Mizura II

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Posted 04 June 2012 - 03:03 AM A shallow wind swept by. Ian thought, she wanted to sleep longer on weekends, until she remembered her situation and woke up. The first thing that was reflected in her eyes was sunlight and feathery clouds on a blue sky. She couldn't believe the change in landscape and blinked, but the sky was still there. As she sat up, several trees came into view, and when she looked down, a lake full of blooming lotuses came into view, from light blue to turquoise to purple, showing off their beauty and harmony to onlookers.
"Is it pretty?"

Ian who had been admiring the scenery was startled by the voice and turned her head. The man was standing at some distance from her, and looking back at her with deadpan eyes. He had short black hair with scattered red, two grey horns, and his face looked sharper. His skin was whiter than Ian's, and he was wearing a black suit that didn't suit this landscape. He looked as though he came out from a funeral home.

"W... who are you?"

Ian's voice was trembling. After all, the landscape had changed, and suddenly this man was here instead of Tak. She could see the horns on his head. Maybe this was the man who came to fight Tak, the one who according to Tak was the one who destroyed her village. As she thought of that, she became overwhelmed with grief and anger, with hot tears spilling out.
"Watching this emotional excess, crying all alone, is like looking at the old me."

The man approached Ian. Ian was scared but did not avoid his gaze.
"You were the one impersonating Taksaka?"
"Yes."
"And now you're going to kill me."
"..."

But Ian continued without waiting for his answer.
"I've got to get back. I knew this was a dream but this is ridiculous. I'm dying even before I touch you, I'm just a worthless human being. Are you glad that you'll finally be able to kill the "Ian Rajof" from 8 years ago?"
"..."
"I won't ask you why you did it. I was never curious about that and now I'll never know. However, that village worshipped dragons. After Suras and humans separated, the wards were created and those who believed in God fingered those who believed in dragons as Heretics! But how could you so brutally trample on human beings who believed in you like that?"
"..."

The man did not answer, but his previously frozen face had slightly contorted expressions.
"If you expect me to beg you for your life, then you're wrong. I'd rather beg you for a better death. Come on, you psycho. Those who once worshipped the Sura will go to hell, but I won't be afraid if the other people from my village are there. Even if I'm punished by the Gods, you will be cursed Gods."
"..."

Until then, the man had been listening to Ian's words in silence, but when she said that the Gods will curse him, he grabbed his chest and closed his eyes. Wondering at his behaviour Ian stopped talking for a while. The man seemed to calm after taking a few deep breaths, and opened his eyes.
"In the end, I'd still hate to be left behind as the villain."
"...?"

At that point, he grabbed her hands, and she realized her mistake as he could kill her easily, and closed her eyes.
"Listen to me. You are free not to believe but..."

The wind blew over the lake. The man seemed to be struggling with his words, but in the end, said:
"I'm not the one who destroyed your village."
"...!!!"

The frightened Ian looked up, and could see a subtle hint of sorrow in his otherwise expressionless look. He looked down at her.
"It isn't fair if you are left in the dark until the end. But you can hate me Ian."

At that moment the lake behind the man started swirling, and it seemed that the man in front of Ian would disappear into the lotuses at any moment.

the finite - by currygom

Ian was confused. Tak claimed that this Sura was the criminal from 8 years ago, but this dragon says that he's not. So who should she believe? No, in the first place, no matter who it is, why would he bother to explain? Was this a misunderstanding from the perspective of the Sura?
"If you are thinking about what Taksaka said, he is very innocent, there is no need to doubt."
"...?"

So Tak didn't do it either? Ian didn't know what to think anymore.
"Most dragons lay sleeping in their nest, and show almost no activity. Because of that their appearances are not well known. It is very easy to fool the ignorant man. I also pretended to be Taksaka several times but..."

Ian had lost hope already and thought that she'd die by his hands, but now she looked at him without saying anything in particular.
"... don't you wonder who the real perpetrator is?"
"Do I need to ask?"
"No. You're better off not knowing. I won't tell you even if you ask me."
"..."

The man walked over to the lake, while Ian watched his back. He faltered as he approached.
"Once, my hair was the same color as this lake."
"..."

Ian looked alternately at the lake of blooming lotuses and the man with red and black hair. There seemed to be nothing in common between the two.
"When Visnu first named me, he said. Your hair is more lovely than anyone's, but as you let your heart rot, its beauty shall rot as well. And as you aspire to something forever beyond your grasp, you will meet a horrible ending." (confirmed by Ashenjay! :3 )
"There is no way that Visnu-nim would have said that!"

Ian could not believe the words of that man. The man glanced at her then turned back to the lake.
"Yes. I was wrong to say that. Visnu is a good God."
"..."

The man's voice somehow seemed smaller than before, as though he had lost his energy. His complexion changed as well, as his body swayed helplessy in the shallow wind, and his left hand started to vanish.
"...!!"

The man looked at Ian as she involuntarily let go of his hand. She tried to back off but the man grabbed her hand with his right hand, so she couldn't withdraw anymore.
"I'm sorry, my hands will disappear so..."
"If you're disappearing do it properly."

The blurred area had already expanded from the man's wrist to his left shoulder.
"Uh... uh, what do we do? Is this what you wanted?"
"..."
"Speak to me! What do I do if you just disappear?"
"You seem to be worried about me."

Unlike the very embarassed Ian, the man seemed pretty numb at the fact that his body was disappearing.
"What if you were lying?"
"Why should I lie to a mere human?"
"..."

But she wasn't a "mere human."
Ian was anxious about the dying man. But, no matter what, Ian remained unanswered. He recalled memories as he watched her light pink hair, her lemon-colored eyes and her peach-like cheeks.

--
In order to preserve the Dragon species, they had to abandon their emotions and female form. In return, Half dragons could obtain the power of 5th stage Rakshasas after just 100 years. The Dragons would be able to grab supremacy if they increased the number of Halfs at a faster rate than the number of Rakshasas by other species. However, with their emotions gone, the Dragons lost interest in Sura supremacy and scattered.

However, no matter how much the feelings were abandoned, after the long lonely years, I turned my eyes to the humans even if just for a moment, to ease the feelings of jealousy. I can recall her flowing purple hair and her smile.

When I heard the news that the Half she gave birth to was worshipped by the humans, I remember that my heart felt proud. "I have other feelings left besides those of jealousy", and I thought it was enough. So I tried to keep protecting her descendants. From then on, I stopped trying to impersonate Taksaka.

"Ian of your line and Taksaka will join and have a child."
When I heard this remarkable prophecy, I thought I wanted to look over the child rather than feel jealous of her. I caught a glimpse of the pink-haired girl from the distance, but there was no feeling of jealousy and envy. However, I could not stop the disaster that came.

After the death of Ananta, he emerged as the strongest existence in the Universe. And the only emotion he had left for Taksaka was belligerence.

Our King. Vritra.

Pretending to be Taksaka, he was the one who really attacked the village. Naturally, I was framed as a result. I had already impersonated Taksaka many times. Among Sura, I was thought of as the one who impersonated him and caused a "minor incident in Willarv."

There was only one reason this village had meaning to Vritra: the person who could make Taksaka fall in love was here. A dragon in love will try its best to hide from fighting to protect its love, and after its love dies, the dragon will keep the lover in its memory for a long, long time. Vritra definately does not want that situation to happen, and will try to find the person- and kill her. (thanks Ashenjay!)

At that time Visnu came to mind. Telling Vritra the future, thus giving him the idea to attack, may have been Visnu's ploy. However, without evidence, nobody would suspect this of the reputable Visnu. I couldn't meet him directly, as I feared him from the beginning.

As I was worried, I left to tell Taksaka "Beware of Visnu." Even if I'm killed afterwards, it did not matter. I can die anyway now that her descendants were dead - until then, I thought Ian had died- so if Taksaka killed me eventually I thought it would be okay.

But he was not in his nest. Vasuki said he went to Willarv. For a moment, I thought that Ian could still be alive. The prophecy wouldn't fail so easily after all. Despite the disaster, Ian survived and was destined to unite with Taksaka. And despite the fact that I quit being evil, I would meet a terrible ending. Yeah. Maybe it would not have made a difference if I had gone to Willarv. Taksaka was so close to Visnu that he allowed him to call him with the nickname 'Tak.' In addition, he didn't have the slightest doubt that I was the one who attacked the village.

In the end he'd just get angry when I finally got to Willarv. Of course this depended on the fate of Ian. He did not even question me if I was the culprit from 8 years ago. In fact, I did not know that I had been taking the feeling of being blamed for granted. Even though his feelings were long gone, I had hoped a little warmth would remain.

Expectations?
That's right. I wanted to die at his hands, and that too was a wonder.
Anyway as the conclusion emerged, he didn't even give it much thought. Such promises were not to be kept in the first place. Even so, I was glad I could go cleanly.

--
"No! You're going to fade away! Oh... oh no..."

Ian started to cry as she held him in her arms, as his body faded away. He thought that when she was crying, she reminds him of himself back then.
"Ian."
"What? Yes! Go ahead!"

Her reaction was cute quite. He could see that she was a lovely child. His red and black hair started turning blue, but he did not notice. Ian was also not worrying about his hair.
"Yes, I did not attack the village. But... you cannot tell anyone."
"What?"
"If you told Taksaka, he will begin to suspect others, and will eventually reach the answer. But when that time comes, it will result in a bigger disaster. It will lead to a huge fight that will destroy everything around it. Countless innocent lives will be lost."
"But if you're the only one victimized..."

His fingers that had almost become transparent covered her lips.
"That future is not good, Ian. It was enough for you to know. So do not tell anyone. I shall leave bearing all the sins. I've committed atrocities in Taksaka's name, so I didn't get victimized for nothing. This is just payment for my sins."

His hair turned completely blue, and he showed a gentle smile. Although he was an emotionless dragon, his face was now the warmest in the world.
"Thank you for crying for me."

Ian embraced him as he faded away.
"Like happily with Taksaka."

He dreamed of the future. And as he finally said that, the beautiful hair of the Azure Lotus dragon disappeared completely from the world.

---
*whimpers* Waaaah!! Waaaaaaaaah!!!! TT__TT
Oh by the way. He said a huge disaster. Didn't we see a dragon in the flashback about the N0 Cataclysm? D:
This chapter was probably full of translation mistakes. But eh. I'm still hoping the scanlators will release a proper translation someday. >.>;; Edited by Mizura, 21 July 2012 - 10:18 AM.

#22 Mizura

Fried Potato

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Posted 10 June 2012 - 06:34 AM Ian was crying horribly in Tak's arms. She was crying as soon as she woke up, and Tak was waiting for her to stop crying. Ian had almost been engulfed in Fedust. The sky of Willarv at dusk was beautiful. But, although humans may find watching the sky romantic, Nastika were aware of the actual reality of the Universe and did not find the sky romantic at all, moreso since Tak was an emotionless dragon.

