The Damned Demon

465  It Doesn't Change Who You Are

The ambiance of Ceti's recovery room was a gentle cocoon, swathed in the soft, healing scent of medicines, a stark contrast to the tumultuous events that had led them here. Asher, stepped into the space with worry and concern. He came alone since he wanted to make sure of some things before the others came in. Other than wanting to know if she was alright, he was greatly disturbed by the words Luna and Lupus said and if Ceti remembers any of it.

The sight of Igrid and the attending physicians, their mana flowing like a serene river around Ceti, provided a soothing bubble that enveloped Ceti's figure.

Upon seeing their king come in, the physicians, including Igrid, bowed deeply, "Your Majesty."

"How is she?" Asher asked with a concerned look as he looked at the peaceful face of Ceti sleeping.

He was relieved to see that at least all the injuries she suffered seemed to have healed. He wasn't surprised since she could naturally heal her injuries fast.

Igrid gestured at the other physicians to leave as he said with a reassuring smile, "Do not worry, Your Majesty. She is already recovered and fit as a wolf. We didn't wake her up because we wanted to remove the exhaustion from her body and make sure she would wake up revitalized. I can wake her up now if you wish to speak to her." His words, imbued with professional calm, promised a respite from the fears that had accompanied Asher into the room.

With a nod, Asher approached, his every step measured, as Igrid's practiced touch summoned Ceti back to consciousness. The gentle mana, a whisper of life's energy, coaxed her eyes to flutter open, heralding her return from the realm of healing slumber.

"I will be right outside if you need anything, Your Majesty," Igrid offered, his departure as discreet as his entrance, leaving Asher and Ceti enveloped in the fragile bubble of their reunion.

Ceti's awakening was a tumult of memory and sensation, the sharp recollection of her confrontation with the Moon Guardian sending her into a state of pain and near-death. Her eyes widened, and she sat up with a loud gasp, her body unconsciously tensing to fight.

Yet, Asher was there, his hands a calming presence on her shoulders, gently letting her lean back on the headboard and said, "Relax, Ceti. You are home and safe. We made it back thanks to you."

Ceti, caught between the fragments of her memories and the tangible reassurance of Asher's presence, found herself adrift in disbelief, "B-Because of me?" "Yes. I am also as confused as you. This is what happened..." Asher ventured into the recounting while feeling that Ceti really had no idea what happened just like he suspected.

As he spoke, the contours of reality shifted, painting a picture so surreal it threatened the boundaries of belief.

Ceti listened, her expression an image of evolving emotions. Disbelief and shock chased across her features, leaving trails of confusion as Asher's tale unfolded. The revelation of someone named Luna's existence within her and her relation with the Moon Guardian, seemed to defy the very laws of nature that governed their world and everything she believed.

"That...That can't be possible. Are you saying that a ridiculously powerful woman named Luna is living within my body, and she is somehow the granddaughter of the Moon Guardian and his successor?" Ceti's voice trembled with the weight of her denial, her mind grappling with the notion of harboring a presence so monumental and yet entirely unknown to her.

How could she not have known for all these years?

She also felt strangely overwhelmed that this Luna person was able to completely transform using her own body while she herself was unable to transform and always remained a half-cripple.

"I don't know the exact details. Only those two could know. But that is what I guessed," Asher admitted, his shoulders lifting in a half-shrug that betrayed his own uncertainty.

He then asked with furrowed brows, "Who is your father really, Ceti?"

Ceti's response, though measured, carried a hint of the pain of past disappointments, "You already know his name...Roul and I did tell you what kind of man he was. He was brave and loving but a foolish man who let us all down," Her words painted the portrait of a man caught between his virtues and his failures, a figure of complexity and contradiction.

Asher delved deeper, connecting the dots of lineage and legacy, "I know, but...who was he really? Was he the son of the Moon Guardian? Your mother told me she got married into the Moonbinder Clan as a political marriage to increase her clan's status and power."

Ceti's denial was swift, her brow creased in confusion, "No. My father had his own family and the Moon Guardian was presumed dead even though no successor had shown up," But her own words made her feel confused and wondered if her father was hiding something.

