"Who is this handsome man? Is he coming here following you, the person you met on the way back home?"
Aurora was confused to see the reaction of Sophie and immediately guessed that something happened when Sophie was returning home. Sophie looked at Aurora with her shocked face and immediately closed the window on Axeden's face. She grabbed Aurora's hand and dragged her away from the window in a panic.
"Don't look at him. He might control your mind."
Whenever Sophie got in danger she always felt the urge to protect Aurora because of her careless nature. She knows Aurora isn't afraid of anything and she would stand with her to fight for Sophie without caring about herself. So, after knowing that she hid all the bullying and trouble from Aurora so she won't get Aurora frowned even deeper.
"Sophie, will you tell me what's going on. !??"
Sophie hesitated, contemplating whether to tell her or not, but one look at Aurora's threatening gaze, and she gave up.She sighed before explaining everything to her. She told her everything that happened a few minutes ago, making Aurora more shocked.
"So this guy… this god… is here to marry you?!!"
Sophie made a boring face seeing her silly friend literally believe all those things.
" No! He was lying, do you believe it?
"Of course!! I mean why not? Didn't we hear the tale of 'The Goddess of War' when we were kids? Didn't we believe that someone must be watching us from above and will come to help us. Maybe he's someone sent by a goddess or god to help you. Who knows maybe he's a cultivator who fell for you and is trying to save you!?"
Aurora looked at him again with the little space between the current.
"And he is so handsome, do you really think anyone would have bad intentions with a face like this? Moreover, look at his clothes, he looks like someone from a well off family. Why would he approach you if you weren't the person he was looking for?"
Sophie shook her head in disbelief. She started thinking her best friend, who sometimes seems so mature but in reality, she is so childish. Part of her wanted to laugh at the absurdity. A god? Here for her? But another part , the part still grieving , wanted to believe. Needed to believe.
"We're not kids anymore, it was a tale, not reality." Who believes in the kind god or goddess?"
"I believe"
"He must be a ..... fraud man If I was a goddess then why would I be living such a shitty life?"
"More than that, he's stranger maybe he's not mentally fit so we can't take advantage of him just because he looks rich. That's not going to end well. "
She said like she was teaching a child and Aurora pouted and whispered in a low voice..
"But its not wrong to ask help from god. Didn't you say you saw the moon coming towards earth?"
"Maybe I was imagining"
Suddenly they both felt a little cold and shuddered. Aurora peeked at him again through the small space between the window gap. She pouted before looking at Sophie with her pitiful eyes and said
"He must be feeling so cold. See its snowing heavily. "
Sophie tried to look away
"But he said he's a god," she murmured, still unsure.
"Oh, now you believe he's a god? Didn't you just say a second ago he might be a lunatic?"
She rolled her eyes and went toward the window seeing that mysterious person shaking and trembling outside her window. His body was almost covered in snow and Sophie widened her eyes seeing his condition.
"Sophie let him inside or something will happen to him. We are the one, who will be in trouble! "
Sophie thought for minute thinking about the danger of letting the stranger cone inside the house. But she was more afraid for Aurora.
"Go inside the room, and if you hear anything, run out the back door."
Aurora shook her head in denial.
"I won't leave you alone."
"Run away to ask help from our Neighbours ."
Aurora opened her mouth in realization and nodded. Sophie wide opened the window and shouted with her furious look.
"Come toward the door and come inside or you will die standing here."
After saying that she closed the window turned around to push Aurora to the room but saw Axeden was standing behind them. Aurora and Sophie both hitched and took a step back with their widened eyes in shock. He was standing in front of them in a normal condition. He was looking furious but also amused as he managed to fool her with his pitiful acting.
"Y-ou how -did you ----"
" Not again the same question. It's normal for gods to use teleport spells. It's time saving. "
"He's really a god, Sophie!! We have a god in your house!!"
She yelled with her bright face smiling ear to ear and making Sophie more shocked. Sophie realised this person is not lying and he must have some unexplainable powers.Teleportation is something that mortals and cultivators can't do so he really must be a God.
"You're less stupid for a mortal than Sophie. You are her only friend Aurora. I haven't introduced myself, listen carefully, I don't like to repeat things."