The land around the area where Tak landed was completely devastated by the impact. It was even difficult to estimate the original state of the area. Luckily there were no traces of humans around. Tak stopped thinking about his surroundings and pulled Ian closer. With Tak in his adult form, Ian was like a child sitting in his lap. This was because Tak was quite big, but also because Ian was quite small. She was shorter than the average female, and her forearm was less than half the width of Tak's. She had tender shoulders and soft hair, and a skinny little body.

Ian was still young. Although by the criteria of Willarv laws, she qualified as an adult, her body was only 14-15 years old. This means that Tak had quite a long test of patience ahead of him. Of course, Tak could wait several hundred years for her to grow up, but with his current mindset a few years would feel like several thousand.

Damnit. That Visnu. It would have been nicer if he could arrange for us to meet 10 years later.
"Tak."
"Uh, huh?"
Uh, huh? What the! Ian's sudden call made Tak answer weirdly, and he wanted to hit himself for acting so stupid with or without the earrings.

the finite, by Currygom
Chapter 18 - To guard against

"What happened to the dragon?"
After she stopped crying, the first thing she asked about was Utpala.
"..."

Ian didn't even know Utpala's name. Why did Tak need to bother to explain? All she needed to know was that the criminal Utpala was completely destroyed. There was nothing more to the story.
"That guy was annihilated."
"He was... annihilated?"
"Yes, annihilated. Nastikas die together with the power of their name. There is no afterlife for us." (Waaaah! T_T )
"..."

Ian showed a sad expression. Even though death was sad, annihilation was even sadder.
"Why such a face? He was the culprit who attacked your village then tried to kill you. If I didn't save you, you'd be dead too. He's not worth your sympathy."
"..."

Tak said this with a bland tone, but Ian started crying again.
"Uh... hey. Why are you crying?"

Without the earrings on, Tak didn't feel anything about the death of Utpala. He failed to keep his promise, but he rationalized that he abandoned it for Ian. But Ian was crying for Utpala, whom she knew nothing about.
"He said to live happily together."
"What?"

No wonder. While she was almost scared to death, Utpala's unique transcendence took shape at the last minute. However, he couldn't have said to live happily after.
"Wasn't it just a dream?"
"No, it wasn't just a dream."
"Was there a lake in the background? Full of blooming lotus?"
"Yes."

That was indeed Utpala's own transcendence. But why would he say that...?
"The dragon did nothing to you?"
"..."

Before the change that scattered the whole race, Utpala was easily the closest to Tak. Tak was just like a brother to Utpala, and his anger was extremely muted towards her. By contrast, Utpala easily became jealous when it came to Tak. Utpala was like a kid sister to him, and they showed a close relationship until then.

However, Utpala's behaviour from when he was a girl didn't change afterwards. He'd pinch his arm, hug him by surprise or sit in his lap. Tak would have killed him without hesitation if it weren't for the promise. But it was hard to bear the gaze from many other Nastika. It was shameful. When Vasuki laughed like crazy, he'd still feel angry. Without the promise, Tak would even have killed him.
"This guy impersonated me without fear. He committed all those atrocities. Why are you shedding tears for him?"
"..."

Ian just bit her lip and bowed. Tak looked unkind, but she couldn't blame him for not knowing the truth. The dragon was no longer here to defend himself. All this time Tak made rescuing her a top priority.
"... thank you for saving me."
"It was quick."
"Tak."
"What?"
"Who can't you win easily against?"
"... can't win easily against? Well, there are about 5 or 6 people I can't win easily against. Why do you ask?"
"..."

Utpala didn't tell Ian who the real killer was. However, from the words he said as he was leaving, Ian could speculate that it was a dragon who was about as powerful or more powerful than Tak.
"How about the dragons that you can't defeat?"

"None."

Tak's answer was firm, with no hesitation.
"But Tak, you're not the King. At least Vritra..."

"Right now he's weaker than me."

The King was weaker than Tak? Ian blinked at this. The "Right now" made her realize that there was a condition attached. She turned her head to look at him. She had studied up a lot on dragons, but rather than bother Tak she wanted to think better for herself.
"Are you hoping to become King?"
"Oh no. I did not mean it like that."

In these past 8 years she only dreamed of avenging her village. But what was resolved now? Tak killed the other dragon, but ultimately didn't care that the other dragon was dead. He did say that the dragon paid for his sins, but Ian cried for the other dragon, and as she calmed down she realized that nothing was resolved. The real killer was still out there, alive, and her revenge for her village was completely unfulfilled.

However, Ian was hesitant to tell Tak the things she's seen and heard. Was it because of the other dragon? Of course, she would not have done so without good reason. It she told the truth, what would happen to Tak? "Can not win easily again." This meant that Tak could eventually be in danger. And she needed to prioritize the lives of other innocent people over the revenge of her village.

""f it's not for that reason, why does the ranking of dragons matter to you? Officially, I am second place after Vritra. However it's been a long time since I last fought him and only because other guys stopped the fight, so it became unimportant. He is called 'strongest in the world without Ananta', but has a bad relationship with me. If he has one enemy in the world, it's me." (thanks Ashenjay!)

Tak's speech was unusually long, so Ian was initially discouraged from speaking up.
"Uh, well, if you are fighting, and the things you want are in danger, but rather than dying immediately..."

Tak seemed to notice something in her statement.
"Are you worried about me?"
"..."

As he reached that conclusion, Ian became embarrassed for some reason, and buried her face in Tak's scarf. She seemed even more shy since she was sitting in his lap. And now she was pushing Tak closer to a desperate state.
"... that proves it, this is torture."

Tak suddenly lifted Ian. The surprised Ian started to apologize to him blindly.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I won't bother you. Don't get mad. Don't beat me."
"No, you're not bothering me. Wait, when did I hit you? I broke your arm, that's true... but I didn't hit you?"

Tak didn't know what to say so he shut his mouth and scratched his horn. Ian's fear was frustrating. If he went into an argument he might end up blowing everything with his breath, so it was clear what he'd have to give up for Ian to survive.

Self-esteem. Dignity. Nastika pride.

Visnu's earrings made him a fool full of reasoning mistakes. So, he was reluctant to wear the earrings. But at least, with the stupid earrings on he wouldn't hurt Ian. Ian wouldn't tremble, stutter or close herself off in front of him, and she'd occasionally show him a warm smile. Having the earrings on was strange. It was strange feeling something other than anger.
"Ian."
"Y... yes?"

Ian raised her head to the voice of Tak. In front of her, Tak had taken a young appearance again, and beamed a smile at her. It seemed even his personality changed.
"I said that you didn't have to tremble."

Tak smiled and held out a hand.
"What? I keep getting confused..."
"I'll have to stay like this from now on."
"... what?"

"I can stay like this if you want. Ian. My personality changes because of these earrings. Without these earrings, I almost don't feel any emotions other than anger. I could get mad at you, and as you say, really hurt you. And I wouldn't feel anything at the death of a brethren... I really hate myself for that."

Tak stopped talking. The moment Utpala came up he started tearing up.
"Oh, don't cry. I'm fine now. It's okay, really."

Ian squeezed Tak's hands, but as Tak became increasingly depressed, tears started to flow.
"Why did he do it? Why did I do it? Ian. I didn't even ask him properly. I was terrible. I'm a really bad guy. Really bad... Wuuuu."
"Ah... Tak, I don't think that. You aren't a bad person. Please don't cry."

Ian didn't know how to stop Tak from crying in her arms, so she stroked his head. It was the complete opposite situation from when they just landed in Willarv. Tak just whimpered for a long time, his nose turning all runny. Eventually he looked so outrageous that Ian couldn't help laughing. She tried to figure out a way to console him, even removing the earrings.
"What? Nastikas are the same."
"..."

Suddenly she stopped laughing.
"Oh... I'm sorry. I didn't mean that as a bad thing."
"Do you want to live with me?"
"No Tak. Because there'd just be remorse if it happens again."

Ian's answer seemed to appease Tak, but he became very sullen.
"To you..."
"Oh... Tak, um, I'm still..."

Ian wasn't sure if she had the right to reject a Nastika, and dared not speak further.
"No. I can understand. You hate me. Why would you want to live with a selfish guy like me? And... you live in the city and believe in the Gods. It you live with me you'll be branded as a heretic."
"I, I don't see things that way."
"Then?"

Ian didn't know what to say, then finally sighed and gave Tak the desired answer.
"If... you keep your earrings on..."

"Wah!"

Before she could fall, Tak embraced her and ran a few laps in circle around the place. Although Ian gave the answer reluctantly, Tak was almost insane with joy. To Ian now, Tak seemed like a little kid, and with the earrings on she thought he seemed more gentle and charming.

---
As usual, there are a bunch of parts I'm not sure about. I'm especially curious to the part about Vritra. This is typical Currygom: we now have more questions than we have answers. Why was a weakened Vritra running around impersonating someone who's now stronger than him and trying to kill Ian? And if Utpala was right and Visnu set him up to it, why did Visnu do it, and what would Vritra have gained in exchange, since right now he's weaker than Tak anyway? D: Tak also briefly mentioned the power of the name. It'd be interesting to learn how that works exactly. Edited by Mizura, 18 July 2012 - 07:53 AM.

#23 Mizura

Fried Potato

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Posted 17 June 2012 - 04:17 AM A warm sunlight shone inside the court. Empty clotheslines swayed in the wind, while a sweet smell wafted from the laundry baskets filled with wet clothes. A man and a woman sat down next to a stone chair near the basket without saying a word. Rather, the woman was sitting in the man's lap.

From time to time she twisted around to move away, but each time the man responded by hugging her. Eventually, since the situation was not being resolved, the woman told him directly.
"Tak."
"..."
"Tak, I need to hang the laundry."
"I don't want to. Just a little more."
"This is the third time already? You need to learn moderation. I have things to do."
"..."

Tak seemed like he wanted to object, but the arm around Ian loosened. As soon as she came down from his knees, Ian ran to the clotheslines holding the heavy laundry basket. She struggled with a heavy blanket.
"Give it to me. I'll hold it."
"No, this is something I have to do. Since you provide the money, I want to do the housework properly. I don't want to spend all my time playing around."
"You can play around."
"Well, I'm not comfortable with that."

She tried to take the blanket away from Tak, but couldn't.
"Stop that, Tak."

Seeing that Ian was frowning, Tak reluctantly put down the blanket.
"Don't stand there, go and sit down, and stop interfering with the blanket."
"Okay...."

