A Tale of Chase and Love s1

Forbidden river.

“So you’re telling me that… I had breathed my last before and that my precious baby is still alive and kicking?” Aarti’s eyes widened her eyes in disbelief.

Marabelle slowly nodded.

“Then… where are they now?” Aarti asked again.

“Em…” Marabelle couldn’t continue her words because the roar of an unknown beast was heard.

“W-What’s that? I hope it isn’t a lion,” Aarti said with a shaky tone of voice indicating her fright as she quickly got up from the ground along with Marabelle.

“Like I said earlier, this is a different world and dimension. The roar just now… may not necessarily be from a lion. It could be…”

ROAR!

Hearing this roar again, Aarti and Marabelle started to run. They didn’t care where they were going. They kept running as the roaring animal drew close.

“Theresa… save your mum. Save your best friend!” Marabelle yelled.

“Stop shouting…” scolded Aarti.

“Sorry Aunty! I’m getting tired. Really tired”

“But I’m not tired at all. It feels quite strange.” Aarti said in confusion but soon threw this matter to the back of her mind. Life was more important.

ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!

“Run! Run for your life!” Aarti yelled and they kept running; not knowing that by this time… they were nearing a cliff.

***********

Forbidden Roseland.

Long Ren put his sword back into his space ring and wiped off the bloodstains on his face.

Beneath him was a black wolf with shiny fur. Her red eyes that used to shine brightly were now dim.

“You win. You’ve taken my cultivation. You can now go. You’ve taken your revenge. You can now go.” the wolf said with difficulty.

“Cao Wei, we’re even now. I won’t go further than this. Live well. If fate may have it, let’s meet again and I promise to treat you to stinky tofu that you like.” Long Ren said insincerely.

“I am dying and lonely all my life. You are no longer the powerful demon lord Long Ren. You are just a level 1 beginner realm practitioner. You will not have peace either. Your tail and fox ears will never go when you turn human. You will become blind… you.. will…” she couldn’t continue her words which ere actually curses.

Long Ren chopped off her head and tossed it far away. Her wolf headless body immediately turned to ash and a strong wind blew them away. He spat out blood and turned to look at the scenery that he’d ignored for so long because of the fight with the deceased Cao Wei.

The trees surrounding him ere still unharmed even after the fierce battle with Cao Wei. Realizing this he smiled.

“Lu Wei, am I not laughable? I rejected you Lu Wei… because I thought you were too weak. But now look, I’m even worse than you. I have lost everything. I lost my cultivation achievements, my dignity, my prestige and my mistress. I am so useless!” Long Ren said in a whisper as tears flowed down his eyes.

“I have finally defeated Cao Wei even at my weakest point but I had to lose my green fire and mermaid fire that my mom gifted to me before she died. I have failed my family. I have failed myself. If this is my retribution for killing so many people at the forbidden mountain, then I’ll accept it. But I know within my heart that… I was just fighting for my right to live freely.” he then sat on the ground filled with grasses and a few thorns.

**********

Back at Theresa’s home.

“You guys really can fly in this world?” exclaimed Clark. “So can you take me to my wife and child now? I wanna see them.”

He was eager to see his child and Aarti again.

“Okay. Hold my hand.” said Ju Wei.

Clark obeyed.

“And what’s next?” Clark asked.

His heart pounded at the thought that he was gonna fly in midair with this unknown powerful spirit.

“Nothing.” Ju Wei said and they both disappeared from the living room.

Now the house had no occupants.

Meanwhile back at the forbidden mountain, Theresa had brought out her dagger after crying for a long while.

“Goodbye world.” she muttered to herself and closed her eyes.

She wanted to plunge the dagger into her chest when she felt the dagger fly out of her hands, making her open her eyes immediately. She scanned the area with her eyes but found no trace of a living being.

The dagger she held in her hand, some seconds ago as now on the floor broke into two.

“Who’s there?” she asked loudly but no one answered her.

Theresa put on her guard as she rose up from the floor.

“Who’s there?” she asked again, fear evident in her voice.

***********

Forbidden Roseland.

Long Ren got up from the ground after a while of sitting on grasses mixed with thorns.

He arranged his clothing and took another view of the surrounding, deep in thoughts.

Then he sighed for the 13th time and vanished.

*********

Forbidden forest.

Aarti and Marabelle didn’t know what to do. The roaring beast was getting closer but they couldn’t just jump off the cliff.

“What do we do now?” Marabelle cried out in fear.

“If I had an idea, would we still be here quaking in fear?” Aarti asked back as she wiped off the sweat from her forehead.

ROAR! ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!

Amidst the roaring of the animal, they heard another sound.

AOOOO! AOOOO! AOOOO!

“A wolf! We’re toast!” Aarti cried out.

“What do we do now? We can’t possibly jump off the cliff nor are we cultivators that can fight back.” said Marabelle. She could swear that she was close to peeing on her pants.

“Oh my! Today was supposed to be a good night. We should be celebrating Aunty’s return but here we are stuck at the cliff edge with no way forward or backyard.” Marabelle thought.

AOOOO!

ROAR! ROAR!

AOOOO! AOOOO!

ROAR!

Marabelle and Aarti’s legs were shaking. They dared not look down the cliff.

“I’ll really pee in my pants.” Marabelle muttered.

“Don’t you dare!” warned Aarti.Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

“Should I shout for help then?” asked Marabelle.

“Silly you! You would be telling those beasts to come faster. I don’t wanna die yet. You are the only child of your parents too.” said Aarti.

“I know Aunty. But who can help us then?” Marabelle asked.

Suddenly, Aarti lost her footing due to a bite from a small rodent that was just passing by.

“Ahhhhhh!” Aarti screamed as she fell down the cliff.

All this happened too suddenly. Marabelle didn’t have time to react.

“Aunty!” she yelled as she saw her bestie’s mom fall down the cliff.

Her eyes widened and she covered her mouth with one hand and the other one was stretched out even though there was nobody to catch.

“No! This can’t be happening. No! ” she was unwilling to believe.

Aarti had just come back to life and now she’s dying again without even seeing Clark and Theresa?

“I am a failure,” she said to herself and sat on the ground that was barren of grass.

She put both hands on her head and tears flowed down her eyes profusely and she wept.

“Why? Why?”

AOOOO! AOOOO!

ROAR! ROAR!

The sounds indicated that the two wild beasts were nearing her but she didn’t seem to hear it. All that she could see and hear was Aarti’s scream and her fall to her ‘death’.

“Theresa, Uncle Clark, I am sorry. I failed to take care of her. I’m a failure. Ahhhh!” she yelled as she yanked her hair in frustration.

“Aunty, please come back. Come back to us. Don’t leave! What will I say to Theresa and Uncle? How do I face them?” she cried bitterly.

The two wild beasts that Aarti had thought were; a wolf and Lion happened to be just two small rats that had 8 tails each and very long ears.