He cleared his throat before speaking
"When I was born, the light of chaos, which had plagued the universe for thousands of years, left heaven. Every god and immorals tried to destroy it but no one succeeded. Heaven who's gate was locked for years was opened when I first looked at the gate of heaven. My father thought he can be a ruler now the gate are open but when he tried to touch the throne a sudden force pushed him away. Throne select its own ruler, so everyone tried their luck but no one succeeded. I was just 5 years old and everyone was against me touching the throne but I felt the urge to touch it. And guess what, the throne lit up in fire and my name got carved on the top the throne. Axeden -the god of fire"
Sophie and Aurora were looking at him awkwardly after listening to such a long introduction and didn't know how to react. But Aurora clapped for him like he just recited a rhyme.
"Amazing!!! Sophie, your soon to be husband is a big deal in heaven, I mean the god of fire. "
Sophie glared at her traitorous friend with wide eyes while Axeden nodded proudly at the comment. Sophie saw his normal appearance and there was not a single dust of snow on his clothes. She huffed angrily and said to him
" "Even if you are a god, that's none of my concern. You think I will marry you if you are god? Why do you want to marry me in the first place? I never met you before, you don't know me properly then why do you want to marry me?
"Its a bit difficult to explain but I have to marry you. Its my mission. And I wanted to marry from so long ago when you were the princess of crystal because--..."
He stopped in a middle because he doesn't know why he wanted to marry her. Its just because he thought Craysophy is a nice girl and she played with him, made him happy all the time and he used to have fun with her playing hide and seek. Whenever he made trouble she took the blame for him. She was the nicest to him, nicer than his own parents who were jealous of him because he can touch the throne but they can't even after serving for universe for thousands of years. She was the only one who never let him feel outcast. But her death caused so much pain in his heart and made him hate his own parents. He stopped playing from that moment and became a mature kid.
"Oh… so just because it's your mission, I'm supposed to marry a total stranger? No thanks, find someone else I'm not interested in. "
Axeden came out of his trance after listening to her and looked at her with his serious face.
" Will you be interested if I tell you that you can talk to your deceased parents? "
Sophie widened her eyes listening to this. Yes, she wanted to hug them and cry until she felt better. She wants to apologize for the things she said to them in anger. She wants to tell them she is not okay alone without them. She wants to ask them why they left her. Just thinking about her parents made tears swell in her eyes. She blinked before looking back at Axeden who observed her with his soft gaze.
"Its not funny"
"I wasn't being funny. I'm genuinely asking you if you want to talk to them or not. Maybe you can help them to continue their journey ahead or else they would suffer until there's isn't a single ounce of guilt, pain, regret and longing inside their soul."
"What do you want!? Why would they suff–"
"They sold their soul because they wanted to save you from illness but they couldn't pay it back leaving a huge debt on you with so many regrets. The moment you were born, things were getting worse day by day. When you entered your old house it was lit up in fire. They had no choice but to sell that burnt land and buy this small house. That day they understood they're gonna suffer more in future. "
Sophie knew that, her late brother accidentally told her when they were fighting but her parents brushed it off saying it was not your fault. They never told her it was the first day of her in a house. They never blamed her no matter what happens, even Sophie started realising that she is a bad luck but her parents never said that. Aurora was looking at her with her concerned eyes and thinking if she did the right thing of letting this god enter in a house. Sophie wiped her tears and asked seriously.
"Tell me how can I see them again?"
"I will tell you.. But you need to promise me that you will marry me and accompany me to complete my mission after meeting your parents. "
Sophie thought for a second and realised she will never have any chance to meet them again if she won't take this god's help.
"I promise.. I -I will marry you."
He smirked and took a few steps before standing in front of her.
"Forgive me for this"
He said and move his finger and Sophie hissed in pain seeing the blood coming out of her pointed finger. She looked at him with confusion but he grabbed her hand and let the blood drops on his left palm. The blood disappeared as if it got absorbed by his palm.
"What did you do--"
"It's called a blood oath, no matter what happens in future you will marry me because I have your promise with me. Even if you don't want to, you will get married to me. This blood oath will bind your body to your promise, you'll have no choice."
Aurora widened her eyes in shock
"How could you do that!!? Its not fai---"
""I've already lost her once—I won't let the past repeat. As long as she's my wife, nothing can harm her.. No one would dare harm even a single strand of her hair."
He was dead serious when he said that while looking into Sophie's eyes. Aurora felt confused and irritated feeling helpless.
"But--"
"I'm ready. Tell me how can see my parents again?"
He smiled in satisfaction and shrugged before speaking with infuriating casualness.
"It's simple. You just need to sleep with me."
"WHAT!!?"
"WHAT!!?"
To be continued