As Tak faced Ian, he wondered how tall she is. 167? 168? While it was clear that she grew taller than when they first met, Ian was still quite short and skinny. He tried to feed her all kinds of delicacies, however he stopped when Ian threw up the meat. (I'm not sure about this part but... did he hunt and try to feed her Sura or something to buff her up? D: And Ian's taller than me. T_T )
"... you have to wait until I'm done."

Tak straddled the stone chair and stared miserably at Ian doing the laundry.

The finite - by Currygom
Chapter 19 - Patience (lol)

It was year D880. It's been 7 years since Tak brought Ian to this house outside the city. In this year, Ian was officially 36 years-old, though her Quarter appearance was that of an 18 years-old. She was considerably lighter and shorter than the average woman from Willarv. Conversely, when Tak focused on a similar age appearance as Ian, he was seriously taller and more built than the average Willarv male. Ian, at least, had a much more beautiful face than him. If someone didn't know better, the two would look like Beauty and the Beast. One day he tried to take a much younger appearance to have the same eye-level as her, but he changed back as Ian was fairly dissatisfied with the change.

Ian called Tak to eat.
"But I don't have to eat... and that's boring."
"Even if you're bored, you should eat."

Ian then proceeded to push Tak's food towards him. Cooked Yaksha liver was supposed to strengthen stamina. Among humans, it was considered an expensive and difficult to obtain delicacy (eww), but Ian disliked eating it.
"You should eat too."
"I don't want to eat it."
"I don't want to eat it either."
"..."

As soon as Tak said that, Ian started to sulk. Tak had no choice but to devour the food and apologize to her.
"I'm sorry, I was wrong, so just eat what you want."
"Really? Thanks, Tak."

Ian kissed Tak on the cheek and started to eat her meal. Tak touched the place where Ian kissed him.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm done eating. I'm going outside to clear my head for a moment."
"Are you angry?"
"No, I'm not angry."
"Come back quickly!"
"..."

Seeing Ian smile, Tak's heart sank as he left. In the past 7 years Ian's skills increased. Whenever there was friction between the two, Ian always won. It helped that just like he had promised, Tak had never once removed his earrings during these last 7 years.

"Has it been 7 years?"

Ian looked at the empty chair that Tak left. Ever since Tak asked her to "Live with me", she had formed considerable determination, and so the fact that he had been waiting 7 years was quite extraordinary.
"My age is a bit... I'm also a bit reluctant to skip the line. Oh, it's just, I'm a little scared.

Before she accepted Tak's proposal 7 years ago, she never had any body contact. Right now she could get a hug every day. She was enjoying this happy little love life, and because of this, she didn't want this happiness to be altered in different ways.

---
Tak looked down on his house. He was standing on top of a steep cliff, with the light of the early evening to his back. He took a few deep breaths to cool off. When Ian smiles it even became hard for him to breathe.
"It smells of my kin."
"...?!"

Tak turned around startled at the sound that came from his back. Even though he was wearing the earrings, he should have noticed the figure.
"Let me guess, you had cooked Yaksha for today's lunch. Ding ding?"
"..."

The woman smiling in front of him had many gray hair braids and blue-gray skin. Tak scratched his head with guilt as he remembered that he cook and ate liver from her same species. Of course, that behaviour was also caused by the earrings.
"It's thanks to what Visnu gave you. Normally you'd have breathed fire at me and told me to get lost."

Tak looked up as she finished talking.
"Visnu? You met Visnu? When? Where?"

The woman looked puzzled and amazed as she had never imagined him looking like that.
"Wow! The performance of the earrings is amazing! I must say I'm quite amazed to see Taksaka this way..."
"You think this is amazing? After he gave me the earrings there's been no news from him for the past 7 years."
"About Visnu, it seems he went to the underworld, and for no other reason than to fight for the cause of your girl."
"..."

Tak had kept quiet for a moment, but glared at her with a serious expression when she said "your girl."
"How much do you know?"
"..."

He was ready to kill at any moment's notice. He wouldn't normally remove his earrings, but Tak noticed that the woman was a serious threat. And she was in a similar position.
"I don't know. I told Visnu that I'm just here with my lover. I've never told anything to the other guys. You know, you and I are both outsiders to our race."
"Visnu aside, you say you have a lover?"
"Why, it was the person who sponsored you. Nard Lehn. Didn't you hear him talking about me at all?"
"..."

He didn't know any of this. When Nard introduced himself to Tak, Tak was "in from one ear, out the other." Even if he mentioned a woman in the middle of the story, after 7 years, Tak could not remember.
"I know nothing else."
"Hmm. Anyway, we were friends then, and it's developed a bit since. We have a child now."
"What? Child?"
"Yes, Nard's going to your home with her right now."
"!!!"

Tak reached his home in a moment and slammed open the door. Even though Nard was his sponsor, he could not afford to leave Ian at home alone with another man.
"Nard Lehn!!! Come out here right now?"

At the sudden shout, three people looked towards Tak at the same time: Ian who was sitting at the table, Nard, and his daughter.
"You, get out! Now!"
"Tak, what are you doing?"

Tak had picked up Nard but Ian's voice stopped his movement. His movements had caused the stone chair to fall over and break. Ian started picking up the debris of the broken chair and shot a cold glare at Tak.
"You don't have your earrings on either. I'm really disappointed in you, Tak."
"..."

Seeing Ian like that, Tak eventually put Nard down and went out of the house without saying anything. After he left, the child burst into tears. She was a silver-haired girl just one or two years-old, with only the silver fur on her arms and her long tail showing that she's not human.
"I'm sorry. He is a little reckless."
"Oh no, it's fine. I'm lucky he didn't twist my neck."

Ian smiled at Nard. Ian and Nard were quarters of similar age, and Nard was slightly shorter than the average male of Willarv of similar age.
"Ian-ssi, I think I made a mistake by coming here when you're alone."

Nard took the child from Ian, and moved to sit in the chair again.
"Oh, the chair is broken, don't sit there."
"Really?"

Nard fumbled away from the chair, and made jokes to stop the child from crying.
"The child's name is "Hana"? It's a beautiful name."
"Thank you. She was named by taking the first character of her mother and father's names."
"Excuse me, can I ask who the mother is? Since she is a half, her mother must be an Advanced Sura, right?"

At Ian's question, Nard hesitated for a moment before answering.
"Well, I can tell it to Ian-ssi. She is a Yaksha clan Nastika."
"...!!"
"Is it surprising? But Ian-ssi is also living with a Nastika."
"Uh, ah... you knew?"
"The day Ian-ssi left with him was a real uproar. Besides, he used the names 'Tak' and 'Shess.' The child's mother said, 'Shess' is the name of a Kinnara clan Rakshasa living on Willarv. 'Tak' is the nickname of Shess' acquaintance: Taksaka the Extermination Dragon. Only 3 people are allowed to use that nickname."

In fact, Nard knew about Tak before he met him, but he thought that he didn't need to bother to mention it here.
"That day Mistyshore became an island. Plus, witnesses saw the dragon turn mountains into a desert, and was lost momentarily in the light of Fedust. Perhaps without the protection of Visnu, even Fedust and Willarv would have disappeared. All that happened after Ian-ssi disappeared."
"I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused..."

Dragons fought at such magnitude. Ian laughed at her pathetic past dreams of revenge.
"But Ian-ssi has been staying with him ever since. Don't you have children yet?"
"Ah... that is..."
"Shouldn't he be amazing at night? When he was with me he tried to climb over the walls to Ian-ssi's home in the middle of the night..."
"I sleep at night. Tak sleeps quite naturally too."
"Oh? Uh, how can that be...?"

Nard seemed confused for a moment, and smiled to defuse an awkward situation.
"Then you'll have to give me a citation? How do you say "You must admit you want it at this age?"
"..."
"... sorry. It was just funny to hear."
"..."

In the past seven years Ian couldn't see directly what Tak was going through, but now she was feeling sorry for him. Nard noticed her unhealthy silence.
"Is it okay that you've never gone to him? I noticed some angry atmosphere."
"Ah..."
"There. I'm going to restore the chair and I'll be back."
"Yes, excuse me. I don't care about locks, there's nothing to steal anyway."

Nard left through the door that Tak had gone out of. He then waved his hand towards Ian.
"Ian-ssi, don't say anything to him about what happened earlier. When such a man has had to wait for seven years, one can only imagine the state he'd be in. Poor guy. Be easy on him."
"..."

The 36-years-old Ian was unable to understand what Nard meant, but she smiled back. She went to look for the places Tak usually turned to. Once Tak had his earrings on, he usually gave way to her smile anyway. She believed that there wouldn't be any problems this time either.

And unfortunately, she said "I'm disappointed that you removed your earrings." Because without them, he acted in unexpected ways. (not sure about this sentence)

To be continued.

---
Well what a normal little everyday scene! : o The name of Ran's mother is Hana! And the name of his grandmother begins with a "Ha". Any theories? It seems Visnu is back, I wonder if he'll show up next chapter. lol, Ran pities Tak for having endured the wait all this time. >.>;;

According to Kareia, the next chapter is supposed to have R-rated stuff, but it'll be censored. So, it seems Tak won't have to wait long after all. Baby Kasak! *mx.nglz likes this

#24 Mizura

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Posted 23 June 2012 - 07:06 AM Huh? Oh yeah, it's early this time (censored version today, uncensored version tomorrow). I read it on the blog already but I got the dates mixed up. @_@

Anyway, as some of you know already, Kareia had asked Currygom for permission to translate her novel. However, Currygom doesn't want the extra attention to her novel blog, so she did not allow reproduction of the finite, including translations.

We all respect Currygom's wishes, so Kareia stopped full translations. Summaries are probably still be okay, but lately I've been attempting to
"translate" as much as I can (or whatever one would call my sad attempts at interpreting mangled text from Google Translate). So, for the remaining chapters, I'm reverting to "just" summaries.

You can still try to descipher the text for yourself by installing the Google Translate plugin and ctrl-left click on the page you want (otherwise the translation plugin will be blocked). Disabling javascript will also allow you to copy/paste the text yourself. The way I do it is ctrl-left click, open the source, copy the text and clean up all the tags then replace all the names, but that takes longer.

---
It was night already and Nard was relieved that he managed to fix the broken chair, which was tough because he lacked the Resurrection property. He started a conversation with Hana's mother, joking that if she had intervened, he'd be like a shrimp between two whales.

He then asked if Ian could also have a beautiful baby like them. Hana's mother replied that it was completely different if the mother is the shrimp and the father is the whale. She noted that even if the father is an ordinary man, a woman is exhausted after giving birth.

In this case, would it even be possible for a human body to sustain the child of a Nastika, especially if it involves the dragon Taksaka? Indeed, the Half born would be of Rakshasa level. Dragon Halfs are rare because dragons rarely fall in love, but also because pregnancy would be fatal to the mother. There were a few cases where the father killed the baby to save the mother. As a result, it was better if the woman didn't give birth.

