Nivi found out that this was not a birthday surprise, and the world she was in was the one from her favorite novel. The Kurus she was fangirling over was the real deal.
I couldn’t read her reaction, because she immediately accepted it. She bargained some cores from Kurus, and healed me enough to move, but not enough to heal the injuries completely.
Kurus refused to bring me to full health, wanting to have an advantage over me if we got into a fight again. He even chased off the wild beasts that I tried to hunt, not wanting me to get any more cores.
Kurus, according to Nivi, was under the influence of his ancestors’ memories, which made him follow the same life patterns as them.
He had a tragic backstory that explained why Nivi liked his character so much. In the novel, Kurus helped his species survive by kidnapping females for his brothers to breed with. The battles for females were always bloody and ended with only the strongest surviving.
A victorious battle didn’t mean that a beastman had won the right to claim his mate, though. Kurus’ siblings always died after their mate bonds were rejected. As the only one left, he had no choice but to look for a female and try again.
Before Kurus himself died, he forced a beastwoman (main villainess) to carry his clutch of eggs. Apparently, she deserved to suffer, after what she had done to the main characters. And she offered herself willingly as a last attempt to get her revenge.
One of Kurus’ descendants would later become the heroine’s main love interest in the story. This descendant was special because he broke the tradition of killing mates and managed to have a normal relationship, thanks to the love his father had for his mother.
So, Nivi’s plan was to guide Kurus to find love and hopefully change his fate.
I was completely left out of this plan, and I didn’t mind it one bit. I enjoyed watching them from afar, Nivi’s face glowing with excitement as she tried to teach Kurus about human connections.
That pink moon oozed cotton candy light onto the shore. The two sat next to each other, and my soul was getting cavities from the saccharine-sweet looks they exchanged.
Everything was so rosy and perfect... except for my ribs.
"I haven’t shed my skin yet," He fidgeted with a loose scale on his arm, the crimson ridges catching the pink light. "When I do, I want you to have it."
Part of me expected Nivi to give in, to let Kurus’s charm pull her into his arms and accept his offer. But deep down, I knew that wasn’t going to happen, not tonight.
"I can’t," Nivi whispered, the calm of the night seemed to break with her words. "You’ve already bonded with Yaya. It wouldn’t be right for me to take you as my own."
"We didn’t bond," Kurus quickly said, "Why would I want such an ugly and violent female?"
Right, why would you want someone like that?
"Then explain why your tail is still wrapped around Yaya’s leg?" Nivi asked, her arms crossing in an accusatory posture. "Your eyes see my beauty, but it’s clear your heart seeks Yaya."
Slowly, Kurus unwrapped his tail from my leg, in an attempt to prove Nivi wrong. "I only hold her to keep her from escaping." Then his tail tightened around my leg once more.
Nivi didn’t push him any further, and instead turned to me for support, "You should take some responsibility, Yaya. Kurus is clearly attached to you."
"None of this would’ve happened if you woke up sooner," My playful grin was met with a glare, two glares, "I wouldn’t have bitten him, and he wouldn’t get attached. Besides, I don’t recall signing up to be anyone’s emotional support."
The two shared a look, their expressions matching perfectly. I laughed at their synchronized annoyance.
"Say something to her, Kurus," Nivi nudged his shoulder, "Tell her how you really feel."
Kurus looked at me, "I want her gone." The venom in his voice was real. "She is a hindrance to my mating plans with you."
I yawned, "I’m going to sleep."
"Hey, don’t ignore us," Nivi scolded. "If you don’t want to be with Kurus, you need to tell him directly, so he can move on."
"You can have him. I don’t mind sharing."
"This..." Nivi took deep breaths, trying to calm herself, but the vein on her forehead throbbed, "Just go to sleep."
"I’ll gladly get rid of him, but you might not like my method."
"Aaargh! I swear... you..." Nivi’s exasperated voice trailed off, and I heard her take another deep breath.
"I thought she liked you, Sea Queen," Kurus commented on our exchange, "Now it seems she wants to get rid of you too."
"What. Did. You. Say?!" Nivi sounded offended.
I smirked and pulled the blanket over my head, closing my eyes. They could bond over their shared frustration with me. It was a good foundation for their relationship, a mutual enemy to unite against. The perfect couple. I just wished they’d do it quieter.
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"How much further?" Nivi asked.
"Three sunrises," Kurus responded.
We had been walking for the whole day, and my injuries were killing me. The cores Kurus gave me were low-grade ones, and they barely helped.
His attention towards me was also weird, he would alternate between glaring at me and then giving me a look that said, ’Beg for my help and I’ll heal you’.
Nivi was good at feeding his ego, and the two were all smiles, whispering to each other every now and then.
He even offered her his shoulder to sit on while he slithered along the jungle floor.
I swatted away the beetle that flew too close to my face. The forest was full of nasty bugs, all giant-sized, and the humidity made it all worse.
The place was beautiful, though. The trees were tall, with colorful fruits hanging from their branches, and flowers in all shapes and colors. Some even glowed in the dark.
There were no roads, just animal trails, but Kurus seemed to know his way around. He had a good sense of direction, and he could smell water from miles away.
"Can I ask you something, Kurus?" Nivi asked.