Chapter 76 - Couple

Aries felt a little dizzy and swayed but he remained standing. He was somehow waiting for it to happen since they started walking around the perimeter of the sanctuary. However weak his body was at the moment, he could still rely on his senses.

Two people were stalking them. They were radiating a faint aura that was not that threatening and, judging by the calm reaction of the princess after his head had been hit, the accuracy of his senses was probably correct.

Aries turned to look at the person who had hit him. A man, probably in his mid-forties and an inch or two shorter than Aries, was holding a sturdy branch. A woman was standing beside him. They were both terrified because Aries was still on his feet despite getting hit at the back of his head.

The man quickly dropped the branch he was holding, knelt in front of Aries, and cried, "Forgive me! I was wrong! I should not have done that! I… I was just…"

"We were afraid that you will notice our presence!" the woman also dropped on her knees. "We don't want to kill you. We only want enough time to leave this area. Please, don't kill us."

The two lowered their head on the ground.

"Aries!" Gust jumped out of a vortex right next to him while Cari appeared on his other side through a thick mist.

"No one will move!" Aries yelled before Gust and Cari could hurt the couple kneeling in front of him. "It's only a misunderstanding," he quickly explained.

"Your head is bleeding," Cari was staring at the back of his head with concern.

"I'm fine," Aries knelt in front of the couple. "Get up on your knees. I'm not angry."

"Sir Aries?" the man looked up at Aries with a spark of hope in his eyes. "You are Sir Aries Del Luna? The Zodiac Knight?"

Aries blushed and was too embarrassed to reply.

The man grabbed his hands while the woman lowered her head on the ground.

"Sir Aries!" the man cried. "Please, help us! The House of Goat is in grave danger!"

Aries glanced at Cari who quietly stepped behind him. She was trying to hide from the couple as if the two had not already seen her.

"Get up," Aries urged the couple. "Let's talk by the bonfire."

"Let me heal your wound, Sir Aries," the woman quickly rose to her feet.

"Don't worry about it," Pieffer smiled. "I can heal him."

"Now that there is nothing to worry about, I'll return inside the house," Cari stepped away from them.

"Stay," Aries commanded. "You should also hear them out."

Cari rolled her eyes and followed Aries.

They settled around the bonfire in silence. Aries handed each of them a grilled fish.

"We need a few glasses of juice. Where is Gale?" Aries inquired at Gust.

"He is already drunk with the others," Gust got up on his feet and walked towards the house. "I'll get the drinks."

"Don't get drunk," Aries teased.

"I will only get drunk with you," Gust waved a hand before opening the main door.

"I heard that everyone from the House of Goat is dead," Aries glanced briefly at Cari then asked the couple. "How did you escape?"

"There are more people from the House of Goat that avoided being turned into a puppet," the man answered. "We are scattered all over Serestral. My wife and I entered this forest and decided to stay here for good."

"What is wrong with living inside a wooden vessel?" Cari could not stop herself from talking. "You will live for a longer time. You will no longer be a vulnerable creation. You can stay up all day without getting hungry or sleepy. You will not bleed. You will not feel pain…"

"That's not true," the woman cried. "A soul can still feel pain. When those dolls took away the souls of our family and friends, most of them went crazy. Living like a puppet instead of a human gave them more agonizing pain. Though you won't feel physical pain, their freedom had been taken away. And… women… cannot get pregnant…" more tears poured from her eyes when she added, "I… I was pregnant at that time. My child... I don't want my child to die like the other unborn children left in their soulless mother's womb. My husband and I… ran as fast as we can to escape those evil dolls. Our feet brought us to this place… b-but I bled along the way and I… I eventually lost my baby…" she cried harder and her husband put both arms around her with tears in his eyes.

"Here," Gust returned and handed two cups of tea to the couple. "It will help you calm down."

"Thank you," the husband took the cups and helped his wife sip some tea. "We've been living in this forest for years. We find this place peaceful. We don't want to leave. Seeing you here… threatened us…"

"You don't have to feel threatened," Gust reassured the couple. "We can co-exist in this forest. You can even live in this house."

Aries was once again surprised.

"This house will be empty for a long time," Gust explained with a smile upon seeing the shock in his eyes. "Someone needs to take care of this place."

"Thank you for your kindness," the couple lowered their head on the ground.

"Stop doing that," Aries tried his best not to sound commanding but failed entirely.

"Forgive us, Sir Aries!" the couple straightened their back with fear.

"What he wants to say is you should stop fearing us," Pieffer explained in his stead. "We are not going to harm you. We are a family here."

"Thank you…" the couple cried once more.

"Family? I don't think so," Cari rose to her feet and finally gained the courage to admit the truth. "I created those dolls and put human souls into them. I am the one who caused you sufferings and grief. You lost your home and your child because of me. How can we be a family?"

There was a deafening silence as the couple contemplated.

"Hey, is that how you ask for forgiveness?" Aries decided to break that awful stillness.

"We understand," the woman voiced out with a sad smile. "We also have our faults. House Leader Cari only wanted what is best for the House of Goat and its people. We had forgotten to take care of our home. We become selfish and, for that, we should be punished. I can accept death but not becoming a puppet."

"I will reinstate the barriers around the House of Goat," Cari promised, surprising everyone. "I will destroy all my puppets and free the souls I imprisoned inside them. You can return there and live in peace. While waiting for it, you should stay here and guard this house."

"Thank you, Lady Cari," the couple bowed to her.

"There is no need for that," the Goat House Leader had said and glared at Aries. "This is how I ask for forgiveness."

Everyone smiled.

"Hello!" Siorre walked out of the house. Lira was right next to her. "Pines told me that you are having a great time here."

The newly arrived couple settled near Pieffer.

"I'm glad that I brought Lira with me. She can relax here for a while," she winked at the Scale House Leader.

"This is Gust," Aries tapped his brother at the shoulder then he transferred his gaze at the Goat House Leader. "And this is Cari. They are both Zodiac Knights."

"The couple here is Mr. and Mrs. Cole," Cari pointed at the couple they met in the forest.

"Hi!" Siorre waved a hand at them. "I'm Siorre, Scorpio House Leader. And this is my girlfriend Lira. She is the Scale House Leader." 

Lira blushed as Siorre wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Nice to meet you," Gust handed sticks of grilled fish and cups of tea to the two ladies. "Enjoy your stay here in our sanctuary."

"We will," Siorre took a bite at the grilled fish with enthusiasm.

Lira remained silent but her sparkling eyes and wide smile were enough to tell them that she was also enjoying the food, the place, and the time with her dearest companion.

An hour later, Leon arrived. He sat by the bonfire, ate a few grilled fish, and drank a few glasses of juice. He had a few wonderful stories to tell about the House of Lion. He would have told them more but he suddenly stopped upon learning that Sunrei and some of the men were getting drunk inside the house. He quickly bid farewell to the bonfire group and rushed towards the drunken group.

Not long after Leon had left, Gin-Ren and Shaman Mina arrived. They settled by the bonfire for only three hours. Shaman Mina was so strict with Gin-Ren's training that she only allowed a short visit.

"Dawn is already breaking," Gust got up on his feet. "I'll sleep inside the house. Mr. and Mrs. Cole, you should also get some rest."

The couple rose to their feet and followed Gust inside the house.

"I'll bring Lira back to the House of Scale," Siorre waved a hand then broke a transport bracelet.

"I'm also a bit drowsy," Pieffer yawned.

"Me too," Aries held Pieffer's hand. "Let's sleep."

Pieffer only smiled and they walked towards the house hand in hand.

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