Nard felt upset, but Hana's mother told him to not worry, because Visnu was on the case. He asked if Visnu could be trusted, and Hana's mother said yes, because Visnu is a good god.

After that the conversation shifted to Hana. Hana's mother said that it was a good thing that Hana didn't resemble her. Nard asked why not? Since he never saw someone as pretty as her. Hana's mother laughed saying that it wasn't very persuasive coming from a blind man. She thanked him for calling her beautiful, but told him that there are plenty of prettier girls.

In fact, she was very beautiful, but she was in the same clan as the famous Shuri, who was said to possess divine beauty. Hana's mother didn't seem as beautiful next to her. Hana's mother then noted that Nard didn't bother to check the faces of most women, and didn't even check Ian's, and that if he did, his standards for beauty would be different. It wasn't surprising that Taksaka would like her, even though he was unresponsive to Shuri (they are beautiful in different ways).

Nard replied that she was still the most beautiful to him, which caused her to laugh and say that he's the most beautiful to her as well. When he objected to "beautiful", she proposed "cute" then "not cool" as a joke. She then walked away laughing while holding Hana, and Nard went after her.

The finite - by Currygom
Chapter 20: Catalyst

Tak had several hideouts because of the "habit of his clan:" he went to sleep in his hideouts, though only briefly when Ian was asleep (he stays by her side when she's awake). It could be a large rock, a pond, a cave, or a large tree. Ian would go looking for him if she woke up first. One of these hideouts was a large rock in the middle of the flower garden not far from the house. Ian walked into the garden, and found Tak sitting on the rock fiddling with something.

She asked if he was angry, and he replied "a little bit." She apologized for her comment about the earrings, saying that she didn't mean it, and Tak thanked her saying that she did not owe him an apology. She asked what he was doing, and if she could come up. He told her not to as he was not wearing the earrings.

Ian's acceptance of his proposal was subject to him keeping his earrings on. Tak was aware that he failed to keep the promise, even though it was because he was angry at the time. "Take this." He handed her a crude bouquet. The fact that he made it without the earrings on was important. This made Ian very happy, and she sat down next to Tak laughing.

She then warned him that she's about to sit on his laps. He told her to wait because he didn't have his earrings on yet, but Ian jumped onto his laps and gave him a quick kiss, which silenced him (there's a picture! Whoa, Tak really is built). She said that she was relieved that he was also like his without his earrings, and thanked him, asking him if he knew that she loved him.

She then told him to go home after putting on the earrings. However, as she was coming down from his laps, Tak suddenly embraced her, causing her to fall down the rock screaming. Fortunately she wasn't injured, but she complained to Tak and asked him what he was doing.

However, he was looking down on her without a word. Although Ian has known him for 7 years, she didn't know what he was thinking without his earrings. She started to get scared, and apologized for offending him by kissing him spontaneously. When he still didn't respond, she added that she was scared, and told him not to do it.

Her anxiety grew as he stayed silent. Rather than moving aside to soothe her, he leaned in dangerously close. She was beautiful when she was crying.

When Ian finally realized the situation, she turned pale and started looking for the earrings, but they were tossed aside, and she couldn't see anything in Tak's hands.

--
I was right, Ian was supposed to die in childbirth. Visnu must have managed to get her life extended, but not for her full lifespan. So, Tak must have hated Kasak ever since, which is why Kasak was afraid of him.*mx.nglz likes this

#25 Mizura

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Posted 29 June 2012 - 09:40 AM First off, huge thanks to Kareia for clarifying the many parts of the story that I didn't get: http://www.batoto.net/forums/topic/5662-chapter-63-on-discussions/page__view__findpost__p__243437

The finite, by Currygom
Chapter 21 - Wound

Visnu came out of Ian's room, and Tak who was waiting there anxiously asked him if Ian is alright. Visnu told him yes, and told him that she woke up. However, Visnu stopped Tak before he could go in, telling him that there's something important he has to tell him: although Visnu can restore Ian's body state, he cannot turn back time, because now she has a baby.

Visnu continued that as Tak knew, Half pregnancy last for 40 months (ouch!). As a penalty for having a Dragon's child, Ian would lose a year of her life for every half month of pregnancy. Visnu went to Hell for the matter, but Yama said that Ian would lose part of her life unless she gave up her baby.

Tak thought the answer was obvious, all he had to do was get rid of the child. He asked Visnu how much damage that would cause Ian. Despite wearing the earrings, Tak felt nothing for the child.

Visnu replied that she'd totally lose her mind.

When Tak heard Visnu's answer, he almost cried. What should he do? The child was going to rob Ian of 80 years of life, and all he could do was stand by and watch? He accused Visnu of messing up in the creation of the earrings, which made him unable to sleep for 7 years, but Visnu said that the earrings had nothing to do with it. Tak accused that even so, Visnu was the bad guy, as he knew everything.

Then he angrily grabbed Visnu, saying that he was going to make it so that Visnu won't be able to revive until the end of the Universe.

Visnu said that Tak should discuss this with Ian, and ask for her forgiveness first. Who knows? She might even give him permission to get rid of the child. With that in mind, Tak put down Visnu and went to find Ian. Visnu breathed a sigh of relief. Even though it was the predicted behavior, when facing it in reality, he couldn't help but feel momentarily nervous.

Originally the name Taksaka was not this dangerous, but the dragon of this universe had an error. Maybe it was because the god of destruction could not correct all the errors of the universe, and it had affected the dragon of destruction. He, who had unimaginable transcendental skills and could only feel anger, needed something to soften the danger. Of course Ian did well until now, but she could not control him when he did not have his earrings. There is a need for more control. Even if she has to toil in the process. (translation by Kareia)

"Still, the rest of her life won't be so bad." Visnu smiled and left.

Tak entered Ian's room. She gave him a frosty response, so he quickly ran to her side and went down on his knees to beg for forgiveness, saying that she could just slap him. Ian retorted that it wouldn't hurt him one bit, so he offered to hit himself, and started doing so, while giving her the most pathetic looking expression.

Just when Tak thought that she was about to forgive him, she took out his earrings instead. When he asked why she did that, she said that if he wanted to ask for forgiveness, he should do it in this state instead.

---

... D: @ Visnu

And yes, it was supposed to be a short chapter, which is why it was out early. Next few chapters are supposedly very long though. And despite the baby Kasak pic, I think this chapter is right after Tak slept with Ian. Did he have to call in Visnu because she got hurt? D: Or is it just because she became pregnant? Edited by Mizura, 30 June 2012 - 10:30 AM.

#26 Mizura

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Posted 30 June 2012 - 10:30 AM Not surprisingly, there was no answer from Tak. Ian clenched the earrings in her hand. Without the earrings, she didn't even know if Tak loved her. Then who has she been living with these 7 years? Thinking about this, Ian suddenly broke into tears.
"Without your earrings you..."
"I'm sorry."
It was a short sentence, but it caused Ian to open her eyes.

the finite, by currygom
Chapter 21-1 - Foregiveness (1/2)

"I was wrong."

The number 2 of the Dragons had never apologized without the earrings. Ian wanted to look at him to see if he was apologizing sincerely or just reciting it, but she was too afraid to see his cold, scary face instead and have her hopes dashed.
"I have apologized. What else do I need to say?"

So it was just a formal apology. Ian couldn't hold back her tears. He didn't love her.
"I love you."

It was just a whisper, so she thought she just imagined it.
"I love you, Ian."

She only turned her head towards him after hearing the second whisper. He sat down on the bed and stared down at her. Ian reflexively wanted to turn her gaze away to escape, but Tak caught her face and confronted her again.
"How dare you turn away? Do you know how much self-esteem I'm losing by saying this? Listen carefully. I, to you, I love you. I gave you that awkward kiss because I'm crazy in love with you."

Ian started crying and trembling.
"Damn, I apologized and confessed, so why are you crying? Stop crying!"

Ian began to cry louder. Tak was confused. It was so difficult for him to appease the crying female without the earrings. He continued trying to appease her, saying that he couldn't sleep for 7 years because of the earrings... and blamed her for ignoring his warning against approaching him. This made Ian cry louder, so Tak backed off and said no, he was wrong, everything was his fault. He couldn't win here, so he held off his self-esteem a bit.

He then promised that in the future, if she did not want to do it, he'd stop immediately. So could she forgive him? She kept crying. Darnit. Tak was beginning to get annoyed. He couldn't do this without the earrings.
"Please give me back my earrings. Now. If not..."
"I love you too, Tak."
"..."

Clenching Tak's earrings, she hugged herself.
"I wanted to hear those words. I wanted to hear those words from you. When I didn't hear them..."

So, she was only crying over those few words? Tak could not understand her reaction, but if it stopped her from crying, there was no reason to hold back. He repeated "I love you." to her over and over, gently kissing her forehead and eyelids while doing so. She stopped crying, and although her eyes were teary, she was smiling at him. It was the first time she smiled at Tak without his earrings, so Tak said that it was surprising. Ian asked why it was so surprising, and laughed when he didn't answer.

She seemed really happy, and so beautiful that Tak looked stunned. Ian laughed saying that he looked really silly right now, which made Tak mad and made him warn her that he didn't have his earrings on right now. Ian asked So what? Is he going to beat her? Punch her? Smash her head?

Tak said that she was going too far, but she added that she was moved by what Visnu-nim said, that it was a miracle that the Extermination dragon didn't get carried away sooner. Visnu-nim had described how Tak treated his enemies, smashing their bones etc. Tak complained that Visnu was speaking nonsense, but Ian added that Visnu compared the situation to bubbles. For Tak to sleep with her without killing her, it was like rats avoiding popping bubbles. The situation was pretty dangerous for her.

Tak responded with an "I'm sorry" and bowed. He couldn't deny that he'd greatly hurt her without the earrings. Ian reached out her hand to him, and told him that she no longer blamed him, as long as she knew where his heart was. Visnu's word alone wasn't enough for her, she wanted to hear his feelings from his own mouth. She knew that because of his pride, it would have been difficult for him to say, so she's fine now, so "Thank you so much for saying what I wanted to hear."

Tak thought that she was a good woman. In the past 7 years, even though Tak said he could get anything she wanted, she didn't require any luxuries. Her husband was the Extermination dragon, which caused many uncomfortable situations. It was clear that she'd have been better off with another man. Thanks to her looks and personality, she'd probably have been able to meet a man with very good conditions, become a simple wife and happy mother of several children. And she'd not have to lose 80 years of her life for a child.

Tak still looked emotionless, but his eyes were shaking as though they'd tear up at any moment.

Ian continued that about the earlier promise, if she hated it all she had to do was say the word for him to stop.

