Chapter 40: Love can be a terrifying thing
When he woke up the following morning, he saw the man who was supposed to be sleeping next to him gone.
Hael's side was empty, and from the looks of things, he had been gone for some time.
Ceremus got up, stretching his limbs before stepping out of the cave. Even at dawn, the forest looked beautiful. The man could picture himself waking up to this sight every day.
His eyes scanned the area, trying to locate the white-haired man, but to no avail.
He walked further away, leaving the cave behind until he saw a secluded area in the forest. He was going to turn around and leave when he heard a familiar voice stopping him in his tracks.
"So, is that man the person you were looking for?" He heard the gorilla called Maximus ask.
"I'm not sure if he is. But I know he was someone I was meant to meet. I felt a pull in my chest when I first looked at him. I don't know why I feel so drawn to him. But whatever the reason is, I intend to stay by his side." He said.
"I see. So that man is special to you...Listen. No one ever told you this since you were still young, and the goddess forbade us from revealing anything to you until the time came. I don't know if the time has finally come to reveal everything to you, and I certainly do not want to risk incurring her wrath in case it isn't." He started to say.
Hael looked at the gorilla with a puzzled expression on his face. Maximus sighed before continuing. "All I can tell you is this. That special connection you feel for that man? Treasure it. Make sure to protect it at all costs. If you truly care for that man, stay by his side until the very end." He said.
Hael paused. The man didn't say a word for a long time, and Ceremus, who overheard their conversation, felt his breath hitch as he waited for Hael's response.
Hael finally spoke after the most prolonged and arduous one minute of his life. "I plan to give that man my life. I will never leave his side, even if he throws me away," Hael declared with a resolute tone, his determination echoing in the crook of the forest.