Book 15: Chapter 13
“Freya!”
Freya leapt at me and tightly hugged me. I thought that would happen. I just didn’t think Freya would be the first one. She crashed straight into my chest and wrapped her arms tightly around my neck as she loudly cried on my chest. I gently wrapped my arms around her. With a smile, I told her, “Freya, you don’t have to cry. You don’t have to cry. Didn’t I tell you I’d surely be back? I’m back, Freya. I won’t leave again. Promise.”
“Brother… Brother… You‘re finally home… You’re finally back… I am so glad… Brother… You’re finally back…”
Seeing Freya’s expression, I thought, “Wait… Wait… There’s something wrong with Freya’s reaction. This cry is extremely abnormal… It’s not the consoled cry of a reunion after a long time apart, and most definitely not the joy of seeing a brother that you almost couldn’t see. This is a breath of relief after finally seeing the bringer of hope… “
Freya looked up at me from my embrace and tightly gripped my hand. In her shaky voice, she sobbed, “Brother, please don’t go… Please… I can’t hang in there anymore… I really can’t… Sorry… Sorry… Brother… I’m about to crumble… I’m about to crumble…”
There was something off about Freya… I had never seen her wear such a pitiful expression. Freya was a very confident and resilient girl. Normally speaking, she wouldn’t show me the look of being on the brink of crumbling. I carefully wiped her cheeks, and then noticed that my scales left a light red mark on her skin. Frightened, I swiftly moved my hand away, only for her to grab it and press it on her face.
“Does it hurt, Freya…? Sorry… Sorry… I…. I didn’t think my scales would hurt you….”
I wanted to pull my hand back. Freya’s face was still very soft; I was very worried about hurting her. My fingers were no longer as soft as they once were. I didn’t want to hurt her.
“I’m now covered in scales. I no longer have my old skin, Freya. My current body… will hurt you… It’s not as soft as it once was, is it? It must hurt you to hug me, like this, now, huh? It must hurt when I touch you.”