Thanks to the lack of earrings his tears were not noticeable before, but at her words his face immediately hardened. Ian started proposing sentences to say to get Tak to stop. The promise was placing Tak in an embarassing situation. Fortunately, Ian saw his face, said she was kidding and started to laugh.

Tak whined that this was a mess, and that Huia (Vasuki) would laugh like crazy if he saw this. Ian asked who that was, but he said that he wasn't answering. Ian started inquiring on who Huia is, and as if to punish her, Tak gave her a rough kiss, while Ian knocked on his back. His idea was simple. His promise was to stop if she told him to stop, but it'd be fine if he didn't let her speak right?

However, he eventually let her go when she started to cry. She pulled up the sheets and stuck to a corner of the bed as soon as he did so, and Tak asked in a strangely disappointed voice if she didn't want to. She threw a blanket over him and told him to sleep. Also, she didn't want things to be like back then. Didn't he say he couldn't sleep because of the earrings? Tak tried to reach for her but she swatted his hands away, telling him not to touch her, or she won't forgive him.

That stopped him, and soon Ian fell asleep while clutching the earrings.

To be continued.

---
I've had a tiring week, so I was sort of tempted to summarize this as: Tak apologizes. Ian cries. Tak says he loves her. Ian still cries. Tak gets annoyed, tries again, and Ian cries louder. Tak promises never to do it again if she doesn't want to. She keeps crying. Darnit.

Then she stops crying and thanks him for saying that and they lived happily ever after.

So yeah. @_@;; Darnit, the second half is already up. Wah... (because this chapter is long, Currygom uploaded two halves separately on Saturday and Sunday).

I must admit this chapter really shocks me though. Tak apologized and told Ian that he loved her WITHOUT the earrings. I had always assumed that he could only act that way With the earrings on. Even Kasak stopped loving his wife and threatened to abandon Agwen without the earrings, and Kasak's half human. It also means that Tak could probably remember Ian to a certain extent even after returning to the Sura realm. Surprising... Edited by Mizura, 30 June 2012 - 10:36 AM.

#27 Mizura

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Posted 30 June 2012 - 11:23 PM Unlike Tak, who was still as a dead man when he's sleeping, Ian always tossed and turned in her sleep. Ian would keep dragging the blanket off him, and he woke up when she collided with him and snuggled to him. Tak was getting frustrated and asked her what she wanted, as she was preventing him from sleeping. However, Ian started talking in her sleep, asking Tak to confirm that he loved her.

the finite by currygom
Chapter 22,-2 - Forgiveness (2/2)

At Ian's unexpected words, Tak touched his chest and wondered what was these feelings without the earrings. He wanted to hug her, but then gave up and just held her hand and laid down, deciding to give up the role of bad guy.

--
Ian still tossed and turned all night, she rolled to and away from him several times, or even ended up lying upside down on the bed and putting her feet on his face etc. (Poor Tak D: ) Tak had been pretending not to care about the bizarre behaviour. He'd open his eyes every time she put her feet on his face, pick up her foot, then lay her back into proper position again.

In seven years he had seen a lot already. He was well aware that she wasn't a good sleeper. During the honeymoon she just talked in her sleep. But over the years the symptoms became worse, and it interfered with his sleeping. Even with the earrings on, his patience and care were fairly strained. But now that he was without the earrings, no matter how close he was to her, it was hard to endure the rising anger. Having his sleep disturbed was one of the things he hated the most. He'd lost count of how many people he'd beaten to death for disturbing his sleep.

When she put her feet on his face for the fifth time, he decided that he couldn't take it anymore and that maybe it was better for him to leave. He'd locate a nest at dawn even with the earrings on, and now that he was without the earrings, there was nothing holding him there until the morning. As part of his 7-year habbit, he wished her goodnight before leaving.

But at that moment her hand caught his scarf.
"Where are you going, Tak? Sleep by my side."

Tak wanted her to let go of his scarf, but instead she asked him why he chose her in her sleep, which he didn't respond to.

Ian was pretty even 7 years ago, and she was even prettier now. She was sweet and caring and charming, and never showed off any vanity or luxury. She did all the house chores and cooking, and apart from her severe sleeping problem, there weren't any other bad habits to complain of. She was seriously skinny by his standards, but apart from that she met the conditions of every man's fantasy. Tak really resented that Visnu made them meet so early.

Tak looked at Ian's sleeping face for a long time, then eventually gave up and lay back down.

Ian would keep rolling away when she was feeling too hot, then stick by his side when she was feeling cold. By now, this was a tolerable disturbance for Tak. He'd cover her with a blanket and hold it there when she was cold, then open it up when she was feeling cramped.

--
The next morning, Ian was the first to open her eyes. Seeing Tak right there, she blinked in bewilderment and hastily rolled away. Fortunately, he didn't open his eyes. Maybe she should put on his earrings? But maybe he hasn't slept enough yet, and doing so wouldn't be nice.

She was worried for a moment. In order to keep the promise, Tak couldn't sleep for 7 years. In order to force himself to sleep, he built nests around the house, but Visnu said that even so, he almost did not sleep. Looking at his face, she was puzzled at why a Nastika fell for her, and asked Tak outloud what it was that attracted him to her.

At that moment Tak suddenly opened his eyes and answered "Everything." This surprised Ian and she nearly tumbled off the bed. The earrings in her hands fell on the bed, and Ian shouted in surprise. Tak was pretty upset at the situation, and told her that she didn't need to be afraid, that he'd slept enough. She said that it wasn't that, and Tak put on the earrings quietly. He soon held out his hand with a smile on his face, saying that there was something important he needed to talk to her about.

--
Ian was sitting on Tak's lap. She said that now she understood what Visnu-nim was talking about before. Tak said that it was a serious problem. Pregnancy for 40 months is a staggering amount of time. But Ian answered "So what?" She did not seem to have a problem with this.

Tak continued that her life would be reduced by 1 year every half month, so nearly 80 years for 40 months of pregnancy. But Ian said that she didn't care. Since she was a quarter, it'd just mean that she'd life as long as others. Tak said that it did matter, since his time with her would be reduced by 80 years. But Ian said that he knew that they'd be separated eventually.

At that, Tak had a pained expression, but Ian continued with a relatively serene look. Humans live relatively short lives, but Tak will easily live on for eons. Will his memories of someone he spent a hundred years with, still be clear billions of years from now?

Tak wanted to refute her words but couldn't. He may remember her for thousands or even tens of thousands of years, but millions of years after that? And no matter how much he loved her, after 100 million years, all he'd have left of her were a few hazy memories, he wouldn't even remember her smile properly.

Ian continued that after her death, a long time will pass regardless, 80 years won't make that much of a different. So she'd much rather sacrifice 80 years of her life to leave behind evidence of their love.

Tak retorted that he didn't need to have anything left behind. What was important was the present, for the two of them to be happy now. He didn't need anything else. He begged her to get rid of the child. However, that made Ian angry. She retorted that this was their baby, how could he speak of eliminating their precious child? Tak cringed.

Ian smiled in silence. Perhaps once the child is born, Tak will be highly jealous of the child. She hopes the child will look like him.

She asked him that since he is a Nastika, did he look cute when he was small? Tak told her to stop joking around while discussing such a serious matter. Ian just laughed and stretched his scarf around her arms.
"Since the remaining time has been reduced, please cherish it more."

Tak bit his lips and endured the pain that threatened to make him cry. If she was happy with the child, then it was enough. Yes, it was enough. He repeated this to himself many times, to no avail. No matter how much love he gave her, it seemed he will never be able to love the child in her stomach as much.

To be continued.

--

twitch* If I had a spouse who slept like that, I think I'd have kicked him out of the bed a long time ago. D:
But, wow, Ian was really mature there. I'd at least cringe at the thought of losing nearly half my life. D:*mx.nglz likes this
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#28 Mizura

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Posted 06 July 2012 - 10:55 AM Looking through books, Nard pointed out that there have been female Dragon Halfs before, though the last case was 700 years ago. Hana's mother noted that if a daughter is born, and she looks like Ian, then Taksaka might become an idiot dad like Gandharva. Nard then joked that they should pray then for the child to be like that for peace at home and peace in the world.

Hana's mother said that unfortunately, there was no chance of that. And that was because Taksaka never took female form.

The way the gender of a Rakshasa is determined is different from humans. Although the chance is almost fifty-fifty, the probability will vary according to the time each parent spent as man or woman before. Of course, if both parents were Nastika, chances were that the mother usually spent her time as a woman, so there'd be an equal probability of the child to be born as a son or a daughter.

However, this is different for Dragons. Dragons could not have children among themselves, so the gender of the child was determined by the gender of the father. However, Dragons had stayed as men save for a brief moment near the very beginning, so the odds of a daughter being born were very slim.

Among them, Tak had the appearance of a 15-years old man since the very beginning, as it was close to his essence. Although he could also change gender, he never did so even once, not even out of curiosity like many of the other Nastika have. He was a man to the bones.

So, Hana's mother said she hoped that the child at least had some resemblance to Ian. Then she proceeded to read a picture book while stroking the head of her baby.

the finite -by currygom
Chapter 23 - Mother and wife

In the beautiful flower garden, Ian was wrapped in a blanket and being held by Tak. She was so weakened now that she couldn't walk without his help, but she held in the pain because if she showed herself to be severely ill, Tak could really kill the child.

In an effort to appease Ian, Tak was trying to start a meaningless chat. He said, in the end, Shuri, Airavata and Urvasi went to find the most emotionless, Vritra, to ask him to make a decision on who was the most beautiful. That was crazy, because he was more likely to kill everyone than answer the question! Unfortunately, that guy was suffering from insomnia, so due to lack of sleep, he did not crush the other guys, but the three still had to flee, and never came back to ask again. However, Tak had answered "If you want to decide who is the most beautiful woman, there has to be at least one beauty in the choices." (thanks Kareia!)

Even without the earrings and even while lacking sleep, Tak wanted Ian to feel better and was trying to appeal to Ian with the story about beauty, but Ian had no interest at all. Tak apologized for the story not being funny, to which Ian said that it was, but she couldn't respond when he asked her what part.

Tak asked her if she was so sick now that she couldn't concentrate on the end? Ian said that if she was, then to the kid... Tak told her not to worry about it, and asked if she didn't trust him, to which she just answered that she wanted to sleep. They went into the house.

---
As she reached the end of pregnancy, Ian noticeably lost weight. Tak was worried about malnutrition. He wondered why the child was so selfish to break his mother's body like that. Ian was on the bed, short of breath, while Tak was nervously grabbing the calendar. Still 2 weeks left until the average of 40 months. The abominable Visnu had left without giving the precise date of birth, telling him to go to Nard's home if there were problems.

