Eventually, through some extra effort and a few precious minutes, Aiden managed to pry himself away from Tolliah's embrace. Some extra minutes and a bucket of water used for cleaning later, the father and daughter pair were outside the cave, standing at the slithering tunnel.
"[Reptilian] So, Tolliah, care to tell me now?" Aiden asked, ruffling the top of the little one's head. Though as a skink, she had no fur, nor hair on her body, the habit was just too natural. Also, it wasn't like Tolliah didn't enjoy the caress and attention.
"[Reptilian] Hehehe…" She giggled enjoying the smooth hands of Aiden's human form rubbing on her. "I… I just wanted to be with papa… *sniff* It was scary to be alone, that meanie was bullying me…" She explained, her giggles instantly fading out, and her expression turning sour as she was forced to remember the unpleasant experience.
"Meanie? Bullying?! What are you talking about? Did someone visit you?" Aiden asked, his voice rising in volume with each passing word. He was shocked to realize that the first time he lost himself to sleep, and wasn't aware of his surroundings something like that could have happened.
However, after that, he remembered the ball of holy light, his system guide, Enya. Shouldn't she be keeping watch even if he was not?
'Enya, can you explain why haven't you alerted me as soon as she was in danger?' He asked mentally, his tone instantly shifting to a graver, colder one. He was growing both more anxious and angry at the same time the more he thought about the matter.
'[Aiden… Nor I, neither the system alerted you because of one simple reason.]' Enya's voice came in the next moment, ringing calmly, soothingly through inside the storm of Aiden's mind. She paused for a moment so that Aiden can process her words.
'[Before you ask… we didn't warn you, simply because there was nothing to report. There was nothing, nobody in her cave beside the girl.]' She continued.
Aiden was surprised to hear that. Looking down at the sniffing little girl, seeing how she was still battling with her tears, he wanted to retort against the claim… but before he could do so…
'Master, there was no one else in the cave with the little miss, however…' Suddenly, Ryg's childish, light tone of voice rang out, joining in the mental conversation. '…There was a presence I sensed. The same I could feel around you when you arrived here, Master.'
'WHAT?!' Aiden exclaimed with shock hearing Ryg's words. His body began to shake, tremble as the rage began to loosen its restraints inside him. Along with it, the strange chains shackling the ancient entity at the very depth of her soul also loosened once again, allowing the beast to stir in his millennial slumber.
The ground itself began to quake in response as all that archaic energy, surpassing the worldly limits, was released into the surroundings. The walls of the tunnels shook as if they were shivering in fright themselves in front of all this.
Dust and smaller pebbles gave in to the swirling invisible storm, slowly lifting off from the ground and floating in the air.
Aiden's eyes, turned into slits due to the primordial rage, were flickering with a mixture of golden and a tinge of something brighter… platinum.
The glimmering, flickering luster didn't last long though, as after some effort Aiden managed to gain control of his emotions and reign the storm inside him down. Along with it, the energy he emitted dissipated, causing the small pebbles and floating dust to fall back down on the ground.
He heaved a long-winded tiresome sigh, still feeling a bit lost and groggy because of the heavy inner battle he had just survived.
"[Reptilian] Papa… Are you… alright? Are you in pain?" A soft, light and curious childish voice reached his ears, breaking him out from his own thoughts and pulling him back to reality.
He slowly opened his eyes, which now weren't radiating any sort of strange power but were their normal, lightless pair of balls. He sighed once more, clearing his head along with the exhaled air.
As the thin, mostly weak, and powerless-looking smile returned to his face, he nodded at the little girl, looking up to him with a wide, worried gaze. Ruffling the top of her head yet again, he answered.
"[Reptilian] Yes, sorry about that. You know, I was just worried, scared that because I didn't pay attention for the first time, you may have come to harm. I… I would not survive if.."
"[Reptilian] It's okay papa! I know you would always protect me!" Tolliah smiled. She reached out and grabbed her papa's closest hand. Taking a step forward in the next moment, she pulled on Aiden whilst giggling once again.
"[Reptilian] Come on Papa, we should be going! We can't waste all day standing! All the other uncles and aunties are waiting for you!" She exclaimed, acting as if she was the adult in their relationship and not the other way around.
Well, in a way neither of them was a truly full-fledged adult…
Aiden smiled, as he shook his head and allowed himself to be tugged, pulled along. Though he wanted to learn more about what Tolliah and this so-called 'Ancient One' were talking about before she bolted the room and sought solace in his embrace, he knew he had to be patient. He can slowly get her to reveal, and if there were anything important he would surely learn it.
—
Madam Dara was in a much better mood this morning. After settling her doubts yesterday, and spending the whole day with this new-old leader, and Tolliah, the last remnants of her doubt have been completely lifted from her shoulders. She no longer felt anything against this new, mysterious man.
She knew that he truly wanted to help them, to lead them. To guide them to a new place. He didn't explain it too much, but he did say that there was another world, a safe new realm.
HIS WORLD!
How incredible, how unbelievable is that?! Does that mean, that this boy isn't just simply powerful… but some sort of divine being? An entity above the understanding of everything?
'[Reptilian] Could he be even stronger than…' She pondered, sitting in front of her mirror, powdering her face.
She sighed, shaking her head.
'[Reptilian] I… It doesn't matter I guess. For now, he said he still needs time before he could fulfill what he said. He needs us in the meantime, he needs to learn more about this world…'
Suddenly her eyes snapped open, as she gazed into the mirror, staring into her own reflection. The smile vanished, only a determined look remained on her face.
'[Reptilian] He needs us, he needs me to help him!'
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