Chapter 62: They Don’t Understand
Kestrel had a peculiar dream, a beautiful one that felt like the fairy tales she used to enjoy as a kid.
Even though she could barely recall those stories from her early years, she still kept many picture books about princesses, princes, knights, and dragons in her room. These colorful books, along with numerous dolls and wind chimes, filled her room, making her feel like she must have been a cherished little girl.
In this dream, Kestrel looked at a blue sky and ocean, with clouds that were amazingly white, just like marshmallows. A mermaid was resting on the golden sands of the beach.
Kestrel recognized this story. The little mermaid traded her tail for legs, withstanding great pain to walk on the beach and approach the prince. But the story ended in heartbreak. The man she loved left her for another princess, and the mermaid sadly turned into sea foam.
As she moved closer, Kestrel realized this wasn’t a mermaid.
The back turned toward her on the beach was familiar. The line of the shoulders was really beautiful, the shape of muscles flowed down smoothly, tightening at one spot.
Sand sprinkled over his skin, marked with scars of various sizes. But it wasn’t unattractive; it gave off a sort of wild charm.
Kestrel thought of a fitting word–the term was ’sexy.’
She was proud of herself for using such a complex word so precisely.
Confused, Kestrel found her hand reaching for his shoulder, where a long scar crossed over the prominent shoulder blade.
When her fingers brushed the scar, the man on the beach twitched slightly.
This time, Kestrel didn’t turn him around.
In her dream, she knew who this man was. He wasn’t near death this time, but was lying there alive and real.
He was a tough warrior, brave and kind-hearted. Even though he was in such a weak state, Kestrel believed, she should still respect him.
"It hurts so much," the man muttered, his back to her. He didn’t turn around, and she couldn’t see his face.
"It hurts, it’s too painful, it hurts too much," he kept saying.
His legs were in the sea, and there was a severe wound on his calf, almost showing the bone. It was a terrifying sight.
Kestrel naturally reached out her hand, holding his ankles, gently touching the wounds.
"It hurts, it’s too painful," the man kept repeating.
And Kestrel kept comforting him, over and over. She had never been so patient and thorough, gently brushing over his tense arches, the prominent ankles, the flexible Achilles tendon. The skin under her fingers trembled slightly with her movements. Kestrel knew she needed to hold back, but she also sort of enjoyed the sensation.
"It hurts," the man murmured softly. But his voice slowly faded, and after a while, he finally stopped saying it hurt. He went still.
Kestrel knew how powerful an alpha he was. He could jump over walls dozens of meters high, and his blade could slice through a horde of monsters in one move. But now he was still in her hands, as soft as water, making some hard-to-understand whale-like sounds.
Kestrel woke up suddenly from her dream.
Her sleep was often disturbed, filled with a range of chaotic dreams. Sometimes it was a huge fire, sometimes a landslide. Today’s dream was somewhat too strange as well.
When they arrived at the clinic, it was still early morning, but she had slept until late at night.
The lights in the clinic was dimmed. Ren was resting peacefully in the green healing pod, his eyes closed.
Kestrel sat up on the couch to shake off her sleepiness and thought about the odd dream. The floor at her feet was dimly lit and vacant now, nothing like the dream where someone was lying there.
A tendril had somehow sneaked out at some point, seeming quite pleased. Seeing Kestrel’s questioning look, it retreated back into its dimensional space, as if caught stealing.
Thinking about eating, Kestrel was instantly hit by a strong wave of hunger. After sleeping all day, she was famished. She pushed the strange dream and random thoughts to the back of her mind. It was time to go out and find food.
When the doctor came in, Ren had already opened the pod’s hatch and was sitting up in the healing pod.
The doctor checked Ren’s various health data and was very pleased. "I told you, as long as you lie down in this machine, there is no patient it can’t cure."
"Excuse me." Ren spoke softly, "Could you find me some clothes?"
"No rush," the doctor replied, still absorbed in his excitement. It was a rare large business for him. He had used many expensive medicines and wanted to observe the effects of the usually untouched medicines.
"What’s the hurry? I’ve seen plenty of patients’ bodies anyway." The doctor casually waved his hand, "When you were brought in by that young lady, you had nothing on you, just a small..."
His words were cut off by a sudden chill – it was an intimidating pressure, emanating from the alpha’s psychic energy.
The doctor was both irritated and amused, it was the first time he’d seen a patient who had just gotten off the sick bed daring to use intimidating force on a doctor... all for the sake of getting a set of clothes sooner.
The doctor had no choice but to find Ren a simple set of clothes.
A regular T-shirt and shorts on Ren’s wide-shouldered, long-legged, and impressive physique somehow gave off an inexplicably fashionable vibe.
"What’s you to that lady?" the doctor couldn’t help but quietly ask Ren. "You two must be very close, right? She treats you so well, willing to spend so much money to save your life."
Ren didn’t answer. He didn’t want to say that he and Kestrel had only officially spoken to each other for two days.
Their acquaintance was brief, but he already owed her so much.
"When you’re young, you may not realize it, but money, being an external thing, can often reveal people’s true hearts at crucial times."
The doctor had been here for a long time and had seen all kinds of people showing their true colors in the face of money.
Sometimes alphas lying in the healing pod was on his last breath, and the so-called comrades outside would tell the doctor not to interfere.
The middle-aged doctor printed out the billing statement and handed it to Ren, saying, "Cherish her, such friends are rare. When she transferred the money, she didn’t hesitate at all, and told me to use the best meds."