While Tak was swearing, Ian yelled out to him. He grabbed her hand fast as lightning, asking if she was sick, or uncomfortable, or hungry, or wanted to wash. (aww) She said that her stomach hurt badly.

As soon as he heard that she was hurting, he removed the earrings and picked her up. He told her that it had already eaten away at her life, so he would not let it be in vain. He would put the earrings back on as soon as they reach Nard's place. Ian leaned close and thanked him. And he lifted her up and brought her straight out of the house.

---
A voice called Taksaka to come look. Nard and Tak jumped at the same time, but Tak pushed past. "Look, he looks just like you..." The white-haired woman approached Tak holding something, but he ignored her and headed straight to the bed. Visnu was besides the bed already. Nard caught up. Ian was lying there motionless, and with her eyes closed.

Tak yelled out to her, then asked Visnu what he was doing, and grabbed him by the collar. The woman tried to calm him down by saying that Ian was fine and that Visnu had just healed her, she was just still unconscious.

Tak turned to the child that the woman was holding. He hardly looked like Ian's child, he looked like Tak as a child. He had 4 horns and sharp arms, so it was pretty intimidating that Ian gave birth to him.

Tak started complaining, and the woman started explaining that it was the penalty. However, Tak exploded in anger, asking if the universe had to be the dragons' enemy? Even without such a penalty, the dragons were not interested in hegemony over the Sura world anyway. He'd rather have a weaker Half rather than the equivalent of a 5th stage Rakshasa. Why did Ian have to go through this pain and lose part of her life? Tak demanded an answer out of Visnu, threatening to really eat him this time.

Just then Ian called out to Tak. He threw away Visnu and took her hand, asking if she was alright. Ian said she was, so he didn't have to worry. Ian asked to hold the child. Tak wanted her to worry about that "stupid thing" later, but she insisted. Eventually he handed her the baby, who looked at her weirdly.

"Honey, it's mommy!" Ian started to laugh happily. Tak was grouchy because she was smiling at someone other than him. Fortunately he had his earrings on now.

---
D885 - July

Ian was sitting in the lush gardens breast-feeding the baby, and noted to Tak, who was also drinking milk, that they had not named the child yet. Tak retorted that he said she could name him whatever she wanted. But, she wanted them to name the child together.

Ian was startled by the sound of bottles crashing, but the child in her arms seemed indifferent. Although Tak was wearing his earrings, he seemed angry and impatient. Ian asked if he was mad, and apologized, saying that she'll think of a name herself. Tak's anger fizzled out, and said he just made a mistake. Tak liked milk so Ian got fresh milk every day.

In the end, Tak said that the child's name is Kasak. He wasn't a genius at names, and in the end just roughly rearranged the name Taksaka. It was the first time he made an opinion about the child's name though, so Ian could not ignore it. So... she said it was nice, and told the baby that his name was Kasak from now on.

The child just gave her a dour look, and did not seem to care. Tak realized he was less angry and laughed.

---
That night, as Ian was laying Kasak down to sleep, Tak looked as though he was about to leave. Ian asked if he was going to his "nest", and he said that it was the case, since he could sleep efficiently in less time in a nest. Ian asked if he couldn't sleep by her side. Rather than efficiency, he could just sleep a bit longer.

Tak said that to sleep efficiently, he'd then have to remove his earrings. He might harm Kasak then, but just then, Ian embraced him from behind, and started pushing him into the next room, to which he protested with a "Uh... hey..." but did not offer any resistance.

Ian pushed him down onto the bed, and made some comments about Kasak, which caused Tak's face to go red, and mumble that uh, yeah, because Kasak was his son, he slept a lot too, superficial similarities. As Ian was pulling up the covers up, he asked if she really wanted to sleep besides him, to which she asked if she really had to spell it out for him.

Tak had no words. Since fathering Kasak, he's slept with her less often, and of course he had to be wearing the earrings. He'd always have to finish dinner first and give her flowers, and even then he had to get down on his knees to ask (wut?). She had never come to him herself.

Tak asked Ian what was going on with her. Something seemed different about her attitude. She asked him why he was so fierce with the baby during the day, to which he said he wasn't upset, but Ian said he was lying. Then she grabbed her clothes.

Here Currygom tells us not to expect too much from this blog. : o

---
The next morning, the starving Kasak started crying out loud as soon as he woke up. This woke up Ian, who started getting out of bed, but Tak pulled her back in, asking her not to leave. The earrings were placed out of her reach. Ian asked him to let her go since Kasak was crying. Tak told her to ignore him. She broke out of the hold of his left arm with almost superhuman strength, but he caught her again with her right arm. When Ian looked at him tearily, he told her not to cry and said he'd let go.

She thanked him, but just as she was relieved and Tak loosened his hold, she collapsed onto the floor. Tak called out to her then hurriedly put on his earrings when she did not answer. Several of her ribs were showing.

Eventually she was treated by Visnu, who asked if they didn't think she should get treatment earlier. Ian needed to be treated as soon as Kasak started breastfeeding. Tak was looking quite upset.

To be continued.

*sob* so long *sob*
*twitch* Lousy pregnancy. Horrific childbirth. Do not ever want. D: And now breast-feeding?

Currygom posted this early today, and will do so with the second half tomorrow, which is great since it means I'll have time to translate it before I have to go on a work trip on Sunday. *shoots self*

I must say, though, that's quite an ingenious gender system there! It's a solution to the problem: what if all the Nastikas take male form, and only take female form for a while for reproduction? The answer is that if they did that, then the next generation would be overwhelmingly of the same gender, and won't be able to reproduce further. I wonder how long a Sura pregnancy lasts though. D: Edited by Mizura, 07 July 2012 - 02:40 AM.

#29 Mizura

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Posted 14 July 2012 - 03:44 AM D894, January

One night, Kasak made quite a name for himself. Ian, now looking to be in her mid-20s, suddenly found Kasak missing. Tak was also missing, but he just went to his nest as usual. Yet Kasak was only 10, and since he was a Half, he looked to be 2 to 3 years old at the most. Recalling the events that day made her worry more.

the finite, by currygom
Chapter 24 - Mother and wife (Second part)

Ian wasn't usually angry at Kasak, but the house was so badly messed up that day that she was a little angry. She asked Kasak what happened to the house and complained that he used his Breath in it. He had messed up the bedroom. Tak had flown all the way to other planets to gather top-quality materials for the curtains and blankets, and had made a hand-carved bed for her.

Ian asked Kasak why he did it. Kasak complained that while Tak was sleeping in the nest, his mother should spend time with him, yet she was clearly not next to him in the morning. Why? Did she like his Dad more? (possessive little brat O.o;; )

Ian replied that since she plays with Kasak a lot during the day, she should at least spend time with Dad at night. Kasak then complained that she should not leave him alone during the day. While Ian was telling him that sometimes she wanted to be alone, Kasak yelled that she should always stay with him.

It happened instantly. While angry, Kasak had hit his mother's leg with his invisible breath, and she had to sit down on the floor. Fortunately he was still small, if it were any higher then she would have been killed instantly. Soon Ian started to bleed massively on the floor, and Kasak went stiff. He cried out to his mom and ran to her. Ian was still conscious, but her pain was so severe that she couldn't speak.

Fortunately Tak and Nard came home at that time. If Visnu hadn't told them, Ian would probably have died. Nard cast recovery magic on her. Despite not being of the Ressurection property, thanks to 14 years of training he was fairly good at the spell. Ian successfully recovered, but Tak was hugging her and crying. Seeing the bloody Ian reminded him of that day 14 years ago.

Ian reassured him that she was fine and told him not to cry. Kasak, from his corner, got up and went out.

---
Putting aside the fact that her son had just attacked her, Ian went looking for Kasak all around the house, but could find no traces of him. She went to Tak's nest, a dark cave, to ask for his help, telling him that Kasak was gone. Tak told her not to worry and told her that Kasak was there. Ian let out a sigh of relief.

She thought that Tak would hand Kasak over, but after a long while all remained quiet in the cave. She asked Tak was he was doing. Eventually he came out of the cave holding Kasak, who went "I'm sorry, I'm sorry for getting angry mother." He wanted to run away from his dad though, and clutched Ian's clothes while trembling.

Ian asked him what was wrong, and her face completely hardened when she saw the wound on his back. It was nearly healed, but since the child's healing abilities were considerable, it was clearly a very serious injury.

Tak just acted as though he was busted after making a small mistake, but Ian was speechless. Tak replied that it was because he dared to use his breath against her, so if he wasn't taught a lesson now...

"Tak!!!" Ian retorted how really? He'd hurt the child for that? She looked as though she was about to cry, causing Tak to ask her not to cry, but she wrapped her body around Kasak protectively and didn't allow him to come closer.

When she calmed down a bit, he apologized to her, saying he tried not to hit Kasak but that it was hard for him without the earrings. Kasak was visibly shaking. Tak continued that it was really hard for him to see Ian so pre-occupied with Kasak, and Ian cut him off, saying that he was just jealous of his son. Tak confirmed that yes, he was jealous, and that he hated that guy and was mad at him, since she had to start feeding him. No, since the beginning, because she squandered 80 years of her life for him to exist!

Seeing Ian's reaction, he started making excuses, mentioning the earrings and how they prevented him from sleeping, but panicked and started apologizing when he realized that it reminded her of what happened before, so he promised not to attack anymore, maybe.

---
(I can hardly figure out what this part is saying, corrections would be greatly appreciates X_x;; )

Ian said that she was worried. The while-haired woman, who had been listening to Ian's story the entire time, finally opened her mouth.

She told her that she couldn't compare a Nastika to a human's situation. Male Nastikas were strongly possessive towards their wife, while most female Nastikas had weak maternal senses. They weren't completely free of motherly feelings, but... compared to human mothers...they didn't have any at all. But in the case of Tak and Ian, Taksaka's possessiveness was way stronger than other Nastikas...but Ian's maternal instincts were very different from Nastikas. (Thanks Ashenjay!)

"Even though a much higher proportion of male Rakshasas were born compared to females, the reason the number was well matched was because males were sent to battle more often. However, an even bigger reason was because their father is a Nastika. They didn't like it when their son spent time with their wife, and if the son did something wrong and caused the wife to cry, become angry or the likes, the father just would not be able to stand it. (Thanks Ashenjay!)

Ian asks if she meant that the father would beat his son if he got upset. The woman replied yes. It usually wouldn't go as far as killing, but they could hit in the heat of anger. And in the case of Taksaka, he'd unleash his Breath. Even among Nastika, Taksaka had a temper, and it was better not to talk back to him.

Until then, Ian thought that Tak could easily restrain himself from using his Breath. She always had her way with him, but in fact, if she made him angry, it was more likely for him to kill her. Taksaka was trying not to scare her. Still, Ian's voice got a little shaky.

