission." Banki said, kneeling in front of the king to apologize.

"You're another useless one!" the king shouted and kicked Banki, causing him to fall from his kneeling position.

Riyugi was shocked and felt a deep anger towards himself. He blamed himself for their failure, feeling that his strength was not enough and that he was weak.

"Remember, Riyugi. If it weren't for me, your life would be meaningless! You wouldn't have any respect or value from the Ronoru! I gave you worth, and this is how you repay me? By failing me? You're truly worthless!" the king shouted angrily at Riyugi.

"I'm sorry, my king. I will try again and promise that I won't fail again." Riyugi said and knelt before the king to ask for forgiveness.

"Get out of here, take that useless Venera with you, and don't come back until you succeed in your mission!" the king ordered angrily.

"Venera, drag them out of my kingdom." the king commanded. The Venera had no choice but to follow the king's orders. They dragged Banki and Riyugi out of the kingdom.

"Leader, I'll go with you." Hinami said worriedly.

"Don't get yourself involved. I promise we will succeed." Riyugi said.

"Tsk... It's a shame you didn't die when I poisoned the rope." Vlad said mockingly, one of the ten Venera.

"You shameless traitor! So you're the one who betrayed us, Venera!" Banki said angrily, about to charge at Vlad, but Riyugi stopped him.

"Enough, Banki. Let me deal with him when we return to the kingdom." Riyugi said sharply, glaring at Vlad.

It was then that Riyugi learned there were four Venera who sided with Vlad. Vlad had long been jealous of Riyugi because Riyugi was chosen as the leader of the Venera.

He wanted to be the leader of the Venera and surpass Riyugi in strength.

"Go ahead, try me! With the king's current anger, you're just another worthless creature. Leave now, you're worthless. And you won't be able to come back here because I'll make sure I become the leader chosen by the king." Vlad said arrogantly.

"You shameless!" Hinami said, siding with their leader, Riyugi.

"You can't do anything more. Let's go and do our duties in the kingdom. Leave those worthless ones behind." Vlad said authoritatively.

Hinami, Gozu, and two other Venera remained loyal to Riyugi, but they couldn't do anything as they were bound by the king's orders.They simply assured Riyugi of their complete trust that their leader could accomplish their mission, and they would await the day of their return.

Now the group of Venera was split into two, with five betraying their leader. Meanwhile, five remained loyal to Riyugi.

Riyugi and Banki had no choice but to leave to restart their mission. Meanwhile, Riyugi couldn't shake off the thought of Yana returning to protect them from the old man, Derum, who was ready to end them.

He couldn't explain it, but it seemed like he wanted to see her again and thank her for her kindness to both of them.