She always had this subtle, lingering feeling he always held back something.

"That's strange. If your father was really the son of the Moon Guardian, it would make sense for you to inherit his bloodline. But you inherited your mother's bloodline, which makes it impossible for you to have another bloodline." "See. This is why I can't believe how my body can be capable of possessing two bloodlines. It's just not possible, let alone house another person inside me," Ceti affirmed, though her brows furrowed as she added, "But since what you saw was real…I…I don't know what's going on with me. I hate the fact that I might be really somehow related to that loathsome guardian who abandoned us. I hate him so much…" Ceti bitterly said as her fists clenched.

Asher bridged the distance between them as he sat closer to her, his hands gently cradling her face, "Hey...no matter who you are related to, it doesn't change who you are. You completely control who you want to be and what you want to do. I promise you I will get back at the Moon Guardian for you. I have scores to settle with him," he spoke, his voice a soothing balm to the storm of doubts and fears swirling within Ceti.

Her expression, a picture of turmoil, softened under the gaze of his reassurance. Encouraged by his pledge, she found solace in the strength of his promise, her hand hugging his, "We will settle it together against him. I will try to get stronger as fast as possible so that this Luna woman doesn't have to come out," Ceti murmured, her resolve mirrored in the quiet determination of her words, though she couldn't hide her anxiety completely.

Asher nodded with a soft smile and then asked with knitted brows, "But you really don't remember anything strange? During the Quest of the Worthy, after we woke up in that cave before a heap of dead bodies, you said you saw something similar in the past when you were just a kid." Ceti's reflection on that distant memory, a moment of terror and salvation shrouded in mystery, brought forth the realization of a silent guardian's presence, "Yes...I did. At that time, I thought I was going to die. But the next thing I knew, I was waking up before a pile of dead bodies, and my mother also had no idea what happened. We were running away from the clan that day. I always wondered who saved us and left without even showing themselves. Could it be..."

"Luna?" Asher interjected, his voice carrying the weight of a shared epiphany, "Maybe she was also the one who saved us in that cave. It's the only explanation that makes sense," Asher knew there couldn't have been anyone powerful enough to kill them all so quickly and leave without a trace.

Ceti's musings, a mixture of gratitude and confusion, echoed the complexity of their situation. "So she kept us safe all this time? How could she exist... Why is she hiding inside my body?" Asher's next action, borne of a blend of desperation and hope, was as unexpected as it was earnest, "Let me try something, even if it might be dumb."

Ceti blinked while his gaze, intense and focused, locked with hers as he ventured into the unknown, "Luna, if you are there inside, can you come out and at least explain what the hell is going on and who you really are? We appreciate that you saved our asses, but we also deserve an explanation; at least Ceti does."

The room, charged with the tension of anticipation, seemed to hold its breath, waiting for a sign, a whisper from the mysterious woman.

Yet, it was Ceti's response, tinged with embarrassment and a hint of pique, that shattered the moment's gravity, "Don't do that. It feels weird to see you calling out some other woman's name while looking at me," She said, her lips pursed, and her gaze averted. Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Asher chuckled upon feeling that Ceti was so easily jealous and said, "You know it's not like that. I am trying to help you out here as well. I also feel a bit uneasy to know that some other woman is living within you since I don't know how it works. I don't want anything bad happening to you, nor do I want you to get hurt by getting involved with the Moon Guardian and all. He seemed to want something from Luna, but I am not sure."

Ceti's eyes softened as she slowly looked up at him, her lips forming a warm smile, feeling moved by his concern, "Hmph, I won't let anyone mess with me or my family or the people I love. I endured everything for so long, and I am not going to sit back and let myself get hurt, even if it's the Moon Guardian."

Asher nodded with a smile when Ceti's eyes suddenly widened as she mumbled, "Wait…I remember it…I remember seeing something strange about you in my dreams."

Asher's expression became puzzled yet uneasy as he asked, "What is it?"

What did she remember?

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