The woman continued that if a strong Nastika thought that he hated his son, then he could hit him dead. In the case of a Rakshasa that hadn't reached 3rd stage, the boy would be dead before knowing he was hit.

Ian complained though that she couldn't bear children indefinitely. Indeed, after Kasak she didn't have enough remaining life anymore. Seeing Ian's tearful face, the woman smiled a little and reached out to stroke her face. She told her that although she understood her, Kasak caused her lifespan to reduce by a lot. Other Nastikas already often disliked their son. It would be extremely difficult for Taksaka to like Kasak in his position.

But Ian said she didn't understand why it was necessary to hit his child. The woman told her to listen: Kasak was the first to attack, and Ian could have died. In this situation which had angered Taksaka, it was hard for Taksaka not to outright kill Kasak, so from her point of view Taksaka exercised great patience, so she asked Ian not to see Taksaka the wrong way. But if necessary, to protect Kasak, she could tell Taksaka not to touch him.

Ian eventually wiped her tears and resigned herself. She asked what she could do after her death though? Without her, Tak and Kasak would... The woman told her not to worry about that, as thinking about that would be too difficult for a Nastika. Ian thanked her for talking to her.

---
Once the woman left (c'mon, give us a name already ;_; ), with Kasak sleeping by the window, Ian thought about what the woman said, that it was too difficult for Nastikas to consider what happened after death. But, that seemed like a pointless judgment of dragons.

Even though it was long ago, she still remembered the last time she saw him, as a blue mirage. She wouldn't be able to see such beautiful colors twice in her life. However, he was worried about the situation even at the end. Never tell Tak anything until your death. Pretend you don't know anything. There was a risk to Tak, and to Ian, her husband's safety was more imporant than knowing the truth.

I'm sorry, I'm sorry. After a while, a smiling Tak entered the house with his earrings on.

To be continued.

---
Um, okay, 911? I'd like to report a case of child abuse? Now I kind of understand why Maruna didn't seem to like his father much. He probably had a hard time under him, then had a hard time under his father's friend. D:

You know, baby Kasak is cute and all, but I admit to being slightly disturbed by the image of a 2~3 year-old looking brat running around and causing much destruction. I bet That one isn't too popular with babysitters. D: Still, I'm surprised that he seemed so possessive of his mother. In the prologue, he didn't seem that sad when his mother died. Edited by Mizura, 18 July 2012 - 08:02 AM.

#30 Mizura

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Posted 21 July 2012 - 09:53 AM Tak handed Ian a gift, but saw that Ian had swollen eyes. He asked if it was Kasak again and if he should hit him. When she glared at him, he claimed that it was a joke. Ian asked him if he ever thought about after he died. Tak was surprised by the question, but rolled his eyes and said that a Nastika had no reason to think about such things, since they'd just be gone from the Universe.

He asked her why she asked the question. When she didn't respond, he asked her if she was sick. She answered that she was fine, just that she realized how different their views were. (I think the present was a Gandharva fin? Is this the Kubera equivalent of Shark fin for shark fin soup? D: )

the finite - by currygom
Chapter 25 - Mother and wife (last part)

Tak asked if he said something wrong. She said he didn't, it was just that she always thought about what would happen after her death. Compared to him, her life was so short that he would just forget her.

Tak proclaimed that he will never forget her. Then he apologized for yelling in her face.

In fact, he knew that after a long time, he'd barely remember her. A Nastika's memories lasted longer than a human's, but there were obvious limits. For example, in the beginning, because of those who committed the sin of falling in love with the same people, three tenths of the Dragon Nastikas died. (not sure about this part) The beginning period was relatively short, but compared to the lifespan of a human, they knew their kin for a long time. But by now, Tak could barely remember their faces, and couldn't remember the names of half of them. How much more could he remember of a woman with whom he spent much less than 200 years?

While he was lost in his thoughts, Ian asked if she could sit in his laps. She did so, hugged him, and thanked him for saying that he'll remember her. Tak held back tears and quietly nodded instead.

Ian then asked him if he could take care of that which was precious to her after her death, as that worried her as well. Tak said okay, and that he'll even write it down. Ian's face lit up, and Tak knew that this promise would not be easily reversed.

Ian said that the first was him. This caused Tak to laugh in a silly manner. She continued that he should always take care of himself: do not get mad, avoid fighting as much as possible. With or without the earrings. Tak said okay. Ian was so cute that he wanted to embrace her.

The second, she continued, was Kasak. Tak's smiling face hardened. Ian said that she knew that it was hard for Tak to love Ian, but could he at least give her nothing to worry about? She said that she was so scared that since Kasak took her life, after she dies, Tak would kill...

Tak answered immediately that he wouldn't do that. Ian quietly removed his earrings, then asked him if he could give the same answer in that state. He said that it was obvious: with or without the earrings the commitment was the same. He won't kill Kasak. Ian said that he said he'd write it down. Tak seemed a bit angry, so she decided not to push the matter with him when he didn't have the earrings on.

I think Tak repeated that he'd let Kasak live? Ian looked at him surprised then thanked him for his answer, then kissed him. They headed towards the bedroom. She thought about the earrings: for her convenience, it was better if he had the earrings on, but she wanted him to answer her without them, to make sure the answer was sincere.

---
While pondering this Tak came into the bedroom. Without the earrings, he acted as though every act was troublesome, but in fact he was just fast and accurate. Ian looked nervous for a while. Eventually Tak asked for the earrings that were still in her hands. He was waiting because of the earrings. Ian blushed at how considerate he was.

He asked if he could not wear them. Ian blinked. Tak took the earrings from her hands, then asked her again if she needed the earrings. She said she didn't need them, and as soon as she said that he threw them accurately out the cracks of the window, even without looking. When Ian asked, he said he could find them later. He added that he wasn't sleepy at all that day.

Ian was surprised, and blocked his kiss with the bed covers. She said that she changed her mind and he should put on the earrings. Her voice was trembling slightly, and she started to apologize, but he said it was okay, then quietly opened the window to pick up the earrings. Then he said that he was sorry and that she should forget what he said. He apologized for scaring her. Ian apologized in return.

---
Kasak was lying in bed and woke up with a blink. Halfs had really good ears, which were troublesome in situations like this. Although he looked just about 3 years-old, in reality he's experienced 10 years. Apparently his mother was easily ashamed and his father wanted to kill him. Eventually Kasak couldn't find a better solution than holding the blanket to his ears. (not sure about this part but it seems that Ian was embarrassed because Kasak could hear them?)

---
Even though it was winter, the flowers in the backyard that Tak grew were vibrant. He excelled at planting flowers from season to season. Ian enjoyed the flowers with her eyes closed, then gently opened them and looked up into the sky. She noted that it was the same as that time: she lay in the flower garden, the moon was up in the sky, and he didn't have his earrings.

Tak apologized and asked if she wanted him to go inside or put on the earrings. She said she didn't, which left him puzzled. She laughed then asked if he could tell her that he loved her. He did so, and she asked him to come closer and repeat it again. At her request, he repeated it over and over.

Although he said so in a bland voice, she happily kissed him on the lips. Somewhere along the way he started to kiss her back.

It was similar yet totally different from the night 14 years ago. Although Winter had begun, Ian wasn't cold at all.

To be continued.

--
So uh, it's like Ian wrote her will already. D: And we can add gandharva fin (soup?) to the list of delicacies in the Kubera world? ... Tak's an expert at gardening? Edited by Mizura, 21 July 2012 - 10:25 AM.

#31 Mizura

Fried Potato

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Posted 28 July 2012 - 09:56 AM Currygom says that she edited this chapter to remove parts about Kasak, to avoid too much overlap with the webtoon. (I think that's what she said)
Also, in her comment box, she said that Agwen's mother is supposed to appear in Chapter 28! But that part may be edited out too. :\ (and apparently she won't be mentioned in the webtoon anymore either, baw)

--
D914 October

Tak and Ian lay on a bed of wild flowers. Ian was nearly seventy, but as she was a quarter, she still looked to be in her mid-30's, while Tak adapted his age appearance accordingly. When she was young, Tak was really worried about how skinny she was, but now that she was middle-aged she had a more generous figure. With the thick clothes she was dressed in, she could even look chubby.

Ian asked about the children playing. When Tak didn't answer, she turned to him. While Ian had a middle-aged figure now, Tak still boasted a near-perfect body like a person in his teens or twenties.

Eventually Ian got up and playfully sat down on his stomach. Tak started complaining that she could get killed by waking a dragon from its sleep. She apologized but said that it was cold, and she just wanted a hug. Eventually he gave in and hugged her. Although this was strange behaviour from the infamous Taksaka, and 40 years meant little to him, but he was very affectionate with Ian. He kept his earrings on most of the time except for sleeping.

the finite - by Currygom
Chapter 26 - Father (first part)

Just as Tak was dozing off again, with Ian in his arms, Ian asked him if the children playing there looked good. He said he didn't care. When Ian insisted that he took a look, he finally did so. They were playing below a tree. Kalavinka, the Garuda clan Rakshasa girl, looked about 12, while Kasak the dragon half looked about 8 years-old.

Ian noted that Kasak couldn't stay like this, and that he would need a Half identification. But, they couldn't reveal who the father was. Eventually, he could pass off for a Kinnara or Asura Half. After all, Tak had passed himself off as Shess of the Kinnara clan. Tak just recommended living without identification.

For a half to enter a city, he'd have to have a sponsor, but that would be very difficult without identification, moreso since Kasak wasn't friendly and didn't have a good personality. They couldn't rely on Nard: ever since he broke up with Hana's mother, he had taken Hana and started wandering around aimlessly. (aww ) Ian asked if Tak could present himself as Kasak's father, but Tak answered that of course he couldn't.

If it were known that Taksaka fell in love with a human and had a Half with her, Ian would become the target of the Gods. Just as Shakuntala turned out to be Gandharva's weakness several times in the past, Ian would become Taksaka's weakness.

Tak started to say that she did not know about the Gods, and she didn't know about him either. This got Ian curious, and she asked what it was she didn't know. Tak kept his mouth shut, and they went into a staring contest. Although Tak had been with Ian for a mere 40 years, he behaved in a way that Nastikas would not dare to in those years. To this date, only 3 people were allowed to even call him Tak.

Even though he didn't have his earrings on, Ian kept staring at him until her eyes went bloodshot. Eventually Tak looked aside first, and claimed that she knew him well. Ian laughed in triumph.

Even though she was older Tak still found her face cute. He liked her at the start because she was small and skinny, unlike the glamorous 179cm Shuri who was totally not his style. Although Ian was less skinny now, he still found her lovely. Ian kissed him on the cheek. Eventually she gave up getting an answer to her earlier question and continued laughing.