He watched as Ren delicately held the thin bill, staring at it for a while before whispering, "I will repay her."
"You really should," said the doctor as he tidied up the various tools and medications on his desk. "The worst thing in life is owing debts you cannot repay."
The doctor chuckled and patted Ren’s chest. "Don’t worry, you’re so good-looking. Maybe she’ll agree if you repay her with yourself."
"Agree to what?" Kestrel peeked in from outside the door, her arms full of a variety of foods. A soft piece of bread hung from her mouth.
Seeing Ren, she signaled him to take some food from her arms. Most of it was sweet, but Ren, guessing her preference, took the least sweet pancake.
"Nothing tastes very good here," Kestrel mumbled, swallowing the bread and opening a packet of candy. The sugary flavor was overpowering. "I still miss the ones you gave me, the ones wrapped in red paper."
"If you like peanut candy, there’s none here," Ren said, biting into the pancake Kestrel gave him. "But I know where to find it. I’ll get it and bring it to you when you return to the Imperial Nexus."
Kestrel’s eyes lit up, her tongue licking her lips.
Knowing that she enjoyed his candy, Ren felt a quiet happiness, though his expression remained neutral.
The pair left the clinic, walking down a dimly lit alley. The ground was damp from a recent rain, with puddles here and there. Ren was dressed in a short-sleeved t-shirt and shorts, his long legs exposed to the cool autumn air, but he didn’t seem to mind. His semi-dry hair softened his alpha edge.
Kestrel, her mouth filled with candy, walked next to him, carrying a pile of food. The casualness of the situation softened their hearts with the evening wind. It felt as though all the heart-stopping battles, bloodshed, monstrous creatures, and widespread darkness were part of a nightmare from another world. It felt as though they could briefly forget the searing pain and resentment, the fire and fog that constantly lingered.
They relaxed, walking slowly as if with a trusted friend. They exchanged contact information on their opticomputers, and together they shared food and discussed which candies were sweeter.
But the street was short, and their journey ended quickly.
A jeep stopped at the end of the road. Parfit and Muros from the East Shore outpost hopped off.
Muros had brought back the injured alphas. Having learned that Kestrel was still trapped in the Polluted Zone, they set out from the East Shore to find her.
"Thank goodness, you’re safe," Parfit from the East Shore ran to Kestrel, grabbing her hands and shaking them excitedly. "I knew you’d be okay."
If Kestrel wasn’t a beta, he almost wanted to give her a big hug.
"Kestrel," Muros choked on her name, holding back tears. "Outside the portal is the sea, I couldn’t wait for you on the water, so I had to bring the injured Tegnell and the others back first. You didn’t come back for so long, I thought you were just trying to reassure me saying that you’ll get back alive."
A small lion cub, Raymond’s psychic incarnation, appeared and rubbed against Kestrel’s leg lovingly.
Before, the cub Kestrel had saved from the ocean was weak and tiny. Now, it had grown stronger and bigger, with a lovely golden mane.
"Oh, you’re up and moving too," Kestrel stroked the little lion’s golden head.
The last alpha hopped down from the jeep’s back seat. He was tall, his soft golden hair tied in a braid behind him. His deep blue eyes were as dazzling as the sky.
Seeing Kestrel, he put one hand on his chest and bent in a special sign of respect.
"This is their family’s traditional greeting, used only for those they’re really thankful to," Parfit explained to Kestrel.
"After Raymond woke up and heard about what happened, he wanted to come with us to find you."
"Actually, everyone wanted to come find you. Birdie tried to get out of bed as soon as he woke up, but I held him back," Parfit laughed. "I told you, you’re fine."
Kestrel was happy to hear that Raymond, who was near death just a few days ago, had healed so fast after her mind-grooming. He was even able to bring his psychic incarnation out and about. For the first time, she felt confident in her mind-grooming abilities.
"You’ve healed really fast," Kestrel said to Raymond.
Raymond stepped forward. His light-blue eyes, full of real thankfulness and happiness, met hers. "I remember everything. It was you who brought me back from the edge. I’m glad you’re safe."
After asking about Birdie, Tegnell, and the others, Kestrel found out they all got the help they needed and were out of danger. Parfit and the rest asked about what Kestrel went through and how she escaped the danger.
After facing life and death together and then reuniting with friends, their happy conversation was comforting as they walked towards the car.
Suddenly, Kestrel remembered Ren was still back there. Looking back, she saw him standing alone at the corner of the street where they had been walking earlier.
"Do you want to come with me to the East Shore?" Kestrel asked. Her friends surrounded her, making it feel like a party.
"No, thank you," Ren, standing at the alley’s entrance, looked a bit lonely under the slanted white street lamp.
"I’ll see you at Imperial Nexus," he said, his voice as calm and soft as always.
Kestrel’s tendrils started to talk:
"He looks a bit sad."
"I think he has more to say."
"He’s probably upset about the kitten thing. Is he jealous that we rubbed the lion?"
"I can sense a strong worry about something, maybe it’s about money, in his heart."
"Oh, right. I forgot." Kestrel slapped her forehead, stopping Ren who was about to walk away.
Ren turned around to look at her, hope sparkling in his eyes.
"I still have to pay you guys. It’s 50 ashcredits each, right?" Kestrel opened her personal terminal.
"Now he seems more upset."
"What did you do to make him so sad?"
"You all don’t get it, he’s actually sad because he know he’s going to miss me," one self-obsessed tendril declared.