---
Visnu said that it would be fine if Tak identified himself as the father.

Tak looked up in surprise, while Ian was delighted and thanked him. Seeing that Tak was still doubtful, Visnu reassured him: although Tak was worried that the Gods would use Ian as a hostage, this would not happen because of his image. Unlike Gandharva, who'd be ready to die to save his daughter, Tak, well...

Tak protested that he'd go too, but Visnu said that it was only his opinion. To the Gods, he didn't look like the type who'd give up his life for a woman. (lol!)

Tak decided to shut up. Ian, who was listening in, decided to thank him for saying that he'd come for her. Kalavinka, who was sitting next to Visnu, also barely let out a smile, though Kasak, who didn't understand the situation, just watched.

---
A crowd had gathered at the Mistyshore checkpoint, glancing in from the windows. It was very rare for an advanced sura to show up for the registration of a Half.

Tak, with his earrings on, was holding Kasak with one arm, and holding Ian's hand with the other. Normally only one or two employees would be present, but because of the presence of an advanced Sura, 10 employees were present, with one of them ready to use the emergency button to the temple at any time. They'd feel a lot better if the God in charge of the ward could show up, and didn't know why he could not appear on schedule. (?)

The employee identified Ian Rajof, who was the one missing from Mistyshore 40 years ago. But why didn't she register at the checkpoints while leaving? Tak interrupted that he was the one who brought her out, and asked if anything was wrong.

The employees felt worse. Was he the guy who pulverized the whole mountain? Was he a Nastika? Watching the employees mumble, Ian sighed. She explained that they were just here for the child, and had no intention of causing any damage. They'd leave as soon as they get the identification. They didn't even need to go into the barrier boundaries.

The employee said that the parentage needed to be clear on both sides. The wife was already registered, but they weren't clear about the father.

Astonished sounds came from behind as Tak removed his earrings and revealed 4 horns. "I am Taksaka the Extermination Dragon of the Vritra Clan. Any other explanations needed?"

The staff looked at him absurdly, while Ian instinctively hugged Kasak. The staff started to say that the name alone was not enough to prove... some were afraid of him, while others were suspicious. Tak complained if he needed to prove it in some way. Should he use his breath? Should he make the forest disappear?

He started telling Ian that he could take out the whole bunch, causing Ian to quickly cover his mouth and tell him that he shouldn't use violence at the checkpoints. Since he was without his earrings, the employees were now scared stiff. Tak complained that the staff was incompetent, but said that since Nastikas generally weren't known to impersonate each other, he'd just prove that he was a Nastika.

With that, he changed from the appearance of a 40-something man to the appearance of when he just met Ian, when he looked like a 15 years-old boy, then finally became a boy the same age as Kasak. The people looking in from the street could not believe what they were seeing. Kasak, in Ian's arms, could also not believe that his father had become a child his age.

To be continued.*mx.nglz likes this

#32 Mizura

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Posted Today, 12:52 AM Tak asked for warm milk. Tak still looked young and was somehow acting like a child. According to Visnu, even though Gods and Nastikas can change their appearance, their mental age remained unchanged. However, no matter what, Tak looked like a kid right now. Because he looked so young, Ian wanted to spoil and pamper him, and the thought made her laugh.

Ian told Tak to wait with Kasak then as she went into the city to buy milk. Even though Kasak had an ID card, he did not have a patron, and the Nastika Tak could get into the city even less.

At that moment Tak saw Visnu coming. By his side were a young boy and the 5-Zen god of Water Varuna (omg!). Visnu had taken the appearance of 40-years-old priest. Varuna had long flowing blue hair tied up in a ponytail and an alluring face. She eyed Tak and Ian without a word.

Ian didn't recognize the God, and asked Tak what was wrong, as his expression had changed. She complained that it hurt as he was clutching her hands. He then hugged her waist with both arms and glared at Varuna as if about to kill her, but Varuna did not seem surprised.
"It is just as you said. I just wanted to make sure with my own eyes."

After Varuna told that to Visnu, she passed a few words to the boy and went back into the city. The boy hastily gave some orders to the checkpoint staff and followed after Varuna. After the two disappeared, Visnu started laughing and turned to Tak, saying that his display of affection was very appropriate.

Visnu then turned to talk to Ian, who thought he was the Priest of Varuna. In fact, the real priest of Varuna was the boy next to Varuna, but he seemed to be 10 years-old at best, so even though he was wearing expensive clothes, one would not expect him to be the priest.

Seeing Ian watch him silently, Visnu started laughing. He told her to prevent any damage to the city, adding that he had to go to another job. Then he told Tak not to do anything wrong. The area was surrounded by the sea, and on the sea she (Varuna) had more power than a Gandharva. In addition, she also controlled the city turrets. In other words, she could kill Ian at any moment.

Tak complained that it was too dangerous for Ian to go now, but Visnu thinks that Varuna won't target her. Since Visnu could see the future, this reassured them about Ian's safety. At this point Ian remembered something and said she wanted to go to the store where she had a part-time job. Tak asked if she meant the store with the annoying manager, and Ian didn't get it. Soon Ian laughed and dragged the two children(?) to the checkpoint.

the finite - by Currygom
Chapter 27 - Father (2/2)

Compared to 40 years ago, the shop had moved to a somewhat different location, and the menu had expanded. The manager told Ian that he should have told him if she was uncomfortable and about to quit. Did she know how much trouble she caused him when his part-timer suddenly disappeared? The now grey-haired manager was sitting at the counter. He had retired from magic, and was now dedicated full-time to the store. Ian apologized to him.

The manager then withdrew 20 gold coins from a drawer, as salary for her work until that day of the month, plus 10 gold bonus. Ian took it reluctantly at the manager's urging. He then went to the back, where his wife seemed to be waiting. Surprisingly, she had a tail. Ian was surprised to see that he had fallen in love with a Half, since he used to call her a heretic. It seemed he had changed with time.

At that moment, Tak started complaining about the fact that there were vegetables in the sausage. Even though he was wearing his earrings, the other guests started to feel overwhelmed. Ian hurried to his side. Ian told him not to complain, noting that Kasak ate everything. Tak objected to the comparison, but still he swallowed the remaining sausages without chewing. Kasak looked at the now empty plates, and Ian complained that Kasak had nothing to eat anymore. Tak said that they could just order more, and ordered the waiter to bring out all the remaining sausages. Ian thought he looked strange, but still so cute that she couldn't help but smile brightly.

--
Ian went to see the place she lived at 40 years ago. She felt tired and sat down in front of the fountain. Quarters shouldn't normally feel tired at this point, but she was weaker than quarters her age, and the difference became more pronounced as she was about to give birth. Perhaps the 80 years lost resulted in an equivalent aging. Fortunately, her appearance aged normally, but she still aged twice as fast as her son.

Tak joined her, while Kasak was looking at the buildings curiously, and finally escaped her arms. Ian was about to follow him but was caught by Tak, who said he'd go after him instead. Since Ian was looking worried, Tak reassured her that he'd keep his promise. Ian wondered if he needed to do some important father-to-son talking with Kasak.

--
The two were by the sea. Tak told Kasak that he was sleeping on the sea when Ian jumped in, thinking he was someone drowning. It was either a coincidence, or inevitable. He didn't know how much Visnu manipulated. So, Kasak had Visnu to thank for his life.

Kasak said it was true of his father. He'd not have met Kasak's mother if not for Visnu. Tak frowned. There was a moment of silence. It was Tak who broke the silence.
"Kasak."
"Yes."
"I hated you."
"Yes."

It was in the past tense, but the young Kasak was not attentive enough to notice. Tak glanced at his son. No matter what, he looked just like him, and just didn't resemble Ian. This was significant for Tak. It was clear that Ian's blood was also in Kasak, but it cost her 80 years of her life. And, because he looked so different from Ian, it was difficult for Tak to give affection to the child. Even if he looked different, if his nature would at least be a bit like Ian's, then Tak wouldn't hate him so much. Or if he had been born as a daughter in the first place...

Tak told him that if he had been born as a daughter, he'd have been a bigger fool for his daughter than Gandharva.

Kasak had heard from Kalavinka about how stupid Gandharva acts around his daughter. Imagining his father like that, he frowned and replied bluntly that if that meant his father would stalk him all the time, then it'd be terrible. So it was a good thing that he was born as a son. (ouch!)

Worried that his father would get angry, he quickly tried to steer the conversation away by adding that he heard his father could not have a daughter. Before Kasak knew it, Tak was holding him by the neck. Tak warned him if he thought he'd be fine since that day 20 years ago. No matter how similar the two looked in age, there was an overwhelming difference in power. Tak reminded him that Kasak took 80 years away from his girl, and Tak would only need to lift a finger to kill him. He just didn't want those 80 years to be in vain.

Kasak's eyes started shaking and began to tear up. No matter how insensitive he was as a Half, he was at least most emotional than his father without the earrings. Apart from the feeling of 'anger', he had also realized the feeling of 'fear' for the first time. Back then when he was very young, he remembered feeling desperately abandoned.

Tak noted that the two were similar in their crying, and loosened his hold. Kasak was only similar to Ian when he was crying, so he felt affectionate to him only when he was crying. As soon as the tears ceased, the affection disappeared as well. ( D: )

Tak complained that it would have been nice if he looked more like Ian, but he somehow ended up with a carbon copy of him. He didn't look at the expression on Kasak's face as he said that. In the end, Tak just headed back in Ian's direction.

--
When Tak approached the fountain, Ian asked what they were doing, because she waited a long time, however Tak interrupted her. Puzzled, she picked him up like she did with Kasak. In the meantime, people passing by were spreading word about Tak. Those who had been to the checkpoint looked startled and quickly left. Others were wondering if he was a Half.

Ian asked Tak why he wasn't wearing his earrings, and he replied that he didn't want to, and fell asleep in her arms. Then Ian saw Kasak walking away. She asked him what they were talking about.

Kasak looked at her without answering, then stepped away from her. Ian told him to wait, but he told her to not follow him. He said that he already took 80 years of his mother's life, and shouldn't want more.

Ian wondered if he was crying as he was confessing that, but Kasak's face was turned around as he said that, so she couldn't confirm. Kasak continued that his father told him that if he couldn't have been born a daughter, he should have at least resembled the mother, to receive both the mother and father's love.

But it wasn't his fault, he thought.

Kasak bowed his head and his shoulders trembled a bit, then he raised his head and with a few steps, disappeared from Ian's sight.

To be continued.

Mizura II

Contents

#22 Mizura

#23 Mizura

#24 Mizura

#25 Mizura

#26 Mizura

#27 Mizura

#28 Mizura

#29 Mizura

#30 Mizura

#31 Mizura

#32 Mizura

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